Barclay & Ichinose: “Night Draws Nigh” Authentic 60’s and 70’s Rock Sounds!

Posted By: Rick JammPosted date: July 21, 2013in: Reviews3 Comments

Barclay and Ichinose are an Italian duo founded in 2012 in Alessandria, Italy by Joe Simon Barclay (Voice, Guitar, Keyboard) and Randy Ichinose (Voice, Drums, Guitar, Production). Their sound is a mix of influences; 60’s pop and 70’s rock, punk and post-rock, while their production style is inspired more by the 60’s. As Ichinose says: “We want to sound like the music we love”.

During May of this year Barclay & Ichinose released their single “Night Draws Nigh”, which will probably be featuring on their upcoming album due for release late 2013 or early 2014.

I think it’s very important to listen to “Night Draws Nigh” a few times before really judging it. You get everything with this single: acid-rock, prog-rock and traditional roots rock all rolled into one. The song moves into the kind of instrumental noodling that was significantly more common in the 1970s. It combines things that were done by artists of the era, and adds in other elements unique to Barclay & Ichinose, and comes up with a mixture of new found retro-rock.

The acoustic and electric guitar work is solid, while Barclay contributes some excellent vocals to compliment Ichinose and his creative drumming and vocal interludes. “Night Draws Nigh” shows signs of the glorious acid/psychedelic rock from the past, but even if you forget about the past…or don’t even know it, just listen to a single filled with excellently creative songwriting and performances. That’s the best way to approach this single.

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The duo sound very good at writing and producing songs with classic psychedelic-rock elements. They seem to be authentically part of that historical era. There’s a reason people remember the 60’s and early 70’s rock scene, and this single is a perfect example of that rock greatness. The music had fewer boundaries, the instrumental parts were more explorative, and the vocals more inspired and not limited to simple catchy choruses and Autotune effects.

Back in the day, non-digital mixes were certainly noisier and less precise, but the sound was organic and palpable. You could hear the sound of real musicians playing real live instruments. And this is what Barclay & Ichinose attempts to bring across today, through their original creations. Theirs, is not music about perfect crystal clear and precise recordings, it’s more about creative musical freedom.

This single captures a mood…an era. The music reaches back and embraces a time when there were so many great rock albums. This music does not conform and will not conform. It’s up to you and an open mind as to whether you will understand and appreciate Barclay & Ichinose.

Today most of the mainstream public are ‘audio-blind’ to these authentic retro sounds, and records like “Night Draws Nigh” never get the appreciation it deserves. This is acid/psychedelic rock music at its best. Box your ears with this and don’t stop until your brain is melted!

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