ninehertz

“Gonzo surf sludge” from Rejkjavik’s power trio Godchilla. It is an enticing if very curious self-description. And thoughts of what weirdness are to come prove totally justified.

Psionic Dreams is such a vibrant record, one you giddily enter each time to find what new approach the next song will bring. There are all manner of styles on display, unexpected shifts in genres and from heavy to light, bright to dark. The open-minded approach feels effortlessly cool.

The common themes, as much as there are, are with a space rock backing to doom and stoner rock. But the amalgamation of their other variables never allows you to settle on a specific singular genre tag. There are two songs where I’m distinctly reminded of Oranssi Pazuzu’s dark cosmic synth (without the black metal), yet another song where I’m reminded of Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster.

That will be through the surf element, which is certainly another consistent thread. How they manage to make partners of surf rock and psych, merged together in unlikely union, we’ll never know, but it somehow works. There are lighter moments, the Songs for the Deaf breeziness of Holiday Club or the Weezer-esque march opening to Outer Being. Yet even here, it turns again, into a post-punk Arabrot type number, before repeating guitar patterns bring about a lulled meditative state.

Not every moment clicks, but then my guess is listeners will find their own favourite elements different from each other. Just look at the range in the comparisons I’ve been drawn to in this review – it goes a long way to describe the eclectic nature of Godchilla. They more than succeed in commanding these disparate approaches to create something unique, always fun and often engrossing.