CITAY - DREAM GET TOGETHER
February 05, 2010,
Written by Samuel Valdes Lopez
Label: Dead Oceans
Release date: 26 January 2010
WebsiteCitay Myspace
Buy: Amazon
Peculiar. That's the first adjective one can attach to Citay's Dream Get Together; an acrobat walking a very thin rope between psychedelic and prog-rock, balanced by some folk sensibilities that make possible such an aural concoction.
Let's take album opener, the insanely catchy 'Careful with that hat'. With even a quick nod to 'Sympathy for the devil' (careful, The Verve got taken to the cleaners for less than that) at the beginning, the song keeps building in both intensity and sound, never becoming a cacophony, yielding a beautiful piece that floors you.
The eponymous 'Dream get together' sounds as if Queen and Pink Floyd (of high-point Animals era) had fused together and gone on tour with Jools Holland (check the subtle organ in the background). Amazingly atmospheric and never venturing too far into “hey, I'm very fast and technical" territory, as there is plenty of soul in there to anchor it.
It's not all riffs and solos shot out of cranked up amplifiers either; softer sides (usually accompanied with maracas) are brought to the fore in the middle section. The psychedelic one-two acoustic combo of 'Secret Breakfast' and 'Mirror Kisses' gives way into 'Hunter', probably the best track of the whole record. At seven minutes, it's a mammoth built upon a series of acoustic chords, yielding to some jazz, prog and even a few metal power chords experimentation. Suffice to say, it is the pinnacle of the album.
Having crested that particular summit, Citay set up a base camp perfectly with 'Fortunate Sun', again playing to Citay's strengths; technical prowess and beautiful atmospherics (love the ebow use). I hate to use a comparison that might almost sound like a put-down (it's certainly not meant to be) but this is the album that Zwan could've made if it had been mixed properly.
A deceptively calm-sounding 'Tugboat' closes the album, but not without indulging into yet another seventies style fuzzed-up solo. By this point though, Citay have definitely earned it.
Rating10/10
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danny - 02/09/10
That's a cool interview with some genuine sounding dudes. The quotes attributed to them at the top are genius! [view article]
danny - 01/09/10
This is so good, you need to stream this shit. My review of it will be up soon..! [view article]
elaine - 01/09/10
I ask for a round two against the pills! I liked how the pill ladies are on screen during the bridge portion of the song. I guess nothing can stop us music lovers from hearing music. :) [view article]
elaine - 01/09/10
Thanks for sharing! I really like the use of the tom toms and the harmonics on the guitar. Nice touches. It adds more dimension when appropriate. [view article]
wil - 01/09/10
frickin love this band! [view article]