Hertfordshire production duo Nick Foster and Luke Barratt fuse samples like maniacal welders on psychedelics across their debut album Psychedelic Soul & Trash Vol.3. These samples and tidbits are drawn from a well of inspirations, but always reference the past. Even the duo's moniker, Legends of the Seven Golden Vampires, was directly taken from the title of a 1974 martial arts horror film directed by Roy Ward Baker. But though the source material is relical, LOTSGV invariably abandons convention, letting their instincts guide them in whatever direction their ears desire, which is always somewhere danceable and forever blending of genres and styles
Expectedly, this scattershot approach to genre yields less coherent moments than others, often to jarring extremes. For example, the opening track, "Interstellar Life," is a groove-inducing, genuinely moving and beautiful song, with a laid-back aura, strong bass line, and heavenly vocals, while "Cosmic Discotheque" is a cloying and tawdry exercise in sci-fi cabaret, with samples that sound like they are coming from the keyboard of Friends character Ross Geller.
That being said, of the eleven tracks collected here (spanning singles released since 2022), the majority are well-assembled, environmentally impactful, and upbeat productions designed to raise spirits. "Close To You" is quite kitschy, with its plastic instrumentation and disco funk refrains, but it's also fun and tasteful. "Autumn Fall" is an undeniable album highlight, with mysterious vocals singing around a spliced-up spine, the vertebrates of which support luscious saxophone calls and subtle ambient textures.
There are several moments of grand intrigue. "Season Of The Witch" is a downtempo and patient tune that stands out for originality. "A Long Walk Home" folds in spoken word samples and the album's characteristic persistent bass lines, reliable percussion, and colourful flourishes. The closing track, a reinterpretation of the theme song from the 1980s movie Cannibal Holocaust, is a splendidly hopeful affair, with guitar and strings from collaborator Eliot Foster adding a human and gritty touch. But again, these moments of wonder are sequenced alongside other lacklustre efforts. Vocalist Richard Foster adds nuanced character to the atmospheric "Rialto", though this character is not as convincing on the nauseating "Something Wicked This Way Comes". The mostly instrumental and unenthused "Summer Haze" plays out with directionless ennui.
Psychedelic Soul & Trash Vol.3 by Legends of the Seven Golden Vampires is an unpredictably exciting collection of hauntological experiments in genre shapeshifting. While one wouldn't be wrong to call this album hit-and-miss, the hits are so impressive that it more than makes up for it. Released on Prank Monkey Records on the fittingly spooky day of Halloween, Psychedelic Soul & Trash Vol.3 will appeal to those seeking transcendence through sound.
★★★★