光线 (Train Of Light) by Baihu 白虎

Haven’t had a Psychedelic Sunday post for a while, but there’s something about the unstable power and energy of passing electrical storms that makes “Train of Light” from Power of the Light, Beauty of the Shadow by Baihu 白虎 a perfect soundtrack for today’s changeable weather.

Baihu 白虎 are from Beijing, China, with links to Birdstriking, involving bassist Zhou Nairen and guitarist He Fan, together with members of Carsick Cars, Gate To Otherside, Skip Skip Ben Ben, and Ricky Maymi of Brian Jonestown Massacre.

While Birdstriking are more in the shoegaze pop/ rock realm Baihu are a full Kosmiche Musik psychedelic rock experience, mixing gloriously atmospheric space rock with shoegaze guitar effects, burbling snyth, and some post-rock soundscapes for good measure.

Power of the Light, Beauty of the Shadow by Baihu 白虎 was released in May and is available on CD as well as the digital download via Bandcamp.

“Where I’m Going” by Josefin Öhrn + The Liberation

Psychedelic Sunday takes us to Sweden and the music of Josefin Öhrn + The Liberation

Sweden is well known for its production line of great bands covering all shades of music from pop to rock and beyond. In the ‘beyond’ category Sweden has blessed us with psych-proggers Dungen, the world+psch (con)fusion of Goat and the retro-psych soundtrack music of Death and Vanilla.

The music of Josefin Öhrn + The Liberation is more straightforward (sort of) heavy psych with a bit of motorik ‘Krautrock’ blended in (check out the epic 6 minute closing track “Imagine You”). The album “Mirage” covers a fair range of styles while remaining a satisfying mix of accessible melodicism and more experimental psych-rock.

“Where I’m Going” here is beautifully paisley-esque in its psych-pop goodness. The ending even mixes a bit of Syd era Pink Floyd’s “Interstellar Overdrive” with it’s Brian Jonestown Massacre-flavoured jangling psychedelia.

Josefin Öhrn’s vocals are a distinctive feature of the sound of the album. Her subdued, almost whispered vocal help draw the listener into this ‘head-music’. It’s a vocal style that reminds me of the haunting music of the fabulous Samara Lubelski.

Here’s another song from the album in video form – “Rushing Through My Mind”