This is a retrospective review of the Vinyl Williams release, Naked Sanctuary (2010), and the 14th review here on Track-By-Track.
Naked Sanctuary is extremely well-done shoegaze psychedelia. Though fairly recent, it’s still a release I wouldn’t normally review due to being part of the back-catalogue of Vinyl Williams releases; I’m normally interested in current albums, but it’s a treat to bring attention to previous releases that are just as relevant as modern ones. And this is an appropriately retro-influenced release. If this album were released in the ‘60s or ‘70s, music as we know it might have changed course for the better; though it’s exciting to know that artists who make music as transcendent as this are still alive and well.
Amazingly, this is a solo project; Lionel Williams is the sole engineer and writer on the album. The professionalism and quality of music from solo artists never ceases to surprise me. There’s also an interesting overtone of mysticism throughout, both musically, and in terms of lyrical content. Loads of ideas flow through, and even the artwork (individual to each track) helps with making this a refreshingly alternative release. Though Naked Sanctuary has just five tracks, I can’t really decide whether it’s an album or an EP, because of its over 27 minute length. Washes of reverb, static, and an abundance of melody, in some ways makes me glad it wasn’t released back in the height of psychedelic and progressive rock’s popularity, because I’d wear out the grooves of an analogue record like this pretty quickly.
Here’s my digital TBT:
The release starts with “100”, with a constantly changing melodically warped atmosphere that mainly goes between a somewhat Syd-Barrett, and a stripped-down Sway (reviewed at the beginning of this month), in style. Some very cryptic lyrics, occasionally in a language I don't know: “Lef’nei shanim zeh haya midbar (Years ago this was a desert)”. Loads of strange sounds that surround like The Flaming Lips’ best songs. There’s guitar with loads of static and delay throughout, textured drums, and during the chorus, a great combination of soft-yet-loud bass, huge guitar, heavily-panned tambourine and drums, and evocative vocals; in what might be a defining moment of melody. Vocals throughout are soft, layered, and curious. And the ending surprises.
“Freshly Picked Diamond” follows, with obscured strange and hypnotic lyrics (thankfully provided in print), and transcendent melody. To call this merely a shoegaze track would do it a disservice, because it’s another strongly psychedelic track; loads of sounds that really bring attention to the fact you’re listening in stereo, delays to the hilt, and what sounds like very warm spring reverb. There might even be some warm synths low in the mix. It’s like the vocals are trying to convey a secret message in this, and all the other tracks on Naked Sanctuary, yet the rich guitars, bass, and drums, combine so perfectly with the vocals that there’s little doubt the music is important to Vinyl Williams. It finishes with a beautiful and heavily-processed coda that sounds like a clip from a larger ambient track.
The third track, “Zeal Biotics” is the downbeat track. Though at times breath is audible in the track, it sounds like part of the intent rather than production problems. It’s so captivating that it’s hard to describe. It’s a bit like a modern-rock track, but with such heavy abandon into deep melody -- bass combines with guitar to create conflicting yet melodically sound chords, and vocals add yet another dimension -- that it goes far beyond any standard form of rock. Heavily shoegaze and psychedelic again, with slightly overdriven drums, and guitars that sound like reverb itself. And who could ignore this: “Every time you think or feel, I’m resonating vast frequencies”?
The second-last track, “Spiral Galaxy” is instrumental and uplifting, especially after the last track’s dark tone. It starts out with meditative harmony from what I can only guess is a sampler through five or ten reverb channels, and there are soft drum and tambourine sounds as well. It’s hard to describe what this track is, but it’s beautiful; just nothing other than itself comes to mind. It has a definite Eastern influence, like other works by Vinyl Williams.
“Psychic Shrine” is the final track, which starts out with a guitar panning from ear to ear. There’s a sitar. I repeat. There’s a sitar. That’s all I need to fall in love with it. Even though there’s so much more. Guitar dives in and out of complete overdriven reverb obliteration, bass undertones harmonics, and the drums are addictive. The vocals drive the track, especially in the chorus with these lyrics: “Can you tell me what there is on the other side?”. They’re so emotional, yet not at the expense of melody and quality. Some occasional vocal tones sampled and panned right give even more texture to the track, even though it doesn’t seem possible beforehand. Sometimes the guitar is reminiscent of Sonic Youth, with loads of static, and unusual chords (both in discord and not).
Overall, unbelievable, powerful, and deeply musical. This release is a good example of why I don’t do drugs; I assume I can get roughly the same mental transcendence and warping without the bad side-effects. You can stream for free, and download for pay-what-you-want prices in CD quality at http://vinylwilliams.bandcamp.com. Vinyl Williams has since released a new EP, and LP, available at the same link. Sit back, relax, turn on, drop out. Oh, and don’t take the brown acid.
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