ABOUT THIS ITEM

When a band take a name like The Amazing, they’d better have the chops to back it up. Happily, this Swedish outfit – a collective headed by Reine Fiske and Johan Holmegard of neo-psych juggernauts Dungen and singer-songwriter Christoffer Gunrup – are masterful enough to take that mantle on. Friends first and foremost, it’s this kindred spirit that imbues the album with a feeling unlike that of most releases – one of natural harmony, persistent progression and with a panoramic gaze fixed on distant settings. The band’s second album proper (following 2009’s The Amazing and 2010’s mini album Wait For A Light To Come).

'Gentle Stream' is widescreen, panoramic, horizon-reaching stuff. An elegantly constructed record of moody psychedelic majesty, it comes with a greater dose of CSNY-style Laurel Canyon bliss than those previous recordings. Its eight songs clock in at a luxurious 45 minutes long, during which astral guitars intertwine in serpentine solos, horns blast rainbow melodies and Gunrup’s flute-like voice floats elegantly over the sunset sounds. Nothing is introverted or overworked – everything is balanced, kept together by natural melodies, soulful vocals and just how perfect should be. Gentle Stream is a feeling, an organic consequence of something that effortlessly came together.