Half supergroup of sorts, thanks to the participation of
Skygreen Leopards' Shayde Sartin and Glenn Donaldson, and half individual path due to bandleader Cayce Lindner's own particular focus,
Flying Canyon's debut is less neo-psychedelic freak-out and more stoner zone-out, but thankfully the feeling (though admittedly not the instrumental ability and range) is more proto-gothic, skeletally arranged melancholy than Laurel Canyon self-pity. Some sins really don't need to be revisited. So instead of peace-free-love-and-good-weed, the opening "In the Reflection" starts with a huge, slow drumbeat and snarling fuzz, over which Lindner's measured acoustic guitar and steady, slightly high-and-lonesome singing acts as slight balm. That sense of something looming in the background behind calmer feelings -- part of what made a band like
Mazzy Star so spectacular -- can be heard throughout, as Donaldson's drums steadily hit in the distance on "The Bull Who Knew the Ring." The songs that are flat-out gentler call to mind both the more delicate moments of prime
Spirit and, perhaps even more tellingly, the beautiful reinterpretations of that tradition via Japanese bands like
Ghost. Songs like "Down to Summer," with its hushed echo and flute courtesy of Donaldson, uncannily capture the otherworldly touch of
Masaki Batoh's crew. "Relover" is in a class by itself, softly descending organ lines and slowly emerging percussion hits swathed in a huge amount of sonic gauze backing Lindner's quietly gripping performance, the series of guitar chords sounding like a final requiem for someone, somewhere. One of the best songs is the sweetly sung unlisted bonus track, "Black April" -- and credit to the band for not putting a 20-minute gap between the rest of the CD and that song. ~ Ned Raggett