Communicant

“She Moves The Sky” b/w “Prisoner Cloud”

A love song at heart, “She Moves The Sky” exalts a love so powerful it shifts the universe itself, controlling everything from the wind to the gravitational pull of the tide and even time and the sky itself. Musically inspired by the crunchy, Revolver-esque ‘60s UK psych that melts your head with melody, the song draws inspiration from July, The Factory, Tomorrow and, naturally, The Beatles. Band leader Dylan Gardner plays all instruments on the song, with a vocal sung through a telephone mic built by his brother, Mark, which lends a Lesley-style effect reminiscent of those on the legendary July album. A Rickenbacker bass provides a quintessential driving thud, while the drums were inspired by Ringo’s on “Rain”. After writing the guitar parts, Dylan learned them backwards on his Gibson SG, then reversed the recordings to achieve the desired psychedelic “volume swell.” 

The idea for the riff on “Prisoner Cloud” came during a sound check at one of Communicant’s last live shows before the pandemic of 2020 put life on hold. Immediately grabbing onto a vibe inspired by the fuzzed out energy of “Kick Me” by Ray Columbus (a 45 in Dylan’s DJ set), the song took form with a chorus melody reminiscent of The Creation and The Fleur De Lys. The result is decidedly more contemporary, however, with a Ty Segall-like appeal. Dylan plays the guitar riff through a broken Fender Deluxe amp on a ‘90s Fulltone Octafuzz and employs his dad’s ‘60s Hofner Club for the bass parts. Mark channels both Mitch Mitchell and Keith Moon on drums, moving around the kit with a very hooky, frenetic style. The lyrics are “pure Lonersville,” with a hilarious sense of defeatism that conveys the idea of living like a prisoner in a cage in the sky, looking down at all the different loves one can sabotage without even trying.

Singles are pressed on 7-inch, 45 rpm vinyl records.