Posted on: September 18, 2007 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

Welcome to Citay’s “Little Kingdom”. It’s an otherworldly place, full of psychedelic swirl, soaring harmonies and grandiose jams. “Little Kingdom” is the second album from San Francisco’s Citay. It’s an epic journey, and an album that sounds out of place in 2007 – a classic in the purest sense. Like Citay’s 2006 self-titled debut, the ’70s rock sensibility is intact; Thin Lizzy, acoustic Led Zeppelin, Big Star and the Byrds all remain touchstones. But “Little Kingdom” moves further into ambitious composition, referencing Popul Vuh, Animals-era Pink Floyd, the Fripp-Eno collaborations, and early Mike Oldfield. The twin leads are still huge, the ballads still sweet, but Citay is reaching for more on “Little Kingdom”. “Little Kingdom” is lush and beautiful; a grand, epic work that harkens back to day when studio excess was encouraged and a premium was placed on composition. To borrow a line from Arthur’s review of Citay’s debut, “this is an album without a sell-by date, with a song for every season.”

“Little Kingdom” will be released on November 6th via Dead Oceans.

MP3:
First Fantasy – http://www.scjag.com/mp3/do/firstfantasy.mp3

“Here on “First Fantasy”, the album’s opening track, you get a good sense of how the band is operating. The circular chord progression winds around, voices locked in harmony to sing about the slippery nature of time: “Last week was like a year ago/ Five years, just like yesterday.” Organ and mandolin then join in as the tempo builds, until finally the song opens up and the jam begins. There’s nothing flashy or technical, just a loose, in-the-pocket feel as the notes ride the changes; the economy of the playing reminds me of Dean Wareham’s work in both Luna and Galaxie 500, which of course leads to Television and then on back to Sterling Morrision. It conjures a cheerful, celebratory vibe– you hear this song and hope the warm weather holds on as long as possible.” – Mark Richardson / The Site That Shall Not Be Named

Tour Dates:
09/29/2007 Davis, CA – Sophia’s
11/08/2007 San Francisco, CA РCaf̩ Du Nord w/ The Oh Sees
11/09/2007 Oakland, CA – 21 Grand w/ The Oh Sees
11/17/2007 Big Sur, CA – Fernwood w/ White Magic
More Tour Dates TBA

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