Though
recorded quickly over two days — and indeed, literally recorded live in
the studio with no overdubs — Synanthesia's sole album from 1969 is a
gentle treat for anyone interested in the obscurer realms of late-'60s
U.K. folk and its descendants. It's always a pleasure to hear something
that did not deservedly go out of print — and therefore get an
unnecessary reputation. Instead, the combination of bandleader Dennis
Homes' gentle vocals and delicate guitar work, Leslie Cook's equally
strong talents, and the ace-in-the-hole performing of sax and flute
player Jim Fraser is often quite magical. That the band openly has a
debt to the Incredible String Band and Bert Jansch practically goes
without saying, but there's a difference between mere aping and finding
a particular spin on a sound, and Synanthesia firmly comes down on the
side of the latter. For such a rushed and in-the-moment album, the
sound is often quite rich — credit not only to Vic Gamm's inspired
engineering, but to the band's clear abilities as a solid live act.
Hearing Homes' gentle vibes work on "Peek Strangely and Worried
Evening" or Cook's flourishes on mandolin for "Fates" shows how well
each complements the other songwriter's work. Yet Fraser in many ways
is the key throughout — clearly picking up on jazz influences as much
as folk ones, much like his bandmates, and the result is a detailed,
fluid series of performances on his chosen instruments, ranging from
the restrained then strutting sax parts on "Morpheus" to gentle
background flute on "Rolling and Tumbling." The band's weakest element
might be the lyrics, but nothing is outright bad, just sometimes
awkward. Sunbeam's 2006 re-release, in keeping with the label's similar
work, features not only excellent sound but winning, retrospective
liner notes from Homes and a slew of rare pictures, plus a bonus track,
"Shifting Sands," that originally appeared on an obscure compilation
album from 1970.
~from allmusicguide.
Strongly Recommended… check "Vesta” and "Mnemoysne" feelings…
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