Review Summary: Friend: Hey, I love BMSR's 'Start A People'!
Me: This is their new EP, bro.
Friend: Oh..
Ah, the mind melting powerhouse that is or "was", Black Moth Super Rainbow.
With all the psychedelic music that's out there, BMSR is perhaps one of the most undervalued and overshadowed groups within Trip Hop's "gathering of tribes". Albums such as 'Falling Through a Field', 'Start A People', and arguably their most iconic record, 'Dandelion Gum', gave this groovy team of nature's finest their much-deserved recognition. 'SeeFu Lilac' being the group's sixth EP- while sticking true to its predecessors roots, falls short, leaving its listeners craving more.
BMSR loves their vocoded effects and synthesizers, and as fans become more and more familiar with their sound, more become aware to their novelty diminishing over the course of each record. 'Warm Water Leviathan' being the first of four tracks on 'SeeFu Lilac', shows how Tabacco and friends are reaching bare-bone standards with their repeated formula. This doesn't go without saying that the sound still has that trippy depth BMSR fans know and love. What should also be mentioned, is that this EP feels more like a step back in time, compared to 2012's cleaner sounding 'Cobra Juicy'. Perhaps this EP was intended to be a flashback before some revolutionary change, or maybe it's a sign that the psychedelic way of life froze the group's creative process, rooting them too deep into the ground. While everything feels overdone, the second track, 'DVD Sweetener', is the life jacket that keeps this EP from drowning in its own monotony. Unfortunately, it runs for a measly one minute and thirty-seven seconds, leaving us feeling like we've been teased at by a sharp and pointy stick.
'SeeFu Lilac' is ultimately underwhelming, but not horrible either. Fans of BMSR will most likely appreciate the effort, but move on quickly without much thought.
