Review: Giöbia - Magnifier

Giöbia have become a bit of a psychedelic institution over the last few years. Their last album 'Introducing Night Sound' pretty much cemented their place amongst the upper echelons of psych bands working today, and 'Magnifier' will only confirm this.

Named after a pre-christian festival in northern Italy (in which a straw effigy of a witch is burnt - shades of 'The Wickerman?) Giöbia are: Bazu (vocals and string instruments), Saffo (organ, violin, vocals), Detrji (bass) and Betta (drums) and they make an enticing blend of sixties psychedelia with space rock overtones, all wrapped up in some swaggering grooves and fuzz drenched atmosphere and texture.

'This World Was Being Watched Closely' opens the album with a spoken voice sample intoning about the Earth having been watched by "intelligences greater than men". The sample continues throughout the track, which musically is part Gerry Anderson theme music and part swirling psychedelia. The ace organ work gives it an indisputable sixties vibe while the guitars soar into the cosmos. It sets the scene for the treats that are in store. 'The Pond' is a real speaker shaker.....the distortion and fuzz are dense and give the track a heaviness that is almost subtle - there are no monstrous riffs, just a rolling wave of distortion that fucks with your mind. The vocals are mixed way down so as to be almost whispered. The track sees the members of the band all hitting their stride: the drums are strident and regimented, the bass is heavy and the organ break is, again, redolent of the sixties. It's a real monster of a track. 'The Stain' is another track rooted in the sixties...the vocals really take us back, as do the keyboards...it's, again, the massive guitars that belie it's 21st century origins. The guitars soar and swirl, all the time backed by an incessant motorik beat. 'Lentamente La Luce Svanira' has a real krautrock feel about it...the drums keeping metronomic time and the guitars meandering off into the nightsky, with some barely audible vocals in the background, all complimented by some krauty keyboards..it's a time for the listener to draw breath after the heaviness of the preceeding tracks. 'Devil's Howl' starts with some Sabbath-heavy riffing and more downmixed vocals. Again, the fuzz levels are high and have a heavy space rock aspect to them. 'Sun Spectre' is the albums mangum opus, at over 15 minutes in length, and is reminiscent of Floyd in their late seventies pomp, but with more power, space, imagination and, dare I say it, integrity. The guitars once gain reach for the stars over another motorik beat. the track slowly morphs with the guitars taking a backseat and some Tangerine Dream style electronics lay down some beautiful swathes of sound. This hiatus doesn't last for long, however, and the guitars return to take us spaceward again...a brilliant track that wouldn't sound amiss on a Sula Bassana album. 'The Magnifier' closes the album with a more shoegaze-y sound...the guitars shimmer and shine and the vocals are drenched in reverb and way down in the mix once. A most satisfying way in which to end the album.

'Magnifier' as an album really does have it all...some ace psychedelic stylings, some heavy spacerock, some lysergic sixties grooves and some more delicate shimmery shoegazing. It has a heaviness that will appeal to some, and the delicate touch that will appeal to others. Another undisputed success for Giöbia and another awesome addition to the Sulatron canon.

'Magnifier' will be released on vinyl by Sulatron on 11th September and will come in a heavy, magenta wax and some cool artwork by Laura Giardino.