Back in those days, 'Skylight' by Montreal, Canada residents A Devil's Din would have been a rock album, recommended for fans of Pink Floyd, Yes and the psychedelic era of The Beatles. Back then, some of these songs would have had the potential to be massive hit singles. Title track 'Skylight', for instance, would possibly appear on many 'best-of' compilations. Back then, I would cry my eyes out with the beauty of 'I Don't Know' and 'For A While'.
So how about today?
Today I simply love this album. I love to take a trip back into the glorious sounds of vintage psychedelic rock music and I would honestly suggest you do the same. There's a revival going on these days, and I am very happy about that. It feels like the final brilliant vintage rock songs are being written in the current era and that's a good thing, certainly for the old rockers among us who want to teach the youth a lesson about where it all comes from.
I already mentioned a bunch of bands, mostly psychedelic rock bands, but there is a bit more to it. I can sense some influences from early Black Sabbath, hints of Deep Purple and Led Zeppelin and even some shoegazing passages, reminding me of My Bloody Valentine. Even fans of stoner rock bands like Queens Of The Stone Age and Kyuss will appreciate the rocking sounds of 'Never The Same Thing' and 'Nature Of The Beast'.
Back in the good ol' days, this might have been a candidate for album of the year, and I see no reason why that should be any different today. These are great songs with plenty of variation, loads of psychedelic passages and a blissful, nostalgic atmosphere. If you're one of those people who claim that 'they don't make good music like in the old days anymore', check out this album or crawl back under that rock you've been hiding, whatever makes you happy...
Serge