Colours & Light

On Project Geminis debut album, The Children of Scorpio, bassist/producer Paul Osborne proved himself a master at funky, murky, and magical psychedelia. Rounding up a bunch of sidekicks -- including guitar wiz to the stars Barry Cadogan -- Osborne whipped up a batch of songs that landed right in the sweet spot of the Venn diagram where fuzzy folk, head-nodding beats, mystical psych rock, and shimmering soundtrack sounds met, made friends, and proceeded to leap to the front of the line, beating out most of the many, many practitioners of this sound. It was good enough that one almost hoped it was a one-off and there wouldnt be a second record that might bring the project back down to earth with a thud. Luckily, Colours & Light is just as good as its predecessor, and there are even some new twists and tweaks that might make for an even richer and more satisfying listening experience. Much of the same crew is back, including Cadogan, keyboardist Markey Funk, and the Soundcarriers Paul Isherwood -- who once again proves he knows what hes doing when it comes to mixing a record like this -- and the new comrades make some important contributions. Gloria vocalist Wendy Martinez adds sultry vocals to a couple of songs, guitarist Jack Sharp (of Large Plants) takes over from Cadogan a few times and proves just as trippily powerful, and drummer Tony Coote holds it all together, proving equally adept at both thundering through riff-heavy jams and pushing the slower songs along with maximum slinkiness. Cadogan once again proves invaluable, giving each song a boost of energy with his serrated riffs and blown-out solos. Hearing him wend his way through the mists of "The Sun Devil" like a hissing, spitting snake, or flat out abusing the speakers on the Turkish psych-influenced "After the Dawn," makes it clear why hes first call for many bands and artists when they need some six-string stardust sprinkled their way. The former song is evidence of one of the other shifts here, as Osborne delves into Anatolian psych, showing a real knack at capturing the menace that often lurks behind the grooves. In other spots, there are more synths than before (like on the spookily elegiac ballad "Twilight," which does a perfect job of bottling the mood one so often feels at that time of day) or a little bit more folk around the edges ("Lost in the Woods") or more French ("Extra Nuit," which features Martinez on vocals and holdover contributor Kid Victrola on guitar). Most importantly, Osbornes songs sound more confident this time around; quite focused and concise, though not at the expense of any of the woozy charm of the first record. Instead of a sophomore effort that fumbles away all the goodwill engendered by the first album, Colours & Light makes even more of an impression and gives one hope that the project might turn out to be long-running and fruitful. Even if it doesn’t, these two records will stand tall as shining examples of first-rate 2020s psychedelic music. ~ Tim Sendra