Aural Innovations - June 2015

Didism — Bay Side Story

(Taped Rugs Productions 2015, CDR, Cassette, DL)

Jerry Kranitz

Founded in 1985 by Charles Rice Goff III and Killr "Mark" Kaswan, Disism has been active in fits and starts over the years, including a kick-start in 2012. That same year, Goff found several cassette tapes of Disism improvisations and collages that had been recorded between 1988 and 1995, which resulted in the Disism reDIScovery series, of which Bay Side Story is Volume Seven. Goff has taken these recordings and edited them into the form heard on these reDIScovery sets.

Introducing Freddie And Donkey opens the set with a child improvising the introduction to a variety show as cello and electronics warm up, finally inspiring the child to sing along. Talk Of The Town consists of music stumbling along in drugged, surreal fashion like a 78rpm record struggling between 33 1/3 and 45rpm, accompanied by a whimsical party band at normal speed and includes intermittent narration about murder in Oakland and other less than pleasant area news.

Eliminate Panic Eliminate Fear is next, featuring a fun combination of jolly guitar and alien electronic melodie jamming away and accompanied by freaky scat-like synth effects, choral chanting female vocals and documentary voice samples. The Extruding Of Golden Grain is a creatively goofy children's tune (that would seriously confuse the kiddies) enhanced by a variety of sound and percussive patterns. Navigating The Nimitz is melodic and rocking guitar rumination, including some cool Frippoid and Beefheart styled bits. N Judah Muni is another fun tune, feeling like an acid-fried and Residents imbued meditation.

A shorter version of Walk Into The Sunset was originally released by EE Tapes of Belgium in 1998 on the cassette album Remnants From Magic Carpets. It's a sprightly chamber duo of impassioned cello and chipper synth, with the cello handling the Classical chores and the synth adding a kind of alien hoedown element. The result brings to mind a lysergic interpretation of a Carl Stalling soundtrack (though I'm convinced Stalling and all those Warner Bros. guys had to be on acid themselves).

Finally, the 17-minute The Tenor Of Temescal is like a roundup of everything we've heard prior, which I would describe as Psychedelic music for the experimental set. This is seriously dosed stuff, featuring freeform jamming guitar solos, electronics, and cleverly fucked up tape manipulation. At times I was again reminded of an artistically fowled, acid rock take on a Stalling soundtrack, but we've also got space electronic freakouts and general good fun sound collage mayhem.

There's a lot to soak in here, which is a comment I could make about most offerings from the Taped Rugs label, and from one spin to the next I know my descriptions would be altered at least a bit. But you get the idea. Note that Goff has threatened to unleash a brand new Disism set of recordings. I'll be looking forward to those.

For more information (LOTS of it!!) you can visit the Taped Rug Productions website. Download Bay Side Story for free from Archive.org.

Charles Rice Goff III & Walls Of Genius — Lodovico Cement

(Taped Rugs Productions 2015, CDR, Cassette, Download)

Jerry Kranitz

A little background: Earlier this year, 1980s homemade music/cassette culture veterans Walls Of Genius released their first new recordings in 30 years, one album of which was Paleolithic, released on the HalTapes label. There was also an album of outtakes titled Paleolithic Rejects which Charles Rice Goff III contributed guitar to. Lodovico Cement consists of Goff's improvisations with Walls Of Genius which he then reworked into the interpretation we hear on Lodovico Cement, which is quite different from the music heard on the Walls of Genius albums and just as art damaged interesting and fun.

Beautiful Music combines merry shimmering slide whistle with drones, keyboard and guitar to create an oddball moody piece that is just as whimsical as it is darkly foreboding. This theme continues on Mathod in Medness, though it becomes increasingly spacey, sound-collage-oriented and valium paced free-form psychedelic. I like the contrasting moods and sounds that come together to construct a bubbling stew of atmospheric soundtrack and ambient driven, mind-fucked acid jam. Capstan of Industry features sci-fi rhythmic electronic patterns and aggressive but not overly harsh noise waves which are like a strangely musical bowels of the spacecraft engine room soundtrack, but also brings to mind a bee swarm shot backwards across the shortwave radio spectrum. Nova Express is a schizophrenic blend of melodic instrumental ditty and chaotically coordinated alien sound collage orchestra. I like how the guitar jams its repetitive podunk melody as the alien throng impressively attempts to march in step with the melody. The oscillating bevy of sound fun continues on the nearly 30-minute title track, which soon transitions to a dreamy yet frequently intense ambient, sound/drone-scape excursion. It's quietly introspective for a while, with plenty of haunting moodiness, but also the kind of opposing freakish sounds that made for such a strange but intriguing concoction on the earlier pieces. Things get a little crazier when what sounds like looped acid guitar and other miscellaneous sounds drift through like a topsy-turvy whirlwind alongside the principle theme, with the whole mash-up eventually melting into a deep space surrealistic acid rock jam that soon evaporates into avant-soundscape ether.

As usual, Goff does his creative magic with the Walls of Genius recordings, resulting in an hour of psychedelic, soundscape and sound collage fun that can only be fully digested and absorbed over repeated listens.

For more information (LOTS of it!!) you can visit the Taped Rug Productions website Download Lodovico Cement for free from Archive.org. Visit the Walls of Genius Bandcamp site. Hal McGee put a tremendous amount of work into creating a detailed history of Walls of Genius, including all their 80s cassette albums available for online steaming. Check it out at haltapes.com. (Click Walls of Genius from the top screen menu.)

Flesh-Resonance — Carrion Worlds Volume 1

(Darksounds Media Label 2015, Download, originally released 2004)

Jerry Kranitz

Flesh Resonance is the duo of Keith Hill and Tony Longworth, who are giving the digital reissue treatment to their 2004 released Carrion Worlds Volume 1 album. Hill may be known to many Aural Innovations readers from his Space Rock band Civilian Zen, though he has been in loads of other bands and I even did an Aural Innovations Space Rock Radio special dedicated to him last year (see link below).

The 12 tracks on the album are an intriguing string of themes, where a prevailing Gothic mood and dark romance are joined by spacey ambience and cinematic atmospherics. The album as a whole is characterized by both song and image inducing soundtrack, as rhythmic vocal numbers intersperse with soundscapes, sound collage and voice samples.

The set opens with a Gothic soundscape intro which soon launches into a searing but melodic Rave-Industrial vocal number. This leads to a surreal yet alluring combination of Gothic moodiness, spacey atmospherics and traditional Italian restaurant theme. I like the contrasts that transition seamlessly as we're next treated to a darkly seductive Gothic song with chunky Metal guitar and robotic electronica elements, which is followed by yet more atmospherics plus strange, spectral voice samples and soundscapes.

But just as we're settling into a dreamy pattern, Flesh Resonance once again leap on the dancefloor for what feels like a blend of Rave-Industrial and Porcupine Tree with Helios Creed guitar. Back and forth we go as the song segues to a dark and spacey Gothic melancholy with piano melody, before developing into a spooky sound collage that strays from Goth to Suspiria styled horror. One of the most jarring transitions of the set jolts the listener as this is followed by a combination of space electronica, looped guitar, futuristic themed voice samples and Dream-Pop song, and, finally, a return to the opening theme which peters out with waves gently splashing against the shore for the finale.

After a few listens it's clear that Carrion Worlds Volume 1 is a Gothic soundtrack experience that must be experienced in its entirety to really appreciate. Flesh Resonance do a fine job of bringing together Goth themes and cinematic sound collage plus just enough other stylistic elements to keep things interesting.

Carrion Worlds Volume 1 is available for download from Amazon, iTunes, CDBaby and Spotify. Visit the Flesh Resonance website fleshresonance.com, which links to their Bandcamp site.

Aural Innovations Space Rock Radio had an all Keith Hill special was on show #335.

Krankschaft — Three

(Stereo Records 2015, CD/DL)

Jerry Kranitz

Krankschaft are the trio of Steve Pond on guitar, synths and vocals, Alex Tsentides on bass and Kevin Walker on drums. I'm sure many readers will be acquainted with Pond from Inner City Unit and Robert Calvert's Maximum Effect band. Three is their latest and features an ass kicking set of high-energy ROCK!

The album opens on a potent note with the 10+ minute Dark Energy, a smokin' hot Hawk styled Space Rocker. It's got killer rocking guitar and a high-energy propulsive beat that draws our attention to the rock 'em sock 'em BLANGA! on the album cover. But it's also got cosmically pastoral Space-Prog segments that provide a bit of meditative drift before once again cranking up the pace. Day Of The Quake is a treat, being what is apparently a previously unrecorded Robert Calvert song which Krankschaft turn into a monster slab of Space-Punk.

Come Fly With Us is the only other non-Pond penned song of the set. It rocks hard, has a nice catchy melody and a nifty synth interlude that transitions to a hot 'n' heavy Space-Punk jam. Jetpack is a beautifully melodic tune, both vocals and guitar, and one of the more sedate songs of the set. Ditto for Silent Witness, which gently rock hard and has a bit of a 70s Glam edge. For pure melodic song and hard rocking anthem quality Moon is a highlight, being one of those tunes that would make an auditorium full of people leave their cell phones in their pockets and raise their old Bic lighters high. Sheep is a space-infused 70s influenced hard rocker that pulls no punches in its criticism of those who blindly and unquestionably follow the norm. Finally, Who What Why is a blistering rocker that will get those same Bic flicking fans on their feet dancing and head bopping.

In summary, Krankschaft crank out a damn fine set that combines Hawkwind styled Space Rock, Space-Punk, 70s Hard Rock and bits of Prog and Glam. It's got well-composed songs, great jamming instrumental segments, and is well recorded and arranged, with an essential focus on guitar and bass ATTACK during the harder rocking moments. Genre descriptions aside, this is an excellent all around ROCK album. I'll bet these guys kick serious ass live. A shoe-in for my Best of 2015 list.

For more information visit the Krankschaft website and their Bandcamp site.

Space Mirrors — The Street Remains

(Atomic Age Records 2015, CD/DL)

Jerry Kranitz

The Street Remains is a mini-album (though over 40 minutes) that is intended to be a teaser in preparation for the next full Space Mirrors album, Stella Polaris, which will be the third and final chapter in the Cosmic Horror series. Stella Polaris is scheduled to be released in August.

In the meantime, The Street Remains is a tantalizing holdover. One noteworthy bit about Space Mirrors is that it has developed into a stable multi-international unit. Still headed up by founder Alisa Coral, a Russian musician, sound engineer and producer, the "band" also includes Italian singer Martyr Lucifer (Hortus Animae), American guitarist Sparky Simmons (Acid FM), American bassist Gabe Monticello (Spaceseed), and Italian drummer Claudio Tirincanti (Hortus Animae).

In The Blood opens and is an extended version of a song that will be on the Stella Polaris album. It's characteristic of the unique brand of Prog-Metal with Space Rock influences sound Space Mirrors has developed. Martyr's vocals are difficult to describe, having a somewhat monotone yet recognizable and elusively emotive quality that occupies an odd point on the singing/spoken word axis, and very much a vocal style I've gradually tuned into over the past several Space Mirrors albums. Earth Gods Dance is the same song that was on last year's Golden Path EP, which was itself an outtake version of the title track from the previous year's The Other Gods album. The difference with the version on The Street Remains is Alisa made some corrections to the mix.

We've also got three diverse choices for cover songs which Space Mirrors give their own trademark sound to. Originally recorded by Morbid Angel, The Ancient Ones is a spacey and high energy Prog-Metal rocker that goes cosmic thrash at times. The Space Mirrors band are really tight and lace the music with some killer chunky guitar. I Breathe was originally recorded by Swedish Pop combo Vacuum. Space Mirrors lay down a bouncy, even dancey beat, but there are oodles of UFO electronics and Martyr's vocals stray into more purely "singing" territory, though he's no less darkly threatening than usual. Fans of the American comedy/drama vampire television show True Blood will know the Bad Things theme song. Space Mirrors retain the sultry swagger of the original but inject spacey synth waves and effects, and when Martyr says he wants to do bad things with you it sounds downright scary.

Finally, Rituals of Shub-Niggurath is a 15+ minute epic that is exclusive to this set and includes Nik Turner on flute and sax. It begins with a darkly atmospheric intro and Alisa putting on her demon hat for the spoken word narration. Symphonic Goth keys kick in after a few minutes along with tribal drumming and Nik jamming along on sax and then flute. It's all very Space-Goth-Prog orchestral, but with a flowing ambient-soundscape drift, and even gets into electronica territory near the end which sounds pretty cool accompanied by wailing Mellotron sounding keys.

Wow, lots of really cool variety on this one. Kudos to Alisa and company for continually exploring new territory and keeping things interesting and exciting. Can't wait for Stella Polaris!

For more information visit the Space Mirrors website and the Space Mirrors Bandcamp site.

Various Artists — Side Effects

(Fruits de Mer Records 2015, 4-LP Box Set)

Jerry Kranitz

Fruits de Mer Records may specialize in contemporary bands covering 60s/70s Psych/Prog/Krautrock/Space Rock/Acid Folk music, but they are continually brimming with fun theme ideas. What we've got here is 4 LPs, 8 sides, and 8 bands, each taking a track, NOT necessarily long in its original form, and doing their own version that fills an entire LP side. Sound pretty cool? Well hold on to your hat and check this out...

There's some pretty serious variety on the Side Effects box set. Things start off innocently enough with the The Soft Bombs covering Pink Floyd's Echoes, already a side long epic, and though largely faithful to the Floyd they take it deeper into space and get far more acidic. Similarly, The Luck Of Eden Hall stick to the core spirit of Yes' Starship Trooper, mostly during the vocal portions, though they surround the proceedings with an atmospheric aura and some ripping guitar solos that are more ass kicking Space Rock than Yes' Prog virtuosity, and blast off into Psychedelic space for some stratospheric jamming that is a total Yes gone Space Rock fest.

Things get more interesting with Arcade Messiah's 19-minute treatment of Four Horsemen, originally a 6 minute song on Aphrodite's Child's 1972 666 album. It starts off as a high-intensity guitar bashing heavy rocker. Once the vocal section kicks in the music continues rocking but goes into Psychedelic space and then gradually begins to mesh the trippy groove with more in-yer-face aggressive but atmospheric guitar rock while also incorporating both Prog-Psych and Metal elements. Lots of really cool and seamlessly flowing variety that takes the original into entirely new territory.

The Bevis Frond's cover of the Electric Sandwich song China was previously released on the 2012 Fruits de Mer Head Music compilation, though in considerably abbreviated 9-minute form. The wigged out Electric Sandwich original from 1972 is tailor made for the Frond and is stretched out to a 24-minute Nick Salomanized Psych guitar lovers wet dream, being a non-stop hard Psych rock jam with loads of awesomely delicious rocking and tripped out dual guitar soloing. Julie's Haircut admirably tackle Miles Davis' Shhh/Peaceful, starting off similar to Miles, then adding a touch of dreamy ambience and later a Soft Machine vibe, and then slipping off into an ambient soundscape excursion before laying down a cool Ambient-Jazz groove.

The song choices get downright surreal starting with Wreaths' drugged and dreamy Acid-Folk-Drone take on the Gordon Lightfoot hit Sundown, creating a combination of Velvet Underground, Shoegaze and spacey, valium-laced West Coast Psych. Superfjord put a Hawkwind and symphonic Space-Prog spin on their cover of The Byrds CTA-102. It's Space Rock to be sure, with Prog influences and lots of bleepity blurpity electronic and robotic effects, and with an almost Kraftwerkian twist to what often sounds like Beach Boys vocals. It's a highlight of the set and another where the band take a song and make it entirely their own.

Finally, Sendelica's rendition of Donna Summer's I Feel Love opens with a totally alien freaky soundscapes, effects and voice samples buildup. After several minutes the space synths start to whoosh, and a dancey rocking beat kicks in, sounding like a Gong and Ship of Fools collaboration. The sax plays the classic melody but jams too and eventually locks into a You-era Gong gone cosmic disco feel.

DAMN, that is one hell of a batch of covers, both in choices and interpretations. To a large extent it's all new music with the fact that these are cover songs being a mere launching point.

Note that the box set will be available late August and includes a 60cm square fold-out poster and sleeve and label designs by The Luck Of Eden Hall's Gregory Curvey.

For more information visit the Fruits de Mer Records website.

Transference — The Navigators

(Dynamik Records 2015, Download)

Jerry Kranitz

Transference are an Australian band who play a Progressive and Psychedelic enhanced brand of Pop music. The core band consists of Michael Puskas (all guitars), Julian Reid (bass and lead vocals), Georgia Harris (lead vocals & tambourine), Kata Ruszic (lead vocals), Loughlin Harrick (drums), Steven Harris (piano, keyboards and vocals) and are further enhanced on stage by guest singers and musicians.

There is a mainstream Pop element to many of these songs, and I had to listen a few times before I tuned into the Progressive and Psychedelic elements. Of course, it helped put my attention on high alert that the first song I heard by the band was a live cover of Pink Floyd's Echoes.

Lady Isis is exemplary of the Transference sound, being a stunningly beautiful and melodic number with female lead vocals and female/male harmonies. The strumming acoustic guitars give the music a lulling quality and the electric guitars and keys inject the ambience and a Pink Floyd feel. Eloquence is beautifully soulful, like some kind of sultry ambient torch song. Really nice spacey guitar and keyboard fills too. These songs bring to mind some of the Stone Premonitions label bands like The Rabbit's Hat and Terri~B's Wrap Me In Your Skin album. That is, accessible song oriented music with Progressive and Psychedelic qualities. Ditto for Viracocha, which is soulfully seductive but also drifts off into ambient dreamland.

The Hydra is a charmingly melodic instrumental that starts off in Chamber-Prog mode with piano, guitar and soaring violins, and includes some tasty guitar solos. They're slow but have that Dave Gilmour quality where few notes speak volumes. You Better Run is a spacey Prog-Psych instrumental that is both acidic and gorgeously melodic. Blindness is a bouncy, soulful Pop song with lusciously spacey guitars and atmospherics.

Winged Serpent is my favorite song of the set. This is Prog-Pop extraordinaire. It starts off very soundscape-atmospheric, with Pink Floyd guitar riffage, but develops into a majestic Progressive rocker that brings to mind IQ and similar Prog bands. Finally, Zarathustra is another example of what may seem on the surface to be a standard rocker but is embellished by spacey effects and Prog Rock keys.

In summary, Transference do a hell of a good job of creating music with popular appeal but transcends the mainstream fluff with Prog/Psych craftsmanship. These folks would appeal to fans of Stone Premonitions label bands like The Rabbit Hat, Pink Floyd, and anyone appreciates a damn good song.

The Transference websites at transferencemusic.com and transference.bandpage.com no longer exist and their Facebook page seems inactive.

Evening Fires — Where I've Been Is Places and What I've Seen Is Things

(Sunrise Ocean Bender Records 2015, LP/DL)

The Lysergics — The Lysergics

(The Lysergics/Clostridium Records 2014/2015, LP/DL)

Jerry Kranitz

The Lysergics are the London based trio of Fabio Mongelli on guitar and vocals, Sarah Gonputh on organ, bass keyboard and vocals, and Eleanora Claps on drums and vocals. With a name like The Lysergics and a glance at the album art you can take a pretty good guess as to what the music is about.

Blue Lines Splashing Orange and Invisible Bars are both high energy Psych rockers with classic 60s organ, bubbling acid-fuzz guitar and screaming licks, propulsive driving beats and excellent melodies. Fabio sings the trippy lyrics with harmony backing from Sarah and Eleanora on these tunes that mine the most... errrr... "lysergic" moments of 60s Psychedelia.

The Sun And The Moon is similar but with a monster injection of the dirtiest fuzzed out rhythm guitar imaginable, but also tasty passionate leads from both guitar and organ. We've also got a cool cover of the Twink penned 10,000 Words In A Cardboard Box, originally recorded by Tomorrow spinoff band The Aquarian Age. Killer organ and guitar solos on this tune.

There was something familiar about the album art, and then I noticed that it's credited to Vibravoid. And sure enough, there is much in The Lysergics music to appeal to Vibravoid fans. And, like Vibravoid, The Lysergics combine shorter songs with lengthier stretch-out tunes. The 10+ minute On The Water is a seductively hallucinatory song that combines Eastern influenced Psych and a trippy West Coast sound. Multi-layered sitar drone patterns underlie the steadily strolling and slightly robotic beat of the song which features ominously haunting organ lines and totally tripped out guitar, some of which gets nicely eruptive. Sarah or Eleanora take the lead vocals on this one and there are plenty of instrumental workouts in which the guitar and organ take off and explore.

The 15-minute Julie's Glance starts off like the earlier songs but quickly sets a throb pounding rhythmic pace over which the guitar goes off into the most wigged out soloing of the set. This is a total guitar freakout jam with drums bashing away relentlessly and the organ cranking out both fuzzed and eerily haunting melodies and hypnotic sustained lines. After a while we're surprised by a harmonica joining in for a Blues jam, which sounds cool and strange alongside the 60s Psych organ. There's even a drum solo segment which is assisted by some nifty atmospherics, and a finale that bursts the mercury for volcanic Psychedelic intensity.

In summary, The Lysergics are a hard rocking band that wear their 60s influences proudly on their shirtsleeves and do it REEEEEALY good! The combination of well-crafted songs and instrumental workouts is their strength. Let your freak flags fly...

The LP is limited to 500 hand-numbered 180 gr vinyl copies with a beautiful gatefold cover. It includes 3 postcard band member pictures, a lyric sheet and blurb about the band by Twink. Options for vinyl junkies include black (200), purple marbled (200), and a special colour-split "die hard" edition in a cotton sleeve.

The LP is available from Clostridium Records. Stream and download at the Lysergics Bandcamp site.

Kev Ellis — Space Cadet Vol. 2

(self-released 2015, CD/Download)

Jerry Kranitz

Kev Ellis (Dr Brown, Bubbledubble, Sonic Arcana, Trev & Kev, Spirits Burning) is back with Volume 2 of Space Cadet, the first of which was released last year. Kev plays all instruments except for guest guitarist Grant Macnaughton on two tracks.

The first three tracks, which Kev calls Turkish Sunset, started life as ambient recordings Kev made in Turkey. Slowly Circle The Sun may only be 2 minutes long but it's an ass kicking opener, combining Hawkwind styled Space Rock with trippy Psychedelic song and a bit of harmonica Blues injection. Turkish Sunset is next and at 11 minutes is far more of a stretch out tune. It kicks off with a spacey intro of bubbling synths, followed by a steadily building rhythmic pulse that develops into an Eastern flavored, hip swaying, Dub infused Space-Trance groove.

I really dig the trancey, dancey, deep space hypnotic drift, punctuated by mesmerizing synth lines, gently swirling effects, and occasional shaman chant vocals. Together, Cosmic Dancers is one of my favorites of the set, being a really cool rocking blend of Space Rock, Folk-Psych and acidic Blues. Totally trippy lyrics too.

The remaining three tracks that comprise the Venice Evening portion of the album started as ambient recordings Kev made in Venice. Slowly Sliding Outside Your Mind starts off as a chill-out groove tune with Blues harmonica and lots of samples from the streets, before breaking into a full on Blues-Psych/Space rocker that recalls Kev's Dr Brown days. It then returns to the opening theme as it segues seamlessly into Creatures Of An Altered State.

I could feel the sense of strolling down the street as people chat and street musicians play, and all the while a pulsating electronic pattern weaves its path and soundscapes drift. But soon the harmonica starts to wail, the rhythm section kicks in, and Kev breaks into his shaman vocals for more Eastern flavored, Trance-steeped Psychedelia. Finally, To Stare From Your Eyes starts off in strumming acoustic guitar mode but quickly becomes an orchestral Folk-Psych song with fun sci-fi synth embellishments. Beautiful guitar solos too. For lyrics and vocal number this is a good pairing with Together, Cosmic Dancers.

Just like the Space Cadet that preceded it there's lots of tasty variety on the album, bringing together all kinds of Space Rock and Psychedelic influences. Space Cadet Vol. 2 is available in CD and download editions, but if you want the CD you better hurry because there are only 100 of them.

For more information visit the Kev Ellis Bandcamp site.

PBK & Jim O'Rourke — Unidentified Again

(Pica Disk 2015, 2-LP)

Jerry Kranitz

Though veteran electronic musician Phillip B. Klingler (PBK) and fingers in just about everything guy Jim O'Rourke have been in contact since 1989 and periodically plotted a collaboration, it took until 2014 for it to occur and the result is this 2-LP set of four side-long excursions.

Fasten yer seatbelts and prepare for liftoff because we're blasting off into space! The Turning Night opens the set with PBK and O'Rourke combining classic floating space electronica, drones, pulsations, oscillations, and myriad effects to create a space journey meets sound expedition experience. There are elements of early Tangerine Dream, K/Cluster and other electronic pioneers on the one hand, but also experimental sound sculpture, though it's all within the bowels of the spacecraft, soundtrack for your sci-fi trip setting. The music alternates between busily and intensely harried and more soundscape/ambient, with these quieter moments being laser focused on specific sounds. It's very well-recorded and mixed.

Myths In Translation starts off a bit more aggressively harsh but quickly transitions to a subtly trippy parade of effects. I felt like I was drifting through some dark alien forest as the sundry bleeps, chirps and buzzes of the inhabitants make their presence known. But soon a swirling ambience starts to build in volume and intensity, distorting the mental imagery as nature and the cosmos morph and melt into one another. Later things calm and we're back in a quieter sound effects realm, though along with the space ambience we also hear more earthly/human sounds, like someone puttering in their workshop, before the engines rev and we're catapulted into a high-intensity and somewhat dense noise and effects dirge. Quite an array of moods and emotions on this one.

End Of The Landscape begins with a whimsical swarm of electronic static and effects that's like a strangely rhythmic combination of shortwave surfing and robotic insect throng. After several minutes, multiple layers of almost orchestral howls and sound waves join in, along with other miscellaneous blasts of sound, creating a symphony of cosmic noise. But the music doesn't get overly harsh. It really is like an experimental sound and noise symphony, especially given that each of the many components occupies an audibly distinct place in the sonic milieu.

There are moments on Long Lain In The Stream that are among the most musical of the set. A few minutes in I felt like I was on the high seas of space with a fog horn blaring, but as the intensity fades a pleasant melody tinkles along an ambient drift. Later there's a dreamy segment with pulsating drones and rolling static plus a sparse melody that sounds like might be guitar produced. But things don't stay dreamy for long as hair-raising, high pitched blasts take over, though amidst the chaos there's a Space-Prog synth melody that provides a calming counterpoint to the threatening sensory attack. A very cool and creatively confusing combination of song and experimental sound exploration.

In summary, Unidentified Again is a challenging yet accessible blend of space excursion and experimental sound assemblage. There is a LOT happening here, making for a busy but by no means overdone listening experience, which means that there is a lot to digest and new treasures reveal themselves upon repeated listens. Put on the headphones, surrender, and enjoy all the fun imagery the music conjures up.

The LP is available through the Norway based Pica Disk label and in the U.S. through Tedium House. Don't forget the PBK Bandcamp site.

Maat Lander — The Birth Of Maat's Galaxy

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

Jerry Kranitz

Maat Lander is a new instrumental Space Rock trio that brings together members of two of my favorite R.A.I.G. label bands: Ilya Lipkin of The Re-Stoned (guitar, mandola), and brothers Arkadiy (keys, synths, bass) and Ivan (drums, percussion) Fedotov of Vespero. This 10-track set is a winner from start to finish, with tracks in the 4 to 9 minute range.

The Comet Rider opens, featuring totally cosmic, tightly wound Space Rock performed with a high level of musicianship like a combination of Vespero, Ozric Tentacles, Hidria Spacefolk, Oresund Space Collective and Korai Orom. Alnilam is an alien ethno-trance blend of mandola, ethnic percussion, soundscapes and oodles of sci-fi effects. Maat Lander inject a pounding rave worthy rhythmic pulse into Spiral Arms, which rocks hard and includes killer ripping and screaming guitar. To Johannes Kepler and Gliese 581 are both beautifully atmospheric and cosmically haunting excursions that you can float and groove along with. Two Keys To The Sky is similar and includes some Bluesy Dave Gilmour-ish guitar.

Aquarius is a high energy and sometimes whimsical blend of Space-Prog, Jazz Fusion, the Ozrics at their most rocking, and spaced out atmospherics. Lunar Rocket blasts off the launching pad for some powerhouse Space-Prog with seductively melodic but also dirty rocking guitar solos and a frantically swirling stew of space electronics. Coma Berenices starts off with a combination of sequenced synths, falling star electronic effects, steadily potent drumming, Prog guitar soloing and soundscape guitar, but then bursts into the stratosphere as an in-yer-face, heavy duty Space Rock blast, while always retaining an overall atmospheric feel. Finally, the title track is an electronic heavy track that's a steadily grooving and melodic jaunt through the cosmos. It's got some cool Bluesy jamming guitar and classic Prog keys too.

I've long known from the Vespero albums what excellent musicians the Fedotov brothers are, but Ilya Lipkin REALLY shines on guitar. We don't get to hear him play like this on The Re-Stoned albums. Really smokin' guitar solos. BUT the guitar also contributes to soundscape creation, making for a hot atmospheric combination of guitar and keys/synths. Fans of instrumental Space Rock and rhythmic atmospheric explorations played by smokin' hot, creative musicians should drop whatever they are doing and get this NOW. Highest recommendation!

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