Dan Horne

This record seems to have snuck out without much fanfare, an undeserving reception for Horne, one of the West Coast’s key production secrets. Horne (Circles Around The Sun, Grateful Shred) has found himself behind the boards of Allah-Las, Cass McCombs, The Skiffle Players, Mapache, and Pacific Range. Over the last few years he’s been letting out hints at this album. Following an EP that only touches briefly on the scope of Count The Clouds, last year saw the release of “Ode To The Road,” a Cosmic American romp through the tour cycle that’s speckled with California sun and soaked in Pacific air. December found the whispered release of an excellent cover of Incredible String Band’s “Hedgehog Song,” backed with a prog-glazed head-trip called “Hedghog’s Dream,” a heady extension on Horne’s take, dousing the listener in dry ice and dreams.

The rest of the album is sewn loosely at the seams, feeling a bit piecemeal, but held together by Dan’s embrace of psych, jazz, jam, and an aura of positivity that’s hard to escape. Aside from the highlight of “Hedgehog’s Dream,” a few other instrumentals dot the album, including the wobbly “Bicycle Rider” and the vamping country quip of “Hair Farm Blues.” The first half feels a bit more sutured and the latter a bit more loose, but throughout Horne proves that he can conjur the same relaxed and enticing air for his own works that he lends to others. The record slips in nicely alongside a few other Cosmic California classics from the past few years, forming a bit of an informal outcropping with Farmer Dave and the Wizards of West’s latest, Trevor Beld Jimenez, and Color Green.

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