Kozmic Muffin are one of those hidden gems that I have buried deep in my collection. In addition to that, it's been so long since I heard either of their albums, that I had totally forgotten what they sounded like. I had it in my mind they were a modern space rock band. Wrong!
Kozmic Muffin are from Galicia, in the far northwest of Spain. Like their location, their sound is miles from anything one would normally associate with the country. But the group took this even further - and went backwards in time by about 25 years. What we have here is the sound of England circa 1971. The familiar labels such as Vertigo, Transatlantic, Neon and Dawn - and the progressive rock bands that were on those labels. Heavy organ, acid guitar, dense compositions, and wild vocals is what you get. Concerning the latter, one will hear Peter Hammill, Peter Gabriel, or Jose Carlos Molina (Ñu) when ranting in Spanish (though mostly the album is in English naturally enough). This is total retro prog. But released long before Areknames, Diagonal, Astra, and many others. And just as great too! I cannot imagine why Kozmic Muffin did not hit me hard at the time, but finally some 23 years later, I realize how great this album really is. And it was released a few years ahead of its time, ironic given their disposition as a retro band. But that craze came about more in the next decade, not the 90s. I'm excited to hear again their debut Nautilus, also sitting quietly in the collection gathering dust. That day will be coming soon enough though.
Ownership: CD: 1997 Man. Purchased new upon release.
1/23/20 (new entry)
They got that 21st Century Schizoid Man guitar sound down pat in places.
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This would be a fine cd if not for the vocals. Terribly mis-pronounced English and vocals recorded poorly in the mix.
This totally ruins it for me. I can hardly make out a quarter of what he is singing! (Another one that comes to mind is the first Il Trono dei Ricordi cd. Supposedly a concept on William Blake but one would be hard-pressed to know that seeing as how the English vocals are so tortured beyond recognition.)
Its strange how foreign lyrics (which I don't understand) do not bother me in the least. But its this mangled pronounciation that really gets my wick.
Wallace! Long time, man. Glad to see you still out there. I know what you mean - we often hear it from the 70s German prog bands. For whatever reason Kozmic Muffin didn't bother me in the slightest though.
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