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Dizzy Mystics

Wanderlost

Review by Gary Hill

I'd bet you've never heard anything quite like this. I also won't be surprised at all if it makes my "best of 2019" list. I can hear all kinds of sounds on this from classic prog to psychedelia, jam band and much more. Phish is to some degree a valid comparison, but this has a lot more fusion and jazz built into it. It's also more purely progressive rock based. This isn't the kind of thing that makes an easy detailed track by track review possible. It changes so frequently and works through such unique sounds, that it's one of the hardest things to review. However, it's a very entertaining experience for just listening and enjoying.

This review is available in book (paperback and hardcover) in Music Street Journal: 2019  Volume 4. More information and purchase links can be found at: garyhillauthor.com/Music-Street-Journal-2019.

Track by Track Review
Letter
They waste no time, firing out with a fast-paced fusion bit right out of the gate. It drops from there, though. It eventually works to more of a folk prog meets psychedelia jam. After the first vocal movement we get more fusion meets prog jamming. This thing just keeps shifting and changing as it drives onward. It's part jam band, part hard rocking psychedelia, part fusion and part progressive rock. Don't get too comfortable because it's ever changing and evolving. It's a real powerhouse number. What an amazing track this is, packed with so many different sounds and flavors.
Shindigjig
A drum solo starts this cut. As the other instruments join in a smoking hot, fast paced jam, I'm definitely reminded of early Rush. The keyboard sounds that come in after a bit change that illusion. When the vocals join, it makes me think of Peter Banks' old band Flash. This thing is another that's rapidly changing and so powerful, but it's more of a straight-line than the opener was. We do get some world music hints built into this thing. Of course, that explains the "jig" part of the title.
Fallasophy
The rhythm section opens this in style. The cut grows out from there to a killer jam that merges modern rock, fusion, jam band sounds, classic prog and more into another unique and powerful piece of music. Again, this is hard to keep track of as the changes are frequent and fast. There are some seriously hard rocking parts to this thing.
The Frequent See, Consistent Seas

Fast paced jazzy jamming opens this thing. The cut has the same kind of quick changes as the rest of the disc, though. I love the vocal arrangement on this. The balance between slower and faster sections here is classy. This has some powerhouse jamming, too. Given that this song is less than three-minutes long, it's amazing how much they pack into it. I love the keyboard jamming later in this piece.

The Anti-Dream

King's X is a valid reference point as this jumps out of the gate. The cut is up-tempoed and has a killer rhythmic groove. It gets very heavy and shifts out into some jazzier fusion-like stuff at times. They even get funky in a section later. A mellower section later creates some intriguing explorations, too.

The Scythe Pendulum Swing
There are some particularly soaring moments built into this thing. It has some of the most purely ptoggy sounds. There are definitely some jazz elements in this mix, too, though. I especially love the soaring prog jam after the five-minute mark. it's inspired and so cool.
Diamond Duller
They bring this in with a literally screaming, almost metallic jam. It's a big change, but it does resolve to something that at times makes me think of King's X a bit. They still pack this full of twists and turns. This gets a parental advisory for the lyrics. In some ways this isn't far removed from nu-metal at times. Yet, it's decidedly progressive in terms of the twists and turns. After a vocal dense movement, ambience ends the piece.
Jaunter
The opening section of this makes me think of California Guitar Trio. They bring some faster paced jamming into it from there. Among the various concepts that show up at different times here, this thing gets seriously funky at points. The vocal arrangement really stands out on this thing. The guitar jam as it approaches the four-minute mark is so cool, but then again, the whole song fits under that heading.
Rester (Analog Chameleon)
Acoustic guitar brings this into being. The piece eventually works to more of a melodic progressive rock jam from there. This is a bit more consistent than some of the others, avoiding a lot of the rapid fire changes. That said, there is still plenty of drama and magic here. There is fusion in the mix on this number, along with more mainstream prog. I dig the guitar solo section around the minute-and-a-half mark, which brings a lot of that jazz thing.
Wanderlost
A fast paced jam opens thing with style. Not only is it the closer and title track, but at over 11-minutes, it's the longest piece here. It has some killer grooves that seem built on fusion, modern prog and jam band textures. It shifts into trippy space as it approaches the three-minute mark. It rises upward from there moving into an exploratory, if a bit understated, jam.  It eventually peaks and then drops to echoey, trippy prog rock for a short movement. They bring it out into a jam with an interesting timing as they come out of that. They take into a seriously heavy, almost metallic jam as they continue. Eventually a fast paced movement that's based more on traditional prog takes over. They work through some frantic jamming as that develops. When it works to another powerhouse jam I'm reminded of Giant Squid just a bit. This thing just keeps twisting and turning in great ways. They really saved the best for last, as this powerhouse is just so cool. I love the guitar led jam around the eight-and-a-half minute mark. The cut continues to evolve in fine fashion from there.
 
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