
Dust Galaxy brings us two new psych-groove songs from the forth-coming release. After whetting our appetites with "Come Hear The Trumpets", Dust Galaxy showcases "Mother of Illusion" as the lead single along with a Blow Up Allstars Mix. Stepping into the quoted "Madchester" sound, the Blow Up Mix gets the bounce going with conga/bongo action and quickly steps into Charlatan UK/Happy Mondays territory. This mix has a very Thievery Corp feel to it in the bassline and percussion. Funky organs stab, funky pianos hit, funky drums kick, and Rob Garza's smoky vocals ride along top.
Track Listing:
Mother of Illusion (Blow Up mix)
Mother of Illusion (album version)
River of Ever Changing Forms (Up, Bustle & Out remix)
River of Ever Changing Forms (album version)
The original mix of Mother rides along at a faster tempo that loses a little of the groove but adds in more punch to the guitars and the 4/4 kick drives the song forward. Squelchy synth/guitars sounds jump in and out (think Edge circa Auctung Baby) while Rob's vocals are a little more upfront in this mix. The song builds and builds into a feverish instrumental jam that I'm sure will translate very nicely to the live show.
Fans of Rob's other band will be most interested in "River Of Ever Changing Forms". Up Bustle and Out start off with a brilliant remix. Middle-eastern female vocals float along as dub bass bounces and Spanish guitars flourish.
The original mix of River pushes the beat up and features a sitar-led break that just keeps going and going. Everything in the song is spot on. Bass where it needs to be, tablas hitting along. Vocals happen when they should, drums shuffling at just the right pace. River is the most cohesive song yet by Dust Galaxy!
River is the kind of song that renews my faith in "rock" and how experimentation can make a genre sound fresh. Who jams out a sitar solo in a rock song besides Harrison? Electronic rock became predictable with big beats thumping as 303 bleeps and buzzes – basically coping everything The Crystal Method was doing. So to hear a band trying to move beyond the formula is refreshing and absolutely rewarding when they accomplish it.
~ Dedric Moore