Stunned no. 13

Plankton Wat — Crystal Wizard (Stunned no. 13) — out of stock —

Having been dazzled by his Alchemy of Darkness cassette out earlier this year on DNT, then watching him fry it sky-hi in Eternal Tapestry & Bloodbiker, we at Stunned had no choice but to get ahold of Dewey Mahood and see if there was any more psych wizardry to share with us. Turns out there was, and in Portland’s Owl House studio Crystal Wizard was born. Here, syrup dipped 4-track guitar delights are fingerpicked into existence simple-like. No need to rush in something so damn noble and zen-field spare. Gradually, drums and bells adorn the pieces which funnel to greater layers of complexity, until all becomes a swirl of beckoning light and void. Limited edition of 100 hand numbered cdrs in plastic case with tripped out color art and insert card by Dewey.

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reviews:

Freakin' awesome steel stringed explorations through space and time with Dewey Mahood, guitarist of Portland's Eternal Tapestry! He's released a handful of tapes in the past, but Crystal Wizard is the first cd-r release from this psychedelic mystery man, and it's a doozy. Layers of bells, hazy vocal drones and colorful whips of delayed guitar adorn the steel-stringed compositions. Roots music meets psychedelia in a wild hoopla of acoustic trippiness. Super limited and complete with cosmic artwork by Mr. Mahood himself. Yes! - Aquarius Records
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"...a relaxing yet acid-tinged journey in the American Primitive tradition. This is steel string so pure you can actually hear the steel. Whether stoned or not, Mahood's music is made for a dimly-lit room and a fine cup of tea. Although their foundation is built from the guitar up, Mahood has also overdubbed these tracks with occasional bells, sparse percussion, and even some chanted vocals. The melodies have a distinct middle eastern vibe, vaguely reminiscent of work by Steffen Basho-Junghans but considerably less structured. Especially impressive is the drearily magical "Serenity Boundless in Black Night," an atmospheric mood piece heavy in overdubs and reverse sampling. However, it is the sprawling, ten minute finale, "Reflections of Crystal Wizard," that takes the cake; it is a slow-building mini-epic that gradually becomes more and more cluttered before it reaches its climactic breaking point." - Indieville
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"Remember the name Dewey Mahood. In an era where anyone can make a record but few will get to hear most of them, Mahood stands out as one of those adventurous guitarists crying in the wilderness who ought to be more well-known. "Crystal Wizard" won't change that. The bottom line is, though, that Mahood is fingerpicking his way into the mystic. His haunting moans are also right on, coming across as intense and not added on for art (or artiness sake). On these six tracks, he plays drums and bells as well as guitar, the whole thing recorded on a 4-track cassette. From that micro-seed has come big sound: space, layered, growing in intensity. Reverb, echo, wah-wah and simple, light chords create a woven pattern of meditative but hard hitting grooves; the guitar lines wash over one another until they mingle, and become something bigger and deeper. There is a lot of bold, confident playing here, a kind of searching with the faith that you will find what you're looking for eventually. The heights of that search are in the slow drift of "Still Water and the loud power of "Forever Glowing Vista." Dewey Mahood has plied his trade in other spaces, with Eternal Tapestry and Bloodbiker especially, but he has upped the ante on his own with "Alchemy of Darkness." This is a must-have." - Music Emissions