Elephant Stone - The Seven Seas

By: Karolina Rous

Elephant Stone
The Seven Seas

(Elephants On Parade/Fontana North)

SOUNDS LIKE: Psychedelic rock with a more accessible tilt.

WHY/WHY NOT: How can you fault a band that clearly chose to name itself after the great Stone Roses song “Elephant Stone”? With their psychedelic pop rock, you won’t get the brilliance that was The Roses with Elephant Stone, but you will be pleasantly surprised by their album, The Seven Seas. There’s a whole lotta charm to be had here, starting with the title track, an epic upbeat Doves-esque jaunt that respects the British traditions of ballad rock. I couldn’t help but feel kind of swoony over “I Am Blind”—it reminds me of being a teenager, for some odd reason. With the Indian-infused tints that round off the corners of the album (evident on the hauntingly spiritual “The Straight Line” or the psychedelic, longer ballad “Don’t You Know”), it has a wanderlust feeling to it. “Blood From A Stone” and “Oh, Heartbreaker” also stand out thanks to good orchestration and sweet-and-glowing lyrics. All in all, if you dig the psychedelic sound, but at a more accessible tilt, then you’ll want to check out The Seven Seas.