It would be erroneous to think that a work rate of five albums in six years would suggest an easing off of the quality control pedal on the part of Psychedelic Porn Crumpets. Indeed, much like the third-eye experience that informs their name, the western Australian quintet process an incredible amount of information and influences that have included space rock, punk, prog and yes, psychedelia, to create
a dense and frequently intense yet pleasurable experience. But while there’s no change on that score, Night Gnomes proves to be their most cohesive and finest statement to date.
If their previous albums have skidded and spun in the most thrilling of manners, this is where the trip is deep and precise. The gradual and undulating pulses of opener Terminus The Creator are redolent of a rave that’s just beginning to crank up as it ushers in the pile-driving Lava Lamp Pisco.
Elsewhere, the hypnotically gorgeous Slinky Holy Water is a direct descendant of King Crimson’s first incarnation as Mellotron-like keyboards wash over snaking, twisting basslines. Crucially, a greater sense of melodicism underpins the entire album that creates focus in their aural kaleidoscope.
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