ALBUM REVIEW: Temples 'Sun Restructured'

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It is said in some circles, Beyond the Wizard’s Sleeve ‘do not merely remix, they Re-animate’… or so their Facebook page tells me. Now, if you require more evidence than an artist’s social media bio to pass judgment, may I suggest their latest example of sonic sorcery?

The Grid’s Richard Norris and one of the pioneers of the bootleg craze, Erol Alkan, make up the act. For their latest trick, the duo have turned their psych-obsessed experimentalism to Temples’ Sun Structures. Bagshaw and co’s impressive debut gained a great deal of hype upon release and with Rough Trade naming Sun Structures their album of the year, the Kettering clan are making quite a name for themselves as the psychedelic resurgence continues to gain more devotees. Sun Restructured takes nine of the original records’ twelve tracks and turns them inside out, as Alkan discussed:

“We wanted to create something special. A record that could be listened to in one go, from start to finish, a listening experience that is becoming increasingly rare. There is so much happening under the surface of Sun Structures, and deep within each track, it was a pleasure to dive in and see what we could find.”

What we are presented with is mind-bending brilliance, which does away with strophic structure and accentuates Temples’ finest moments. The way BTWS extract the so-dirty-it’s-almost-desert-rock riff of ‘Sand Dance’, it’s as if it has been grasped from the depths like some giant thrashing eel and left to writhe in the dust. Successfully turning one of Temples’ most epic tracks into a Death From Above 1979 song.

Their interpretation of ‘Shelter Song’ finds its feet, locks into the groove and proceeds to belly dance away, flaunting the Eastern essence of the original recording. Whereas, ‘Test of Time’ flows effortlessly into the empyrean elegance of ‘Golden Throne’ which now, with its newfound ambience, feels unrestrained and otherworldly. With Sun Restructured the pair have tapped into the more experimental, spaced-out and hallucinogenic side of Temples’ artistry. ‘Rehashed’ rather than ‘re-animated’ then maybe?