Initially, Gorky's Zygotic Mynci seemed like a backwoods acid test gone awry. Early albums were filled with dense psychedelic pop songs (whose surreal feel was enhanced when the band members occasionally sang in their nati... more »ve Welsh) as well as bizarre illustrations and photos depicting the band as forest-bound wizards and gnomes. Over their last few releases, however, Gorky's have refined their music and image, leaving behind the gimmicks and costumes for a subtle sound that is as hypnotic as it is catchy. Most intriguing is the band's ability to create songs that are both expansive and intimate, that flow with an improvisational feel without ever losing control. On How I Long to Feel That Summer in My Heart, Gorky's have made an album that feels as light as air, yet continues to grow with repeated listenings. While the usual pop influences (Beach Boys, Beatles) can be found within their music, it is the unexpected touches that give the songs heft. Taking their cues from Fairport Convention's unconventional folk sound, Van Morrison's mysticism, and strangely enough, church hymnals, Gorky's permeates their songs with a darkness and longing that makes the music compelling. How I Long To Feel That Summer in My Heart is what should happen to psychedelic music once the light show gets boring. --Adam Silverman« less
Initially, Gorky's Zygotic Mynci seemed like a backwoods acid test gone awry. Early albums were filled with dense psychedelic pop songs (whose surreal feel was enhanced when the band members occasionally sang in their native Welsh) as well as bizarre illustrations and photos depicting the band as forest-bound wizards and gnomes. Over their last few releases, however, Gorky's have refined their music and image, leaving behind the gimmicks and costumes for a subtle sound that is as hypnotic as it is catchy. Most intriguing is the band's ability to create songs that are both expansive and intimate, that flow with an improvisational feel without ever losing control. On How I Long to Feel That Summer in My Heart, Gorky's have made an album that feels as light as air, yet continues to grow with repeated listenings. While the usual pop influences (Beach Boys, Beatles) can be found within their music, it is the unexpected touches that give the songs heft. Taking their cues from Fairport Convention's unconventional folk sound, Van Morrison's mysticism, and strangely enough, church hymnals, Gorky's permeates their songs with a darkness and longing that makes the music compelling. How I Long To Feel That Summer in My Heart is what should happen to psychedelic music once the light show gets boring. --Adam Silverman
"Gorky's seem to be unable to create a bad album, something 'How I Long to Feel That Summer' is proof of. In many ways, the songs on this album reminds me of the ones of 'Barafundle' (their best album), especially with songs like 'Where Does Yer Go Now?' and 'Christina'. Musically, the album is very calm and peaceful (no 'Poodle Rockin' this time), and has a 60s feel over it. The Beach Boys and Beatles influences are clear, while songs like 'Stood On Gold' has kind of a Searchers feel over them. 'Can Megan', which sounds like Pink Floyd's 'San Tropez' is another highlight, just for it's silly horn section. As usual, they use a ton of (weird) instruments to create a rich and full sound.Euros Childs vocals reaches a new high on this album, with some seriously complex pitches and creativity. Richard James, who sings lead on more songs than any of the previous albums also shines brighter than ever.You can't go wrong with 'How I Long to Feel That Summer' if you're interested in an album clearly inspired by 60s pop, with a good doze of folk. This one is for those of us who are sick of the standard top 40 formula."
When the Aim is Beauty
Jerome Langguth | Erlanger, KY United States | 09/27/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Gorky's Zygotic Mynci have been unobtrusively producing the sweetest, most melodic,folk/pop music on the planet for quite a while now. To my ears, this is easily their best so far. Wonderful harmonies, boldly romantic lyrics with not a trace of bitterness or irony, and an ensemble sound that recalls The Incredible String Band at their most focused, all work together to make this one of the most musically satisfying albums of the year. Enchanting."
Longing and light...
Rob Damm | 01/31/2002
(4 out of 5 stars)
"The album is virtually a concept piece about memory and nostalgia. Sentimental, but in the best way and very sad at times. But, all the longing is not for nothing. The purity and innocence of the summery, day-dream imagery fills this quiet record with a sense of wonder and soul, and ultimtately, I think, makes it a happy record. Listen to it in the dreariest dead of winter and feel your heart thaw!Certain longtime Mynci fans are going to bark about how this is a sell-out record. We lovers of indie music are a grumbling, quixotic lot and apt to suspect anything that sounds remotely like a bow to popular tastes... that said, early Mynci albums tended toward a lower-fidelity sound and contained a higher ratio of silly and sometimes experimental bits. I'm one of the reviewers who believes this is for the best--- Mynci are just growing up, and waxing poetic about the lost halcyon days of youth-- but, some will spit fire and say they "lost their edge". To each his/her own. Sounds great to me, though."
Gorgeous
WrtnWrd | Northridge, CA USA | 03/15/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"On their seventh release, How I Long to Feel That Summer in My Heart, Welsh neo-psychedelic group Gorky's Zygotic Mynci abandons acid-drenched nightscapes for greener pastures. And I do mean `pastures' - How I Long to Feel... is a gentle idyll in a verdant countryside, simple yet breathtakingly beautiful. Only now that they've arrived does it seem inevitable that this is what they were driving towards all along. These twelve songs, the offspring of the Beach Boys and the Grateful Dead, lilt and shimmer like dew. Or to modernize a sound made of folk styles and pop harmonies, this is what Sigur Ros would sound like if they were stranded on the moors instead of an ice floe. Gorgeous!"
Melodies sublime
Rob Damm | 01/06/2002
(4 out of 5 stars)
"I know some of the cynics out there will hate this
record, but I love it; I think it's sublime, it came as
a complete surprise to me. It requires several
repeated listens but then reveals itself. If you like
any of the usual 60's touchstones (syd barrett,
brian wilson, fairport, dead, etc) this is likely to
do it for you. One note: even the songs that at
first sound too sweet (twee) eventually prove themselves
to be wonderful, once heard in proper context."