Jackson Scott has been a favorite here amongst many Impose editors for years, coast to coast. We discovered the alternate universe of Asheville, NC in our interview from around the release of his solo album, Melbourne, and recent conversations about his new band/collective Calypso have provided a glimpse at the group’s love for playing “music in the mountains.”
Heralding from deep down the Appalachian mountainous trails, Calypso’s core group consists of Jackson joined by Samantha Richman, Sheets Tucker, along with a rotating/revolving and ever-growing collective of various sizes (depending on the session, season, etc). The group has finally released the much anticipated Oracle EP on cassette via Atelier Ciseaux; the full stateside premiere is streaming below. Providing a succinct foreword on what you are about to behold; Jackson Scott presents the following introduction to who Calypso is, and what this new EP is all about:
Calypso is a musical project where we can really do anything we want. Oracle was a mixture of written songs and recording experimentation. The amount of members in the band varies at any given time.
The Oracle title track is an apt introduction to the world of Calypso, tripping through a trove of harp strings, looping voices, and effects that zap all around the listener’s left and right channels. The day-tripping antics finds the plush little underground of “Velvet Void”, that throws the aesthetics of art damaged, stripped down scuzz into a psych frenzy that bursts into a well choreographed freak-out jam, where outer space phaser attacks alter, bend, and shift the pitch on a whim. The Appalachian vision trip yields interludes of angel/devil divinity and duality on the sonic soundscape mind/body escapist experiment, “Diablo Grins”.
Keeping true to all of the tallest orders of alchemistic hedonism, “Psychoactive Basement Session #1” takes a giant step forward for the coveted and sacred form of the 10 minute plus jam with enough to unexpected twists, and turns to give you, your parents, and grandparents flashbacks. Soon after, the much-lauded single, “Isn’t now!”, proves that Jackson Scott’s solo work was truly just the beginning of a career dedicated to unusual approaches to infectious pop. Closing track “Dichotomy” ends the tape with moody melodies and gorgeous, haunting vocal harmonies.
Calypso’s Oracle EP is available now from Atelier Ciseaux.
