THE GARNET TOUCAN by MONOPOLY CHILD STAR SEARCHERS

Melodic space mantras from infamous synth shaman Spencer Clark. From 2012. TIP!You might remember Spencer, the extremely prolific experimental musician, as one half of the cult drone-duo The Skaters. Following Bamboo For Two and Make Mine Macaw, The Garnet Toucan completes Spencer Clark's Romance Audio Trilogy. The series is centered around the image of the parrot, or the toucan, as a messenger from the outer-planes, connecting humans with nature. This final segment sees the integration of this spirit animal back into the celestial heavens, a supernova morphing into a nebula of warm, repetitive synths and looping chants. Unlike recent ambient/drone releases, this one preserves the sun-bleached mysticism of Southern California, choosing melody over dissonance and primitivism over futurism. The Garnet Toucan feels like a precious artifact unearthed from the golden age of drone music, surrounded by the halo of early not not fun releases. Glistening with new age candor, monopoly child star searchers is spencer's most esoteric and accessible project at the same time. Tribal percussion is gracefully entangled with heavenly synthesizer harmonies, creating colorful, psychedelic soundscapes. Just try 'Champagne's Amazon Friend', a deep rain forest incantation using soft wooden sounds and sci-fi melodies to create a sublime, organic drone pop hit. More ayahuasca-fueled visions arise from the toucan's celestial forest, conjuring spirits old and new, alien and terrestrial, reaching darker notes towards the b-side, only to burst back into sublime highs with 'Celestial Toucan' . From under his star-studded cape, he seems to manipulate the most primal energies during his ritual with the aid of pan flutes and pitched down vocals in his intergalactic drum circle. Spencer delivers a beautifully crafted LP, that would soothe ambient, psychedelia, techno and minimalism fans alike. Highly recommended! - Review courtesy of Andra Chitimus