Aural Innovations — December 2014, Part 2

Amongst Myselves — The Past Is Another Country

(Amongst Projects 2014, CD/DL)

Jerry Kranitz

Amongst Myselves is the solo project of Australian composer and musician Steve Roberts and The Past Is Another Country is his 7th album since 1999.

This is Space-Ambient music that requires attentive listening to fully absorb, yet at the same time has a subliminal quality that performs mind massage while planting imagery in the listener's brain. In my case this ranged from lone man in the bowels of the spacecraft scenes to darkly atmospheric drifting through pitch black space. If it's true that in space no one can hear you scream, then the lightly symphonic rumbling drones and slowly sweeping soundscape waves certainly paint a sonic portrait of what the experience of being there might be like. The music can also be peacefully majestic and uplifting, like an angelic drift toward the event horizon of a black hole. Who could imagine that the point of no return could be so blissful?

Dark Places, Winter Shadows is one of my favorite tracks. It retains the deep space character of the album while incorporating phantasmal voices, ghostly harmonies, the sounds of nature, a needle spinning around the end of an LP side, and dark orchestral drama, as if we were traversing across multiple dimensions that intertwine with the living and spectral worlds.

Cave Of The Swimmers goes in a slightly different direction and is one of the most quietly understated pieces, suggesting cosmic drama in some alien environment where the ambience provides the underlying drive for a succession of singular pulsations, waves, rushing wind, and percussive clatter. The Day The Crickets Listened surprised me by getting downright musical, with guitar plucking and strumming a pleasant melody surrounded by bubbling space symphonics, drones and soundscapes to create a kind of Ambient Space-Prog excursion.

I noticed in the promo sheet that Roberts' intention with this album is to focus on experimental landscapes and leave the more melodic pieces behind, and indeed that is largely what the music on The Past Is Another Country is about. In short, headphones and surrender are the way to experience and enjoy this 60 minutes of Space-Ambient bliss.

Stream and download from the Amongst Myselves Bandcamp site, and for more information visit the Amongst Myselves website.

Bret Hart — December Sketches

(self-released 2014, Download)

Jerry Kranitz

Homemade music veteran Bret Hart's December Sketches is a collection of loop experimentation tunes where he uses a pedalboard configuration to send his instruments and electronics before being fed into the looper.

I like the quirky yet nonetheless seamless flow of Graham Crackers, as Bret plays melodic leads to the various looped patterns which include machine-like crunches, off-kilter stabs of notes, and other sundry sounds. LALALALALA sounds at first like an outtake from a late 70s Residents' album played at a nicely drugged half speed. The strange La-La-La'ing voices give it much of the Residents feel, and added to that are sludgy stoned bass (or guitar), freaky guitar licks that sounds like Mike Radledge Soft Machine keys, and it's all anchored by dosed percussion. This is fucked up Psychedelic surrealism clunking along at a chaotically measured slow motion pace and seriously messin' with your head.

Working the Oracle kicks off with high intensity yet atmospheric blasts of sound, devolving into a chaotic symphony of harmoniously out of sync Psych guitars, some noisily harsh and others noisily melodic. Another Graham Cracker once again finds that oddball balance between eardrum searing harshness and pleasant melody. I like the multiple guitar leads, all of which have a different sound, all to varying degrees being noise infused acidic, and drifting along at a clunky dope flowing pace. Fuzzy Sketch of Tulips is a melodic, whimsical, and lysergically surreal tune.

Debutante Comes Out lays down incessantly repetitive electronic blasts that sound like we're in Dr Frankenstein's laboratory. Bret starts playing the riff to the Beatles' Day Tripper, zoning and jamming at the same drugged drifting pace that characterizes most of these tunes. One of the leads has a beautifully sing-song but sporadically acid damaged quality that feels like Fripp meets Hendrix on the Star Spangled Banner, making for another symphony of freaky brain fuckedness. Its fer what ails ya. Finally, PorcuPie Ala Mode sounds like Captain Beefheart styled Blues played by Psychedelic Industrial Stoner Noise artists from space.

It's creatively crazy stuff and if you've read this far then get ye forth quickly to Bret's Soundcloud page where you can hear it all for yourself.

Stream and download December Sketches on Bret Hart's SoundCloud page.

Lamp Of The Universe / Trip Hill — split

(Clostridium Records 2014, CD/LP)

Jerry Kranitz

The excellent German label Clostridium Records has released a nifty split album featuring Lamp Of The Universe and an Italian one-man project I've never heard of called Trip Hill. Trip Hill is headed up by Fabrizio Cecchi, who according to discogs.com has sporadically released albums as Trip Hill since 1998.

Clostridium have championed Lamp Of The Universe since the label's inception, having begun by reissuing the two out of print debut Lamp albums from 2001 and 2002, and have made new material available since. Lamp Of The Universe is a solo project from New Zealand based multi-instrumentalist Craig Williamson who has also been in the heavy rock bands Datura and Arc of Ascent.

The Lamp contribution to this split is a nearly 22 minute epic titled Domain Of The Buddha. I see in the credits the track is from 2006. I checked all my Lamp albums and Googled it and this apparently has never been released before and it blows my mind that Craig would have sat on it all these years because it's a stunner. A gently narcotic drone wave sweeps the listener through space as a mesmerizing flute plays its lovely melody, liquid acid guitar pulsates, the sitar lightly drones, tripped out effects bubble and shimmer, and Craig's delicate vocals play shaman guide for this trance inducing journey. Every Psychedelic cliché that any writer has ever come up with absolutely, totally, appropriately applies here.

After a noisy intro we learn why Trip Hill makes such a good pairing for Lamp Of The Universe. Bright Spring starts off sounding like Syd-era Floyd with sitar and freaky electronic effects and then develops into an intense acid rocker. Actually the effects have a strange rhythm that brings to mind the feel of the jug in the 13th Floor Elevators. Raining Metallic Mushroom is a cool tune that combines trippy Eastern influenced Psych with a strange kind of traditional music feel, and punctuates it all with punchy acid guitar leads.

I Need Someone is a cool grooving and hard rocking Psych song with spaced out electronic effects and blazing wah guitar. And Driving Over The Rainbow sounds a like a melodic drone blend of West Coast Psych and the Beatles at their trippiest. I'd like to hear more of Cecchi's work.

The album is available in both CD and LP editions. Vinyl junkies should check the Clostridium website for three tasty options.

For more information visit the Clostridium Records website.

If, Bwana — Tibetan Belles

(Haltapes 2014, CDR/DL)

Jerry Kranitz

If, Bwana is the long lived project of Al Margolis, revered by many homemade musicians as the godfather of American cassette culture. Margolis' Sound of Pig label (which later morphed into Pogus Productions) was a showcase for many experimental music artists throughout the 1980s-90s.

Tibetan Belles consists of 10 tracks, some recorded in the studio and some in various live performances. The 10 minute title track is a powerful opener, being a sparse yet compelling solo bells performance. The highlights are the extended fades after the bells are struck, as they ring, oscillate, and impose a hypnotically commanding presence in the listener's brain. With the headphones on at low volume, the ringing of these bells are a simultaneously hypnotic and unsettling experience, being beautifully and effectively recorded.

Margolis is equally spare with a Casio sound exploration, recalling an electronic experimentation from the 60s as he accentuates various bleeps, blurps and sundry sci-fi sounds. Ditto for the Roland Micro Composer piece which is like an old time electronic music demonstration, creating a grab bag of retro 50s movie soundtrack effects and alien sine waves which worked on my brain much as the bells did.

This theme continues on the guitar synth and Moog Rogue tracks. I never would have guessed the instrument was a guitar synth, making the whirling, whistling and howling sci-fi sounds all the more entrancing, and conjuring up some Louis and Bebe Barron electronic master class, or late 60s World's Fair World Of Tomorrow exhibit on the Rogue track. Margolis also manipulates conventional instruments, including noisily caressing violin and some interesting spluttering trumpet sounds.

What makes Tibetan Belles such a provocative listen is the recording quality, which is excellent and puts singular focus on the sounds, making the experience feel like being the sole audience member during a sensory deprivation tank performance. Even the Lodge track, which is clearly live, sounds good.

To purchase the CDR version of Tibetan Belles visit the information-packed Haltapes website. Stream and download at the Haltapes Bandcamp site.

A.J. Kaufmann — Stoned Gypsy Wanderer

(Kendra Steiner Editions 2014, CDR/DL)

Jerry Kranitz

I was introduced to the music of Polish musician, songwriter and poet A.J. Kaufmann in 2013 through Sauer Adler, his duo project with Kacper Wojaczek. I was impressed with their lo-fi yet rich and robust brand of 60s inspired Psychedelia, Prog-Psych and Folk-Psych, and their The Trips and Dreams of Stephen Adler album released earlier this year demonstrated a knack for fine songwriting and impressive instrumental arrangements.

A.J. recently sent me a package including his first solo album, the 2011 vinyl LP released Second Hand Man, several of his poetry chapbooks, and his latest album, Stoned Gypsy Wanderer. Both albums feature outstanding artwork by Justin Jackley, an Austin, Texas based artist whose work I've become increasingly familiar with over the past year. Check out the Justin Jackley website.

A.J. currently has 15 albums available on his Bandcamp site, featuring music that ranges from stripped down Folk to music that is not unlike Sauer Adler, and Stoned Gypsy Wanderer will surely appeal to Sauer Adler fans. Like Sauer Adler, A.J.'s music has a lo-fi homemade feel, but he does so much with the tools at his disposal.

Several of the album's 14 songs have a vocals and acoustic guitar driven acid-minstrel quality that reminds me of the Bevis Frond, though like Nik Saloman, A.J. has his own sound. Representative tunes include Amaranth Blues and the title track, plus the majestic C.O.K.E., with its screaming guitar, and I love the trippy, mind-bending effects that augment This is Not New York and Slavia Nova. There's lot of variety too. I love the jangly yet endearingly dissonant Folk-Psych of Berger.

Crown Of Things is a darkly Gothic, droning Acid-Pop song with lysergic guitar lines that weave a snake-like trail amongst the catchy melody. Wine Of Rape is a hauntingly seductive slab of Psychedelic Prog-Pop, with organ, piano and orchestration. There are also songs with a high energy rocking feel, and even some that are whimsically fun. Still Within gushes with spirited Psych infused Folk Rock and ripping electric guitar fills. A.J. goes totally trippy on the equally energetic Whispering Egypt, with its wildly wah'd freak guitar, haunting organ and spaced out mesmerizing vibe.

I like the lively, Celtic tinged Veil Of Isis and the bouncy In a Blue and Violet Morning. Iceberg has a stoned, trippy, carnival-like rhythmic pulse, horn section, and jabbing keyboard notes. And Operation is the most different track of the set, having a quirky New Wav-ish rocking feel that reminded me of an early 80s Bill Nelson song. Stoned Gypsy Wanderer is a captivating set of songs which mine the Psychedelic, Folk and Prog realms and are then stamped with A.J.'s own personal touch.

Stream and download this and many other albums from the A.J. Kaufmann Bandcamp site.

Ron Bracale — Entangled Spaces

(self-released 2014, Download)

Jerry Kranitz

Ron Bracale is a Cleveland based musician who plays a variety of flutes, having studied under various Jazz, Indian Raga, Classical, Blues and Rock instructors. Combining his flutes with synthesizers, Bracale creates music intended to promote world peace and healing.

Sound New Agey? It is. But Bracale transcends the fluff by injecting interesting World Music, spaced out electronic and sound sample elements. Like a jamming shaman, the flute flutters its mystical call to prayer melodies, accompanied by space ambient soundscapes, drones and effects. I love the combination of om chant inspiration and alien freakiness on some tracks, and darkly droning deep space ambience on others. But illumination can be intense at times, like on Ocean Spirit, which sounds like the shaman busking at a busy train station by the wave crashing seaside. And Fearless Love, which places our peripatetic sage in the bowels of a space station engine room, cranking out his nurturing and somewhat jazzy melodies as the clanks, bubbles and clunks of the machinery drone around him.

Imagine a Native American medicine man playing the healing guru to a circle of meditating extra-terrestrials. Or maybe the kind of music Hawkwind would have recorded for the Windham Hill label. Or perhaps a form of Sun Ra cosmic soundscape-drone-jazz creation. The music on Entangled Spaces is all these things, with world music inspiration and deep space exploration served up in equal measure.

Stream and download from the Ron Bracale Bandcamp site. For more information visit Ron Bracale's website.

Lee Negin — Groundless

(Passing Phase Records 2014, Download)

Jerry Kranitz

Now based in Seoul, South Korea, Lee Negin was part of the 1980s Detroit techno scene. My introduction to Negin's music was just months ago with another 2014 release: The Cheeze Chronicles: Volume V, a "technopera" that I described as "a space crazed blend of 80s New Wave, Neue Neutsche Welle, Kraftwerk and The Residents" (CLICK HERE to read the review). Whereas The Cheeze Chronicles threatened to burst the fun and freaky meters, Negrin's latest album, Groundless, teeters between pure electronic freakiness and cerebral mind massage.

The promo sheet describes the music as "a collection of extended electro-acoustic, ambient, electronic, new-world (other world), psychedelic dreamscapes", though I'd say the psychedelic dreamscape motif is what predominates throughout. Forever (never, never) is a lysergic cauldron of psychedelic electronica, with deep space symphonics, dreamily spectral voice samples, spiraling waves of effects, and drones that are cosmic orchestral but also deeply cavernous, all anchored by a parade of warming melodies and sporadic rhythmic propulsions.

The Shadow Play is a bustling mash of ducking and weaving alien effects that give the impression of an extra-terrestrial slalom race, before transitioning to a floating orchestral dreamland. The dreamy, deep space orchestration continues on Last Gasp, creating a mystifying and uplifting brand of psychedelic New Age music. I like the way the melodies and slowly pulsating drone waves intertwine to create a meditative experience that is nonetheless far too multi-faceted to permit any dozing on the listener's part. A group of angels create music for the acid dosed heavens on Groundless, making for a lusciously convoluted yet gently wafting journey.

Groundless II follows and is a little different, starting off avant space-orchestral and then transitioning to a cool grooving and intriguingly strange blend of rhythms and melodies. Finally, (Elegy for) The Last Ship Leaving features a mixture of cosmic chamber ensemble, space-ambience, and cinematic sci-fi soundtrack music, making for an empyrean night at the symphony, the theme of which is a concurrent tour through black holes, multi-dimensions, and the darkest but busiest regions of the universe.

So, wow, Negin has been around since the 80s and I'm just discovering him through two very different but ultimately related albums. I haven't heard electronica that's this strange, reflective, seductive and fun in quite a while.

Comets ov Cupid — Eko Eko Aradia

(self-released 2015, CD/DL)

Jerry Kranitz

I've been following guitarist Jason Kesselring's work since the early Aural Innovation days, starting with the late great Minneapolis based Space/Psych/Kraut Rock band Skye Klad (who I also got to see live at the 2000 Strange Daze Space Rock Festival). Kesselring went solo with Satyrswitch, a vehicle to explore his interest in Jansch/Graham/Basho guitar styles and other acoustic music. Now based in North Dakota, Kesselring's solo project of recent years has been Comets ov Cupid, which across his first three albums covered textural Ambient/Drone explorations and blistering Space Rock for the alchemically inclined.

Eko Eko Aradia is the fourth Comets Ov Cupid album and draws inspiration from the 70s German Kosmische pioneers like Ash Ra Tempel, Klaus Schulze and Cluster, as well as ambient/minimalists like Fripp/Eno, Glenn Branca, Earth and Sunn 0))).

The album consists of 4 tracks in just under 40 minutes. All the pieces were played in one take with little to no overdubs. Acoustic and electric guitars are the main instruments, as well as theremin and a Micro Korg on the opening track, Sein Und Zeit, which starts off with expansive yet minimal soundscapes and spartan guitar patterns. Multiple guitar parts are gradually introduced until it sounds like a cosmic symphony of repetitive chordal arrangements and spaced out solos which brought to mind a Cluster enhanced duet between Manual Gottsching and Robert Fripp.

This bleeds into the 15 minute title track, which begins with a dark, lightly symphonic drone and strange voice samples that repeat "Eko Eko Aradia", which I learned from good 'ol Wikipedia is the opening phrase to a Wiccan chant. The guitar adds to the drifting, cosmically orchestral feel, creating a doomy impression and lacing the atmosphere with swirling and soaring waves of caustically Psychedelic strikes and screeching runs of what sound like an acid damaged violin. The music soon settles into a sweeping yet disorienting minimalist orchestral exploration that straddles the line between intense acid-noise and cloud floating, atmospheric drone.

As the finale seeps into Fly By The Comet, we sail along with lightly jamming acoustic guitar and hovering efx'd guitar that's like a soundscape generating, gliss-like banshee violin, which becomes darkly intense and even a little rhythmic rocking as it morphs into The Infernal Star. And sure enough, the multiple guitar parts start to rock out like some kind of avant-Psychedelic Branca guitar symphony. The intensity increases to apocalyptic levels, with smoldering stoner doom surges and a sense of sheer cosmic corrosion. Yet despite the high intensity skirmish, the music never loses a general perception of meditative drift.

As an artisan/constructor of aural landscapes, Kesselring nimbly blends his classic Kosmiche and ambient/minimalist influences to create a journey into the furthest reaches of Psychedelic color and texture. And he does so without always so heavily drenching his guitar with effects that it's beyond recognition.

The cover photo is worth a mention as it aroused my interest. It's a futuristic ruin known in Fortean Folklore as the "North Dakota Illuminati Pyramid". It's a relic from the height of the Cold War though many conspiracies still abound as to its real function. When I questioned Jason about it he pointed me to a website which explained that it was situated on a missile site radar complex used to locate missiles fired from foreign powers at the USA so that they could be destroyed. The base was armed with 30 Spartan anti-ballistic missiles with thermonuclear warheads and sixteen short-range Sprint missiles. How fortunate for the North Dakotans to play host to all that Cold War fun.

Stream download this and many other albums from the Comets Ov Cupid Bandcamp site.

Secret Saucer — Nachvollziehens

(self-released 2014, CD/DL)

Jerry Kranitz

Secret Saucer have at various times included members of Quarkspace, Architectural Metaphor, Star Nation, Sun Machine and others, being a collective of musicians from some of best Space Rock bands in the northeastern U.S. Nachvollziehens is their latest album and compiles remixed tracks from earlier albums, live in the studio tracks, and a previously unreleased song.

Evade is the unreleased tune and is a smokin' hot Space Rock 'n Roller with punky guitar that brings to mind early Farflung. But it's also got tense, high pitched keys that give the music a sci-fi TV theme feel. Mix in some President Obama and newscast samples and we've got us a shit kickin' Politico Space Rock song. A Sublime Metaphor is one of the live in the studio tracks, being a steady paced jam with a Psychedelic soulful feel, and led by wailing, melodic, trippy angst guitar combined with lots of threatening alien electronic efx action. Liftoff is the other live tune and another song that has a catchy soundtrack styled melody, along with Prog keys, killer rocking guitar and an onslaught of effects.

Lunar Pull is a remix of a track from the Four On The Floor album, with all new guitar from Steve Bemand, whose resume includes a brief stint with Hawkwind, Technicians Of Spaceship Hawkwind, The Starfighters, The Glissando Guitar Orchestra, and most recently The Timelords, who released the excellent Convergence album earlier this year. The keys inject a powerful early 80s Neo-Prog feel, but the rhythm guitar is all Hawkwind, though Bemand switches to melodic Prog mode for the beautifully tasty solo. And I think the heavily efx'd robot vocals provide a nice contrast.

The other four remix tracks include Steve Taylor, Greg Kozlowski from Architectural Metaphor, and Paul Williams and Jay Swanson from Quarkspace in the lineup. I've always loved Jay's keyboards. I'd know his playing anywhere. On Light Years Away he provides the flowing, melodic Quarkspace feel and plays pied piper to the legion of electronics that scramble around him. We've also got dual guitars, one tripping out in space and the other ripping off killer rocking solos. I love the combination of meditative stream and genuine edge of your seat tension.

Desert of Existence has a cosmically soaring Pink Floyd infused Architectural Metaphor feel. Greg's guitar licks are like some kind of space shaman on Mind Mechanics, which sounds cool along with the frantically off-kilter synth pattern that soon eases into Jay's jamming piano. Tension never felt so good as we groove along steadily in space. Finally, the 15+ minute Atom Smasher is fully double the length of the original version on the Element 115 album.

It's all atmosphere and journey through the cosmic countryside, with a strange but alluring combination of spaced out Pink Floyd Wish You Were Here drift and miscellaneous sounds, like machines, birds, and lots of carefully incorporated effects. Then after the 9 minute mark the band launch into a steady but power rocking jam that has a strong Quarkspace feel, embellished with ripping guitar solos and wildly swarming electronics.

In summary, Nachvollziehens is a potent set of (mostly) instrumental Space Rock. There's enough that's different here for those with the entire catalog to want to pick it up, and is the ideal place to start for newcomers.

Edward Ka-Spel — The Victoria Dimension

(BLRR label, 2014, CD/DL)

Christian Mumford

If Syd Barrett were an 80s Goth he would be Edward Ka-Spel of the Legendary Pink Dots. At first the album did not strike me as anything great, but after several spins the album both nods toward the 25 year old Legendary Pink Dots classic LP The Maria Dimension (which is getting a 5LP box treatment from the Soleilmoon label very soon) and 80s Edward Ka-Spel albums like his China Doll series of LPs from the 80s.

The vocals are cryptic and dark and gothic, a strange piano, odd finger drums and the intro to the first song called Limburgia has a Indian raga like beat. All the 8 tracks flow like a single sequence of interworked songs, though they are all different and separate tracks. Here we do not have the Noise sculpture and abstract Industrial splatter like on Dream Loops or Ghost Logik from a few years ago, nor the electronic madness of Edward's Dream Logik trilogy. The third track, The Border Beyond, has ominous police sirens in the distance closing in and leaving again, fading in and out again like a spectre on the "force". Edward sings very low key. It takes either great concentration to follow his lyrics, or you can do like me, imagine the darkwave ramblings of a 80s Goth Syd Barrett, though as a lyricist Edward and Syd do not share any similarity, just the voice and the beatnik whimsy style.

I ordered the double disc Deluxe set and got a second CD with two tracks, one song is etched as vinyl on the CDR and plays perfectly on my turntable while the other song is there next to it as a digital track, and they both share the same side of the disc. Those two tracks are very analogue and Victorian style forms of musics, maybe after a little Opium and Absinthe...

Overall this is a great grower of an album. It will take me a year to fully absorb all its layered and cryptic meaning, but the melody and song and moods are there. Get this CD if you like 80s The Legendary Pink Dots, and the Chyekk / AaAazhyd / Eyes! / Lyvv China Doll Ka-Spel LPs. They have been remastered by BLRR and sound very nice. Let Edward paint your soul Victorian and prepare yourself for a dose of Barretesque Steampunk Darkwave.

To purchase, stream and download visit the Legendary Pink Dots Bandcamp site. Visit the Legendary Pink Dots website and the Philippe Petit website. And for more information, also check out the Rustblade label website.

The Legendary Pink Dots — 10 To The Power Of 9

(Rustblade label 2014, 2-LP/CD/download)

Christian Mumford

The Dots in 2013 and 2014 have been on a good roll since being reduced to a trio with the core of Edward and Silverman, and adding Eric Drost on guitar. In 2013 they released 3 albums already, and in 2014 there is this, and the Chemical Playschool 16+18, as well as many free downloads from the archives. Edward Ka-Spel's background for 10'9 is the conspiracy concept of a secret leadership in the world, where a handful of powerful world leaders meet in basements and offices in London, New York, Tokyo, Paris, etc. to decide the fate and doings of the world, from politics to stockmarkets. The two LPs were released the first part of last June on pink vinyl and the second part on Turquise vinyl in November, along with the CD which contains both parts.

Ten O'er Nine opens the CD and first LP and is quite melodic, yet with the noisy krish krash tinfoil digital subtle drum noise they have taken on, since the recent line up formed. One can take that as a complaint. Well, I tend to like the cleaner analogue synth sounds and rockier instruments, even drum machines are fine as long as they are not over treated to sound "industrial" like they do here. Primitivism is no obstacle to me.

But it is a satisfying record from the Dots overall, and tracks like The Virgin Queen are really sweet with some really great lyrical waxing from Edward, his best and most emotional and political in a long while, serving with the Dots anyway, and brings out the "old" Dots fan in me, with Edward wailing lyrics about someone who might very well be Victorian era royalty yet... "this fine lady is no tramp", and how "was it you who turned brother against brother". Your Humble Servant is a bouncy synthy rock melodic track as the third song.

Malice segueing into Freak Flag has a distorted cartoon vocal and a weird sample about someone turning into a Jesus freak or the snippet of spoken exclamation "wait til Jesus gets his hands on you, you little bastard!". Feeding Time closes the first LP and has some Edward dramatic lyricism, "we are are here to please, and this hurts me more, the more I scream"... And yet, whereas the second LP (or starting on the 6th track on the CD) has the majestic track Olympus 2020 about our modern "secret" pantheon of leaders deciding our fate in shadow meetings around the world, the new world order, the remaining tracks continue to lumber on a bit unfocused.

A lot of them are sprawling, psychedelic, melodic and obscurely created monuments of experimental industrial and ambient noise rock. Some, like the first part especially, stand out, yet alot is spread out as meat (or in Dots world, veggies) on the bone, which gets a bit "bad", so to speak, psychedelic but ultimately a bit tiresome.

In the case of the CD I ordered the deluxe "bag" set which comes with a second CD and a badge and some post cards in a velvet bag. The best of the 2 tracks on the bonus disc (which lasts about 25 minutes) is the second track, Divine Resignation Part 5 which has a sinister monologue from Edward and is quite long. Overall 10 To The Power Of 9 is a very good effort and I give it just about a 9/10 rating, barely a solid 8. So, as they say, "Sing While You May..."

To purchase, stream and download visit the Legendary Pink Dots Bandcamp site. Visit the Legendary Pink Dots website and the Philippe Petit website. And for more information, also check out the Rustblade label website.

Edward Ka-Spel & Philippe Petit — Are You Receiving Us, Planet Earth?!

(Rustblade label 2014, LP/CD/download)

Christian Mumford

I was going to tackle the recent Legendary Pink Dots and Ka-Spel solo CDs, like 10 To The Power Of 9 and Victoria Dimension albums, first, but now this collaboration came in the mail yesterday from The Silverman (AKA Phil, the Dots synth player) in Nijmegen, @ The Terminal Kaleidoscope, being Dots HQ for mail order in Holland. As much as I think The Dots are better and more coherent now than the past 12 years have been for them, I find this LP to hit me smack over my head to be the ultimate recent LPDs related album as regards vintage synthesizers and Sci-Fi lyricism combined, since the 80s and 90s LPDs material in particular.

Edward Ka-Spel does all vocals and some synth (I asked him if that was a Moog on the track Needles IV like I thought was used on Film Of The Book AKA Astrid by the early 80s Dots) he replied it was not, as he could never afford a Moog, and that it was a soft treated synth instead. And he informed me that on Film Of The Book indeed was not a Moog but a Juno 6.

I blame my synth expert friend I played the track for for the error! So Philippe Petit does the instrumentation like guitars and drums and keyboards as well. But lyrically it seems its all Ka-Spellian futurism. Lots of parts of the album come across as the early Dots mixed with The Black Corridor by Hawkwind (the deep space poetry!) and early Tangerine Dream between the early Electronic Meditation and Phaedra LPs somewhere.

Side A opens with the track Subterranean, Homesick which is pretty good for an opener, and is sung by Edward about alien signals and orders "sent from up on high". Most of the LP contains some spoken lyrics (there are four tracks on the LP and the download has a 5th shorter track as a bonus), like the second track, Giant Steps Post which is pretty funny, with Edward as a lone astronaut calling Earth that life has finally been encountered on the far outer fringes of the galaxy.

In fact, the life forms are small furry creatures cuddling with no apparent intelligence, yet the astronaut says to Earth that maybe we should teach them Human Mercy and civilization. "There are millions of them! We have found life...!!! We are not alone!!!" - yippie ya YAY! The third track is the majestic synth track I first mentioned, called Needles IV. It is about 10 minutes long and is like a serious drag on a joint full of black India hash and a Chrome track from the early 80s maybe. The synth sounds very analogue, vintage and stretches out with some serious rhythmic analogue thrashing keys. The 4th track is a very short filler, if you have the download or CD.

However the final track, Where Does The Sound Go, is very spacey, with Edward saying his voice is travelling into endless space like on "a butterfly flapping its wings", referring to Quantum physics and "The Butterfly Effect" and that somewhere far away all the sounds from the poets, screaming babies to cursing drunken sailors, through the ages, all intersect like on, at a far off edge of the universe.... during between stations static tuning of an analogue AM radio, as noise. "With these few words I make a mark, that never can be eradicated, it does not matter that so few of you hear them... what is important is that my voice will travel the ever vastness of space, far beyond when I have ceased to exist, at least in this form...", is Edward's opening recital that lasts for over 10 minutes.

What a mindblowing end to this record of vintage style Spacerock! I think Edward and Phillippe have created a masterwork here, and one should definetly go grab a download or an LP, as the CD is sold out by now. The LP is ltd. to 299 copies space fans! Go get this album now. It is sublime psychedelic spacerock, and comes so very highly recommended.

To purchase, stream and download visit the Legendary Pink Dots Bandcamp site. Visit the Legendary Pink Dots website and the Philippe Petit website. And for more information, also check out the Rustblade label website.