Electric Eye - From The Poisonous Tree (Album Review)
Friday, 22 December 2017
Written by Graeme Marsh
Fresh from travelling the world on an extensive tour, Norwegian psych rockers Electric Eye returned to the studio to get to work on their third album, ‘From The Poisonous Tree’, just a year after their second effort ‘Different Eye’. Their punishing schedule also took in a live album, ‘Live At Blå’, and their dedication must be admired. Ultimately, though, it’s also evident that they may be pushing themselves a little too hard.
There’s plenty to like about ‘From The Poisonous Tree’. While ‘Different Eye’ wore its influences on its sleeve, from the Stone Roses and T-Rex to Visage and Creedence Clearwater Revival, this LP feels like less of a mash-up and something that reflects their own core.
Chugging opener Sometimes You Got To Jump To Lift Your Feet’s beat throbs amid intermittent doom-laden chords, while Turn Around, Face The Sun shimmers with some subtle yet tasty guitar licks before kicking in. It’s possibly the album’s biggest highlight.
Invisible Prison does display some of those Stone Roses aspects again – but only fleetingly – as it funks its way through a catchy beat intertwined with exotic flecks.
Endless Summer’s pulses, though, seem sparse and leave too much empty space. The instrumental Rock på Norska, too, manages to spend seven and a half minutes meandering through uninspiring prog-rock guitars and a probing beat without actually going anywhere of interest. It sounds dated.
Serenity is weak, an afterthought in fact, as it struggles to form an identity at all. Closer Meditasjonen is also tedious: good for meditational purposes, perhaps, but also for inducing sleep. Overall, ‘From The Poisonous Tree’ sounds like the work of a band in need of a breather. There is an abundance of talent in Electric Eye and their previous two albums account for some of the most impressive psych-rock of recent times. Here, though, it feels forced.
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