Review: Phoenician Drive - Two Coins EP

Phoenician Drive are a six piece band from Brussels who have a neat line in psychedelic krautrock with a distinct eastern edge...I quote from the press release "making drums and fuzzy guitars meet with oud and Eastern percussions. In the footsteps of earlier East-West musical blendings from the 70's like Erkin Koray or Orient Express, and under the influence of the German "kraut-rock" scene (Neu!, Can, Faust, ...), Phoenician Drive searches the hypnotic trance based on distorted oriental grooves." Now if that doesn't get the juices flowing, nothing will. 'Two Coins' is only 2 tracks clocking in at a total of 20 minutes in length but what they manage to pack into that 20 minutes is astounding. The EP is a joint release between EXAG' and Stolen Body Records.

When the first track, 'Two Coins For The Boatman' starts you would be forgiven for thinking you were listening to the soundtrack of a middle eastern spy movie..the mix of indigenous instrumentation and groovy surf vibes makes for a unique but utterly compelling listen. Over the course of the next nine minutes we are treated to all kinds of exotic psychedelia, soaked in the very essence of the souk. There are nice little sections where it is just drone and stringed instrument and others where ethnic percussion cuts through the fuzziness that underlies everything. As the track progresses it morphs into a more straightforward (and obviously that is a relative term) psych track with muted vocals and some cosmic guitar but all intertwined with that promise of faraway places...there is an almost tangible smell of jasmine and roses. 'Fat Bill' is a fantastic track...for me one of the standouts of the year so far! It has the same eastern motifs of 'Two Coins...' but this time embedded into a more strident musical structure..there is a constant buzz of bass and stabs of reverbed guitar that cuts through the percussion. The track moves along apace with plenty of exotic vibes but at about the 5 minute mark it all gets heavier with some skronky sax thrown in before breaking down again into the sounds of the bazaar complete with wailing female vocal effects. The track plays through with a melange of styles ..one minute heavy on the guitar, the next heavy on the eastern theme - it never stands still but all flows seamlessly to a satisfying conclusion. It is a breathtaking ride of creativity and invention and I love it!

'Two Coins' is yet another standout in a year that has already delivered so much and Phoenician Drive are another band to add to that growing list of class acts. The lucky souls in Bristol will be able to catch them live at the Bristol Psych Fest on 8th July. In the meantime 'Two Coins' will fill the gap. An enthralling and intoxicating EP full of eastern promise and psychedelic sensibilities that ticks pretty much all the boxes. The EP is available from EXAG' and Stolen Body Records and comes as a limited edition 10" in red vinyl.