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Non-Prog CD Reviews

Yellow Sunshine Explosion

Yellow Sunshine Explosion

Review by Gary Hill

With a title and band name like that, one might expect happy, cheery 1960s pop music. At least the idea would seem like psychedelic. Well, much of this is 1960s influenced. And, there is psychedelic in the mix. Garagey sounds are also heard along with punky rock and roll and even Hawkwind like space rock. This is a solid set. I’m not sure I’d call it “great,” but it’s clearly quite good.

This review is available in book format (hardcover and paperback) in Music Street Journal: 2013  Volume 2 at lulu.com/strangesound.

Track by Track Review
Ballad of Dan

Garagey psychedelic rock is the order of business on this number. There is a killer expansive jam later in the piece.

Sorry
This also feels quite 1960s styled, but more like the punky, raw rock and roll that was common in those days. It includes some harmonica playing, and is quite fun.
It’s Not my Fault
Here’s a cut that lands somewhere between the other two.
Yellow Sunshine Explosion
There’s a real echoey space rock meets psychedelic vibe to this cut. I love the harmonica on it, too. It’s one of my favorites on the disc. It gets pretty crazed at times.
Feminine Animation
The garage aspect is back here, but otherwise this is essentially a melodic psychedelic excursion.
Kaleidoscope
While in some ways there aren’t any big changes here, this works out to a jam that’s almost progressive rock in style. It’s fairly complex and quite cool.
Take It Acid Is
This really has an early Hawkwind kind of vibe, blended with more typical psychedelia. There is more of a jam band section later, but again it has hints of Hawkwind styled space in it.
Sing Ba Ba Ba
More bouncy and yet rather punky, this is a fun number.
Sun My Love
Here we get a more mainstream rocker, but it’s still got plenty of that retro psychedelic element to it. This one is more percussion oriented than a lot of the material here. There is some noisy jamming later, too.
Isabelle
Sitar sounds lead off here. Eventually other musical elements rise up and it becomes a very 1960s styled psychedelic rocker, perhaps not that far removed from something by H. P. Lovecraft or Jefferson Airplane. They take it out into a world music jam later.
 
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