Kevin Bronson on May 30th, 2014

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Guy Blakeslee is turning the noise down and turning himself up. The mastermind of the stoner-rock trio the Entrance Band – known for their pedal-propelled, often-indulgent trips to the nether regions of psych-rock – has made his first solo album in 10 years. Like the Entrance Band’s November release “Face the Sun,” Blakeslee’s “Ophelia Slowly” is informed by the singer-songwriter’s two years of sobriety and the attendant ongoing spiritual tussles. The album was made in New York with producer Chris Coady (Future Islands, the Orwells, Yuck, Beach House, among others) and features stripped-down instrumentation and subtle electronic beats and atmospherics – a musically genteel take on psychedelic blues, if you will. It’s not concise; Blakeslee can hardly say anything in less than five minutes. But nothing on “Ophelia Slowly” wears out its welcome. The album is out June 10 via Everloving Records.

||| Stream: “Smile On” and “Kneel and Pray”