ALBUM REVIEW: Volume Two – Yawning Balch
Just five months on from the release of their hypnotic debut Volume One, YAWNING BALCH return with another serving of sumptuous desert psychedelia as we once again wander down to the Joshua tree and get immersed in the band’s second album Volume Two. A collaboration between FU MANCHU’s Bob Balch (guitars, synth) and desert rock veterans YAWNING MAN, YAWNING BALCH explore post-rock and psychedelia, imbued with the sunbaked vibes of desert rock. Volume Two is a wonderful sequel that continues the dreamy, blissful and peaceful journey into the furthest corners of your relaxed consciousness. The best thing to do is sit back and soak it all in.
The collaboration came about when Balch made his way down to Joshua Tree for a day of jamming with YAWNING MAN, the main reason being Balch and Gary Arce (guitars) wanted to experiment with a plethora of guitar pedals. There was no plan or predetermined direction, Balch, Arce, Billy Cordell (bass) and Bill Stinson (drums) just plugged in and played for five hours. It wasn’t until Balch returned home that the real potential of YAWNING BALCH was revealed. From this mighty jam, Volume One and Volume Two emerged.
When Volume Two starts you are immediately struck with a sense of continuity and flow. Rejoining the psychedelic path that you have momentarily paused from and immersing yourself back into this dreamy universe feels like coming home. Yet, whilst it feels familiar there are some interesting parallels with Volume One, which keeps the long, meandering psychedelic jams fresh, interesting and intriguing.
The most prominent example of these parallels is the nearly 20-minute, fully improvised jam, A Moment Expanded (A Form Constant). A complimentary piece to the heavier, darker and more riff-focused Dreaming With Eyes Open, A Moment Expanded showcases the other side of the coin, as if you’ve stepped back and can see the bigger picture. That moment of intensity is minor in comparison to the great expanse in which it sits within your mind.
If you thought Volume One was an intoxicating and magical post-rock journey, Volume Two somehow manages to relax you even further. It is an extraordinary masterclass in dynamism, each musician so intrinsically in tune with every other that they are able to shape movements based on the natural flow of the jam. Multi-textural and expansive, Volume Two is on an equal footing with Volume One; each time you listen to it you pick up new things that you may have missed before and take in more of the album’s nuances.
Considering both albums of this two-album set came out of the same five-hour jam is mind-boggling. YAWNING BALCH have struck upon something incredibly special. It is rare that musicians can be so wonderfully cohesive in the rehearsal room, but to conjure up two layered and complex albums with nothing predetermined and based purely on instinct is even rarer. Despite this only being a two-album collaboration and everything that you hear is made up on the spot, YAWNING BALCH have a lot more to offer. How would these albums come out if the conditions were different? It makes you wonder as to where the journey might take you if there is a Volume Three and Four.
Volume Two is certainly the more relaxed album out of the two. Beginning the journey with the aforementioned A Moment Expanded (A Form Constant), you’re instantly transported back to the ethereal realm that YAWNING BALCH created on Volume One. The meandering and constantly evolving track tacks you to some wonderful places in your imagination, as if you’re once again floating over a desert landscape, a gentle breeze in your hair and a kaleidoscopic view of the world.
Flesh Of The Gods is an interesting track because it is the first one that was recorded for the project. You can hear all four musicians getting a feel for one another and how each other played. With the main melody leading the proceedings the rest of the song builds up around it. It is a trippy, expansive and entrancing track that has a wonderful imperfection about it. Elements work together in slightly off-kilter ways and it makes the song sound like it is two tracks weaving in and out of each other. Closing the album is Psychic Aloha, the only song that features any synths. With lots of synth layers gradually unfurling like lotus petals as the song evolves, this closes the project out in a meditative state, one that stays with you as you gradually return to reality.
Once again the YAWNING BALCH collaboration strikes gold with another mesmeric album. Played together Volume One and Two make for a psychedelic journey that is unmatched and you’re left in awe at the band’s cohesion and dynamism.
Rating: 9/10
Volume Two is set for release on November 3rd via Heavy Psych Sounds.
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