Aural Innovations - December 2015, Part 1

Mud Pie Sun — New Swing Mood Things / Two At Noon

(self-released 2015, CD/Cassette/DL, originally released 1992)

Jerry Kranitz

Mud Pie Sun are the Philadelphia based duo of Steve and Tom who first starting writing and recording together in 1989, inspired by the American and New Zealand underground DIY pop and home-recording ethos. Our introduction to their music here at Aural Innovations was the 2012 released Wooden Circle album which Alan reviewed at that time.

New Swing Mood Things / Two At Noon is a reissue of a cassette album from 1992, newly available in CD, cassette and download formats. The music is a sparse and acoustic driven lo-fi brand of Psychedelic Folk-Rock that across the album's 13 songs include lots of outside the box surprises.

At times I hear a blend of Acid-Folk and Psychedelic Bob Dylan, and at others solo acoustic Syd Barrett. But Mud Pie Sun can step far off the beaten path. Like on Any Minute, where the duo play a seemingly "normal" acoustic guitar singer-songwriter tune that just happens to be colored by whirring electronic tones followed by freaked out electric guitar effects. And Month Of Sundays, which has a similar core song sound but also tastefully dissonant electric guitar solo melodies which eventually builds up to a rollicking 60s flavored Folk-Pop-Psych song. Aztec Head is a weirded out Blues and tea kettle whistling sounds instrumental that I enjoyed. 5 Days After consists of drugged Psychedelic Folk-Blues plus traditional Americana elements.

Where You Belong is one of my favorites… After a brief trippy looped effects intro the song portion kicks in with the acoustic guitar and vocals, but also an accompanying phased acid/angst/squall guitar, making for a raw but cool contrasting blend of melodic song and screeching anxiety, ultimately working up to a raucous rocking frenzy of rhythmically cohesive but clatterous Psychedelic chaos. Very cool.

I like the raucous lo-fi 60s Folk-Rock of Sending Everything. The darkly somber acoustic Folk-Psych Blue Saturday varies the mood a bit. But Mud Pie Sun swing 360 degrees with the rousing Pop rocking jangle of Hurt Me More. And ditto for the guitar strumming Rock 'n' Roll of Revisited, that morphs into oddball but cool grooving avant-Psychedelic dissonance with dashes of Velvet Underground wildness.

The music may be lo-fi but it's recorded such that I felt like I had a front row seat in an intimate live setting. Damn good songs and lots of fun variety.

For more information visit the Mud Pie Sun web site at https://www.mudpiesun.com/

Stream, download and purchase from the band's Bandcamp page.

The Sonic Dawn — Perception

(Nasoni Records 2015, CD/LP/DL)

Jerry Kranitz

From Copenhagen, Denmark, The Sonic Dawn play a late 60s/early 70s influenced brand of Psychedelic Blues. Actually the band were originally called The Mind Flowers but had to change their name because the trademark is owned in the U.S. by a former producer of Ultimate Spinach.

After a debut 7" in 2014 Nasoni Records released the band's first full length in October of this year and it's a 10 song corker of a set. The album kicks off An Easy Heart To Break, a classic 70s influenced Blues Rock number that brings to mind a cool grooving and tastefully melodic Cream, but also has a trippy drifting Psychedelic instrumental break. Lonely Parade features spirited and still Bluesy Psychedelic swing with soulful vocals and an awesomely trippy finale. All The Ghosts I Know cranks out Psychedelically soulful Funk-Blues with a spiritually uplifting kick and periods of tranquilly spacey drift. And Black Cat Women drinks from the waters of the Mississippi Delta.

We've also got some songs that go in a different direction. The Mustang is a high energy slab of 60s Freakbeat and Soul with a detour into Indian inspired sitar drenched Psych. Lots happening in a mere four minutes! Wild At Heart is a thematic roller coaster ride that juxta-flitters between 60s B-Western flick soundtrack, swinging boogie-woogie Psych-Blues Rock and heavy jamming spaced out Psychedelic-Soul. Watching Dust Fall has a flowing atmospheric vibe that accompanies this spacey Psych-Blues rocker, and if this were released in the late 60s would have been my hands down pick for a single. It's totally trippy and has a catchy flowing melody which in that era would have meant Pop potential. And Fading Soul retains the band's Blues-Rock core but uses that as the foundation for an emotive singer-songwriter crooner with a Prog-like compositional flair. Very cool and impressively varied set.

For more information visit The Sonic Dawn website. Stream, download and purchase at The Sonic Dawn Bandcamp site. Visit the Nasoni Records website.

Sendelica — Sendelica Acoustica: Live At The 13th Dream Festival

(Friends of the Fish 2015, 10" vinyl/CD/DL)

Jerry Kranitz

Now here's something different... Sendelica unplugged! This one off acoustic performance featuring Pete, Glenda and Lee plus Alice on vocals was recorded on Sunday August 9th at the 13th Dream of Dr. Sardonicus Festival.

Released on 10" vinyl (SOLD OUT) and CD by the Fruits de Mer Records offshoot Friends of the Fish label, the EP is also available for download.

Hear another side of the band as they play their well known to fans Spaceman Bubblegum in lazy droning strummed acoustic guitar and saxophone style which gives the music a kind of drugged Folk-Jazz and, later, lulling melodic feel. This is the one instrumental and Alice sings on the rest.

Clubtimes Over has an acoustic Folk-Pop feel that alternates nicely between powerful and delicate, and the song has a lively instrumental finale.

Then we've got two covers. Ziggy Stardust is exactly what you might imagine an acoustic guitar and sax duet cover might sound like. And Venus In Furs works well as an acoustic song and the melodic sax really takes the tune in directions that Velvet fans wouldn't expect.

Definitely one for seasoned Sendelica fans who should check this out for another view of the band.

Get lots of other Sendelica albums at their Bandcamp site.

Alpha Omega — Electronic Mind Project

(Clostridium Records 2015, LP+CD, originally released 2001)

Jerry Kranitz

Clostridium Records follow up their 2013 release of the latest studio album from Australian Space Rockers Alpha Omega with a reissue of the band's 2001 debut. This is pretty nifty... The vinyl is housed in a beautiful gatefold with killer artwork that is brand new and vastly superior to the original. The LP consists of 8 of the 10 original songs plus a live track not on the original. PLUS you get a CD with the original ten songs and original artwork. I reviewed this back in 2003 but here are my impressions after a fresh listen.

Alpha Omega's musical and lyrical inspiration are pure Hawkwind and remind me a lot of early Darxtar, their Pseudo Sun offshoot, Xoo and the like. They sing of multiverses, worlds without time, space dust settling on the mind, floating in voids, sonic disturbance... you get the idea.

After a Brock/Calvert/Moorcock narrative introduction, Black Hole Approaching kicks off with Space Ritual freakout effects before launching into an at first acoustic/electric song and then a sonic attack Space Rocker. Cold Light Years is an acoustic/electric rocker with flittering electronics that is alternately raw chunky rocking and rhythmically drifting. Void Parts I & II consist of Hawk Rock that starts off with a dirty Garage infusion, but then after a blast-off interval goes blazing Space-Punk with snotty narrative vocals and head spinning oscillations.

The Moment is space doomy but spirited and even has an anthemic quality. One of my favorite songs is the thematically intricate Private Hell, which starts off as Space Rock with a hip shakin' 80s New Wave/Post-Punk edge before transitioning to a high intensity, down 'n' dirty Hard Rock/Space-Psych-Prog jam. Very cool. Scratching In Stone injects a dose of boogie-woogie in the Space Rock. Mystique features sound effects and floating space electronica with freaky alien spoken word.

And my hands down favorite of the set, Space Pilot, is a heavy Space-Metal rocker with a killer combination of song and jam segments that will appeal to Krel and Spacehead fans. Finally, the live track The Eye was originally on the band's Live at Terra Australis 2002 set and is a wild as hell heavy duty space rocker.

If you like bands who wear their Hawkwind influences on their shirtsleeves then Alpha Omega are for you. Clostridium also released their latest studio albums (from 2013) in their always beautiful packaged vinyl (CLICK HERE for my review of that one). NOTE that all are also available for streaming and download from the Alpha Omega Bandcamp site.

For more information visit the Clostridium Records website. Visit the Alpha Omega Bandcamp site.

Sula Bassana — Shipwrecked

(Sulatron Records 2015, CD/LP)

Jerry Kranitz

You never know what to expect from a new Sula Bassana album. It might be a full band rocker or Dave "Sula" Schmidt solo with electronics. Shipwrecked charts a somewhat middle ground course, with the music being a celebration of the Sula vintage instruments arsenal.

Though primarily keyboard/synth/electronic driven, the opening track Moonbase Alpha Alpha has a rocking and somewhat Motorik rhythmic pulse. The beats and melodies give the music a Kraftwerk/Neu! feel, the drones, floating electronica and syncopations inject a bit of sci-fi soundtrack, and the whole feels like a pulsating and grooving slab of electro robotic yet soundscape enveloped Space Rock. Shushi Express ups the rhythmic ante with a dancey tribal groove which is coupled with a pulsating Eastern flavored chant drone and shamanic melody.

I like how Sula combines multiple contrasting yet seamlessly cohesive repetitive elements to create a hypno-throb meditational groove meets alien dance party piece. No Time: No Eternity is like an Eloy/Floydian Space-Prog soundtrack anchored by a single attention grabbing throb beat and a spellbinding Mellotronic string melody. Sula escalates the trance-throb effect on Planeta Bur, which is characterized by mesmerizingly swaying harem scarem Arabian melodies, drones and atmospherics.

The title track is a peacefully somber yet uplifting electro string ensemble that my mind's eye sees performed among the planetarium dome stars. And No Way is a brief early 70s analog synth sounding call to cosmic prayer coda to this outstanding set.

Reviewing this album right after the latest Electric Moon reissue only reinforces my belief that Dave Schmidt is one of the most multi-faceted talents on the contemporary Space/Psych scene. And he's a busy guy too, running the Sulatron label and playing what seems to be a fair number of live performances throughout the year.

For more information visit the Sulatron Records website, the Sula Bassana website and Sula Bassana Bandcamp site.

Electric Moon — Flaming Lake

(Sulatron Records 2015, CD/2-LP)

Jerry Kranitz

Flaming Lake was first released on limited quantity CDR in 2011 by Sulatron Records and now reissued on CD and double vinyl.

In true Electric Moon tradition these are all LP side long stretch out tracks ranging from 16-24 minutes. The Cosmic Creator (love that title) starts off slow and meditative, with a rumbling but peacefully flowing stoner fuzzed and pulsating spaced out Psychedelic vibe. I love how the volume, pace and intensity level gradually increase to the point of volcanic Space Rock explosion, while maintaining an uplifting floating through space feel. Sure it's totally stoned and even a little demonic at times, but the easy paced drone and acidic corrosion are, nonetheless, a gentle and free flowing mind massage.

And the fun continues throughout the set. The title track is similar but has a more throb rocking Stoner-Space groove and guitar solos that scream and melt into the void. Lost And Found Souls is the most overtly Stoner Rock of the set, though it's soundscape doomy and we're flying well beyond the Earth's atmosphere. I love those shimmering guitar licks that pour off the strings like molten cosmic fuzz lava. And it's loaded with killer effects that make it all sound like a sci-fi Armageddon soundtrack. Alternately, Burning Battenberg is, at least relative to the others, far more deep space acid drone drenched, opting for a stoned but intensely atmospheric groove. The pace quickens as the piece progresses and the vibe gets increasingly acidic with a cool blend of rhythmic rocking and hypnotic throb, culminating in a manic explosion of mercury bursting intensity.

In summary, if you missed Flaming Lake the first time around then here's your chance. If you like stoned improvisational Psychedelic Space Rock that's all about the journey and the lines are blurred between beginning, middle and end, then Electric Moon should be your cup of tea. I never tire of their jams.

For more information visit the Sulatron Records website and the Electric Moon Bandcamp site.

Sun Dial — Mind Control

(Sulatron Records 2015, CD)

Jerry Kranitz

Sun Dial's Mind Control album was first released on vinyl in 2012 and now Sulatron has put out a CD edition with two bonus tracks. It's great to see Gary Ramon's long-lived Psychedelic project alive and kicking and still making excellent music.

The spacey Mountain Of Fire & Miracles opens the set with a bass riff that gives the music a Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Sun sound. But there's also a trippy though tension-laden Eastern vibe with vocals that have a chanting quality and we're treated to a nifty combination of freeform soloing guitar and fuzz blast chord crashes, making for a hypno rocking Psych excursion.

And speaking of trippy, Radiation pulls out the bongs, hookahs and tabs and makes merry with an audio lava lamp of shimmers, gurgles, pulsations and sundry Psychedelic experimentation, all led by an enchanting pied piper flute melody and rockin' drumming. Freak-eeeeee!

Burned In is a short sound, effects and voice samples collage embellished by string orchestration and ethnic bits which leads into the heavier Psych rocking title track with its repetitive, entrancing Can-like guitar, synth and rhythmic pulse. It's got a cool blend of chunky rhythm guitar, percussion and drone/whine soaring guitar waves that create an avant-Psych rocking glom of ambient intensity and robot rocking groove.

Last Rays Of The Sun brings together sonic assault march and seductive melodic drift. And rounding out the original set is a cover of Roxy Music's In Every Dreamhome A Heartache, which starts off with acoustic guitar and droning, mildly dissonant violin as it slowly works up to an explosion of raw, punky chunky Psych Rock.

The two bonus tracks both have a mystical quality, though Seven Pointed Star (short version) is acoustic driven and World Within You has an electric stoned droning quality but also tasty melodic flute and guitar soloing. Nice set and lots of variety.

For more information visit the Sulatron Records web site.

Otrovna Kristina — Otrovna Kristina

(Sulatron Records 2015, CD/LP)

Jerry Kranitz

Otrovna Kristina are a Croatian band who I was curious about when I saw the promo sheet description of the album as a "straightforward rock release". Well... straight-forward is a relative term at Sulatron. The band, who sing in Croatian, play 70s influenced Hard Rock with a frequently psychy edge. All the songs are in the 2-4 minute range, which may seem short but they're tight as a knot and pack a kick to the cranium punch.

Nearly every song has at least some kind of guitar solo which despite their brevity makes for killer fills. The great thing about 70s Hard Rock was that concise, structured songs saw the value of even a brief but assertive solo.

At only 35 minutes the set is short but Otrovna Kristina delivery in spades: kick ass ballsy Hard Rock... sometimes funky, sometimes stoned metallic, and even sedately melodic, with solid songs and musicianship and loads of guitar attack action and riffage. Nuff said...

For more information visit the Sulatron Records website and the Otrovna Kristina Bandcamp site.

Jet Jaguar — Retrofit

(Overlord Records 2015, CDEP, originally released 2002)

Jerry Kranitz

The Jet Jaguar reissue series continues with the band's long out of print first album, originally released in 2002 by Aktivator records. The promo sheet describes this as remastered and expanded. It's certainly expanded from 6 - 8 songs, though the tracks are a bit different from the original.

Roadkill packs a set opening punch as a Punk inspired Space Rocker with incessantly bashing guitar chords that feel electro-Motorik in their attack. Atomic Vampire draws on 80s New Wave but is nonetheless a heavy driving stew of gurgling synth and explosions propelled Space Rock. The Mutated is similar but ups the heaviness ante with chunky Metal guitars and freaked out vocals that recall Chrome, creating a powerhouse Acid-Metal-Goth blast-off to the stars.

The pace eases considerably on the spaced out, melodic and rhythmically floating X-Ray of a Neon City which, uncharacteristically for Jet Jaguar, includes a pleasant acoustic guitar lead. But this is only an interlude as the band are shot back out into even heavier Space-Metal territory for Count Geiger's Blues, which is like a Star Wars Stormtrooper battling Vikings soundtrack. Energy Brat is all blazing, soaring and blippity bleeping electronics and effects that set the stage for Jet Jaguar's Punk pummeling cover of Chrome's The Need. And The Descent of U-29 ends this brief set with a bit of gurgling ambient/soundscape, image inducing sci-fi film soundtrack exploration. A splendid time is guaranteed for ALL!

NOTE: Each CD comes with a black & white Deathcruiser Jet Jaguar t-shirt. I've got one and can tell you that these are very cool high quality T's!

For more information visit the Jet Jaguar website and the Jet Jaguar Bandcamp site.

Curch Of Hed — The Autumn Shrine EP

(Eternity's Jest Records 2015, Download)

Jerry Kranitz

Hot on the heels of Church of Hed's Electric Sepulcher album is the 3-track The Autumn Shrine EP. If you read the interview with Paul Williams that accompanied my Electric Sepulcher review.

The mainstay of the EP is the nearly 14 minute The Autumn Shrine (Parts I-III), which Paul describes as "Floyd rides a Camel to Berlin School", but also, tellingly, as "a requiem for Quarkspace". The piece kicks off with a combination of melodic Quarkspace-ish piano and Space-Prog keys and a beat that grooves along steadily for the first four minutes. The theme shifts to a pulsating electro pattern, swooshing synths and garbled voice samples with a cool blend of robotic syncopation and aquatic swish. I like the dark Mellotronic and electronica tension before developing into a Quarkspace meets Van der Graaf Generator motif that eventually smooths out to an uplifting Space-Symphonic finale.

Paul describes the relatively short Silicon Rogue as "Bob Moog meets Philip Glass", and the Glass analogy is immediately apparent with the repetitive pattern that creates a foundation for the melodic but intense piano melody that accompanies it. Finally, Transmixiom is described as "Brian Eno warps from 1975 to today with an appropriate bass response" and features a cool grooving blend of deep space ambience/soundscapes and cosmic dance grooves. With Paul living in the sticks of Kentucky and having achieved, it would seem, Quarkspace closure, we may be seeing a more frequent Church of Hed output. Cross your fingers...

Visit the Church Of Hed and Quarkspace website, the Church Of Hed and Quarkspace Bandcamp site, and see Church Of Hed on Facebook.

Ciolkowska — Pistolet Buduhchego

(R.A.I.G. 2015, CD/DL)

Jerry Kranitz

Ciolkowska are a Saint Petersburg, Russia based quartet whose name refers to the ideas of "Russian Cosmism", which the R.A.I.G. web site describes as a philosophical and cultural movement that emerged in Russia in the early 20th century and was represented by various Russian philosophers and scholars of the 19th-20th century. Reading that the band formed with a focus on Space, Kraut, Jam and Experimental Rock I was especially anxious to dive in upon seeing that one member is a dedicated ukulele player.

Aspera/Astra opens the set with 11 minutes of lusciously melodic Rock and a hint of Prog. Around the 8 minute mark the music explodes into a swirling cauldron of intense Kosmiche Rock that whips up a frenzy before receding once again into a meditative yet tension-laden rocking drift. I never would have guessed that the beautiful string leads were a ukulele and the instrument is a welcome presence throughout the album. Very nice.

There's an 80s New Wave and Prog-Punk with a Kosmiche edge on the short but compelling Bang-Utot (Koshmar Pirata). I like the duet between the ukulele and what sounds like a twangy droning jaw harp that permeates throughout Zauryadnaya Radost as crashing guitar and chest thumping bass gradually provoke a heavier rocking pace. Another very cool ethnic flavored and Prog inspired Psychedelic Kosmiche rocker. The aptly titled Tuda b (2dub) adds a bit of Dub pulse and swirl to the mix, and when the chant vocals kick in it sounds like we're in Space Rock Dervish territory. Several tracks remind me of early Korai Orom's brand of ethnic infused Space Rock. Ole Lukkoye also comes to mind and there's a whiff of Ozric Tentacles to be detected as well.

Ciolkowska have a flair for melody and a great combination of rhythmic pulse and hypnotic deep space drift. The musicianship, recording and production are excellent. The music is mostly instrumental with some vocals in Russian. If you like ethnic flavored Space/Psych Rock than you'll surely dig Ciolkowska. Recommended!

For more information visit the Ciolkowska Bandcamp site and the R.A.I.G. website. Stream, download and purchase all R.A.I.G. releases at the R.A.I.G. Bandcamp site.

Mechanik — Eadem Mutata Resurgo

(R.A.I.G. 2015, CD/DL)

Jerry Kranitz

Spanish Space/Psych/Kraut rockers Mechanik follow up their 2013 Velut Stella Splendida album with a fresh set of mostly instrumental Space Rock and sound explorations. The R.A.I.G. web site explains that the album was conceived "as a non-stop psych-out transmission with the tracks organically flowing into one another", and references "themes of Death, Mysticism, Gnosticism, Time Travel, Drug Abuse, Spiritualism, Outer Space, Decadence, etc".

Non-stop indeed! Nesmrtelnost opens the set and blends propulsive Space Rock with cosmic electronica to create a groove rocker that is somewhat Motorik but much smoother 'round the rhythmic edges. The spacey Frippoid guitar leads that characterized the last album are a commanding presence, winding an acidic snake-like path as showers of molten bubbling electronics surge and wind tunnel waves sweep across the sonic plane. This theme continues its high intensity development as the track cascades seamlessly into A Vechnost, which includes heavily efx'd robot vocals that add an electro-dance vibe to the deep space rocking maelstrom.

The gears shift dramatically with To Tzeitel, a dynamic slab of soulful Psychedelic Funk that's surrounded by gurgly grooving electronic patterns. Ein Heller Stern lays down a more overtly Motorik pulse that serves as a foundation over which majestic guitar leads soar and a combination of buzzing alien electronics and blizzardous synths explore. I like how the music veers into more purely atmospheric territory, creating the ebbing and flowing feel of an interstellar storm. The appropriately titled Howl features a recitation of Alan Ginsberg's infamous poem to what is the most straightforward hard and heavy Psychedelic Space Rocker of the set. KILLER attack guitar leads!

The mouthful titled Particulas Subatomicas en el Jet de un Agujero Negro and Eclairs de Vie Apres la Dernier Souffle both play like one, being a sound and soundscape exploratory piece that is both meditatively beautiful and corrosively intense. This melts smoothly into the closely track, Sgt. Shamar Thomas, a melodic blend of Shoegazey Dream-Pop and all the electronic pulses, bubbles and howls that have characterized the album. Very impressive... Mechanik have created a genuine ALBUM that must be heard from start to finish to be fully appreciated.

For more information visit the Mechanik Bandcamp site and the R.A.I.G. website. Stream, download and purchase all R.A.I.G. releases at the R.A.I.G. Bandcamp site.

Mammatus — Sparkling Waters

(Spiritual Pajamas 2015, CD/LP/DL)

Jeff Fitzgerald

Back in 2013, Mammatus emerged from a 6-year hiatus with the mindblowing album Heady Mental, an album that took the band into definitely more spacey territory than their earlier releases. Just two years later, the band returns with their most ambitious album to date, the mostly instrumental Sparkling Waters; a double album consisting of just four tracks, all over 15-minutes in length. Mammatus continue to embrace their spacier inclinations, but the album also has a much mellower vibe than past releases. They described their debut self-titled album as "the final battle between amps and sea monsters". It seems the battle is over, and Mammatus have found a more peaceful state of mind.

The 22-minute long Sparkling Waters Part 1 opens with almost 5-minutes of layered drones, beautiful, melodic swells and wind chimes. Those worrying that Mammatus may have evolved into some kind of new age band or something need not worry, though, because at this point the full band kicks in with their trademark guitar arpeggios and complex rhythms which slowly dissolve into a lengthy, breathtakingly gorgeous passage of echoing guitars, spaced out synths and recorder. This is music that really takes you somewhere, whether you think that might be the shores of the Pacific Ocean or the shores of the universe. A slow build takes this one to it's amazing conclusion, with cosmic voice choruses and a truly exhilarating, spiraling guitar freak-out that will take you off those shores and outward, over the sparkling waters. The band has come a long way from their days of dark, doomy sludgery, to a sound that is infused with light and positive vibes.

The 20-minute Sparkling Waters Part 2 doesn't so much pick up where Part 1 left off, but establishes itself as an entirely new piece while still continuing the journey. We're greeted with the sound of crashing waves and a surprisingly chilled, gently loping electronic pulse that plays over deep, ambient space synths, carrying you drifting across the cosmic ocean deeper and deeper into space and time. At 12 1/2-minutes in, a deep, ringing guitar chord announces a change as the band kicks into a slow, Sabbathy kind of groove, but one that eschews the darkness for a more transcendent feel. It's full of sludgy noise, but what a beautiful, sludgy noise it is!

These two tracks alone would make for a fine album, but there's still much more to come. The 15-minute track, The Elkhorn, returns to the heavier rocking sound of their previous albums, but with complex, cyclical guitar lines and spacey, pulsing synths driving through it, it at times sounds something like Tangerine Dream, but with heavy guitars. It makes for one hell of a space rock ride, that drifts off into a 4-minute long soaring, ambient space trip at the end.

And then we come to the final piece, the 17 1/2-minute Ornia. With its buzzing, fuzzed out guitars, you would think this would be a much heavier piece, but it's shot through with dazzling, soaring melodies that make it both heavy and mellow at the same time. It's a remarkable balancing of tones. The piece goes all ambient in the middle with fuzzy swells of noise, waves, and languid, almost melancholy guitar melodies. This slowly evolves into a gentle, jazzy, rhythmic exploration with laidback wah-wah guitars, recorder and piano, as well as a ton of space effects. The band can't contain themselves though, and suddenly break into a stunning space funk jam for a breathtaking, spectacular finish.

After two years, Mammatus returns and they do not disappoint. Sparkling Waters can be enjoyed on a number of different levels, from meditative to heavy rocking; from spaced out to just plain freaking out. Mammatus evolves with every release in new and exciting directions, and this one is no exception. Highly recommended!

For more info, visit the Mammatus website, Mammatus on Facebook and the Mammatus Bandcamp site.

Electric Grandmother — The Bodyguard Soundtrack

(Infinite Number Of Sounds 2015, CD/DL)

Jerry Kranitz

The Electric Grandmother are the Washington, DC based duo of Pete Faust and Mary Alice Hamnett who play seriously strange but good fun and whimsically freaky songs. They're by no means Space Rock, but they can by spacey. And they sure are Psychedelic, but not in any traditional sense. Actually I've had a whacking good time trying to describe just what the hell they do, knowing full well that in the end you'll just have to hear it for yourself.

The Bodyguard Soundtrack consists of 22 short songs, few much more than 2 minutes, which in some ways struck me as a lo-fi take on The Residents Commercial Album, plus lots of weirded out lo-fi takes on early 80s Synth-Pop/Post-Punk/New Wave. The songs are mostly upbeat and have catchy melodies, but it's the weirder elements that linger. And the lyrics can get pretty crazy. I mean, how can you not like an album with song titles like Bill and Hillary Clinton Making Out in a Hot Tub Full of Poop and Pee?

Several songs brought to mind the Residents song feel, or maybe Renaldo and the Loaf doing Pop songs would be a better description. I like the punky robotic electro Pop tunes, especially the hilariously goofy and crazily spaced out We Threw Up On Nuns. There's no shortage of bouncy spacey electro Sunshine Pop 'n' Roll songs that I thought were very well done. I liked the steroidal lo-fi electro Pop of Kiss Your Food, and there may be a thematic tie with the following number, Food Gives Us Shit, which is similar but has a dreamier flow despite the hyper-kinetic percussion.

There are also several cool and strange tunes with a Trip-Hop/Dub/Rap element. Three Men And A Baby features freaky yet upbeat Psychedelic Trip-Hop Pop that throws a smoke screen cover over some crazy lyrics. The Raptor Rap has a cool electro Rap-Pop groove. I really enjoyed the weird alien glom of spaced out Trip-Hop infused electro Pop on Fuller House. And Yo Palm Springs says a lot in less than 2 minutes, consisting of a traditional cotton field work song vibe within a Dub-Pop outer casing with lightly percussive and melodic sci-fi ambience. Freak-eeeeee!!

Did any of that make any sense? Really, there's so much going on here that there's no concise description or analogy that encapsulates what The Electric Grandmother is up to. But you've read this far so I'm assuming that you're intrigued so check 'em out.

For more information visit the Electric Grandmother website]. Stream and purchase The Bodyguard Soundtrack and other Electric Grandmother albums at the Electric Grandmother Bandcamp site.

Lee Negin — Frack Art, Let' Dance

(Passing Phase Records 2015, Download)

Jerry Kranitz

Hot on the heels of his Surfing Samsara compilation, Detroit raised and currently Tokyo residing electronic musician Lee Negin has released the one song single, Frack Art, Let's Dance.

The title evokes both the cover art and music, and it doesn't take more than one spin of this tune to wonder if it's some long-lost track from the electronic 80s.

This is dark, Gothic, Psychedelic electro-pop with a freaky edge and a catchy melodic hook.

I like the stilted, robotic but oh so danceable rhythmic pulse. Very cool song but it only scratches the surface of what Negin's music is about.

The websites for Lee Negin and Passing Phase Records no longer exist. See the Lee Negin page on Spotify.

Levente — Firmamentum

(LeventeZone Records 2015, CD/DL)

Jerry Kranitz

Levente Toth was born in Transylvania's Hungarian ethnic region, and I was interested to read in his bio that he built his first analogue synthesizer while living in Ceausescu's Romania. That must have presented challenges. He relocated to the UK in 1995 where he has been recording and releasing his electronic music.

Firmamentum is Levente's fifth album and my introduction to his music. The 6 tracks were inspired by astronomic observatories and places of worship, reflecting both scientific and spiritual influences. These inspirations manifest themselves in both the music and the song titles.

This is pure journey into space electronica. As Lifted Into Orbit (Hubble Space Telescope) opened the set the inspirational electronic Space-Prog flooded into my brain through the headphones and washed itself down to my feet. This is music for lifting the spirit and soaring through the cosmos, with majestic symphonic keys that create an interstellar magic carpet ride. Overhearing The Stars (Arecibo Observatory) is similar though I like the bouncy Kraftwerkian synths that at times add an interesting embellishment to the reflective deep space bliss. Levente does a good job of matching titles to musical themes.

Vaults of Heaven (Canterbury Cathedral) conjures up images of an astral alter of worship, the sensation being gorgeously angelic and anchored by an underlying chant drone, and alternating between a rhythmically propelled medieval theme and the contemplative haven of the cathedral. The appropriately titled Constellations Of Arabesques (La Mezquita, Cordoba) is one of the more subdued pieces, creating a windswept cosmic desert nomad landscape, though it includes more than its share of Levente's dreamy ambience and symphonic space exploration.

Cosmic Addresses (Mount Palomar) starts off introspectively solemn, and even includes Berlin school bits among the soaring space symphonics, which is no surprise given that this is Levente's memorial to the recently deceased Edgar Froese. After a while it develops into one of the more rhythmically charged tracks of the set, adding a bit of head bobbing Rock to the Space-Prog symphony. Finally, Monsoon Skies (Angkor Wat, Cambodia) is a peacefully euphoric symphonics, drones and trippy Psychedelic piece that closes the set.

In summary, if you like deep space electronic excursions with a Progressive edge and careful attention to thematic development then you'll like Levente's music. Headphones seem insufficient... if you've got access to a planetarium that would be the ideal setting.

To stream and purchase the download of Firmamentum and other Levente albums visit the Levente Bandcamp site. The CD is available through Amazon.

Squeegeed Clean — Sudden Illumination or a Kick in the Third Eye

(self-released 2015, DL)

Jerry Kranitz

It's been a few years but we've got two new full length albums from Avant-Jazz inspired Psychedelia-in-Space combo Squeegeed Clean, led by the Down Under duo of Funkmeister G and D.J. Urinal Cake. These guys go way back to the early Aural Innovations days with submissions from their band Vocabularinist and its many offshoots so it's always fun getting new music from them.

The track titles on Sudden Illumination or a Kick in the Third Eye are a hoot. Cancer Is About The Closest Thing We Have To A Pop Song features wild and wooly Out-Jazz like Coltrane with weirdly whacked piano and wound up spacey effects. Thinking About The Non-Existent Vibrations From A Chinese E-bow That Doesn't Exist is like an extended avant-garde symphony warm-up, being a lightly cacophonous and noisily ambient combination of Free-Jazz horns, Sun Ra synth runs, percussion, windswept effects and spoken word narrative, creating a chaotic mantra for disturbed meditation. Like Someone On The Hunt In A Village Spying Around Corners Until They Get To The Creperie is a howl at the moon glom of Out-Jazz horns, periodic rocking percussion, and oddly melodic orchestral noise synths and horns.

Symmetrical Dribbles is a brief bit of tripped out Psychedelic backwards fun and effect that sets the stage for the 34 minute journey that is An Expensive Place That Smells Like Grandmas. It starts off with guitar and bass noodling, like a Derek Bailey/John Fahey brand of Blues, accompanied by soundscapes, voice samples and sundry sounds. As the music progresses it teeters between stilted Avant-Rock, spaced out chamber ensemble, ambient Space Rock and Psychedelic sound experimentation cum soundscape exploration. Imagine a morphing of classic Kosmiche, Avant-Blues, Noise/Jazz Orchestra, Henry Cow, The Residents and Sun Ra at his most experimental and you might get something like this tripped out tumble down the rabbit hole. And we get cool guitar contributions from Don Campau. Finally, Not The Normal Pigs But The Zombie Pigs From Down Below closes the set with a bit a tribal Out-Jazz and duck quackery.

Squeegeed Clean — It Insists Upon Itself

(digitalDIZZY 2015, DL)

Jerry Kranitz

You still with me? Because the fun continues with It Insists Upon Itself. The set opens with Get Yr Hoot On!, which combines drugged, cacophonous Free-Jazz with soundscape waves, including wailing efx'd horns that periodically melt into lysergic ambient blasts. Speaking of horns, this is the first Squeegeed Clean album to feature trumpet instead of saxophone.

An Englishman & An Irishman Walk Into A 4 Track showcases art damaged Free-Jazz meets drones and mind-fuckedly altered state ambience. Both tracks include barely intelligible conversations that crop up from time to time. This segues seamlessly into What Format Are Your Flames In, which continues the spectral Free-Jazz jamming but adds an off-kilter rhythmic pulse and freaked out noisy synths that recall Sun Ra at his wildest. A Bit Of The Old Inner-Outer (Space that Is) opens with freaked out Psychedelic Blues alongside steady Jazz drumming and a pleasantly melodic trumpet melody, but soon develops into a deep space excursion where a Free-Jazz jam is wrestled into a barely containable soundscape stew.

Burning My Wigs On Your Radiator features 14 minutes of what is some of the album's most heavy rocking music, but also the most peacefully aural acid trip space adventurism of the set. I like the way rhythm, ambience, drones, voice samples and effects are morphed and manipulated into a cleverly whacked out cosmic goulash of messed up Jazz and spaced out fun. The equally lengthy Taking Turns To Turtle consists of the most sedately ambient music of the set, with quiet soundscapes and efx'd instruments drumming, trumpeting and guitaring along with the rhythmic ambient drift. I love the high intensity, explosively caterwauling orchestrated finale!

Nobody takes Free-Jazz and Psychedelia out into freaked out space like these guys. And if you've read this far you're a sick person who desperately needs the medicine this music can provide.

Both albums can be found in the Freaky Shit section of all good record stores. Or, better yet... Stream and download Sudden Illumination or a Kick in the Third Eye and other releases at the Squeegeed Clean Bandcamp site. Digital Dizzy no longer has a Bandcamp site but you can stream and download It Insists Upon Itself from the Cosmic Coffin Bandcamp site.