By Orren Merton

 

Babylonian Tiles is one of those bands that does it's own thing seemingly oblivious to contemporary music. They've carved out a psychadelic niche that they pretty much have to themselves at this point. It's not completely retro, however--there are some modern effects and darker flourishes to keep the Acid Rock from going stale, but this Technicolour Aftermath could easily have been produced and recorded over 30 years ago. That's not a bad thing, either, when stock value determines who is allowed to release an album on a major label.

All the musicians here are talented and able to keep up with the many melodic and rhythmic paces each song seems to go through. If you are looking for short hook-laden pop, look elsewhere--these are *real* slices of psychedelia, each song meant to be a journey. Dummer Brian Schreiber keeps things pleasantly energized with his creative drumming, and guitarist Tim Thayer manages to weave himself in between the whispy keys and rhythms deftly. Singer Bryna Golden's often Middle Eastern delivery varies between a nasal, ethnic quality and a more Siouxsie Soux-esque style, but either one suits her. Her vocals sometimes seem overpowered by the music, but at least the lyrics are included in the packaging so you can still figure out what she's saying. And speaking about the packaging, personally, I think it's a bit tacky for a band to include a glowing review or two in their album notes. To me, that sort of thing is fine for a BBC producer to do, as part of a 30-year retrospective like "Bowie at the Beeb." But then again, you don't buy an album for the packaging, so that's neither here nor there.

If you wish Syd Barret never flipped out, Jim Morrisson were still with us, long for The Crazy World of Arthur Brown, etc. than this album won't let you down. It's creative, quality psychedelia, with a slightly updated feel. The lyrics are more brooding than "hippie dippy," which I really appreciate, even though some of the songs have a bit of that "circus-style" feel that I've always thought was a bit much in psychedelia. But minor quibbles aside, rest assured that if you are looking for that modern psychadelic sound, Technicolour Aftermath is definitely not bad acid.