ÖHRN, JOSEFIN + THE LIBERATION
HORSE DANCE (ROCKET RECORDINGS)
In an era in which 'Psychedelia' can often mean merely a grab-bag of influences it can be a rarity to come across a band who are genuinely fixated on creating alternate realities for the listener.
This is exactly how Stockholm's Josefin Öhrn + The Liberation view their incandescent art, and it's this sensibility that has led to the kaleidoscopic spendour of this debut full-length.
The last year has seen a dramatic rise for The Liberation with their EP 'Diamond Waves' leading to shows in Sweden with Goat and Les Big Byrd, a nomination for a Swedish Grammy as best newcomer, and rapturously received appearances at festivals like Roskilde.
'Horse Dance' is a razorsharp collection of ditties that marry dreamlike radiance with hypnotic rhythmic drive, set alight by an experimental glow.
It inhabits a realm in which a propulsive '60s-tinged pop song like 'Sunny Afternoon' can be elevated skyward with krautrock-tinged repetition, dub echo and analogue curlicues alike, and one in which a Broadcast-style mantra like 'You Have Arrived' can tap into a psychic lineage that stretches way back.
Yet at all times their transcendental extrapolations are married to icy and enticing melodic flourishes, making for a revitalising clash between the chic and the transcendental, and a sound as biting as it is beatific.