A: Higher Than The Sun
B: Afterwards
If you're one of the few vinyl junkies that does not already know about Fruits De Mer Records may I suggest that you check them out soonest? FdM specialise in psychedelia, progressive rock, krautrock, R&B, acid-rock, spacerock - and - more importantly they make these releases available exclusively on limited edition vinyl. Many fans of the label are subscribers and buy every release. Nearly all releases sell out quickly, with earlier records from the label sometimes turning up on eBay and changing hands for quite staggering prices.
Most FdM releases are cover versions, that is to say reinterpreations of classic songs by modern artists and a few other legendary and semi-legendary acts such as The Pretty Things and The Bevis Frond. However, a handful of original songs have been released on FDM's Regal Crabomophone imprint.
Released in the latter part of 2012, "Higher Than The Sun" is an original song from Finland's finest psychedelic three-piece, Permanent Clear Light. The song lives up to its title and delivers magnificently to lift the listener higher than the sun as best it can without assistance from substances. It is the perfect psyche record, laid back and dreamy with swirling synths and a cosmic guitar solo. On the B-side of the disc the band tackle Van Der Graff Generator's "Afterwards" and manage to put their own stamp on the song quite nicely.
I also should mention the sumptuous packaging of this single, which goes to illustrate the care and attention to detail that FdM put into its releases. The record sleeve is like a mini-album cover rather than the usual single "bag" (as the industry refer to them). It is printed on high quality board stock, and even has a spine printed with the artist, title and record label details, just like you'd expect on an LP record. The artwork on the cover in this instance is a 3D image of the sun courtesy of NASA and a pair of red/blue lensed 3D glasses is included with the record inside the sleeve, along with a fold out poster of the 3D cover art. The record itself sits in an inner sleeve (nice to have one of those on a single!) and is pressed on coloured vinyl. My copy is a bright yellow/orange colour, but I know that a translucent lilac was also available. I think I prefer the colour of the copy that I have; it fits in better with the artwork and theme of the record's title track. But whatever... I told you it was a sumptuous package.
I believe that FdM quite remarkably still have a few copies left of this single. If you like psyche music, I can't recommend it heartily enough, so get yourself over to the FdM website and order yourself a copy.
Permanent Clear Light, by the way, have just released their debut album, "Beyond These Things". At the moment it is available on CD and as a download, but I am holding out on buying a copy so far as I have heard whispers from PCL guitarist Markku Helin that a vinyl edition may be in the pipeline. The album includes a version of the song on the single reviewed here, the album version being titled "Higher than the Sun - Astral Travel" so I'm hoping it's an extended version with added psychedlic elements!
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