The Third Eye

Boston-based Skyjelly is a band that plays in a scary old mill, one floor up from a mean Southern Rock band who wondered if they were having séances. Skyjelly may not actually commune with their ancestors in the spirit realm, but you may get that impression if you listen to their music long enough.

Skyjelly plays psychedelic Middle-Eastern blues and has had four releases to date. Their latest release, the EP Spirit Guide, dropped in the summer of 2023, but it is being offered as an expanded/deluxe version, including a limited edition CD, via I Heart Noise Records on January 26th.

The EP has garnered some acclaim thus far. Dig Boston says the wandering vocals “fall somewhere between David Byrne when he gets weird and David Bowie on a good day.” Joe Imwalle from Aux Meadows says the EP “makes me think of My Life in the Bush of Ghosts by David Byrne and Brian Eno. It’s just as inventive but its own entity. Somehow both catchy and experimental.”

Spirit Guide is being released in co-production with Mahorka (Bulgaria) and Wormhole World (U.K.). If you like weird, experimental psych jams with exotic world-music vibes, this is a good one for you.

“What Have You Done” has an infectious groove, combining more Westernized guitar-driven rock with Middle Eastern chant. In this way, it reminds me of the best Zamrock; it takes the Western rock ‘n roll influences and runs them through the lens of another culture. “Laisse Jeyedin Jeden” is another fun, shorter track that, as Joe of Aux Meadows noted, maintains a poppy catchiness while remaining experimental and mind-expanding.

“Killer B” may be my favorite song, a longer, more contemplative meditation featuring some slide guitar that’s incredibly moody. If any song on the EP conjures the idea of séances, it would be this one. “Yep Hassu” is unique in the electronic effects used, creating a trippy, distorted soundscape that brought to mind a cyberpunk version of Arabian Nights.

There’s no filler on Spirit Guide by Skyjelly, as other excellent tracks include the grinding industrial noise of “White Wolves” and “I Know,” which feels like a traditional Middle Eastern folk song with a 21st-century re-fashioning.

Get your pre-orders for Spirit Guide by Skyjelly in now – this is a good one to own on physical media like CD. While you’re at it, check out Skyjelly’s previous works, including the two full-length albums, Gost Rock and Black Powder Sunrise Girl. This is the type of music that is truly psychedelic and, if listened to under the right conditions, may even be consciousness-expanding.

Check out Spirit Guide by Skyjelly on Bandcamp here.

Support Skyjelly by finding him on Bandcamp, SoundCloud, or Facebook.

Support I Heart Noise Records by finding them on Bandcamp, their official website, YouTube, or Facebook.

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