Spirit Mother – Trails

by Mark 'Yeti' Richard · November 5, 2024

Sometimes when I hear a band or album for the first time, there’s something there that draws my interest but doesn’t initially grab me. I will sometimes listen to a recording several times before the pieces start to fit together. This was the case with the band Spirit Mother and their latest album Trails. I was intrigued with the band each time I listened but they didn’t latch on right away. However, I took a short break and then revisited Trails, and finally the music started sinking in and I was gaining a deeper understanding and appreciation of what Spirit Mother was capable of.

Initially from Long Beach, California, Spirit Mother now resides in three areas: Buffalo, Los Angeles, and eastern Oregon. The band is comprised of Armand Lance on bass and vocals, SJ on violin and vocals, Landon Cisneros on drums, and Sean McCormick on guitars. Their prior releases includes 2020’s Cadets and 2021’s Live In The Mojave Desert, Vol. 3. They were also featured on the Jam In The Van live series from 2017. Trails was released on September 13th, 2024 on Heavy Psych Sounds.

The album opens up with “Passage” which is a forty five second introduction to the title track, “Trails”. The spoken sample has a pulsating bass that blends right into “Trails” as the other instruments start to join in. The sound is psychedelic and atmospheric in unison. Spirit Mother craft illuminating music which spans across different genres while not being tied down by any of them. The band touches on different moods and creates a dynamic tapestry of art within their blends of sounds. “Trails” can be subtle with a melancholy feel and the guitars and violin ignite the song with an atmospheric layering of such. The rhythm section explorers the variances of light to heavy and Armand Lance has a soothing, yet caustic vocal approach that works amazingly well. “Veins” has a heavier start tone and cool rhythmic drumming that then explodes into a fuzzy and space rock riff. The song has a Slomosa type of groove throughout and is one of the more hard driving songs on the record. Lance’s voice is mostly subdued with some throaty aggressions on certain parts.

The third track “Emerald” is a high point on the album. It’s another heavier riff rager in the Psychlona realm of things. Spirit Mother has the ability to gear down the riffs in an instant to relish in transcendence. The more listens to Trails, has me discovering different and unique eclectic ranges and sounds to their music. The use of the violin in particular, is really something special and unique in this day and age of rock music. Spirit Mother has an audio essence and quality of subtleties that is remarkable and amazing.

“Below” is a more mellow passage that introduces and utilizes acoustic guitars to their sound. The violin plays a crucial role on the song also and accentuates the whole flow of the music. “Tonic” has a darker expression of sounds that is both slower and brooding. It garners a heavy and tortured tone with violin and some accented distorted guitars. The vocals emote feelings of desperation and struggle. The fifth song “Vessel” starts with the drums and then the vocals come in. The song ramps up in a rocking number that further expresses the Spirit Mother sound. A blissful and dynamic song, “Vessel” soars along with a grunge rock stature and plows ahead with airy defiance. “Voyeur” has a nice bass and drum groove with singing verses and rhythmic guitar flourishes. It’s a pretty solid and straightforward song for the most part. The next song “Given” starts with some beautiful acoustic guitar and stays lighter for the duration. The vocals appear in a low alto sounding fashion and display some dual singing also.

The final track on Trails is called “Wolves”. It was the first single on the album and it is a great song. It begins with acoustic guitar and has a nice build up throughout. It boasts some cool lyrics, “you have no idea, who is wolf, who is dear, all around you, all around you.” It’s a great closer to a unique and interesting album.

Spirit Mother is a force of musical nature. The build up of interest was an ongoing process for me with this band and my patience has paid off. The songs are dense with melodies and sound nuances and requires multiple and multiple listens. Their song crafting skills will carry the listener on an auditory adventure of a new and exciting discovery of rock music brilliance.