Dark Canyon :: “Long Days, Pleasant Nights” - Hippie Scum
Chicago-based, multi-instrumentalist, Mike Novak, known to many as the cross-pollinated personality behind the highly textured and creatively contagious project, Dark Canyon, roars once again from the depths of a melodic mirage someplace sacred and sonically strange. Where esoteric elements of nature blend both the worldly wind and engulfing energy of the mid-western vibe into this tribe of clapping hands, smoke calmly rises from yesterday’s fire in the duality of the desert. Novak’s ability to wave towards the void’s velocity like that of some anatomical aircraft that crash-landed someplace out of sight, is both ‘Youngian’ in the sense of both a polished production in instrumentation and the all around atmosphere of his lavish landscape of sound and holistic hope for inspiration. Following 2022’s “S/T” album, Novak faithfully manifests the natural world in a way that replicates, provokes and embodies the electrifying ecosystem of sound and quality like that of the monumental decades that stood before us.
“Long Days, Pleasant Nights” is protected by the holy witching hour, while simultaneously exploring the chilling thrills of adolescent adventures into a night of rampage and musical magic. Its skeletal embrace is fractured by the sensitivity of string selection and the hazardously punctured wisdom of vision, navigation and direction into the frozen slumber of desertion. With an elemental ensemble of musicians such as Adam Wayne, Matt Yeates and Graham Nelson to help guide and bring the album to its full potential, Novak calls on both the new and familiar to aid in steering the visceral vastness of an orchestra into oblivion that has overtime become Dark Canyon. With tracks like "Born Collector", "Wolves" and "Blue Smoke Rising" all bringing this ancient wind into frame, Novak conquers the illuminating illusion of life and death in a full circle retrospect with “Long Days, Pleasant Nights” and displays a near perfect heroism throughout the album’s meditative material.
Where the Midwest meets the Southwest in this epic tale of genuine guitar galore, Dark Canyon has teamed up with the fine folks over at Hippie Scum for a collaboration for the books. Even the mountains of madness have gossiped about this over the prehistoric clouds and cities of collective consciousness as we enter the doors and into the holy hallways of sight, sound and the almighty soothing of personal prayer as the first day of fall settles upon us.
