The enduring legend that is Gong multi-National, multi-dimensional Psychedelic combo entered yet another new phase on their four-decades plus journey with ‘I See You’, a brand new studio album released on Madfish in November 2014, ‘I See You’ was the last album they released before vocalist / lyricist Daevid Allen, sadly passed away, and on this album he still radiated an incandescent creativity, the original anarchic vibe that was born out of counter-culture revolution in the Paris commune in 1968. His co-conspirators on ‘I See You’ comprised Orlando Allen on drums, new guitarist Kavus Torabi (formerly of The Cardiacs) and the latest guitar incumbent in a band whose ranks have included the likes of Steve Hillage and Mark Hewins, horn player Ian East ‘Wind’, sinuous bass propulsion provided by Dave Sturt (the sonic manipulator), and Brazilian Fabio Golfetti who weaved his own lysergic patterns on guitar. This collective created an impressive, multi-layered and irrepressible sound that created its own world and then populated it with a series of dazzling musical gems, melodically-rich, lyrically engaging and musically refreshed. ‘I See You’ is both timeless and timely, a welcome antidote to an increasingly homogenised musical mainstream. Tracks such as ‘This Revolution’, a spoken piece which name checks Gil Scott-Heron and picks up on the vibe of his ‘The Revolution Will Not Be Televised, articulates the kind of concerns and theories that have always inspired Daevid Allen and informed the Gong worldview, contrasts with the ferocious inter-stellar Funk of ‘You See Me’, which is sure to be a live favourite. ‘Thank You’ is a heavy slab of Psychedelicised Blues, whilst ‘Shakti Yoni Dingo Virgin’ is a moody, melodic instrumental piece that serves to illustrate the immense musical firepower and musical diversity that lurks within the current line-up of Gong. ‘I See You’ CD will be released in a media book format with a 28 page booklet featuring lyrics and features track notes from Daevid Allen.
