Despite loving their first two albums, I can’t say I was as enamoured by The Future Kings of England’s third release, The Vanishing Point. Not sure why, but it just didn’t grab me. So it was with mild trepidation that I approached their latest disc, Who Is This Who Is Coming? But I was more than pleasantly surprised when listening to it; I was blown away by this terrific album.

Based on a creepy 1904 ghost story by M. R. James entitled “Oh, Whistle and I’ll Come to You My Lad”, Who Is This Who Is Coming? is a richly evocative tapestry of English folk balladry, ambient music, sound effects and of course, great progressive rock. Divided into parts, but intended to be listened to as one whole piece, the mostly instrumental album begins with a cheerful little folk melody set to the chirping of birds. However, it is quickly overwhelmed by the chugging roar and whistle of a rushing train as the band breaks into The Globe Inn, with its stately organ and intricate guitar melodies counterbalanced by ghostly passages of spooky wailing. Further, amidst the sounds of crickets and gentle night winds, soft acoustic guitar weaves a mesmerizing pattern in Finding the Whistle. The Watcher Part 1, one of two vocal tracks on the album is a poignant English folk ballad which leads the listener down the foggy path into the deeply ambient, swirling, sometimes disturbing textures of the nearly 10-minute long title track. This one’s a real tour-de-force as it whirls and spirals. It builds a slow and creeping tension till it all finally explodes with the shattering rock of Convinced Disbeliever. The Watcher Part 2 is hardly a reprise of Part 1, delving as it does into droning, psychedelic folk reminiscent of The Incredible String Band. What follows is another 10-minute epic, The Face of Crumpled Linen, this one covering many moods as it builds to a shattering revelation, before the denouement of Spectacle of a Scarecrow, filled with haunted memories and dreams.

The Future Kings of England capture the glory days of early 70′s progressive rock, but they manage to take it in entirely new, fresh and original directions. Within this context, Who Is This Who Is Coming? is a truly brilliant evocation of the M. R. James story, not only bringing the story to life, but bringing the landscape and folklore of the Suffolk region of England to life as well. This one is highly recommended!

For more information, visit: http://www.thefuturekingsofengland.com and http://www.backwaterrecords.com

Reviewed by Jeff Fitzgerald

Following closely in the footsteps of their first two archival releases, Space Debris return with a third volume of live recordings and bits and pieces. Starting off in an unusually subdued mood, with moody acoustic piano, the 10-minute opening cut Mary-Joe-Anna nonetheless gets going eventually into another heavy jam from the band. The shorter Reprise of the Sun features some nice electric piano. Off course, throughout is the sterling organ work that is something of a signature sound for Space Debris, provided on some tracks by current keyboardist Winnie Rimbach-Sator and on others by former keyboardist Tom Kunkel. But let’s not forget the tight rhythm section of Peter Brettel (bass) and Christian Jäger (drums) and the endlessly creative guitar playing of Tommy Gorny. Those looking for trippy or spacey music won’t find much here (maybe dashes here and there, like the opening of Anima and the spacey drumfest of Astronaut Versus Kosmonaut). But for those looking for some top-notch, 70′s style instrumental rock with some bluesy/jazzy touches (diggin’ the last few minutes here of the 21-minute epic title track) will find plenty to love on Vol. 3. The bluesy stuff really comes out in the appropriately titled Blues; there’s some groovin’ Santana-style Latin jamming on Latrino Mortadella II, and even a bit of moody midnight soul music on the lovely Mynona. The band throw in a few really short tracks too, some fun little fragments like the trippy drum patter of the 27-second Namber Nein and the funky jam of the minute and a half long MoJoMe III. And there’s even the 11-second closing cut, Jerrys Aural Innovations, featuring our own starship captain Jerry Kranitz giving a bit of commentary that, like this collection, really sums up everything that Space Debris is all about.

For more information you can visit the Space Debris web site at: http://www.spacedebrisprojekt.de/info.htm

Reviewed by Jeff Fitzgerald

I got this CD-R and listened to it once – then I attempted to touch base with the band itself. After I never did hear back from them, I decided to give the disc a second listen and to check out their Myspace page to hopefully be able to scrap together enough information to give this disc a proper review. You get seven tracks – with a running time 38:25. Best described as mid-to-slow tempo psychedelic with a touch of the blues worked in. Black Wyrm Seed is based in Chicago and I saw noted that this CD-R was initially put out on cassette. Songs I liked best were Shadows Of Time (has some good lyrics, I thought), Goodbye, Blue Monday – sort of maybe reminds me of Syd Barrett, the two-and-a-half minute Sleeping Sickness, the seven-minute Walls Of Sodom and Broken Windowpane. A bit too low-key compared to what I prefer – yet don’t get me wrong it’s all still good. Line-up: Nathan M. Dodge – electric & acoustic guitars & vocals, Matthew Dodge – bass and Kurt Long – drums. I am not sure of just who I might compare Black Wyrm Seed to. But after spending a certain amount of time on their Myspace page, I found some notable bands and artists that might be similar or even somewhat similar to their music which are Dark Fog, OM, Plastic Crimewave Sound, Sleep and Heavy Water Experiments. This CD-R tends to sound better with each spin. Really liked their Myspace page.

For more info, visit: http://www.plustapes.com and http://www.myspace.com/blackwyrmseed

Reviewed by Mike Reed

Formed in Belgrade as recently as 2010, Serbian band Temple of the Smoke have released their debut album … Against Human Race on the Russian Association of Independent Genres label in 2011 (following the free download EP Consecration & Temple of the Smoke Big Band released earlier the same year). Such a nihilistic title may have been a factor in one reviewer commenting that the (pretty much) all-instrumental album “… indicates just how screwed up the world is”, while the band name brings to mind pure stoner rock, both giving premature warning of a bleak listen ahead. True, there is a certain amount of dark energy to be found on “… Against …” but there are also lighter shades and colours, as well as a multitude of influences beyond mere stone-age jamming. Comprising Dragan Mirkovic (drums, percussion and most excellent nom de rock), Dusan Zica (guitar, synthesizers, samples), Marko Ilic (bass) and Janko Strojanovic (guitar, voice), the band have obviously got their obligatory Hawkwind, Black Sabbath and Ozric Tentacles credentials sorted, but have also had an ear for less obvious influences – for example the heavy dub rhythm track and chukka-chukka guitars of Unnatural Recession brings to mind The Clash’s Guns Of Brixton.

Opening track Illudium Q-36 Explosive Space Modulator (nice title) comes out storming like Queens of the Stone Age riffing on a razor blade, before breaking down to just bass overlaid with soaring Edge-style guitar and bubbling synths. Following the dub-plated Unnatural Recession, the ten minute Naked Sun brings to the table a high energy yet melodic spacerock jam that is a perfect example of how to bring about sonic mood changes without resorting to the rather clichéd “loud bit/quiet bit” formula. Deadly Skies has a rather funereal opening but for sheer menace it pales in comparison to South of Heaven with its doom-laden Iommi-style riffage. This contrasts in turn with the reggae beats of Into the Storm with its (ironic?) sampled message that “citizens need to be armed to protect themselves from a tyrannical government”. Closing track Tortoise Du Mars is perhaps the most obvious nod to the space fusion sounds of Ozric Tentacles, until the roaring and distorted guitars emerge from their protective shell. Beyond this is about eight minutes of void, as if nobody had quite remembered the tape was still rolling – strange and perhaps a little anticlimactic to be waiting for a hidden track which doesn’t exist.

Taking many varied styles, Temple of the Smoke have managed admirably to weld and weave them into a thoroughly cohesive whole. Each individual track on its own is great; together, they present an epic sonic experience not to be missed for fans of psychedelic spacerock. If you think you don’t need to hear yet another album of instrumental stoner rock, you most definitely do need to hear … Against Human Race while it is still smokin’!

Temple Of The Smoke’s web-page can be found at http://www.myspace.com/templeofthesmoke
For more information on R.A.I.G., go to http://www.raig.ru

Reviewed by Pat Albertson

This year Electric Orange will be clocking up two decades of psychedelic experimentation, having been formed in 1992 by German musician Dirk Jan Muller. Muller, who plays all manner of vintage keyboards on Netto (including such mouth-watering gems as Mellotron, Minimoog, Farfisa and Hammond organ), was joined in 1994 by guitarist Dirk Bittner, and the current line-up is completed by bassist Tom Ruckwald and drummer Georg Monheim. Netto is the band’s eighth official studio album, recorded in August 2011 and released on Dave Schmidt’s Sulatron Records (home of Vibravoid and Electric Moon, amongst many other 21st century space cadets). Earlier albums (including 2010′s Krautrock From Hell) have received positive reviews in Aural Innovations, and Netto seems well-placed to continue in similar vein.

Netto features nine instrumental tracks, recorded live in the studio, and spread across just under 80 minutes, with not a minute wasted. Indeed there is almost a feeling of regret that some of the lengthy and epic tracks such as Fluff and Supptruppen do not go on even longer than their respective ten and thirteen minutes! Taken as a whole, the album contains a stunning array of moods, ranging from deeply melancholic to powerfully uplifting, sometimes capturing both extremes simultaneously. Most of the track titles are likely obscure for non-German speakers, and are in any case unimportant for an album which works beautifully as a complete work. This is not psychedelic rock of the stoner/guitar-jam variety, but rather atmospheric experimentalism placed somewhere between classic era Tangerine Dream, and early Verve shoegazing (the pulsing soundscapes served up by Scandinavians The Spacious Mind are a further musical touchstone). The guitars are certainly there in the mix, but not at the expense of the other instruments. Neither is this a place for flashy prog rock keyboard solos. Instead, each instrument weaves in and out of the others, making both band and album much more than merely the sums of the individual players’ parts. Perpetuum Mobiliar and Supptruppen are perhaps the most uptempo tracks, while set-closer Zeitheiser moves forward with glacial speed for much of its spell-binding fifteen minutes. By contrast, Basslochner is a concise three minute slice of tribal drums over spooky effects.

For fans of the more kosmische end of the krautrock and spacerock spectrum, Netto could well be an early candidate for end-of-year top album lists, and continues to deliver on repeated listening. Serving as a great introduction to the band, it also makes exploration of their back catalogue (some of which is apparently hard to track down) all the more enticing.

To visit Electric Orange’s web-page, go to: http://www.electric-orange.com
For more information on Sulatron records, go to http://www.sulatron.com

Reviewed by Pat Albertson

Formed in St Petersburg in 2008, Sehnsucht (a German word that can be translated as yearning, craving or an insatiable desire for something unknown) is a Russian four-piece psychedelic rock band, who list early German krautrock as one of their primary inspirations. Wachstum, released at the close of 2010, is their debut album, recorded live in the RockSpb Rehearsal Centre studio, and featuring seven instrumental trips through space. Their current line-up features Michael Linov (bass), Timur Samatov (guitar), Boris Popov (drums), and Catherine Lutsevich (keyboards and swooping/whooshing synths in Dikmik/Del Dettmar tradition).

Sehnsucht open their album with Wachstum, the eleven minute title track which most aptly translates as “Growth”, starting with portentous and doom-laden Careful With That Axe-style bass notes, soon joined by fuzzed-out guitar power chords. As the piece progresses/grows, the music increases in speed and intensity, punctuated with extra-terrestrial synths, but never quite reaches the point of becoming overbearing heavy metal. This is followed up by Verstehen (trans. “To Understand”), a medium paced two-chord rock jam, which calls to mind Ozric Tentacles, while Cosmic Drugstore (no translation needed on that one!) actually sounds a little bit like early Cure (á la A Forest) for a few bars, thanks to its booming bass and drum intro.

Sehnsucht would appear to be a democratic outfit in that there is little in the way of ego-massaging solos on Wachstum. In fact, if one instrument does stand out in the mix, it would be Michael Linov’s bass, providing atmospheric textures as on the opening to Kosmische Meerdung. When Timur Samatov’s guitar does make an appearance on this and other tracks, it is never at the expense of the overall groove played by the band. Just when things are starting to sound a little bit too safe, Linov and drummer Boris Popov are liable to go double time, and occasionally lurch into glorious chaos, as on the closing section of Langsamer Tanz. The band save their heaviest playing for album-closer Meat of the White Cosmic Geishas (nice title), which supposedly features guest vocals from Akina “Satha” Bereznechenko, although these are not exactly what you would call obvious in the mix. The droning soundscapes, screams and furious drumming on this track bring to mind F/i’s Boots of Ascension, and eventually dissolve into a whirlpool of sound.

Altogether, Wachstum is a fine debut from a young band of musicians who have raided their parents’ music collections, and then brought what they have heard into the 21st Century. Fans of Amon Düül II-style krautrock, F/i or Architectural Metaphor drone-rock, or Oresund Space Collective spontaneous jams are likely to find much for them to enjoy in this album.

To visit Sehnsucht’s web-page, go to: http://www.myspace.com/sehnsuchtspb

The R.A.I.G. label web-page is at: http://www.raig.ru

For mail-orders, contact Igor Gorley (Moscow, Russian Federation) at: raigmusic@hotmail.com

Reviewed by Pat Albertson

I was first introduced to the music of composer and multi-instrumentalist Scott Mosher in 2001 when I heard his Virtuality album, which I summarized in my review as, “taking heavy Rush influences (with a dash of Dream Theater) and injecting a heavier keyboard presence that is sometimes symphonic and sometimes recalls the spaciness of Tangerine Dream or robotic synth patterns of Kraftwerk.” In 2004 Mosher released his next album, Inferno, a Space Ambient/Progressive Rock blend that I enjoyed, and gave kudos to Mosher for “injecting a healthy dose of space into the heavy Prog genre, creating music that is challenging but accessible, and maybe occupying a unique little stylistic corner of his own.”

And that’s the last I heard from Scott Mosher until recently learning that he has kept himself busy in the years since Inferno. In 2006 he released Deep Horizon, a powerhouse set of spaced out metallic Progressive Rock. When Mosher’s next album was ready he decided to shift gears and take on a band name, Oceans Of Night, and released The Shadowheart Mirror in 2009. Despite the band name, it should be noted that Mosher composes the music and plays all guitars, bass and keyboards on his albums, with assistance from a drummer and singer Scott Oliva, who took on vocal duties starting with the Deep Horizon album and strikes me as a cross between Ronnie Dio and Rob Halford. I enjoyed Todd Corsa’s vocals on the Virtuality and Inferno albums, but Oliva’s powerful and passionate style is to my ears better suited to Mosher’s music. The space-ambient qualities of the earlier albums remain, further supporting my opinion in earlier reviews that Mosher is stepping off the well trodden metal based Progressive Rock path (I deliberately avoid the term “Prog-Metal” as it conjures up analogies that don’t really apply to Mosher’s music).

Which brings us to the latest Oceans Of Night release, Domain. The album won me over right out of the chute, kicking the set off with the 17+ minute title track. The piece begins with an angelic ambience, soon joined by syncopated keyboards and then the crash of metal guitar chords. The music has all the hallmarks of epic metal infused Progressive Rock, though atmosphere has always been a crucial trademark part of Mosher’s sound. Throughout the piece I had a sense of soaring through the cosmos, fist pumping and rocking hard all the way. Mosher is an excellent yet restrained guitarist, rarely going on extended shred solos but treating us to tasty bits of his proficiency with the instrument along the way. In true Prog fashion the music transitions through multiple thematic shifts, and there are some lighter mind-bending moments where guitar and keyboards collaborate to create beautiful deep space soundspace passages. My favorite part is in the last couple minutes where the music had been floating along for a while, and then launches abruptly into a thrash rocking, but still space-ambient sequence that brings us to the conclusion.

Wow, this sucker left me drained and it’s only the first of ten tracks. The rest of the songs are mostly in the 4-5 minute range, with a few being a little longer or shorter. Despite the relative brevity, Mosher and Oliva retain a majestic epic quality throughout the album. The music is creatively composed and arranged, continually shifting mood and pace, resulting in an emotional roller coaster ride and one hell of a powerhouse 65 minute set. Mosher once again composed all the music and handles guitar, bass and keyboard duties. Alan Smithee plays drums and Scott Oliva is back on vocals and co-wrote some of the lyrics with Mosher. I should add that Mosher is also a graphic artist and photographer who has published two books of his photographs. Spend some time on his web site to get a feel for all that this multi-faceted artist has his fingers in.

For more information you can visit http://www.scottmosher.com

Reviewed by Jerry Kranitz

Mike Henderson & Chuck Oken Jr are both founding members of the long-lived Calfornia based Rock-Prog-Ambient-Psych band Djam Karet. Dream Theory In The IE (IE stands for The Inland Empire, a geographic region of Southern California) is a new album on Djam Karet’s Firepool Record label that distills 6 hours worth of improvised music from three live shows recorded late last year down to this 7 track CD. While some effects like reverb, delay and EQ were added during mastering, no overdubs or edits were used, providing the listener with the live experience as heard during the performances. Henderson and Oken utilize acoustic and electric guitars, lap steel guitar, analog & digital keyboards, digital drums & percussion, effects, loops and sampling to create atmospheric excursions that will appeal to fans of Djam Karet’s more ambient/soundscape side, though there is much in the way of melody and rhythm in the music.

The set opens with Alive Enough?, which combines melodic acoustic guitar patterns with beautiful whining Fripp/Pinhas-like electric guitar-scapes, plus soft atmospheric keyboards and assorted bits of sound. As the piece develops the electric guitar gets more assertive, with brief solo runs and winding acidic chords wrapping around the listener’s brain. Forgotten Spirits is a light, bouncy mix of playful rhythmic pulse and world music percussion, around which mind-bending guitar licks explore. I love the way Henderson and Oken combine acoustic and variously efx’d electric guitar. There’s also some cool classic Prog sounding keyboards, which I suspect might possibly be guitar. Deeper Waters features the sound of running water, bells, textural percussion, acoustic guitar, and though the electric guitar licks nearly scream, this is a peacefully serene mood focused track that drew me into a meditative state. In marked contrast is the tension laded title track, with its freaky alien effects, threatening guitar, off-kilter percussion, and abrupt and intense thematic twists and turns. This very much reminds me of Djam Karet at their more atmospheric. Zombie Attack is next… everybody loves zombies, right? I sure do and couldn’t wait to hear what this track would sound like. Sure enough, it starts off sounding like John Carpenter doing the soundtrack for a George Romero flick, aided by Djam Karet styled guitars and atmospherics. As the music progresses it starts to rock out hard, with some of the heaviest drumming I’ve heard on the album yet. Yup, Mike and Chuck have scored their own mini zombie movie. When All The Birds Die Away conjures up images of wandering through a forest on some planet, somewhere out there, and the busy sounds of nature, piano, soundscape guitar, moody spaced out synth lines and light orchestral atmospherics make for a pleasant stroll through an alien landscape.

The first six tracks are in the 7-12 minutes range, but the finale, John Henry Changes The Rules, is a 25 minute piece that includes some of the most song-like melodies on the album. It begins with an almost motoric rhythm, yet flows along smoothly. But of course we move through a number of thematic shifts. I especially enjoyed the spacey, quirky angelic segment propelled by steady drumming. Overall the music has a playful feel, while being as exploratory and sound focused as the rest of the album. In summary, this is an enjoyable set of soundscape/atmospheric/mood creation, with creative use of acoustic and electric guitars, effects and keys. Put on the headphones, surrender, and enjoy all the images the music stimulates in your mind. I would have loved to have been at one of the live performances.

For more information you can visit http://www.djamkaret.com

Reviewed by Jerry Kranitz

Formed in 2007, Hillmen is the quartet of Peter Hillman on drums, Ralph Rivers on bass, and Djam Karet members Mike Murray on guitars and Gayle Ellett on organ & electric piano (Rivers plays bass on two tracks and Steve Re is listed in the Guest section as playing bass on the other two tracks). The Whiskey Mountain Sessions is their debut album, released on Djam Karet’s Firepool Records label. The CD consists of four tracks in the 8-16 minute range and is all instrumental and all improvised.

Lights On The Bay opens the set with a jazz groove, guitar and organ jamming away. The music has a nice 70s vibe and the old time organ sound really shines. The promo sheet notes that the Hillmen use Hammond C-2, Rhodes piano, and vintage guitars and amps, which of course adds to the 70s sound. Later in the tune the guitar takes on a spaced out ethereal quality that adds a Kosmiche feel to the music. The Fire Burns is next and I liked this one right away with its swingin’ jazz vibe that inspires the body to move. I really like the guitar and organ jamming together, and piano by guest Brian Carter is prominent as well. While listening I envisioned myself wandering into some dark smoky lounge, sitting at a little table in the corner, ordering a whiskey (with just a splash of soda), and grooving along with these guys for as long as they care to play. Things groove along for a while and then around the 10 minute mark the band explode into a heavy driving jazz-rock fusion jam. Lots of cool sounds and effects add to the color and atmosphere of this piece. Patio View has a sassy Bluesy jazz vibe, but it rocks hard with the guitar cranking out ripping solos and venturing into Hendrix territory. Summer Days brings the set to a close and on this tune Hillmen inject a heavy dose of hip-shaking swing into the music.

Quite an enjoyable set. This is improv jazz from an earlier time, when jazz musicians were aware of rock music and psychedelia, and rock and psychedelic musicians were aware of jazz. Fans of the Bay area band Mushroom will dig this, as will anyone who (like me) is fascinated by the many talents and interests of the Djam Karet folks.

For more information you can visit http://www.djamkaret.com

Reviewed by Jerry Kranitz

Here we’ve got another archival recording from those menaces to the mainstream and mediocrity – Vas Deferens Organization (VDO). Recorded in 1997, The Science Of The Impossible was a one-off collaboration between VDO (Matt Castille and Eric Lumbleau) and a studio-only duo named Perihelion, which was keyboardist David Price and the late synthesist Tim Boone.

Gilded Portals Through Abandoned Temples / Shrouded Processions Through Forgotten Empires opens side 1. This is classic Kosmiche but in a carnival mood and reminds me of VDO’s Zyzzybaloubab album which was released the same year these recordings were made. We’ve got multiple keyboards and synths, all playing distinct roles, both melodic and atmospheric, and all grooving along to a playful rhythmic pulse. Around the 7 minute mark things get briefly loud and noisy, before settling into an eerie but playful vibe that’s like a blend of the early German cosmic pioneers and the Residents. Elegant Eskimos In Arctic Ballrooms is next and starts off with a blend of trippy cosmic mood-scapes, bleepy blurpy effects, and freakout guitar bits. It goes quiet after a couple minutes, the cauldron bubbling ominously, with strange sounds and light melodies rising gently from the pot.

Side 2 kicks off with The Illusion Of Equilibrium. Slow moving and sparse, it begins with a simple Casio-like rhythmic pattern, over which a parade of electronic sounds and textures pass by, some spaced out and some on the found-sound/experimental side. About halfway through all the sounds abruptly gel, working together to concoct an avant-Kosmiche stew. There’s still a big glom of different sounds, though the fun of it all is hearing how they contrast and cooperate. The Perils Of Gravity is next, at first sounding like mid-70s Tangerine Dream, but these guys waste no time warping the analogies by tossing in a non-stop barrage of sounds and clatter. LOTS happening here, making for an intense ride that’s an intriguing blend of classic Kosmiche and avant-garde fun.

Wow, lots of activity from the VDO camp in the past year, with both new and archival releases, and The Science Of The Impossible is another welcome addition to the VDO cannon.

The Science Of The Impossible was pressed in a limited edition of 200 LPs and is available directly from the Pure Pop For Now People label at http://www.ppfnp.com (Vinyl junkies should closely inspect their web site as they have released many treasures)

Email them at purepop@buissnet.com

Visit the Vas Deferens Organization web site at http://vasdeferensorganization.com

The latest and greatest VDO information is always posted at the Mutant Sounds web site at: http://mutant-sounds.blogspot.com

Reviewed by Jerry Kranitz