ARCHAÏA

A relaxed lysergic stream meandering through an ancietn rockface, Archaia belong to that magical category of bands that having released only one full length to limited acclaim before disbanding, became known and renowned thanks to the advent of the internet. This release doesn't share an awful lot in common with traditional Zeuhl, whilst the bass is the strongest link and some of the melodic themes are recognisable this is without a doubt a psychedelic release. This psychedelic component is very strong yet isn't easily definable as it is largely the sum of it's parts. The production definitely plays a large role though, it is reasonably lo-fi in that there isn't a lot of low end and there is a lot of fuzzed out guitar and in general it is very distant and sparse sounding - delicate would perhaps be an appropriate term (the percussion only approach turns out to be genius in this regard). There is also a palpable malaise which permeates the music, this turned out to be a stoner classic because it's a record that actually relates to the feeling of being stoned unlike any record I've encountered.

I strongly recommend this album, it is one of those weird unique little albums that fills a place in your musical life that nothing else really does, a tranquil other-worldly piece of music.