This song is simply stunning! Elf Power formed in 1994 and over the last 16 years have released ten albums, two EPs, a handful of singles, while also touring America, Europe, and Japan. The Athens, Georgia pioneers have readied their tenth studio album for release – a self-titled, dozen-song song collection cementing their place as the flagship band of the celebrated psych-rock scene, which they helped forge over a decade and a half ago.

Elf Power is dedicated to the memory of their dear friend, mentor, and close collaborator Vic Chesnutt, who committed suicide in late 2009.  The Elves recorded a collaborative album Dark Developments, with Chesnutt in 2008 and toured extensively with him through the years. Elf Power’s latest album found shape in the vacuum caused by Vic’s loss, and finds the band exploring the void created by his departure.

Opening track The Taking Under is an otherworldly collision of warped 1950s balladry and tripped out, cavernous drumming, pinned together by majestic string flourishes. Wander Through is a frantic explosion of joyful noise, filled with wild riffing and bizarre sound effects.   Songs like Tiny Insects and Ghost of John conjure a meeting between the heavy, dark and prog-informed pop of The Soft Boys‘ Underwater Moonlight and the fuzzed-out, giddy bedroom psych of New Zealand weirdos and Elf Power associates Tall Dwarves.  Gentler, more-pensive moments like the country-tinged, yet simultaneously futuristic, Stranger in the Window and the heart-tearing Little Hand allow the Elves to dive headlong into folk music that sounds at once both modern and traditional.

Elf Power sees release on September 14 on the band’s own label, Orange Twin Records. American and European tours are scheduled for September and November respectively, with dates to be confirmed.

We have Stranger in the Window for you below. It is utterly, utterly gorgeous. Download it, and then buy the album when it’s out.

Visit their MySpace here.

Download Elf Power – Stranger In The Window mp3 (from Elf Power)