*. The Asteroid #4 .*

Album: The Windmill of the Autumn Sky (2013)(EP 6 Track's)
Genre: Psychedelic Rock (Neo Psych./Blues/Folk)  /  USA

One of the progenitors of Philly's "Psychedelphia" scene at the turn of the century, Asteroid #4 have made a long career out of putting their spin on 60's-style psychedelic music, but 'The Windmill of the Autumn Sky' finds the band--mostly acoustic this time around--looking to folk and country as much or more so than the Summer of Love, and the results are thoroughly stellar. This may seem like a knock, but much of the EP sounds like what I'd imagine a country/folk album from Oasis to have sounded like. But Asteroid #4 add enough trippy melodies and background atmospherics to keep most any psych music fan fed and happy. Some of the songs have somewhat of a medieval feel to them, especially in the lyrics--concerning kings, queens, dungeons, maidens, etc--and when mixed with the languid, folky rhythms and melodies, gives these songs their own unique, dreamy vibe. The instrumentation on songs like the title track, "Oubliette," and "All Time Green" could even be described as "beautiful," with poetic, heartfelt lyrics blending with the intertwining acoustic melodies perfectly. And even though the lyrics venture into Moody Blues or Fairport Convention-type "Renaissance Fair" territory, they never approach cheesiness, and are actually quite powerful when combined with the simple, melodic hooks--hooks that are frequently laden with strings, slide guitar, and faint-yet-hypnotic pedal effects. 'The Windmill of the Autumn Sky,' though only 26 minutes long, will likely transport the listener to a euphoric, dream-like fantasy world, one that's hard to come down from. It's a bit early to say definitively, but I'd go so far as to say that this is my favorite release by Asteroid #4 to date, and I'm a pretty big fan. It has a maturity to it, yet never sacrifices adventurousness. This EP shows a band morphing into their own, original entity as opposed to just mixing (to excellent effect) 60's-ish melodies and dreamy shoegaze, and it's a sound I definitely want more of. Review by "Jack Tripper" (www.amazon.com).

RATING:  7.75 / 10

.