Consisting of desert rock pioneers from the legendary acts Yawning Man and Fu Manchu, supergroup Yawning Balch releases an ever-prolific debut entitled Volume One via Heavy Psych Sounds. Just like the album title, Yawning Balch embarks the first volume of their musical career’s trajectory through this debut.
What’s especially worth highlighting about this album is that instead of featuring stoner/desert rock-inclined elements like what Fu Manchu and Yawning Man tend to do, this album is an amalgamation of psychedelic, experimental, and post-rock elements with dreamy soundscapes. Volume One itself is part of a supposedly two-volume series of albums recorded during a five-hour jamming session at Joshua Tree – so this album would have its continuation in the future, which I’d look forward to.
With the vicious lineup of Bob Balch (of Fu Manchu, Big Scenic Nowhere fame) on guitars, Gary Arce (of Yawning Man fame) also on guitars, Billy Cordell on bass, and Bill Stinson on drums emerging into the psychedelic underworld, they’re ready to overtake the world through the mind-opening instrumental experience they have to offer.
The recording process of this album was done at Gatos Trail while the engineering process was done by Dan Joeright, but on top of all, it is an utmost enthrallment to discover that Kent Stump of the all-around renowned Dallas-based stoner outfit Wo Fat was involved in the mixing and mastering process at Crystal Clear Sound. The psychedelic-toned album artwork and layout was done by John McGill as a perfect last touch to this forty-three-minute heavy-trip-inducing sonic journey.
The album itself only consists of three tracks – but all above 7 minutes; both the first track ‘Dreaming with Eyes Open’ and third track ‘Low Pressure Valley’ tend to have more post-rock-esque inclinations, whereas second track ‘Cemetery Glitter’ is heavy on psychedelic – think of ‘Fools Gold’-era Stone Roses, but with touches of LSD! So that it becomes more Causa Sui-like or Colour Haze-like!
Another interesting fact about the creative process of this album, and this whole supergroup, is that most of the riffs that ended up being on the album are impromptu – Yawning Balch didn’t really plan them out beforehand but instead they just plugged in and played. Heck, they didn’t even have the pre-planned intention of calling the band “Yawning Balch”! Yet it’s amazing how they still managed to present such spectacular grooves in spite of the spontaneity.
It is a remarkable attempt of experimenting with diverse kinds of guitar pedals all in all – and I love how things that were constructed in an unplanned manner sometimes turn out so impressively.
Buy the album here:
https://heavypsychsoundsrecords.bandcamp.com/album/yawning-balch-volume-one
8 / 10
RALKA SKJERSETH