Spirits and the Melchizedek Children
So Happy, It’s Sad
Self-Released
Street: 03.04
Spirits and the Melchizedek Children = Arbouretum + Emily Jane White + Pontiak
While this Atlanta band’s name may have unintentional crossover appeal here in Utah, those cognizant of Mormonism’s mystical/magikal past may add this record to their collection of spirit-channeling artifacts. So Happy is comprised of deep washes of neo-psychedelic, reverbed-out guitars, spectral folk of a doomed American West and the deep ebb and flow of droning guitars sacred enough to divine gold. SATMC have a pretty keen ability to know when to throttle-down their light-touch psychedelia into gorgeous post-rock/folk-influenced soundscapes à la Grails or The Cosmic Dead on tracks like “Copper Feather” and when to compose huge, sweeping ballads on tracks like “Land Tied.” So Happy is an incredibly dynamic album you could lose an entire afternoon in. –Ryan Hall