Psychedelic folk band Dead Man’s Eyes return with their sophomore long-player, III.

Dead Man’s Eye’s is from Germany, and they play music that enjoys the influences of jazz, lounge, psychedelic, and country music, plus the musicians’ own unique expulsions. I have read the band’s music described as “morbid psychedelic pop, infused with garage and country influences.” To me, that fits under the acoustic doom umbrella, and that explains my initial interest in the band. They released an EP in 2013 titled Meet Me In The Desert, and a full-length album in 2018 known as Words Of Prey. The music is quiet and modestly-paced, giving ample opportunity for nuance to sink in as you listen.

“High On Information” is a folk-inspired walk down the path of inevitability. The acoustic guitar plays the cares sung about away while the harmonica offers an uneasy idea to take with you. The final flourish of guitar toward the end is a rough shake before moving on to “I’ll Stay Around,” a song with a more deliberately haunted quality to it. It carries a different torch but it is walking the same lonely country roads. “In My Fishbowl” lands like a cross between a White Stripes song and one by Devil Makes Three, lightly toasted with a dusting of arsenic. It is an excellent example of light-hearted sinister.

“Time & Space” is an airy instrumental piece, with subdued pep and a spacey payoff. “Take Off Soon” plies the garage rock angle, with echoey vocals and gently stabbing guitars. The resolution through piano was unexpected, as was the sharp cut off at the terminus. “On The Wire” plays a different game, slipping in a Golden Earring hustle at the start and a very welcome series of punctuating sparks. Nicely done.

The final three songs begin on “Into The Madness,” which is a rambler – a feisty little road tune that makes you decide, yes, you do want to stay and listen to the end. “Never Grow Up” is a good song to drink to, and “Nobody At All” takes the rolling riff and runs with it. The album delivers appreciated differences, and its divergence from what I regularly listen to was a genuine delight. Recommended.

III is out on August 19^th through Tonzonen Records, and Bandcamp is always a good choice for picking up music in the US.

Links.

Dead Man’s Eyes website, http://deadmanseyes.com/

Bandcamp, https://deadmanseyes.bandcamp.com/

Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/deadmanseyes

Tonzonen Records, https://www.tonzonen.de/

© Wayne Edwards