Gentle Cycle, The
Landslide Eyes (green)
Five years after the release of their acclaimed self-titled debut, The Gentle Cycle return with their second full-length album, the psychedelic masterpiece Landslide Eyes. Primarily a collaboration between vocalist/guitarist Derek See and drummer/audio engineer Roger Brogan, Landslide Eyes features fourteen alluring songs artfully woven together into two continuous and dreamily immersive tracks, one for each album side. "I really wanted to make a record that was like an album from the 1969 to 1973 era," says Derek, who has also played and recorded with The Rain Parade, Dean Wareham, The Chocolate Watchband, Country Joe McDonald, and The Hellenes. "Some people say that albums are a dead art form in the age of streaming, but I still love sitting down with Abbey Road, Dark Side of the Moon and things like that, and having that lbum experience' the way the artists intended." Though the influence of the original psychedelic era is powerfully tangible throughout Landslide Eyes, this is by no means a throwback album or a slavish recreation of past sounds. Seductive, hypnotic, deeply personal and joyously mind-expanding, the music of The Gentle Cycle draws upon a wide variety of inspirations ranging from the 1960s to the present day, yet remains entirely driven by their own perceptions and proficiencies. "I definitely wear my influences on my sleeve," says Derek, "but I've never been interested in reproducing the sights and sounds of a particular era. I always want to take what I've learned from those folks and put my own spin on it."