At the time I wrote Dawn of Destruction: The Sonic Dawn & The Best of 2010s Psych Pop, I didn’t realize another new release was around the corner from The Honey Pot. The band is the result of the union of two prolific creative forces who have several solo projects under their belts (at least a dozen between the two) — Icarus Peel and Crystal Jacqueline. As their names would suggest, these folks are steeped in psyche history, well versed in the foundations (Beatles, Hollies, Jefferson Airplane, Love), obscure UK singles and prog influences in Curved Air and Renaissance. Since 2016, their output, mostly on the Mega Dodo label, has been on overdrive. Along with their second album Inside The Whale, that same year they released a triple album of odds and ends and collaborations, Ascending Scales, along with Icarus Peel’s Forget-Me-Not Under Pussy Willow. The next year, Jacqueline released the double album Await The Queen, using most of the same members of The Honey Pot, following with a live album the next year, and The Window On The Side Of Your Head, the jam rockin’ project Icarus Peel’s Acid Reign.
Not counting compilations, Bewildered Jane is their third album, and most accomplished yet. “Hadron Kaleidoscope” kicks it off with some space rockin’ keyboards. Crystal Jacqueline’s siren vocals cut through the jet propulsion like Grace Slick fronting Hawkwind. “A Simple Act” features a percolating, jazz prog rhythm that’s as elastic as some of the best pperformances by The Sonic Dawn. “Await You Here” circles back to the band’s earlier dreamy folk psych works. The single “Light Splinters” is a truly infectious crowd pleaser that would go down well with a lightly toasted festival crowd on a warm summer eve. The title track is a loosely rattling garage jam, possibly named after labelmate Mordecai Smyth’s wife Jane who’s featured on the cover art. “Harmony Ambassador” features a lovely mix of a repeated guitar riff, organs and vocal harmonies. The pastoral “The Partisan Returns” is a callback to Leonard Cohen’s “The Partisan,” augmented with orchestral string arrangements along the lines of Moody Blues. “Waving Good-Bye” continues the gentle tone, fading away wistfully into the mist.
No need to be too sorry for them to go, if they stick to their recent pattern, basically the same band will have another album out, probably under Crystal Jacqueline’s name before the year is over. From their track record, it’s definitely something to look forward to.
In addition to curating all of the incarnations of the folks of The Honey Pot, the Mega Dodo label has a few other worthwhile psych pop projects in the fourth album from Finnish band Octopus Syng, which came out last October, and the promising debut from London band Green Seagull, out last March. Mordecai Smyth, who collaborated with Icarus Peel on the Barnburner EP (2014), a fabulous progression from his Kinks/Idle Race infused debut, Sticky Tape + Rust (2011).
