Based in Athens, GA, Immaterial Possession’s locale is manifested across the ten tracks of their second full-length in subtly interesting ways. Frequently and accurately described as psychedelic in comportment, the four-piece has a familial connection to the Elephant 6 Collective, but their roots have wound down considerably deeper into the soil of the place they call home. Mercy of the Crane Folk is out now on green vinyl, compact disc, and digital through Fire Records.
The members of Immaterial Possession are guitarist-vocalist Madeline Polites, bassist-vocalist Cooper Holmes, drummer John Spiegel, and keyboardist-clarinetist-flautist Kiran Fernandes, with a little help on two of Mercy of the Crane Folk’s tracks from drummer Jon Vogt. The band was formed by Polites and Holmes, both natives of Atlanta, while they were living in an artist’s commune in their home city. After a move to Athens, they hooked up with Spiegel and Fernandes and got down to business, releasing their self-titled debut in 2020 via Cloud Recordings.
Befitting artists commune origins, Immaterial Possession are definitely psychedelic in orientation, but they are also consistently about songs. There are a few folky aspects lingering from their debut, but more often there is a pop foundation on this follow-up, though dark; Fire describes the band’s thing as “ethereal eerie dream pop,” and that gets no quibble from me. The relationship to Elephant 6 comes through Fernandes’ father, who is John Kiran Fernandes of Olivia Tremor Control.
If psych is part of the equation, the keyboard strains in the new record’s opener “Chain Breaker” are of a New Wave/College Rock vintage, conjuring an aura that suggests the cut could’ve been released as a single on DB Records. Except that Immaterial Possession, while undeniably a historically inspired endeavor, aren’t easily encapsulated as a throwback.
The guitar lines, for instance, which have been tagged as Morricone-like, also have a touch of Ricky Wilson about them, along with just a general air reminiscent of the stretch of time when new wavers became smitten with Link Wray and Dick Dale. But there’s also an Eastern vibe, as heard in the title track and in “Medieval Jig” (which is not a jig), that when combined with Polites’ vocals (evaluated by Fire as Yma Sumac-esque), formulate an atmosphere of the Exotic.
“To the Fete” and “Current in the Room” reinforce the aforementioned early ’80s Wavy pop-rock temperament, with Polites’ singing dark-edged but sophisticated; in the choruses of “Medieval Jig” she lands somewhere between Romeo Voids’ Debora Iyall and The Motels’ Martha Davis. That is, husky and a little sultry, and reaching far beyond Georgia and out to California way. However, the potent dance rock of standout track “Siren’s Tunnel” is a total Athens, GA trip, so fans of the B-52’s and Pylon take note.
Holmes takes the lead vocal in the snaky tension of “Ancient Mouth,” while “Cypress Receiver,” with Polites back at the mic, takes on a bent Western feel, at least until the flute solo makes the scene. And then “Birth of Queen Croaker” arrives with a fat-assed bass groove and all sorts of wordless vocal maneuvers (definitely some croaking going on) to drive home a sound halfway between post-punk and yes indeed, psychedelia.
Closer “Red Curtain” is another showcase for Polites’ mysteriousness as frontwoman, with the band pulling out all the stops in conclusion. Mercy of the Crane Folk is thoroughly non-hackneyed and often inspired in execution, an altogether pleasurable and at times surprising LP.
GRADED ON A CURVE:
A-
