Desert Island

L.A.’s Mystic Braves were asked to open an L.A. concert by The Zombies in 2013. Someone in the group that brought the world the misspelled masterpiece Odessey and Oracle clearly understood what their audience would enjoy. Mystic Braves currently offer up sounds that were largely new in the late ‘60s, when Farfisa organs and sitar-like electric guitars were cranking out of transistor radios the world over. Desert Island songs like “Bright Blue Day Haze” and “There’s a Pain” immediately bring listeners back to those days, much as The Prisoners, The Steppes, and numerous other ‘60s-psych-revival groups did in the ‘80s. It’s a testimony to the resilience of this vintage sound and to the talents of the modern-day musicians who can write new songs that would sit comfortably next to the ones on a Nuggets compilation. Fans of The Chocolate Watchband, The Count Five, Mouse & The Traps, and other great ’60s bands will surely enjoy the heavy reverb, trebly guitars, and vintage organ sounds here on the band’s 2014 second album, as well as on their self-titled debut from 2012.