PsychoYogi - 2025 - World of Danger

(35:47; Psychoyogi)




















I will never understand why some great bands get loads of press and comment and others get absolutely nothing. It makes no sense at all to me, but if most of the bands I write about could be described as being underground, then PsychoYogi must have already dug through the molten core of the Earth and are close to coming out somewhere South of New Zealand (yes, I Googled it). I first came across the guys when I was asked to review their fifth album, 2018’s ‘Accident Prone’, since when I have reviewed their next four and now they are back with their tenth. But, and this is a massive, huge, “but”, I am the only person to have reviewed any of these albums on ProgArchives. No-one else, not a single one. Why?

Surely it cannot be due to the instrumentation, I mean, progheads like it weird so if the guys want to include both trombone and violin as main instruments why not? The line-up is very stable, with the band again being Chris Ramsing (guitar, vocals), Izzy Stylish (bass), Justin Casey (drums), Ben Woodbine-Craft (violin) and Tim Smart (trombone) and here we again find them playing their own version of Canterbury-inspired Pronk. True, their closest relations are possibly Cardiacs combined with Caravan, with a solid dose of Zappa and The Mothers and even Captain Beefheart, but given the huge love for those bands why have PsychoYogi not been discovered by more progheads? This is a band who are working hard at being truly progressive as opposed to following the regressive norm, yet somehow are being missed by those people who would surely love this if they just gave it some time.

Most people would not think of this as immediate music, wanting to listen to it a few times before deciding on whether it is good or not, but I have long not been normal (ask anyone who knows me) and I love all their releases on first time of playing and then find more each time afterwards. It is eclectic, but to my ears also contains commerciality and melodic references which makes it far easier to get inside then many which are tagged with that sub genre. Their runs and complex duelling are like no other, yet I find it works each and every time. Back in the Seventies there was a TV programme in the UK called “Why don't you just switch off your television set and go and do something less boring instead ..”, and I would like to take a leaf from that by saying you should give your ears a rest from the latest mainstream prog and go and listen to something less boring instead. You will not regret it.    

Kev Rowland, March 2026

Links:
https://www.psychoyogi.com/

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