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Across the Sea of Id: The Way to Eden
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Camera Obscura Records
Jesus Angel de Paz - acoustic and electric/sitar guitars, percussion
Eric Johnson - bass, guitar, drums, keyboard, percussion
Brian Maloney - tenor sax
John Paul Marchand - percussion
John Axtell - violin
Across the Sea of Id: The Way to Eden is a dramatic shift away from the heavy ethno/progressive rock of 2006’s Bolt of Apollo CD to an earlier style of semi-acoustic instrumental music that became Black Sun Ensemble signature sound in the 1980s. According to Eric Johnson, “…in the end, BSE has truly come full-circle. Across the Sea of Id is the record I have always wanted to make with the Ensemble. It captures what I think makes Jesus Acedo such a huge talent –its not about the guitar solos, its about the haunting quality of his songwriting.”
After recording over 3 hours of material for the project, BSE chose songs that have created a retrospective of past works with new songs. The material, all penned by Acedo and arranged by Johnson, ranges from not only engaging retellings of early work like the majestic Blues for Rainer and a definitive version of the medley Sky Pilot Suite, but also offers a trance-inspired version of St. Cecilia and a more subdued Baphomet’s Curse from Bolt of Apollo.
However, it is the new material that offers a singular, dreamy vision of BSE’s final works. The two title tracks, Across the Sea of Id and Eden Song, are reflective, hallucinatory explorations into Acedo’s unique compositional and melodic sensibility. While Angel de la Guardia has a refined yet explosive rock swagger, it is balanced by the meditation Perelandra and La Paz.
Across the Sea of Id: The Way to Eden was recorded and mixed by Eric Johnson at Tucson’s SlowBurn recording studio and was mastered by John Axtell at Signal House Studio. The art for the album was created by BSE percussionist, John Paul Marchand. Across the Sea of Id is also an enhanced CD, featuring a music video directed by John Paul Marchand of BSE’s signature Dove of the Desert, recorded live on radio station KXCI 91.3FM, Tucson.
This latest release finds the core trio of Jesus Angel de La Paz (Acedo), multi-instrumentalist, Eric Johnson, and tenor sax blower, Brian Maloney hitting a magic dozen, although it has been hinted that these may be their final musical utterances. Fittingly, the quartet, featuring percussionist John Paul Marchand and violinist John Axtell reach back to the early catalogue to reinterpret such seminal classics as ‘Blues for Rainer,’ Bolt of Appolo’s ‘St. Cecelia’ (stripped of its original heavy metal thunder) and ‘Baphomet’s Curse,’ and the ‘Sky Pilot Suite.’ One major change that long-time fans will notice is that Jesus has eschewed his trademark, serpentining “Eye of Horus” electric guitar solos for a more acoustic-based album. This may be as close to BSE Unplugged as we are likely to encounter!
The songs are, therefore, more melodic and more focused than the free-form jamming we’ve come to expect. Just listen to the gorgeous, floating-on-air melody lines of ‘Walking Down Rosemary Lane’ (a thinly-veiled Bert Jansch tribute?) or the ethereal ‘La Paz,’ as it soars heavenward on patchouli smoke rings. The Middle Eastern flavour of much of the bands’ work is retained via several sitar-drenched tracks, including the title track, which wow and flutters like the glistening Himalayas in the mid day sun.
‘Perelandra’ is a tender, acoustic rumination that occasionally morphs in and out of the riff from The Stones’ ‘Lady Jane,’ while the sedate rendition of ‘Baphomet’s Curse’ sways along like an afternoon siesta in your backyard hammock. There’s a relaxed, spiritual quality to much of the music that’s conducive for self exploration (as evidenced by the album title), resulting in a soundtrack for your voyage on the inner path to self discovery, and if it is indeed the band’s swan song, they go out on a pensive whisper that will be remembered long after the mushroom clouds of prior sonic explosions has settled onto the barren desert floor. (Jeff Penczak)
