Farflung
5
(Heavy Psych Sounds Records)
Space rock titan, Farflung, is set to release their new album, 5 in May 2016 on the Italian label Heavy Psych Sounds Records. An eight-year hiatus between full-lengths) is enough time to craft something that pushes their level and playing into further plateaus. Farflung’s trademark sound of oscillator effects meets synthesizer meets fuzz pedal guitar tone and the visual showcase of their live shows (ala Hawkwind) make for a great partnership with the vibe of Heavy Psych Sounds Records, along with its roster of other great bands, really can’t see anything but each entity complimenting each other and being beneficial to each party. With such a lengthy gap between albums, it was surprising to learn, in an interview with Tommy Grenas at a chance meeting recently, the album contents were originated in only a matter of months for Grenas and is a personal reflection for him.
5 is very different from the last release (2008’s A Wound in Eternity). The songwriting and arrangements are very intricate and each track exhibits a unique atmosphere of vocal and instrumental effects with the dynamics of the production. The opening track, “Hive,” starts with ambient noises, and then a creeping oscillator, creating the effect of the listener being beamed aboard a space craft, until an explosion of all instruments in a hypnotic and tranquil rhythm. The songs “Proterozoic”, “044MPZ” and “Lupine” exhibit the classic Farflung sound and are testimonies to the long standing musical partnership of founders Grenas and Michael Esther, the core duo of Farflung who has been carving out sonic landscapes together since the early 1990’s in Los Angeles. A stand-out track is the chilling “27th Sun” written as a coping mechanism and response to a tragedy that occurred to close friends of the band. The second half of 5 begins with a heavy rendition of “Being Boiled” (originally done by UK electronic band Human League) followed by the most melodic tracks of the record, “We Are”, and “Dismal Jimmy”. “Dismal Jimmy” does have some historical reference in part to Grenas, who is originally from Belfast, Ireland, revealing the topics sung are in reference to King James’s siege of Derry, one of the most violent conflicts during The Troubles Era of Northern Ireland’s long war. The concluding track, “The Retreat” gives the polar opposite feelings of the opening track, “Hive” thanks to the swelling oscillator effects, percussion, and harmonic guitar tones, then the sudden cut-off in conclusion, giving the feeling that the listener has been transported back home from an unusual yet beautiful journey.
The album artwork matches the mood and tone the record gives: calming, intriguing, mysterious, vast, and deep.
5 is an evolutionary step for Farflung, the production is much crisper and more in-depth and the songwriting and arrangements are beautiful and detailed. In the span of eight years, they have restricted themselves to participating in split releases with the likes of White Hills, Black Rainbows, Fatso Jetson, and most recently 3 AM. These splits were recorded as a taste to their fans of what was to come for their full arrival once again.
It took eight years but the wait is over, they have finally landed.
