(c) Lucas Batliner
Show what a living room jam session can achieve Samsara Joyride. At the beginning of 2020, the musicians played together in Vienna’s 17th district and released a home-produced EP. Now they are on the road as a band that is dedicated to more classic rock sounds with psych, space, blues, desert and stoner influences . For their second album „The Subtle And The Dense“ A live recording session using vintage equipment and digital recording technology served as the basis, was subsequently supplemented and now condensed to 46 minutes.
An opening double blow quickly makes it clear where the journey is headed. The two-part “I Won’t Sign” creates the necessary freedom for the wonderfully idiosyncratic, sometimes experimental sound of the quartet from the capital. Search for and find powerful, longing vocals, while all around you, huge walls of guitars bring everything to its knees. However, Samsara Joyride only reveal their full class in the supposed nuances, in the instrumental passages that oscillate between delicate build-up work and expansive solos. The rugged, extensive second section even docks completely in desert spheres for long stretches.
“Who Tells The Story” takes time to tell its story for well over nine minutes – no na ned. The initially calm basic tenor with a bluesy-psychedelic note gets under your skin as the song grows and thrives in installments. Although Samsara Joyride repeatedly loses itself in enchanting instrumental interludes, the pleasantly casual charm of this gem repeatedly comes to the fore. The no less moving backings by Laura Fichtenkamm are the icing on the cake of this journey through space and time. “Safe & Sound”, on the other hand, ends with a clear commitment to retro rock, subtle 70s vibes and great voices coming together – almost out of the ordinary and actually not.
“The Subtle And The Dense” is one of those records that you have to get involved with, but which rewards all your effort and interest twice or threefold. In other words: There is so much musicality and attention to detail in these songs that it almost scares you. The heart beats loudly for blues, as well as for all kinds of vintage sounds. And then there is this omnipresent spontaneous momentum of a band that can be carried musically with growing enthusiasm, to old and new shores. “The Subtle And The Dense” invites you to discover all kinds of things, and you’ll love being there live.
Rating: 8/10
Available from: February 23, 2024
Available via: Tonzone Records (Soulfood Music)
Facebook: www.facebook.com/samsarajoyride
The Subtle & The Dense by Samsara Joyride
Category: Local Bands, Magazin, Reviews