by Aaron Gidney
I reviewed LA group, Iboga Gazebo last year, when they released the lead-in singles, Equinox and Twenty-Third Eye. Equinox was a pure joy to listen to and has been regularly played by me ever since. I was therefore pleased to get the opportunity to review the full album and it does not disappoint.
I’ll get the album art of the way first – not my cup of tea, and I recall I mentioned this in my review of the singles. The music elicits sweeping desert Americana landscapes of minimalist, late night indie road movies and instead we get what looks like leftover 1990’s magic eye rejects. Some might ‘get it’, and perhaps it’s to subtle for my Neo-Prog wizards and Lord of the Rings taste? Never mind – the music more than makes up for it…
The instrumentation is absolutely gorgeous, minimalist in the best possible way and adorned by the beautifully hypnotic and ethereal vocals of Kim Yang. The spacious mix lends itself well to this kind of music – lush textures and instantly relaxes the listener into settling down for the evening to enjoy this masterpiece.
The laid-back feel of every song feels very ‘live’ and not overly produced, which gives the songs the opportunity to come to life with performance and the mix, rather than relying on studio magic as so many bands do these days.
The use of effects on the instruments is a nice addition – a bit of old-school tremolo here and there goes a long way and dates the songs to a period where you’re not quite sure if it’s 2021 or 1969. Timeless.
There’s not a bad song on here and I’d thoroughly recommend as a Prog or Metal palette cleanser, which is perhaps doing it a disservice, but my point is, this is a really good album which whilst is certainly out of the norm, makes it even more enjoyable because it doesn’t seem to fit into any conventional ‘genre’ box.
Kim Yang is the star of the show – there’s something really special about her voice and I can’t quite put my finger on it. That’s part of the charm.
An enlightening and thoroughly pleasant album listening experience, perfectly accompanied by an evening sunset and a glass of wine. Rock n Roll!.
Tracks:
- Visualize
- Aster Elixer
- Dose Age
- Equinox
- Filtered Haze
- Form & Flow
- Insignia
- Oracle
- Succulent
- The System
- Twenty Third Eye
Line-Up:
Kim Yang – Vocals
Eric Avery – Bass
Jebin Bruni – Keys
Jeffrey Cain – Guitar
Richard Ploog – Drums
Online: https://goldenrobotrecords.com/golden-robot-records/iboga-gazebo/
Spirit of Progressive Rock 