After Detroit spacerock trio Viv Akauldren split in the early 90s, the three members went their seperate ways. Drummer Deb Agolli went on to join Detroit psych pop band Outrageous Cherry. Keyboard player Keir McDonald started a solo project called Medusa Cyclone who have so far released three fantastic albums of Wire/Sun Ra/Barrett influenced weirdness, all well worth tracking down. Vocalist and guitarist Jeff Tarlton did the Syd Barrett thing - got messed up on drugs and disappeared. However, unlike Uncle Syd, Tarlton's mind was not irretrievably lost - he followed his mystical muse to Europe, resurfaced in Berlin and, armed with his acoustic guitar and a headful of ideas, began a new life as a street musician. Eventually, with the help of those kind folk at Delerium records, he produced two fine albums of acid folk.
'Dragin Spring' is a wonderful album, full of fragile beauty and dark melancholy, and certainly reflects Tarlton's relocation to Middle Europe. Though most of it is in this vein, Tarlton hadn't completely left behind his Viv Akauldren years - there's a few of tracks of bad-acid rock, one even being an alternative version of an old VA song. Perhaps reflecting his new life as part of Berlin's thriving street musician scene, there's also a joyous communal freak-out that sounds like 'Yeti' era Amon Duul 2. If intelligent and poetic, melancholy yet strangely uplifting psychedelic folk is your thing, then you'll love this album.
Track listing:
1. Sinner
2. Chimera
3. Muse
4. Not Fade Away
5. Restless Spirits
6. Gainrider
7. Telepath
8. Swept
9. My Chores Undone
10. The Eyes
11. Sunrise Semester
12. The Sitting Room
13. No Secrets
Get it here
9 comments:
Very different from his work with Viv Akauldren, but not bad at all. In fact, it's very good.
Last I knew Jeff was living in Berlin (about 100 miles from my new home)and playing guitar in the subway and in small clubs. Would love to hear his first solo album, if you've got it!
Great blog idea! (I've just found you.) Best wishes.
Prine - Sure, I'll post 'Astral Years' very soon. Have you heard Keir McDonald's Medusa Cyclone? It's pretty amazing stuff. I'll get round to posting some of that too.
Valis - Thanks for the comment, glad you like it.
I bought the first Medusa Cyclone CD before I left the States, but haven't been able to find anything over here. Pretty good stuff. Would be great to hear Mr. Devil.
And looking forward to the Tarlton, thanks!!!
BTW, listened to Dragin'Spring again today and REALLY like it, thanks!
I need those Medusa Cyclone records! I only have the first one. Please post them.
you can buy the first 2 Medusa Cyclone Records at:
http://www.google.com/products?hl=en&q=medusa+cyclone+cd+baby&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=X&oi=product_result_group&resnum=4&ct=title
or email: medcyclone@aol.com
the link is gone. thank you for posting this though. i remember downloading this the very day you did and loved it very much. i no longer have those files.
Jesusplea - Link gone? How bizarre! I don't remember deleting any links. Whatever, I'll fix it tomorrow so you can redownload if you want.
if you do not mind! i hope it was just me. . .the other posts have links though.just this one is without.i'd really appreciate it.
thanks in advance. much appreciated
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