What does psychedelia sound like when it doesn't just echo the past?
On Further Review: Tess Parks - And Those Who Were Seen Dancing
When we use the term “psychedelic,” we automatically think of an aesthetic that hearkens back to the ‘60s. But on her new album, singer-songwriter Tess Parks, who’s made three duet records with infamous psych revivalist Anton Newcombe, proves that psychedelia can very much evolve and grow as a living — modern — artform. I’m not suggesting that Parks is the only artist with an interesting spin, but that her approach is quite the breath of fresh air.
FWIW, I was drawn-in from the very first note. Several songs on the album hit me in a really emotional way, where I’m suddenly swept by this bittersweet rush that’s like experiencing the sum total of all the people I’ve ever known and cared about — the places where I interacted with them, the weight of all those goodbyes, and the vulnerable position we’re all in against the fleeting nature of time — in one powerful current.
For me, the sensation feels sublime and sad — almost painful — at once. It’s hard for me to find words to describe the feeling, but there’s certain music that immediately works as a shortcut because it somehow taps into that well. There’s a dreamy, cotton-candy quality to some of the analog synths, as if Parks is evoking a childlike playfulness and openness of spirit, but there are shadowy corners lurking in the music as well.
Almost a decade after her debut, Parks draws from years' worth of material for a seamless sophomore album that reflects the richness of a whole lifetime.
The mood she creates on the album is positively delightful while also bittersweet, with the heavy shadow of leaving places and the fragility of attachment always lurking at the edges of the frame. Throughout, hazy analog synths give the impression they might just evaporate as they roll by, like clouds on a summer day. You can’t get your hands around the keyboard parts, but you remember the overall sensation—a reflection of how fleeting life is.
My full review here.
<3 SRK
💙 Tess Parks