One of the stranger albums to reemerge in the freak-folk revival of psychedelic artifacts – and that’s saying something! – this 1975 LP is one of the few that genuinely qualifies for the much-abused “lost masterpiece” designation.
At various points I was reminded of the strange harmonies and fragmented quality of early His Name Is Alive, the dulcet vocal beauty of Vashti Bunyan or Meg Baird (Espers), the exploratory spirit and group dynamic of the Polyphonic Spree, the oddly tuned percussion of Harry Partch, Colleen’s new fascination for the sounds of archaic instruments, and Don Cherry’s integration of world music instruments into a Western sound.
Filter all that and more through the prism of THE TREES COMMUNITY, a wandering commune of 1970s hippy Christians. That might sound like a recipe for disaster, but miraculously it’s engrossing and enchanting and quite beautiful. There are three long psalm settings that have to be heard to be believed; they sound simultaneously like primitive tradition and avant-garde high art, while “Symphony of Souls” recalls the microtonal choral music of Ligeti and Penderecki. Even for a doubter like me, this is a thoroughly enjoyable listening experience.
