Rating: 7/10
Genre: Rock/Blues
The truly legendary Roky Erickson returns with his first solo album in a staggering 14 years True Love Cast Out All Evil backed up by fellow Austinites Okkervil River. Roky's tragic life story is that of Rock and Roll legend. His career started as the voice of the Thirteenth Floor Elevators a band deemed by many as the true creators of 60's Psychedelia however due to classic rock and roll excess and the bands pro LSD stand point he was deemed a threat by the authorities. He was eventually made an example of, a miscarriage of justice that cost Roky many years of his life incarcerated in institutions surrounded by murderers and rapists. Due to the psychological damage done by his excessive drug use and the primitive treatments he was exposed to whilst in various mental institutions when Roky finally did get out it seemed as though he was destined to fade away into obscurity. So this come back album is a monumental achievement to say the least.
The album itself works very much like a time capsule of Roky's life. Due to continuous legal battles and Roky's difficult mental health issues much of his solo work was lost or prevented from wide spread release. Many of these songs appear here in re-recorded forms. The album is also held together by several scraps and demoes taken from a massive archive of unreleased material that was given to the producer of the record and front man of backing band Okkervil River Will Sheff. The music here is a million miles away from Roky's classic rock material from his eighties album Evil One and takes on a more acoustic and almost blues like foundation. The majority of the record is made up of stripped back acoustic numbers with Roky's soulful melodic singing voice guiding you through each tale of his trials and tribulations. Whilst much of this record is sad and deals with themes of madness and forced solitude most of the songs remain uplifting and joyful. It seems evident that this is Roky's most personal and intimate album and demonstrates his almost super human ability of survival. The true highlights are the tracks where Okkervil River really get involved in the layering and backing such as "Goodbye Sweet Dreams" a stirring masterpiece with swirling feedback and a beautiful electric guitar solo as it reaches its emotional apex. "Bring Back The Past" is another highlight, a truly upbeat pop rock gem that could have easily fit in nestled amongst some of his earlier solo work.
Overall this album is a great listen the only issue is that due to Will Sheff's admiration of Roky and his work I feel he has aired on the side of caution too frequently. Many of the scratchy demoes are of such poor quality they are almost unlistenable and due to Sheff's reluctance to edit these for most people these will provide very little enjoyment. This release is still worth a go and a deffinate must have for any Roky Erickson fan and hopefully a sign of things to come. It is almost impossible to not be moved by this album I recommend you give it a go.
Download: "Goodbye Sweet Dreams" "Bring Back The Past"
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