The Peacers - Introducing The Crimsmen

Two years after the self-titled recording by San Franpsychers - The Peacers, the quartet led by Mike Donovan are tuned up for another album, a 17-track collection called Introducing The Crimsmen.

The built up overdriven guitars strumming, alongside the percussive march on 'Hoz' is quite random and testing. The reverbed tone helps the build up the edgy guitars and whimsical vocal atmosphere, which holds similarities to Fleetwood Mac's 'Green Manalishi'.

A big drum sound drives alongside feral blues riffage on the brief dramatic 'Black Fences'. The cool cat vocals echo around front and back whilst the instruments seem to keep fighting for attention. A possible idea of how the merseyside Fab Four could have released further material.

With a definite nod to John Lennon already in the high-end vocal, rhythmic and harmonic department. The confident acoustic guitar 'Haptic Chillweed', brings to a new audience, a sure taste of Mr. Lennon's trademark sound, also seen on 'A Golden Age', and the tangerine groovy 'Staying Home'. One of the strong, highlight tracks on the album has 'Jurgen's Layout' blending near intense strings and fuzzy guitars and simultaneously chilled glam rock vocal and percussive stylings. It is a noticeably catchy and short-lived trip, this potency further appears throughout on 'Aboriginal Flow'.

The long acronymized titled 'D.T.M.T.Y.C.Y.M', has a Bowie-like falsetto teasing over a funky start and pause groove. Again though, it brings back a golden-era rock n roll sound, which illustrates a shared musical appreciation. Sampled crowd applause inserted amongst a rockabilly Bolan-does-Donovan hybrid 'Robot Flame', keeps you giddy for a moment, as does the dreamy cello addition 'Windy Car'.
Paranoid trippy grunter 'MA State Fugue/RTRN Of The Roller', is akin to a passing steampunk time machine, lead by various guitar FX bursts wavering in and out of a constant vortex stream. There are so many classic vibes weaved together on this album, with quirkier moments such as Dylan-meets-The Kinks swinging 'Theme From Sunny',

If there was a sub-genre known as Garage-Folk, 'R.Reg 1' would be a definite contender to be included. Carrying us into the distance, 'Child Of The Season' has a slowly stomping reverbed whimsical blues, in a Grateful Dead feel, which fades away pretty effortlessly.

Introducing The Crimsmen could hold your ears in many a kaleidoscopic and hypnotic fashion. It has been a real and unpredictable treat to experience The Peacers', take on the current psychedelic narrative.