Premiere: Joel Gion – Zig Zag’

California psych guru returns...

Joel Gion has worked in some of the most vital bands around.

Best known for his stint in the Brian Jonestown Massacre, he's one of the foremost figures in modern West Coast psychedelia.

Arranging a self-titled album, Joel Gion is set to chart out another quest across the musical cosmos later this year.

The record arrives on November 17th via Beyond Beyond Is Beyond, with Clash able to premiere the hazy, lysergic opening cut.

'Zig Zag' is rooted in that Eastern sounding acoustic guitar, all open strings, drone suggestion and solid foundation.

Joel's vocal steers through clouds of sound, a hypnotic return that feels like the best possible opener. He tells Clash:

"We started with my original demo guitar track, which was me playing the arrangement all the way through for the first time in my living room to police sirens outside and all. Despite no drums or click track or even thinking we would use it I somehow was in perfect time all the way through so before I got to Portland to record it we got Pete Holmstrom (Dandy Warhols) to come in and lay down the textural guitars."

"The whole tune happened really quickly like it was us following the songs direction, which is a great scenario to find yourself in when things unfold naturally in that way. We wound up with a lot of different vibes on this album, things like as if Lalo Schifrin used Slowdive's rig to record the Bullitt soundtrack. I wrote 'Zig Zag' specifically as a night time number but found it works just as well when the sun comes back up."

Tune in now.

‘Joel Gion’ out on November 17th via Beyond Beyond is Beyond (pre-order LINK).

Join us on Vero, as we get under the skin of global cultural happenings. Follow Clash Magazine as we skip merrily between clubs, concerts, interviews and photo shoots. Get backstage sneak peeks and a true view into our world as the fun and games unfold.

Buy Clash Magazine

-
Join the Clash mailing list for up to the minute music, fashion and film news.