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Simeon Soul Charger: A Trick Of Light

Ohio's Simeon Soul Charger are Aaron Brooks (vocals, guitar, keyboards), Joe Kidd (drums, vocals, percussion), Rick Phillips (guitar, vocals, mandolin), and Spider Monkey (bass, banjo), and A Trick of Light is their third release, out now on Gentle Art of Music. For a bunch of American musicians, these guys sure know how to churn out British sounding psychedelia, pop, hard rock, and prog, almost like a mix of The Beatles, Pink Floyd, Jethro Tull, The Move, and a little bit of The Doors for good measure. In fact, there's a little something for everyone here, from the blistering prog & metal of the instrumental "The Illusionist", the quirky psych/pop of "Jane (A Bird in Flight)" & "Heavy", the lush "The Prince of Wands (A Trick of Light)", the charming Elton John influenced duo that is "Evening Drag" and "How Do You Peel", the Hawkwind-meet-Bigelf psychedelic madness of "Workers Hymn", all the way to the doomy, bluesy cover of "I Put a Spell on You", which has some killer vocals & guitar solos.

Simeon Soul Charger have crafted some memorable tunes that remind of the golden era of rock, and filled them with tight musicianship and alluring vocal performances. A Trick of the Light should definitely be something to seek out if you are a fan of the late '60s or early '70s era of psychedelic rock. Well done.


Track Listing
1. The Prince of Wands (A Trick of Light)
2. Heavy
3. Evening Drag
4. How Do You Peel
5. Where Do You Hide
6. Workers Hymn
7. The Illusionist
8. Jane (A Bird in Flight)
9. I Put a Spell on You (Screamin' Jay Hawkins Cover)
10. Floating Castles

Added: February 11th 2015
Reviewer: Pete Pardo
Score:
Related Link: Band Facebook Page
Hits: 3023
Language: english

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Simeon Soul Charger: A Trick Of Light
Posted by Jon Neudorf, SoT Staff Writer on 2015-02-11 23:37:50
My Score:

It might seem a little strange, an American psychedelic rock band based out of Bavaria, Germany. It was a bold move for Simeon Soul Charger who have released three albums so far, their latest titled A Trick of Light.

The band's line-up has remained intact and includes Aaron Brooks (vocals, guitar, keys), Rick Phillips (guitars, vocals, mandolin), Joe Kid (drums, percussion, vocals) and Spider Monkey (bass, banjo).

I liked their first release Meet Me in the Afterlife and their new album has met all my expectations and then some. A Trick of Light is a mixture of folky retro rock shrouded in a thick haze of '60s psychedelia. With Simeon Soul Charger it is all about the songs and there are ten really good tracks to choose from.

"The Prince of Wands (A Trick of Light)" begins the set with gentle guitar bringing to mind early Neil Young before turning into an excellent homage to psychedelic rock where the guitar absolutely shines with blazing psyche inspired leads.

"Heavy", the album's first single, recalls The Doors with its whimsical keyboards and lead vocals hinting of Jim Morrison.

"Evening Drag" starts as a lovely plaintive ballad reminiscent of early solo McCartney or perhaps Elton John before the tempo increases and heavier guitar unfolds. The layered vocals at song's end are sublime.

"Where Do You Hide" is an instrumental number where the mood is darker with surreal guitar explorations and an overall moody atmosphere.

In "The Illusionist" the short intro is very Floydish ala "Welcome to the Machine" before heading into a heavy retro rock sound.

The last track "Floating Castles" is a delicious ode to '60s pop/rock with calmer passages interspersed amongst the heavier psyche inspired guitar riffage.

Simeon Soul Charger has produced a wonderful album of psychedelic/retro rock. I enjoyed it immensely and I suspect many other fans of progressive rock will as well. Recommended.



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