Oftentimes, the best creations have the simplest beginnings. For the last little while, it has really seemed like the best and most interesting works to have come from the instrumental reaches of instrumental rock are born out of naught but jam sessions from talented musicians that just happen to put together even more magnificent music. From Big Scenic Nowhere to Stöner and more, it’s a trend that cannot be denied for all that it has brought about. While I do not dare to even think to guess where else such a trend may take us, I cannot help but become overjoyed when I see it bring forward another glorious act. With the inception of Yawning Balch, I defy anyone to say we could have gotten anything better from such an event.

If you know your stuff when it comes to modern psychedelic rock hall of fame attendees, you shouldn’t really need any hints as to who’s involved here just from the name alone. A creation born when Bob Balch sat down for five hours with Yawning Man, this is but the first of apparently two creations that we can already expect from this combination, and its fruits are already immensely delicious! As if any of us would have thought otherwise, Yawning Balch’s arrival with the simply titled debut of “Volume One” is an effort that is sure to capture the attention and imagination of any who consider themselves fans of what has been happening within the realms of psychedelic rock for the last while. It would be crass of me to say that this could effortlessly pass off as another Yawning Man effort, but the simple inclusion of Balch makes this viciously well-done jam session something that deserves its own pedestal like what we have here. Warm melodies are brought together absolutely perfectly with the grooviest parts of what instrumental psych rock is capable of while the very sands seem to bend to the will of Yawning Balch as the three tracks of “Volume One” come to life in nothing short of exquisite form. Passion is woven into every possible aspect of this creation with the clear understanding and magnificent mastery that we get on only the rarest of occasions, and it is at every given turn that Yawning Balch doesn’t just prove its worth one hundred percent of the time, but leaves us stunned all the while.

Really, a result such as this should not be a surprise when we see who was behind such a momentous performance. Everyone involved has long had a key place in crafting the psychedelic rock scene into what it is today to make “Volume One” a natural combination that makes all the sense in the world as well as a blindside creation whose surprise inception makes it all the sweeter. I can only imagine what the next chapter of this massive jam session will bring to the table, but it is until then that Yawning Balch has given us far more than enough to stay busy even well after then.

“Volume One” releases on July 7th via Heavy Psych Sounds!

LISTEN to an advanced track from “Volume One”, “Dreaming with Eyes Open”, on Bandcamp here, or via YouTube below.