Short Reviews [Zeebanayba - 2025 - "This Side of the Veil"]

Earlier this year I reviewed the excellent 35th anniversary reissue of ‘Keepers of the Flame’ by Phoenyx, and not long afterwards I was contacted by multi-instrumentalist Larry the O who was drummer on that album, asking if I would like to review his new solo album? The vast majority of instruments on this release are played by Larry, but there are a few guests here and there and I note that Cat Taylor (also from Phoenyx) provides fiddle on one song. The only things which make this appear like a modern album is the production and some of the keyboard sounds, as here we have a release which is firmly grounded in the last Sixties and early Seventies, with plenty of psychedelia and wonderful use of xylophone, glockenspiel, bell lyre and vibraphone. Mind you, “_More_Louder” is bright and breezy lightweight summer reggae with steel drums and a real feeling of the Caribbean. I have the sun, just need the rum and dancing to go with it. “Lord Jorge’s Waltz” makes me smile every time, as not only do we have a wonderful clarinet style synth sound, but it includes “Teddy Bear’s Picnic” and it is impossible not to hear that and not be returned to our youth. The first six songs range from 4 minutes in length to 8 1/2, but nothing prepares us for the final title cut which is nearly 30 minutes long. Musically this is very different indeed to what has come before with lots of World influences, some wonderful percussion and wall of sound effects which bring the listener deep inside a very special world indeed. This has to be the final track on the album, as if this had been first then we would have been very confused by what followed, but instead this helps us make sense of what has gone before, which have been leading us to this point where the music is the backdrop for a spoken poem. One of the reasons for this album being so diverse is that Larry has been recording then when not working on other projects, so some of the songs go back nearly 30 years, which is why the influences vary so much, as while Beefheart and Zappa are clear on the title cut, the rest are far more commercial and lighter in nature. Overall, this is an interesting album, which is truly diverse and for those who want to go through a real journey.