After a 15-year absence from recording (although many would say he checked out longer ago than that) Texas psychedelic legend Roky Erickson has returned with a new collection of odd ballads. If you’re already a fan, True Love Cast Out All Evil is a fascinating glimpse into Erickson’s mental state and the progress he’s made this decade, with the care his younger brother, a classical musician living in Pittsburgh, has given him (plus better meds have certainly helped). Erickson, of course, is often compared to Syd Barrett and the comparison remains valid here, too, as this collection has the same vaguely shambolic feel as Barrett and The Madcap Laughs. At times it feels like you are listening to something a bit too private, although therein lies an undeniably important part of the emotional power of the Erickson’s music in 2010.

Characteristic Ericksonian imagery can still be found, as in this line, which comes from the lead-off track Devotional Number One, a paean to Christ: “Jesus is not a hallucinogenic mushroom.” (A reference to John Allegro’s controversial thesis in The Sacred Cross and the Mushroom?).

Video below: A vintage 13th Floor Elevators performance featuring a young Roky Erickson on vocals. Here they do You’re Gonna Miss Me on a show called Where The Action Is: