Lemurian Folk Songs – not what you may expect. The psychedelic blues quartet from Hungary release their second album. Close your eyes and let your mind expand….

Release Date: 26th June 2020

Label: Tonzonen Records

Formats: DL / CD / vinyl (limited and coloured)

If nothing else , reading a review on At The Barrier can be educational. Did you know – Lemuria is the name of a hypothetical ‘lost land’ variously located in the Indian and Pacific Oceans? It might explain the band name and the direction of their folk music. What follows on Logos isn’t quite what you’d associate with folk songs…but how great would it be if folk songs veered off in a psychedelic blues direction rather than the traditional and rather stifled finger in the ear stereotype. We’re rambling…

And so it begins, with what sounds like someone running a finger around the top of a wine glass (hang on…perhaps that’s guitarist Bence Ambrus taking a break from the six-string) on the title track. Along with Sierra Tejeda, the opening pairing offers a passageway to a transcendental experience. Definitely setting up a groovy scene – so much so that Austin Powers would be wetting his velvet pants.

Logos (the track) does the album proud, doing the perfect job as one of those first tracks on an album that hooks you in. A bait that’s irresistible and it proved difficult to not simply press replay, or drag the cursor back to the start. You could even shift the needle if you opt for the tempting blue vinyl. The slight diversion into a bit of funk hardly jars and it’s a grand curtain raiser that eases into a more relaxed vibe, particularly with the cool lounge jazziness on Calcination that’s also a feature in the opening of Golden Laburnum.

The latter picks up on another snaking groove before easing into a more relaxing mood. It’s typical of the peaks and troughs that characterise Logos (the album). However, for the full experience, hang on for the nine minutes of Firelake to groove on in a strong close to the record. Like the opening pairing, there’s a swirling intensity that’s difficult to resist.

A restrained psychedelic wig-out kicks in as the pedalboard gets tested out with some phased and wah-wah guitar. Perhaps their most complete statement in its extended experimentalism and the spring and bounce of the bass that reminds us of why we love Pearl Jam so much; even to the guitar break midway through.

The surprise musical discovery of the moment. If only all folk songs were built around such acid-tinged cool.

Listen to the title track here:

Lemurian Folk Songs online: Facebook / Bandcamp

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