The project of four guys from Long Island, Rice Cultivation Society have been writing, recording, and performing since 2005. Sky Burial, their fourth and latest release, though, seems to have taken them in a new direction — while their music has previously been described as lo-fi acoustic/electro folk, their new album proves difficult to categorize. In this case, however, our inability to pigeonhole their sound proves to be an asset.
Their new sound definitely contains some experimental elements — while “King Midas” and “Sky Burial” can get psychedelic, songs like “Purple Balloons For Noam Chomsky” and “Calypso” are essentially straight-up folk. Meanwhile, “Church Of Love” is an entirely different story, featuring a pretty distinctive and stellar 90’s beat. Present throughout each song, the omnipresent acoustic guitar motif really ties the whole album together, keeping the sound congruent while the experimentation keeps it interesting.
Sky Burial was released earlier this year and is available to buy/download via the Rice Cultivation Society Bandcamp.
