It was a surprisingly good-sized crowd for a Wednesday night at the Eagle Rock Arts Center, which played host for the record release show of SF’s Sleepy Sun, a band whose music takes on a strong mystic tone from almost the get-go, facilitated by its male and female vocal counterparts. The two trade off singing duties by fleshing out the band’s sound using different effects, however still sustaining the distinctiveness of each individual’s tone.  The music takes turns sounding heavy, almost ogre-like at times in its instrumentation with the proper bits of buzz and drone, to the opposite extreme by sounding light, airy, and at times almost elfish. Sleepy Sun’s approach to music is a completely fresh take while still owning up to previous purveyors of a similar sound.  Headlining that night was The Entrance Band. Not missing a beat, their set seemed to explode from the moment the members took the stage, with a fierce combination of psychedelic, blues, and rock. It almost feels like a martian attack on your soul, especially as Guy Blakeslee’s vocals reach their coda—like watching the sky opens up for the birth and death of an actual star—accompanied by his beyond stellar, words fail me, wicked-sounding guitar, giving proper due to Steve Vai and Zappa for us youngins. Bassist Paz Lenchantin’s thunderous sonic mind fuck comes via a much needed catharsis by her instrument. She maintains the same amount of attention as the rest of the heavy elements, while the orchestration still makes you feel cleansed and free. Please do yourself a favor this summer and get lost in this band’s mystique.

—Gab Chabran