Photo by Julie Hill
After over a year of reclusive hibernation, psychonauts Mary Vision emerge from their slumber with another heady dose of desert blues space gospel that charts a course deep within the psyche on an exotic pilgrimage to the farthest reaches of consciousness and perception. At nearly nine minutes, “Jerusalem” is an enigmatic expression of purpose heavy with symbolism set to hypnotizing instrumentation that invites the mind to wander and the spirit to soar.
The journey begins with a sensation of complete weightlessness that permeates the introduction with otherworldly atmospherics. Thickly layered synths and analog percussion build with the slow, deliberate beauty of a shimmering sun sinking behind crests of sand, casting the landscape in a final display of blazing colors before giving way to the regal purple hues of twilight. There is a momentary stillness, as if all of creation is holding its breath before the blackness of night takes hold, shadowy spirits from other realms nearly visible as the gloaming thins the barrier between worlds. This is ancient magic, briefly tangible but ultimately beyond the grasp of human understanding.
With a wail, the silence is broken, words leaping forth at the leading edge of an intoxicating rhythm to narrate the next phase of this odyssey of the mind. Beneath a glittering canopy of unfathomable celestial riches flickering candlelight from a Moroccan lantern casts shifting patterns across the elaborate tapestry of a Bedouin encampment in pilgrimage to sacred sites far across the desert. A quest for meaning narrated with a timbre recalling the fatalistic balladeering of Nick Cave but alive with spiritual devotion and clear-eyed wonder, instruments and vocals harmonizing with the music of the spheres to deliver a psychedelic psalm in worship of the omnipotent majesty of existence.
“Jerusalem” is the first in a series of forthcoming new releases from Mary Vision, and a promising introduction into what is sure to be a thrilling psychedelic suite.
Immerse yourself in Mary Vision’s catalog on Spotify and follow the band on Instagram.
