Independent Project Records is thrilled to announce the CD reissue of the two phenomenal albums released by this enigmatic Los Angeles band from the late 1980's: Dancing To Restore An Eclipsed Moon and If Tomorrow I Were Leaving For Lhasa, I Wouldn’t Stay a Minute More... Originally released in 1988 and 1989, these two albums sound like nothing else from the period, deftly blending gothic post-punk sounds with pagan tribal psychedelia. Red Temple Spirits’ debut has been described as a haunting masterpiece of psychedelic post-punk, laden with exotic musicianship and a unique combination of Native American and Eastern mysticism. While shimmering guitar textures weave patterns over heavy hypnotic rhythms, the enchanting lyrical imagery of vocalist William Faircloth brings a trippy, shamanistic quality to the proceedings. Easily some of the most mesmerizing and vital post-punk music ever created, Red Temple Spirits play with an austerity, grace, and pureness to form that remains fresh over two decades after they originally recorded. Dancing To Restore An Eclipsed Moon contains ten powerful originals, and includes what may be the finest cover version extant of Pink Floyd’s Nile Song. The band’s second album has been described as a fully-developed excursion into other realms, with rumbling basslines and slithery guitar washes of elegant brilliance. Once again drawing inspiration from Tibetan and Native American cultures, vocalist Faircloth leads the listener through a tangle of mystical themes while the band (guitarist Dallas Taylor, bassist Dino Paredes and drummer Thomas Pierik) skillfully blend heavy tribal rhythms and ethereal guitar, building up to moments of extreme tension. In the UK, Sounds magazine described their song Soft Machine as “a beast of a sucker,” and City of Millions was called “a song many bands have died trying to execute.” In addition to the nine originals, If Tomorrow... also features cover versions of Pink Floyd’s Set The Controls For The Heart of The Sun, and 13th Floor Elevators’ Rollercoaster. Both albums have been completely re-mastered, and are supplemented with three bonus tracks (both sides of the New Land single, originally released on Independent Project Records in 1989, along with a previously unreleased later version of the song New Land) and a bonus CDep reproducing the band's first demo tape. Packaged in a deluxe over-sized 4-color hand-letterpress Discfolio package designed by Bruce Licher, with full-color lyric inserts & gilded letterpress-printed glassine inner sleeves. The first edition of this release has sold out, so we are now offering a second numbered edition of this essential re-issue. IP063/IP064/IP065Limited edition 3-CD set
