SJI - A Sound Is A Sound (April, 2019)
SJI's album of improvised psychedelia has been reissued by Wormhole World.
Personnel:
St James Infirmary. Yes, let’s give this a full stop as this is a band of this kind of enigmatic charisma that deserves some time to take in and be bewildered about. I could write a book about the latest album by this band, but as nobody got time for that I rather try to sink my opinion in some kind of synopsis. It’s easy as it could be as this release could simply be described as; it’s a blast! Apparently the band had made all these songs in an improvised way, which helped probably a lot to make it sound so organic and anything but boring. Also it explains why it goes in so smoothly, as every track takes it’s time, making it ideal for stoners, alcoholics, drug addicts and the occasional sober person to go completely into them.
I’ve had never heard of this band before, but heard the rumour that whatever this band does it turns into hot gold. Not that they have golden records on their wall (well, maybe…) but it’s true that their previous album on Wormhole World had sold out in no time. Which (as the word says it) is simply no time at all… hearing the new album and it becomes very clear to me why they are a hot item in the eyes of good music lovers; they are easily listenable and at the same time psychedelic as it could be! An combination that you actually don’t find easily as it’s mostly one way or the other.. but St James Infirmary seems to have found the perfect middle ground without sacrificing or compromising their authenticity in sound and music. Of course I don’t know them, but you know… I feel it!
Most of the works nibble on in their style, creating soundscapes that are very much their own but will be falling in the right ears if you enjoy being calmly seduced into the sound of heavy bass orientated psych music. Sometimes they pop into popular zones in which actual songs seem to be formed, ones that will be crowd pleasures as they will think about other bands that would use spontaneous improvisation to craft new tunes. I think of a classic band responsible for the ‘vitamin cm hit named Can… but comparing them to psychedelic heroine rockers like the velvet underground would be a sign of disrespect as St James Infirmary seems to bring a much more evolved sound, one not coming from the complete gutter but more made out of love for the actual music & less for the drugged out lifestyle that had tortured most artist and bands from that era.
Where Jim Morrison and the doors pissed next to the pot St James Infirmary easily manages to aim their urine right into it. Everything is inside. Poetic words, psychedelic melodies and the certain right mindset to get a listener into some kind of hypnotic trance when you listen to second track on the album named ‘sun sun sun’. But the biggest strengths of this new release is (to me) the wordless tracks that take their ultimate time, creating a world in which haste doesn’t exist and every one could simply load up on a easy going ride of pleasant music that would fulfil and give pleasure to all kind of listeners. The elderly, the young and twisted & even the fucked up low lives of society. St James Infirmary says it all with the title track ‘radical adults like ice cream too’! This one seems to be for everyone, an album in which the straight edge people could happily sit together with the adventurous scum and enjoy the music in the best possible ways! All in all a sound is a sound and this enjoyable album is an enjoyable album. Get it over here before it runs out:
http://wormholeworld.bandcamp.com/album/a-sound-is-a-sound
