Thursday, January 2, 2014

MV & EE - Shade Grown (Blackest Rainbow Records)





lunar jams and some sweet leaf relief. peace and love to my friends at Humboldt Relief :)


It's something which was grown in the shade with properties unique to that setting and time. This collection of jams is unlike any other in the MV & EE discography - C.O.M. vibrations abound. Shade Grown, the most recent release from MV & EE on Blackest Rainbow, is a blissful and beautiful album containing various members of the Golden Road: Rongoose, Smokehound, Herbcraft, Jeremy Earl, Doc Dunn, Muskox, Mick Flower, Rafi Bookstaber, and Paulie G. There are many memorable sonic experiences, one of which is crystal-covered, "Crazy Snow (Meltdown)". Enlightened vibrations beget ethereal waves that permeate one with ease, diffusing golden rays and faithful vibrations throughout the soul. Breathy vocals float next to ritual rhythms. Shortly, MV's guitar erupts, traversing the peaks and valleys with a wonderful solo. The overall sound of the record, musicianship, and the quality of the vocals and harmonies are paramount when ruminating on Shade Grown. In the opener, "Cocola Parabola (Sugar on Snow Version)", MV & EE's vocals hover dreamily. EE's voice flutters over Rongoose's heady bass, Smokehound's awesome drumming, and MV's guitar like a cool breeze on a hot day - lovely stuff and a track to which I continually return. The flipside is as strong as anything I have encountered. The progression from "Lead Me to Vibration" to "Eagles-->Needmore" to "Patriot Act" resides in venerable sonic territory. The bleary lunar blues of "Lead Me to Vibration" lead to the serene guitars and ascendant vocal harmonies of "Eagles". The drumming of Mick Flower and Doc Dunn fuses perfectly with MV's guitar, giving rise to the slow burn of, 'Needmore'. Jeremy Earl joins in on vocals for the last track, "Patriot Act". A lovey and wistful track, harmonies hover over contemplative guitar and MV's visceral harmonica.
        
Records of this quality are rare. The vinyl of Shade Grown is pure grip it and rip action - no mp3's/previews or streaming available. There's nothing like that first drop of the needle on MV & EE vinyl - it transforms the space. The track below is a bonus cut from the C.O.M. cd, which is not available on the Blackest Rainbow vinyl. I purchased my copy from Eclipse. The last few copies are available directly from the label

peace and love, friends :)