AHMED, ILYAS - The Vertigo of Dawn

Much anticipated first proper release after a string of ear tugging and increasingly impressive private press CDRs. A real shining spirit in these somewhat goofy times of folk-psych abuse, this guy nails it like its in his DNA. Way beyond a simple formula, this is a complete tonal voyage. Opening the album with a dark ritual of dueling reeds and buzzing drones, things then erupt into some seriously burning psych raga excursion built from totally heavy, jamming, acoustic guitar licks, eastern grooving hand percussions, stoned backwards or fuzzed-out electric guitar splatters, and subtle creaky drones. The vocals are nearly unintelligible but swirl beautifully through most songs like floating smoky ripples. Woozy, head-bobbing, and completely there. Yow... Packaged in a matching fabric textured, golden hued, mini LP style gatefold cover with black and blood red printing, plus insert and woven Japanese inner sleeve.- Time Lag