After being super blown away by Streamedelica She Sighed as She Hit Rewind on the Dream Mangler Remote (which I reviewed back in Aural Innovations #41 (October 2010), I was eager for more of this Welsh instrumental psych/spacerock band. The Pavilion of Magic and the Trials of the Seven Surviving Elohim (2011) unfortunately failed to make the same impression on me as Streamedelica did, but The Satori in Elegance of the Majestic Stonegazer (2012) was a terrific album of psych rock that definitely put the band back on the map for me. And now we get to their latest, The Kaleidoscopic Kat and Its Autoscopic Ego. This is the first album they’ve released on which they don’t have a regular drummer in the band, and in fact, there are live drums credited to only two of the tracks on the album. But this time out, Sendelica has absorbed a cool electronica vibe into their sound. It works very well, better than most experiments of this sort, precisely because amidst the programmed drums and pulsing synths, Sendelica never forget that they are still a psychedelic rock band.

The titularly truncated title track, The Kaleidoscopic Kat, is stylistically all over the place, but the band pulls it all together in quite a nifty way. It starts out with a slow and droney guitar, weaving a gentle melody. Piano and synths soon join as the piece evolves into a dreamy, psychedelic ballad of sorts as distorted guitar noise slips in underneath, building to a Phil Collins In the Air Tonight type drum explosion. The piece becomes a jaunty acid tinged ride from there, buoyed by a funky, 80’s style synth bass riff. It totally sets the tone for the eclectic album to come. Tinsel Tears, for example, combines a jazzy baseline with a killer, over the top classic rock guitar riff whereas Something in a Grain of Sand ushers in that electronica vibe I mentioned, in its use of ambient and rhythmic elements of that genre, combined, of course, with the lysergic guitar sounds that the band is well known for. It Happened One Sunday Afternoon in Wales is a long, slowly building 11+ minute piece reminiscent of Screaming and Streaming into the Starlit Night from Streamedelica. The soft guitar, sound effects and sax here take on an easygoing, mellow morning atmosphere (as suggested by the title) rather than a late night jazz club sound. That’s of course before it builds into a mid-tempo, heavy spacerock outing in its latter half. The sax definitely lends a nice jazzy feel to the proceedings throughout, but I kind of wish the guy playing it would perhaps occasionally step outside of melodic Dick Parry-esque soloing and maybe put a little squonk or torture into his playing, a la Nik Turner, for example (who guests on a later track on the album, but playing flute). On the other hand, it does set a nice counterpoint to the wild chaos going on around it. Set the Controls for the Heart of the Buddha brings back the electronica sensibility, with a drum machine style rhythm leading into a dark and languid odyssey utilizing a riff from the similarly titled Pink Floyd number, but building an entirely different song around it. Clever Meat is 6 1/2 minutes of pure spacerock, replete with catchy guitar riffs, bubbling synths and powerful drum rhythms. It’s a knockout track, and one of the best on the album! 21st Century Autoscopic Ego Man (these guys are starting to sound like Acid Mothers Temple in their plays on classic song titles!), starts out as a surprisingly bluesy rocker, but after a few minutes, it turns into a dark and weird space voyage. There’s no surprise, of course, that It’s the Neu! Kosmiche Disko has a strong Krautrock influence. For me, it’s the standout piece on an already excellent album, and represents Sendelica’s will to grow and keep exploring new sounds with each album. It’s a bit like Kraftwerk meets Can, as it twists and turns through funky, pulsating electronics, motorik rhythms, swirling sax, brooding, ambient guitars and oodles of effects on everything. After that epic 14-minutes of krautrocky goodness, the album ends quietly, with a reprise of The Kaleidoscopic Kat, this time without drums, but including some beautiful, spacey flute courtesy of the aforementioned Mr. Turner.

The Kaleidoscopic Kat and Its Autoscopic Ego has a really nice balance to it. Not just in its similarly themed bookends, but in the way the whole album is put together, the way the early, middle and later electronica influenced tracks are surrounded by tracks in the heavier, psychedelic rock vein of Sendelica’s earlier works. But every piece is distinctive, each adding its own ingredients to the mind bubbling soup that makes up the entire album. And it’s a tasty soup, indeed! Another great release from this band!

For more info, visit: http://sendelica.bandcamp.com and http://sendelica.soundawesome.com

Reviewed by Jeff Fitzgerald

Analog Sunsets is the work of veteran hometaper Scott Carr, who has released music under various monikers over the years on his Tape Hiss Recordings label (his Hot Buttered Elves Christmas songs are especially fun). With Analog Sunsets, Carr took electronic recordings from the Tape Hiss cassette catalog going back to 1988, and blended them with new material from Spring 2013. As stated in the promo sheet, the music was “designed to be listened to in a wide variety of environments, particularly those where deeper concentration or thinking is desired.”

Dog Star opens the set, consisting of dark yet peacefully floating deep space ambience, with an interesting mixture of minimalist patterns and simple but pleasant melody. This blend of disparate elements is characteristic of several tracks and makes Twilight such a stimulating listen. Like Fluid (Wet Mix), with its slowly throbbing drone alongside a shimmering, pulsating tone. And Love Love Love, which features a contrasting combination of classic floating symphonic space electronica plus avant-garde placement of sounds and effects. The spirit of Irrlicht era Klaus Schulze is prevalent, especially on Lemon (Slice Mix). Carr makes crafty use of sounds and effects on tracks like Fumes, where a glom of effects made me feel like I was in a nocturnal alien forest with the sounds of its various life forms around me. And Ozone (Less Mix), which was like being in the bowels of a spacecraft. And I like the contemplative yet edgy space ambience of Yellow (Star Mix).

There’s a lot going on in much of the music on Twilight so attentive listeners will be rewarded, though anyone interested in the deeper concentration or thinking aspects would be best served by In Dust (One) and (Two). At nearly 9 minutes each, these are the most minimal tracks of the set. In Dust (One) is a quiet, almost imperceptible piece, with light droney, spacey static alongside a vaguely melodic flittering synth line. Later in the track it develops into a sort of avant-orchestral, minimal, space-ambience. And In Dust (Two) features pure Eno inspired space ambience. Overall, a captivating and varied hour of spacey electronic music. I’ll be looking forward to Volume Two.

For more information visit the Analog Sunsets web site at: http://www.analogsunsets.com
Hear samples and purchase the CD at CDBaby: http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/analogsunsets
Visit the Tape Hiss Recordings web site at: http://www.tapehissrecordings.com

Reviewed by Jerry Kranitz

Anomaly Ensemble is the duo of brothers Jim and John Panebianco, whose music I had been familiar with through several albums released as Dharma Son Collective. Their first albums in the mid-2000s consisted of lengthy jams that the band described as “experimental/avant-garde that crosses psychedelia with the ideals of 60s/70’s space rock, influenced by the likes of Amon Duul I & II, Ash Ra Tempel, Can, Soft Machine, Faust, early Pink Floyd, Guru Guru, Acid Mother’s Temple, Miles Davis and more.” Pretty ambitious stuff, especially considering that some of the members were as young as 14 and 16 years old at the time.

Anomaly Ensemble takes the ideals of their previous band and wraps it all into more structured packages. Turn On Machine opens with a volcanic free-wheeling jam like the most space-metallic moments from Hawkwind’s Space Ritual. But after nearly 2 minutes they launch into a psychedelic Blues rocking song that sounds like Jim Morrison singing with Captain Beefheart’s band. The rhythms and one of the guitars are what make the Beefheart sound, though at times we get a late 70s San Francisco psych vibe as well. ‘Ol Death Eyes is similar, being a short, punchy Beefheart influenced Blues-Psych rocker.

At 10 minutes, Consumption Blues is the longest song of the set, featuring mellow rocking Blues-Psych with an atmospheric vibe that I can only think of as a strange sort of Bluesy Shoegaze. Later in the song the music shifts to pure down ‘n dirty Blues rock, with really cool multiple guitar parts, both soloing and rhythm. The vocals are damn good. Jim or John, whichever is handling the vocals, really does sound like Jim Morrison, and his singing is seriously passionate. No Second Glance (Thru The Trigger) has a bouncy lounge jazzy groove, along with the Morrison styled vocals. But like Consumption Blues, there’s a difficult to describe spacey ambience about it that makes the whole thing strangely and satisfyingly tripped out.

There’s lots of variety on the album. Liquid People consists of trippy, tribal, freakily efx’d spaced out psych that recalls the wildest moments from Amon Duul II’s Yeti. Parasol I & II are both avant-space explorations into sound and atmospheric creation, like John Cage meets the earliest Tangerine Dream. To Anne Claire is a dreamy and very pleasant solo acoustic guitar piece. Though I’ve said the vocals are near dead ringers for Jim Morrison, Keep Yr Faith (On A Chain) is the first song I’ve heard where the music sounds like the Doors, and it’s pretty close too, though Anomaly Ensemble are far more spaced out. And Paranoiac Twilight is an acoustic driven, surreal blend of the Doors and Donovan.

Of the 12 songs on Parasol, there are two that I considered a bit weak relative to the rest of the set. Demons For The Trees is an avant Blues-Psych tune with a Beefheart influence in its approach to odd rhythms. There’s lots of good ideas here but it’s a bit uneven and meandering, whereas most of the tracks excel at being freeform and experimental but in a more confident, goal-oriented way. Ditto for The Downer Scene. I hear Doors, Jefferson Airplane and Beefheart influences, but the whole thing is too disjointed.

In summary, these guys have really matured as musicians and artists since the early Dharma Son Collective days. The free-wheeling spirit of the Dharma Son Collective jams is present, but Jim and John have created music and songs that are more tightly focused, and in most cases excel at being freeform yet controlled.

There is no Anomaly Ensemble web site at this time but you can email Jim Panebianco at: apartment8rcds@gmail.com

Reviewed by Jerry Kranitz

This is the first new set of music I’ve heard from Brooklyn, New York based electronic musician Arnold Mathes in nearly a decade. Etidorhpa (spell it backwards) is based on the 1895 book of the same name written by John Uri Lloyd, a pharmacognocist and pharmaceutical manufacturer from Cincinnati, Ohio. I’ll quote the summary at Wikipedia:

The book purports to be a manuscript dictated by a strange being named I-Am-The-Man to a man named Llewyllyn Drury. Drury’s adventure culminates in a trek through a cave in Kentucky into the core of the earth. Ideas presented in Etidorhpa include practical alchemy, secret Masonic orders, the Hollow Earth theory and the concept of transcending the physical realm.

Pretty interesting stuff for 1895. The album consists of 6 tracks at 57 minutes. A Zone Of Light opens the set, featuring classic floating, exploratory electronic space. But after a 3+ minute buildup, Mathes kicks in the rhythms and we’re in cool grooving, deep space mode, with a nifty combination of head boppin’ beats and meditative space. It’s like a mixture of Phaedra/Rubycon Tangerine Dream and more overtly beat and melody driven Kraftwerk. Vitalized Darkness is next and starts off as a darkly moody sound and atmosphere exploration, with lots of soaring synth lines and colorful bleepy blurby electronics. About halfway through a slowly developing space symphony begins, and I like the combination of robotic marching rhythms, angelic ghostly chants, and drones. Near the end it all gets nicely freaky, with a wild mish-mash of electronics that get increasingly frenzied until it transitions smoothly into The Fungus Forest. I like the multi-layered, playful alien electronics and rhythms alongside space-prog styled keys on this track, including a mellotron-ish orchestral melody, and Mathes finishes on a spaced out avant-garde note. The Fathomless Abyss begins with a variety of sounds and ambience, before introducing a syncopated rhythmic pulse that gets the slow but steady groove going. Mathes does a great job of keeping the beat while maintaining a sense of hypnotic drift, but never allows the listener to get snoozy as the parade of ancillary sounds and effects adds to the mood and character of the piece, as well as being powerful theme developing tools. Hearing Without Ears is pure deep space bliss that will make you feel like you’re drifting through the cosmos, strapped to your favorite lounge chair. And The Last Farewell is a brief, peaceful finale to the set.

In summary, if you like classic 70s space electronica along the lines of Tangerine Dream and Klaus Schulze, but also with elements of cosmic Progressive Rock, then Etidorhpa is for you. Mathes does an excellent job of maintaining a compelling thematic flow, making for a powerfully image inducing set of music that must be heard from beginning to end.

Arnold Mathes doesn’t currently have a web site but can be emailed at: amathes.1@netzero.net
The entire text of the Etidorhpa novel can be found online at: http://www.sacred-texts.com/earth/eti/

Reviewed by Jerry Kranitz

Paradise 9 have been around for a while now, releasing their recorded debut – Showtime – in 1999, before taking what appeared to have been a lengthy haitus. Their reconvening for charity gigs, and release of two new EPs – Nothing For Tomorrow (2009) and State Of The Nation (2011) – marked the beginning of a more productive era for the band, who have now recorded and compiled their second full length album. Take Me To The Future (a Hawkwind referencing title if ever there was one) clocks in at a generous 75 minutes, with twelve tracks in total, seven of them from the recent EPs, and five new ones. Whether or not you own any of their earlier material, Take Me To The Future has plenty to enjoy about it, being a diverse mixture of Buzzcocks/Wire punk-pop, Gong/Hawkwind spaceprog, Ozrics-style psychelic dub, and acoustic folk. Indeed, several of the members and sundry guests have links to such free festival staples as Here & Now, Mick Farren’s Deviants and, inevitably, Hawkwind.

Album opener Digital Signs is one of the new tracks presented here, and calls to mind Robert Calvert’s techno-hacking On Line, with the distinctive Joe Strummer-like vocals of Gregg McKella. Musically and thematically, it serves as a logical progression of the title track from their State Of The Nation EP. Chrystalized Moment (from Nothing For Tomorrow) offers a less cautionary view of the future, and sounds a little bit like Hawkwind’s Love In Space with an additionally rocking guitar solo from Tyrone Thomas. Founding member Gregg (who provides guitar and synth duties throughout) states that the new album has an AOR feel to it, with Steve Rispin (Asia) handling recording and co-production duties. While this may be a curious choice for an agitpop punk-influenced band, the Sandy Pearlman production of The Clash’s Give Them Enough Rope shows that such seemingly oppositional collaborations can work. Nothing For Tomorrow (the title track from their first EP) contains further eco-warnings for the future set to a punky beat, while new track Kosmonaut has a dubby feel in the vein of The Prodigy’s Out Of Space. Instrumental Oceans Rise features Gregg on clarinet, sounding a whole lot like the sax honking of ubiquitous ex-Hawkie Nik Turner (who actually does appear later on the album). State Of the Nation (from the EP of that name) is more street-level politics and features the guitar of the late Judge Trev Thoms, as does Distant Dreams (albeit in acoustic mode). Point Of View somehow manages to be both punky and catchy, propelled by a driving beat and featuring an extended instrumental outro of clarinet and spacey keyboard sweeps across eleven minutes. The short and sharp ICU-channelling Is This The Time (from State Of The Nation) is up next, followed by two new tracks – Times Like These and Anyhow Anyway. The former has a cool dub vibe courtesy of bassist Neil Matthars, with Gong-ish gliss guitar, the latter being a great piece of power pop punk. Distant Dreams, (again from State Of The Nation) follows, and it is a stone cold hippie classic, like Hawkwind’s In Search Of Space line-up playing Led Zeppelin’s No Quarter! Finally, we get to the epic twelve minute title track, featuring the flute and sax talents of Mr Nik Turner, kicking off with an atmospheric section which sounds a little bit like his Axe Eugene Pink Floyd cover. The message of optimism conveyed by the lyrics may be naive, but it is nice to know that there are even still people out there who are willing to state their case for an alternative future.

Now obviously, there is a fair bit of material on Take Me To The Future which has been released on the two previous EPs. Having said that, the five new tracks are all great, and at least up to the standard of anything that has already come out, and Take Me To The Future serves as a great introduction to a hard working and straight up band who deserve to be heard. Buying it might not be enough to save the world, but it will definitely serve as a pretty cool soundtrack to whatever way the dice might fall.

For further information or to purchase the album, go to http://www,paradise9.net or http://paradise9.soundawesome.net

Reviewed by Pat Albertson

Melodic Energy Commission are a Vancouver, Canada based band who released their first two albums in 1979 and 1980, with ex-Hawkwind synth/electronics maestro Del Dettmar in the lineup. These albums were both reissued on one CD in 1997. For detailed information on the band’s background I would encourage you to CLICK HERE to read the 1999 interview I did with founding member Don Xaliman. Fast forward to 2004 and the band released a third album – Time Is A Slippery Concept. And 2013 brings a new Melodic Energy Commission album – Wave Packet. Still with the band, or at least making appearances, are Don Xaliman, George McDonald, Paul Franklin, and Randy Raine-Reusch. And rounding out the lineup are numerous guests, including Bridget Wishart and her magical EWI.

After several listens I have to say this must be the most spaced out combination of Jazz and World Music I’ve ever heard. Melodic Energy Commission bring together Jazz, and ethnic elements, from Eastern to African, often in the same track, and there’s a prominent alien presence throughout. The opening track, Ambiguity, sets the tone for the album with its bass, drums and varied ethnic percussion keeping a cool groove moving, as jazz trumpet take the melodic lead, all surrounded by spacious soundscapes, drones and other effects to create a spacey, ambient Jazz-World Music vibe. Crop Circle Crafters consists of intense, soaring melodic violin, searing acidic yet ambient guitar, didge-like drones, and space synths, all propelled by ethnic percussion and rock drumming. At almost 9 minutes, Trees On Water is the longest track of the set and exemplifies the Ambient Jazz-World Music flavor of the album. We’ve got beautiful dulcimer and flute leads, an Indian sitar-ish feel, and bass lines that have that fretless feel that can be felt deeply and intensely in the chest and cranium. And all this occurs surrounded by a peaceful space-ambient drift. I love the way all manner of percussion on this album is elusively in control of both the rhythm and entire mood of the pieces. Other highlights among the 10 tracks is Attached By Gravity, which is playfully intense with a combination of Eastern influences, off-kilter Jazz, acidic guitar, and a cavernous deep space atmosphere. Tidal Nomads blends symphonic space with playful Folk-Pub rocking acoustic guitar. And Molecular Reorganizer is an electronic space excursion that meanders, soars, howls and drones, accompanied by call-to-prayer flutes and the sense that some kind of chamber ensemble in space is warming up.

For this listener, the magic of Wave Packet is the breadth of contrasting elements that come together so seamlessly to create a difficult to describe marriage of the Space-Ambient, Jazz, World Music and Psychedelic realms. Unlike past Melodic Energy Commission albums, Wave Packet is all instrumental (except for some brief chants), so the focus is completely on the music. And it’s beautifully recorded so be sure and listen with headphones.

For more information visit the Melodic Energy Commission web site at: http://melodicenergy.com

Reviewed by Jerry Kranitz

Da Captain Trips is an Italian band who formed in 2009 with a shared interest in 1960s-70s psychedelic rock. They began as a guitar/bass/drums trio and released an EP in 2010. With the release of their debut full length – Anechoic Chamber Outcomes I – they have added a fourth member on synths. The album consists of 7 instrumental tracks in 41 minutes.

The set opens with the 10+ minute Leaving The Mainland Again. The first part of the song consists of steady paced psych rock jamming, with chunky guitar chords and a Prog rock keyboard sound. Then near the 4 minute mark they pick up the pace, still jamming but upping the aggression ante, and the keyboards take on a far more spaced out sound. Lots of cool ultra wah’d guitar solos and searing acidic guitar, firmly in 70s heavy jamming psych rock form but with the addition of spaced out keys. The music continues to gradually shift and includes some mellower dreamy passages to offset the heavier rock. Sargassian Way To Definitive Blue goes in a different direction, with melodic yet still psychedelic guitar solos leading the way, accompanied by a soaring, hypnotic synth line, and backed by a march-like rhythmic pace. I like the brief aggressive engine revving mode the synths go into later in the song.

I like the jamming feel of the longer tracks but I think Da Captain Trips are much stronger with shorter, more tightly focused tunes. My favorite tracks of the set are Merfolk Ride and Mar-Has-Kas. Merfolk Ride is a hot ‘n heavy psych rocker with monster guitar, and synth lines that sound like something out of a 60s sci-fi TV show theme. And on Mar-Has-Kas the guitar goes from bubbling liquid psych to ripping rock solos, accompanied by spacey melodic synth lines and a solid tight-as-a-knot bass/drums foundation. Floating goes in a couple odd yet interesting directions, from trippy Eastern flavored psych, to some of the most raucous rock of the set, and finishing on a meditative note. Old Man From The Sea is intense, cinematic, and almost symphonic at times. And Siren’s Call ends the album, being an atmospheric, exploratory piece, with a slow yet pounding percussion pattern backed by howling and droning soundscapes.

In summary, Anechoic Chamber Outcomes I is a decent set of instrumental psych driven rock. The 70s influences are clear throughout, but Da Captain Trips are no retro band and, to their credit, each of the 7 tracks offers something a little different. And while I enjoyed the lengthier jams, the band’s strengths seem to lie in shorter, more structured songs.

The CD is limited to 300 numbered copies. For more information visit the Phonosphera Records web site at: http://www.phonosphera.com
The LP is limited to 250 copies, 150 black vinyl and 100 on colored. For more information visit the Vincebus Eruptum web site at: http://www.vincebuseruptum.it

Reviewed by Jerry Kranitz

Space Mirrors – “The Other Gods” (Transubstans Records 2013, TRANS109)

Alisa Coral returns with a new Space Mirrors album, once again blurring the lines between Space Rock, Metal and Progressive Rock. The Other Gods is the follow-up to last year’s In Darkness They Whisper, and is the second installment in the Cosmic Horror trilogy inspired by H.P. Lovecraft’s stories.

The set opens with the power rocking Stranger In The Mirror, kicking off with Goth flavored keys and then transitioning to more spaced out Prog styled keys. Claudio Tirincanti’s drumming is relentless on this song. After a spacey intro, The Nameless City launches into a potent but steady paced Prog-Metal dirge, with a really cool combination of lead and rhythm guitars. Martyr Lucifer’s ominous spoken-sung vocal style is uniquely captivating, on the surface sounding somewhat monotone, yet communicating hypnotic passion, like he’s some kind of singing narrator. She-Devil picks up the pace again, being a steady rocking blend of Metal, Goth and Prog. I like the melodic deep space instrumental mid-section, and we’re treated to some tasty guitar leads from Sparky Simmons. Frozen City Of Cubes and Cones alternates between Prog-Metal and dreamy spacey acoustic sections, constantly transitioning through multiple musical themes, as well as rough and tumble rhythmic paces and patterns. Cyndee Lee Rule is credited with violin string section, which adds a gentle counterpoint to this otherwise heavy rocking song. Nik Turner cranks out a couple wailing sax solos which sound great alongside the whooshing space synths, all underscored by a driving metallic foundation. (The Case Of) Red Hook consists of Prog-Metal with crunchy guitars and atmospheric keys, transitioning between multiple heavy handed and lighter moods. I love the finale, with efx’d spoken word from Alisa accompanied by flittering space electronics. Strange High House eases the pace, being a lighter yet still metallic rocker, with dreamy keys and melodic flute from Nik, plus more rocking sax later in the song.

At over 10 minutes, Times Unknown is the longest track of the set. It opens with a beautiful piano, guitar solo and space synth intro, before launching into a continually evolving Prog-Metal-Goth-Space rocking song. The segments with piano, flute, spacey synths, and searing yet melodic guitar leads are spellbinding, like a Space-Metal-Orchestral take on classic Progressive Rock. This is THE tour-de-force of the album! The Other Gods is a Goth infused Space-Prog tune with alien synths that sound like an invading horde of robot beetles. I like the off-kilter rhythms that flow seamlessly while providing an appealing sense of imbalance. And Doom of Sarnath closes the set on a high intensity note, being a fist pumping slab of rocking Space-Metal. A monster finale, and my favorite of the set along with Times Unknown.

So another solid effort from Space Mirrors, who are combining musicals styles in ways that I’m not aware of anyone else doing. Always fascinated by Alisa’s work, I asked her the following questions via email:

Aural Innovations (AI): Let’s talk about the theme of the album. Your last album – In Darkness They Whisper – was the first in a planned “Cosmic Horror” trilogy inspired by H.P. Lovecraft’s stories. Tell me how The Other Gods fits in thematically relative to the last album.

Alisa Coral (AC): The Other Gods is the second in the “Cosmic Horror” trilogy. It continues the concept of songs based on H.P. Lovecraft stories. Some songs have the same title as the story, like The Nameless City and Doom of Sarnath, some not so you have to guess which story it is.

AI: The Other Gods is being released just one year after In Darkness They Whisper, which I think might be the quickest follow up to an album you’ve produced yet. How did you manage it? Will part 3 of the trilogy follow as quickly?

AC: I was writing, composing and recording new songs for about 3 years in a row. So when the In Darkness They Whisper album was released I had already recorded most of the demos for the The Other Gods. There was no break, constant inspiration. Now I think I need a break and some time before I start working on part three. I have ideas but I didn’t record anything yet. And we need to replenish the financial resources too – you know, the studios are not cheap! I don’t think the third part will be released in 2014.

AI: Though there are guests on various tracks, you’ve got a solid lineup of musicians throughout the album, something I don’t think you’ve really had before. Was it just a matter of good fortune finding people willing to make the commitment?

AC: Yes, this is something I’m very proud of. There were more musicians lined up for this album but some of them couldn’t record. So we (me and Martyr) didn’t want to wait and decided that we really wanted a solid line-up. It all started after we recruited Claudio Tirincanti to play the drums. He is very well known for playing with Blaze Bayley (ex-Iron Maiden) and now he plays with Tim “Ripper” Owens (ex-Judas Priest, ex-Iced Earth). He is the drummer I was looking for and it was immediately decided that he should play on all the songs. So all the drums and percussion you hear is Claudio. No triggers, no programming. Then there was Gabriel Monticello, a professional upright/bass player who is also a member of American Space Rock band Spaceseed. I recorded for their new album and got to know Gabriel really well. I asked him to record bass on several songs, than it was a couple more and in the end the whole album. So we got the same musicians playing bass and drums which gave the solid basis. Now it was time for guitars and Sparky Simmons already joined Space Mirrors as a new permanent guitarist. He recorded on just one song on the In Darkness They Whisper album but got 8 out 9 songs on the new one! I promised one song to Italian guitarist Fabio Bartolini so he recorded for the opening track. But me, Martyr Lucifer (a member since 2007!), Sparky Simmons, Gabriel Monticello and Claudio Tirincanti are the actual Space Mirrors band now. And I hope this line-up will record on the albums to come! We also have such regular guests as Nik Turner and Cyndee Lee Rule. I should say special thanks to Nik for delivering great recordings right on schedule while he was busy on his winter US tour. You can always rely on Nik. Maybe James Hodkinson will agree to add his mellotron and minimoog again on the next albums too. We really like his solos on the song Stranger in the Mirror. So I tend more to having a regular line-up of guest musicians too.

AI: I continue to be fascinated by your unique blend of Progressive Rock, Metal and Space Rock. The Other Gods has some of the most overtly “Prog” sounding music I’ve heard from Space Mirrors yet. Was this intentional or just the way the music found itself? Times Unknown best exemplifies this and is one of my favorite Space Mirrors tracks to date. There’s so much happening in it.

AC: Oh, yes, Times Unknown is my favourite track. It was the first song I composed for this album. I’m not sure how “Prog” it is. These days everything is called “Prog”. So I don’t pay much attention what genre or style it should be. I just compose the music and the lyrics. Follow the concept which inspires me. And that’s it. So it’s never intentional. If you say we have more prog on this album – so be it! I trust you in your definitions.

AI: I never think to ask artists this question, but tell me about the thought and planning that goes into the order of the songs. I love the flow on the album, and Doom of Sarnath ends it all on such an intense note that I was sitting and waiting… waiting for more. A really solid finale.

AC: Thank you. I tried several combinations of the order as I always do to keep the right flow but Doom of Sarnath was always going to be the last one. Can you believe that I almost threw this song in the trash bin? Then I decided it should be completely re-recorded to Claudio’s drums. Gabriel re-wrote the bassline and Sparky did new guitars. And then it was something different, something I really liked. I thought it would be an excellent finale for the album. And when Martyr sent me the demo of the song Stranger In The Mirror (music for which he wrote) I immediately knew it would be the opening track. So I had to determine the order of the songs between those two.

AI: You’ve got two albums now on Transubstans. Have you experienced better distribution for Space Mirrors? Will part 3 of the trilogy also be on Transubstans?

AC: Yes, much better distribution and promotion. I really like how Transubstans works. As about third part of the trilogy we will have to wait and see. Naturally I would like it to be released on Transubstans as two other parts are there too. And how about releasing all three parts as a vinyl box-set then? Something we need to talk about with our record label.

AI: Any other projects in the works? Anything going on with Psi Corps?

AC: I have some sound producer’s work. For example, I will master the new Spaceseed album which is being mixed now by Gabriel. But I don’t have any other of my own projects going on. Only Space Mirrors. About Psi Corps, I don’t know. I think this project is closed. But never say never…

For more information visit the Space Mirrors web site at: http://spacemirrors.com
Visit the Transubstans Records web site at: http://transubstans.com

Reviewed by Jerry Kranitz

Keith Hill is back with the third Oceanfire release, following A Set Of Songs Parts 1 & 2 and Exit / Rejuvenations. For KHZ4 (glissorchestrations/sonics), Keith explores different territory, creating what he describes as demos of glissando inspired pieces and some electronica with glissando, treated guitars. And sure enough, Keith serves up 10 tracks of gliss inspired space ambience and beat driven electronica utilizing, in addition to gliss guitar, acoustic guitars, midi-synth guitars, FX, synths, percussion, loops and samples.

Each of the 10 tracks is simply named Movement 1, Movement 2, and so on, with Movement 2 (khz4) and Movement 7 (khz7) having a little something extra in title. Keith could have easily created a set of deep space ambience focusing solely on the gliss, but there’s far more going on that that. We do get gliss driven space ambience. But there’s also deep space gliss guitar combined with pounding electronic beats making for a contrasting combination of meditative calm and a compulsion to dance. We’re also treated to gliss guitar plus ethnic percussion and robotic electro beats, as well as floating space electronic excursions that transition to pure gliss ambience. One of the highlights is Movement 4 (khz4), which features some of the most emotive guitar of the set, combined with interesting percussion patterns and sparse but effective synth effects.

My favorite tracks are Movements 6 – 9, on which New Jersey based musician Rob Pullan assists with electronics, FX, monologue samples, bass, and drum programming. Movement 6 combines the sound of a running stream with ethnic percussion, searing gliss and efx’d electric guitars, cavernous drones, rising and falling synth lines, and a stimulating parade of sounds. Movement 9 is similar but more restrained. Movement 7 (khz4) consists of voice samples from what might be old TV shows combined with dreamy droney gliss ambience and pounding rhythmic electro beats. And Movement 8 goes in a completely different direction with a good ‘ol bass and drums rock rhythm section, plus cool grooving ethnic percussion and acidic gliss guitar.

Oceanfire has been Keith’s license to experiment and explore and the results have been consistently intriguing. Note that all the Oceanfire albums are available for free streaming and download so check them out.

For more information visit the Oceanfire web site at: http://oceanfire.bandcamp.com

Reviewed by Jerry Kranitz

Homogenized Terrestrials is Phil Klampe, who has been making abstract recorded sound packaged with immaculate artwork since the early/mid eighties. Having been involved in the home taper scene, he has worked on a number of projects with Hal McGee, Brian Noring (FDR tapes), Charles Rice Goff III, and more recently has been involved in performance and collaborative work with Headless Ballerinas Underwater, Rebekah’s Tape, and Dog Hallucination. Klampe finished this new recording after accumulating a hefty amount of hi-tech equipment and having plenty of time to think. The Contaminist is a more carefully composed, arranged, edited and and mixed collection than earlier albums…. so says the press release. On to the review.

DNA IN THE DIRT: Immediately starts from deep space, simple percussion and keyboard drones that sound like a female vocal. Nice photos of bees that comprise all of the CD artwork. YEK TOPEK: Primal rhythmic drums on this one along with ambient clunkering. CONTAMINIST: It’s raining buzzing clinking space debris… but it’s also a pleasant driving drone. TWO AY EMM: Oh, I get it, 2am! More cosmic drone lovliness. Dinosaurs playing a xylophone loop! SROA: Other word fidgetry and ethereality! (if that’s not a word it should be!) Kinda like when you got locked inside that church after you’d taken all that mescaline! Remember? No!? Don’t know what SROA means?? SPURK: Sounds like part two of previous track; yes, sounds like a spurk! Like falling down the rabbit hole with Tangerine Dream playing backwards on yer headphones (or ear goggles, as Jimi would say). Like if you found yourself in a chicken’s body and you were scratching up worms on the bottom of the ocean. GRAVITY REVERSED: Yes, we’re flying out into space and I’ve possibly run out of strange phrases to describe it?? SHINTH: Definitely a Chinese plinking sound along with the usual deep space droning magnificence!

The only negative thing I could say about this CD is that it’s not that unique in sound and concept unless yer one of those classic 1982 space rock cretins, then it’s prolly way too weird. FOM POCLIPSE: Nice and short, oops, it’s over. PLASTIC RESONANCE KEY: Like typing a letter to yer dear old mama while the room yer in falls off the side of the mountain… yup, just like that! But there’s still time for the peyote enema to kick in before yer smashed on the rocks!!! Or maybe it’s nothing like that! ANTIQUES: This one is more exaggerated… in yo face… yet, the same soaring otherness. And the recording quality /mix etc. is very pleasant and warm!!! THE END IS ALWAYS NEAR: The perfect soundtrack for the next time you kidnap granny and read the first three Castaneda books to her while she’s pleading with you to get a good job!!! “No Nanna, I’ll never go back to college! There’s still no Ash Ra Tempel degree!!” TRUTH EGG: It just so happens that I had a heaping plate of scrambled truth eggs for breakfast, maybe that’s why I still don’t know the truth, they should have been boiled!?!

For more information visit the Homogenized Terrestrials web site at: http://homogenizedterrestrials.bandcamp.com
Visit the intangible Cat web site at: http://intangiblecat.com

Reviewed by Carlton Crutcher