Peruvian psych collective
Montibus Communitas is more of a congregation of loosely assembled improvisers than any kind of solidly arranged band, and their spiritual, acid-bathed sounds change from record to record as a result. Their various albums have taken turns toward cosmic exploration and autumnal reverence for the natural world, and their 2014 offering, The Pilgrim to the Absolute, falls somewhere in between. Laid out as a concept record in six chapters, the song suites here remotely follow the theme of a spiritual pilgrimage. Disembodied sounds of nature like chirping birds and flowing brooks are intercepted by acid folk instrumentation. The album comes on easy at first with soft hand percussion, reverb-heavy flutes, and acoustic guitars that sound broadcasted from inside some far-off daydreamy cavern. By the album's later moments, however, menacing synthesizer tones and growling electric guitars come into the all-instrumental mix, offering a darkness to contrast the earthy, contented vibes that fill most of the jams. ~ Fred Thomas