Mikel Dimmick Spiral Joy Band: Wake of the Dying Sun King

SPIRAL JOY BAND wake of the dying sun king Release Date: 25/09/2007 this second album from the droning string ensemble comes as a real treat, sharing members - and a darkly meditative sonic ethos - with pelt, the group use a variety of bowed instruments (not all string-based) to concoct a liberated psychedelic chamber music, finely detailed with singing tibetan bowls, gongs and other unusual musical ephemera. there's a increased percussive presence to their last long-player, lullabies for jeff dean, largely thanks to nathan bowles' wily contributions on the drums. despite often sounding extremely abstract, the album does venture into almost folksy terrain, especially on the unhinged clatter and soaring fiddle of the title track. there's no shortage of psych-drone albums nowadays, but wake of the dying sun king is far, far more interesting than most.

-- Rough Trade