Late 60s/ Early 70s psych rock gets a shot in the arm and comes out fighting on Lost To This World, the 5th album from Glasgow’s Fast Camels. Fans of The Doors, The Who, Wishbone Ash and Love will find familiar references…
A MUTUAL LOVE OF 60s FREAKBEAT
Based in Glasgow, The Fast Camels are: Drew Sturgeon (vocals/guitar), Mark O’Connor (vocals/lead guitar), Joe (Big Daddy Smyth) Smith (drums/vocals) and Andy Rennie (bass/vocals). The band was formed by songwriters Drew and Mark, after the pair had bonded over a “mutual love of 60s freakbeat” and Lost to the World is their 5th album.
The Fast Camels suggest that Lost To This World marks something of a departure from the band’s signature freakbeat/psychedelic influences although – to my ears at least – that departure isn’t a particularly savage one. Indeed, the influence of such bands as The Doors, The Who, Wishbone Ash and (especially) Love pervade Lost to This World like the lettering inside a stick of Dunoon rock – not that that’s a bad thing, in any way.
EXOTIC FLAVOURS
There’s a definite late 60s sound to opening track, LA, as dreamy, twangy guitars and assured vocals lead the way in. Shades of Jim Morrison are detectable in the vocals, whilst I’m reminded of Argus-era Wishbone Ash during the song’s quieter passages. The title of Kezi Towers is a reference to a famed Casablanca hotel and the flavour of the song is as exotic as its location. The vocals are echo-y and the instrumentation subdued, whilst a piano tinkles urgently within the mix.
A sharp, tangy guitar provides the main accompaniment to Drew’s warm, reflective vocals on Cry Yourself To Sleep. The vocal passion intensifies as the song progresses, as Andy’s loping basslines maintain a solid foundation. The second of the album’s two singles, It’s a Long Way Down is a poppy affair, with an irresistible swing. The confessional vocals recall the sort of thing that Pete Townshend would write during one of more self-critical phases, and there are reflections of Townshend’s voice in the vocal delivery.
Rock solid drums and chiming guitars provide the drive, and forceful vocals deliver the message of All I Want. And the song’s chorus: “When all I want is something new – someone who can guide me through,” is a compulsive singalong.
ON AN ISLAND RECORDS SAMPLER
If you’re listening to vinyl edition of the album, the Gregorian chant that opens Side Two comes as something of a surprise. But any ecclesiastical ambitions are shattered by resonant guitars and a cacophonous riff and the repeated vocal message: “Now I’ll never get to Heaven…”
Lost To This World, the album’s title track is one of several highlights. The plaintive, yet intense, vocals are backed by more of those tasty chiming guitars on a BIG ballad. It’s another song with an authentic late 60s/ early 70s sound; indeed, it’s exactly the kind of thing that you’d find on an Island Records Sampler, circa 1971. It’s strong, it’s melodic – and it makes a grand statement.
Vivid vocals are delivered to the backing of a picked acoustic guitar, whilst spacy electronic sounds percolate in the background on Gracefully – the album’s most overtly psychedelic track. The background drones take over after the drums kick in and, suddenly, there’s a spicy Indian flavour in the air…
LOVE – THE BAND…
Another album highlight, Used To Be. Seemingly lifted whole from the grooves of Love’s seminal Forever Changes album. It’s 60s power pop with a psychedelic twist. Gritty guitars surround the dreamy harmonized vocals, as the song’s extended coda: “It’s never over,” fades gently away. But it’s The Band that, undoubtedly, provides the inspiration for the excellent, rootsy, All Aboard The Lincoln Ship. The multi-harmony vocals are way up front, whilst a howling harmonica adds to the Big Pink impression.
And – to close – The Fast Camels have chosen Cold Night In January, a sold, chunky rocker. Despite the song’s chilly title, it’s a warming song, evocative of a winter fireside and, when the full band join in, it’s genuinely uplifting.
Watch the official video to It’s a Long Way Down – the second of the album’s two singles – below:
The Fast Camels: Bandcamp