The life of a psychonaut can take one to many plateaus of reality. Opinions vary as regards which of these are either desirable or optimal. All things considered though, it’s fair to say that once the average cerebral wanderer finds themselves a stoned skeleton on a motorbike, it’s a sign that they’re going places. Such were the movements of The Utopia Strong, in making their third and arguably trippiest full length album for Rocket Recordings. As the band explain: “When recording we tend to have books, bits of art and interesting things lying around the place. (Kavus) had recently bought the Paul Kirchner compendium, Awaiting The Collapse.” Paul’s character ‘Dope Rider’ (the skeleton in question) drives around the desert, getting into all manner of high jinx and spouting cosmic philosophy, highlighting the absurdities of life, death and the American mythos. “When we had created that particular track, one of our most beautiful and outré, it seemed to name itself.” Serendipity has always played a strong role in The Utopia Strong, with the improvisatory approach of Steve Davis, Kavus Torabiand Mike York - as well as the innate chemistry between the trio allowing them to evolve their approach to facilitate the most adventurous exploratory missions possible. In this realm, the band’s formidable history is transcended and usurped by their combined psychic intensity. 'Doperider' does indeed take the band down a variety of auditory pathways previously unexplored, and further into the realms of more surrealistic visions akin to the systems-built bliss of Caterina Barbieri, the unforgiving noisescapes of Hiro Kone or the alien soundtracks of latter-day Laurie Spiegel. Essentially however, the mission of The Utopia Strong remains intact - to offer a transformative pathway to wonders anew. As Steve notes: “Hopefully we’ve done justice to the comic book character Dope Rider and that he’d have loved riding along on his Harley Davison on another quest, with the wind blowing through his rib cage, listening to this album. if the audience choose the psychonaut road, then we are delighted to have been of service”

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: Love a bit of Utopia Strong, Steve came into the shop one time and we had a nice chat about modular synths like nerds (we had the same oscillator dealer - thanks Matt), and I was pretty excited about their burgeoning music even then. It's come a LONG way, growing in scope and familiarity, and we now get the deepest mix of Bureau B thump and boundary-melting psychedelic rave you ever did hear. A superb, chaotic behemoth.

TRACK LISTING

1. Prophecy
2. Spell Of Seven
3. Moths Of The British Isles
4. The Atavist
5. Unity Of Light
6. Harpies
7. Doperider

The history of BBC Maida Vale Sessions is familiar to The Utopia Strong. As musicians, and lifelong music fans, the legacy - the importance - of such recordings is not lost on them. Space and place influence creativity, as is the case here, and the sleeve is a loving homage to those classic BBC releases, affectionately nodding to Strange Fruit Peel Sessions from days of yore.These pieces, originally recorded live at Maida Vale for a Marc Riley session on BBC 6 Music in September 2022, capture The Utopia Strong stretching themselves and continuing to develop their aural explorations.The five-track album opens with the analogue arpeggios of ‘Minature Citadels’, a title perfectly summing up the imagery provoked by the music; evolving, jagged patterns of skylines and castellations, turrets and towers. The closing outro of squarks and drones could be twice as long and not outstay its welcome.

The nagging refrain running through ‘Lamp Of Glory’ is Mike York on the pipes, which he handmakes himself. The overall effect is a sublime, warped concoction of balearic energy and non-Western modes. ‘Disaster 2’ (a piece initially recorded on their second studio album, 2022’s International Treasure) begins with a beautiful synth drone that maintains its position, overpowering the modular patterns pulsating behind it, augmented by yet more glorious, lamenting pipes. The last two tracks both exceed ten minutes and allow the band to extend out further. Release comes as the drums kick in after six minutes of ‘The Tower Is Locked’, emulating the live sets The Utopia Strong have become famed for.The final track, ‘Weather All’, was also honed across several live performances. Having been booked for Andrew Weatherall’s Conveanza festival pre-lockdown, the band finally performed there in September 2022, following his passing. While performing this piece, the heavens opened and the entire festival, band and audience, were drenched. “It felt absolutely biblical”, says the band. Steve Davis has a rich history with the Beeb, but on this occasion he is wrangling his ever-expanding array of analogue synths, dilating his musical imagination. The heritage of the location and overall experience was not lost on the band.‘

New one on cult Yorkshire label Golden Lion Sounds featuring renowned Manchester finger picker DBH (previously of Crowfoot and Thread Recordings). One of the most skillful acoustic guitarists I've ever had the pleasure of witnessing, his tracks of late have taken on a dreamy, enchanted elegance, which is the case here on "Jumbled Whole". A collage of serene strings, echoed artifacts and gentle strums guiding the mind through a blue sky vista filled with fluffy clouds and dancing daisies. Taking it straight to the meadows!

On the flip, The Utopia Strong, previously releasing on Rocket, swap the guitars for synthesizers and enter a psychedelicized alternative realm - with gated arpeggios, winding melodies and galloping drums creating the sense of a magic carpet ride through entity-rich dimensions and realities much more vast and grandiose than our own. 

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: I've been a long term fan of DBH - imbibing the spirit of John Fahay, Jack Rose, Bert Jansch etc - into modern finger picked soundscapes. The Utopia Strong are a new one on me - totally different in sound; but similarly, they conjure up imaginary dream worlds from their equipment of vintage synthesizers and rickety drum boxes. One of my favourite 7" sleeves the label have produced too!

TRACK LISTING

A. DBH - Jumbled Whole
B. The Utopia Strong - Gatekeeper

Call it synchronicity, call it happenstance, call it no more than three friends getting together to give their speakers a workout. Yet The Utopia Strong’s formidable conflagration of psychedelic radiance and beatific harmony has evolved way beyond all or any expectations since the band’s inception.. ‘International Treasure’ chronicles the collaborative collision of Steve Davis, Kavus Torabi and Mike York heading into unchartered psychic territory, seemingly with nothing but their instincts as co-ordinates.What’s resulted is a step beyond anything either band or audience might have expected - a deeply rewarding voyage into inner space which moves into darker and still more evocative sound-worlds whilst remaining fundamentally off the map. Influences know no bounds in this context, and the listener would be forgiven for locating the atmospheres and soundscapes of this album on some sonic promontory above and between the potent abstractions of Tim Hecker, the improvisatory excursions of The Necks, and the gothic allure of Bohren Und Der Club Of Gore.‘International Treasure’’ is the next chapter in a story which only grows more rewarding with every stop along the way - one in which three heads travel together deeper into their own musical journeys, and the resulting alchemical power transmutes its origins into gold. As no less a sage than Andrew Weatherall proclaimed, The Utopia Strong are “gnostic sonics in a nutshell”.

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: The frankly astounding Utopia Strong return for another LP of lysergic synthlines and dreamy psychedelic electronica. It's full of hefty grooves and sonic waves, but never overwhelmingly heavy, opting instead for a perfectly balanced and wonderfully produced audio expedition. Lovely.

TRACK LISTING

01 - Trident Of Fire
02 - Persephone Sleeps
03 - Shepherdess
04 - Spirits From The Deep
05 - The Islanders
06 - Disaster 2
07 - Revelations
08 - International Treasure
09 - Castalia