If you’re easily susceptible to the bizarre hypnotic states often imparted by waves of beautiful, droning sound pulsing at you from all directions like some translucent gaggle of dopamine-filled jellyfish, please be advised: Long Beach guitarist, composer-at-large, and generally-cult-y, guru-type bandleader dude Chris Schlarb and his Psychic Temple outfit—which also features Mike Watt of Minutemen, Sheridan Riley of Avi Buffalo, Paul Masvidal of Cynic and Death, and jazz trumpeter Kris Tiner, among others—is out to cast his beautiful spell again. Best steer clear of heavy machinery.
This time, Schlarb and his cohorts—augmented by Curt Oren on baritone sax, Philip Glenn on Hammond organ, and Cathlene Pineda on wurly piano—are out to lull-the-fuck out of you with a new album entitled Psychic Temple Plays Music For Airports, consisting of (you guessed it) a “re-imagined” first movement of Brian Eno’s landmark 1978 ambient monsterjam. Due out April 29 via Joyful Noise, the vinyl-only release will consist of the group’s cover version of the iconic “1/1” on side 1 (which was recorded live in the studio over a single afternoon session, without the use of “headphones, overdubs, edits or effects”), and an original composition called “Music For Bus Stops” (which was “conceived as a working class commentary on Eno’s preferred method of transportation”) on side 2.
“It’s like patient jazz improvisation, with a surprising, organic quality that reminds me of the Bill Evans Trio with Paul Motian and Scott LaFaro,” Schlarb says of the first movement of Eno’s grand soundtrack to the mundane beauty of airport terminals. “Unfortunately, like jazz, it has become a museum piece, something to be analyzed by select musicians inside expensive concert halls. I wanted to rescue it from that dark, boring fate.”
To properly conduct the 11-piece ensemble in the studio, Schlarb constructed a pretty Eno-esque “custom light box,” which he used to help “orchestrate the flow and enhance the mood” during recording. And like I said, if you’re not operating a motor vehicle or supervising young children, you bliss-out while watching the whole crazy system at work for yourself in this special behind the scenes trailer video down below.
The full album comes out in April, but you can pre-order it now at the Joyful Noise website. (The band also has Psychic Temple III due out May 6 on Asthmatic Kitty.)
Psychic Temple Plays Music For Airports tracklisting:
01: Music for Airports 1/1
02: Music for Bus Stops