Gong: Bright Spirit

Yes, Gong is still a going concern, though you probably won’t recognize many if any of their current members. It’s the fourth since Daevid Allen’s death in 2015, and while it’s not a classic Gong album, such as those from the Radio Gnome series, it is far better than I had hoped. In fact, it is good, period.

The album kicks off with “Dream of Mine,� a very Middle Eastern sounding number that clocks in at more than ten minutes and features exceptional flute and sax with vocals that seem to float over the music. It moves into a very electronic, synthy instrumental titled “Mantivule� providing quite the contrast right off the bat. Next up is “The Wonderment,� which I would call “laid-back space rock.� That gets us to probably my least favorite tune on the album, “Stars in Heaven,� which almost sounds like 1990s Britpop at times. “Fragrance of Paradise� shows the band displaying muscular instrumentation at times, as does the closer “Eternal Hand.� Placed between those tracks is the short “Relish the Possibility.� It’s pleasant enough, but there isn’t much that is memorable about it.

My biggest complaint about the album is the excessive use of vocals. They fit well on the opener, but otherwise there are too many and they’re often too high in the mix, distracting from the playing. Speaking of which, the cast for this album is: Kavus Torabi (vocals and guitar), Fabio Golfetti (guitar and vocals), Dave Sturt (bass and vocals), Ian East (flute and sax), Cheb Nettles (drums and vocals).

Gong just finished up the first of two strings of shows in the UK and continental Europe and will be heading out for the second run starting June 26. Concert dates can be found on their website, linked to below.

Track Listing
1. Dream of Mine (10:32)
2. Mantivule (6:22)
3. The Wonderment (5:11)
4. Stars in Heaven (4:01)
5. Fragrance of Paradise (7:39)
6. Relish the Possibility (3:09)
7. Eternal Hand (6:48)

Added: April 28th 2026
Reviewer: Aaron Steelman
Score:
Related Link: Gong Online
Hits: 17
Language: english

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