August Moon is the long-awaited debut album by The Rishi's who unfortunately waited so long their name became a stain on my countries political landscape, as no longer would they just be celebrating Rishikesh and Indian heritage, but now share their name with a corrupt Prime Minister. The Rishi's formed back in 2014 or so around the duo of Sofia Lute and Ranjan Avasthi in Athens Georgia, they are joined on this album by several of the Elephant 6 all stars. The album was recorded at Amplify Studios by Chris Byron with help along the way from Shambotic Recordings and Michael Tiley-Evil
The a-side opens with Holiday that is dreaming of various destinations from India to Spain, I'm sure they want to go down to Rishikesh and lazily stare at the rivers. This has a very laid-back breezy feel to it with a psychedelic edge that's a bit like Viva Saturn on this most mellow of Holidays, this is the opposite of Madonna's idea of a Holiday.
Migrations is a perfect song to come out in late spring as many birds are involved in major Migrations, they want to encourage the movement and travel through the fabric of time to a place that this pleasant relaxing music is king as Charlie Estes trumpet part makes clear.
Oh So Young is wistful remembrances of the things they got up to when Ranjan Avasthi and Sofie Lute were so much younger than today, staring intently at kaleidoscopes as Charlie Estes trumpet wafts in, this has a delicate relaxed feel.
Seeds is a holistic song in praise of the spring rituals of sowing seeds, making new crops grow, the bucolic chiming guitars and the warm embrace of the strings make this a rich tapestry of sound.
Make Me Love You is an alluring temptress of a folk ballad with lead vocals from Sofie Lute that are beguiling entrancing and may well make you go weak at the knees how can you resist this plangent yearning. You must go and submit to Sofie's demands.
The B-side opens with Wake Up a gently evocative song for reveille set around Peter Alvanos snare drum pattern to help shake out the ghosts and find the energy for a new day wrapped up in James Huggins III Keyboards and horn arrangements.
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Just Between You And Me envelopes you in the hazy world of conspiratorial secrets between close friends, as they seek to achieve their desires.
Holi is about the Hindu festival I was lucky enough to attend in Jaipur in the early 1990's, a marvelously mad festival where everyone throws powder paints and water at everyone else, to help symbolize the spring, the only scary part of the festival was when the local police started to attack people with canes for covering me in paint. This song isn't quite as colorful and paint besmirched as it might be, but it does evoke the feeling of joy that was everywhere in Jaipur the week of the Elephant Festival, any song that evokes those memories is always welcome for me.
Jetstream doesn't sound like a screaming jet engine, being far calmer than the title might suggest, this is beautiful laid back indie folk revolving around Dan Jenkins Violin and Cello parts, that hopes the Jetstream never stops.
The album closes with Utter Pradesh that has a good sitar dronescape, that's played on Guitar and keyboards that feel it would be perfect to listen to while sitting at the top of the Red Fort or gazing at the Taj Mahal as the snake charmer works his magic.
Find out more at https://www.facebook.com/therishisband/ https://therishis.bandcamp.com/album/august-moon
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