A Look in The Local Bin: Myco

Myco‘s self-titled EP is part prog rock soundscape, part David Bowie hook worship, and entirely a trip down a psychedelic wormhole. The EP covers a lot of land despite its five songs–it bounces from lyrically driven psych pop to solo filled atmospherics, from funk inspired grooves to droning tones. That these styles can come together over such a short span of time is nothing short of musical magic.

The self-titled EP begins with the track “Contact.” A mix of droning didgeridoo-like sounds and weirded electronic tones set the groundwork for Myco’s guitar riffs. Musically, the song, and the EP as a whole, occupies the same realm as Bobby Beausoleil’s psychedelic masterpiece Lucifer Rising. Slowly building lush sound collages, Myco is able to create a surprising amount of depth to his songs. “Contact” is a hazy, smoke-filled introduction to the record’s progressive twists and turns.

But to get hung up on the band’s instrumentals only is to miss some of the great vocal melodies that punctuate Myco‘s solo-saturated aesthetic. Blending David Bowie’s odd and uber-catchy phrasing with Roger Waters’ whispered gruffness, Myco uses the voice to color some of the songs with more pop flourishes. The result is an EP that constantly fluctuates between genres. At some moments, it is heavy psych and at others it’s weird pop at its finest.

At the center of the EP is “Shower,” a dazed track that uses reverb and echo to blend its melodies together. Landing further on the electronic side of the continuum, “Shower” balances the danceable and the solo with ease. With a chorus that is as catchy as anything you would find on a major label release, the song bubbles with a pop tension that acts as the perfect counterpoint to the EP’s woolier elements.

But the internet and wax are not the only places to hear Myco unfurl their rhizomic melodies. On December 15th, the band will play a release show for this EP at Davey’s Uptown Rambler’s Club. Joined by Mind Galaxy and Bane Union, the show is sure to be a night of tasty psychedelic licks and progressive jams. But if you can’t wait the month to see these guys tear it up on stage, you can pick up Myco’s EP at Mills Record Company in the Local section.

The EP culminates in the 9 minute epic, “Need Some Space.” The track begins as a divided whole–bass tones churn under twinkling keys–, until the guitar sutures the two ends of the sonic spectrum together. “Need Some Space” constantly expands as its rhythms and melodies increase in complexity and nuance. This song seems to combine the fragments of the previous tracks into a solidified whole. One can hear elements of psych, funk, jazz, and prog being threaded together as this monstrous track unwinds.

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