Rictus' debut is very much a deep underground album from France. Raw and primitive overall but with some cool compressed fuzz guitar sounds and a vintage 60's organ to go along with Fender Rhodes, Moog and even some cheap 1980's era synthesizers. At times the album recalls Nuance's Il est une Legende, especially concerning the ferocious fuzz guitar leads. There's also some dramatic Ange style vocals that are reassuring in this setting. There's almost nothing 1980s about this album, other than the aforementioned keyboards (and even at that, they are rarely deployed).
CD: 2012 Strawberry Rain (Canada)
An extremely rare album, the original LP was
pressed in a limited edition of 250 copies for friends and fans, with
the surplus ending up in a village record store. I can remember having this one on a curiosity list going back to the mid 1990s. Le Kiosque D'Orphee is a very similar label to FLVM, and was basically an LP pressing plant for those who could provide a master tape. The CD is housed in a nice mini-LP sleeve, complete with liner notes, photos, and bonus tracks. The bonus tracks are from later versions of the band. The leader of Rictus was directly involved with this reissue.
Thursday, January 31, 2013
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Ayahuasca Dark Trip - Mind Journey. 2010 Peru
Ownership: LP: 2012 Cosmic Eye
1/30/13 (new entry)
Lumerians - Transmissions From Telos Vol. 4. 2012 USA-California
Putting the baseball card aspect aside for a moment, what about the music? As I'd read prior, this album is indeed more loose in structure. It features 4 long jams, that are untitled. "I mean, that's such a square thing to do man... who names songs anymore? They have no meaning anyway, ya know." Side 1 contains three songs. The first is within their trademark motorik territory, recalling the Can/Neu! sound. Track 2 is really interesting, like a freakbeat 1960's track gone amok. You can just picture the Girl in the Cage dancing her brains out, with the psychedelic liquid light show flashing chaotically behind. Track 3 is the real revelation here. For the first time that I can ever recall, a band has successfully attempted the Middle Eastern psychedelic jamming of Agitation Free's "Malesch". For that alone, the album should be held in high regard. Pounding drums, hand percussion, haunting organ atmospheres, with synthesizer solos laid on top. Breathtaking. What a sublime track! Unfortunately the momentum stops on the side long track for the flip side. I can appreciate a jam with focus, but this one just meanders aimlessly with far too much noise and chaos to have any impact. Such a shame to not capitalize on the fantastic first side. Still a recommended album - just not as much as the potential suggests.
Ownership: LP: 2012 Permanent
1/30/13 (new entry)
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Astrakan ~ England
Comets & Monsters (2012)
Former ownership: 2012 Jaguar Steps (CD). Acquired in 2013. Downsized in 2022.
1/29/13 (review); 6/8/22
Astrakan (2008)
Astrakan says: "Friends and followers of the band have likened their sound variously to Soft Machine, Zappa, Gong , Dave Douglas as well as to the newer jazz outfits such as Fraud, Led Bib and Get the Blessing."
Ownership: 2008 private (CD). Acquired in 2011.
4/10/11 (review); 11/4/23
4/10/11 (new entry)
Monday, January 28, 2013
Sanhedrin ~ Israel
Ever After (2011)
Ownership: 2011 Fading (CD)
1/28/13 (review / new entry)
Psychedelic World Music: Discovery
The first three tracks are especially captivating. Namely Cosmic Vibration (Germany), Triptych (England), and The Misteriosos (USA). If I were a label with money to spend, I'd start right here to build up my stable of bands and know that my label would have instant credibility. The latter, in particular, is the highlight of the entire disc with its mysterious female voice, atmospheric acid psychedelic guitar, and "Saucerful of Secrets" pounding percussion. Interesting to find out, then, that this is one of the three previously released tracks on the disc (none of which I'd heard prior to this). The Misteriosos track is from an obscure 2005 album, that apparently is completely different than this one track. That's too bad as it would have been my top priority to own. Starting with Track 4, the thrills become a little less per minute, but everything on here is at least very good. Considering the remainder, the Russian group Grey Mouse, and the Belgian band The Narcotic Daffodils are of particular interest. There are three bands here that are from countries that are rarely represented in rock music: Armenia, Belarus, and China - the last one being an all-time first for me. And something tells me that we will be hearing a ton of music from China in the next 50 years. In fact, I'd bet on that.
If any of this sounds at all interesting, then do not miss out on this wonderful compilation. Trail Records is the best USA label producing space rock today.
Ownership: CD: 2012 Trail Records
1/28/13 (new entry)
Thursday, January 24, 2013
Moving Gelatine Plates - The World of Genius Hans. 1972 France
Most everyone has a favorite album. This is mine. A perfect 100 out of a 100.
Depending on my mood, I could also say the cover is my all-time favorite. It's completely captivating, and appeals to my sense of humor.
Depending on my mood, I could also say the cover is my all-time favorite. It's completely captivating, and appeals to my sense of humor.
Psycho Praxis ~ Italy
[1971. A major city in the USA] Me and my friend Billy went over to Peaches Record Store and I just bought this great import album by an English band called Psycho Praxis. Dude, I spent three week's allowance on it. Looks awesome. A killer gatefold cover on Vertigo, mannn. Features acid guitar, Hammond organ, dreamy / amplified English vocals, fuzz bass, and flute. Reminds me of that other new band we bought called Uriah Heep, crossed with Jethro Tull, Atomic Rooster, and Raw Material. Right Billy?
Except it's 2012 and they're from Italy.
Ownership: 2012 Black Widow (CD)
1/24/13 (review / new entry)
Except it's 2012 and they're from Italy.
Ownership: 2012 Black Widow (CD)
1/24/13 (review / new entry)
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Eldberg. 2011 Iceland
Ownership: CD: 2011 Mylodon (Chile)
1/23/13 (new entry)
Monday, January 21, 2013
Moving Gelatine Plates. 1971 France
Ownership: LP: 1971 CBS. Single sleeve. Online acquisition from a dealer in Norway (1998).
CD: 1992 Musea. Purchased not long after release and was my introduction to the album and group. As usual Musea closes the door on all potential competition with a high quality release, complete with detailed liners and photos. As a bonus, they provide half of the Moving album from 1980 (to be completed on the second MGP reissue).
Litmus - Planetfall. 2007 England
Ownership:
1/21/13 (new entry); 12/29/23 (removed from collection)
Saturday, January 19, 2013
Shaa Khan - The World Will End on Friday. 1978 Germany
Interesting to note that Conny Plank would have agreed to produce this, had they chosen the German language. As such, it was recommended they record with Dieter Dierks, who was recording The Scorpions' Taken By Force at the same time. Apparently some spirited soccer matches between the bands occurred during the recordings.
Ownership: CD: 2009 Sireena. Digipak. Booklet contains history in both English and German, with photos. No bonus tracks.
10/4/07 (first listen); 1/19/13 (review / new entry)
Friday, January 18, 2013
P. P. Zahl ~ Germany
Alle Türen Offen (1978)
Ownership: 1978 Antagon (LP). Gatefold
No reissues exist as I update this (2/21/25)
2006 (review); 1/18/13 (new entry)
Tamarisk - Frozen in Time. 1982-1983 England
Tamarisk reminds me of everything I like about the NWOBPR scene. They're tight, melodic, fast, and reasonably complex. The vocalist sounds like every other UK vocalist who spent a wasted youth with his dogeared Genesis albums (I mean that as a compliment). The guitar playing, in particular, is well done. And lots of mellotron on Lost Properties. All in all, very satisfying material.
CD: 2012 private (as Frozen in Time)
The two cassettes are very obscure, and I personally had never even heard of Tamarisk back in the day, even though I was already deep diving the NWOBPR scene in the early 1980s. Moe Curly turned me onto them via a CD-R only a few years back, and thus they became a feature on our CDRWL site. Frozen in Time is a well done private CD reissue of Tamarisk's two albums made by the band. The first 4 tracks are from the Lost Properties EP cassette (1983), whereas tracks 5 to 7 are from their debut EP cassette (1982). There are no bonus tracks.
Saturday, January 12, 2013
Zoppo Trump - s/t. 1971-1972; 1976 Germany (archival)
*According to the liner notes, Garden of Delights states clearly that "Scena Westphalica" was released in 1976. They also opine that, in addition to Zoppo Trump, "the other tracks on the compilation album, by the way, are not of any interest for progressive fans." I have not heard the album myself, but I'm inclined to believe them all the same. I'm going to guess then, that the Electric Mud Orchestra, while no doubt related to the 1971 band (and bass player Udo Preising was the owner of the label Förderturm and a member of Electric Mud - and later was in Zoppo Trump - hence the connection), is in no way musically similar. As of course the Electric Mud album itself is "of interest" to progressive fans.
CD: 2009 Garden of Delights
My Brother the Wind - Twilight in the Crystal Cabinet. 2010 Sweden
Ownership:
Removed from collection (2022).
11//10; 1/12/13 (new entry); 12/29/21; 7/4/22
Friday, January 11, 2013
Mathematicians - Factor of Four. 1996 USA-Indiana
In the late 1980s through the early 90s, there was a movement for rock / jazz instrumental albums (think mid 70's Jeff Beck here), that brought on a slew of interesting releases, most of which are long forgotten today. The indie label I.R.S. started a series call No Speak, of which the majority of their roster was made up of top level electric guitarists whose commercially viable days were at least 15 years behind them (Jan Akkerman, Robbie Krieger, Wishbone Ash, Ronnie Montrose, etc...). They also had a series of compilation albums called Guitar Speak that were highly revered back in the day. In parallel to this, Relativity Records was pushing out albums by more trendy artists such as Steve Vai, Vinnie Moore, and Joe Satriani, while also signing up the middle generation guys like Steve Howe and Gary Moore.
Indianapolis based Mathematicians were clearly a product of this movement. It's hard edged guitar fronted fusion, with mild complexity, and a few good melodies. Keyboards are there primarily to provide accompaniment to the guitar pyrotechnics. Make no mistake, Mathematicians aren't a "guitar hero" band, as the compositions are fleshed out enough to enjoy in a listening session rather than as a "how to record" for budding guitarists. While the debut is well done, the level of intensity and songwriting improves on Factor of Four, and thus is the recommended place to start.
If you're a "man of a certain age", then this review will most assuredly bring back memories of that era, and you'll probably want to investigate this CD (or at the very least go digging through your closet for the IRS / Relativity albums you own... somewhere). As noted above, I bought this in the 1990s, and it's held the test of time well. In fact, the music has improved with age.
1/11/13 (new entry); 8/6/20
My Brother the Wind - I Wash My Soul in the Stream of Infinity. 2011 Sweden
Ownership: CD: 2011 Transubstans
1/11/13 (new entry)
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
Quaterna Réquiem - O Arquiteto. 2012 Brazil
Ownership: CD: 2012 private
1/8/13 (new entry)
Quaterna Réquiem - Velha Gravura. 1990 Brazil
Ownership: CD: 1992 Faunus
My original copy was the LP purchased upon release. It was an easy decision to switch it out for the CD not long after.
1990; 1/8/13 (new entry)
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