Psychatrone Rhonedakk - "American Primitive Electronics"
(Black Plastic Sound 2008, BPS-010)
From Aural Innovations May 2009 update
The subtitle of the latest offering from Scranton, Pennsylvania's electronics
wizard is "Music For Synthesizer, Microphone, and Low Budget Effects Pedals",
which certainly gives you a hint at what you'll be hearing. But only a hint.Collected
together here for the first time is a series of tracks from Psychatrone's early
days, some dating back as early as 1998 (as such, this is a Psychatrone Rhonedakk
10th anniversary celebration disc), culled from cassette releases and some from
even more mysterious sources. The sounds here deliberately hearken back to the
early days of popular electronic music in the late 60's and very early 70's.
Artists like T.O.N.T.O.'s Expanding Head Band and Beaver & Krause are touchstones
that no doubt served as inspiration in the creation of this music, but I also
hear (perhaps less intentionally), dashes of Syrinx (one of the first rock bands
to use the synthesizer as the predominate lead instrument) and even Nash the
Slash. Still, it's all wrapped up in Psychatrone's own unique approach, whether
it be the hypnotic experimental bits like Dwarf Loop Extract 1 and Vibraloop
or the lengthy odysseys like the nearly 20-minute SPACE or the 14-minute long
Tangerine Nightmare. The latter of these is surely the highlight of the album
for me, an extended trip into dark, psychedelic realms featuring both Psychatrone's
freaked out electronics and the guitar work of Brian Langan of The Swims. Also
included are two recent tracks that bookend the album. The opening cut, Cult
of the Violet Ray, is a track recorded during the Disturbs the Air sessions
that didn't make it onto that album, and is a piece of dreamy, yet disturbing
psychedelic balladry. Closing the album is a brand new cover of the Velvet Underground
tune I'm Set Free, a bright, pulsing tune that is a wonderful contrast to some
of the darker tracks on the album. What always strikes me about Psychatrone
Rhonedakk's music is no matter how experimental and eccentric it gets, it always
remains highly listenable, and the early recordings on American Primitive Electronics
are no exception. This album is a joy to listen to, from its oddball start to
its subtly uplifting finish.
Check out the band web site at: http://www.myspace.com/psychatrone
Check out the record label site at: http://www.summerstepsrecords.com/
Reviewed by Jeff Fitzgerald