Shinkiro - Ceremonial Ride

Reviewed by Elizabeth Klisiewicz

Shinkiro is a Barcelona based trio consisting of Arnau Obiols (beats, vox), Tony Laming (strings, vox), and Andres Perez (keys, vox). They released this EP in the summer of 2015, and it only has only just come to my attention. Their brand of psychedelic space rock also has glimmers of Krautrock. Vocals are buried deep on some songs (“The Formula for Eternal Life”), beneath many layers of gauzy keyboards and feel good 60s influenced music. “Winter Dreams” is classic 60s, sun-drenched pop and has a timeless feel. “James Was There” is mostly instrumental with some chanting, reminding me slightly of Black Sun Ensemble. “Daisy Cannot Hear” is pastoral and peaceful, while “Secondary Effect” is more straightforward, pretty psych pop. The title track hearkens back to 70s prog with a dash of space rock thrown in to liven things up. There is a lovely guitar interlude part way through, and a deeply echoing sonic backdrop. Then the song switches gears several more times, drawing the listener through complex loops of sound. The final song “Collapsing” starts off with what sounds like an electronic version of a trumpet, and is then joined by a kaleidoscope of programmed sounds.

This is a mildly experimental psych album from a group of talented musicians. Well worth checking out for fans of any of the genres mentioned herein, and available as a free / name your own price download here: