Finnish psychedelic progressives Death Hawks will release their third full-length, Sun Future Moon, Nov. 13 on Svart Records. I’ll readily admit to being Johnny Comelately to the Riihimäki four-piece. While I’ll be endeavoring to dig into 2012’s Death and Decay debut and 2013’s self-titled follow-up (both on GAEA Records), Sun Future Moon is my first exposure to the band, whose 10 gorgeously textured tracks offer a distinctive look at the shape of retroism to come, songs like “Ripe Fruits” and “Behind Thyme” (video here) casting out resonant catchiness in piano lines and sweetly melodic shuffle, respectively, as later cuts “Wing Wah” and “Future Moon” delve into a landscape of synth and spacious, “Planet Caravan”-style guitar minimalism. It is a record varied but universally impeccable in its execution, and while psychedelia is often hyperbolized as being able to affect mental states, Sun Future Moon eschews over-the-top effects barrage in favor of classy, organic, patient but never still songwriting in individual songs that feed into an overarching atmosphere that does genuinely seem geared toward bringing about a more peaceful state. And it gets there.

From the verse chants in opener “Hey Ya Sun Ra” to the space-folk acoustics, vocal harmonies and cymbal washes of closer “Friend of Joy,” Death Hawks — the lineup of vocalist/guitarist Teemu Markkula, bassist/vocalist Riku Pirttiniemi, keyboardist/saxophoinist Tenho Mattila and drummer Miikka Heikkinen — do not shy away in the face of beauty, instead embracing it in inviting tones and an unflinchingly positive spin. That’s not to say Sun Future Moon doesn’t have its moodier moments. Side A’s “Dream Machine” basks in a richly-toned fuzz but is less brightly hued than, say, the airy instrumental “Seaweed,” and “Dream Life, Waking Life” broods out spoken vocals from within a contemplative blend of piano and synth, its drums adding to the nighttime feel that continues to develop on “Heed the Calling,” “Wing Wah” and “Future Moon.” But even these stretches aren’t casting a needless darkness across what “Hey Ya Sun Ra,” “Ripe Fruits” or “Friend of Joy” are celebrating. Instead, they deepen and enhance the emotional crux of Sun Future Moon, so that one aspect becomes more engaging for the way it plays off the other, and the album is more expansive in its scope rather than disjointed as it would be in less capable hands.

I’ve jumped around a bit in describing the tracks, but it’s worth noting that the album is best approached taking its 43 minutes in their entirety, so that the sense of ritualism that arises in “Hey Ya Sun Ra” can grow and change over the course of “Behind Thyme,” “Dream Life, Waking Life” and “Heed the Calling” so that by the time they get around to the repetitions of “Send our message clear across the universe!” in “Friend of Joy,” there’s little doubt as to the naturalism and serenity at the heart of that message itself. Taken in their entirety, the two halves of Sun Future Moon shape not only a day/night duality, but a vast creative scope given to themes drawn from a cosmos within and without as it basks in a style that’s lush but never overdone. On repeat listens, it sinks into the consciousness further and seems to echo fragments into each other so that the experience of hearing it becomes even more malleable to what the hearer invariably brings to it, and Death Hawks‘ creativity proves correspondingly more vital and encompassing. I’ve yet to put on Sun Future Moon and not hear something new, and that has made it among the more satisfying surprises encountered this year. They’re by no means the first to revel in the kraut and kosmiche, but the range and fullness with which they do so is on a wavelength entirely their own.

As if to tease what might follow after, I’m fortunate today to be able to premiere “Hey Ya Sun Ra” for your streaming pleasure. Please let it kickstart your imagination via the player below and enjoy:

Death Hawks, the psychedelic rock group with the intoxicating concoction of modern music and aquarian era aesthetics have signed to Finland-based Svart Records. The group’s third studio album, Sun Future Moon, is set for release on November 13th 2015.

“Our upcoming album sounds even bigger, more diverse and more beautiful. The band has succeeded in broadening its expression in every element, be it in composition, instrumentation or thematics. The songs explore ancient mythical astrology and the cosmos within the modern man. These themes line up organically with the expanding Death Hawks discography, while simultaneously ushering in a new time, a concept of new age even, for the band. To put it simply, we strived to create a melodic, fascinating gem of an album,” vocalist/guitarist Teemu Markkula describes.

Death Hawks website

Death Hawks on Thee Facebooks

Svart Records

Svart Records on Thee Facebooks

Tags: Death Hawks, Death Hawks Sun Future Moon, Finland, Riihimäki, Sun Future Moon, Svart Records

This entry was posted on Tuesday, November 3rd, 2015 at 10:56 am and is filed under audiObelisk. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.