▄█████▄ ░█████▄ ▄████▄░█▄ ░█▄ ▄█████▄ ███▄██ ▄██ ▄█▄ ▄██████ ▄█▄ ▄███ ░████░██▀████▓ ▀██ ▄██░▀█████ ████ ███▓ ██████▓██ ▓███████ ███▓░▀█▀████ ███▓ ███▓ ▓███░ ██ ██▄ ▄██▓██ ▓███▓██░ ▓███░███░███████████▄ ███░███░ ███░ ▄███ ███ ▄█▀░ ████████░██ █████████▄ ▓██░███ ███▓█████████ ███████ ███ ███░ ███████ ███▓ ░██ ██ ██████▓ ░██ ▀██ ███░███▓██████ ███▓███ ███ ███ ████████░███░ ███ ██▄ ██▓███░ ██▄ ██░██▓ ███ ▀▀████ ███░███ ███ ███ ███▓░███████░ ███ ███▓██ ███ ███▓██▓██░ ███ ▓████ ███ ███ ▓██▓ ███ ███░ ▓██████ ███ ▓████ ▓██▄ ▓████████ ███ ▓███ ███ ███ ███░███ ███ ░██████ ███ ░████ ░███ ███▓███▓ ███ ░███ ███ ███ ██▓███ ███ ███▓██ ███ ███ ▓██▄ ███░███░ ███ ███ ███ ███ ░█████ ███ ██▓░██▄ ███ ▓█▀ ▓██▄ ███ ██░ ███ ██▓ ███ ███ ░███▀ ░█▀ ██░ ██ ░█▀ ░███▄ ▀ ▀ ▓█▀ ███░ ░█▀ ██▀ ██░ ▄██▀ ░█▄ ▄███▀ ░██ ░ ██ ▓░ ▓░ ██░ ▓█░ ░█▀ ▀█░ ░█▓ ░ ██ ██ Artist: Jess and The Ancient Ones ██ ██ ▓ █░░ ■█ Album: The Horse and Other Weird Tales █■ ░░█ ■ █▓▀ █ Year: 2017 █ ▀▓█ ░ █ ▓ Rel. Date: 2018-05-05 ▓ █ ▒ ▒ Genre: Psychedelic Rock ▒ ▒ █▄ ░ Label: Svart Records ░ ▄█ ░ █▄ ░ Source: CD ░ ▄█ ░ █▓ Type: Album ▓█ ░ ▓ █ Quality: VBR, 44.1kHz, Joint Stereo █ ░ ▓ ▓ █ █ ░ ▓ ▄ ■ ■ ▓ ■ ░█ █░ ▀ █ Open your minds once againà Svart Records brings █ █ back Jess and The Ancient Onesà A welcome █ █ awakening! A soundtrack to an exploration of the █ █ mind. Not mundane in any way û consistently █ █ exciting, leading through musical themes like a █ █ great storyteller, much like the title suggests. A █ █ worthy addition to an incredible discography. █ █ █ █ --- █ █ █ █ There aren't a lot of bands out there that truly █ █ reflect the power of witchy 60s psych rock and █ █ balance it with modern mastery. Most bands are █ █ happy with facile rip offs of Coven, or if they █ █ are really trying Black Widow, and are willing to █ █ call it a day after tossing together reverbed out █ █ vocals with some loud stoner rock riffs. This █ █ hardly ever works out well and in fact has led to █ █ the creation of one of the worst tropes in a █ █ crowded scene, female fronted 'doom' whose only █ █ asset is that it's female fronted. That's not at █ █ all what Jess And The Ancient Ones need to rely on █ █ though to prove that they are the real deal. With █ █ their third full length, The Horse And Other Weird █ █ Tales we see a band with a deep understanding of █ █ both 60s psychedelia and modern songwriting, █ █ fusing the best of old and new in order to create █ █ something truly powerful and incredibly █ █ fascinating. It's a record you can really sink █ █ your teeth into and which encourages the listener █ █ to spin time and time again. █ █ The keys that separate The Horse And Other Weird █ █ Tales from countless imitators are subtle but █ █ clearly present. I'm talking about things like █ █ using fuzz rather than proper distortion, heavily █ █ featuring the organ and choosing tones that are █ █ much more indicative of the 60s than I think a lot █ █ of bands are willing to go. At times this borders █ █ on cheesy, but that's where the modern █ █ sensibilities of Jess And The Ancient Ones come █ █ in. Rather than dipping into the slightly silly █ █ excesses of some of their predecessors (Or at █ █ least silly to our ears in 2017) Jess And The █ █ Ancient Ones have create something that is ominous █ █ and emotionally powerful. The compositions are █ █ elegantly executed and at times even alienating as █ █ a result of their dedication to older tropes that █ █ we might not be as comfortable with as listeners. █ █ This is a huge selling point for nerds like me █ █ because it speaks to a band who are willing to do █ █ things their way and damn the consequences. █ █ This sense of authenticity allows The Horse And █ █ Other Weird Tales to feel much more substantive █ █ than many similar releases coming out these days. █ █ Rather than falling into the 'Oooh witchcraft!' █ █ hole that so many 'edgy goth' bands seem to be █ █ pushing towards, The Horse And Other Weird Tales █ █ shows us a band obsessed with Hawkwind and who █ █ perhaps even treasure Arthur Brown. The band is █ █ unafraid to wear their influences on their █ █ collective sleeve and properly reflect on the █ █ impact they had on modern music. They create █ █ sounds that are mystical and weird and while that █ █ might take a while to wrap your head around it █ █ only makes the listener want to delve even █ █ further. Jess And the Ancient Ones have separated █ █ themselves so far from their peers that it can't █ █ help but to fascinate and it proves again and █ █ again that The Horse And Other Weird Tales is must █ █ listen material for any fan of psychedelic classic █ █ rock obscura. █ ▓ ▓ ▒ ▒ ░ 1. Death is the Doors 3:33 ░ ░ 2. Shining 3:16 ░ ░ 3. Your Exploding Heads 2:13 ░ ░ 4. You and Eyes 7:02 ░ ░ 5. Radio Aquarius 1:54 ░ ░ 6. Return to Hallucinate 2:28 ░ ░ 7. Here Comes) The Rainbow Mouth 3:31 ░ ░ 8. Minotaure 2:33 ░ ░ 9. Anyway the Minds Flow 7:57 ░ ░ 34:27 ░ ░ ▒ ▒ ▓ █ ░ ▓ ░ ■ █▄ ░ ██ ▀█▄░ ▄▄▄▄▄ ▓ ░ ▄▄▄▄▄ ░▄██░ ░ ▀████▓█▄▄█████████▓░ ███ ███▓░ █████████▄▄██████▀ ▓ ▓▀▓ ▒███████▀▀ ▀████████▒ ░████████▀ ▀▀███████░▓▀▓ ■ ░ ▄█░█▀▀▄████▄▓ ▀█▀ █▓░ ▒▓█ ▀█▀ ▄████▄ ▀███▄░ ▄█▀░ ░███▀▀▀███▄ ▀█▒ ██▓ ██ ▓█▀ ▄███▀▀▀███░ ▀█░ █▀ ▓██▓ ▄███ ▀█▓ ████ ▒█▀ ▓███▄ ▓██▓ ▀█▓ █▀ ▓██░ ▒██████▓ ▀█ █▓ █▀ ▓██████▒ ░██▓ ▀█ ▒ ▄██ ░███ ▓███▓ ▀░██░▀ ▓███░ ███ ██▄ ▒ ░█▀ ███ ▄▀ ███▄ ▓████▒ ▄███▀▄ ███ ▀█░ ▓█▀ ▄██▄█▀ ░ ██████████████ ▀█▄ ██▄ ▀█▓ █▀ ████▀█▄▓░▄█ ▀██████▀ █▄▓░▄█▀█▄██ ▀█▓ ░ ▄ ██▀ ▀████▀ ▀█▓▀██ ▀████▀ ▀███ ▄ ▒ █░█▓ ██░ █░ █ ░██ ▀██▒█ ███░ ▒█░ ▄ ▓ ▒ ░█▒ ▓███ ░ ▓██ ░ ██▓ ██░ ░██ █▒ ░ ░█ ▀█ █▀ ▓ ░ ░