Ancient Sky to Release New Album Mosaic on June 9; “Two Lights” Streaming Now
Brooklyn psych rockers Ancient Sky have been through some changes since their third record, most notably adding a second drummer, so one looks forward to hearing what they’ve conjured for their fourth album, Mosaic, which is set to be released next month on Wharf Cat Records CD/LP/DL. The new song “Two Lights,” which has just been unveiled, holds open-spaced promise and cosmic pulse, and while I wouldn’t presume it speaks for the entirety of Mosaic — the title alone giving something of an eclectic impression just by the meaning of the word — its groove and vibe certainly wouldn’t be a bad model to work from. Easily worth a look if you’re in search of some edge with your bliss.
And who isn’t? Ancient Sky play their record release at Union Pool in their native borough on June 6 and will take part in the Northside Festival a week later. The PR wire brings pertinent info, audio and links:
Ancient Sky Share New Song “Two Lights”
Mosaic Out June 9th on Wharf Cat Records
Playing Northside Festival + NYC Record Release Show
Mosaic is a new statement of purpose for Ancient Sky and a record that defines the band as one of Brooklyn’s heaviest and most dynamic units. With a collection of Brian Markham’s best songs yet, Ancient Sky headed into Future-Past Studios in Hudson, NY with the like-minded Ben Greenberg (Uniform, Mission Hubble, The Men) on board as producer and sound engineer. The perfect combination of songs, personnel, and recording space resulted in an album that captures the massive scale of Ancient Sky’s live sound for the first time.
Mosaic is the sound of a band revitalized. With the addition of Adam Bulgasem as second drummer, Pat Broderick’s signature swing hits even harder. Kevin Lamiell and Brandon Evans add bass and keys respectively, leaving Markham to handle the singular guitar, one that riffs and drones in classic Ancient Sky form. From metallic street punk (“Know”) to swinging celestial psych (“Sing Swing”) to the crunching terror blues that is “Two Lights” this is a band showing that maturity means knowing your strengths and also knowing how to keep pushing it.
Mosaic captures the massive scale of Ancient Sky’s live sound for the first time pivoting around such heavy themes as loss, hypnosis, escapism, poverty, the pressure to conform to terrifying new technologies and modern consumerism’s catalytic contribution to the growing disparity between the haves and the have-nots.
Ancient Sky have been exploring the wide sonic boundaries of rock music for nearly a decade, drawing inspiration from artists as seminal and diverse as Delta bluesman Skip James, early Pink Floyd, the darker corners of modern ambient represented by Demdike Stare, Pye Corner Audio et al and the ubiquitous influence of heavy Brits such as Hawkwind and Black Sabbath. But to define them simply by their acclaimed progenitors-as impressively curated as the list may be-would be to rob the band members of their own incontrovertible creative drive and a southern-bred, city-tempered history that’s as much a celebration of devoted friendship and blue-collar dedication as it is an acknowledgment of the importance of diverse influences and open minds.
Ancient Sky Live Dates:
6/6: Union Pool – Brooklyn, NY *Record Release Show*
6/13: Northside Festival at Shea Stadium – Brooklyn, NY w/ Gun Outfit and The Ukiah Drag
https://www.facebook.com/ancientskyband
http://wharfcatrecords.com/store/ancient-sky-mosaic
http://wharfcatrecords.com/
