Magic Bus - The Earth Years (2020) [Hi-Res]

Maintaining that hippie spirit of the late 60's, the British MAGIC BUS releases "the EARTH YEARS". An album bathed in colorist vintage painting in which the echoes of progressive rock and Cantenbury sound are very present conjugating with summer winds of love and West-coast sound. A small journey through a particular time tunnel in which the melodious voices of The Beatles illuminate us in a spiritual trance with a hippie vision of the world more typical of bands like Grateful Dead. If in their previous works they have already made clear what their musical proposal is, now they continue along that path in which the British countryside is very present in many of their themes. A particular version of experimental progressive rock born in the early 70's and that in the XXI century is still in force with bets like this. Its caramelized melodies in that rural environment makes each theme a therapy against the stress of modern times. Strongly influenced by that pillar that is the Canterbury sound “ "the EARTH YEARS" is an album that will delight lovers of both progressive rock and the most floral psychedelia thanks to those folk winds that appear with subtlety in these attractive vintage themes full of bucolic passages between padded harmonies that caress us with delicacy.

Four albums in ten years probably will not be a great production, but of course, that detail makes it clear that these guys are in no hurry and take things easy, which is reflected in a new album in which all the details are perfectly taken care of for the magic to emerge.

"Easy on" opens the country walk with progressive tones and a voice inherited from the psychedelia freak of the late sixties. The lively pop melodies are modulated to take us to a progressive setting more typical of the Canterbury environment. With freak echoes and colorist pop vintage sounds take over a theme with ups and downs in which hard-progressive elements merge with the most colorist beat psychedelia.

With ramalazos Zappa "Inca trail" returns us to those vintage spaces through a theme with a city composition in which melodies acquire great prominence. This legacy between Zappa and Gong is combined with elements more typical of the west coast. Weaving its own tapestry, the folk joins this colorful festival with the smell of wild berries. Some elegant looking guitar appears between Southern scented breezes to give another twist to the theme. An optimistic cut with its softest moments that ends up moving us to a psycho-progressive environment with exotic aromas.

"Settin sun" evoking the British countryside with Jethro Tull reminiscences in its most rural facet, dot with beautiful and massaging melodies another gentle and bucolic theme. Caressing each note gently, everything flows with the naturalness with which spring hatches in an explosion of colors. A friendly and rural environment in which they seem to feel comfortable and that in some way is their natural habitat. The theme concludes with harmonies more typical of little in its more melodic facet.

A pastoral organ sound surrounds the opening of "the road to mosque". The Canterbury sound is shown in all its fullness under the warm and drowned voice whispering to us with angelic choirs. The band experimented with the sounds leading the theme to an evolution in its intensity. By infusing energy to each chord they rotate along the way to modulate the harmony without losing direction in this attempt. More stout and crunchy in its riffs, the cut does not lose its target.

With acoustic chords "New day" moves us to the West Coast. Its folk sound among a burst of color conveys that aroma to fresh flowers. In the background the organ envelops us with its vintage sound between juggling games and a few drops of comforting psychedelia. Cotton Clouds sweeten the atmosphere that is becoming more towards the hard-progressive sounds inherited from bands like Camel. Winding with seductive harmonies they create a colorist ceremony to resume the bucolic country image thanks to the southern chords flowing from a sweet and delicate guitar. A sample of the versatility of the British, a band that does not encorte in their compositions.

A much more blistering and unsettling sound is not surprising in “Barleycorn". A darker and psychedelic atmosphere sits between disturbing effects and a pseudo-occult acoustics, under acoustic chords that drink from the nectar of some magic mushrooms the atmosphere in an attractive combination that can surely delight lovers of hard and folk-progressive. Always under symphonic brushstrokes and drops of euphoric psychedelia. A relaxing climax that takes many psycho-progressive elements heir to the Canterbury sound.

"Squirrel" reminds me of Camel in its most rural facet. With subtle jazz elements they approach that sound offering a simpler facet, but no less brilliant. As happens in many of the album's themes, progressive beginnings end up becoming spaces where psychedelia moves like fish in the water. Bringing mystical air, the theme seems to be divided into three distinct parts. The song is changing in appearance and musical proposal. The reflections of the delicate guitars pulsate between chords of a bass with a deep and shocking sound between sparkling cymbals. With its seven minutes and being the longest cut of the album, it ends up becoming a psycho-progressive ode of great dimensions. Its great beauty serves as a therapeutic effect without the lullabies of the voice to leave all the prominence to well-interpreted instruments.