Always August - 1986 - Black Pyramid

Always August

1986

Black Pyramid

01. Freedom Flight 5:00

02. Interrogation 3:37

03. Pan's Lament 3:35

04. Swim With Me 6:27

05. Spacin' Out 4:20

06. Oh My Mind 4:34

07. Soweto 3:45

08. Half The Time 10:53

Banjo – Bruce Blizzard (tracks: A3)

Bass, Vocals, Shakuhachi, Flute, Percussion – Tim Harding

Drums, Percussion, Xylophone, Vocals – Jeff Douglas

Guitar, Vocals, Kalimba, Percussion – John Kiefer

Guitar, Vocals, Panpipes, Percussion – Lee West

Trumpet – John Mela (tracks: A1, B3)

These guys were something special, it's just to bad no one ever noticed. Great psych rock space trips along the lines of The Meat Puppets at their best, and of course The Grateful Dead. These guys had a horn section as well, but this their debut is the most straight forward of their three recordings.

Somehow most 80s psychedelia lacks the originality of previous decades and the clarity of more professional bands which came out later. Always August manage to surpass one of these expectations in that their music is original enough with good use of several instruments, creating an original psychedelic atmosphere.

However, they do not manage to execute their ideas with the rigor required. One of the most important reasons is that the vocals are quite mediocre, often drawing the attention away from the good bits. Moreover, it sounds as if musicians are not able to play in synchrony, especially in the most improvised parts. This may have been alright, if the presumption is that this is a DIY, amateurish affort. It is quite clear though that the intention is to play in tune or professionally.

If you're not afraid of psychedelic rock with jazzy influences and if you're not put off by lo-fi production, you're listening to this LP. The four guys from Richmond, Virginia, play music in the mid-eighties that could actually date from the late sixties. There is little or nothing melodic here, however. One orientates oneself audibly to the experimentalists of the flower power era. I can imagine that a moderate Captain Beefheart fan might enjoy this music.

Personally, I find the music quite exhausting, but at the time I definitely expected more psy-rock and less folk/jazz. It goes without saying that the band had no chance of success in the mass market with this music in the mid-eighties. So it's not surprising that the band broke up again after almost 3 years.