More Experience - Follow Me

Old Hippie Records (IX MMXVI)

More Experience is a great psychedelic hippie rock band from Poland. I really don't know much about them, but I got to tell you that when I first put this CD (already released in 2016) on late last year I was in love. They have apparently been together since the late 80s, though. They are influenced by Jimi Hendrix, Jefferson Airplane, Gong, Soft Machine, Pink Floyd, SBB and Czesław Niemen, so the vibe is really late 60s / early 70s.

The opening title track is like a long lost outtake from the first Pink Floyd album and I really dig it. Dreamy vocals, fuzzy guitar, organ and powerful rhythm section really works. "More Experience" has a strong Eastern vibe with tablas etc. and is another cool song. Things get more progressive and wilder on the journey. The seven-minute "Now We Are Dreaming" is a softer, dreamy and melodic pop piece that also has a Canterbury styled solo part in the middle. Nice! "Flower for Us" is beautiful and peaceful all the way. A bit of UK psych folk vibe here. The longest track is "Like a Sail" at over nine minutes. It starts off in a tranquil way with acoustic guitar and piano but gets more adventurous and heavier later on. I'm reminded of Camel or Caravan, which is never a bad thing. Trippy and atmospheric stuff! Some of the solo guitar work reminds me of Steve Hillage, wow. "The Witch" is a mystical, laid-back piece that gets groovier in the middle in the Soft Machine style. The album is finished with "We Couldn't Get Much Higher" that has a somewhat more straight-forward vibe sounding a bit like The Byrds. Okay, it does get a bit weirder towards the end... Not bad at all! In summary, this is a marvellous album for all lovers of old-school hippie psych with a progressive edge. I hope this one gets a vinyl treatment soon.

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