Connan Mockasin’s tantalising brand of psychedelic pop music is characterised by its oddly seductive form: a playful, near-impish voice, the lyrical obscurity and the happy-high acid trip instrumentals creating warped lullabies of sorts. As a re-release of his past two albums, this serves as an adequate access point for new fans, but offers little else.
The clever use of flanged guitar effortlessly brushes over ’70s prog rock bass hooks as each song, drawn out and unfolding slowly, provides a minimalistic aesthetic that isn’t afraid to let silence do the talking. This generates a delicate element of spaciousness that Mockasin has only half-mastered, as the Caramel side of the release relies too heavily on this emptiness with noticeable seconds of frustrating silence detracting from the music.
The Forever Dolphin Love side of the release is where Mockasin shines, as a more humble balance between the psychedelic riffs and spacious song structure results in a brighter and simply more enjoyable album.
The unfortunate issue of this double release is the contrast in quality, but Forever Dolphin Love stands out as an involved and cleverly made collection of psych-pop – well worth the time for any curious music lover.
3/5.
Forever Dolphin Love And Caramel Special Editionis out now throughWarner.
