The pop side of psychedelia

Looks like Jim Morrison, sounds like Morrissey … Steve “Poppy Seed” Bromstein’s justifiably cited as the poster boy for acid rock. For six years, he and his ragtag band, The Love Explosion Orchestra, which numbers anywhere from four to 11 members, have been shapers of the local acid rock scene, from a power base at El Mocambo’s Sedated Sundays shows.

For a scene that initially was a refuge for red-eyed, psychedelic slackers, it’s been most prolific in throwing up new acts and making its sound heard mainstream.

“ At one time it was just Trans Love Airways, William New and us, just friends grooving around. I think it’s great there’s now a new wave of bands like Wilder and Kennel District, who’re playing psychedelia.

“Like ourselves, the scene’s gone through the period of long, really boring jams, and the bands that survived are the ones who’ve maintained an audience by growing past that.”

Bromstein feels one reason it’s taken PS & TLEO so long to put out an album is tat they’ve maintained their audience through the live shows.

“I recognized it would be impossible to get the feeling of those shows on a CD. I had to wait until I’d either re-arranged songs or wrote enough new ones that were strong of themselves.”

Not to spare the pun. The songs on the Days Dream of You album live on the poppy side of psychedelia. A flowers ‘n’ mushrooms springtime is in the air, as tablas rattle and Jaunty horn lines strut by.

Bromstein’s lyrics are put out as suggestions; some songs, like “Theme 2,” don’t have any, living by shimmering dissonance, tremolo and echo chamber, arranged like a fragile musical house of cards.

“The biggest change is that we’re a pop band which draws on psychedelia, more than a pure psychedelic band. The horns have always given us that distance from the pure psychdelia, but now the songs are also freeing themselves of certain limits.

“ there will always be the jams; they’re an integral part of the sound. But maybe not in every song, or be the main reason to write a song.

“Another good thing about waiting to put out the first album; I’ve a song from’89 on it, and some were w4itten as we were making Days. You can hear how the group’s sound has grown over time. It hasn’t grown away from psychedelia, it’s become more orchestral. That’s why it took 11 players to generate the appropriately large sound I wanted for the songs,” explains Bromstein, who also produced.

He’ll guarantee six pieces for the album’s release showcase Wednesday at the Rivoli, but allows that, with expected guests including Sinisters’ saxist Steve Shortell, the count could explode to the magic 11.