Carrying a torch that still burns with a dazzling brightness, Gong complete a trilogy that serves the legacy with due reverence and psych-trimmed exuberance.

CELESTIALITY AT WORK HERE

Thinking in terms of the celestiality of Gong, maybe more of a star or flame than torch. Whatever. The spirit is certainly shows no signs of flickering and dying. Given the authenticity and undoubted highs of The Universe Also Collapses and Unending Ascending, expectations for what comes next from Gong are high; not necessarily so,but more  trusting of the label’s claim of being “at their experimental best, more adventurous and more open to the dream than ever.“

All is confirmed within a few minutes of Dream Of Mine easing quickly into its eleven minute journey. All rampant percussion and snaking ethnic vibes, it charms and sways with a jazzy groove emanating from Ian East. He spends much of the ten minutes simply doing his thing, vibing out on his brassy riff. A leisurely and unhurried vocal drifts in – there’s a suggestion of keeping secrets safe and alive as the intensity picks up – and all too soon, ten minutes has passed. A breathtaking return and worth digging out the ‘worth the ticket price alone’ tag. Even frontman Kavus Torabi is accessory to the fact, describing it as “a moment everything has been pointing toward, a flash of clarity inside the swirl.“

DREAM CENTRAL

It sets the tone for an album which is dream central. Not just in the lyrics but in a way of thinking, a way of life where the conscious and unconscious combine accompanied by a suitably divine musical presence. Time stands still as Mantivule picks up the baton for another bout of otherworldiness, while The Wonderment finds the band drifting in meditative fashion through deep space . A dreamy and kaleidoscopic spirit bright that wouldn’t be out of place on Steven Wilson’s The Overview opus, as the psychsters gaze back in wonderment (a clue in the title?) of planet Earth and its significance and place in the cosmos.

An unexpected fragility, a love song even, but unmistakably Gong, Fragrance Of Paradise ticks a new box. All jangly and effervescent with a gentle hint of the joyful bounce of My Guitar Is A Spaceship. leaving behind the signsture sound, Going head all Glam Rock and Kavus shape-shifts easily and briefly into Marc Bolan.

The influence of The Beatles and their peers is never too far away. Stars In Heaven a wistful Harrison/Lennon-esque parable where the Syd/early Floydness that lies in the Torabi DNA lurches to the fore. Have to admit that the Mothership Wilson also hones into (over)view once again at the end of the track with some soaring guitar. Toning down the quirkiness, the final ten minute passage of play offer a cocoon of softness in which to wallow. Sound as a plush pillow on which to float away into flights of fancy.

I know I’m not the only one who loves what people tend to refer to as ‘the new Gong’. Just awaiting that tour with Rosalie Cunningham…

Here’s some Wonderment:

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