Anton Barbeau

Anton Barbeau’s CD releases seem to come so frequently these days that one begins to wonder if he isn’t suffering from the same production dysfunction that beleaguers Prince, namely a need to somehow release every musical zygote put to tape, no matter how trifling. However, one listen to Barbeau’s newest release, Guladong, clears up all such ideas. From the opening moments of “Telephones and Singalongs,” Barbeau proves that he’s still the master of post-1960s psychedelic pop. Furthermore, with Guladong, Barbeau seems to have a clear sense of focus, both in terms of songwriting and of production (which has a psychedelic quality without being unnecessarily drawn out). This is the kind of record that forces listeners to lose themselves in the moment, and quite a moment it is.