Hello reader,
How are you today?
Welcome back, or welcome if this is your first visit to SWT. Please look around the site and stay a while. Our search bar at the top of each page is lovely and comprehensive. The band at the center of today’s Singles Spotlight series entry is none other than Humboldt County, California’s own The Odyssey Cult. The band currently has two full-length albums, fittingly titled Vol. 1 and Vol. 2, both released in 2017. Their bio describes the band’s origins, members, and sound succinctly, saying “Conceived nearly a decade ago, in 2026 Ethan Miller (Howlin Rain, Comets On Fire, Orcutt Shelley Miller) has ushered in a new era for The Odyssey Cult. Evolved from the frayed living-room guitar and percussion experimentation of its earlier manifestations (Volume 1 and 2) into an all-star slugfest, Volume 3 was written and developed into a band orientation in Humboldt County by keyboardist Anthony Taibi (Carlton Melton) and Comets On Fire founders Miller (guitar, loops, sounds) and bassist Ben Flashman, reunited as co-writers for the first time in the better part of two decades for the project. Upon recruiting ex-Sonic Youth (and current Orcutt Shelley Miller) trapsman Steve Shelley, The Odyssey Cult mutated into a full-on rock maximalist gesture akin to Marble Sheep, Lemmy-era Hawkwind, or the dense slam inhabiting the harsher corners of shoegaze.
Upon this foundation, Miller and company layer psychedelic murk of the highest order, recruiting post-Ayler skronker Zoh Amba on sax, along with a battery of vocalists—Brigid Dawson (Osees), Paula Frazer (Tarnation), Inna Showalter (Magic Fig), and Miller himself. The final edifice is a neon rock monolith, its components spanning coasts and generations of musicians. Depending on what angle you look at it, Volume 3 glitters with facets reflecting all corners of sonic psychedelia.”
They’ve released two singles off their newest collaboration, the appropriately named Vol. 3, which is out on Friday, August 21st via Silver Current Records, which is an “Artist-run record label, including handmade, limited edition, and specialty music products created and curated by Ethan P. Miller.” The first single, which is the gorgeous trip and all-around jam of a song titled “The Yeti’s Eyes,” and the more blistering, but still grounded in both sax and space fuzz and seemingly distant vocals (in the best ways), is the song “Back To The Cave,” which we’ll get into depth today. In addition to the usual band, of Ethan Miller (Howlin Rain) performs guitar, loops, lead vocals; Ben Flashman (Comets On Fire) performs bass guitar; Steve Shelley (Sonic Youth) performs drums; Anthony Taibi (Carlton Melton) performs keys, Zoh Amba • Saxophone, Paula Frazer (Tarnation) performs vocals and Inna Showalter (Magic Fig) also peforms vocals, this song also enlists the assistance of Brigid Dawson (Osees, The Mothers Network) on co-lead vocals. As the press release for the single notes perfectly, “Dawson’s voice floats in wild incantation above a furnace blast of steamroller garage-stomp, smelt-extracted fuzz riffs and ripping free sax, hurtling space rock back to the stone age.” Righteous. What a description!
Before listening to the entirety of “Back To The Cave,” I was enamored with the songcraft, the harmonies, and the overall rollicking, psych sounds aplenty. It’s a fantastic song that I knew y’all would love to hear, so I needed to make it part of our Singles Spotlight series. Even if that means on a Saturday. Not only is the band in general worth the listen, so are both singles from this album. But start with “Back To The Cave” as it’s a glorious adventure of a song. It shimmers, it’s fuzzy, it rocks; at times the melody thumps. It’s a barnburner of a tune that you’ll also fall in love with. You may join them in space, or you may find yourself more grounded on a plain. Or perhaps in between. The lyrics, both the lead portions and the backing vocals, create some great choruses and harmonies that also hang in haze and psychedelic moments. Truly a glorious song and a great intro to The Odyssey Cult. But don’t take my word for it, press play and listen for yourself. Tell us what you think too!
Take a gander at the cover art for the upcoming album Vol. 3:
The track list for the album VOL. 3:
- The Yeti’s Eyes
- Sun Damage
- On Neon Tigers
- Our First Trip
- Leviathan
- Back To The Cave
- The Night Archer
- Ammenglade
Giving credit where it’s due, the Vol. 3 album credits:
- Recorded by Phil Becker at El Studio, San Francisco, CA
- Additional keys recorded by Anthony Taibi at 3D Light, Eureka, CA
- Additional vocals, guitars, sounds, and loops recorded by Ethan Miller at The Silver House, Eureka, CA
- Saxophone recorded at Drop Of Sun by Adam McDaniel, Asheville, NC
- Mixed and mastered by Tim Green at Louder Studios, Grass Valley, CA
You can connect with and listen to more of The Odyssey Cult at the following links:
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- Instagram: instagram.com/theodysseycult
- Bandcamp: theodysseycult.bandcamp.com
- Spotify: The Odyssey Cult on Spotify
- Apple Music: The Odyssey Cult on Apple Music
- Qobuz: The Odyssey Cult on Qobuz
- TIDAL: The Odyssey Cult on TIDAL
Scummy Water Tower Productions co-founder, reviewer, business manager, and editor. Thank you for visiting this site, scummywatertower.com, and YouTube for Water Tower Sessions and SWT Interviews. And all of our socials.
Questions, feedback, or more? Contact me: alex@scummywatertower.com
