Melting Euphoria - Beyond the Maybe Machine. 1996 USA-California

For Melting Euphoria's 4th album Inside the Gardens of the Mind I wrote: I'll be honest here - I bought way too many space rock albums over the years. I think I was always on the lookout for a new Ash Ra Tempel or Guru Guru experience. The revisits haven't gone well. I hear too much of the same thing. Aimless improvisations with competent, but uninspired soloing. It's not that they aren't any good, or even pleasant to listen to, it's just that it becomes boring after awhile. And this proved to be the case with Melting Euphoria's first 2 albums as well. I have the 3rd, but for whatever reason, their 4th release Inside the Gardens of the Mind came up first. Same result? No! Now this is the kind of space rock that still matters to me. It gets down to the atmosphere of each piece of music. This is not something one can write in words, and yet it is exactly what defines the Kosmische movement itself.

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And here's that 3rd album finally making its way through the pile. Beyond the Maybe Machine is probably a bit less early 70s German influenced, and there's more of the UK variety here - namely Gong and Hawkwind. This is most notable with the female "space whispering" and synthesizer whooshes. Which by itself would normally result in a been-there-done-that ruling. But that didn't happen here. In particular I enjoyed the bass work in conjunction with some fine drumming and rhythms. An excellent representation of the 90s space rock movement.

Ownership: CD: 1996 Cleopatra. Basic jewel case release with booklet laying out recording and lineup details. Obvious cheap computer graphics. Kind of goes with the era though. Picked this up used at Mod Lang in Berkeley back in early 1998 when I had a corporate apartment in San Ramon. Looks like the store eventually moved to El Cerrito and now shows they are temporarily closed, though I see updates as recent as last month on Facebook, so guessing they're just taking a break.

10/4/22 (new entry)

Melting Euphoria - Inside the Gardens of the Mind. 1997 USA-California

I'll be honest here - I bought way too many space rock albums over the years. I think I was always on the lookout for a new Ash Ra Tempel or Guru Guru experience. The revisits haven't gone well. I hear too much of the same thing. Aimless improvisations with competent, but uninspired soloing. It's not that they aren't any good, or even pleasant to listen to, it's just that it becomes boring after awhile. And this proved to be the case with Melting Euphoria's first 2 albums as well. I have the 3rd, but for whatever reason, their 4th release Inside the Gardens of the Mind came up first. Same result?

No! Now this is the kind of space rock that still matters to me. It gets down to the atmosphere of each piece of music. This is not something one can write in words, and yet it is exactly what defines the Kosmische movement itself. There's a subversiveness to it, but it's not anarchy. It's controlled chaos, a way of being that defines how I live my own life. Well planned - but random. Oxymoron? No. And Melting Euphoria captures the essence of 1971 Germany better than most American bands from the 90s and beyond. In this way they recall San Antonio's Pseudo Buddha. And Melting Euphoria are not afraid to let 'er rip. Not everything is a jam, and there's plenty of songwriting here, including some progressive rock segments. Each tracks winds around in random directions, yet never out of control. Yes, this is a keeper for sure.

Ownership: CD: 1997 Purple Pyramid. Basic jewel case layout. Purchased new at Mod Lang in Berkeley in 1998. Good memories of wandering around Telegraph Ave, and going to Mod Lang, Rasputin's, and Amoeba's. That was a full day right there.