Today is April 20th, aka 4/20, aka the combination of numbers most directly aligned with cannabis culture. Rumor has it that the numerological alignment is a reference to the Police Code for marijuana possession in California adopted by users of herb as a time or day to celebrate the benefits of the drug. The penal code roots aren’t true but there’s no denying that April 20th is a highly accepted day to embrace a little weed. This is especially true in 2021 as we’re seeing much of the nation start to legalize the plant and (fingers crossed) stop imprisoning people for the possession and sale of it. Weed has never been more embraced in modern times than it is right now and that’s a great thing regardless of your usage.
If you do find yourself partaking, you should absolutely queue up the latest nine-minute jam from Great Grand Sun, “Father Sun & Mother Moon.” The single serves as an introduction to the bands forthcoming full-length album Terra Incognita and runs the gamut of styles for maximizing bliss. Light dub guitar gives way to Pink Floyd reminiscent soundscapes of guitar and choral voices before floating off into a realm of mysterious narration. There’s no evidence that the track is meant to serve as any sort of direct homage to marijuana but there’s no denying it does function quite well as a soundtrack to spacing out.
It’s diminutive to suggest that any artist is making music For Pot Heads and that’s certainly not the insinuation here. Pigeonholing Great Grand Sun in that way would be a disservice to their overall diversity as a band. Smoking pot doesn’t directly equate to being a space case but it does provide a platform for its users to reflect on topics that they may not give themselves headspace for otherwise. Nine-minute jams like “Father Sun & Mother Moon” come from a long lineage of songs that aid the listener in getting to that reflective place; immersing themselves in the song and the movements it provides. Great Grand Sun is providing a path to that self-engagement. It’s not the only thing they do as a band but its clearly an area of expertise.
Hefty tip of the hat to the Scene writeup about the track, do give that a read as well as you queue the track up anywhere you like to stream your music.