Review: Seedy Jeezus with Isaiah Mitchell - Tranquonauts

Isaiah Mitchell should need no introduction; the purveyor of the most cosmic riffs this side of the Horsehead Nebula and a man capable of THE most humongous acid jamming with Earthless and Golden Void. Come to that, I shouldn't really have to explain that Seedy Jeezus are rapidly becoming one the premier heavy psych/stoner bands on this lump of rock we call home (be sure to have a listen to their self-titled debut album - it rocks hard!). So what happens when the two get together to collaborate on an album? Well, something pretty spectacular. For you lucky types in Australia you can catch the 'Under The Influence' tour which is happening right now (see below)



'Tranquonauts' is comprised of just 2 tracks, 1 per side (on the vinyl), both almost hitting the twenty mark in length - joy! 'The Vanishing Earth' is straight out of the blocks with some top drawer jamming from Mitchell and the Seedy guys (Lex Waterreus - Guitar, samples, Mark Sibson - Drums, Paul Crick - Bass & Matt Murphy - Keyboards). It has some real seventies jam rock vibes running through it and in minutes it takes you away in a reverie of psychedelic riffs, jazzy time signatures and some ol' fashioned rocking. It positively flows from the speakers like liquid gold....every note a joy, every riff a thing to rejoice and every Doors-like organ lick a thing of beauty. It must be made clear that although Mitchell is pretty much a guitar god, this is definitely a collaboration rather than Seedy Jeezus acting as a backing group - the rhythm section hold it all together with consummate skill, the keyboards playing an essential role and the guitar of Wattereus is a perfect foil for Mitchell's. The second side is 'King Of The Lepers' which opens with a tale of a peyote trip, which seems apt. Musically it starts slowly, the keyboards embuing a proggish/Doors feel to proceedings while the guitar gently builds. At this point the listener is in a mesmeric state of relaxation - the guitar work is simply gorgeous; chilled and sublime. Slowly everything builds, interspersed with more spoken word samples, and, naturally, it morphs into another psychedelic jamming session until it reaches a climax of guitar, drums and organ and the sound of a crashing plane.

'Tranquonauts' is pretty much everything one would hope from a collaboration between two quality acts. It flows and pulses with wave upon wave of top quality music. I've found whilst reviewing there are records that excite on a primal, atavistic level, some leave you breathless from the sheer power and some have you applauding the creativity and intelligence, but 'Tranquonauts' is a rare beast - it has all of those things but also leaves you gaping at the sheer class of it all, at the level of musicianship that has gone into making 2 lengthy tracks that are nothing short of majestic. Special mention should be given to Jason Fuller from Goatsound in Melbourne; the album was recorded on two continents and mixed and mastered seamlessly by Fuller. If you are a fan of psychedelic, acid jamming then this is an essential purchase...but be quick; 'Tranquonauts' will be a limited Edition of 500 worldwide. At this time there is no intention to reissue this album once it has sold out. It is a joint release between Lay Bare Recordings & Blown Music and Lay Bare will be dealing with the initial European distro - it can be ordered from Burning World here