Know Touching

The relaxed psychedelia on evidence on Know Touching is the kind of thing that perhaps could only come from Boston — if lead singer Robert Robinson's voice isn't as high and fragile as the now legendary Bobb Trimble, there's a similarly lost-and-gone feeling, while there's also more than a sense of Galaxie 500's sweetly forlorn rock chug. The overall work is the band's own, though, thanks in large part to a variety of different instruments coming to the fore besides that of a standard rock band lineup. Starting with the brief two-minute chug of "Shake the Walls," Know Touching comes across as a slightly woozy, enveloping listen that isn't so much a bad trip as an intentionally murky ramble in the fog. Songs like "Giraffe's Kiss" may have a bit of soft acoustic guitar and clear if restful singing, but there's both a whooshing start and a suddenly chaotic ending that at the same time never feels like a completely out of control moment. "Make It Louder" exemplifies the split between straightforwardness and something else — it's got a great hook and even better chorus, guitar building up behind the vocals, but the old drum machine-style beats and soft air of warmth around everything make it feel like a friendly invitation instead of a call to arms. Other strong moments include the tense build and brief but powerful soloing on "Pull My Hair," feeling like an ominous conclusion to a moment gone wrong, and "Running Down" and its gentle rave-up, one of a number of tips of the hat to Sonic Boom's just post-Spacemen 3 work. Early copies came with a second disc, More Touching, featuring live radio cuts with a slightly crisper edge but ultimately with the same sense of carefully arranged wooze, though "Tongue Tied" definitely has a more frazzled edge to it as it progresses.