After a creative break of just six months, the Washington band is releasing their second album, and I can already tell you that it will take you across the Sahara, from one oasis to another, and thus from one style to another. The more rock-oriented debut is now followed by a more relaxed version of the desert trip, with significantly more oriental influences. The opener, "Earth Wisdom," is a pretty hard-rocking song, but the following song, "The Search Continues," reminds me strongly of Peter Green's "Slaybo Day"; relaxed yet groovy vibes make this track a must-hear for your next road trip. "Inhalations Pt. 1-3" then represents the musical interpretation of the various phases after inhaling, starting with hard riffing, then transitioning to total relaxation. My personal favorite is "Nature's Travelogue," which, in my opinion, conveys a strong indigenous vibe from Northwest America, while "In the Presence of God" is more oriented towards oriental scales and rhythms. "Cascading Thoughts" sounds like an acoustic mandala, even more so than the songs by My Sleeping Karma, as the sequences of notes constantly revolve around themselves and repeat themselves over and over again. This guitar track is accompanied by an almost tribal-like drumming. At this point, my wife also said: "Wow, this is great music. I like it. Who is this band?" As in their opener, the band packs all their trademarks into the final song, "The Culmination," without the song feeling overstuffed or even contrived. It all seems to flow with great ease. It was a great pleasure to listen to this album, and yes, numerous songs—like those from the equally brilliant debut album—will be making their way onto our playlist.
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