Ifsounds – Apeirophobia

I’ve been following this band and their music for a while, fortunately, last year (2010) they released a new album entitled “Apeirophobia”, an album that also could be considered as the first studio album of Ifsounds, because if we remember, their name was If, but they decided to change it in order to give the band an own style and name that anyone would recognize.

With their two-CD compilation album named “If?Sounds” they composed “Don Quixiote” an unreleased song which actually represented the change of the former If to the new Ifsounds. But now, we can appreciate a full-length album, not only a song.

This release consists of five compositions that together make fifty minutes; the first four are the short ones (under ten minutes) while the last one is a long 28-minute epic, so take a sit, relax and listen to Apeirophobia. It kicks off with “Anima Mundi”, and a female voice appears, seconds later guitars, drums, bass and keys appear, but I liked that vocal introduction. Then, Elena Ricci’s voice reappears but in a different style. The song is pretty good, I like the keyboard work because it gives a special flavor to the music, also there are some nice guitar riffs here and there, and some nice changes in time and tempo. The track ends with a nice acoustic guitar, charming.

“Summer Breeze” opens with a delicate piano sound, seconds later it ends and some kind of airport announces sound, moments later they fade out. Then an acoustic guitar start playing a soft and gentle melody, vocals appear and that delicate piano returns and creates a nice harmony together. Just before the fourth minute, the song changes, turns heavier and more emotional, it is a pretty good track!

“Last Minutes” has a constant beeping and some steps, like being in a hospital. They disappear and the music begins, it is a rockier piece with cool lyrics, the female voice starts telling a story and male backing vocals appear saying important things. At the second minute there is a change which gives the melody a new mood and atmosphere for some seconds; then the music returns as it began, the steps and beeping return until they fade out.

The shortest track (two minutes) entitled “Aprile” is a wonderful and charming composition. There is a beautiful piano sound all over the song, that is accompanied by some strings, the violin sound is also precious and together produced an adorable piece of music which put some images in my mind, I was actually touched by this song.

Now, on the other hand we have the longest composition, I believe it is their longest song since they were If. “Apeirophobia” is a 27-minute epic which offers an exquisite variety of sounds, textures, colors and feelings, and also it let the listeners know how capable they are to produce challenging music with excellent results.

This song has several passages, first, they give us an instrumental piece with an intriguing atmosphere, one can easily be waiting for the next to happen, but what happens next?, you don’t know. Those first four minutes are pretty cool because they create images on you and even you can imagine your own story. Then the vocals appear and the direction of the music changes a little bit, I like the piano of Claudio Lapena, he knows how to use keyboards in the right place and moment. There is a cool guitar solo by Dario Lastella just before minute seven, then the song continues its way.

Until minute eight when it makes a sudden change and an acoustic guitar appears along with some spacey effects reminding me of Riccardo Zappa; that mood continues and then that acoustic guitar becomes more Spanish-like, there are some claps on it also. I am not sure but I think that this passage was taken from the previously mentioned “Don Quixiote” song. When it finishes, a rockier passage begins, the vocals return and the music is quite good and enjoyable, the only thing I don’t really like are the robotic vocals.

As you can imagine, all of a sudden another change and a new passage begins, with some kind of African percussion and some sounds simulating a ritual; I like a lot this part because I do imagine that ritual and several things, also, when the addictive bass sound appears I fell like in a dream, motivated and caught in a short but nice dream. But when I woke up, I found myself in a different place with a cool guitar sound and a rockish song.

Those spacey effects return and give a different flavor to the music, actually you can imagine a new place and a new atmosphere, and the vocals help a lot here. But well, minutes later a surprising change with a sad piano appears, this change was not really my favorite, it sounds like a scene of a character bringing memories of the childhood or something like that. The last minutes of the song are very good, with great guitar solos, that wonderful voice and strong musical moments.

I am happy with this album, now I am looking forward to their next release. Take a listen to this album, so far my favorite of Ifsounds.

Enjoy it!

Tracklist:
1. Anima Mundi (7:20)
2.Summer Breeze (6:06)
3.Last Minutes (6:17)
4.Aprile (2:22)
5.Apeirophobia (27:49)

Line-up:
Elena Ricci – vocals
Enzo Bellocchio – drums
Franco Bussoli – bass
Claudio Lapena – piano, keybords, synth
Dario Lastella – guitar

Anima Mundi – The Way

Once again, Cuba is in the prog map!
It is not common to see (hear) a progressive rock band from Cuba, but when I first listened to Anima Mundi, I really love their music and say “wow”, since then, I’ve been following their efforts. First it was “Septentrion”, a promising debut album with symphonic and folk tendencies, also the only one with Spanish vocals; then it was “Jagganath Orbit” where they expressed their skill at their highest level; and now is the turn of “The Way”.

When I knew they would release a new album I was really excited because I love their music, and now, after several listens, I can say I am pleased, they did not let me down. This 2010 they gave light to this ambitious album called “The Way” which features four compositions, and a total time of 58 minutes, so as you can imagine you will find long songs here.

It opens with “Time to Understand”, a fourteen-minute track where you can easily appreciate their symphonic tendencies, and where you will listen to first-class progressive rock. Throughout those fourteen minutes they offer a salad of sounds, a mixture of rhythms and moods and a great musical execution, it is evident that we are listening to trained and talented musicians.

In a symphonic prog band, I normally feel attracted by the sound of keyboards, and this time is not the exception, so pay attention to Virginia Pedraza’s work, it is awesome. Returning to the song, when it reaches the eight or ninth minute it slows down, it makes great changes in mood and rhythm, a delicate guitar appears. But then the music begin to increase again until the final minute where it fades out.

“Spring Knocks on the Door of Men” is a giant composition that reaches twenty-six minutes, so you better sit comfortable and listen to this wonderful track. The first part covers the first four minutes, where you’ll listen to soft and charming instrumental music, then it makes a little stop, delicate guitars and vocal appear and give it a new direction. The rhytm is semi-slow but it easily catches your attention, it keeps like this until minute eight where a new musical passage begins. Again, instrumental music with great keyboard work and also wonderful guitars; it is important to say, that despite I may feel more attracted by guitars and keys, all the instruments are equally important here, so open your ears and appreciate also bass and drums, because they are great.

At minute ten, there is a beautiful passage where you can close your eyes and let the music take you to another realm, I imagine myself in a beautiful place where peace reigns, with fields of green and pure air, just figure it out. There is a fantastic change after minute fifteen, the song explodes and becomes stronger and at the same time creates a new atmosphere, I also can imagine this part as if it was part of a film, in a scene where a new situation is taking place.

What a song this length can offer speaks for itself, there are a lot of sounds, emotions, textures, colors, images and several elements that help the music succeed and left a mark on the listener, as this band has left with me. After minute twenty there is another beautiful passage where a delicate flute appears accompanied by acoustic guitar and a nice keyboard atmosphere. Seconds later vocals return and add its special flavor. The final part of this is just the conclusion of a great effort, an ambitious track that reached his goal, at least with me.

Now the other two tracks are the shorter ones, despite they can also be considered as long ones. “Flying to the Sun” offers nine minutes of cool symphonic prog music. It starts with a mellotron sound which always produces me goosebumps, then vocals enter and a bombastic rhythm appears. A couple of minutes later nice bass lines mark the pass of a new passage where some choral keyboard appears and an excellent guitar work by Roberto Díaz highlights the track. Before minute six there is another change, actually in the mood because of the keyboards one can imagine some kind of terror scene, so there is a sense of tension and nervousness. The music itself is conducting you to several ways, you are exploring and knowing them, until you find your way: The Way.

And finally the shortest track, “Cosmic Man” which I have to admit is my least favorite on this album, which does not mean it is a bad track, not at all, not even weak, but in moments (the first minutes) I felt it repetitive. However later, more specific in the instrumental parts I felt caught again and my interest increased again. The last couple of minutes produce that sensation of an end, the music little by little is vanishing and saying goodbye.

Anima Mundi from Cuba is a band worth listening that I highly recommend. So far their three albums have caused several things on me and I fully enjoy them. Now, I am looking forward to their next effort, and I keep my fingers crossed in order to see them on stage, maybe soon, I don’t know.

Enjoy it!

Tracklist:
1.Time to Understand 13:59
2. Spring Knocks on the Door of Men 26:32
3. Flying to the Sun 9:33
4. Cosmic Man 8:18

Line-up:

Virginia Peraza / Keyboards
Roberto Díaz / Lead Guitar & Vocals
Yaroski Corredera / Bass Guitar
Manuel Govin / Drums
Carlos Sosa / Vocals

Nichelodeon – Il Gioco del Silenzio

For all the prejudice held by some so-called experts against Italian progressive rock outfits – seen as purveyors of sickly sweet melodies and bombastic, often overdone compositions – the Italian scene offers quite a surprising range of options for those who like their progressive music to have something of an edge. While not as plentiful or high-profile as those hailing from other European countries (Belgium comes to mind), avant-garde bands and solo artists have been a prominent feature on the Italian scene since the golden days of the Seventies, with names such as Picchio dal Pozzo, Opus Avantra and even Area (often too hastily labelled as a jazz-rock band). In the first decade of the 21^st century, Italy has produced a number of very interesting outfits on the more left-field fringe of progressive rock – even if some of them really have very few rock elements in their musical output.

Hailing from Milan, the current incarnation Nichelodeon is a seven-piece, almost a mini-orchestra, augmented by a number of guest musicians. Originally born as a project by composer/singer Claudio Milano – a highly qualified musician and visual artist with extensive international experience – with Francesco Zago and Maurizio Fasoli of Yugen (the band that made waves in 2007 with their debut release, Labirinto d’Acqua), unlike the latter and other outfits loosely placed under the RIO/Avant umbrella, Nichelodeon are a vocal-based act rather than an instrumental one. As a matter of fact, the term ‘band’ might be seen as somewhat restrictive when referring to Nichelodeon, who see themselves as a workshop open to the contribution of any artist willing to experiment. Consequently, very much unlike many modern acts whose activity is generally limited to the studio, a marked emphasis is placed on their live performances – as witnessed by Come Sta Annie?, the DVD released as a companion effort to Il Gioco del Silenzio, recorded in the spring of 2010 as a tribute to the 20^th anniversary of ground-breaking TV series Twin Peaks.

It should be obvious from this short introduction that Nichelodeon are not purveyors of ‘conventional’ progressive rock. In the very thorough liner notes of the album, they describe themselves as ‘a chemical laboratory, engaged in performing audio-visual crafts’ – a description that, for once, does not ring like idle boasting.  Running at almost 80 minutes, Il Gioco del Silenzio (whose title refers to a very popular children’s game) is anything but an easy listen, occasionally even slightly uncomfortable, but always compelling. On account of its strong vocal orientation, it reminded me of the work of another Italian avant-garde outfit, S.A.D.O. –  Claudio Milano could indeed compete with S.A.D.O. vocalist Boris Savoldelli for the title of heir of the late, great Demetrio Stratos. However, while Savoldelli’s approach tends to be more ironical  (if not exactly light-hearted), Milano’s compositions are definitely intense, demanding a lot of attention on the part of the listener, and graced by highly literate, thought-provoking lyrics that are presented both in Italian and English.

Recorded live in the studio, Il Gioco del Silenzio is a dark, angular effort with a subtly subversive vein – chamber music for the 21^st century, conceived as a homage to the European song tradition and unabashedly intellectual in its appeal. Fearlessly blending different musical influences – from folk to tango, from electronica to opera – with the support of a rich, inventive instrumentation, the 12 songs challenge the mind and the ear, creating intriguingly bleak landscapes of existentialist malaise and moral decadence reminiscent of the cultural climate of the early 20^th century. Needless to say, reviewing such an album can uncommonly challenging. At times the mere listening experience can feel somewhat frustrating, since the music almost begs to be rendered in visual terms. As can be expected, Il Gioco del Silenzio is not always a comfortable listening experience – on the contrary, the sudden bouts of dissonance breaking up the melodic flow of a song, and the distinct creepiness of some sound effects create disquieting atmospheres that are very likely to put off those seeking more conventional, reassuring fare.

The band cite a wide range of very diverse influences, from contemporary academic music icons such as Luciano Berio and Luigi Nono to monuments of highbrow European songwriting like Kurt Weill and Jacques Brel. On the other hand, the names of Red-era King Crimson, as well as seminal RIO/Avant outfits Henry Cow, Art Bears and Univers Zéro will ring most familiar to progressive rock fans; indeed, something of the darkly mesmerizing textures of Daniel Denis’ outfit circa Heresie can be detected while listening to Il Gioco del Silenzio. However, here the instrumental component, while not by any means secondary, is put at the service of Claudio Milano’s commanding vocal exertions. Milano’s extensive training and experience of vocal styles often quite far removed from the Western tradition  (“Il Giardino degli Altri” offers a taste of his love for ethnic chants, as well as hypnotic tribal percussion patterns) fits the moods and atmospheres evoked by the musical background like a glove. His voice, lyrical, aggressive and manic in turns, sets the pace and almost bends the instruments to its will – as shown most clearly by the positively arduous “Ombre Cinesi”.

With only a couple of exceptions, the tracks tend to be rather long (though not in an ‘epic’ sense); four of them (“Fame”, “Malamore e la Luna”, “Amanti in Guerra” e “Ciò Che Rimane”) were previously featured on Nichelodeon’s debut album, Cinemanemico (2008). Combining traditional song forms with all-out experimentation, they showcase Milano’s maddeningly versatile vocals over a rarefied, occasionally strident instrumental background of unremitting intensity. On any account, describing any of the songs in detail would be a difficult and thankless task – by and large, it might be stated that they are quite similar to each other, even without actually sounding alike. The red thread of tension running through the songs keeps listeners on their toes, enhanced by the dramatic use of hammering piano chords, sound effects and vaguely sinister reeds. Milano’s voice dips and soars in the space of a few minutes, as shown immediately by the first couple of songs, “Fame” and “Fiaba”, as well as the dramatic “Claustrofilia”, highlighted by snippets of guitar soloing in true rock style. Closing track “Ciò Che Rimane” (together with “Malamore e la Luna” the longest number on the album, clocking in at almost 9 minutes) also features some noteworthy guitar work, as well as a vocal performance that made me think of Demetrio Stratos and Area.

Though definitely a tad too long for my standards, and certainly anything but an easy or relaxing proposition,  Il Gioco del Silenzio is one of the most interesting releases of the past year. It also provides further proof that – in spite of the many practical hurdles facing musicians that do not subscribe to a mainstream view of things – the progressive scene is very much alive in Italy, and has a lot to offer to devotees of genuinely challenging music. A particular mention should also be made for the austerely elegant packaging, including some stunning photography of the band and distinctive cover artwork by painter Valentina Campagni.

Tracklist:

1. Fame (3:53)
2. Fiaba (6:57)
3. Claustrofilia (5:27)
4. Malamore e la Luna (8:59)
5. Amanti in Guerra (5:56)
6. Ombre Cinesi (5:38)
7. Apnea (7:15)
8. Il Giardino degli Altri (8:16)
9. La Corsa dei Trattori (ghost track) (1:44)
10. Se (7:59)
11. Lana di Vetro (7:55)
12. Ciò Che Rimane (8:59)

Line-up:

* Francesco Chiapperini –  alto and soprano sax, clarinet, flute, EWI
* Andrea Illuminati – piano, melodica, bombarda
* Claudio Milano – vocals
* Andrea Murada – percussion, didjeridoo, noise effects, flute, rhythmic vocals
* Max Pierini – electric upright bass, ocarina
*  Luca Pissavini – electrified viola, synth, toy instruments, “Matilda” noise machinery, field recordings, no-input mixer, duduk, theremin
* Lorenzo Sempio – electric guitar, baritone guitar, guitar synth and effects

With:
* Carola Caruso – backing vocals (6), vocals (2)
* Stefano Delle Monache – electronics and laptop (6)
* Estibaliz Igea – opera soprano singer (5)
* Luciano Margorani – electric guitar, noises (4)
* Luca Olivieri – synth, noises (3), glockenspiel (11)
* Claudio Pirro – classical guitar (1, 2)
* Antonello Raggi – electronics, laptop (10)
* Marco Tuppo – synth (11)

Links:

http://www.myspace.com/nichelodeonband

http://www.claudiomilano.it

Djam Karet – The Heavy Soul Sessions

Despite their decades-long career as one of the foremost US progressive rock bands, I have to admit that this album was my very first approach to Djam Karet’s music. Although I was obviously familiar with the name – Edward Macan devoted a section of his seminal book Rocking the Classics to them as examples of ‘post-progressive’ rock – but, for some reason or the other, I had never got around to hearing any of their material. Thankfully, the opportunity came some time in 2010, when I got in touch with Gayle Ellett after reviewing the second album of his side project Fernwood, and he sent me a copy of The Heavy Soul Sessions. And what better introduction to a band’s music than a live album, even if recorded in the studio rather than before an audience? Indeed, The Heavy Soul Sessions was recorded immediately after the band’s performance at the French prog festival Crescendo in the summer of 2009, with a view to recreating the atmosphere of a live setting in the studio without any resource to overdubs or the like. An elusive outfit for most of their career, Djam Karet have not been very active on the live front in the past few years, and seeing them perform on a stage has become a rare treat for their loyal following.

Released five years after Djam Karet’s latest studio effort to date, Recollection Harvest, The Heavy Soul Sessions gathers five tracks from the band’s back catalogue, plus a cover of “Dedicated to KC” from Richard Pinhas’ album L’Ethique. The oldest number, “Consider Figure Three”, originally appeared on the Suspension and Displacement album, released in 1991 as a companion effort to the harder-edged Burning the Hard City. “The Packing House” and “The Gypsy and the Hegemon” are taken from Recollection Harvest, while “Hungry Ghost” and the “The Red-Threaded Sexy Beast” (which actually conflates two separate compositions, “Red Threads” and “Sexy Beast”) come from 2003’s A Night for Baku.  The album as a whole runs at a reasonable 64 minutes (with individual tracks between 8 and 12 minutes), presenting a highly satisfying picture of the band’s skills and expressive potential, accrued in the almost 30 years of their musical career. To Djam Karet newcomers like myself, the six tracks are a real boon, as they show a band that has grown and matured constantly over the years, and whose individual members’ side projects have proved to be a source of enrichment rather than a drain.

Djam Karet’s music has often been described as ‘King Crimson meets Pink Floyd’ – a definition which is only partly true. Following Macan’s advice, the band have finally managed to bridge the gap between their rock side and their inclination towards spacey, ambient textures that make good use of cutting-edge technology. Their unabashed eclecticism emerges from even a cursory listen to The Heavy Soul Sessions: the dynamic, riff-heavy opener “Hungry Ghost”; the gentle, almost pastoral moods of “The Gypsy and the Hegemon”; the trippy, Pinkfloydian passages in “The Red-Threaded Sexy Beast”; the airy, measured beauty of the piano and guitar work in “The Packing House”; the choppy, galloping pace of the organ-led “Dedicated to K.C.” On the other hand, “Consider Figure Three” showcases the ambient/electronic side of the band’s creativity (further explored in the side project Ukab Maerd, soon to be reviewed here). Mentioned in Macan’s overview, it is a haunting, brooding piece where the recorded voice of a doctor recites a dry scientific text over a background of spacey electronic effects, surging keyboard waves and Eastern-tinged chanting.

The compositions are ruled by the seamless interaction between Gayle Ellett’s keyboards and Mike Murray (the band’s newest member) and Mike Henderson’s guitars. Unlike the traditional ‘twin guitar’ format of many classic and hard rock bands, their main function is to add layers of sound and complement the keyboards, rather than act as perpetual sparring partners, or provide relentless rifferama – though riffs surface every now and then, aided and abetted by the powerful yet restrained rhythm section of Chuck Oken Jr and Aaron Kenyon. The music’s natural flow is not at odds with its complexity; even the frequent pauses and changes in time signature do not create that impression of patchiness or lack of a coherent structure that seem to be a constant in the output of ambitious yet less experienced bands. The remarkably fluid interplay between all the instruments puts to shame the displays of virtuosity for its own sake that plague many recent releases.

While the band’s hardcore fanbase will probably be disappointed by the lack of any new material after a five-year wait, The Heavy Soul Sessions provides a great opportunity for those who (like myself) want to get acquainted with Djam Karet’s output. Hopefully this excellent album will encourage more people to delve into the band’s back catalogue, available through their website. Highly recommended to lovers of instrumental prog, and an excellent introduction to the work of one of the most representative bands of the ‘second generation’ of progressive rock.

Tracklist:

1. Hungry Ghost (8:32)
2. The Red Threaded Sexy Beast (12:42)
3. Consider Figure Three (9:48)
4. The Packing House (12:56)
5. Dedicated to KC (9:48)
6. The Gypsy and the Hegemon (10:55)

Line-up:

* Gayle Ellett – organ, analog synth, mellotron, digital synths
* Mike Henderson – guitars, ebow, effects
* Aaron Kenyon – 5-string bass, effects
* Mike Murray – guitars, ebow, effects
* Chuck Oken, Jr. – drums, altered voices

Links:

Djam Karet official website

Yeti Rain – III

This is the 3^rd Yeti Rain CD. It features Roger Ebner on sax and wind synth, William Kopecky on bass and vocals on one track, and Craig Walkner on acoustic and electronic percussion. Planets starts things off and is a 10½ min track. I have to say Robert Ebner plays some damn cool sax and wind synth and William and Craig just climb the hill with some solid drums and heavy deep, intense bass presses! It gets quite psychedelic at the end and very intenses drumming. Dragonfly Algebra, rings it at over 12 mins and starts quite spaced out and the very cool wind synth comes in after a few minutes. The delay on the saxophone makes it quite psyched out as William lays down these heavy deep bass lines. Craig does not really kick in for a long while but plays various drums and percussion. The kick drum is quite intense in this track and Williams bass gets super spaced out, almost like a deep keyboard at times. If they slowed things down you might get a feel for Bohren and der club of Gore. The Meeting is a bit scary to start and very spaced out track. Fires of Heaven starts with the wind synth and bass slowly pushing in from the bottom as some explosions occur. Some nice delay on the instruments makes this one really spaced out. The Sky Sickened features William on vocals and it is a very strange piece he reads and afterwards the track spaces out each time he speaks. Intense.  It is hard to believe some of the stuff on this track is not keyboards. Very cool. The Sixth Bowl of Wrath ends the CD. The sax is like in a cave on this one, in fact it all sounds like that. A musically challenging CD but damn cool. If the sax was traded for guitar you could get a feel like the Norwegian Tangle Edge at times with this bands music. They tread a similar experimental music path. The artwork is quite special on this CD. Some might find it a bit disturbing or relaxing.

US Christmas – Run thick in the Night

US Christmas is back with a new full length CD. It features 13 tracks in 77 mins and rumor has it that it will be released on vinyl by Relapse records. If you are unfamiliar with this band, they play a unique brand of spaced out psychedelic blues and space rock. The CD has wonderful artwork and all the lyrics to the songs. This CD has a lot of variety and quite a few acoustic songs with mostly guitar, vocal and violin. In the Night is a 13 min track that starts things off. It is a slow building psychedelic space rock monster with some very intense vocals at times. They really know how to create this psychedelic sound like old Hawkwind and the Spacious Mind.  Wolf on Anareta sounds like old school Hawkwind and is a heavy mind fuck and some very intensely shouted vocals by Nate. Pounding, penetrating space rock. Fire is Sleeping is a short 3½ min track with a mournful violin and acoustic guitar. Nate sounds amazing when he sings like this compared to his “in your face” shouting style on the intense tracks. Fonta Flora starts with some spacey sounds and a nice slow beginning as this one slowly builds up in this instrumental track. The violin is also prominently featured and then some killer spacey guitar is played as the band take it to another level of intensity. Great song. Ephraim in the Stars is a slow spacey track with stoney vocals. The Leonids is a short 2½ min piece that leads into Suzerain. This is a dark bluesy mysterious track and Nate’s intense singing voice returns. Some will probably find some of the music on this CD depressing but it does not effect me in that way. I think they just write and play very intensely. Maran is a 4 min track that is again starts slowly, melodic, bluesy and spaced at times but gains in intensity with another spacey guitar solo. The Quena is a very spacey instrumental track and is followed by Deep Green. Deep Green starts almost like a raga with a single guitar (ok, quite a few of their songs start like this), before the bass and drums kick in. The spacey slide guitar on this one is very cool as it slowly evolves and features these repeated like vocals that make it very psychedelic. Great track. The Devils Flower in Mother Winter goes back to the acoustic guitar violin vocal style. A beautiful song. Only 2 more tracks left and the band still have some intensity left. Mirror Glass is a short track that leads into The Moon and Flesh and Bone, the last track on this long album. It features a great spacey slide solo. Overall this record is more laid back with fewer uptempo tracks than their other records but the psychedelic spaced out vibe is still amazing. Powerful emotional music for psych heads.

Grand Magnus and the II – Amorphopallus

Grand Magnus is a new Copenhagen all improvised psychedelic band. This is their 2^nd CD-R release, I believe. The label specializes in limited edition and quite strange releases, this being one of them. The CD is 5 tracks of weirdness about 63 minutes. The first and title track is just a lot of strange radio stuff mixed with other samples to start and lasts 32 minutes. Interesting collage? I’m not sure. Strange..Yes.. I don’t think most people will want to sit through this more than once. Anyway, the three piece band, kicks in for a jam around 9 mins with mainly the bass and drums, while the guitar player tries to find his way and plays some trumpet or sax. The jam is pretty boring until 25 mins or so when it is getting a bit more strange with the guitar player. The drummer and bass player really keep the driving rhythm going but I don’t think what the guitar player is doing is very interesting. Bladene hilste p hinanden is 11 mins and starts very slowly and quietly with just bass and guitar bouncing some things back and forth a bit as the guitar line becomes more melodic and interesting. The bass and guitar are a bit out of touch with each other and you can now hear some hand drums coming in as well. He eventually puts down the guitar and starts to play trumpet and then he disappears completely (had to go take a leak??). Det her er dig is next and around 12 mins with some more intense hand drumming and some guitar feedback to start. The jam is quite strange and then there is some saxophone or clarinet at the last few minutes. The next track with a long Danish title is mostly a drum solo until the end, when the others come back in. Anyway, this is very improvised and experimental. I have CD-R #14 out of 50 (I think). I am not sure they could sell many more. I described it so you have to decide for yourself if you like it.

Technicolor Poets – Hadrar Hotel

Technicolor Poets are a new psychedelic rock band from Malmö Sweden. This is their debut release and it features some really excellent 60’s style dreamy stoned songs. This record was recorded in one day in August 2010. The sound of the recording is like they are in a big room and it helps to give it a more old school 60s sound but I think the sound is a bit too clean. Ketama starts things off.  This is a slow building track with a nice vocal and later the dual guitars get to psych out as the track picks up and reminds me a bit of Mandragora lightshow society. Three hours from your Garden is a slow track and I really like the vocal delivery on this one and nice bouncy bass line. The reverb guitar solo is cool. Hadar Hotel Part 1 ends side A and is a more intense track with a sort of eastern style guitar soloing. Astral Plane starts off side B, and is a bit eastern leaning psych with some hand drums, eastern scaled guitar lines (no sitar). Cool vocals and a really great laid back song. Hadar Hotel Part 2 takes up the rest of the album side. IT is a slow building track with some spoken words parts. Very cool stuff. This is a very ambitious record from some kids barely or under 20 years of age. Impressed.. Good work guys.

Dragontears – Turn on Tune In Fuck off

Lorenzo and the old On Trial guys are having a great time with this side band to their other main bands. This is the 3^rd record in 3 years and it is more psychedelic than the last record and also has some pretty cool artwork. The first 500 copies of the vinyl come with a free 7” record with two additional tracks. The LP starts off with the 60’s space rock track Two Tongue Talk. Really cool reverb guitar, farfisa, spaced vocals and a great bouncing bass line combined with space synth sounds makes for a killer track. No Salvation has a long spacey guitar intro and Guf’s vocals have never sounded better. I am not a big fan of the falsetto backing vocals that are used on this track but the rest is great and the lead guitars on the record are great. My Friend starts off with some acoustic guitar and space sounds and is a nice ballad track. Time of no Time will really remind people of Wooden Shjips with is hypnotic bass line. Side B is very psychedelic and starts with William, dedicated to William Skotte Olsen, a very special Danish artist how died in 2005. It is also very psychedelic 10min + track. Very spaced out and trippy mind stuff. The LP ends with Mennesketvilling (Human Twin), and I don’t think it is any relation to the old On Trial song of the same title. It is sung in Danish so might remember some people of Spids Nøgenhat, which most of the same folks as Dragontears. The 7”, for those lucky enough to get a copy is two more uptempo songs. Not as cool as the track on the rare RepoMan 7” but still solid tracks. Another really cool record.

Barry Cleveland – Hologramatron

Hologramatron, the fifth album credited to the name of San Francisco-based guitarist, composer and journalist Barry Cleveland (currently Associate Editor for Guitar Player magazine), has recently been submitted for the Grammy Award as “Best Alternative Rock Album of 2010” – and deservedly so.  A labour of love, whose recording took several years to complete, Hologramatron (whose title, according to the artist himself, means ‘whatever you need it to mean’) is one of those rare musical efforts that manage to sound like very little else. With derivative acts a dime a dozen on the current music scene, listening to such an album can be an exhilarating experience. Although Barry Cleveland’s name may be the most prominent on the cover, unlike your average ‘solo pilot’ release this is very much a collective effort, in which the input of each member of the band is recognizable, yet at the same time meshes with the others to form an organic whole.

Unabashedly eclectic,  Hologramatron has been called a modern ‘protest album’, and with very good reason – though only part of the songs have an unmistakable socio-political bent. However, it is first and foremost a collection of inspired, thought-provoking compositions performed by a group of amazingly talented, experienced musicians who manage to come across as an extremely tight unit rather than a combination of over-inflated egos. While vocalist Amy X Neuburg (a classically-trained singer, and a truly serendipitous find for Cleveland) may be relatively unknown outside dedicated avant-garde circles – in spite of an impressive curriculum as a composer and ‘avant-cabaret’ artist – the name of bassist Michael Manring is nothing short of legendary among four-string fans, and both drummer Celso Alberti and pedal-steel guitarist Robert Powell can claim a number of prestigious affiliations. When such collective talent is gathered together, the results may often be a tad underwhelming – especially when musicians forget that they are at the service of the music, and not the other way round.

Thankfully, this is not the case with Hologramatron. The impressive cohesion between all the artists involved, band members and guests, results in 10 tracks that display a remarkably original approach, even when external influences can be detected . While listening to the album for the first time, the closest comparison that came into my mind was with the late ‘90s – early 2000’s incarnation of King Crimson – and Robert Fripp is undoubtedly one of Barry Cleveland’s most noticeable sources of inspiration. In contrast with the majority of prog albums released in the past year or so, Hologramatron is based on relatively short compositions, none longer than 6 minutes -  and, indeed, half of the tracks are songs with a more or less ‘conventional’ verse-chorus-verse structure. The album might even be seen as a lesson on how to produce music that does not rely on 30-minute epics or convoluted concept stories in order to be progressive.

As I previously pointed out, eclecticism is the name of the game, with the hard-hitting earnestness of tracks like “Lake of Fire” or “Money Speaks” relieved by the inclusion of two covers of Sixties hit songs (which, in my personal view, do not really fit too well with the rest of the album), or the gentle yet emotional content of “Stars of Sayulita”. The psychedelic-meets-ambient component of Cleveland’s creativity (which was brilliantly showcased in the band’s live performance at ProgDay 2010) is here represented by the instrumental tracks, namely “You’ll Just Have to See It to Believe It” and “Abandoned Mines” – where Cleveland’s array of traditional and electronic guitars, effectively supported by Robert Powell’s pedal-steel guitar, Manring’s stellar bass and understated percussion patterns, weave subtly entrancing, multilayered textures.

On opener “Lake of Fire” (whose firebrand lyrics point a sharp finger at Christian fundamentalism),  Amy X Neuburg adopts two sharply different singing styles in the verse and the chorus – soothing, almost seductive in the former, venomously aggressive in the latter. The splendidly bass-driven “Money Talks” and the haunting “Stars of Sayulita”, graced by the warm, bluesy vocals of Harry Manx and Deborah Holland, follow a similar ‘mainstream’ pattern – as, obviously, do the two covers, “What Have They Done to the Rain” and “Telstar”, whose cheerful nature contrasts almost jarringly with the rest. Two of the tracks with vocals, however, diverge quite sharply: the ominous, electronics-laden avant-rap of the aptly-titled “Warning” (with vocals courtesy of long-time Cleveland collaborator Michael Masley, aka Artist General), and the tense “Suicide Train” (interpreted by Cleveland himself), an effort that borders on metal, featuring a beautiful, hypnotic guitar solo bolstered by crashing drums.

Running at around 64 minutes, Hologramatron is nowhere as cumbersome as many other current releases, though the three bonus tracks tagged at its end do not really add a lot (unless you happen to be a staunch completist) – with the possible exception of the remix of “Abandoned Mines” (nearly three minutes longer than the original), which possesses an eerily cinematic quality.  A masterful blend of mainstream sensibilities, socially-aware lyrics, intriguing atmospheres and stunning instrumental and vocal performances, this is a unique album that is warmly recommended to progressive music fans.

Tracklist:

1. Lake of Fire (4:22)
2. Money Speaks (4:40)
3. You’ll Just Have to See It to Believe (5:22)
4. Stars of Sayulita (6:12)
5. Warning (4:20)
6. What Have They Done to the Rain (4:56)
7. Abandoned Mines (5:45)
8. Suicide Train (4:23)
9. Telstar (3:55)
10. Dateless Oblivion & Divine Repose (1:54)

Bonus tracks:
11. Abandoned Mines – Forest Fang Remix (8:26)
12. You’ll Just Have to See It to Believe – Alternate Mix (5:48)
13. Lake of Fire – Evan Schiller Remix (4:21)

Line-up:

* Barry Cleveland – electric & acoustic guitar, electric & acoustic 12-string guitar, Moog guitar, GuitarViol, sampled percussion, sampled Mellotron, voice (8), bass (8)
* Robert Powell – pedal-steel guitar (1-5, 7, 9, 11-13), lap-steel guitar (4)
* Michael Manring – bass (1-9, 11-13)
* Celso Alberti – drums, percussion (1-4, 6-9, 11-13)
* Amy X Neuburg – vocals (1, 2, 6, 9, 10 & 13).

With:
* Harry Manx – vocals (4)
* Deborah Holland – vocals (4)
* Artist General – voice (5)
* Erdem Helvacioglu – acoustic-electric guitar, electronics (3,13)
* Rick Walker – chain-link drums, teapot (5), congas (4), dumbec (7)
* Gino Robair – dumbec, kendang (6)

Links:

Barry Cleveland official website

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