“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”

 

 

 

“Windfall” by SoccerPractise

SoccerPractise are an Auckland sound+vision ensemble with an impressive first single “Windfall” which was released in the second half of 2015.

“Windfall” channels a bit of the dance-primitive energy of GOAT with the spacey electronic pop-noire of Doprah. What sets “Windfall” apart from either though is avoidance of overindulgence.

“Windfall” is restrained, minimal, atmospheric, mysterious and perfect. This is as much a result of what is left out as it is a result of the just-right combination of insistent beat/ pace and sparing use of sampled percussion and sparse but exotic guitar textures.

SoccerPractise have a new single out soon too. In the meantime here’s the video for “Windfall”.