SHRINE

Last year I got to know Psychoyogi's music due to the facebook contact with their axe-man Chris Ramsing, and i have to say I am lucky to be introduced to these low-profile prog bands because they always have something interesting to share. This is a trio of talented musicians whose music cannot be catalogued as classic progressive rock, instead, you will find here the jazzy side of prog with evident Zappa-esque textures. The band has released so far four albums, being Shrine their newest, released back in 2016. It is a short 34- minute album divided in 9 tracks that will make you have a good time.

As you can imagine, the songs range from 3 to 5 minutes. The title track "Shrine" is a pretty cool introduction to their music. Jazz prog with inherent humor (you can tell by the vocals) but with a sound that is really easy to dig, I mean, normally bands under the RIO or avant-prog label might be difficult to digest, but this is not the case. "Optimistic Dream" has a soft sound that turns delicious in their instrumental passages; it also brings a kind of gypsy sound made by the winds. The short guitar solos are also very pleasant. "Trust" is another nice piece with those gypsy nuances, nicely complemented by soft vocals and a pretty nice rhythmic base.

"Happy Family" is a piece I like a lot. Its instrumental passages are delicious. The guitar work is exquisite as well as those soft bass notes. "Lucy" is the shortest track, but its 3 minutes bring comfortably and peaceful moments that pass so fast like a blink of an eye. Its first minute is like an introduction, then some kind of funeral drums appear along with trumpets and create a very enjoyable passage. With "Far Away Places" I somehow remember Gentle Giant, maybe due to the rhythm, but at the same time, the voice has a certain Claypool sound, but softer. It also adds a nice mid-eastern sound as background. Wonderful track!

The gypsy essence returns with "How to Break the Fall". What I like a lot about this band is that their sound is not the common one, I mean, if you read "gypsy" as description you might imagine fast, bombastic and loud rhythms, but Psychoyogi's sound is actually very delicate, and it is nicely balanced by the moments with vocals. "Methods" has a wonderful jazzy passage at half the song, and thought it is short, it is one of my favorite of the whole album. The last song is "Supermarket Man" which has a chaotic piano in the first seconds, later acoustic guitar appears and later vocals. Despite it is so short, they managed to bring different sounds and passages on it. Very nice!

It is a nice album, I enjoy their music, however, I think their soft and friendly sound could be both, a pro and a con, because it's a not so common sound that brings a different experience, but it may lack of those explosive moments that make you fall in love with the music.

Enjoy it!