Two Suns

The popularity of California rock bands with both female and male vocals was simply immense in the wake of the Mamas & the Papas and Jefferson Airplane. Morning Glory pay significant tribute to both bands on their obscure and only LP, though you can certainly hear some Byrds in some of the guitar licks, as well as traces of Bay Area psychedelic groups like Moby Grape in some of the arrangements. It's well-sung (with the sole woman in the group, Gini Graybeal, handling most of the lead vocals) and tightly played, with Abe "Voco" Kesh, most famous for his work with Blue Cheer, handling the production. The problems are a little predictable for bands heavily influenced by California heavyweight groups of the era, but they're present nonetheless: a lack of top-flight songwriting in particular, and an absence of overwhelming personality in general…

Swiftly chasing their greatest hits retrospective, Un1verse City shows how Arqa retain their relevance in the global fusion arena. The two decades-plus longevity of this sprawling collective marks the Suns out as true pioneers of Asian dubbery and ethnographic psychedelia. Deep bassman Michael Wadada is their eternal figurehead, but Kadir Durvesh and N Magriel are also firmly ensconced sidemen, playing shehnai (reed flute) and sarangi (a box-like bowed instrument, with no shortage of sympathetic strings). Wadada also continues his collaboration with Hungary's Arqa equivalent, Laszlo Hortobagyi & The Gayan Uttejak Orchestra, these sessions also recorded in their Budapest studio. The musical template is made up from Indian raga rules, but heavily interfered with by electronic tomfoolery…

Suns of Arqa have materialised as a musical collective, combining the ancient Hindustani raga systems with Piobaireachd and Nyabinghi roots drumming. They appear intermittently at the seasonal festivals and sacred ritual spaces, where they are a vehicle for the positive raising of vibration, connecting with both the sensory and infinite worlds, for the on going evolution of all sentient beings.
Opening with the wonderful psychedelia of Lennon & McCartney's "Tomorrow Never Knows", "Shabda" by Suns Of Arqa moves through the familiar territories of dub, ragas and world music in a conscious and direct manner. Tracks 2 and 3 build up the hypnotic tension before "Through The Gate We Go" drops into some heavy 90s breakbeat dub…

April Lawton's short rock & roll moment in the sun takes a better turn on Ramatam's second attempt, In April Came the Dawning of the Red Suns. Acoustic ramblings like "Excerpt From Guitar Concerto #1," where she plays solo for 44 seconds, are more inviting than much of what was on the group's self titled debut. Since her prowess was a big part of the hype, why those introspective glimpses weren't extended is the mystery. There's also a pretty interlude, "Rainy Sunday Evening," which comes between two awful moments on side one, "Betty Lou" and "I Can Only Love You," proving the previous point.