tarotplane: first

Tarotplane is the solo project of Baltimore-based musician PJ Dorsey. First, his full-length debut, is a tremendous album etched on the great krautrock and experimental psychedelic records from the '70s. Vintage electronic sounds are mixed with effected guitar parts. It might sound quite familiar at first, but once one enters the heart of the album it all gets spectacularly exhilarating and effortlessly captivating, swirling around the listener. Records such as Franco Battiato's Pollution, Bill Holt's Dreamies, Popol Vuh's Affenstunde, and Deuter's D were strong influences. All of these artists use tape loops, environmental sounds, filtering, and other effect processing in an exceptional way. Their desire to create their own distinct sonic world was the driving influence behind this LP. These artists never let the experimentation get in the way of creating something musical, beautiful, and sonorous. First integrates those influences but it also has a more traditional psychedelic rock sound built into its sonic viewpoint. Dorsey seamlessly blends these diverse influences into a continuous flow. The album was originally going to be called Excursions, because Dorsey would walk for hours on Baltimore's waterfront listening to fragments of his work, as well as samples from films and records, to find a balance that worked. The ultimate goal was to make what some would call a head record. Something you can listen to on your own personal excursions that evokes a distinctive and enjoyable sonic headspace.