Bleep

Cosmorama, the fourth LP from Beautify Junkyards, furthers the band’s case as one of the premier psychedelic pop acts of their time. The tracks that the Lisbon outfit conjure up here are incredibly evocative pieces of dreamstate songcraft.

Instrumentally this is another dense, heady brew from Beautify Junkyards, one which makes good on the promise of its press release that Cosmorama is a “hallucinogenic fusion of Os Mutantes and Broadcast”. The freakified Tropicália of the former and tripped-out post-rock stylings of the latter can both be heard in swaying numbers like ‘Reverie’ and ‘Zodiak Klub’, but one can also discern other influences in the band’s shimmering sound here - hypnagogic pop is a particularly pertinent touchstone, as are freak-folk and the hauntological textures of some of Beautify Junkyards’ Ghost Box Records brethren.

Amidst all of this, the intimate vocal stylings of João Branco Kyron act simultaneously as a guide through and a conduit to the mind-expanding qualities of Cosmorama. His hushed, melodious singing gives Cosmorama the air of an LP of 60s chansons warped over time by the sun - an effect which is heightened by the guest vocals of Alison Bryce (Lake Ruth) and Nina Miranda (Smoke City) which pass through the album at points.

Beautify Junkyards deliver another set of dreamy, psychedelic songwriting on Cosmorama, their second LP for Ghost Box Records.