Soul Thief is a band that hails from the UK, playing a blend of what they describe as Pink Floyd meets Red Hot Chili Peppers. I definitely hear the Floyd, not so much the Chili’s. The band does get funky though, as the title of the album would suggest, but their sound reminds me a bit more of say, the more laidback cuts on Hendrix’s Electric Ladyland album. Funk City Revolutions, released last year, is their debut album, and the Cosmic Woman EP just came out a few weeks ago. Let’s dig into their full length debut release first.

City Ride gets things going with a stabbing guitar riff courtesy of Marcus Gage, and a deliciously funky groove from the rhythm section of Robert Matthews on bass and Stuart Barton on drums. This is probably the most upbeat track on the album, even though it pretty much sticks to a mid-tempo pace. Things take on a much more chilled out psychedelic blues vibe with Jailbreak 68 and the cool space noir of Her Eyes See the Future. Sudden time changing rhythms also add a surprising element to the proceedings. By the time I got to the slow and easy echo funk of You’re Fire!, though, I was actually wondering when this album was actually going to catch fire. Other than that first track it was all pretty slow and moody. But after repeated listening to the whole disc, I began to realize that this was not about upbeat rocking and scorching riffing. Soul Thief are all about fires after midnight, burning low in swaying lamps, with the shadows gathering around, and outside the window, billions of stars shining down on a surrealistic landscape. Funk City Revolutions is all about the slow burn, the slippery, mysterious and mellow, smoky groove of the night, with an undercurrent of psychedelia tugging it along. They do toss a log on the fire though with the 10-minute long Stranger With a Gun, which picks up the pace a bit, and features some terrific heavy blues guitar in its first few minutes, but then it slides into a psyched out astral excursion with lyrics about tripping the seven seas and sailing around the sun. The sound of waves crashing at the end segues into one of my favourite tracks on the album, the luminous and misty Spheres of Gold. The album then closes with the nearly 10-minute Tiger’s Claw. All of these tracks have a certain ebb and flow to them, as they surge in power, then relax into a mellow groove, surge again, relax again, taking the listener along for a ride on the waves of some otherworldly ocean. But it also somehow manages to remain grounded too. There’s plenty of freaky effects and trippy lyrics to please lovers of psychedelia, but the music always stays rooted in the blues, which always brings it back to Earth and solid ground.

On the Cosmic Woman EP, the band picks up where Funk City Revolutions left off. Admittedly, it’s not that much of a progression from what we heard on FCR, but it does open with certainly one of the best songs the band has recorded, the 12-minute Heart and Soul. Dreamy acoustic guitars, some smouldering electric guitar, a sensuous bass and leisurely drumming pair with weird and eerie voice effects and bassist Matthew’s longing vocals. Things do pick up pace a bit with Circles of Her Mind, with some clever rhythms and Gage’s always, well, engaging guitar work. And while the band does create some memorable riffs, especially on this song, but on all their songs in general, they’re not built around the riffs, being more fluid in nature, as if the riffs emerge from that flow I mentioned before, rising to the surface, sinking into the depths. The final song on the EP is the 13-minute Rainbow Fire. Continuing with that ebb and flow tradition, the song builds slowly, till about 5-minutes in where Matthews starts singing, his vocals drenched in delay to nice affect. From there, it moves back and forth between instrumental jamming and vocal parts, till it finally drifts off into the night.

I really like their sound. It’s cool and original. But I did kind of wish that some of the songs varied in tempo a bit more. Other than City Ride, pretty much all the songs on Funk City Revolutions and the Cosmic Woman EP move along at the same languid pace. But they do use odd time signatures and intriguing rhythms, and Gage’s guitar work is just superb, going from smooth and bluesy to smoking hot, distortion heavy riffing. And I don’t tend to comment on the vocals a lot, but Matthews’ smouldering vocal delivery is definitely an integral part of the Soul Thief sound, bringing a distant, haunting quality to it. This band definitely has a future, and Funk City Revolutions and the Cosmic Woman EP are both part of a great start. Hope to hear another full-length soon!

For more information you can visit the Soul Thief web site at: http://www.soulthief.co.uk

Reviewed by Jeff Fitzgerald

Electric Bird Noise is headed up by South Carolina musician Brian Lea McKenzie, who I first reviewed way back in 1999 when Aural Innovations was still a printed mag. Well Brian is still at it, and as I re-read my earlier reviews it seems Electric Bird Noise was originally a band, though it’s now a McKenzie solo project, with vocals on two tracks by Silber Records label honcho Brian John Mitchell (BJM), who readers might recognize from his own projects, Remora and Small Life Form.

Desert Jelly incorporates elements of Space Rock, Krautrock and early 80s Post-Punk and Synth Pop to create a varied set of 11 tracks that are simultaneously modern and retro. The album opens with Dunebuggy, which got me thinking of Can with classic Prog keyboards and spaced out alien synths. It’s dark and intense, with a Krautrocking Teutonic feel. Peter Hook is next and I’m guessing the Peter Hook of the title is the bassist from Joy Division and New Order; indeed the song has a distinct early 80s melodic sound, though Brian injects heavy intensity into the music, and like the opening track it’s nicely embellished with space electronics. This segues smoothly into the title track, which pulls back into a quiet, left-to-right channel pulsating drone wave for starts, soon joined by additional pleasant electro-soundscape patterns and melodic guitar (or keyboard?). It’s all very peaceful and then BAM!!…. we’re smacked full in the chops by the blazing space-punk of the appropriately titled I Miss Those Hardcore Kids. As The Glitter Glows begins as a whimsically melodic electronic piece, then launches into another early 80s styled tune that includes a motorik rhythmic pulse and space electronics. This is one damn good catchy tune! Welcome To Static Beach features swirling flying saucer sounds and whirring 50s sci-fi film styled effects for the first couple minutes, and then kicks into a dark, droning atmospheric rocker. Continuing the sci-fi flick motif, I Come From The Earth would make a great soundtrack theme song. It’s got a cool combination of tribal percussion, multiple soaring electronics, and BJM repeating the line, “I Come From The Earth”. Returning to the 80s influences, Carnegiea Gigantea is a pleasant, melodic, hook-laden 80s styled electo-pop tune but with the spaced out edge that characterizes the rest of the album. Pants And Sake Take The Neighborhood is a peaceful melodic soundscapes piece. The Theme From Impationly Yours is a deep space Kraftwerkian synth-pop tune with BJM on vocals. And I love the high intensity chaos-in-space of the closing track, Burned By The Sands Fire And Scars Alone I Wait Counting The Stars.

Well I gotta say this is hands down the best Electric Bird Noise album I’ve heard yet. In some ways its a celebration of the early 80s, though Brian puts his own stamp on the music and, of course, I love the way he sends it all hurling into space.

For more information visit the Silber Records web site at: http://www.silbermedia.com

Reviewed by Jerry Kranitz

If you are unfamiliar with the work of British singer, song-writer, musician and author Paul Roland, please do me a favor before proceeding and CLICK HERE to read the review of the 2-CD In Memoriam: 1980-2010 compilation I published last month. It’s got a lot of general info about Paul and what his music is about. Great, thanks…

There’s an interesting backstory to Paul’s latest album, Bates Motel. Paul was a music journalist in the 1980s and in the latter part of the decade interviewed several members of the Velvet Underground for a national English newspaper. At the end of the interviews he asked Nico, Sterling Morrison and Maureen Tucker if they would be interested in recording with him and received a positive response. Paul wrote some songs, sent tapes to them in the U.S., had technical problems with the tapes, time went by, Morrison and Nico passed away, and the project sat until recently when Paul decided to do something with the songs. However, other than his having written the songs with The Velvet Underground in mind and feeling that, “it is the album that I would have made with Mo, Sterling and Nico had I been a bit more aggressively ambitious and made sure the opportunity wasn’t lost”, this is not an attempt to sound like the Velvet Underground.

Several of the dozen songs on Bates Motel consist of stripped to the core rock ‘n roll. I Was A Teenage Zombie and How I Escaped From Devil’s Island are high energy garage rockers with a dash of rockabilly swing. Tortured By The Daughter Of Fu Manchu is a good fun garage-psych rocker with a 60s edge. The subject sings of what you think is his predicament of being trapped in Su Long Ming’s torture chamber, until the very last line when he says, “Bring it on, sugar, let’s do it again.” The kick-ass dirty rocking Crazy includes a cool organ solo injecting a 60s feel. And I’m In Love With Myself sounds like Paul singing with The Pretenders.

There’s lots of variety here. I love the electric/acoustic guitar, organ and percussion combination on the darkly melodic title track, with its lyrics describing an encounter with Norman Bates, a bad vibe, and a decision to bail out quick. Kali features a combination of hypnotic Eastern flavored psychedelia and a steady rocking groove. The Light Of Life Drains Out Of Me is a solid melodic acoustic driven rocker with a raw psychy electric guitar solo. The Wailing Well, Katmandu, and Cain all have a similar Country-like feel from the acoustic guitars. I especially liked The Wailing Well with its addition of prog-psych organ and atmospheric electric guitar.

Having heard the 30 year In Memoriam compilation and now this new album I’m figuring out that Paul Roland is a multi-faceted artist who can offer something new and different with each album, and for as long as he’s been around that’s a good thing. The Bates Motel CD comes with a nice booklet which includes all the lyrics and they’re in a font and size that these aging eyes can comfortably read. And based on some of the song titles it was no surprise and quite a pleasure to see the old horror movie posters scattered throughout. Seasoned Roland fans will dig this. The uninitiated are encouraged to check him out.

Bates Motel and other Paul Roland albums are available at Amazon and CDBaby.com, with CDbaby being a good source for digital downloads.
Lots of information about Paul Roland and his music can be found at: http://www.paulroland.de
Information about Paul Roland the author can be found at: http://www.paulroland.net
Paul’s back catalog has been reissued by the German label Syborg Music: http://www.syborgmusic.de
CLICK HERE to read a review that another Aural Innovations writer posted to Amazon

Reviewed by Jerry Kranitz

A native of Birmingham, Alabama, Andrew Douglas bought his first Moog synthesizer at age 20, having picked up his first musical instrument – a banjo – at the age of twelve. With a background in both rock and classical music, he formed the bass and keyboards trio Dreamwind (still nominally going after having lost their studio in 2009 due to the economic downturn), and at the ripe young age of 60 has released his first solo album. Peace Be Here has a rather poignant backstory: Andrew lost his 33 year old daughter to breast cancer in January 2011, and built a home recording studio later that year “to get out of my funk”. Indeed, the pure electronic music he has recorded for Peace Be With You breathes melancholy, loss, redemption and acceptance, its release giving others the opportunity to share this most personal of journeys.

Using a range of Yamaha, Korg and Roland equipment, Andrew evokes moods of both outer and inner space. The album opens with a short piece entitled Around The Block, bright notes gently falling from a clear blue sky. Heartfelt pieces like Missing You Two reprise this tranquil mood. The music is the tradition of that golden period in the late ’70’s to mid ’80’s when artists such as Jean Michel Jarre, Tangerine Dream and Tim Blake painted their classic pictures of sound – TD’s Le Parc is perhaps the closest sonic touchstone for Peace Be Here. Some of the pieces use restrained electronic percussion, others simply drift through the airwaves. Canyon Snow, Indian Mesa and Cahaba (a ghost town in Alabama) draw inspiration from the landscape, while Why The Rain (reminiscent of DIN’s 2,000 Flashes), Our Last Trail and the touching Missing You Two speak of an inner journey to find peace. This is meditation music for the spirit, rather than the mind. Horizons are lifted above the terrestrial with the final three tracks Thoughts Of Space, Sirius Sunrise and Clouds Of Jupiter.

It would seem that with the release of Peace Be Here, Andrew has been able to make peace with the universe after walking a dark path. This peaceful, beautiful collection of instrumental mood pieces gives listeners the opportunity to share what he has learned about life, loss and inner healing.

Peace Be Here is available at http://cdbaby.com/cd/andrewdouglas1 and on iTunes
Email at AndyJDouglas@Juno.com

Reviewed by Pat Albertson

After 2011’s sprawling Stundum, Papir pulls things back a little for a less ambitious, but certainly more focused effort here on their third album, simply titled III. Continuing on with their often lengthy psychedelic jams, the band adds a bit of shine to things this time out. Bright melodies weave through intricate rhythms, like the warm, golden light of sunset sparkling on dark waves. Comparisons of course can be made to their fellow Danish musicians Causa Sui. But the music of Papir has a lighter, breezier vibe to it. Not that these guys can’t rock. Just check out the searing guitar work and frantic rhythms in both the opening and closing cuts on the album. But whereas Causa Sui allow a heavier, fusion style vibe to creep into their sound, Papir goes for a nimbler, jazzier feel. Their sound is very rich and diverse, drawing influences from post rock like Tortoise and jam rock like The Grateful Dead. But I think the real catalyst that holds this band together and gives them their unique vibe is drummer Christoffer Brøchmanns. In my opinion, he is one of the finest young drummers working in music today. His ability to draw on Krautrock, jazz, heavy rock and post rock experimental rhythms, weaving them together in a complex but seemingly effortless manner provides the unique backbone to Papir’s sound, allowing Nicklas Sørensens’ guitar and Christian Becher Clausen’s bass the freedom to joyously explore many realms of psychedelic sound, whether they are rocking out or, in the case of cut III, mellowing out. I think it’s that unforced and graceful feel to Brøchmanns’ drumming, careening along the symbols and over the snare, rather than relying on a heavy beat, that gives the music its breezier vibe, regardless of what the other two musicians are playing. If you listen to all three of their albums in order, you can hear just how far Papir has come in just a few short years. III is a definitive statement for the band. A great place to start, or a fine addition to the Papir albums you already have.

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

Reviewed by Jeff Fitzgerald

I did not know Huw personally, but from what I have heard from people who did know him, he was a great guy, a generous man, both to those he knew and to his fans. Sadly, he was taken from us late in 2012, but he has left a great legacy of music behind which includes this fine compilation.

Most readers here will know Huw as one of the founding members of Hawkwind, and as one of its guiding lights throughout the 80’s. A first-rate guitarist, Huw was also a great songwriter, contributing memorable songs to the Hawkwind canon such as Rocky Paths, Waiting for Tomorrow, The Sea King and Moonglum, as well as co-writing many other songs from the band’s 80’s era. Huw also liked instrumentals, and contributed tracks like the frenetic Space Chase and the haunting Tides to Hawkwind’s albums.

But Huw also had a solo career, releasing nine albums with the Lloyd-Langton Group, two albums with hard rock band Widowmaker, as well as other contributions and collaborations. Huw’s versatility as a musician is only outdone by the sheer emotional intensity he pours into his playing, and both those aspects can be heard on this interesting and eclectic collection. Disc 1 starts with 11 solo acoustic songs written by him and his wife Marion, and recorded in 1971, the year after he left the founding line-up of Hawkwind. Reading Dave Thompson’s liner notes inside the CD case, you learn the story of Huw and Marion’s life at the time, and it adds another note of emotional poignancy to the songs, which draw on rock, blues and English folk traditions. These songs are Huw stripped down to the basics, at his rawest and most emotional, and they are a superb document of a time in his life when all seemed lost, yet anything seemed possible. Included is the original acoustic version of Night Air (here called Painted Evergreen), which would appear in a much more electrified style on the first proper Lloyd-Langton Group album.

Also on disc 1 are four tracks from the short lived band Magill. Again we hear Huw’s enormous versatility, whether he’s playing the heavy rock of Rag Man, the country stomp of Feed Your Friends with a Long Handled Spoon, the folksy balladry of I Can’t Be Satisfied, or plowing through a powerful and energetic cover of Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood. Most of the rest of disc 1 is filled with the heavy blues rock of Jawa, a band which, besides Huw, also featured Van Der Graff Generator bassist Nic Potter and Hawkwind keyboardist Simon House. All five Jawa songs here were written by Huw. Two of them, Jealousy and Damn Shame would be re-recorded later by the Lloyd-Langton group and one of them, Rocky Paths would be re-recorded by Hawkwind on the album Sonic Attack. And tying those two groups together at the very end of disc 1 is an unreleased 1979 cover of the old Hawkwind chestnut Hurry On Sundown, as done by the Lloyd-Langton Group.

As I mentioned earlier, Huw loved instrumental music, and disc 2 is entirely instrumental. Half the disc is filled with the instrumental cuts from five of the Lloyd-Langton Group’s albums, and they glide through numerous styles, from acoustic tracks like the spacey jazz of Fur Kristy and the soft and beautiful Louise, to electric tracks like the slow burning, crying guitar sweep of Farewell and the upbeat psychedelic romp of Alien Jiggers. All in all, 13 songs from the Lloyd-Langton Group are included on this disc.

After recording an album of classic music called Classical Guitar Tales in 2011, Huw’s life seems to have come full circle to the final acoustic tracks on this album, recorded not long before he passed away. Returning to his acoustic, English folk roots, but this time staying purely instrumental, these songs represent some of the most mature and moving music Huw ever recorded. The standout here is definitely the 10-minute long Fragile Journey, an acoustic classical/folk meditation that seems to cover an entire lifetime. The twin tracks of Into the Storm and Out of the Storm add some spacey electric guitar to the mix for a beautiful atmospheric voyage that tugs at the imagination. Another great track is Fast Lane to McFaden, its layers of both acoustic and electric guitar weaving together into a warm and rich sonic tapestry.

Space rock lost one of its brightest lights when Huw passed away last year, but the world overall lost one of its finest musicians. Whether he was playing rock, country, blues, folk, classical or psychedelic music, Huw gave it his all, playing with a rare passion and skill. All of it can be heard on this stellar and essential collection. Thank you Huw, for all the great music!

For more info, visit the Huw Lloyd-Langton web site at: http://www.huwlloyd-langton.co.uk
Visit the Cleopatra Records web site at: http://cleorecs.com/home

Reviewed by Jeff Fitzgerald

Columbus, Ohio based Brujas del Sol are the quartet of Adrian Zambrano on guitar and vocals, Derrick White on bass, Jason Green on drums, and Ryan Stivers on keyboards. According to the Devouter Records web site, the band formed in 2011 as a guitar/bass/drums trio and recorded three volumes of Moonliner EPs which they made available on Bandcamp (they’re still there), but re-recorded them for this LP with the addition of Stivers’ keyboards.

Side 1 opens with Ships In The Distance, which consists of expansive, exploratory space rock, with guitar melodies that are simple but wrap themselves lovingly around your throat as you’re strapped into your assigned seat on the spacecraft. Somewhere after the halfway mark of this 10 minute track the rhythm section transitions to a motorik beat and there are some brief vocals before the guitar takes off again for more cosmically melodic rocking in space. There’s lots of alien effects to embellish the proceedings and things get pretty intense as it comes in for a landing. Satanic Surf Girls Love To Dance is next and features jamming, head-banging, acid-drenched space rock that also has a motorik-metal feel, if you can imagine that. Conquistadors opens with a brief droning sitar-like wave, and then the band launch into a vocal song, though vocals are secondary on this album, as they soon focus their attention on instrumental development… and a heavily stoned one this is! Side 2 opens with the 11+ minute Noon On The Moon. After an introductory soundscape bit the band embark on another acidic, high intensity, deep space rocker, that also includes monster blasts of heavy Prog, as the guitar and keyboards team up for the assault. Baba Yaga is a steady rocker with a space-surf edge. And the LP closes with Castles Upon Golden Gate, probably the most meditative track of the set, though that’s also combined with a moodiness and feeling of tension, all of which I found to be an interesting blend.

In summary, Brujas del Sol excel at creating music that has a freeform jam quality, yet always seems focused and goal oriented. You can enjoy the ride, knowing that there’s an ultimate destination. Fans of The Spacious Mind would love these guys. Note that Moonliner is a vinyl LP release, on cool looking white and purple tie-dyed wax, and a download code.

For more information visit the Brujas del Sol web site at: http://brujasdelsol.bandcamp.com
Visit the Devouter Records web site at: http://devouterrecords.co.uk

Reviewed by Jerry Kranitz

For those unfamiliar with the band, Clear Blue Sky released a couple albums on the Vertigo label in the early 70s, and have sporadically put out new albums ever since. Their last full set of new songs was Gateway To The Seventh Dimension, released in 2007, an album that drew on every aspect of what Clear Blue Sky can be about, from hard Blues rock, progressive rock, psychedelia and space rock; a really interesting convergence of genres.

The mainstay of the band from the beginning has been singer/guitarist John Simms, and on the latest Clear Blue Sky album – Don’t Mention Rock ‘N’ Roll – he is joined by Kraznet Montpelier on bass, backing vocals and keyboards and Thomas Tiefenbacker on drums, forming the core band. Lee Limerick, Lucy Limerick and Maxine Marten provide additional backing vocals (Marten wrote most of the lyrics), and David “Ohead” Hendry contributes keyboards and “psychedelic dreamscapes”.

As the title suggests, this album is about ROCK! The set opens with the title track, a shit kickin’, Blues infused, guitar driven, 70s styled heavy rocker, with power chords that border on the metallic. Boneshaker is similar, being short and sweet at barely over 2 minutes, but it’s tightly wound, packs a punch and has some nasty ripping guitar licks. Warlords is both high powered and reflective, rocking hard, yet speaking emotional volumes. Simms cranks out one of the best solos on the album, communicating a mixture of Hendrix and the nastiest barroom rock, playing with real passion and intensity. I love the way The Colour Of Your Love rocks hard, with relentless in-yer-face drumming and searing guitar, while managing to retain the contemplative quality you might expect from a love song. Rising With Light is one of the more melodic and easy-paced songs of the set, yet still rocks hard with its underlying molten lava power chords and drumming. Great vocal harmonies too. Ditto for Where Are You, which includes orchestrated embellishments that work well precisely because they don’t overpower the dominant guitar and heavy rock elements. Dare To Dream features power Blues rock that’ll make you swoon. The Wheel Of Time Comes Around goes deeper into the cosmos, with spacey efx’d guitar, otherworldly heavy Blues riffs, and synth and soundscape colorings. Finally, Song Of The Universe sounds like it would have been right at home on the Gateway To The Seventh Dimension album, being a beautifully melodic and mind-bending Space-Prog song, with beautiful flowing keys from Hendry and space-Blues guitar from Simms.

In summary, think of the best 70s hard rock bands, with the best and tightest musicians; those who were white hot and took the music a step off the beaten path, given the progressive rock nature of the times, and you’ve got that with a contemporary twist on Don’t Mention Rock ‘N’ Roll. And this album will be a guitar fan’s wet dream, being a non-stop banquet of power chords, riffs and monster solos, all integrated seamlessly into the songs.

For more information visit the Clear Blue Sky web site at: http://www.clearbluesky.co.uk

Reviewed by Jerry Kranitz

San Diego alt-rockers Machines Learning, comprised of guitarist/vocalist Paul Williams Balmer, bassist Bradley Botbyl and drummer Mario Quintero, have released a 26-minute EP’s worth of material recorded in a three month period at the start of 2012. Alternately noisy, droney and trippy, the album recalls some of the classic guitar-based rock that was coming from both sides of the Atlantic in the early ’90’s. For example, opening track Bulletproof Tiger practically screams My Bloody Valentine at you, with excellent droning and distorted waves of shoegaze guitar, over a militant 4/4 beat and across some elegantly wasted vocals. The briefest of pauses in the middle quickly gives way to a menacing wall of sound pushing the listener remorselessly into Punching The Rabbit. This opens with some very fuzzed out bass from Bradley Botbyl, bringing to mind Ash’s noisier moments, and some crytic lyrics; what the words mean is a definite second to how they sound. The somewhat more sparse Pendragon’s Lullaby recalls The Smashing Pumpkins’ Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness album that was playing at evey student party back in 1995. satAMcoffee opens with droning feedback and slower tempo, grinding you implacably down over its four minute length, while 010710 has a lighter touch with very melodic bass and melancholic lyrics to match. Closing track, This Destroyed Me, dispenses entirely with vocals, rocking on in woozy fashion for about five minutes with grinding guitars and an almost post-rock sound, that descends into a white noise coda. Fans of that era of classic “downer” rock should check out the raw guitar noises, droning feedback and powerful rhythmns contained within this excellent debut release.

For more information visit Machines Learning at: http://machineslearning.bandcamp.com
Email at: machineslearning@gmail.com

Reviewed by Pat Albertson

The Big Note is the debut release from Michigan based Audionics (which means “the science of audible electricity”). The band are the quartet of Leo Gillis II on vocals, Sheldon Santamaria on saxophone, Djeto Juncaj on guitar and santoor (an Indian hammered dulcimer), and Kerry Gluckman on drums and percussion. I’ll get Aural Innovations readers attention by mentioning that Gluckman was in THTX, though The Audionics are far and away from the space rock that THTX played.

The CD consists of 9 tracks in a relatively brief 36 minutes, but The Audionics make their point clearly and concisely in that timeframe. The album opens with Three Minute Opera, the first half of which is kind of country-punky, then shifts to a more angular, off-kilter rocking segment, and the saxophone has a droney yet melodic sound that I liked. Things really start getting interesting with Poison Ring, on which each musician, including Gillis’ vocals, seem to be operating in their own space, like a free-form Beefheartian rock and jazz jam that comes together as a song. The sax, guitar and drums work together nicely in terms of cooperative contrast, while Gillis sounds like he could be free versing the vocals. The promo sheet references Van der Graaf Generator and on Six Months To Live I hear bits of them during the heavier guitar and sax moments, but I hear just as much of the whimsy of Etron Fou LeLoublon as well, which is one hell of a wild and whooly combo. The jam moments are brief but killer on this track. The title track is like a doomy metallic blend of Van der Graaf Generator and 80s King Crimson, and Gillis’ vocals even sound a bit like Adrian Belew during the chorus, though his style of delivery is otherwise largely his own. Minimime is a heavy, chunky rocking jam, with the guitar and sax chugging along together, taking multiple compositional twists and turns on this less than 3 minute song.

In an email exchange, Kerry Gluckman pointed out that the tracks were organized with a vinyl release in mind (which they hope to do), where side one starts with the more aggressive songs and morphs into eclecticism as it progresses onward into side two. I’m guessing The Madness Of Vincent Van Gogh is where side two would begin as we’re getting into different territory with Juncaj pulling out his santoor. The dulcimer and Indian vibes make for a unique and interesting sound combined with the sax and Gillis’ vocal style. It’s melodic and has a nice groove, but also takes some strange and fun detours, partly into what sounds like an avant-garde children’s song, and I like the freaky spaced out finale. Ex Angel 13 is melodic and flowing, yet at the same time has that angular, off-kilter feel. Hold Your Breath is dark and moody, like a spacier take on the earliest jazzier King Crimson. Think Cat Food covered by Soft Machine. And Black Grapes reminds me of The Muffins, a band who took the old Canterbury-Prog sound into new dimensions in the 80s. This track has the most traditional saxophone sound I’ve heard on the album and Santamaria takes the lead with some beautiful soloing. It really sounds like there’s a bass on this song. I should mention that the promo sheet describes how the band compensate for the lack of a bassist by playing the sax through an octave divider and Gluckman modified his kick drum and wide-open floor tom to create a bass sound. It must have worked because I didn’t even think about it until this last track when I thought I was really hearing a bass.

The songs are mostly in the 3-4 minutes range (a couple reach 6 minutes) and these guys accomplish a lot of compact compositional complexity in that time. They also knock out a lot of music with just guitar, sax and drums, though, to his credit, Gillis has a vocal style that is very much a fourth instrument. Analogies are really tough with these guys and ultimately only reference points. I heard elements of the so-called New York City downtown sound that bands like Material, Bill Laswell, and Mofungo were creating in the 80s, though Van der Graaf Generator, King Crimson, and Captain Beefheart are present as well. Lots to recognize but ultimate quite different. A fun and creative effort that steps off the beaten path.

For more information visit The Audionics web site at: http://www.theaudionics.com
The most up to date information can be found on The Audionics Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/TheAudionics

Reviewed by Jerry Kranitz