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

Spanish composer, multi-instrumentalist, and fantasy illustrator Priscilla Hernandez is back with a new album – The Underliving – the follow-up to her 2006 Ancient Shadows album. Let me give you a little background…

As a teenager, Priscilla created a graphic novel called Yidneth. It remains unpublished, but provided the inspiration for a trilogy of albums, the first of which was Ancient Shadows. The Underliving is part 2, and the third part will be titled Yidneth. Priscilla describes Yidneth as being about fairies and ghosts but not a fairytale or a ghost story. It involves several realms, among them THE LIVING (also called THE FLESH), the UNDERLIVING, THE TRANSIT (Ghosts also called SOULS) and the ELEMENTAL WORLD. As she summarizes on her web site, “There are several stories branched out of them but the main ‘Yidneth’ is a simple romantic yet bitter story in the Elemental World.”

In my review of Ancient Shadows (AI #38), I described the music as an intriguing blend of New Age and Goth, with the kind of beats not typically heard in either of those genres, and imagined the Celtic tinged New Age of Enya and Clannad with a dark but uplifting Gothic atmosphere, along with a touch of symphonic progressive rock.

The music on The Underliving is similar, though I didn’t get the sense of New Age elements this time. Maybe it’s because I’m reviewing this album a few years later and am more tuned in to Priscilla’s music. Regardless, I felt like I was drifting along in a beautifully ethereal Gothic-Celtic-Symphonic dream world. Like a Gothic Clannad crossed with a Celtic Kate Bush, built on a symphonic-orchestral Progressive rock foundation, with an atmosphere that is often hauntingly cosmic. The music flows almost seamlessly from one track to the next, making for a thematic, full album experience. The enchanting vocals are by Priscilla, who wrote all the lyrics and plays piano, keyboards, harp, flute and more; Hector Corcin plays percussion, synths, piano, and co-composed some of the music with Priscilla; Piel Fiol plays lead cello, and the rest is rounded out by various guests on backing vocals and other instrumentation.

But the music is informed by so much more… The booklet that accompanied Ancient Shadows had impressed me with its beautiful examples of Priscilla’s illustrations and detailed information. But the packaging of The Underliving takes the CD medium to a level I’ve rarely seen. I’m a child of the 70s and grew up with vinyl record albums. From an aesthetic standpoint CDs are limited by their size. But The Underliving comes with a DVD case sized, 52-page book that’s jam packed with Priscilla’s stunning artwork, lyrics and information. The DVD size is just big enough that I can fully appreciate the artwork, which is very difficult with a regular sized CD booklet. I’m really inspired and fascinated when someone transcends the limitations of the CD to create something that the listener genuinely wants to hold in their hands and gaze at. It’s a much more immersive experience, like the days when I would gaze at a gatefold LP while listening to the music. The vocals, harmonies and music are mesmerizing, and following along with the book I was spellbound throughout the entire 70 minutes of the album. I can see The Underliving appealing to a varied audience.

For more information you can visit the Priscilla Hernandez web site at: http://priscillahernandez.com

Do spend some time there. There’s LOADS of information, including a handy Shop link for purchases, but do yourself a favor and click the Fine Arts link at the top of the page where you’ll find galleries of Priscilla’s artwork.

Also check out the Videos link. I found a live performance video that made my eyes nearly pop out of their sockets. The costumes, stage design and music made me think of a Celtic-fantasy sequence-symphonic-opera. STUNNING!!! Priscilla is a multi-faceted and truly gifted talent.

Reviewed by Jerry Kranitz

For a mere 100 Norwegian kroner (about $15) one gets to have their mind blown for 2 hours by one of my favorite bands ever equal to Hawkwind in my pantheon Top 5 of mystical and psychedelic bands with a long history: The Dots! I had never been to this tiny basement venue before, where upstairs there is a bar and a restaurant as well. Chez Dotz are always best experienced at small venues anyway and when entering the basement we paid a small sum at the door. The place was half full during the show, in other words about 30 people! My friend Jon Christian from the FM radio show I do showed up as well as I had sent him a phone message they were playing that night. He also recorded the show and I have to say it’s a top audience recording of a great show I’d gladly trade with others. Last time I witnessed the LPD’s was at Cafe Mono in Oslo in 2009 where they had the full line up with guitars and saxes. That show was fantastic like the one at So What! in Oslo in 1998 where I turned onto this amazing underground band who are mystically and esoterically so inclined to have been part of the 80s scene with bands like Current 93, PTV, Savage Republic and Swans, to some degree. But they are different! They are very psychedelic live, in a Beatnik collective way, and now, a trio with Erik Drost on guitar, a new member joining the band completing a trio with just singer / frontman Edward Ka-Spel, and synth druid The Silverman (aka Phil Knight). The sax player now having left along with old guitarist Martijn, and a new album out on the infamous NYC label ROIR, entitled “Seconds Late For The Brighton Line” celebrating 30 years of LPD’s in 2010, it holds up as a not bad testament to a band more prolific in releasing albums than Hawkwind and Gong put together, if one can imagine THAT.

The show itself was now stripped down to a trio, playing very krautrock sounding long jams, yet melodic, and heaps of electronic madness, lyrics improvised and spoken more often than sung, with Edward in his long potato sack (!) of a medieval robe and long red scarf and those small square 60’s sunglasses, slightly hunchbacked is very much a sight to see screaming at the top of his lungs “I WILL CALL YOU DAISY!” during that song that I always forget what it’s called, and staring demonically at the audience, picking out someone to sing to, like at the ’09 show I swore he sang right into me, staring at me, but this time it was someone else. Raymond Steeg, the band’s unofficial 4th member who tweaks their sound from the back, noticed my “Sonic Assassins ’77” T-shirt and we struck up conversation. Raymond said “I toured with the Hawks for 5 years!” and I said “Oh! Yes, you are Raymond Steeg! They just re-released “Distant Horizons” with a new mix, fully remastered!” Raymond goes “So it sounds good?” I was like “yeah, beefed up a lot more!”. He had been doing Hawkwind’s sound up till around 2003 on “Yule Ritual” as well, “Canterbury Fair” and “Distant Horizons”. So that night I met the Hawkwind/LPDs “missing link” Mr. Raymond Steeg!

The merch table at LPD shows is always a joy to peruse, and I snatched up an early rarity of a Dots CD, “A Prayer For Aradia” for the same price as the entrance ticket. The crowd was a mix of beardos, knot topped “monk” like fans, outside a guy in a Mayhem “Ordo Ad Chao” hoodie was telling his bearded friends that Edward of LPD was into Radiohead, a band I recently gave another chance since the early 90s 2 first times I bought a RH CD, when I did not become a fan at all. Much of LPDs more loop and industrial and electronic stuff could very well be a “krautrock” Radiohead only if RHs singer Thom Yorke did not sound like a cat in heat all the time, but to quote my friend Steve Hummell, on Edward Ka-Spel’s voice, sounding like “an English ninny”! Ha ha.. Last time I saw The Dots in Oslo in 2009 I chatted with Edward after the show and had him autograph a CD I bought at the merch stand. I remember wearing a Chrome tee, and he commented they were a band he had been listening to a lot over the years.

Overall the show was stellar, from the opening speech about cigarettes and lung cancer, set in the fresh mountain air of Norway with its fjords, how you needed another cigarette with such nature abounding to see and breathe. The show consisted mostly of material from “Seconds Late…”, on the album and live, repeating an old track “Hauptbanhof 2010″ to moderate success. It certainly is a signature song of the Dots and “Hauptbanhof” being recorded originally in 1980 for the early “Chemical Playschool” cassette series, repackaged in the “The Legendary Pink Box” double CD set, which comes highly recommended for starting with the early and best and most mythical and mystical progressive cult-electronica of the earliest LPD output.

Overall, this band is the most dedicated band to their core following and never put on a bad show or released a dud record. As their motto……. “Sing While You May!”.And Edward still sings after 30 years. Not bad!

By Christian Mumford

Welcome readers to the brand new Aural Innovations webzine for 2012. In order to keep pace with a rapidly changing world and so many great space rock/stoner/psychedelia releases coming out, we’ve decided to abandon our traditional ‘issue’ format in favour of an ongoing stream of reviews. You’ll still be able to read reviews on all the latest albums and catch interviews and articles about your favorite artists, as always, but now you won’t have to wait months between issues for new stuff to read. We’ll be uploading articles as they come in on an ongoing basis, keeping you informed in a timelier and more interesting manner. But don’t worry, all those old issues and articles will still be available to read in our archives, and we’ll continue to add new articles to the archives as well.

To celebrate the kickoff of our new format, here are lists of our writers’ favorite picks for 2011. As always, there were no rules here. Some numbered their lists, some didn’t, but this is what we were listening to in 2011. Now we’re looking forward to a great 2012 with new reviews and articles already in the works!

If you have any comments, feel free to e-mail myself at flake_cosmo@hotmail.com or Jerry at jkranitz@aural-innovations.com.

Jeff Fitzgerald
Editor, Aural Innovations Webzine

Staff Picks For 2011

Chuck Rosenburg

1. David Lynch – “Crazy Clown Time”
2. Lunar Dunes – “Galaxsea”
3. Lumerians – “Transmallinia”
4. Anubian Lights – “Distant Beacons: Unreleased/Rare 2002-2011″
5. All Tiny Creatures – “Harbors”
6. Carlton Melton – “Country Ways”
7. Carlton Melton – “Pass It On…”
8. Farflung – “Live At Roadburn” (released in 2010)
9. Vert:x – “Ggantija”
10.White Hills – “Hp-1″

2011 – The year I discovered:

11. The Edgar Broughton Band
12. Suicide
13. Sweet Teeth – “From the Fourth Hand Of the Buddha…”
14. Most of Flaming’s Fire catalogue

15. 2011: A time to think about what Captain Beefheart gave me

Scott Heller

Seun Kuti and Egypt 80- Rise up for Africa (Knitting Factory)
The Higher Craft- The quest into the stepping stone age (Yellow Taxi)
Gösta Berlings saga- Glue Works (Cuniform Records)
Bong- Beyond Ancient Space (Ritual Productions)
Radio Moscow- The great escape of Leslie Magnafuzz (Alive Records)
Pentagram- Live Rites (Svart Records)
Øresund Space Collective- Entering into the Space Country LP (Kommun2)
Vibravoid- Minddrops (Sulatron records)
Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats- Bloodlust LP (Rise above Records)
Omnia Opera- Nothing is Ordinary (Umbilical Records)
Siena Root- Root Jam (Transubstans)
Causa Sui- Pewt’r Sessions 1 and 2 (Paraiso Records)
Electric Moon/Glowsun Split LP (Sulatron Records)
Earthling Society- Stations of the Ghost (4Zero Records)
The Cosmic Dead cassette (Who can you Trust)
Gregg Allman- Low Country Blues (Rounder Records)
Soul Manifest- White Season (Nighttripper Records)
US Christmas- The Valley Path (Neurot Recordings)
Steel Mill- Jewels of the Forest (Rise above Records)
Papir- Stundum (El Paraiso Records)

Christian Mumford (in no particular order)

Secret Saucer – Four On The Floor
V.A. – Kiss To The Right Side of Your Brain: A Tribute To Monster Magnet
Van Der Graaf Generator – A Grounding In Numbers
Steven Wilson – Grace For Drowning
White Willow – Terminal Twilight
Helios Creed – Galactic Octopi
The Bevis Frond – The Leaving Of London
Yes – Fly From Here
Øresund Space Collective – Live at Roadburn 2LP
Spirits Burning – Behold The Action Man
Hawklords – Barney Bubbles Memorial Concert 2LP
Paul Roland – Grimm
Radiohead – The King Of Limbs
Ozric Tentacles – Paper Monkeys
Osiris The Rebirth – Lost
Mötorhead – The Wörld Is Yours
Legendary Pink Dots – The French Collection
Meads Of Asphodel – The Murder Of Jesus The Jew
Roky Erickson & Okkervil River – True Love Cast Out All Evil
Ulver – Wars Of The Roses

Charles van de Kree

1. Bill Nelson–The Practice of Everyday Life
2. Winterlight–Hope Dies Last
3. Mark Dwane–The Singularity
4. Peter Hammill–Pno Gtr Vox: Live Performances
5. Atomic Skunk–Alchemy
6. Daft Punk–The Tron Legacy
7. Jon Durant–Dance of the Shadow Planets
8. Brian Eno–Drums Between the Bells
9. Jeff Oster–Surrender
10. Steve Roach–Quiet Music: The Original 3-Hour Collection

Mike Reed

Iggy & The Stooges – ‘Raw Power Live – In the Hands of the Fans’ (both the lp and DVD)
Hawklords – ‘Barney Bubbles Memorial Benefit Concert’ DVD
Vokokesh – ‘Dr. Hofmann’s Bicycle Ride’
Dragon Tears – ‘Turn On Tune In F*** Off’
Farflung – ‘Live At Roadburn’
Motorhead – ‘The World Is Yours’
Asteroid No. 4 – ‘Hail To The Clear Figurines’
Monster Magnet – ‘Masterpiece’
Guru Guru – ‘Live In Germany ’71’ (I supplied the fan recording of this 1971 bootleg to Mani Neumeier – email him and ask him if you like)

Alice Cooper – ‘Welcome 2 My Nightmare’

Jerry Kranitz (in no particular order)

Omnia Opera – “Nothing Is Ordinary”
Osiris the Rebirth – “Lost”
The Higher Craft – “The Quest into the Steppingstoneage”
Sendelica – “The Pavilion Of Magic And The Trials Of The Seven Surviving Elohim”
Temple of the Smoke – “…Against Human Race”
Electric Orange – “Netto”
Cranium Pie – “Mechanisms Pt 1″
White Hills – “H-p1″
Djinn – “Last Wish”
EYE – “Center Of The Sun”
Lunar Dunes – “Galaxsea”
Louis Davey – “Last Chance of a Lifetime”
Stellar Polaris – self-titled
Vibravoid – “Minddrugs”
My Brother the Wind – “I Wash My Soul In The Stream Of Infinity”
Three Dimensional Tanx – s/t

Brainticket Box Set (Cleopatra Records)
Space Rock Invasion USA Tour (Nektar-Brainticket-Huw Lloyd-Langton)

Jeff Fitzgerald

20. Vibravoid – Minddrugs
19. Helios Creed – Galactic Octopi
18. Lunar Dunes – Galaxsea
17. Secret Ghost Champion – Psychosomatic Immortality
16. Nick Riff – The Universe Is Mental
15. Siena Root – Root Jam
14. Ambisonic – ARP
13. Wobbler – Rites at Dawn
12. Arboretum – The Gathering
11. Cranium Pie – Mechanisms Part 1
10. Steven Wilson – Grace for Drowning
9. Airbag – All Rights Removed
8. Anathema – Falling Deeper
7. Earthling Society – Stations of the Ghost
6. Osiris the Rebirth – Lost
5. Ballo delle Castagne – Kalachakra
4. Moonwagon – Night Dust
3. Eternal Tapestry and Sun Araw – Night Gallery
2. Eternal Tapestry – Beyond the 4th Door
1. Omnia Opera – Nothing Is Ordinary

Honourable mention:
Comets of Cupid – Western Lands…it came out near the end of 2010 and I didn’t quite catch it till the following year, but it was certainly one of the albums that had the most spins on my CD player in 2011.

Pat Albertson

1. Papir – Stundum
2. White Hills – H-p1
3. Paper Monkey – Ozric Tentacles
4. Oresund Space Collective – Sleeping With The Sunworm
5. West – Wooden Shjips
6. Vibravoid – Minddrugs
7. Gnomonaut – The Chronocosm
8. The Ripper At The Heaven’s Gate Of Dark – Acid Mothers Temple And The Melting Paraiso UFO
9. Lost – Osiris The Rebirth
10. Mogwai – Hardcore Will Never Die But You Will

Honourable Mentions

Farflung – Live At 013 Roadburn 2009 (released at the end of 2010, heard by me 2011)
Harvey Bainbridge – Dreams, Omens And Strange Encounters (released at the end of 2010, heard by me 2011)

Not Aural Innovations material but still excellent listening

Wynton Marsellis & Eric Clapton – Wynton Marsellis And Eric Clapton Play the Blues Live From Jazz At Lincoln Centre