Spiral – The Traveler

“Space Rock On A Distant Quasar” SPIRAL were shaped rigidly in the infinite space in late 2000s by two constantly-spiral players named Chris BOAT (keyboards, bass, guitar, voices) and Aaron FRALE (guitar, voices) for playing their desert music (much influenced by 70s era Floyd and Tangerine Dream) amongst dunes and cacti. They’ve actively released albums in collaboration with a couple of guest musicians like Casey MRAZ (guitar) or Felicia KARAS (violin) via their bandcamp and launched some physical material since their debut full work “The Death Of Billy Jensen” was released in July 2010.

Let me say that they are really “Space Rock On A Distant Quasar” amongst dunes and cacti, but that’s NOT ALL.

From the beginning of the first track “The Red Giant Stirs”, their quirky, frozen guitar blizzard rages all around. The way they have showed their soundscape along with their rough-and-tumble music life sounds quite amazing for us. Their distorted shout and harmonized guitar weep are also cool and powerful. As if we faced the dark side of their mind or we jumped into a dangerous safari, magnificent catastrophe should bump up around us. The second scene after a dizzy calmness (that gives us a momentary safe and sound) grabs our physical and mental substance into the keyboard-based outer space – again, as numberless as the grains of sand on the desert, a bunch of growling guitar bullets hit our brain. Well understood they call themselves as desert rock creators. Not gentle at all. On the contrary, the next “An Epiphany Near Vega 9″ is a bottle of refreshing soft drink, sometimes feeling chilling coolness of rigid rock ices. Off-symphonic voices are a bit of regret but the song overall can be modulated methinks.

The third track “The Caves Of Anamnesis”, the longest one in this album, is another gem of them. Dim voices and fuzzy guitar works can be terrifically merged up completely, that notifies us something critical in near future. Fantastic contrast created with whistles and keyboard sounds is also beautiful but risky like mind-altering agents. Their fascinating jam session with heavy riffs and splendid psychedelic voyage from the middle part till the ’sudden’ end cannot disappoint us definitely. Sometimes gets cool, sometimes violent, and sometimes depressive – their flexibility can alter their appearance frequently. Oh man, they have reminded me that I’d got immersed in that cool ‘Rock’ itself in my adolescence. The last “R.I.P. Rip” is controversial at least for me – exactly a space rock pretty influenced by Floyd in Waters’ period, with mellow, persistently meditative riff flowers in their garden, but less aggressive fever and freaky palpitation of them. Rather, such a typical spacey atmosphere sounds like they would launch another relaxed situation around, not very challenging though.

In conclusion and my total impression for the album, they play desert rock that is veiled not only dry and hot solidity but also warm and hearty fluidity (a bit). Excellent work really, please enjoy.

Tracklist:

1. The Red Giant Stirs (15:40)
2. An Epiphany Near Vega 9 (9:41)
3. The Caves Of Anamnesis (19:19)
4. R.I.P. Rip (12:16)

Total Time 56:56

Line-up:

* Aaron Frale – guitar, lead guitar, voices
* Chris Boat – voices, keyboards, bass, guitar

Special guests
* Casey Mraz – lead guitar
* Chris Walker – lead guitar
* Chris Beasley – lead guitar
* Denzel Thompson – voices, guitar

Links:

Spiral Bandcamp

Crystal Thoughts – Toxic Phenomena In Kosmic Fields

Guess this album might be CRYSTAL THOUGHTS’ (especially the frontman Spiros’) interpretation upon the ‘current’ acid folk.

CRYSTAL THOUGHTS, founded in 1999 as an acid folk duo by Spiros ROUCHOTAS and Vassilis STAVRIANAKOS but disbanded in the following year, were reformed under the same moniker as another quartet by Spiros. Finally in 2011 they have released their debut creation “Toxic Phenomena In Kosmic Fields”, featuring four new tracks, and one recorded in their beginning era.

At the same time, they should consider ’streaming and floating’ pretty important, and have played and recorded much carefully. They can amazingly come out with mellow, meditative, meaningful darkness and freshness in their soundscape, that sometimes sounds like mind-altering space rock like Pink Floyd for me but basically steady (namely, not whacked-out like Furekåben) acid-folksy colour comes to the fore. Cannot know whether I can call their primeval-flavoured melody line as Greek one or not, but their ethnic history or life should create such a deeply mysterious line. The first track “Kosmic Journey” sounds exactly cosmic / hypnotic / spacey, deeply in the core of meditation journey of their mind with altered states. “Psilocybe Effect” has definite acid folk depth and width with expanding sound echoes and eccentric voices by a sound effector – a bit inorganic and awkward though.

The titled track, the beginning of the B side, expresses another acid tour overlapped with typical folk pop scene, that indeed reminds me an early-1970s Japanese acid folk project Folk Crusaders (especially “Imjin River”). Female voices and cloudy flute solos are quite beautiful and tragic in “Tear Of An Elephant” – this stuff sounds a bit different from the other ‘dark / spacey acid folk’ for me. Don’t know in detail why it sounds so honestly, but I guess this song should have more definite ‘progressive folk’ structural essence here and there than others. The last shortest one “Carovna Pistalka” can be suitable for the epilogue of this album, with sharp-edged acoustic guitar, flute, and female narration (so graceful!) combo. Cool, delightful air is left around me after listening to this album really.

Tracklist:

Side A
1. Kosmic Journey (16:24)
2. Psilocybe Effect (3:30)
Side B
1. Crystal Thoughts (8:47)
2. Tear Of An Elephant (9:35)
3. Carovna Pistalka (2:30)

Total Time 40:46

Line-up:

* Lilian Tsatsaroni – all voices
* Mike Lawson – voices, narration
* Janka Helmeciova – narration
* Spiros Rouchotas – bass, drums, guitars, keyboards, percussion, flute, oboe, bassoon, electric sitar, nature sounds & effects

Links:

http://dedalospsych.blogspot.com/

Vlubä – Supraluminosos

Another psychic agent, let me say.

VLUBÄ are an Argentinean mysterious duo who have created drone / psychedelic / electronic ambient timbres since mid 2000s. As if I would get into a MRI machine, a bunch of electronic knocks chops can be jammed into my brain, with weird voices infernally saturated. Cannot only make an expression that they play electronic dark psychedelia, but also that they may be flowed along with the Kraut-ish ambiance they make by themselves, mysteriously. The second track is more drenched in loud / depressive noise-scape than the previous one, as if dancers on stage could fall more and more deeply into trance. Their dim voices veiled over by electronic effects sound pretty sensual rather than dreadful. Something ethnic or of another inferno can get to be our pleasure nonetheless. Noisy freaky ambiance like the fourth invades with relax into our mind, that will be altered its state. The last scene can be called as VLUBÄ’s core of soundscape, that fully involves ethnic, transgenic, ironic and hypnotic sound streams and atmosphere. You will realize what VLUBÄ mean to do in a flood of volcanic electronic madness finally.

Tracklist:

1. (7:49)
2. (8:05)
3. (4:26)
4. (6:29)
5. (13:24)

Total Time 40:13

Line-up:

* Müriscia Divinorum – voices, smk system, arp odyssey, chayera, storms, taikos, broken cymbals, magical mystery flutes
* Aphra Kadabra – egtr, gopichand, barbiebent, real time machine mixing, ray lasers

Links:

http://www.facebook.com/thechromemoon

Paul Kidney Experience with Mani Neumeier – Paul Kidney Experience with Mani Neumeier

PAUL KIDNEY EXPERIENCE (PKE) might “change” drastically … ?

As previously announced, they have finished an album in collaboration with Mani NEUMEIER (ex-Guru Guru) in late 2011 finally. Actually I’ve assumed that inorganic / dry-fruity riffs like typical Krautrock or rigid rhythm-based soundscape like Guru Guru may have been induced by his collaboration and drumming, but I’m pretty surprised and amazed at more eccentric production of them than expected.

Yes my expectation can be broken in pieces from the beginning. I can hear something like burning dry desert, blowing sandstorm, and sweat of travellers, suffering with serious hotness around them in the first track “Ocular Orbit”. Mani’s drumming and Matt’s piano play can sound like cool glassy water in such a tough atmosphere rather than simple heavy fuzz. This mysterious and a bit mismatched mixture can fly like an eagle strongly. Not a simple psychedelic jam but a Krautrock-ish experiment they have shot, an interesting stuff. On the other hand, as the second “Phospheniac” or the fourth “Chromatic Aberration” (such a bizarre is Paul’s infernal game devils play? Feel touches of freedom, a unique one), Paul’s violent growl and shout reminds me the same smell like some grind-core projects, strongly and intensively so far. Their soundscape getting along with Paul’s madness can kick us away into the great beyond. In these short two, PKE could launch their psychic power as usual I feel.

Ah the most confusing / problematic creation in this album for me is the third “The Canal Of Schlemm”. Mellow, dreamy cool stream with Matt’s quiet but dramatic piano solo makes me warm, and slow drone space rock (unlike PKE!) based upon Mani’s steady, relaxed drumming knocks me into more confusion (obviously). As if all of PKE players would leave themselves to the spacey shower, this stuff (especially the former part) goes forward naturally and smoothly. In the latter a bit violent fuzz / buzz attacks me indeed, but it cannot alter the delightful stream at all (guess Paul might have felt something different from his usual works just upon this point) … as a result, for both the players and the audience, this song could season eccentricity into them all I suggest.

So, in conclusion, as Paul may feel, this album has showed something versatile … not only by Mani’s collaboration but also by their soundscape shifted into more eclectic, in my opinion. An important cornerstone methinks.

Tracklist:

1. Ocular Orbit (11:22)
2. Phospheniac (5:55)
3. The Canal Of Schlemm (12:04)
4. Chromatic Aberration (3:40)

Total Time 33:01

Line-up:

* Ben Butcher – guitar, percussion, voices
* Nell Day – violin, voices
* Matt Gleeson – piano, voices
* Richard Walsh – guitar, voices
* Troy Naumoff – baritone guitar, voices
* Don Rogers – bass, voices
* Adrian Maiolla – theremin, voices
* Paul Kidney – voices, percussion
* Mani Neumeier – drums, percussion, voices
* Etsuko Watanabe – voices
* Sophie Cournoyer – voices
* Jules Dazzle – voices
* Peter Haering – cover art

Links:

http://www.myspace.com/paulkidneyexperience

Ayahuasca Dark Trip – The Unknown Trip At The Top Of The Mountain

AYAHUASCA DARK TRIP’s second trip for another Krautrock world, with dark ambient shower.

By the way, a fine expression for me that they have called their second album “The Unknown Trip At The Top Of The Mountain”. Wondering where they should try to go at a mountain whilst listening to this album, and it’s not easy to understand their fuzzily veiled mind. Drastically warped dark ambiance with rigid electronic knocks / scrubs might make their real mind depth more obscure and more mysterious. Infernal shouts with non-percussive complex structure can blow our brain and squeeze us into weird mind-altering catastrophe. Soon after a bit safe and sound comes to us in the latter part of Pt. I, dry and inorganic experimental / avantgarde side of view completely absorb our vitality, without moisturizing at all. This scene sounds like some Krautrock projects like Semool or Iskra … oh nope, more dreamy alongside of their psychedelia drenched in ethnic / tribal atmosphere that can be heard in the third track. Amazingly their noisy appearance  here and there cannot annoy us but pick us up to their dreamy sound shore.

The last two trips get more of experimentalism / avantgardiam / Krautism, with no stiffening but softening sound garden beneath our deep mind. Cannot call this creation as a simple stoner / psychedelic stuff really, they might have been reborn in this album I guess. So not recommended as a psychedelic progressive one but let me say we can enjoy their entire kaleidoscopic alteration without any suspicion.

Tracklist:

1. The Unknown Trip At The Top Of The Mountain, Pt. I (6:00)
2. The Unknown Trip At The Top Of The Mountain, Pt. II (6:50)
3. The Unknown Trip At The Top Of The Mountain, Pt. III (9:30)
4. The Unknown Trip At The Top Of The Mountain, Pt. IV (11:12)
5. The Unknown Trip At The Top Of The Mountain, Pt. V (12:04)

Total Time 39:36

Line-up:

* Brayan Buckt – guitar, effects
* Buddy Van Nieuwenhoven – bass, guitar
* Pedro Ivo Araujo – organ, drums, voices
* Jorge Ramos – bass (3)

Links:

http://ayahuascadarktrip.bandcamp.com/

Zonk Monk – Disorder ~ Out Of The Cosmos ~

A Japanese keyboard-beauty-based dramatic Neo-symphonic progressive rock.

ZONK MONK, a three-piece rock ensemble based upon twin keyboards, were founded by Keigo “Kegoi” TAKADA (drums), Shoko NAGASAKI (keyboards, organ), and Ai OHNUMA (keyboards, organ) in Osaka, Japan in 2008. This unique “guitar-less” formation draws out their original versatility across various musical genres. Via lots of gigs around Osaka, they’ve appeared upon stage in Tokyo in 2011. and finally their debut EP “Disorder – Out Of The Cosmos”, in collaboration with ISAO, the guitarist of Spark 7, saw the light in November, 2011.

Never forgotten their terrific impression given to me when I met them and watched their gig in Osaka. Ai and Shoko launch dramatic, classic-flavoured and perfectly harmonized keyboard sounds through the whole EP. And Kegoi plays drums along with his aggressive style, without pushing himself in front of the graceful twin keyboards (auditorily and also visually). Amazingly, each individual player – a cool beauty Shoko, a tragically passionate princess Ai, and … a killa drum tiger Kegoi – has her/his own personality and ability for encouraging and inspiring others to create more enthusiastic sounds. Also, the keyboard battles between Ai and Shoko are too hot and of passion for us to listen with keeping safe and sound.

“Into The Green World”, composed by Shoko, has so cool and fresh shower of green air like her, and simultaneously for us the most easily listenable (namely, a bit far from progressive) and the most light- and delightful-touched flavour. Suppose Kegoi’s drumming may be less outstanding in this stuff. Fresh and clear nature including lots of complex and colourful phrases created by Shoko intentionally, a dreamy one.

“U.T. – A Hole In Danger”, launched by Ai (you know the reason I’ve mentioned Ai is a tragically passionate princess above), possesses various appearances quite different from each other … a danceable rhythm groove created by percussive taps around the trio, highly intensive infernal keyboard shouts, magical synthesizer black fantasia, and hearty flower-sound-garden. Mystic and phantasmagorical appearance alterations they’ve shown, as if we saw the snowy light after passing through a long and dark tunnel by a train. Let me say that we can hear their mischievous originality in this stuff. (To be honest, this is my fave really.)

The last track (“Disorder – Out Of The Cosmos”) can let us know what they should mean in their masterpiece … contrary to a classic-tinged piano play, massive and straight symphonic keyboard sunshine plus deeply heavy pedal bass quakes, and explosive, eccentrically rhythmic drumming rumble (with a flood of sweat LOL) soon attacks our ears. A bit seasoned with mainstream but their attitude can be kept strictly, especially upon tense but comfortable keyboard chorus by two beauties, and persistently chivalrous drumming. ISAO’s speed guitar stunts can be fantastic, but amazingly his play may be blown away by the three … yes, ZONK MONK push their assertion forward fully and strongly, we can say?

In conclusion, the EP “Disorder – Out Of The Cosmos” is a good debut one indeed, but sadly it’s a bit tough to realize their actual originality. Looks like they play strictly Neo-symphonic progressive rock leaning toward a bundle of pioneers in the same scene (cannot know if true or not, because of too little and short material of them … they’ve said clearly “not” though). Anyhow, we can get amazed at their theatrical communication with fantastic twin keyboards and strongly passionate drums. Looking forward to their full-length creation maybe coming soon.

Tracklist:

1. Into The Green World (5:44)
2. U.T. – A Hole In Danger (6:25)
3. Disorder – Out Of The Cosmos (6:19)

Total Time 18:27

Line-up:

* Keigo “Kegoi” Takada – drums
* Shoko Nagasaki – keyboards, organ
* Ai Ohnuma – keyboards, organ
* ISAO – guitar (3)

Links:

http://www.myspace.com/zonkmonk3

Slocombe’s Pussy – Tattoo

SLOCOMBE’S PUSSY celebrate themselves with their debut work of a drastically mystic suite called “Tattoo“.

SLOCOMBE’S PUSSY got started in 2008 as a “sonic bedlam emitter”, according to what they say. Their formation and membership have been fluctuated frequently, featuring not only drums / percussion, bass, twin guitars, keyboards / effectors but also saxophone, violin, computer-generated noise or so. Quite influenced by 70s psychedelic progressive / space rock like Hawkwind, Acid Mothers Temple, or Krautrock like Can, Faust, they have drawn their original inspiration blended with a bundle of social essence.

In 2009, SLOCOMBE’S PUSSY finally saw the light … they joined a record show of “Schrödinger’s Cat” with VicMod, a Melbourne synthesizer group, and together they played upon The Tattoo Show for the 2009 Melbourne Fringe Festival, that could be released as CD / DVD material in 2011 … namely, this album.

The first track “Intro” is completely an improvised / experimental / noise one, that sounds like Acid Mothers Temple launch on stage loudly with bulky feedback doses. As though we saw dreadful bubbles and horrible monotone shout / appearance via a infernal lake, various sounds and effects filled with painful squeeze tighten our minds up.

“((((((13))))))” shoots deep flexible space rock via their organically achy brain, just in the same vein of Ash Ra Tempel. Dry-fruity, heavy brass sounds should give more and more spiritualized meaning into their “rock”. Electric spacey noise kicks shake our brain by such a nauseous whacky movements, but fuzzy swift guitar firecracker is, on the contrary, comfortable and courageous for us, mysteriously.

Anyway, the following one “Skin, Needle, Ink” is a serious, really serious blues … reminds us massive pain of physical or mental manner whilst getting a artistic tattoo for cool future. Based upon dark synthesizer (not percussive), heavier darker guitar solo riffs might give more and more darker tattoo upon arms and back of someone, tinged with funky brass colour and sharp-edged atmosphere. A quite impressive tune, that can give a hint of that cool heavenly future into the next bluesy Kraut-ish stuff “To The Land Of Darkness“, that grabs the previous air and flavour into its core of mind, under stoner bluesy avantgarde jazz rock, and furthermore “Je Ne Regrette Rien“, sticky deep dark psychedelia (but a simple stuff, at the same time).

The longest improvisation “‘O’ Negative” may absolutely be the closest to Krautrock scene I feel. Various sound spice and noise footprints are around there … sounds like spiritual fog over the sacred mountain, or a loose avantgarde jam session under mind-expanding situation when all players are jammed into a dark narrow space. And simultaneously, they can explode some optimistic bomb I can feel, to be honest. A bit too long and fatigued experimentalism but also great for precursor to the last advanced, aggressive, addictive tattoo Armageddon “The Face“, a very sensitive and stressful masterpiece with the very last orgasmic catastrophic whoomp to death.

A terrific debut creation indeed, with a methodology that they create an altered state of mind with typical rock instruments plus a brass section or drastic sound effects. Recommended.

Tracklist (CD / DVD):

1. Intro (9:23)
2. ((((((13)))))) (3:59)
3. Skin, Needle, Ink (4:34)
4. To The Land Of Darkness (6:46)
5. Je Ne Regrette Rien (6:45)
6. ‘O’ Negative (15:38)
7. The Face (7:04)

Total Time 54:09

Line-up:

* Jon Perring
* Paul Crick
* Morgan Fayle
* Matt Murphy
* Dan McKay
* Jason Montero
* Adam Simmons (New Blood Horns)
* Ben Carr (New Blood Horns)
* Tony “The Face” Cronin

Links:

http://www.myspace.com/slocombespussy666

Zoffy – Picture At An Exhibition

What a hoot! Consider they should look down upon the masterpiece “Picture At An Exhibition”. Don’t make me laugh out loudly.

ZOFFY are a comical duo founded by two Acid Mothers Temple residents Makoto KAWABATA and Atsushi TSUYAMA. They’ve released some albums since 1998 and their newest album “Picture At An Exhibition” released in 2010 is a real parody of that masterpiece in progressive rock scene.

As honestly I say, very terrible and disgusting work. However, believe me this serious phrase is exactly applause for Makoto KAWABATA and Atsushi TSUYAMA, two mad music scientists. At first, what can you feel when you hear the title? I’m afraid you can think they’d played something like Picture At An Exhibition. No! No, no, no! I’ve got mad to death just since I listened to this album. Not only they made this renowned creation funny but also they played their original stuff (with a flood of silly explosions).

A bunch of joke and trivia they’ve shot and we can be knocked down completely. With spacey electronic misleading and somewhat acoustic comfortable guitar medication, the two crazy guys kick our a$$. Only mysterious flute sounds can get to be salvage for us. The last “Nutrocker” may be worthless for us to listen to. Absolutely understand a fan of real Picture At An Exhibition cannot understand at all. We should listen to this horrible album with readiness or resignation.

Let me say, I give this stuff 0 star hahhaha. Hell yeah!

Tracklist:

1. Pictures At An Exhibision Part 1 (18:58)
2. Pictures At An Exhibision Part 2 (14:25)
3. Nutrocker (4:00)

Total Time 37:23

Line-up:

* Makoto Kawabata – synthesizers, electric organ, houzouki, sitar, tambura, hurdy-gurdy, violin, slide guitar, darbuka, voices
* Atsushi Tsuyama – voices, acoustic guitar, soprano recorder

Links:

http://www.acidmothers.com/Cgi-bin/crew/B_zoffy/index_main.html

Yumi Hara Cawkwell – Statement Heels

Yumi Hara CAWKWELL plays the piano like a “bohemian cat” travelling all around the world.

Yumi Hara CAWKWELL, born in Tokyo, is a versatile musician living in London. Upon graduation from School of Medicine in The University of Tsukuba, she’d worked as a psychiatrist for a while. However she immigrated into London suddenly in 1993 for her dream of mastering music and graduated School of Arts (Music) in City University London. Via learning composition, piano, or ethnic music, she started playing in improvised, flexible and eclectic style, with lots of renowned artists (e.g. David Cross, Hugh Hopper, Geoff Leigh, Akira Sakata, Yoshihide Otomo, Tatsuya Yoshida, Hoppy Kamiyama, Kazutoki Umezu, etc.etc.). Already known as a founder of Humi (a short-lived project with Hugh), Geoff Leigh & Yumi Hara, or Mammal Machine.

This album (it’s surprising this is Yumi’s official solo debut album) can be said as a compilation of her splendid works for New Age and Classic music scene. Furthermore, with the collaboration of a renowned Japanese drummer Tatsuya YOSHIDA, she’s seasoned her previous creations with matured rock essence and structure easy to grasp for rock music freaks. No more expression needed I think but she’s played with lots of brilliant musicians in Canterbury Scene or avantgarde jazz rock world like Hugh Hopper or Geoff Leigh enough to let us enjoy over the sea eccentrically waved … that means that we cannot foresee what will happen upon her play namely.

Tatsuya YOSHIDA’s drumming is superb, and amazingly, he completely supports Yumi from behind, without standing in front of her. And of course, Yumi’s keyboard play reminds me something like a cool creek streaming quietly and naturally (like “The Milky Way” with a flood of stardust and brilliant star-gems), and sometimes like a hot spring gushing out from between rocks (the fourth track “Cosmos Massive No. 901”, in which she plays the piano as percussion, is short but very impressive!), and it’s so mysterious all of her play can satisfy us “naturally”. Her voices (especially in the third track “Walk On The Middle Of The Road”, maybe associated with some Japanese fairy tales) are so unique and weird, like an incantation by a magician, that we can be immersed into her inner mind (exactly step by step).

Let me say,she can show herself at her best in the last three tracks that push their avantgarde weirdness in the facade with her magic voices and psychedelic electric piano sounds (on the contrary, her easy-listening tunes sound a bit strange for me sorry). As previously mentioned, we can hear in the tenth track “Archaeopteryx” something of Bernard Vitet, a French avant-jazz pioneer around 1970, with her intentional Zeuhl-ish paranoid voices and Tatsuya’s Zeuhl-ish drumming. Guess her eclectic talent can be found when we finish listening to this album thoroughly. Recommended for both avantgarde progressive fans and jazz / new age ones.

Tracklist:

1. Statement Heels (3:54)
2. The Shape Du Jour (3:02)
3. Walk On The Middle Of The Road (3:09)
4. Cosmos Massive No. 901 (2:16)
5. Baby Doll (3:46)
6. The Milky Way (2:59)
7. Fortitude (4:09)
8. Farouche (5:22)
9. Sense Of Homogeneity (4:41)
10. Archaeopteryx (6:17)
11. Mikuratana (7:45)
12. The Ebb Tide (3:32)

Total Time 50:52

Line-up:

* Yumi Hara Cawkwell – all instruments
* Tatsuya Yoshida – drums

Links:

http://yumiharacawkwell.co.uk/

Franck Carducci – Oddity

Cannot close my mouth upon listening to his album, by his music / instrumental versatility. As if all the instruments around him were his hands and feet, and as if they could speak Franckly … err … frankly all he wants to say there, he can play them smoothly, with grabbing every instrumental personality.

Over all the others, “Achilles” is Franck’s dramatic theatre. From the very beginning, heavy fuzzy guitar fire and graceful keyboard sounds, deep but clear blue bass & drums combination kicks can open the theatre curtain instantly. His beautiful and delightful show goes all around like something of epidemic. Never being flat but more theatrical, the hero (Franck’s voices themselves) hops and jumps around and around as though the stage should be very narrow. However his drama is not only active as above, but sometimes also very calm, gentle, safe and sound, as if a huge condor first flies over slowly but stormily, and the following time glides smoothly, and finally descends upon the ground quietly – this creation may owe much to his tragic flute solo methinks. Just the time that the tide gets stable, again comes a sudden hurricane with drastic keyboard works and heavy, deep bass explosion – around the scene we cannot help chilling under the sharp-edged sound-blizzard. The ending action of the hero can blow our minds completely away – his aggressiveness can fly over the clear blue sky, and another clear synthesizer crystal water makes all atmosphere gracious, until the last guitar chord touches our heart softly. Splendid moment comes into us.

Although the first experiment is so pretty impressive that the other songs cannot ring my bell enough, Franck shows his multiple appearance in the latter phase.  I love especially “The Quind”, a mellow acoustic number with theremin-like synthesizer journey. Delightful Country & Western flavoured stuff “The Eyes Of Age” gives us little relaxation. The following “Alice’s Eerie Dream” is, at least for me, less characteristic – a loud guitar based heavy rock tinged with indie and simultaneously oldie scenes – very powerful but less progressive I’ve felt. Luckily, the last track “The Last Oddity” is another spacey one, veiled with funky riffs and cosmic hints, challenging finish in my opinion.

In conclusion, I guess such a quite fantastic first shot might dilute the other songs with its impression, and sadly makes this powerful album less-balanced. However trust me, his ability and activity can be thought terrific.

Tracklist:

1. Achilles (14:51)
2. The Quind (9:23)
3. The Eyes Of Age (4:31)
4. Alice’s Eerie Dream (11:51)
5. The Last Oddity (10:17)
Bonus Track
6. The Carpet Crawlers (6:06)
7. Alice’s Eerie Dream (Radio Edit) (4:00)

Total Time 60:59

Line-up:

* Franck Carducci – all instruments
* John Hackett – flute
* Larry Crockett – drums
* Yanne Matis – backing voices
* Phildas ૐ Bhakta – drums

Links:

http://www.franckcarducci.com/
http://franckcarducci.bandcamp.com/

The sleeve’s link; http://f.bandcamp.com/z/40/58/4058019959-1.jpg
Videoclip’s link; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=utcoV1Gl5VA

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