The Sun Dogs

The pop charts may never reflect such a renaissance, but psychedelic rock music is going strong in 2013. Seattle's Rose Windows are yet another fine band exploring the spaces between the heavy riffs of early heavy metal, the bucolic wistfulness of indie folk, and the tribal blues melodies of stoner rock and folk music through the centuries. There's no need for an autopsy here to pick apart Rose Windows' influences; this music is still very much alive, as a song like the seven-minute "Walkin' with a Woman" makes abundantly clear through its various passages, led by bewitching vocalist Rabia Shaheen Qazi and cemented by the overall conceptual vision of Chris Cheveyo, the project's alleged leader. The songs may be mostly credited to Cheveyo, but this is a full-band effort in terms of execution. Qazi brings a mystical element even when the tunes turn pop-like ("Wartime Lovers"), while flautist Veronica Dye gives authenticity to the band's gentler songs. Producer Randall Dunn, who'd worked magic with Sunn O))) and Boris, brought in pedal steel, harp, and string players to stretch the project ever further.