Spectral Illusion by White Canyon & The 5th Dimension

White Canyon return with their second album, Spectral Illusion, and, as the cover suggests, there is a darker, more mystical edge to the music though it loses none of the refinement and melodic grace of its predecessor. There is a classical feel to this collection; everything is done so beautifully it is difficult not to surrender to it even if your musical preference is for the raw rather than the refined. The duo here submerge you into shadowy soundscapes where spirits dance and faded memories whisper. White Canyon are consummate guides as they smooth over the sharp peaks of the highs and cushion the deepest drops to the lows. Opening with the title track, there is a nice Latin feel to the guitars as we enter the gently distorted world of dream psych. Vocals breathe and guitars mesmerise as the song builds in power; it really is an attractive thing and its six-and-a-half minutes seem barely enough. 'Sensitive Fate' is built on a rumbling drone where chiming guitars frame a smooth female vocal that is delivered in a dreamy shoegaze style, while 'Endless Sea' fittingly stretches over nine minutes with its gentle double vocal hinting at eternity as the music swells and pulses. There's power in the words, though they barely break out of the background. They bring reassurance to the unknown and reveal beauty in the darkness that lies all around. The closing track 'Oroboros' is a stunner with elegiac voices hiding behind some beautifully sombre guitar work to create moments that are achingly pretty. It sheds its skin in a clever ending that works so much better than an ill-considered fade out. There are more forceful moments. 'Seven Kingdoms' grows from gentle beginnings to lay down some impressive guitar sounds, 'Electric Ghost' hammers gently at your senses while guitars chatter all around, and 'Look Up To The Sky' with its weaving flutes and chimes hints at 1960s' psych.
- Adam from https://www.isolationrecords.co.uk/index.html

Spectral Illusion is about the beyond, the cycle of life, the unquestionable ghosts and the serpent that bites its own tail.


Recorded between November 2020 and January 2021 at Escarlate Records in São Thome das Letras , Minas Gerais , Brazil.


Produced by WC5THD
Mix and Master : Léo Gudan



Cover art : The Fairy Dance by Karl Wilhelm Diefenbach


All Righst Reserved.

Psych Rock from Sao Tome das Letras, Minas Gerais , Brasil.