Scenic's second full-length release from 1996 is a sprawling adventure into another world. Scenic have created a 60+ minute masterpiece drawing from numerous influences to create an instrumental soundtrack for a voyage into landscapes of inner space. While some of the sounds may be familiar from their earlier releases, Scenic has expanded their reach, breaking new ground and creating a much more universal-feeling record than their previous efforts.The core members (Bruce Licher, ex-Savage Republic, on guitars; James Brenner, ex-Shiva Burlesque, on bass; Brock Wirtz on drums; and Robert Loveless, ex-Savage Republic & 17 Pygmies, on keyboards) have been joined in the studio by guitarists Doug Smith and Brandon Capps (from Arizona shoegaze group Half String), along with several other guests who add Chamberlin (a mellotron-like instrument) and horns to several of the tracks. As a result, Scenic have created a thick sound that pulls the listener in with layers of mystery on tracks such as 'Ionia,' 'Angelica,' 'Dronia' and 'Modula Raga.' And as on their previous album, there are the interludes, which provide periodic breaks in the proceedings, where the listener can catch his or her breath, and prepare for the remainder of the journey to come.Scenic's mature instrumental experiments are limitless, the band allowing each piece to dictate it's own needs. This results in an unusually fresh and organic-sounding record, and is one of the reasons that Scenic's appeal can only grow in the years to come. Packaged in a letterpress-printed die cut Discfolio created at Independent Project Press.
