Charalambides – Exile

As the bumper stickers say: Texas does it best. Maybe it’s the sweltering desert heat or just something in the air but they certainly have a knack for spaced-out psychedelia that’s easy on the ears and a treat for the imagination. Charalmbides' latest provides a soothing dose of out-there folk that snakes across decades, from bleary-eyed 60s optimism to sinewy fretwork that mirrors acid-guitar revivalist Michio Kurihara’s work.

It’s not all meandering head-trips, as whilst the bulk of the album is content to swim about in its own glittering cosmos, Into The Earth brings it back to Terra Firma with a gently strummed melody reminiscent of Fursaxa’s more earthy pieces, as Christina Carter pushes her voice to new, more ambitious, limits. Mostly, though, she adopts a floating, Jarboe-esque sigh that hovers over Tom Carter’s tender banjo and guitar lines, making it ideal listening for those dusty desert afternoons.