Such is the broad sweep of psychedelia and its entrenchment in the rock canon that it’s been all too easy to forget the form’s pop origins. Clearly, as displayed on the fourth album from Canadian psyche-heads Elephant Stone, this is a situation to be rectified.
Ship Of Fools is a gloriously and unapologetically joyous listen, and one that serves to remind us how the Flaming Lips lost their mojo, while simultaneously showing Empire Of The Sun the way forward. Such is the springing from the traps with opener Manipulator that one fears a drop in consistency, but such worries are soon assuaged. Where I’m Going and the pumping See The Light pack more hooks than a fisherman’s bag and it isn’t long before their myriad charms reel you in.
Crucially, Elephant Stone aren’t relying on established norms and they serve to remind us just how much fun third-eye cleansing can be.
