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1. She Broke the Clock of the Long Now
2. Into the Night Sky
3. Perfume
4. See You in the Dark
5. Last Days of the Sun
6. There Are More Things
7. Nobody Knows That We're Here
8. Like Candy
9. Grey Walls Grey
10. Fall in Line
Hidden Masters. Three men, three entirely different
entities…. the sharply attired, smooth voiced, fireball guitarist David Addison
(who would certainly have been at home in Joe Meek's back room), wild haired
psychedelic bassist Alasdair C Mitchell and behemoth singing drummer John
Nicol. This most energetic of musical units concoct a truly mind bending
miz-maze of cleverly constructed, lightly spiced musical escapades that somehow
embraces Norman Petty Studio productions and the various tones and sub-genres
of the Elektra and Vertigo bands in one fell swoop. Honest. What make this trio
so special beyond their exemplary musicianship and singing is their utterly
daring free form grasp of genre breaking. And some think it could never be
done. Poo-ee! Dave can veer from Johnny Kidd & The Pirates styled rock 'n'
roll to searing Avalon Ballroom acid-rock into full blown progressive rock time
signatures that moves from folk and classical into proto-metal and back again.
Call it excessive if you will, but it works and even at its most complex it's
never over blown.
When witnessing the Masters in the live arena it is always
of interest to see what the audience make of three gentle fellows who can sing
like The Association and alternatively rock like bastards. Dave with his Robert
Frippish meets Buddy Holly speccy appearance although every inch the anti rock
star mixes in droll humour with some nifty foot moves as he casts knowing
glances at the first bemused crowd. It's a presence you can't quite put your
finger on. Long haired and bearded bassist Alasdair in boating blazer, polo
neck, amulet, flares and zipper boots adds a venerable UFO Club touch to match
the constant psychedelic flourishes whilst laid back grizzly man John props up
the show with both manic and restrained drumming and further stellar vocal
support. There isn't another trio like it. Their differing personalities and
demeanor almost seem at odds with each other but work, like a dream pop group
should. There's something quintessentially British and eccentric about the
whole premise, almost Dr Who-ish in their off kilter time travel and intellect.
Signing with Rise Above is definitely the right home for the
musical visionaries who with their debut album Of This & Other Worlds cover
so many of the musical flavours favoured by the label and a whole lot more.
'Perfume' recalls a young Julian Cope doing his Jim Morrison impersonation
fronting an all analogue and further steeped in '60s US psych Teardrop
Explodes, 'Into The Night Sky' has something of Arthur Lee experimenting with
country-rock and Black Sabbath about it, 'Last Days Of The Sun' could well be
by the most talented '60s garage band making a diversion into classically
tinged, psychedelic pop and 'There Are More Things'' blend of Mel Torme jazz
crooning, mambo rhythms and barber shop vocalising sounds like the sort of
fevered technicoloured musical dream interlude you would only expect to hear in
vintage Disney feature Dumbo. 'Like Candy' toys with ancient American folk in
the same way as acid-fried hippies The Charlatans whilst 'Fall In Line' could
very well have featured in a trip scene from an old AIP drugsploitation flick,
urgent riffing and madrigal harmonies one minute, paranoid warning vocals the
next… Strawberry Alarmclock, Clear Light…. and the odd Who-ism. Perfect.
Hidden Masters innate grasp of music, emotion, suspense and
storytelling; how to build and build and never be afraid of derring-do; of when
to not mix two streams of music together that shouldn't and to ramp up the amps
to 11 whenever needed is something no other band is doing or could attempt to
do. They are certainly a very impressive band to arrive this late in the
musical genesis of the rock industry. So far out, they're in. So mixed up,
they're right!
Jon 'Mojo' Mills, April 2013.
MORE ABOUT HIDDEN MASTERS
Their first 7", 'Nobody Knows That We're Here' was
described by SHINDIG!magazine as "the most important psych-pop '45 to come
out of these fair isles for the past 30-something years".
Debut album,Of This and Other Worlds is a true revelation.
Defying genre imprisonment of any kind, Hidden Masters have ingeniously created
their own world of mindbending musical ecclecticism, avoiding any notions of
pastiche. Whilst there is a strong leaning towards 60's pop and psych moves, the
overall vibe is one that is vital, fresh and visionary.
Since their emergence at the turn of the decade,
Glasgow-based trio Hidden Masters have been catching ears and turning heads
with their dynamic ensemble sound, lush three-part vocal harmonies and a highly
original and idiosyncratic fusion of musical styles, running the gauntlet from
Rock'n'Roll to pop, West Coast Psych rock to Gospel and Folk to mind melting
Vertigo-era prog, often all within one song, and positively aglow with melody,
movement and imagination.
Their electrifying live shows offer the audience a one-stop
intravenous blast of hedonistic joy, involving carnal flailing of limbs,
euphoric wow-impulse neural stimulation and unprecedented levels of
perspiration.
An incredible old school psychedelic sound starts this album
of right with “She Broke the Clock of the Long Now.” It has extremely catchy
riffs and grooves and great soft vocals. These guys may be mellow but it’s hard
not to like their style. “Into the Night Sky” is a really chilled out track,
with kind of progressive a feeling with the mix of heavier rock bit and
mellower bits. The organ on this track was nice and I like the end of this
track, it has really interesting combination of doom metal and obscene riffs.
The next track, “Perfume,” had some awesome riffs and keyboards, with faster
paced and slower parts. This track is interesting as it’s hard to follow. The
guitar and bass on “See You in the Dark” had a very catchy flow to them. It
felt like this track belonged at the beach the way it sounded. The vocals are
great with the accompanying of the backing vocals as well. A definitely
nostalgic track is “Last Days of the Sun,” going back to the days of when
psychedelic rock first began. It’s a stellar track, it makes you want to wear
hippy clothes and smoke marijuana like it was legal.
The drum and bass sounded great at the beginning of “There
Are More Things.” When the guitar joins it just sounds so amazing. It’s quite
the groovy track. The rhythms on “Nobody Knows That We're Here” are great, with
quicker riffs and mellow breaks. The keyboard really added to how badass this
track is and the vocals had a really enjoyable flow to them as well. “Like
Candy” has sweet acoustic guitar on it, with equally sweet vocals as well,
sweet, like candy. This track is all about the catchy feel as the whole track
is memorable with the fun feel it brings. The organ and guitar make “Grey Walls
Grey,” with the entertaining to listen to bass as well. Some of the riffs on
this were so awesome and the acoustic part is great as well. An excellent track
to end the album is “Fall in Line” with groovy bass lines and guitar plucks, as
well as catchy riffs, and with a bit of keyboard here and there.
Before this album, I’ve never heard of Hidden Masters and I
was blown away. They have a psychedelic rock style that I haven’t heard in a
while. The only thing that comes anywhere close is “17th Street
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