INDUSTRIAL:
PRIDE AND FALL: Elements Of Silence CD
In a world of industrial EBM song-writing where commerciality and club melt right into each other, we have this latest offering from the Norwegian trio which takes in elements of acts as diverse as Seabound, Pet Shop Boys, Faithless & Front Line Assembly, pouring it all into a rampaging rhythmic melting pot and coming up with a winner as a bunch of strong and streaming EBM-style anthems roar into life from the start and produce songs that are as instant and addictive as they are beat-driven and synths-laden. The fullness, depth and sheer cohesion of sound give it a monster of a rampaging feel and sound, so much so that some of the rhythms are positively window-rattling. But these percussive and electronic rhythms are also dynamic as well as powerful and that is all in keeping with the expansiveness of the sound as a whole. Vocally, it's not a million miles away to many other vocalists you've heard in this genre, but the key here is the sheer energy and strength of every song that unfolds. On the odd occasion they'll give you a respite from the supercharged arrangements, but by and large the force is with you. Commercial to a tee, powerful for sure and highly substantial and satisfying, this is industrial EBM song-writing for the ones that appreciate a solid song, well delivered.
PROG-ROCK:
ARIES: Aries CD
You know current trend in that area of Gothic sounding prog-metal where the band has a seriously brilliant operatic-oriented female singer over a mighty backing of chunky guitars, driving rhythms and endless synths? Well, imagine that in a purely prog-rock setting, then this is the result. It's gorgeous, with soaring female vocals that can be tender and passionate, plenty of synths and piano work, rippling guitars, largely restrained but seriously strong at the same time, eruptions of electric guitars and a vibrant rhythm section. Overall, it's absolutely magical. Its dynamics, breadth and structure are jut a few of its strengths, while the playing all round is top notch with some wailing moog-like leads, plenty of keyboards presence, soaring electric and delicate acoustic guitars, solid, driving rhythms, plenty of instrumental space, and all topped off with this stunning female vocal. With tracks from four to nearly seventeen minutes, this is one seriously hot prog-rock discovery that is ideal for those wanting to hear great prog-rock songs allied to instrumental excursions, strong arrangements and brilliant, almost Kate Bush-esque female vocals fronting a band who can really deliver the goods, from warm and gentle to on-fire prog-rock attack. Splendid!!
FLIGHT 09: Human Nature CD
This is the sort of thing that could be termed "progressive space-rock" in the same breath as a band such as classic Eloy with whom the tracks on here would undoubtedly be the nearest comparison. With tracks averaging around five - six minutes a throw, there's not a huge amount of space devoted to instrumental excursions, but, that said, they do manage to make it all work on that level with some great lead work from the synths and electric guitar within the tracks. The vocals are a sort of "gravely" Frank Bornemann style - you know, the sort of accented English that is just on the right side of enjoyable. The compositions are strong, as is the production, while there will be those for whom the "gravely" nature of the vocal does not sustain a whole album. One track in particular, the five minute 'The Eastern Winds', borrows heavily off Led Zeppelin, the riff from 'Kashmir' as close to rearing its head as you'll come. Overall, it's more rock than prog, in the same vein as something like Ayreon, and works a treat providing you like the vocal.
IZZ: My River Flows CD
The opening title track sets its stance with a potent five minute brew of powerful prog - not prog metal - that takes in a huge swirling sound with lead work from organ and searing lead guitar, as the lightly phased lead vocal and multi-tracked harmonies ride the rolling rhythm section and synth stabs that accompany the huge-sounding lead work. Not only is it powerful, but also dynamic and intricate, purely prog-rock but one that really takes off. If that wasn't a good enough start, then the opening two minutes of 'Late Night Salvation" will really cement things for you, starting with roaring keys and guitars over solid rhythms, before dropping back to cyclical piano, rolling guitars, high-flying solo and harmony vocals plus staccato offerings from synths and guitars, as the Starcastle-meets-early Spock's Beard-meets Floyd styled song unfolds, leading into a section where swirling synths and electrifying guitar work suddenly take things onto an altogether higher plane as the track just climbs and climbs, a red hot guitar solo taking centre stage after the vocal to awesome effect for over two minutes as the synths join the fray and then, via a solid drum link, the song returns, the mood intensifies before dropping down to a calmer but no less strong section where wailing synth solo heralds the arrival of multi-part female and male harmonies on a passage that is just the icing on an already more than satisfying musical cake. The band then takes it on as the river flows and things gradually subside, as lead vocal takes it out, just over twelve minutes of absolute modern day prog-rock perfection. 'Rose Coloured Lenses' is more of a three and a half minute souped-up proggy ballad while the seven minute 'Deception' starts quietly enough with acoustic guitar chimes as the upfront lead vocal come in, more like a similarly phrased but gruffer Jon Anderson style, and the track floats along in easy-going manner, the synths sparkling on top of a sea of lightly choppy rhythms, the whole feel still expansive and powerful but also quite relaxed. The song then opens up and climbs but then drops back as the complexity and dynamics of the track come into their own, spacey synths backing expressive lone guitar before a passage of just yearning vocal and synths leads into this soaring section where the guitar lifts the roof off as synths, keys, more synths and oh-so solid rhythm section just take off and blow you clean away. The eight minute 'Crossfire' is more of a rolling rhythmic track than before, featuring some scorching electric guitar work throughout, as the mostly instrumental number delivers a seriously glowing composition. A couple of three minute songs in a commercial prog vein lead us into the grand finale of the concept piece 'Deafening Silence', a twenty one and a half minute prog epic of grand proportions, full of light and shade, power and delicacy, passion and intensity, and one amazing composition that takes everything we've mentioned that makes this album so hot and delivers an even more palatable result in the form of this soon-to-be-classic slice of prog magic. Overall, then, this is one amazingly consistent album, not putting a foot wrong, and easily sits along side the best of the new millennium prog-rock CD's released in the last few years.
LANA LANE: 10th Anniversary Concert CD+DVD£18.99
Fantastic pro-shot DVD of the complete live concert in Tokyo that the Lana Lane band performed to mark their tenth anniversary of recording and playing. With 19 tracks, what makes this so special is that it is essentially a live greatest hits with tracks performed in largely chronological order so that you get things from the early albums such as 'Curious Goods' and 'Love Is An Illusion' right up to the latest 'Lady Macbeth'. The band is on top form with plenty of room for instrumental space and Norlander playing a blinder on an arsenal of synths and keyboards, while Lana Lane delivers rockers and ballads (all original tracks) to perfection, her vocal sounding every bit as glorious live as it does in the studio. As class prog-rock singing, writing and playing goes in a live setting, it simply does not come any better than this. Visually, the multi-camera work that focuses on all aspects of the band and their performance, keeps you hooked throughout, with Lana looking every bit the Queen of Prog as she flows around that stage singing and dancing, while the band give it their all, too. Added DVD extras include a tour diary from the events and an extra live track recorded at a festival in Sweden. For the times when you want to hear this excellent concert but you can't get in front of a TV, there's a separate audio CD featuring 16 of the 19 tracks that you can enjoy play after play. Yet another triumph from the Lana Lane camp.
LIZARD: Spam CD
Concept album with a six-part title track spread over fifty three minutes. Now I'm going to have to come clean here - all the vocals are in Polish. Anyone for whom that's going to be an issue, might as well leave now.
Right - now we've got rid of all of them, let me tell you that it's actually a rather fine album, for all that. Rather than conforming to one particular era of classic prog, it readily criss-crosses eras with ease, so that at one point you're hearing touches of Satellite and Collage, then suddenly there's a glimpse of UK, a blaze of early Crimso, then it'll all go more into Spock's Beard/Flower Kings territories. It's a bit like the heavier prog bands of today such as Riverside crossed with the classics of the seventies and the result is an alarmingly fine album with some stirring arrangements, wonderful playing and superb production. The actual sound of the vocals is good - mid register and lashings of overdubs plus vocal harmonies, as the whole thing takes off then lands, only to take off even higher. Track 3 sedates the strength to provide a more balladic piece, while track 4 opens with a choppier rhythm base, as the vocals take centre stage, the track then twisting and turning through all manner of melodic pathways as the dynamics substitute for the force and a quite relaxing, but deep slice of vocal-heavy prog weaves a spell. Then the violin soars above the guitars and the whole mass of surrounding space synths, solid and well produced rhythm section combine, as the piece really flies. All told, a solid and consistent album that has strength and flow, so providing the vocals don't do you in, then it's a really good album.
MAINHORSE: S/T CD
From the mists of time (and about time) comes this much welcomed issue on CD for the first time, of the legendary and only album by Mainhorse, a quartet featuring Patrick Moraz on keyboards, mainly organ/synths, bassist Jean Ristori, who went on to assist Moraz in the creation of his first two solo albums, electric guitarist Peter Lockett and drummer Bryson Graham. The album itself, clearly and superbly rooted in the prog annals of the early '70's, is a pearler from start to finish, evoking comparisons with England, ELP, early Genesis and similar, with expansive arrangements, excellent vocals, often multi-tracked, superb songs, plenty of room for instrumental ensemble work, with some exciting and fiery guitar/kybd duels at one end and flowing work from the whole band, at the other. The album opens in explosive fashion, move through a softer song, then into another smoking slice of real prog heaven with fuzz bass, steaming guitars great keyboard work, emotive vocals and fantastic soloing on a neatly twisting but straight ahead composition. Special mention must be made of whoever remastered this for CD because the album has come out as clear as a bell and sounds more expansive than ever the vinyl could have done. In its day it was given plenty of airplay by 'Sounds Off The '70's' DJ Mike Harding, but sank without trace, commercially, which is, of course, exactly the same fate that awaits it now, so get it before you miss the chance because this is one of the genuine 'lost classics' of the prog '70's heyday.
MOSTLY AUTUMN: Storms Over London Town CD
Crikey!! The opening track just erupts into life like a cross between Lana Lane and Threshold with dual male-female vocals, but much more fiery than either - and to think this was once a prog-rock band with more folky connotations than most.. But, as practically the whole album will testify, this is now a prog-metal band that's on fire and roaring with life. The songs are driven along by a rhythm section that has muscle and power blazing out of its destructive path, while this vast wall of guitars and synths sounds absolutely massive, virtually throughout the album. Guitar solos are electrifying, while, above all of this the dual vocals soar and fly on song after song that conforms more to rock-prog anthem status than anything.
It's a tight and generally heavy album with songs that drive home, positively defying you not to get up and rock on one of the most unexpectedly hard-rocking prog live albums of great quality in every way to come along.
PURE REASON REVOLUTION: S/T CD
Take a band that wants to mix prog-rock in the style of Porcupine Tree & RPWL with a commercial sensibility that would just love to be full-sounding Fleetwood Mac and add to that a strong desire to take on the Goth end of the prog metal market as evidenced by Evanescence & Within Temptation, and you have a recipe for a whole new way of doing things - which is what this album is all about. The first five minutes are instrumental and it's very much in the vein of classic mid-seventies Pink Floyd, mixing soaring lead guitar lines, with rolling rhythms and adding piano runs for extra effect. Then we head out into song territory via a multi-tracked female vocal, delicate chiming guitar, as the slowly purposeful rhythm section enters and the delicacy that is the song suddenly erupts into being but instead of anything heavy, you hear a massive cauldron of guitars that die just as suddenly as they appeared, the vocals now having an added male and even more of a multi-tracked presence, the very essence of all the groups to which I alluded earlier, wrapped up in a much more symphonic disguise. The female vocal soars to the skies while the male vocal is equally strong and yet similarly harmonious, as the backing expands into this wall-to-wall mass of synths and guitars, bass and drums, solid, but not heavy, dynamic but not explosive, in many respects more light and airy but still with plenty of substance. The essence of this band is a mix of the aforementioned styles but allowing it ALL to occupy a palatable middle ground, so that you don't get any extended workouts, you don't get any metal mayhem and you don't get syrupy songs that you wish would leave you alone. Instead, you get a mighty sounding proggy brew with strong and scything expansive guitar work, huge-sounding synth and guitar-driven backdrops and vast sounding multi-tracked lead and harmony vocals. It's probably more prog than you might think, but at the same time with a pioneering spirit that alludes to even better things to come.
RENAISSANCE: British Tour '76 CD
Remember the venues - Croydon Fairfields Hall, Birmingham Town Hall, Newcastle City Hall, to name but three - we all saw some incredible seventies bands in venues like that, often wishing we could return to those days and bands. This CD does just that! It's a radio broadcast, so the quality is first class. If you shut your eyes, you are taken right back into said venue, in this case, Nottingham University. Not only does the band turn in a performance that can only be described as truly magical, but the whole atmosphere of the near eighty minute concert simply oozes "seventies" from every pore. You hear every note as eighty minutes of spellbinding music unfolds. Undoubtedly a band performance where every member shines, it, nevertheless, is vocalist Annie Haslam's show as that voice, full of purity and passion, doesn't miss a note while some of the stretched out notes that she sings with positive ease, to the listener are simply awe-inspiring. The piano and synth work is exemplary, again, full of feeling, warmth and an undoubtedly solid romanticism which endears it to your head and heart, throughout. An album of great songs from the classic early seventies albums, the highlight is undoubtedly the amazing twenty five minutes of orchestra-free 'Song Of Scheherazade', where the band play, arguably, their best ever performance of the epic track that has been committed to CD to date. But if that wasn't enough, we only then go and get the whole twenty minutes of the equally epic and classic 'Ashes Are Burning' where Haslam's vocal reaches heights other female vocalists would kill to scale, the voice so pure and wondrous that you can't help fail to be captured by it. Overall, for fans of the band, an essential album - for people who've never heard the band before, then you'll get no better introduction to them than this.
V/A: Acid Rock DVD
Now this took me by surprise - I thought it was going to be clips from other DVD's but, with two exceptions, it features exclusive ORIGINAL performances from the German seventies TV programme "Beat Club". So, in all their glory, you get to see perfect quality, live-in-the-studio performances from the early seventies by no less than Curved Air, Family, Amon Duul II, Caravan, Lucifers Friend, UFO, Soft Machine & Nektar, of which all are excellent both visually and audio-wise, but the highlights for me were the Nektar, Caravan, UFO & Amon Duul II tracks, although all are superb. In addition you get two tracks from Gong & Hawkwind taken from pre-existing DVD's. But, at this price, for perfect quality and rare original seventies footage, you simply can't argue, so get the thing now before it's deleted (which HAS happened already to several of its DVD label companions of the prog and '70's rock ilk!!).
Tracks: Curved Air - It Happened Today / Family - Drowned In Line / Amon Duul II - Between The Eyes / Caravan - Magic Man / Lucifers Friend - Ride The Sky / UFO - Boogie For George / Soft Machine - Tale Of Taliesin / Hawkwind - Assault And Battery Pt 1 / Gong - Flying Teapot / Jack Bruce - White Room / Nektar - Desolation Valley.
V/A: Odyssey - The Greatest Tale 3 CD Set
Prog-rock heaven for many of you would be an afterlife where nothing but progressive rock was played - and every track sounded like it was recorded in the seventies and every track was more than twenty minutes long.
Welcome to Prog-rock heaven!
Over three and a half hours of epic songs and instrumentals from 9 bands across 3 CD's with every track well in excess of twenty minutes and all of it heavily (and I mean HEAVILY!) influenced by the greats of the seventies.
Don't expect a detailed review - heck, after that, you hardly need one!
Let me just say that between them - "they" being Nathan Mahl, Nexus, Glass Hammer, XII Alfonso, Simon Says, C.A.P., Tempano, Minimum Vital & Aether - these bands have succeeded admirably in producing original prog-rock epics, every one of which is worthy of the seventies prog giants that started it all off. If you want organ, you've got it; if you want mellotrons, you've got it; if you want long passages of synths and guitars duelling, spiralling, sparking and soaring, you've got it; if you want keyboard and guitar delicacy to sit alongside synth and guitar fire, you've got it; if you want solid rhythms, plenty of dynamics, music that twists and turns but flows effortlessly at the same time, you've got it; if you want music with melody, muscle, magic and warmth, you've got it; and if you want class and quality on every level from playing to production, you've got it. Every track works - my favourites are the instrumental from Nathan Mahl that really sums up everything that Camel used to be and Glass Hammer's multi-part vocal-led concept that really takes the subject matter on board and produces a stunning slice of epic seventies-sounding prog-rock that's a lot less intense than many of their album works. Overall, though, excellent stuff for all '70's-prog fans.
V/A (PINK FLOYD TRIBUTE): Return Of Dark Side Of The Moon CD
Following the mega-success of their tribute to 'The Wall', Billy Sherwood has gathered together another all-star cast to perform a studio tribute to the mega-selling 'Dark Side Of The Moon'. Playing the whole of the album we have musicians that include Tony Kaye, Alan White, John Giblin, Rick Wakeman, Steve Howe, Robbie Krieger, Larry Fast, Tommy Shaw, Gary Gree, Bill Bruford, John Wetton, Geoff Downes, Pat Matelotto, Tony Franklin, Peter Banks, Adrian Belew and more.
So, the multi million dollar question is, you want me to give you a reason why to buy it when you've already got the real thing - the answer, quite simply, is "because it's superb".
Following a set of arrangements that take it as close to the original as possible, the key to its enjoyment lies solely in the performances of the musicians and it takes musicians of the class and quality that exist here to pull it off and make it into something that you will genuinely want to listen to and enjoy, time and time again. Just a few of the highlights start with Steely Dan's Jeff "Skunk" Baxter's wondrous guitar and pedal steel guitar on 'Breathe' which actually sounds like Steely Dan guitar playing Pink Floyd and works a treat. Then 'Mr Synergy' Larry Fast (ex-Gabriel/Nektar) provides a searing synthesized run-through of 'On The Run' that injects some real power into the piece, accompanied by Yes' Alan White on percussion. The (ex) Yes trio of Rick Wakeman, Steve Howe & Billy Sherwood with Jay Schellen on drums transform 'The Great Gig In The Sky' into a tale of two parts with Wakeman & Sherwood creating a wholly more symphonic backdrop, while Wakeman & Howe create the more sedate side of the track with some beautiful steel guitar and piano, and above all this the vocals of C.C. White go from high to low to give an alternative to the original that works just fine. On 'Us & Them', between Scotty Page's wonderful full-bodied sax and Dweezil Zappa's red hot guitar work, they take the piece into an altogether new dimension, one where it will be hard to return to the original after hearing this rendition which, with John Wetton on lead vocals, and a fantastic full-sounding arrangement, is the overriding track on the album that is miles and away BETTER than the original version. 'Any Colour You Like' features a much more vibrant set of solos than the original from Toto's Steve Pocaro's wailing synth and guitarist Robben Ford providing a scything electric solo that really lifts the roof off, again totally transforming the track. Elsewhere, it's all just fine, fine playing and singing on a body of music that really is truly timeless and, in this form, sounds more fresh and alive than ever. Yes - you will play this often - because it's top quality in every way!
PSYCH/SPACE-ROCK/STONER:
FANTASYY FACTORYY: Paintings From Inner Space CD
Bearing in mind you have a psych-rock trio, a studio album and tracks ranging from four to fourteen minutes in length, you'd be forgiven for predicting a complete nuclear burn-out of a CD - but you'd b wrong - and. In this case, better off for being so, for this is an album where restraint and compositional quality come before any explosive guitar-bursts, of which there are many, but carefully arranged and constructed. The opener, the eight and a half minute 'Escape' starts as a slow song with chiming guitar, delicate vocal and slowly flowing rhythm section before it builds and ends on a glorious guitar lead that sadly fades all too soon, the whole thing having the feel of an early seventies keyboard-less Nektar as much as anything. The near five minute song 'Traveller' ploughs a similar furrow, only this time ups the anti on the guitar front with an altogether more urgent arrangement, a great solo mid-song but still the song a treat of psych restraint, this time more like a souped up Wishbone Ash towards the end. Up next is the eleven minute 'Demon Lover', opening more like something off an early Guru Guru album with some scorching psych-Kraut guitar work over solid rhythm work for the first three minutes and then an odd thing happens - it fades! Then, from nowhere, this fierce riff begins and a slice of Guru-rock 'n' roll surges ahead as the song proper soars into life, vocalist/guitarist Tepper sounding for all the world like an amalgam of Genrich & Neumeier, as the song alternates between verses and searing guitar leads, to provide a truly superb track that's strong but doesn't explode in your face. The four minute Carnival Of Memories' sounds more like a restrained Deep Purple while the six and a half minute 'Leaving' begins slowly with chiming guitar and high-flying flute over soft vocals and delicate rhythm section as it weaves its spell at this pace throughout the slowly flowing song, all very pastoral in a kind of seventies Krautrock manner. Finally, there's the near fourteen minute 'News From The Sun' that slowly builds for the first five minutes, with more chiming guitars, flute, bass, drums and vocals before breaking out (as opposed to erupting) with organ and guitar leading the way into a more mid-seventies, slightly more subdued, Jane-Nektar styled kind of Kraut-prog, as song and instrumental work hand in hand to excellent effect.
F/I: A Question For The Somnambulist CD+Bonus Track
Awesome!! All studio recordings from 2002, from a quartet line-up of Wensing on guitars and space-box, Grosse on drums, Richter on electronics and synth, Franecki on guitars, and it's seventy three minutes of absolute magic. To give you some idea, if you take the decelerated undercurrent riff from Hawkwind's 'Master Of The Universe', tie it firmly to the rhythmic foundations of Neu's 'Hallogallo' and 'E-Musik', then on top of that dish out generous doses of early Ozrics electric guitar and furnace-heat guitar intensity - and there you have it - the opening track at just under fourteen minutes of utter genius. Next up is the sort of instrumental that would not only have sounded totally natural had it been an inclusion on Hawkwind's 'It's The Business Of The Future….' album, but is actually better than that, since it features some incendiary lead electric guitar work over the space synths, huge-sounding phased electronic backdrop and thunderous rolling rhythmic undercurrents, all just superb at just under seven minutes long. 'Keep The Third Eye Open' is altogether more sedate, still strong, but with rhythms that flow rather than roar, and space synths swooping and diving all over the mix as this cyclical guitar lead gently cascades while all around the electronics and synth create an expansive and well spacey musical horizon. Just short of four minutes, out of this musical fog emerges a searing lead guitar that just rises slowly above the rest of the instrumentation as the track moves on to its close on seven minute conclusion. Across a further four tracks - from four to over fifteen minutes long - this impressive, enjoyable and mighty sounding mix of classic seventies-styled space-rock, Krautrock and acid-rock all gels to perfection on an album that is, overall, one of the best that the band has ever made and one that will be on your player for aeons to come. As a bonus you get a new 9th track, 'The Hot Shop', with a slightly different line-up and this is just over six minutes of surging, raging space-rock at its best. So, totally instrumental, immaculately played, produced and arranged, and, as I said at the start, totally awesome!
FIRST BAND FROM OUTERSPACE: Impressionable Sounds Of The Subsonic CD
The follow-up album to the widely acclaimed classic space-rock debut 'We're Only In It For The Spacerock" and they've actually been brave enough to deviate from the obvious path and do the same sort of album. This time all the tracks run into each other so it plays as one continuous sixty eight minute piece and the album I probably around 75% instrumental. The opening three minutes of the album are truly symphonic sounding with synths everywhere, drums crashing around and bass lurking somewhere. But just short of four minutes, a driving rhythm appears from bass and drums, while all around and above, the synths continue to swirl and soar. Around four and a half minutes in and the guitar finally makes an appearance, as it drives forward with the symphonic synths and now swooping space synths to provide an instrumental hybrid of prog-rock and space-rock, further evidenced by the use of brief organ bursts, as the space synths soar and the whole piece twists and turns - altogether, a stunning eight minute opener. Then it segues directly into the eight minute 'Uttan Att Vetta' as flute treads a lead path over the mid-paced, huge-sounding symphonic prog-space rock assemblage. Nearly two minutes in and an incendiary guitar lead takes center stage before the band returns, heads in the skies, and the first glimpses of vocal are heard. With the harmonies, space synth swoops, driving rhythms, cascading keys and churning riffs, it's now taken on an almost seventies "Krautrock", even including the vocals. Going from a roasting to a simmer, this is nevertheless a great and uniquely flavoured space-rock brew. Again, unbroken, it's straight into the six minutes of song that is 'Mean Spacemachine', once again, solid, straight ahead and space-rock, only more down to earth in a sort of early Nektar vein, but really letting loose with a barrage of deep riffs, spluttering space synths, lurching drums and a great track all round. The ten minute title track begins with flutes and acoustic guitars plus deep bass down below as the mood changes to one of tranquility, as the drums slowly kick in, distant keys and space synths are barely heard and the piece rolls along gently to quite beautiful effect. The vocals enter and sound absolutely natural in these circumstances, as a song unfolds and a space-rock-prog solid slice of ballad is heard. As it proceeds, so is more organ work added to give even more of a Nektar' feel, culminating in a long swirling, cosmic outro of sinuous flutes, crashing drums, space synths bubbling up all around the place and sounding like a cross between very early Kraftwerk and more sedate space-rock. Straight into the six minute 'To Be Seen As The Underdog' and it's a kind of acoustic psychedelic folk-y type of thing with acoustic guitars, bongos, sparing synth and resonant bass, the vocals this time, right upfront as the lyrically aware song continues, all done in a very mid-seventies Pink Floyd kind of way. The near fourteen minute 'Grona Hander' takes this ongoing psychedelic Krautrock idea into wholly new dimensions as a powerful slice of singing and playing unfolds, the piece crunching away on waves of bass and drums, as the guitars, synths, flute and keys provide this hugely expansive, driving backing, with solo and harmony vocals weaving in and out. The track builds and becomes stronger, faster as synths fly and swoop around lone clattering, solid drums creating a mid-section that is really unique but works a treat. This accelerates, adds bongos, the synths increase and an almost shamanic effect is created as native Indian samples are heard briefly as the synths, drums and percussion and phased effects drive inexorably forward. Then the searing electric guitars come cruising in and the whole thing takes off on a rocket ship of space-rock proportions as the track goes into overdrive and the final five minutes or so are this swirling, roaring huge-sounding space-rock climax. If that wasn't enough, you then have 2 more tracks of close on ten and seven minutes each to close the album, both equally as stunning as what's gone before, with the space-rock/Krautrock mix at a height. Overall, it's different from the first album, but more mature, more developed and is undoubtedly going to be an album that will grow and grow.
