Heron Oblivion

Listening to Heron Oblivion's album feels like sitting in a lovely meadow in the shadow of a dam that's gonna heave-ho' any minute. Members of this new San Francisco combo have put in time in both raging and relatively tranquil psychedelic sound units—this is the premise and the synergy behind this very unique and special new album. On the West Coast side, Ethan Miller and Noel Von Harmonson were together in the mighty Comets on Fire, Noel did time afterwards with Sic Alps and Six Organs of Admittance, while Miller settled into a new level of interactions with Howlin' Rain and Feral Ohms. Charlie Saufley resided at the psychedelic pop fringes with his band Assemble Head in Sunburst Sound (kindred spirits to Comets to be sure.) He was joined in California by Meg Baird of Philadelphia's Espers. Three shades of light run through Heron Oblivion: Baird's rich, beautiful vocal approach, the locked-horns bass and drums of her and Miller's streamlined-but-motorik rhythm section, and a twin guitar tapestry that both aligns with the dreaminess of the songs and crackles out of containment to froth over the rim. In this case a definite West Coast style reigns - where elements meld rather than stand as opposing black-and-white walls: Even the heights of guitar destruction on Heron's 'Faro' build steadily and organically from the beginning to end. LP - Black Vinyl with Download.LP+ - Loser edition Clear with White Swirl coloured vinyl with Download.