Psychedelic music in all its different forms is popular again. Bands like White Hills, Wooden Shjips and Moon Duo attract not only large, but also young audiences. There are new psychedelic festivals and psychedelic bands appear on main stream festivals either. From the melting pot of European cultures the Belgian band The Narcotic Daffodils have arisen. Cellex is their second album after the eponymous debut album that came out in 2011. The band was founded in 2009 and now consist of Irene Csordas (vocals, keyboards), who's from Hungarian origin, Hakim Rahmouni (guitar), Merlin Fourmois(drums), Flupk'e Declerq (bass) and Simon Rigot (keyboards, sitar). Cellex mainly contains rock guitars sometimes flirting with heavy metal and bubbling synths, but also a sitar and a Pink Floyd-like organ sound. The Narcotic Daffodils know their classics. Of course they remind me of Hawkwind, but also influences of the second generation psychedelic bands like early Ozric Tentacles, The Magic Mushroom Band and Omnia Opera can be noticed. They keep the songs compact without ever becoming lost in endless solos. On the other hand they stay safely within the limits of the genre and don't try to explore unknown spaces. The last track of the album is a quiet ballad which is not their forte. The album has some nice moments, but as a whole it doesn't really take root. ** Erik Gibbels (edited by Peter Willemsen) Where to buy? |
