Deceptively simplistic and full of infectious sentiment, there's an absent-minded nod towards the surreal as these nine delicious ditties reveal shades of spaced-out trance and acid-drenched folk with a dark side that's steeped in a strange kind of jazz vaudeville surrealism.
A SIGN FOR THE STRANGER is the fourth full length offering from Paris-based one-time PopGod maestro Jesse D. Vernon, the former Moonflowers/Praise Space Electric guitar hero and multi-instrumentalist now well established under his current pseudonym MORNINGSTAR.
The record kicks off in conventional folk style with barely a raised eyebrow. However, the gentle folk/pop perfection of 'There Was A Man' is a perfect foil for the meandering follow-up 'The Longest Way Round', which immediately breaks the mould to hit the psychedelic heights of chaos, if only by sheer gathering momentum.
And there are further twists and turns to follow. The Deep Space intro to 'Guess It Was You' unveils another Prozac pop melody that progresses-by-numbers and then dissolves amidst vocal harmony. Blissfully, Vernon brings shades of Parisian summer warmth to the deep Autumn depths this side of the Channel.
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Elsewhere, tracks like 'Golden Boy' and 'Still Mountain' slow the pace to let the big reverb enhance amidst prevailing harmonies, the latter blending Vernon's delicate near-falsetto with chimes/sub basslines and the sound of the brushes driving the beat.
The crazy psychedelia of 'That's How She Hit Town' is melancholic and filled with despair thanks to a heart-wrenching string arrangement and the realisation that there's so much more to this absorbing release than meets the eye. I was hooked long before the jazzy sound of 'Sun In My Eyes' had bobbed and weaved through it's lovely slo-mo marimba.
With a fade-out finale that's as gentle as the intro, there's a true sense of completeness about this strangely engaging album from one of early nineties' sub-pop's psychedelic heroes.
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