Glasgow psych rockers Hidden Masters dress like a gang of evil Victorian poisoners and sound like a band from another era too – several other eras, in fact. At times Of This & Other Worlds – with its changing time signatures, sweet pastoral melodies, harmonies and heavy riffs – is so eclectic, imaginative and brilliant, it ends up sounding like a three-man crusade against complacency.
From opener She Broke The Clock Of The Long Now (think The Who tearing up the MGs’ Soul Limbo) to previous single Nobody Knows That We’re Here (think Paint It Black assaulted by King Crimson, already acclaimed as “the most important psych-pop 45 of the past 30 years”), this is a virtuoso display of ideas and musicianship.
Into The Night Sky manages to weld a doomy Sabs riff to the ending of the Dead Kennedys’ California Über Alles, while the twee psychedelic pop of Last Days Of The Sun falls down a rabbit hole into the dark world of The Doors, before climaxing in a Dick Dale-like guitar frenzy. And so it goes. There are more ideas in one song than many bands have on an entire album. Occasionally it grates – although not ‘difficult music’, it demands your attention – but most of all it just astounds. The Summer of Psych starts here.
