Dios - We Are Dios

  by Mark Rowland

published: 8 / 7 / 2010

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Psychedelic music has come back in a big way over the past couple of years, particularly in the US. MGMT are probably the most popular new band in this new wave of psychedelia, but other established acts such as Animal Collective and the Flaming Lips have also benefited from the interest in wide-eyed, bright, experimental music. California’s Dios fit snugly into the modern psychedelic category. Their home-recorded third album is full-on widescreen modern psychedelic music, looking both forward and backwards, mixing contemporary electronic blips, bloops and effects with 60's-influenced, multi-layered, reverb-laden harmonies, folky guitar, smatterings of organ and mellotron and the odd bongo. 'Epileptic Tunnel Visions' sets the tone for the album, bringing to mind the Beach Boys, Animal Collective, the Byrds, and the Flaming Lips, and boasting some great harmonies and a fantastic melodic lead guitar line. ‘Ojay’ is alt/folk/psyche/rock, finding a middle ground between Neil Young and the aforementioned Flaming Lips and Animal Collective. ‘No is Wrong’ is a great little slice of art pop, again bearing some similarities to the Flaming Lips, but also Radiohead and early Pink Floyd. ‘Toss My Cookies’ is an odd little number, a stuttering, child-like melody stung falsetto over strummed chords, electronic burbles and a mishmash of odd noises and found sounds. There’s a little Barrett in there, and a healthy dollop of art rock oddness. ‘Stare at Wheel’ has some nice 60s style twanging guitar and a great, hooky melodies and the little breakdown in the middle is great. ‘I Don’t Wanna Marry You’ is another standout track, a little more overtly influenced by the sound of '67, but it has a great melody, bringing to mind a John Lennon composition from the time. Again, the influence of the early Floyd can be heard in the track with its chromatic descending keyboards and silly voices. ‘Don’t’ Be Afraid’ is like Fleet Foxes gone weird; the vocals are pitched up and down throughout the song, random snippets of speech are sampled, and the arrangement is a little strange, flitting between didgeridoo-like electronic pulses, stuttering drums, guitars alternating sweet and discordant and occasional cheesy organ. ‘Oh Don’t Feel Bad’ could be an outtake from Pet Sounds. It’s lovely. It segues into closer ‘It Will Feel Good’, a downbeat, mellotron heavy with some nice echo-y drum fills. It may wear its 60s influences on its sleeve at times, but ‘We Are Dios’ is definitely at the quality end of the modern psychedelic spectrum.

Track Listing:-

1 Epileptic Tunnel Visions
2 Ojay
3 No Is Wrong
4 Toss My Cookies
5 Stare At Wheel
6 Tell Me Thing
7 I Don't Wanna Marry You
8 Don't Be Afraid
9 Oh Don't Feel Bad
10 It Will Feel Good

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