Goldray – Feel The Change: Album Review

By Mike Ainscoe on 3rd July 2020 • ( Leave a comment )

2017’s Rising album by Goldray was a terrific psych fest. Proof that lightning can strike twice, Kenwyn House and Leah Rasmussen are back with a tremendous second album in Feel The Change.

Release Date: 31st July 2020

Label: Akashic Records

Formats: DL / CD

Feel The Change gathers eight new songs written by House and Rasmussen and co-produced by Pedro Ferreira (The Darkness, Therapy?, Enter Shikari, Meatloaf, David Gray) at Spineroad Studios in Gothenburg. Progression? Well, we’re promised a heavier edge whilst still remaining in touch with their psych roots.

It’s hard to argue as Oz machine guns it’s way over seven minutes, the House guitar alternating between chunky riffing and freeform soloing as Rasmussen holds court over seven minutes that pulsate and mesmerise. Both presumably decked out in flowing velvet and shiny garb to add the essential visual element to the music. There’s an unusual feeling that you might be encountering How Soon Is Now with the throb but not for long. It’s as powerful an introduction as you’d wish for and another fine example of leading off a new set of songs with a show of strength. Seven minutes worth the proverbial admission price alone.

So as not to overdose on too much of a good thing, the title track offers a comedown as it evokes a husky Nicks era Fleetwood Mac, particularly on the chorus. Having said that, you’re unlikely to hear the Mac shifting gear into the hard rock coda that’s on show here…”Hold the light and feel alive inside.”

Why The Forest is split into two parts comes with the bluesy, almost gospel, soul in Part 1. Have they been swallowing some Blue(s) Pills? It twists into a classic Zep/Sabbath style riff that hits with a heftiness in Part 2 along with an inspirational House solo that cuts loose and sticks two fingers up at those who make try and play the ‘guitar wankery’ card. It’s brilliant music that inevitably lulls us out with unexpected ease and gentleness.

Hopefully, you’re listening on a vinyl record as the to get up and flip the platter over gives a brief respite from a stunning side one. And there’s more as the duo blend another helping of psych and prog experimental arrangements. Yes, they may draw on huge inspiration from the late 1960s and early 1970s but we’re in 202 and how fresh is it to hear the Goldray flamboyancy at the centre of a vibrant psych-rock scene.

More of the same? Can you take just one more wafer-thin mint? How Do You Know might just cleanse the palette for the pulsing throb on The Beat Inside as House sets up an insistent riff that just snakes and grooves. The appearance of an acoustic guitar on Come On takes us into a dreamy eloquence without any slackening of the intensity. Just a lighter touch.

There’s not a duff track on Feel The Change. Not a wasted moment. Ever thought they’d stopped making music like this? It’s time to realise. Rising was just the beginning – Feel The Change is a masterclass in psychedelic blues-rock.

Listen to How Do You Know here: