The Exploding Eyes Orchestra – I
Release Date: June 12, 2015
Label: Svart Records
If you’ve read this blog for any amount of time, you’ll know that I am a huge fan of Jess and the Ancient Ones so when I learned that guitarist/songwriter Thomas Corpse had another project under his belt you can bet your ass I was excited. The Exploding Eyes Orchestra is a collective band made up of 5/7 of Finnish occult rockers Jess and the Ancient Ones. One might wonder just what the point is of having another band project that features nearly every member of another band. Just how different can it be?
The psychedelic fuzz rock/organ infused “The Smoke” kicked things off and right away I felt this shit eating grin take over my face. The distinct, soulful, powerful voice of lead vocalist Jasmin Saarela cuts through the fuzz like butter as she leads this band of merry psych rockers through what sounds like a vintage 60’s era garage rock masterpiece. “Crazy Heart” followed next actually sounding like it very well could have been a long lost Mazzy Star song featuring some mesmerizing guitar playing from Thomas Corpse while accented with subtle piano creating a very eerie, floaty kind of vibe.
Leadoff single “My Father the Wolf” is the most Jess and the Ancient Ones sounding song on the album but that is not a bad thing at all. I mean, at some point I was expecting something to sound a bit like JATAO being that you can only stray so far from it. “Drawing Down the West” has the Orchestra tapping deep into their Doors influence with Saarela giving her finest vocal performance on the album. “Black Hound” is a spectacular number mixing spoken word dialog but it was “Farewell to All-In-One” that I feel is the highlight of the album. Saarela’s natural, powerful voice really channels the jazz singers of old as she croons her way through this epic 7 ½ psychedelic gloom (not doom, gloom) masterpiece. It also gives the album a sense of irresolution which I love so much. It leaves you wanting more and feeling like they weren’t quite finished.
So here’s the deal. After listening to this one three times, I loved it with each and every listen. It’s so beautifully produced that I also noticed different subtleties in the instrumentation with each passing listen. I also feel like I can hear a difference between the two. There are enough similarities here that if you’re a Jess and the Ancient Ones fan, you’ll absolutely love The Exploding Eyes Orchestra but be prepared to hear and entity that is all its own.
The Exploding Stars Orchestra has put out and truly spectacular album that is an amazing listening experience. This is the kind of album that reminds me just how this kind of music should be done. It also reminds me just how much I love hearing this kind of music. It’s music made by people who truly have a passion for this kind of music as opposed to music being made by hipsters because it’s “cool” or “trendy.” The Exploding Eyes Orchestra is the real deal and I just love that with them, I’m now getting double the music from one of my all-time favorite bands.
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