Hypnagogia by Willow Ash
Willow Ash have taken a sudden foray on this long player; entering into a 1970's inspired world of heavy blues/heavy psych (suited perfectly by the psychedelic cover art piece which was hand drawn and painted by E.A. Stathis) resulting in this bright, almost jangly start to the concept album, slowly degrading as it plays out through it's 55 minutes and 8 tracks into earthen, sludge filled riffage.
According to Google, Hypnagogia is stated as "The transitional state of consciousness between wakefulness and sleep. During hypnagogia, it's common to experience involuntary and imagined experiences. These are referred to as hypnagogic hallucinations."
The album idea was conceptualized during the summer of 2020 when singer/guitarist Christopher Guest battled the phenomenon off and on for the majority of June and July. "It was awful" Guest is quoted as saying, "the hallucinations are ridiculous, almost silly at times but then they'll take this dark turn and it'll all at once become absolutely terrifying. No matter what, there is an immense feeling of fear or stress; like you know something isn't right but you can't stop what's happening."
The feeling is there from the opening few seconds of the intro which symbolizes the confusion of Hypnagogia; the whirlwind of action fought off only by the alarm clock. The feeling of the record as a whole is a fake, manic happiness laid as a thin veil over top an ocean of dark, almost murderous intent, much like a carnival of horrors.
Undeniably their best work so far, amid the myriad of seemingly never ending EPs, singles, and a smattering of LPs released, Hypnagogia makes it impossible not to bob your head. The groove starts at "A Witch's Window" and doesn't stop unto the hypnotic album closer "Paleo Contact Meditation" fades from view after reaching extraterrestrial nirvana. Guest's vocals change from song to song, morphing to the aesthetic of each - the garage rock inspired yelp in "...Window", the obviously Ville Vallo inspired goth croon of "Le Petite Mort", bood curdling bllack metal screams of "SPACE TRASHED!", the Al Cisneros inspired drawl of "Boneless" - all come together, coherently spitting out the contents of Guest's strange and buzzing mind.
CD-ONLY BONUS TRACK -- "Left Hand Path"
Tracklist
| 1. | Hypnagogia | 0:44 |
| 2. | A Witch's Window | 5:38 |
| 3. | Doom and Gloom in the Champagne Room | 7:19 |
| 4. | La Petite Mort | 4:02 |
| 5. | Drive to the Moon / SPACE TRASHED! / Mars in a Classic Car | 6:04 |
| 6. | Baobab | 9:17 |
| 7. | Boneless | 7:31 |
| 8. | Paleo Contact Meditation | 13:54 |
Videos
Credits
All music written and performed by Willow Ash copyright Vermont Dirt Music
Solos in "SPACE TRASHED!" and "Boneless" written and performed by Noah Labounty
Recorded summer 2020 at THE WHITE BOX Lyndonville, VT
Cover art hand drawn and painted by Elizabeth Stathis @elzbthstths
Photography by Nathan Somers @wratten25
Mastered by Meeks Audio Houston @meeks_audio_houston
Released and distributed by The Swamp Records @theswamprecordsusa
DENPA FUZZ Weekly Recommendation 12/6/20
denpafuzz.wordpress.com/2020/12/06/recomendaciones-de-la-semana-weekly-recomendations-54/
ADVANCE PRAISE FOR "HYPNAGOGIA" --
"The first thing that comes to mind is that you should be able to reach a bigger audience since this album is less obscure / underground than most of your other stuff" says ROB HAMMER
"Dude this entire album kicks fucking ass" says TODD LABOUNTY
"This is so nice! It sounds different but it is still Willow Ash" says TRANQUIL GROVE
"I think it's easily your best release" says MOUSE AND METAL
"This album kicks some major ass. It's heavy, dark, and full of doom" says HERE TO RUIN YOUR GROOVE
