Stem Stem In Electro is a gorgeous collection of songs painted in psych-rock tones and timbres, minor-key progressions, and unsettling invocations of haunted transcendentalism. The opening track, with it's trance-like group chorus of "we climb to the light", is akin to a cultish hymn, with Moya's guitar howls and washes underscoring the disquieting downwards chord structure. This sets the stage for 'Blood On The Sun', a chilling ballad delivered in Moya's otherworldly voice, like a sedated Daniel Johnson or Wayne Coyne. The trip continues with a delicate instrumental and the tremulous swing of "Folkways Orange".

Side two opens with the album's centrepiece 'Swallow's Tail', where a metallic pulse gives way to a spooky, magickal romp that channels the Canterbury spirit of bands like Caravan and Khan. This nod towards 70's-era English prog carries through the whole of the album's second half, culminating in the majestic closing instrumental, with more phantasmic group singing as a final send-off. Stem Stem In Electro casts its spell from the opening notes and conjures a shadowy, saturated world surveyed alternately from ground level and from on high.

Recorded at Montreal's Hotel2Tango by Howard Bilerman (Silver Mt. Zion, Black Ox Orkestar, Thalia Zedek), Moya enlisted Eric Craven (Hangedup) and Harris Newman (solo, Sackville) as his rhythm section, along with Montreal string-playing stalwarts (and fellow Set Fire to Flame cohorts) Beckie Foon, Gen Heistek and Sophie Trudeau.

This record is available on CD and 180gLP (Direct Metal Mastering at Abbey Road).

Yeah, I've never heard or seen Hrsta, but I've been very interested in doing so. Anything Harris, Becky and/or Howard touch these days quietly turns to audio gold. Becky's new record "Aurora" with Bruce Cawdron from Godspeed as ESMERINE, I was just telling elephantstone, is really really good (out in May on Madrona, but available stateside through Ninja Tune as a distro'd item). The new solo Harris Newman record is supposedly fantastic as well. I can only attest to his awe-ful live performances.

I've also recorded a couple tracks with Becky, if you're ever interested in hearing them. Let me know.