This is quite an unusual one, a CD that blends 1960s style psychedelia along with 1980s synthesiser music and 1990s beats.
But then everything here is not quite what it seems. For example DON NINO is a pseudonym for Nicolas Laureau, a French musician who formed the rock band Prohibition as far back as 1989. He also runs Prohibition Records, the label upon which this CD is released.
This is his fourth full length album release and whilst primarily a single handed composition, also features his brother Fabrice (F.lor) and Mitch Pires, Lori Chun Berg, plus Luke Sutherland from Long Fin Killie who worked with Mark E. Smith from The Fall on the track ‘The Heads of Dead Surfers.’
The album strangely enough is divided into two sections separated by a bonus track. Opening with ‘Everything Collapsed All Right’ the 1960s elements are easily noticeable, acoustic guitar, heavy percussion and Indian influences that make this sound almost like something Traffic would have released had some of the technology been available then. The synthesisers on this though hark back more to the new romantic era. The lyrics are pure psychedelia (from what I can make out) being somewhat indistinct, but lines like “Every dawn seems to find a door in my soul” would strike a chord with any fan of that genre.
‘On The Line’ features strings and could easily be something cooked up by early Pink Floyd, with interesting melodies and introspective lyrics: - “I don’t really know. Send me on a plane,
I’ll get away from this game. I don’t really know”.
‘Myself by Heart’ betrays influences of The Doors, and has a guitar line that is very reminiscent of ‘The End’, but with heavier bass and drums. Unfortunately I did find the lyrics a bit indecipherable on this one.
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The ‘bonus’ track which divides the album is ‘Free Birds’, nothing to do with Lynyrd Skynyrd, more a floaty instrumental track that you can lie back and lose yourself in. Here there is a great brass section which made me think a little of Herb Alpert’s 1960s output.
Following on from this, some of the tracks on the second half of the album are harder edged, such as ‘Cuckoo’, which sounds a lot like an out-take from Pink Floyd’s ‘Piper at the Gates of Dawn’. Once again the lyrics although indistinct convey a sense of innocence from an age gone by: - “Daydream looks like everything that’s cool..will never tell, will never tell that I’m a fool...
No wave of symphony in the backyard of your mind.”
All things considered this was a pleasant listening experience, nothing too trying, but adding up to something that you can sit back and enjoy. If you like your psychedelia on the blissful, trance-y side, you could do a lot worse.
Listen to Don Nino at Bandcamp
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