Harvestman

***Harvestman is the brainchild of Neurosis vocalist/guitarist Steve Von Till, who considers In a Dark Tongue a venture into an imagined past. The album is inspired by Hawkwind, Fairport Convention, Tangerine Dream, Pentangle, Steeleye Span, Skullflower, Caspar Brotzman, and Loop, among others. It is a massive meeting point of styles and influences, all of which boil down to a surreal and inspired sound. Long known for blazing guitar trails in the heavy music realm, Von Till once again turns his attention to a world of pure yet abstract psychedelic rock guitar. This second record as Harvestman is even more loosely hung upon the framework of traditional music--these pieces are distilled and distorted into something else entirely. Traditional melodies and tunes lie lovingly wrecked and ruined in the wake of rediscovery. It may be blasphemous to folk purists, but this odd brew is sonic heaven for heads that dream to the drone of fuzz guitar. While these recordings contain a heavy dose of the subtle sounds and textures that are distinctly "Neurot" in tenor, they are window on the inner working of Von Till's psyche--or at least some of what goes on in his private studio late at night.