Major Arcana - Major Arcana (1975)
Track List:
Western Wind
Dark Trip to Edge City
Shake Me
Steal Your Love Back Home
Deanna Durbin Blues
Down Under Blues
Papa Doc
Back in the Spirit
Fran’s Blues
Greensleeves
Never heard of this before
Some guy on the psyche rock subreddit said it was good so it became the album I will listen to today. I’ve not heard of this band before. Wondering if it will be something really tarot involved given the name or if it’s just meant to sound mysterious. Quick search to try to find the lyrics is fruitless. Guess I will listen blind, perhaps this is instrumental? I am not sure about the year of the album release, I see 1975 but I also see a bandcamp that says 2019.
Western Wind
Flute, acoustic guitar, vocals and a synth are used to compose this. The song evokes feelings of longing after periods of wanderlust.
Dark Trip to Edge City
Similar soundscape but with some bongos that pan left and right. There is a laid back jazz delivery of the lyrics. I believe that it is describing a psychedelic trip that starts by feeling very anxiety-inducing but melts into a more meaningful experience as the narrator submits his will against the experience.
Shake Me
This is fantastically bluesy. It’s a call to a love lost and is overwhelmingly pleasant.
Steal Your Love Back Home
I enjoy the wandering bongos oh so very much. So another song about a lost love but this time about trying to the narrator planning on improving themself to win back the eye of a former love.
Deanna Durbin Blues
Vocal intro and the use of a harmonica for the first time I think. Sounds like an ode to a sugar momma.
Down Under Blues
A darker blues song. He describes feeling overwhelmed by his partner who he accuses of cheating over the course of the song.
Papa Doc
Heavy breathing foley to start. A rather graphic description of a self proclaimed ladies man. The moans placed throughout the song add something, I am not sure if it’s a good something but they add something.
Back in the Spirit
A much more upbeat song. It’s a religious redemption song about becoming christian. The style verges on a gospel song.
Fran’s Blues
The effects make this one sound almost chiptune. More religious imagery. I like the way this song is put together with the slow trudge of the strings setting the stage and the vocals and keys dancing with one another. The song is about hitting rock bottom in a relationship.
Greensleeves
I wonder if this will be a traditional song? Yes, it’s a very trippy cover of Greensleeves and it’s great.
Wow!
Now for some wild speculation. I am guessing that this was an album that was created by a band that met in a church setting. They received an opportunity to make an album and brought all of what they could do. A traditional song, some of their church roots stuff, blues, experimental and psychedelic. Overall, it was a fun ride.
