Gemma Ray - The Exodus Suite (2016)

Gemma Ray’s latest opus The Exodus Suite is a dramatic 52-minute odyssey through her unique style of epic torch song psychedelia. Recorded live in seven days at Berlin’s infamous Candy Bomber Studios (situated in the former Tempelhof Airport) by Ingo Krauss, the album’s title reflects the personal-political themes of the songs within. The Exodus Suite will be released in the U.S. on June 10th, 2016 via Bronzerat Records, and a first taste of the album – the soulful “There Must Be More Than This” (featuring guest pianist Carwyn Ellis).

The Exodus Suite is set in two parts, starting with a hymn-like paean to nature’s forces, “Come Caldera.” The next track “The Original One” is a soft lament about modernity, followed by “We Do War,” which is a chilling lullaby that shifts into a brutal siren song before Part 1 is rounded out by “Ifs & Buts,” a Latin-tinged, surf-esque wig-out. Part 2’s opener “We Are All Wandering” has a Beach-Boys-meets-The-Wicker-Man-sound that segues into improvised soundscape neo-spiritual “Acta Non Verba.” “Hail Animal” – set against a backdrop of brooding psychedelic tension, is an ode to the nature’s vastness and our place within it. “The Switch,” with its intimate guitar and voice, transitions into “The Machine,” an explicit call for human connection against the threat of technological distraction set to a synth groove. Finally, the esoteric, skulking “Shimmering” completes the album.

TRACKLIST

01. Come Caldera
02. There Must Be More Than This
03. The Original One
04. We Do War
05. Ifs & Buts
06. We Are All Wandering
07. Acta Non Verba
08. Hail Animal
09. The Switch
10. The Machine
11. Shimmering
12. Caldera, Caldera!