The Sonic Dawn – Eclipse LP Heavy Psych Sounds (Italy)

The Danish psych-pop combo’s third studio long-player Eclipse wastes no time delivering its mission statement via the willfully ’60s-fetishising opener “Forever 69,” which sounds a lot like the Doors having a go at Cream’s “White Room.” Frontman Emil Bureau may not have the dark charisma of Jim Morrison or the stately, distinctive croon of Jack Bruce (his warbly tenor actually hews closer to American Beauty-era Jerry Garcia), but he and childhood friends Jonas Waaben (drums) and Niels Fuglede (bass) have managed to evoke the hazy, smoke-stained patina of the era, specifically the aural emissions of the California counterculture scene, without resorting to 15-minute exploratory guitar solos or the use of a gong. By keeping things on the perfunctory end of the classic rock spectrum, Sonic Dawn’s bluesy blend of grimy, neo-psychedelia and pastoral, Laurel Canyon-esque acid-folk feels a little less contrived and more in line with the flower power movement’s early predilection for singles. Still, it can be hard to separate the actual songs from the source material, especially since the band has gone to such pains to emulate the recording process of their heroes. “The Stranger,” with its immersive, melancholic main melody (a bit of a dead ringer for Chris Isaak’s “Wicked Game”), the lovely and ramshackle, jazz kit-led “Opening Night,” and the summer of love-worthy “Circle of Things” all have their merits, but like the band itself, they’re hopelessly trapped in amber. -All Music Guide

Eclipse by The Sonic Dawn