REVIEW: Richard in Your Mind – SUN

Sydney’s 5 piece Richard In Your Mind are back with their third full length, Sun, after a month of solid listens I can vouch that it’s definitely their most accomplished record to date. If you allow yourself to be taken along with Sun, it could feel akin to The Beatles Magical Mystery Tour, travelling through an open kaleidoscopic world complete with flashes of Led Zeppelin‘s dreamy/country side, distorted paintings of Simon and Garfunkel and Pink Floyd records being played under water.

I’m certain there are a few people out there who know Richard and his all star outfit (the band features local producer/director SPOD, multi instrumentalists/DJ Conrad Richters. and Mr Jordy Lane of Shady Lane fame, all established artists in their own right) for their timeless Beck like numbers including the Triple J hit ‘Candelabra’, featured on the previous record My Volcano. This carefree sound and treatment is more or less non existent on the recent outing, the good news is, anyone with a decent attention span will find this is in no way a bad thing. Often criticised for its lack lustre tracks between said Triple J hits, My Volcano was the second outing of a psychedelic folk band finding themselves developing their own sound, which happened to encompass some catchy numbers. Sun feels more like band comfortable in their own shoes concentrating on what they know and feel best – and that is taking you to another world. From the first track Richard steps into his own universe, almost completely unabated of his audience, and never looks back.

While the album never appears to reach out and grab the listener, it more drags you in with its layered subtleties, which is highly apparent in the album opener ‘Vision’. Kicking off with a slightly detuned moog lead note, which is about as brash as the record gets, with Richard introducing some simple graphic vocals setting a dreamy landscape for the listener to enter, if they so choose. Track two “Maybe When The Sun Comes Down” conjures up images of a dark sunset with its delayed out melodies, it kind of reminds me of a dreamy Mighty Boosh scene. The track displays just how much the band has mastered their craft, complete with a guitar solo that never demands attention. ‘She Took The Sun Way’ and its country tinged and slightly upbeat folk (with more cowbell) is about as up tempo as the record gets, it could definitely incite a slow dance at any hippy festival. ‘Mountainhead’ brings in more of the nature like sounds of previous efforts, with Richard whispering over some beautiful “Oh”s and “Ah”s and some straight forward yet minimal and laid back instrumentation, definitely more indulgent than the previous track. Thankfully it pays off, taking its time consuming you until its instrumental outro bring you back to the psychedelic plateau built up from the previous tracks.

‘Dimension’ reminds me of the more other worldly side of the first two Jane’s Addiction records, this time around with a synth. One of the longest tracks on the record (at 4 minute and 25 seconds), ‘Dimension’ showcases just how well the band can fuse electronics and washed out instrumentation to create another world, a natural sounding other world. All the while maintaining a nod towards accessibly and pop like melodies. This could be a good time to mention that SPOD also played the role of mixing engineer in this record, and to fine detail too! The album glides along like a perfect Led Zeppelin LP, almost feeling like it was mixed in the warm days of tape, with natural instruments.

‘New Mornings’ delayed synth and lazy beat creates the most transcending piece on the record, a track I would probably never want to end in a live setting. While clocking in at about four and a half minutes, once the songs over, you feel like you could have been on an entire trip for fourteen hours or so. To help you with your comedown ‘Tear Filled Ocean’ will cuddle you with its warm melodies, smacking you for being bad with some dark synth stabs. While Richard cares little of how your taking it, you are reminded that you’re loved. The 99% instrumental in track 8′s Sun, makes for a great break with its reverby synth bass subtly reminding you this band used to make you dance. ‘Where Did You Go’ kicks right into a relaxed 50′s swing inspired number that could easily be taken at a glance as a MOR love song from yesteryear, but placed here it resides in the perfect location giving you two minutes of high energy (compared to the rest of the record) before washing you off with album closer ‘Aplomb’.

Aside from the dreamy synth, washy percussion and ethereal arrangements, Richards’ aforementioned backing band pops their head in throughout the record, beautifully executed backing vocal’s at exactly the right moment, re-emphasizing the dreamy state you’re in. The album never appears to look inwards, putting the listener as less self-aware state, this is about the cleanest way to get high and experience another world.

To put it short, Richard in Your Mind make it ok that Syd Barret went crazy, this timeless record will make the last 40 years or so its been missing seem like nothing when I’m giving my vinyl copy to my grandkids.

Sun is available now via Rice is Nice. iTunes.