As I listen to The Space, I chastise myself for a streak of ridiculous disappointment. I am heading off to Desertfest this week to redeem a ticket I bought in 2020. One of the bands I was looking forward to immersing myself in was Somali Yacht Club. They are not playing and that leaves a hole in my weekend. Of course the reason they are not playing is that Vladimir Putin has decided to invade their home country slaughtering men, women and children in the name of imperialism. All of a sudden my priorities and first world problems crumble to ash.
The irony is that Somali Yacht club are the purveyors of the type of music that can help the real world fade into insignificance. Whether this will work when missiles and Russian bullets are slamming into your home, I do not know but I hope that the Lviv trio are able to get some comfort from the beautiful psychedelic, post rock sounds on this third album. I remember hearing a Bosnian teenager talk about how songs by the Shamen got him through the siege of Sarajevo. Perhaps this album can help the bands compatriots through their own hell.
Enough hand wringing waffle from me. Onto the album.
Somali Yacht Club offer up a highly textured mix of stoner, post rock and psyche with hooks and groovy parts and vocals that sometimes remind me of The Stone Roses.
Opener Silver has a fuzzy riff straight out of the late 90’s post grunge era before Ihor Pryshliak’s vocals float in like a young Ian Brown. There are elements of Madchester and early British shoegaze like Moose and Ride in here as well as more modern psyche and post rock. It sounds like a late summer evening that could turn to rain at any moment.
Pulsar is exactly that – a pulsating track that sits on a fuzzy QOTSA riff then floats into a spacey psyche-pop orbit tethered by big splashy drums and an earthy groove. This is like the second summer of love was orchestrated by kids who loved Sabbath and 13th Floor Elevators rather than Bowie and the Beatles. The late 60’s early 70’s vibe is writ large in Obscurum – a big spacey number, it reminds me of Yuri Gregarin jamming with Thee Hypnotics and Ride – the understated vocals of the latter a theme throughout SYC work.
Echo of Direction is based around a moody heartbeat and a Byrds style vocal that is part West Coast and part no coast space trip before changing direction into a heavy post rock stratosphere with some cinematic ambience and ballsy grooves.
Gold that follows is a slice of gentle pop in comparison. Three and a half minutes of 90’s shoegaze – this would have fitted on one of those Shine On comps that I used to carry around for my discman. Pure Spike Island vibes here.
So from the light and airy it is time to take a journey into the dark unknown by way of the twelve and half minute closer Momentum. It has a Planet Caravan meets Mogwai vibe but with lots of twists and turns along the way and some really doomy sad moments.
This album is a triumph – a collection filled with life and texture that manages to soar high and swoop low at varying times. Go buy it and support these guys coz who knows what their future holds.
(8.5/10 Matt Mason)
28/04/2022 at 8:45 am
Great review, and enjoy Desertfest. If I still lived in that there London I’m sure I’d be there too, even if I’d probably suffer from choice paralysis and collapse in a heap near Camden tube!