NEW PSYCH / PROG

review page 1

J.M.Nasim ('03)

(Richard Pinhas)

(Claudia Quintet)

Jack Foster III ('04)

M.Christopher Lee ('04)

Inner System Blues ('03)

Urdog ('04,'05)

Signal To Noise Ratio ('04,'07)

Ariel Pink's Haunted Grafitti ('04)

Yang ('04,'09)

Nihil Project ('03)

VA : Baltimore ('72-'97)

Portal ('97)

grading : * ok ** g  ***vg ****perf *****no better example than this: must-have heard

with additional ° some tracks better  ; with ' possibly better for some (viewpoints)

PrivateJ.M. Nasim : Reality Substrate the psychedelic jew's harp- (US,2003)***

The first track, "Unity", on this CD sounded like it had an electric didgeridoo, put through an electronic sequencer box, with a blowing psychedelic effect, with very varied pitches. "Meditation state" made another impression on me, through the extra effect (as if) from an electric bass, with an almost Hawkwindish "Space Ritual vol 2"-like bass drive. Various other tracks are varying from deep space tribal trance, with some throat singing, to fantastic organic psych trance, like on "Little Steamboat", sometimes with more or less reverb effects, and electronic echoing pulsations. All of it was based entirely on the improvisational playing on a jew's harp.

Those days I was wondering which other instrument could be effectively used for "progressive" music. J.M. Nassin convinced me, with his approach of amplified jew's harp, this instrument is more than suitable.

The liner notes say the jew's harp has been used more often for shamanic healings. It was tried by Dr. Franz Mesmer for psychotherapy experiments. And there's also some psychosexual associations, as a creative vibrational principle.

The improvisations were fed into a portable, where they were arranged in processors to this multi-dimensional pulsating organic-like trance-melodic experience that this music is.

Info : www.thepsychedelicjewsharp.com

Soundfiles : http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/jmnasim

PS. I don't think the audio samples present the music well enough.

Cuneiform Rec.      Richard Pinhas : Tranzition (F,2004)****°

This review moved to http://psychemusic.org/France.html

and is listed with another Pinhas and Heldon release review

Cuneiform Rec.   The Claudia Quintet : I, Claudia (US,2004)***

review moved to

http://psychemusic.org/jazz.html#anchor_169

Musea Rec.        Jack Foster III : evolution of jazzrapter (US?,2004)*

I expected a challenge for me seeing the cover of this new release with a dinosaur on front, a species that was thought to be died out. Mostly those who call themselves "dinosaurs of progressive rock", or critics that call some groups "the new dinosaurs of progressive rock", will get to raise my hackles when I confront myself with the mediocre taste they usually represent. Groups like Anekdoten, White Willow and such are usually not listed with this community, but groups like Arena, Ayreon, and any of the neo-symphonic bands are.

This group is Mattias Noren (Ayreon, Star One, Arena -here only for the cover!-), Robert Berry (Three, Hush, The December People), Trent Gardner (Magellan, Leonardo, Explorers Club). I am already very afraid! I'm sure this dinosaur will not bite me, but I guess criticism in any form will not be appreciated. I'm more afraid it will be music that is dead but does not know it.

And I immediately hear it starts like that, with camouflaged pop music from musicians wanting to be the big stars, self assured, but with nothing musical to say, with everything that real progressive music should NOT stand for. I hear bluesy empty posed pop with progressive rock excuses, under the illusion that it is special. After two tracks I HAD to put this aside.

Later I was very surprised to find very positive reviews on the net, so I decided I should go through this again.

The third track is much more rocking, produced well, and has some good ideas of some fucking rocking guitars. "The Shy Ones" following after this is a ballad, fittingly arranged and sung. Also "Dream with you" shows that the singer is able to create with his voice/singing a romantic mood. The music itself is still accompanying, more than creative, like in pop songs, but here still is fine to listen to, in let's say some kind of (symphonic) pop vein. Logically the group has to fall back, in the next track, on the pop kind of "prog" later, with more over-obvious rhythmic solutions, a metalblues like accompaniment, with even some brass synthesizer. Also the track hereafter, "Every time you smile" shows a poor musical foundation, starting with gothic keyboards, another pop like song, obvious bluesrock guitar improvisations, good vocals, mellow texts, as symphonic pop with sometimes a hard rock-like accompaniment. Last track has some enjoyable jazzy piano improvisation to stretch the basic pop song a bit. Since this is so well received I really wonder who is reviewing progressive rock these days and what are their perspectives if a "real" musical content in composition and rhythm is no longer of importance?

Although the singer sings nicely, for those who want Music still to belong to a philosophy, an art-form, and not put it into the category of whatever kind of entertainment, it becomes obvious this is to avoid.

Audio file : "Bohemian Soul Price"

Info : http://www.jazzraptor.com/

Other reviews : http://www.geocities.com/prognaut/... & http://www.getreadytorock.com...

& http://www.progressor.net/... & http://www.progressiveears.com/...

Label entry : http://217.128.227.4/newreleases.html?chosen_genre=1#20

demoMark Christopher Lee : Away with the fairies -cdr-(UK,2004)***°

Mark Christopher Lee is a member, guitarist for the Belgian (folk)psych band Zaam. Besides that he also plays and sings in an Indie rock band called the Pocket Gods. He has now decided to make a solo album.

We hear 5 very long tracks of mostly (multilayered) psychedelic improvisations with songs. Mark’s (electric/acoustic guitars with drums) playing here and there literally makes you high/stoned. I really love this! This you can hear especially onwards the second track, “The Gold of Fairnilee”, which also has some textual fairy associations, and a piano/organ improvisation. These more descriptive parts make the music story, somewhat fairytale like, actually fitting well with the cover. The third track is recorded for some part with distorted voice and amplified guitars, changing the mood a bit, giving it an alternative-rock touch. But this is then again alternated with more piano/acoustic guitars/keyboards improvisations, with some colourful innocence, recalling more Pre-Raphaelite paintings like with fairies and such. Also “The Golden Bough” starts with such beautiful improvisations (with acoustic & electric guitar and piano mostly). We hear a story being told with some organ at the back, again maintaining a mystical flavour, followed by some handpercussion, guitars (acoustic & electric), piano. Beautiful! With “Lost” some distorted voice is mixed more on the background, with psych guitars with piano and drums on front, which makes more sense in mood creation. With some “cosmic” keyboards it becomes a more filmic track. I had to get used to the singing in the first track, but in general I enjoyed this album very much, and hope it’ll get an official release soon !

PS. I heard afterwards the album was partly inspired by “The Golden Bough” (a book by JG Frazer which inspired the Wicker Man film). Musically it is inspired by early Pink Floyd, Popol Vuh...and is a kind of spiritual and physical journey from the source to the sea..like the river Danube...

Contact : thejacula@hotmail.com

Review of Zaam at the page on reviews of Belgian progressive music

Review of 2 psych-related 'Pocket Gods' releases see review page 12

Squeeler MusicInner System Blues : Last Days Of May (US,2003)**

Inner System blues is the next project by Karl Precoda after having left behind his (very popular 80’s group) the Dream Syndicate. This is something different: an all instrumental improvisational group. I find the group’s name ‘Inner system blues’ very appropriate to describe something of the music. This is their third release of music I can describe here as a kind of inner-system-blues atmospheric psychedelia. It was recorded live.

Starting in the first track, "Tell a Green Man Something" with exotic rhythms (percussion is by Leonard Wishart) outside the exotic category, echoing a bit, building up a soundscape like intro, the second track, “Rangerland/Bewitched” brings the listener even further in Can (-Jaki Liebezeit-) like rhythms driven to space but down to earth at the same time. With “Bridge of Smoke” the ‘inner blues’ is more rhythmically relaxed, and the elements are also minimal. We hear some wah-wah distorted echoing electric guitar dub-rocking itself in a stretched out mode. Also “Drive it say” continues in the same mode, but stretches it’s ideas now experimentally so much it almost or at times a certain pont perhaps really falls apart, with the drumming (by James Ralston) letting it still hang together logically. Like in Krautrock I then expected a tension to build up again, to give this flowing-away a sense of control. The bass makes slight moves, but nobody really makes the real final move to it, so in the end the drumming, without percussionist here, almost seems to come to a point it will become muddy of only continuing in what he started, waiting for this move.. because it takes too long to take action of more direction, and finally it never will. But still, this piece is organic enough to make sense. Also the last track, "Solitary Realizer Vehicle" shows the same trio, and starts with the similar free-form looseness, which could still be a good carpet energy to take a ride.

I wondered who was going to be there now to guide the structure into such a direction?... Of course, in this musical waiting room, there still are the carpet patterns further crawling and moving. And then, with a similar energy as with the album started, the carpet starts to glide and move on the 'inner system blues' of the leading wa-wa electric guitar. It came later as I expected, but there it was: a fine musical conclusion.

A fine album to listen too, especially late at night.

Review : http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/record-reviews/... & http://www.dustedmagazine.com/reviews/582 & http://www.squealermusic.com/reviews/ldomreviews.html

Label : www.squealermusic.com with this item : http://www.squealermusic.com/catalog/ldom.html

Info on early works of Karl Precoda : http://guitarbands.de/karlprecoda.htm

Secret Eye  Urdog : Garden of Bones (US,2004)****

The problem with good psychedelia is I can’t describe it because it has a completely stoned effect on me. Just trusting Jeffrey’s good choice, like I said before, might not help here much I guess. But let me try already with the label’s description : “Tight and textural psych rock by three of Providence's finest. Driving, tribal drumming, fuzzed-out Farfisa, and searing guitar licks. Atmospheric yet rocking, this is music to which you can shake your booty while docking starships... WITH YOUR MIND!!” .. What else can I say.. This is just good as it should be, but still it's hard to really describe because the result a whole blend of psychedelic evolutions, taking us away into walls of melodically psychedelic directions.

This is the third or more release I got in two weeks referring to dogs. Is there something wrong with people, or have dogs become the best listeners to music that tends to be serious creativity ?  I heard that cows like classical music, chickens like psych pop, and even Pink Floyd, but what about dogs ? On the titletrack "Urdog awaken" we hear some humourous second rhythms, and quiet kazoos ?!! Mostly it brings you, with its undefinable variety, into this different state of trance-mind. Some of the tracks comes with vocal harmonies.

Urdog is from Providence.

At http://suicidegirls.com/boards/Music/50573/page1/#post2494743 I found :

"The Chinese Stars, Daughters, Football Rabbit, Hya Kcha, Lightning Bolt (drummer and bassist), Mahi Mahi, Men's Recovery Project, Urdog, Tiny Hawks, V For Vendetta : This is a sampling of the great bands representative of and responsible for the "Providence Sound", which is essentially smart, genre bending music that is sometimes psychedelic, atmospheric, heavy, noisy, and without category."

Soundfiles : "ice on water", "long shadows", "zombie cloud", "Garden Of Bones"

Info : http://www.urdog.com/ & http://www.secreteye.org/se/a11.html

Pictures of band : http://www.lotsofnoise.com/bands/Urdog/Urdog_photo.html

Interview : http://www.digitalisindustries.com/foxyd/urdog1.html

Contact group : parmaleedog@yahoo.com                    next release->

Secret Eye  Urdog : Eyelid of Moon (US,2005)***°

Urdog consist of David Lifrieri - guitar, pedals, vocals, Jeff Knoch - organ, pedals, vocals, and Erin Rosenthal - drums, percussion, vocals.

This is their third album, if you count the first private cdr as well. Urdog plays improvisational music in the same way as some Krautrock artists did (Guru Guru,..), but without starting necessarily from a large structure in all aspects of composition in each track. But the group thoroughly comes to that and builds up with this tension using clever combinations, and so on, and when it doesn’t come to a structure in the improvisation perhaps the next track will, so all single tracks are like honest spontaneities that build up easily and simply (with nice keyboard themes).

It fades out during the first track, then builds up again, renewed and with increased tension, evolving the psychedelic tension, fastening the rhythms, making in this way some changes that come in spontaneously, until by the third track, “Ani nie ma”, the built up sphere has a splendid group combination of also inventive combinations of sounds embedded in rhythm and with some vocal drive too. The fourth track “Paths of the Meridians” starting with harmonium automatically reminds me in this way remind of some Sufi ritual aspect. By the last track the performance has reached the stage of being completely accomplished with this aforementioned large structure full of changes, with song aspects and its own improvisational freedom within its own language of inventive expression. A fine release.

Audio : "Robur, The Conqueror", ""Ani Nie Ma"

Homepage : http://www.urdog.com/

Info : http://www.secreteye.org/se/a16.html & http://www.secreteye.org/urdog/

Article info : http://www.providencephoenix.com/music/top/documents/04523339.asp

Dutch review : http://www.kindamuzik.net/mars/article.shtml?id=9236

1. demoSignal To Noise Ratio : demo II (POL,2004)***

This is a promising 4 track demo from this 4-man Polish band (Marysia Biawota, keyboards, Przemek Piwacinski, guitar, Tomek Wilk, bass guitar, and Adam "Izaak" Wasaznik, drums). "Eden" is a nice psych track with with a beautiful melancholic organ in combination with (transverse) flute, electric bass and drums. The demo is recorded in the studio of the Warsaw Music academy and has two guest musicians, like the flute player Natalia Uziebwo, whose contribution on the first track I liked very much. Second track, "Entropia" has long guitar improvisations, and a relaxed evolution. Then the second guest appears, the beautiful voice of Ola Jaromin. Last part is another improvisation. The bass line might be influenced by the metal scene but it keeps enough of its balance with the rest, it is like a minor influence.

"Kruk" is a jazz improvisation on piano with some psychrock element, and here and there some noise experimentation. Last, is the almost 11 minute track, "Opium" which is another improvisation with electronic keyboards, electric guitar, bass, drums, in a slightly Middle Eastern mode. Also this track takes its time to develop in its few different directions. Nice.

Audio : http://www.last.fm/music/Signal+to+Noise+Ratio/demo+II

Info : http://snr.rockmetal.pl/ Contact group : dodiabla@rockmetal.pl

2. PrivateSignal To Noise Ratio : Stan Nieustalony -EP- (POL,2007)***°

It seems like the group had a professional production and a more “full” sound for this new album, with a promising progress, with attention to the melodic progressions in the compositions, and with more organ/keyboard improvisations and arrangements. Extra guests are the nice voice of Marta Czyc on the second track, and Ola Jaromin on oboe and Ania Wojtych on the short dodecaphonic introduction. “Centryfuga” has also sequenced programming mixed with electric guitar improvisations. “Marzenie” has distorted voice with fuzz & pedal bass, and keyboards, and has a more complex rhythm progression. Then suddenly the music stops to almost silence, until a remix of the “Centryfuga” track returns (by 6th Sea Of Aeon), with some good dynamism, which is fine, but also a portion/factor of uncontrolled chaos, and a bit of noisiness, which is less, and spoils it for me a bit for this for the rest very promising new album, which deserves wider recognition.

Info : http://snr.rockmetal.pl/

and audio : http://www.myspace.com/snrband 

and on http://www.last.fm/music/Signal+to+Noise+Ratio/Stan+nieustalony

Intro (with audio) : http://www.sonicgarden.com/sonic-web/artist.cfm?artistid=30006

& http://www.garageband.com/artist/snr

Paw Tracks Ariel Pink's Haunted Grafitti 2 : The Doldrums (US,2004)*

Already the first track, “Good kids make bad grown-ups” sounds like a complete “blurred up” recording, as if various recordings are recorded on top of each other, which, because of the mono-feel, vaguely makes some sense, for an equally blurred mind. The name of the one man band is just perfect, because also the music sounds like underground graffiti music, with layers of patched playing painted over each other, added with neo-60’s psychedelic harmonic vocals or distorted vocals with some vague theatrical nonsense. All the vaguely performed songs are blurring any real moments away, it is visionless crawling with its remaining life. Ariel Pink was discovered by Animal Collective, during their west coast tours. It became their local favourite. This lead to the side-project of Paw Tracks. Myself, I never saw any purpose in graffiti which mostly increases the destructive process where something might have had already a tendency lacking much human warmth, but it doesn’t contribute itself much either. This release was published as a hand-made CDR previously.

Audio files :  "Strange Fires", "Haunted Graffiti", "Among Dreams", "Don't Think Twice (Love)"

The original CDR sleeve : http://www.arielpink.com/images/600_scan0003.jpg

Inner sleeve picture : http://www.arielpink.com/images/600_scan0001.jpg

Ariel site : http://www.arielpink.com/pages/1/index.htm

Label site : http://www.paw-tracks.com/

General press info : http://www.carparkrecords.com/doldrums.html

& http://www.angryape.com/news/634

Info on tour : http://www.rhystop.com/news.html

Other review : http://www.dustedmagazine.com/reviews/1712

& http://www.babysue.com/LMNOP-Reviews-October-04.html#anchor944954

Other release by Ariel : http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/arielpink

Cuneiform Rec.           Yang : une nature complexe (F,2004)****°

Yang is the newest project from Frederic L’Epée (Shylock, Philharmonie), electric guitar, with Julien Vecchie (electric guitar), Stephane Bertrand (electric bass guitar) & Volodia Brice (drums).

Partly this project, like Richard Pinhas / Heldon, here the electric guitar sound itself comes to the fore, as a heavy rock instrument, thanks with the correct stimulation and direction of the drum rhythms and bass. I don't know if this is influenced by early Heldon directly, rather it might come forth from Frederic's Robert Fripp / King Crimson interest and his own evolution and ideas. (I found this firect strong approach especially in "Les Deux Mondes" and only perhaps in "Soutterrain",..). Other tracks are more amplified melodies, with a track like "Compassion" with some emotional strenght, and also on "Le Masque Rouge" theme is some emotional melody, and on a track like “Manchild”, using virtuosity and skill. "Impatience" then is into jazzrock, then bringing the CD back to the earlier strong drive.

Audio file example that holds the middle between all this : “Orgueil”

L’Epée’s entry for this release : http://laspada.perso.cegetel.net/yangeng.html

Label entry : http://cuneiformrecords.com/bandshtml/yang.html

Dutch review : http://www.subjectivisten.org/caleidoscoop/archief/001371.php

German review : http://www.babyblaue-seiten.de/album_4841.html        next album->

Vocation Rec.          Yang : Machines (F,2009)***°

On this new album by Yang, the band developed a few compositions as a new art rock band, compositions with clearly leading ideas and with a feeling of somewhat improvising on the evolutions, with layers of electric acoustic guitar harmonies or slightly technical double or even triple layered arrangements around the lead themes. However it never becomes too complex and the band compositions remain to sound rather relaxed over the whole album, so that there are also never real surprises in energy, despite a few good additional ideas to increase its fundaments, like the strange flute like theme on the fourth track, or a short Middle Eastern theme starting a new more westernised composition on track 6. A good album with fluently played rational achievements.

Info & audio : http://www.myspace.com/yanggroup

Homepage : http://www.yanggroup.fr/

private   Nihil Project : Paria (I,2003)**°°'

Nihil Project is Antonello Cresti and Janex with the help of a lot of musicians, including Walter Catalano, Marillio Rossi, Silvio Ripamonti amongst others. The style on the first half of the album is bombastic psychedelia with some samples of recordings of magic, both ethnical and western.

On “Realta’ e’ Mia Illusione” Nihil Project combines Middle Eastern singing samples and Italian vocals with heavy techno and electric guitars creating an intense psychedelic effect. “A.S.C.” (with Claudio Rocchi as one of the guests) directs at first to similar psychedelic effects with electronica and electric instruments, bass and drums, but then evolves to a free jazzrock territory with as much psychedelic weirdness : bombastic and overloaded in a positive way. A Timothy Leary voice sample penetrates through hypnotically, the music becomes a kind of LSD far-out trip. On “Themela” I recognize Aleister Crowley’s voice magical trance-like, in Enochian language (=the language of the angels used in Thelemic magic to receive visions of the angels’ vision on our reality), first with organ, then with shamanic heavy trance psychedelic percussion, loops, didgeridoo, and weird African chanting and screams. Also the next track with a title to remember, “Llanfairpwllgwyngyll-gogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch”, has its own kind of magic, like a powerful personal ritual of magic, with music and words, using instruments like a ‘distorted acoustic cell-phone-guitar’, reverse bass etc. “Electric Dawn” is weird psychrock with song orientation, and is as rewarding. “Alientazione Metropolitana” like on the second track, stays in between order and free psych music, keeping the tension high, with a rhythm structure that absorbs the complete happening, becoming somewhat more filmic and horror circus-like.

After all this intensity, “La Metafisica delle vette” is sung like a ballad. A mood-change at the right time with piano, sounds, and rhythms. Also “…..”(Silence)” with prepared piano and electronica, bass, etc. works as a welcome antidote. Last track, “Sequentia” continues in this mood, with a bit more magical penetrating voice, heavy psych New Age as a matter of speaking )-if that genre will ever exist..- until it becomes like a deranged Latin medieval song, for me breaking down the Latin magic into normality, so ending peacefully.

Homepage : http://www.nihilproject.org/

Info : http://art.supereva.it/fratelloantonello/index.htm?p

Other review : http://aural-innovations.com/2004/march/nproject.html

Later releases reviewed here & here

PS. "Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch" is a Wales village with supposedly the longest name on earth (but there's a Thai village with a longer name) :

http://teachingtreasures.com.au/student-projects/Llanfair.htm

& http://llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch.com/

Progression / O.M. V.A. : Best of Baltimore's buried bands II (US,1972-1997)****°

This compilation made me immediately reconsider my thoroughly tamed interest in US psychedelia. For me, almost the whole last ten years have been pretty poor for discovering many artefacts from that area. But this release tickled my interest again.* Not only the compilation is good, but this might be the first time with a compilation I can say it’s perfectly mixed, and compiled, to make it sound as if it’s only one group playing with a lot of ideas. Even when you can hear a difference in choice of production and sound of 70’s with the newer bands, the way it is compiled makes the difference almost unoticable. The compilation of the album is like a building of ideas with a good architect that also has an eye for the different personalities how they could function well within one building with each on its own space, and still communicating. This architect / producer was Jay Graboski from a band called Oho, also listed with a few tracks, and were compiled together with Bill Pratt.

* CD1 :

The first CD builds up perfectly over a radio edit intro, to a documentary like tape mix by OJohnny Coughran & Dave DeMarco, to an incredible performance highlight of Outraguous (with “Letter from Kevin”, to a great section of early Gabriel / Genesis like theatrical tracks, :“Faggy goats”, “Madman Serenade” & “Laughing Man”). The band Oho sounds here very related. Stylistically this still is in the same vein, as if from the same album (“Opposites”, “Paint Can”, “I crawled back..”,”Parties”).But also the next trio of tracks by Elf Park fit perfectly, as harmony progrock “Anyway Someday”, or “This Side of heaven”, “Queen of Ice”, until here the album still sounds like a great undiscovered symphonic rock opera. Almost amazing this great music could have stayed buried for so long. “Ow !” is a funny mix in between. “We never wanted this” after that is the first newer recording, by a group called Grok, still fitting well in energy and psychrock drive with the seventies inspiration. This is mixed well and quickly with banjo bluesgrass rock outro, hard to believe it's still the same track. This is followed by another suprising break by Steakhouse, on "Vino Miranda", played with great skills and musical changes. Nice to hear little difference between 70’s and newer bands, partly thanks to the mix. Maybe one day we will be able to see time as a gigantic loop from which we can dig out anything we want at any time…(I personally still believe that's how the Mayan calander stops at 2012). Wonderfully surprising once more is a Bach on moog (“Bach by Lake”) followed hereafter, mixed in perfectly as ever, and played by Richard Lake, mixed in perfectly again by some funny 70’s radio commercial, and a late 60's styled track, by another new group Wild Mouse, called "Fly". "Peradam" is a quite nicely concluding crossover moment by Trans Figures, followed by a theatrical short goodbye by Blammo, "You should..".

A perfect CD. Never heard such a perfect mix of so many groups. Highly recommended to any prog fan !

* CD 2 :

The second CD starts with similar kind of theatrical symphonic rock inspiration, by a new group Blammo obviously influenced by Genesis, making a bit a joke of its inspiration on their first track, “Prog Man” (like with using all the names of Genesis albums, and by mixing recognisable riffs to prog-fans). “No working Title” is somewhat similar, in a serious way. They stretched the path for the two tracks of Neige, “Arthur Fiedler”, with great guitar and jazzrockfusion freakout bits. “Pieces of Leaves” starts with an improvised moment of the group with violins and xylophone, keyboards, guitar, then shows more outstanding symphonic rock in a braking point. This builds the tension up to the more heavy St. Joseph’s Ass, with “Thé Song”, followed by the slightly more modern “E-E” and the short closer “Body Shock”, which is pretty heavy heavy metal, but with good "progressive" production to make it more than worthwhile as an addition to this compilation. Before one has the chance to wonder about it the classic proggies gets a poprock, track called "Burning Grey", with prog and psych-folk-rock remembrances by a more recent Oho/Sacco band line-up, again brought in on the right time. A second similar track, "Plowing the Sea" with the same female singer is added, in a similar, completely forward performance, without time to breath, it is meant to overwhelm you. For those who might have missed a sense of experiment, they get this immediately hereafter, with a very contemporary, beautiful and adventurous electronica track, called "LES 2", by Klangfarb. This track seems to have been adapted 3 years later, in 1980 with additional loop experiments by Leisure Suited Executives, to an over 9 minute track called "In The village". Great to hear its rewarding, also adventurous evolution, now in a psychedelic way, with moments of collage & soundtrack. The neo-60's but 80's band United States of Existance brings you back to a recognisable pretty, psychedelic sphere (with some exotic sounds) on "Welcome Tomorrow, Goodbye Today". Another odd Baltimore group of two Scandinavian composers, with their group The Concertgebrew Orchestra appeared and disapeared suddenly, and here show another funny sphere of "barrel moog" on "Haydn in a beer hall". It's a track that fits very well with the weird "1st Grade" from Food for Worms, an 80's Oho offshoot. Then we come to the finishing off tracks, like on a late night performance, starting with two tracks from singer-songwriter & guitar player and ex-Soho leader Matt Graboski, "Rising Darkness", also a good choice for the album, followed by "End of the beginning", an acoustic rock song with good acoustic guitar. The least appealing track of the compilation, in mixing (too high registers), inspiration, etc. and the only track I do not like at all is the too obvious new rock track by Vulgarians, another Oho side project, with a song as a reaction to the Gulf War, “Hidden Agenda”. I don’t think mixing willingness or politics with musical inspirations can work easily together. It only reminds me of why philosophy, music and a few other things between the 80's and mid 90's never resulted in rewarding music from a deeply delved and developed purity from inside, which in 60's and 70's was almost regarded as a normal direction to delve in, succeeding or not, but mostly achieved at least something at some point, while politics on its own is not a creative force, but a balancing force in decisions that needs practical directions, no experimenting into new ideas, which music needs, to be fresh and rewarding. Really ashame to get away from the pure musical project just once. A perfect goodbye closer is “The Last dance” written by Joe O’Sullivan. Except for that tiny bump on society this area of Baltimore's greatest, surely succeeded to dig the buried treasuresout of the ground and show the spirit of it, with much live energy and, I repeat myself, a rewarding architectural insight for this concept.

Recommended !!

Audio fragments of all tracks : http://cdbaby.com/cd/ohocomp

* Soon after that I also discovered both Silver Apples releases which were an amazing discovery too !! The style of these 1968 & 1969 albums is also psychedelica, mixed with lots of oscillating electronica, creating a highly original, brooding psychedelic rhythmic sound. I heard the JVC release is a pirate one of inferior quality. The official remastered rerelease is on MCA with number MCD11680.

Info : http://www.silverapples.com/

Audio (from first album) : track 1, track 4

O.H.M Music /UM Rec.      Portal : The common ground of

Franks,Malgeri & Pauciello (I,rec.1997)****

Owl Man Music & Unauthorized Medicine Records released this album as a “late 90’s underground instrumental classic” with some additional bonus tracks. It contains classic psychedelic rock with just basic electric guitar, electric bass and drums, far-out and at first head-banging / freaking out. Sometimes bluespsychrock, sometimes leading with electric guitars, then hardrock-like with more bass. The first 21 minutes always reminds me of the best 70’s heavy psychedelic guitar-rock (“Portal, “Fancy”, “Magic Boogie”). “New Reggae Heat Wave” suddenly uses a reggae bass beat, but the rest of the band luckily uses this as another way to freak out a bit on top of it as if it’s dark hot bluesrock. This is followed by a bluespsych version of "Third Stone from the Sun" from Hendrix. No wonder, because the way the band builds up its tensions,  can in some way be compared to the Hendrix Experience. "Pendulum" is a bit more relaxed, following a romantic series of chords giving the listener some time to relax, before a more emotional freak out on electric guitar. "Bella" has different kinds of rhythmical elements that carry the instrumental, before the guitar has some part ready, with its energetic play. "Astral Orifice" is an experimental track, with the same kind of inventiveness as on Hendrix "..and the Gods made love" for instance. Also "Prelude" is surprisingly different, with an African string instrument, handpercussion and soft drums. "Moonflower" is a Santana track, in his style, but also with some additional personality in the electric guitar. Sadly this track is less well recorded. I guess it's already part of the bonus tracks. "Dragon's Tail" is another short experimental track with electronica, with sounds and rhythms. "Oye Como Va", originally by Tito Puente, fits with the Santana track. What could end this release better than with a great version of "Voodoo Chile", which is also interesting for its extra rhythmical elements.

Highly recommended, especially to psychedelic electric guitar freaks !

This is something that I think should be released on vinyl too.

There's a quote from Aural Innovations on the CD with which I agree :

"The band come roaring out of the gate on the killer jamming 'portal'. Honestly, Malgeri's guitar work is a psych-rock fan's dream! And Frank (drums) and Pauciello (bass) are far more than mere keepers of the beat."

Of course Aural Innovations at that time heard only the original LP. The extra tracks show an even more interesting band..

Other review : http://aural-innovations.com/2003/september/owlhead2.html

Contact : SRPau@msn.com

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