GYPSY HOUSE: Sundays & Cybele; 2xCD (2012) Japanese Psych

Japanese, Psych, Psychedelic, Japan, Guitar, Rock, Heavy, Rare, Import; 2xCD set – Ex Used condition

While the Sundays & Cybele of today is a very contemporary creature, integrating influences from both the then, and the now, “Gypsy House” reveals a band revelling in the trappings of the late sixties to the extent that it could quite convincingly be passed off as an artifact from that time. Group leader Kazuo Tsubouchi has stated in interviews that one of the main goals that he hopes to achieve through Sundays & Cybele’s music is an increased awareness of classic Japanese psychedelia, and “Gypsy House” should certainly pique the curiosity of younger listeners, who haev yet to discover the delights of Blues Creation, Speed, Glue & Shinki and the likes. And likewise, listeners who are already fans of those artists will freak out when they hear this.  A six track release, trimmed down from a longer digital release, this more streamlined version of the album is a heavy psych-lovers dream, with an exremely pronounced Jimi Hendrix influence, which I’ve rarely heard done better, aside from the maestro himself of course. Led by Kazuo Tsubouch’s inspired guitar work, these six tracks have an average running time of around seven minutes, but never show signs of floundering. It’s rare to hear a record where the jamming is this focussed.  Tsubouchi’s guitar takes the lead here, more often than the vocals even, with “Saint Song”s electric slide playing providing one of the album’s most memorable riffs – think David Gilmour’s playing on “One of these Days” given a kick in the pants.  Psychedelic guitar lovers will be in absolute Heaven with this album.