When Crow Follow describes themselves as “shaman rock,” I know exactly what they mean. If modern rock music has become polished and overproduced, predictable even, then “Sylvia Sez” sits at the other end of the spectrum. I’m not saying that the track is not well put together; it is, but the band is smart enough to understand that a certain deliberate looseness, a raggedy vibe, and a wilfully and wonderfully lazy groove make things a lot more interesting.
Feeling like it has time-traveled forward in time from a late 60’s folk festival with the intent of saving modern music, or at least reminding us how organic and original music can be, “Sylvia Sez” is a gloriously lilting slice of psychedelic folk-rock, horn-adorned and full of life.
It is a long song, too, but that just means that it has room to spread out, evolve slowly through various sonic moods, and take the listener on the journey with them…as a wise man once said, it is better to travel well than to arrive. This is the sound of traveling well. Vocal textures mix and merge, horns breeze through, guitars fire off bluesy salvos, and you are drawn into a beautifully street-wise and poetic character study.
If you shut your eyes whilst giving this a spin, it isn’t hard to picture yourself at a West Coast festival way back when, and this is the sound of the band warming up the crowd before a band like The Grateful Dead takes the stage. Man, I was born far too late, but at least we have bands such as Crow Follow to give us a taste of those sweet times.
