Philiac – This Appalling Ocean

Philiac – This Appalling Ocean

Self released – 2015

Rock, Psych, Prog, Stoner

Rated: ****

As enigmatic as Yawning Man or Across The River, but not quite that old, and for that matter the band we mention today shares a lot of the same qualities as well. Not just in sound or meandering music but also in the way that having been around for quite a period they only now found time to send out a first release into the world. It’s called This Appalling Ocean. And when you hail from an island like Ibiza one can only wonder at which ocean they are directing this outburst. Another thing they have in common is the fact that the band set foot in the famous Rancho De La Luna studio to record this psychedelic screed. We are talking about Philiac, a mysterious collection of friends from the Hills of San Carlos, Ibiza that started jamming together in a farmhouse in 2007 and changed their name to Philiac a year later. Since then they’ve been honing their progressive psychedelic rock craft until they were ready to record. Engineered by Mathias Schneeberger at the Rancho they had bassists Paul Powell from Masters of Reality join the ranks on certain tracks and Mathias delivers some synths. Cause even though the record is comprised out of Act One and Act two, there are definite separations to be heard. For instance, we hear Oppenheimer’s ‘Now I Am Become Death’ speech at the first interval right after the second track What If You’re Wrong? Yes, those first two tracks melt together seamlessly. Some additional tracks were recorded in Nagasaki, Japan and Ibiza, Spain. Among the recorded sounds are also the noises of children playing and the wind rushing through the trees at the Nagasaki Peace Park, which are mixed with Oppenheimer speech. And those sounds were recorded in the memorial park at the hypocenter of the explosion. Thats how deep these cats go. And the final master session was done at The Mastering Lab (Pink Floyd), where it was one of the very last albums they mastered before closing their doors after a decades long career. A lot of majestic background for two precious Acts of music. But does this story add to quality of the music? We’re not sure. We are sure however of the absolute beauty it conceals. There’s something precious about these psychedelic screeds. It’s an adventure and an experience. One that definitely feels liberating and shows you many sceneries, full of color, if you choose to follow. But these cats are gentle leaders and once you tune in, you will become like a shadow in the ocean, drowning in the endless and wonderful waves…

(Written by JK)

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