This is some exquisite sun-drenched psychedelia from These Trails, a Hawaiian group who released their one and only album on Honolulu’s Synergia label in 1973. It was a limited private pressing and is virtually impossible to find on vinyl or CD. If you’re a fan of Joanna Newsom, The Incredible String Band, Kate Bush, Joni Mitchell or Pentangle, you’ll probably find a lot to love in these tracks. And even if you’re not a fan of any of those musicians, you’ll probably still find something in These Trails music that will surprise you.

Tablas, guitars, flutes, synthesizers, sitars and multiple interwoven vocal tracks coalesce into shimmering lysergic lullabies and ethereal ballads with an eastern raga feel. Vocalist Margaret Morgan’s vibrato is gorgeous and with the addition of studio-enhanced modulation becomes Blue Jay Way trippy.

These Trails were Margaret Morgan, Dave Choy, Carlos Pardeiro and Patrick Cockett. Morgan passed away and guitarist Patrick Cockett went on to play ukulele with Taj Mahal. Here’s an interview with Cockett that will give you a bit of the history of the band.

Track listing: 1. These Trails    2.Our House In Hanalei    3.Of Broken Links   4.El Rey Pascador   5.Psyche I And Share Your Water   6.Hello Lou   7.Rusty’s House And Lost In Space   8.Psyche II   9.Sowed A Seed   10.Rapt Attention   11.Waipoo   12.Garden Botanum