Formed by brother and sister team Rainer and Daniela Neeff, The Pancakes are a German trio who play psychedelic garage-rock, surf-rock, spaced out instrumental excursions, and more. Their first two albums – Brainshaker and Ugga Dtschagga – were reviewed in Aural Innovations #19, as well as a few Rainer and Daniela solo albums in subsequent issues. Keep reading for an overview of the rest of The Pancakes catalog to date, followed by a detailed interview with Rainer Neeff who provides history and insights into the band.

The Pancakes – “Space Cow” (Kerntonschall Klanglabor 2005, CAKE 007, CD)

The album opens with mooing cows (plus other farm animals) and UFO effects. Then a voice says, “What’s that? A flying saucer takes my cow?!”… and then we’re off into the psychedelic surf rocking instrumental Banana, which has a fun hip-shakin’ groove and cool spaced out guitar effects. Other highlights among the 12 tracks is Uuaah!, which is like a blend of 60s garage-psych and late 70s punk á la The Ramones. Daniela’s vocals would be just as much at home in either era. The music has catchy melodic hooks, makes the body want to move, and Rainer injects killer tripped out guitar gymnastic bits throughout. The Ghost brings to mind some lost 60s surf-psych Halloween gem, incorporating bits of Salsa, Link Wray, and more. See Your Face is like The Ventures joining up with The Cramps to make an acid rock ‘n roll band. This is really FUN stuff! I keep thinking how these songs would be perfect for some Quentin Tarantino movie. Walking is a down ‘n dirty psych rocker with wailing fuzz guitar and spaced out licks as Daniela spits out her sassy “No way out!” lyrics. And The Pancakes go south of the border on the lysergic oddball dance tune, Muchaschas Arriba.

There’s also a couple longer tracks I enjoyed. The cows and farm animals are back on the 11 minute Man On The Moon, and it seems that here we learn their fate after having been abducted at the beginning of the set. It’s a slow psychedelic stroll with a Bluesy edge. And there’s lots of great guitar, from searing acid drenched anguish, to deep space liquid psych, to raw brain frying rock. But it’s not just an extended jam, as there’s a linear narrative unfolding, and throughout Daniela is like a punk inspired Torch chanteuse. This is one seriously passionate psychedelic powerhouse of a song. Stars In the Underground opens with gorgeously nasty psychedelic metal riffs leading against a sultry rhythmic pulse. When the vocals kick in for the main song portion it’s got a bit of a stoner vibe, mostly due to Daniela’s vocals. But there’s lots of great jamming and psychedelicious guitar exploration. What I like best is that when The Pancakes jam there’s always a solid focus on rhythm, and in their case it’s usually the kind that makes the body want to move. These guys are all about GROOVES, even at their most exploratory. Finally, Flying is a slow, raw, Bluesy, metallic and ultra sultry psychedelic journey.

The Pancakes – “Aquanaut” (Kerntonschall 2007, 2-LP)

Recorded live on the 2006 Space Cow tour, Aquanaut is a 2-LP vinyl set released in a numbered edition of 280. After an Interstellar Overdrive sounding introductory bit, the band launch into the rousing rocker Peace. Ugga Dtschagga is the title track from their second album and opens with a screaming acid guitar workout from Rainer, which quickly morphs into a trademark Pancakes groove rocker. I love the part where Rainer goes ballistic on guitar while Daniela “jams” on vocals. You Ain’t Of My Kind is a swinging slab of surf-psych rock ‘n roll. And the rest of Side 1 is dominated by a scorching live version of Man On The Moon, the lengthy tune I enjoyed so much on Space Cow, and which seems to have become a staple of the band’s live set to this day. Fans of exploratory and rocking psychedelic guitar will be drooling over Rainer’s playing on this tune. He goes deep into space and gets downright acid-stoner at times. But he’s a highly articulate, expressive musician, even at his most spaced out.

Side 2 opens with the powerhouse rocking instrumental, Mozart, followed by a rousing rendition of The Ghost, another highlight song from the Space Cow album. Tommyknockers is a fun, whimsical punky song. And then we have The Bear, Side 2’s blast-off into acid rocking space. The Pancakes rock hard on this one and Rainer is like a man possessed on guitar. This is a jamming, deep space and hard psych rock guitar exploration, and all the while the band is rocking and rolling, never allowing that groove to let up for a moment. Killer!! Side 2 wraps up with Find My Way, another fun, whimsical, punky rocker. These guys really cover a lot of territory.

Side 3 kicks off with an early 70s sounding Kosmiche jam, with cool eerie organ that goes great with the tripping guitar. This leads into Violet Planet, another example of The Pancakes penchant for fun, accessible, rhythmic songs that also manage to rock hard and include aggressive psych guitar. Kosmos is an energetic psych rocker with Rainer really ripping it up on guitar. The Pancakes dive into the Blues on Lone Desert Highway, with Rainer kicking out passionate, mucho fuzzed, and often screaming leads. And Take The Bus is a heavily Funk infused psych rocker.

Side 4 begins with Surfing To The Center Of The Universe, a schizophrenic song that hops between slow and sultry segments to rapid fire surf-psych. Catch The Stars has a simple catchy melody that I enjoyed. But the lengthy monster track of Side 4 and the big finale to the album is Greenwood Desert. It comes roaring out of the starting gate as a Blues infused rock ‘n roll song. And, as expected, the band launch into a jam that leaves Rainer wide open to stretch out on guitar. This is all about high energy hard rock ‘n roll with a raw nasty psych edge. I have to believe this sucker had the entire audience on their feet and pumping their fists. A killer finale to this outstanding 2-LP live set.

The Pancakes – “Volcanic Frog Island” (Kerntonschall 2010, Cake 010, CD/LP)

Volcanic Frog Island is a 10 track album released in both vinyl and CD editions (you get a bonus track on the CD). Spanish Surf is a decent rocker, the best part being the rousing jam at the end. Duggyman is a cool, quirky song, with excellent guitar fills. “Duggymaaaan, inside my mind, Duggymaaaan, inside my head”. Break It Away is a killer groove rocker, and in the middle Rainer goes acid ballistic on guitar while an efx’d voice… I can’t quite make it out but sounds like it’s talking about flying saucers in the forest. Living In The City and Take The Bus are both characterized by funk, soul, and psychedelic swing. The Sun is a catchy psych rocker with a really cool 60s pop melody and a monster heavy psych guitar solo. If The Pancakes ever considered a single, this would be the one. Aladin is another 60s styled song, with bits of surf and a fun, quirky main melody. I’d make this the B-side to The Sun.

Then we’ve got some really good longer jam tunes. At 11 minutes, Seven Pleasures is the longest track of the set, being a combination of song and steady hard psych rocking jams. Rainer takes off and explores and we’re treated to some tasty outer space effects. I love Daniela’s vocals on this track, as they get downright menacing at times. Froggy D. is a raw, Bluesy surf-psych rocker. “The name is Froggy DDddeeeeeeeee!!”. More great guitar and another killer vocal performance from Daniela. This would be a hot one seeing the band live. Dr. Moreau meets Dracula at dawn and sends him back to space in 45 seconds (how’s that for a title?) starts off as a slow, sultry spaced out jam, but quickly morphs into molten metallic acid psych, with stoned bass and trippy Eastern influences. Finally, The Too Long Fried Hemp-Pancake Women is the CD bonus track. The first couple minutes consist of weird voices and effects, but then launches into a grooving spaced out psych rocker that brought to mind Tribe Of Cro with a surf rock edge.

The Pancakes – “Oh What’s That?” split LP with Magi Razzo (Kerntonschall 2011, LP)

The Pancakes side of this split LP with Magi Razzo consists of five tracks recorded during the Space Cow and Volcanic Frog Island sessions. Four of the songs – The Ghost, The Too Long Fried-Hemp Pancake Women, Flying, and Banana – are songs from those albums, though the credits note these are unreleased versions. Hawaii is the one track I don’t recognize.

The flip side features Magi Razzo, a band that existed on the German Punk and New Wave scene from 1979-1986 and released several albums and EPs, and also included Rainer and Daniela’s father Werner Neeff. The 8 tracks on this LP were recorded in 1986 with the final lineup of the band, consisting of 6 musicians playing guitar, drums, Moog, guitar, bass, violin, mandolin and vocals in German. The music is emblematic of the times, though I must say the musicianship is excellent, the band a tight unit, with good production and interesting arrangements. Among the highlights is Java Girl, a quirky brand of New Wav-ish rock with a kind of pop-Arabian vibe and surf guitar. Der Rhein ist tot includes cool flittering synth embellishments and wah’d psychy guitar leads on this otherwise dancey lounge-pop song. Flashback No. 5 is a fast-paced instrumental that sounds like the theme to a 60s TV show. Kind of like The Ventures with a dose of early 80s New Wave. And it gets really cool and crazy later in the song when the violin starts screech jamming. Silicon Orbit is a little different, with a cool avant-garde feel from the violin and Moog, sounding like The Velvet Underground might have had they been born in the Punk era. Very interesting band. Oh, and the LP comes on nice translucent vinyl.

Various Artists – “UFOs Over Ellmendingen” (Kerntonschall 2012, Kerntonschallrakete001, LP)

Recorded live at the Alien Rocket Flight Festival Vol 2 on October 14, 2001, UFOs Over Ellmendingen is a vinyl LP set documenting performances by The Pancakes, Zone Six, and Ax Genrich. The first half of Side 1 features Ax Genrich, the great guitarist from pioneering Krautrockers Guru Guru playing A Trip To Paradise, a song from his 2011 album of the same name. CLICK HERE to read my review of that album. A grooving bassline and drums provide an anchor for Ax’s vocals and exploratory psychedelic soundscape guitar, which soon becomes a full blown space jam with some mightily explosive guitar. I really dig the bass solo which Ax jams along with creating spaced out acid-atmospheric effects. I’ve been happy to see Ax active in recent years. He also released a new album, Fretboard Jungle, in 2012. CLICK HERE to read my review of that album.

The rest of Side 1 is taken up by The Pancakes doing an explosive rendition of Man On The Moon. It starts off with ripping psych guitar before easing into the main song segment. Daniela leads the way with her vocals while Rainer’s guitar is in especially aggressive spaced out acid rock mode. Wow, the whole band is cookin'; this is the HOTTEST I’ve heard The Pancakes yet! Excellent psych guitar! The Pancakes continue on Side 2 with a song called Elephant that I’ve not heard before. A funky wandering groove lays the foundation for lots of heavy psych rocking jamming and killer psycho guitar.

Rounding out the set is Zone Six, a band most Aural Innovations readers will know. What you may not know is that The Pancakes’ Rainer Neeff has been their guitarist for the past few years, and in this configuration they’re a trio with Sula Bassana (aka Dave Schmidt) on drums and Frau Komet on bass (two-thirds of Electric Moon!). Rollatorcat features 15 luscious minutes of heavy acid rocking improvisational space exploration.

I really enjoyed immersing myself in all these albums and The Pancakes are clearly one of the hot bands on the German underground psych scene. Their albums feature a great combination of songs and instrumental workouts. During songs you often have to listen closely to capture and appreciate Rainer’s intricate guitar work. And Daniela has such a great voice for this music. Her vocals would be equally at home singing Punk or Blues, and I’d describe her singing with The Pancakes as a combination of both.

Wanting to know more about the band I conducted the following interview via email with Rainer Neeff:

Aural Innovations (AI): I can trace The Pancakes back to the Brainshaker CD from 1998. Tell me about when and how the band was formed.

Rainer Neeff (RN): Well, me (Rainer) and my sister Daniela, we have been making music together since kindergarden. In our children’s room we played drums on our self-made drumkit out of cans and bottles, and we sometimes destroyed the strings of our mother’s guitar when we made wild tones on it; not real music, just loud trash like children do. I remember the first music I really liked was Elvis Presley and we explored the radio for rock ‘n roll stuff from the 50s and 60s. Then when I was 13, me and my sister Daniela formed a school band, and we learned playing bass and guitar by covering some sixties stuff like The Animals House Of The Rising Sun and The Rolling Stones The Last Time and The Velvet Underground’s Run Run Run. Our first band name was The Gorgs in 1992, with me on guitar, Daniela on guitar and vocals, and Cornelia Deike Gantz on drums. At that time I’d written my first song, Tommyknockers, and Daniela the song Crime. The first studio versions can be heard on The Pancakes Brainshaker album from 1998. So one year later in 1993 the band became a new line up and a new name. We called ourselves The Screaming Silence, with me on guitar, Daniela on guitar and vocals, Flavio all Pepe on guitar, Max Khäni on bass, and Tomek Mrutschkowsky on drums. We played realy freaked out cover versions from Deep Purple and Led Zeppelin and stuff like that, and we created more and more our own style and music, and me and Daniela wrote our own own songs.

At that time I began to hear music from Guru Guru, Amon Düül, Greatful Dead, Neil Young, Sonic Youth, some Grunge music and The Doors, Hawkwind!, Dead Moon, and also surf music from the 50s like The Trashmen, HP LOVECRAFT live in San Francisco!, The 13th Floor Elevators, Paternoster (German Kraut ’70), Ragnarök (Swedish Psyche), Hendrix, The Fuzztones, The Gravedigger 5, and I always looked after long songs and experimental stuff. When I went to concerts I always waited for the longest song, when the band begins to freak out. Long songs became like a drug for me, and my own music got more and more experimental, and my guitar solos and instrumentals became longer and longer. I liked to play Sunshine Of Your Love and stuff like that, where I could really freak out in the experimental middle parts. And the real drug at that time was the first album UFO from the German Krautrock band Guru Guru, the album Goo from Sonic Youth, Dead Moon Night by Dead Moon, and even the first three UFO records! Not the later UFO stuff, but Prince Kajuku, Boogie For George, the old UFO stuff. Also the song When The Music’s Over by The Doors (a real magic one). But the band split up in 1994 and me and my sister created a new one called Shabby Snuggles, which turned into The Pancakes on May 6, 1995 with our first Pancake drummer Mathias Wendorf. We didnt know at that time that another band called The Pancakes existed, but at that time no one had internet and the whole music scene was totaly different from today. It was really hard to find good underground music. Today one click and the band stands in your room.

AI: In 2002 (issue #19) one of my writers reviewed your first two albums – Brainshaker (1998) and Ugga Dtschagga (2001). He described Brainshaker as “psych/surf/garage”, and Ugga Dtschagga as a “more pronounced move into heavy acid rock”. Tell me about the music you intended to create in the beginning, and how you feel it has developed/evolved over the years.

RN: Well, I think The Pancakes played over the years always the same (hahaha laugh), but earlier we thought to put shorter, more compact tracks on our albums, because where we lived people didn’t like long songs on albums. But as the years went by we put more and more long tracks and experimental stuff on the albums. We played stoner rock in 1996 before the stoner rock wave came over to Germany. In our rehearsals we’ve play since the beginning our structured shorter tracks and then we always turn in a freak 50 minute session that wipes everything out. Since the Space Cow period we allowed ourselves to put the session stuff and experimental unstructured stuff that comes out of the universe on an album, because it’s realy great great magic. Some tracks also had a process over the years, like the track Elephant from the Ufos Over Ellmendingen Live LP from 2012. That was the first time we played it live, but I had this riff in my head since 1994. It took nearly 20 years to play it with the band live, and its a typical stoner rock riff from 1994, from times where we had never heard about stoner rock on the Schwäbische alb (area in the outback south of Germany). Some people say we are influenced by Colour Haze and stuff like this, but I heard Colour Haze the first time in 2010.
I think the influences come more from the 60s and early 70s and the records I heard from my father from that good old analog technic time. Well, I don t like very much computer overdubbed music. Every tone should be played live and should not be digitally copied and copied. It’s ok to put an additional guitar or extra analog ufo track on a song, but not that stuff from the normal radio, where every tone is a lie. We try to keep it as real as it could be, and I prefer first take live recordings like Froggy D or 7 Pleasures from our Volcanic Frog Island album.

AI: Have Rainer and Daniela always been the primary members of the band? I see that from Space Cow through today The Pancakes have been the same trio with Russell McSwan on drums. Was the lineup the same on the Brainshaker and Ugga Dtschagga albums?

RN: Oh yes, me and Daniela are the real primary members of The Pancakes. I think we both would be in the sanatory wuahahahaha if we didn’t start to make music. Making music is like a therapy for us, and makes our mind and soul free. On the first album, Brainshaker, we had another new line-up, because me and my sister moved from the Schwäbische alb to Pforzheim. So the line-up in 1998 was me on guitar, Daniela on guitar and Sirkka Hammer on bass, on the drums there was our good old band friend over all these years Johnny Park (Johnny Pfitzenmaier)! Normally a very very very good guitarist, but here very very excellent on the Brainshaker drums! But this formation split up in 2000 and since then we’ve had the real good good excellent drummer RUSSELL MCSWAN from Scotland! And Daniela started to play bass! So since Ugga Dtschagga I’m the only guitarist in the band, and I think it works better as 3-piece, with me on guitar, Daniela Neeff on bass/vocals and Russell McSwan on drums. Johnny Park our old drummer recorded the Ugga Dtschagga album! Then Johnny Park moved to Stuttgart and I startet to record all on my own and bring it out on my new record label KERNTONSCHALL RECORDS! (formerly it was “Schwarzmond”!) (even earlier it was “Herpes Klänge”). So everything from The Pancakes since the Ugga Dtschagga period is recorded and mixed and mastered by me and the band. So you get the real “Pancake Tone” as it’s thought, without a producer or something from outside the band since the year 2000, including the Ugga Dtschagga album with the real cool recordings of Johnny Park (our old drummer) and the crazy Russell McSwan on drums!!!

AI: Looking at the past reviews we’ve done in Aural Innovations I see that Daniela had a solo album in 2002 and Rainer has had at least three. Have there been other solo projects or band projects outside The Pancakes you’ve been involved with?

RN: Daniela played in the German punk band Rhythmus Radikal and makes music projects with children. Russell played in the fantastic band Hugh Reed and The Velvet Underpants and now Sons Of Grunge. I did a lot of sessions, projects and recordings like Krawutje (Krautrock), The Cosmic Poison Eaters (Dada Psychedelic), Die Enzgeheimen (Psychedelic Kraut Rap, König Raginhardt (Surf-Psyche), and played also with Iain from Schroedingers Cat, and I did some crazy sessions with the German Krautkultband “EMBRYO”! I recorded more stuff like the the yellow Rainer Neeff Frisco Howlin LP A side. I hope to bring it some day out on a record. And at the moment I’m a member of Zone Six and “Krautzone”, also a new project called Ghosts Of Chapel Hill (Psyche Folk), and still there is a lot going around THE PANCAKES PLANET!

AI: You’ve been releasing your albums on your own Kerntonschall label. Have you always self-released your music?

RN: Oh Yes!. Except the real delicious fantastic 7″ single club single by Swamp Room Records, THE PANCAKES “OVER THE HILL” !!! The Oh Whats That album was also planned on Swamp Room Records, but then Swamp Room did a wipe out, so we decided to put it out ourselves.

AI: Have you experienced changes over the years distributing CDs and vinyl as an independent label in the digital download age?

RN: Yes, people now buy more vinyl. There is a little vinyl scene coming up and underground bands bring out vinyls limited to 300, 500 or 1000 pieces. It’s like an oldtimer scene with lots of underground rarities and cool freaks!!! But most people, “the handy people” I say, always want mp3’s for free download and all for free in bad quality on YouTube… I dont like this!!! I don’t like handy consumed music. I’ve thrown mine on the wall 5 years ago, we don t need it, I’ve got no “handy”. Ten years ago we sold more CDs but today we sell more vinyl than CDs.

AI: There seems to be an increased interest in vinyl these days. You released Aquanaut, the split with Magi Razzo, and UFOs Over Ellmendingen as vinyl only releases. And Volcanic Frog Island is available as both vinyl and CD. How do you decide if you are going to released one format or the other, or both?

RN: Well, normally I would put out everything strictly on vinyl, but it’s a money thing. It would also be cool if a record could be made out of hemp or something rather than out of oil! To produce a CD is much cheaper, and you reach with a CD more people, because many people don t have a turntable, and if you give demos to a club or venue you need a CD. But I hope I can put out also the Brainshaker and the Spacecow albums on a vinyl someday.

AI: Have you considered selling digital download albums too? I’ve noticed that a lot of bands/labels that release vinyl LPs these days also include a download code.

RN: No, I don t want to do that!!! It’s a Sound Thing!… and many more!!! I think it’s better to put a CD in a vinyl like we did with the Volcanic Frog Island album, because the sound on a digital CD is much better than a digital mp3, so you get all in one, a good analog sound and an acceptable digital sound. The best is analog sound on a good analog turntable station!!! Digital is not round, it’s square formed edgey waves, analog waves are round music waves!!! We use mp3 in the internet only for advertising. But people, if you really want to hear good sound, and if you want to help the artist buy something to eat and be able to live then buy our vinyls and cds!!!

AI: Last year you released a split LP with a band called Magi Razzo. When I first listened to Magi Razzo, whose recordings seem to be from the 1980s, I thought they were an interesting style of music to pair with The Pancakes. But then I saw Werner Neeff was a member. Werner is the one who sent me the package of LPs and CDs. Does he run, or help run, your Kerntonschall label?

RN: Werner is my father, and a member of Magi Razzo. He helps me with the distribution. Today he plays in the band White Sands, and with me in The Cosmic Poison Eaters. I found the Magi Razzo tapes in a box where you put shoes, and saved it over 20 years in my living room to bring it out someday. It was funny to do the singing on it 25 years later, with Michael Wurster and Wolfgang Dürr and Werner on vocals. So Magi Razzo still exists.

AI: You are also now the guitarist in Zone Six. How did that come about? Did you replace Julius K? It looks like you doubled up with both bands for the Ellmendingen show. Have there been other shows where both The Pancakes and Zone Six played?

RN: Well, I don t know if I replaced Julius K. It was on The Pancakes birthday on May 6, 2011 when The Pancakes
had a gig together with Zone Six live at Hegel in Tübingen. Sula Bassana and Frau Komet Lulu turned up and said that the drummer left the band, and then they asked me if I can play guitar, and Dave is going to replace the drummer, Frau Komet and Paul Pott will play bass and Modulfix does his magictones! So, crazy as I am, I said yes, and I did, and from that day on I was in Zone Six. That was the first time The Pancakes played together with Zone Six. It was a very great evening and show but I was very exhausted in the end. It was like a marathon walk to play in both high energy bands. Iain from Schroedinger’s Cat was in the audience too, that was cool, because I haven’t seen him for years.

The next marathon for me was the Alien Rocket Flight Festival Vol.2, where the UFOs Over Ellmendingen LP was recorded.
It was planned that The Pancakes, Ax Genrich (from Guru Guru) & Band, and Electric Moon would play at the Festival. Then Sula Bassana and Frau Komet turned up and said that their drummer is ill and he can’t play the gig. They asked me if I can play guitar, Sula plays drums and Frau Komet plays bass. So this went out as a Zone Six show in a smaller line-up. But this was very great and really really exhausting for me, because I did two shows that evening, The Pancakes and Zone Six, and I recorded all the stuff including Ax Genrich, with everything miked up. I think I will not do so much in one evening again, so the UFOs OVER ELLMENDINGEN LP is really a thing that happens only once in a life, and it’s very great.

AI: I think the UFOs Over Ellmendingen LP is an excellent live document with The Pancakes, Ax Genrich and Zone Six. Was this a single night with just the three bands or more of a festival with others as well?

RN: Yes, this was an evening with those 3 bands! Me and Werner had the idea of making a festival with underground, Kraut and psychedelic bands. We called it Alien Rocket Flight Festival. My idea was to record everything and to bring out a vinyl. On the Alien Rocket Flight Vol. 1 it didn’t work with the recording, but did on Vol. 2! I m looking for a place to start an Alien Rocket Flight Vol. 3 this year 2013, with also bringing out a vinyl from the evening. I hope there will be more Alien Rocket Flight festivals in future.

AI: Do The Pancakes play live often? Have you played shows outside of Germany?

RN: No, we don’t play so much live. I think its in the average 1 or 2 times in a month you can see us on a stage. I would be happy if we played more, but there are some personal circumstances from each member and the surroundings, and the other thing is that you can get more gigs but around here you mostly have to play for free!, and that’s not good when you need money for eating and living. There is a strange mentality around here in Germany. Many people want art and music for free, like free downloads, free entry at concerts and so on. The younger people are very strange, (under 30). They are full on free mp3 shit and want to see concerts from underground bands for free on YouTube while they’re full of chemicals, not natural drugs, hanging around lazy on the sofa… that’s a little bit sad for the underground scene! Most people here don’t see that there is a lot of work behind the music and recording, and they don’t understand that an underground artist needs money for eating and living. I don’t speak about Phil Collins or someone like that, even Lou Reed. I mean real underground artists! So we are happy about vinyl freaks that understand this! And thanx to all of them! And yes, we played a couple of shows in Scotland, Switzerland and in France.

AI: Germany seems to get some pretty good festivals. I understand Burg Herzburg to be pretty big and includes pioneering psychedelic/krautrock/progressive bands from the 70s, as well as comtemporary bands playing that style of music. This is something we do NOT have in the U.S. With that in mind, do you find German audiences receptive to your music? Are most of your albums/CDs distributed in Germany?

RN: I’ve been at the Herzberg 3 times, and yes peace to all, good festival!!! I think this was the first time I’d seen Sula Bassana (Dave Schmidt) playing there with Liquid Visions 10 years ago or something. This was really “Pancake Style”!!! And now we play in the same band Zone Six!!! Strange how things come!!!

Yes, most of our albums are distributed in Germany, but we’ve got a lot of fans in Ukraine and even a few in Israel!
German audiences are receptive to our music, but the underground freaks are spread in every corner of Germany. Some drive 500 kilometers to a gig. I think there are a lot more people that like that kind of music, but many don’t know that there is such an underground scene. Once we played a gig in Tübingen for the great “Music Maniac Records” (The Fuzztones!, Dead Moon!, Atilla And The Huns!, The Droogs!, The Vietnam Veterans!!!) at Rimpo Record Store. “MUSIC MANIAC RECORDS” is a real real cool underground label! It was 12.00 noon in the middle of the street. There were many people listening and they were really surprised about the handmade psychedelic music by The Pancakes. We sold many records that day, and most of the people thought this wouldn’t exist since the seventies in this all overdubbed Pro Tools normal radio world. They were really surprised about German underground psyche!

AI: Any other news or future projects you would like to share with our readers?

RN: We planned a “THE PANCAKES” / “LA IRA DE DIOS” split vinyl and hopefuly soon a giant new THE PANCAKES album on Kerntonschall Records. Maybe a project with The Lombego Surfers (Switzerland). I want to bring out my Rainer Neeff Tones From The Forest album and I think someday there will be a KRAUTZONE LP and a ZONE SIX LP maybe on Sulatron Records and a Cosmic Poison Eaters CD release on Kerntonschall. And maybe a Ghosts Of Chapel Hill release with Onkel Kaktus. But at the moment these are great visions.

Cheers and may all good ghosts be with you!!!
THANX/DANKE!
Rainer

DISCOGRAPHY

The Pancakes – “Brainshaker” (Honky Tonk 1998, Cake 001, CD)
The Pancakes – “Ugga Dtschagga” (Schwarzmond/Honky Tonk 2001, Cake 003, CD)
The Pancakes – “Space Cow” (Kerntonschall Klanglabor 2005, CAKE 007, CD)
The Pancakes – “Aquanaut” (Kerntonschall 2007, 2-LP)
The Pancakes – “Volcanic Frog Island” (Kerntonschall 2010, Cake 010, CD/LP)
The Pancakes – “Oh What’s That?” split LP with Magi Razzo (Kerntonschall 2011, LP)

Various Artists – “UFOs Over Ellmendingen” (Kerntonschall 2012, Kerntonschallrakete001, LP)

Rainer Neeff – “San Francisco Howlin” (Schwarzmond/Honky Tonk 1999, Cake 002, LP)
Rainer Neeff – “Music For Flowers Bees And Gnomes” (self-released 2002, CD)
Rainer Neeff – “Tango Day On Jupiter” (Kerntonschall 2004, CD)

Daniela Neeff – “Love It!” (Herpes-Klange 2002, Cake 010, CD)

Rainer Neeff with Zone Six:
Zone Six – “Live at Sulatron Labelnight, Fulda, 2011″ (Sulatron Records 2011, CD)
Zone Six / Vespero – “The Split Thing” (Transubstans Records 2012, CD/LP
Zone Six / The Pancakes / Ax Genrich & Band Ufos Over Ellmendingen (Kerntonschall Records 2012 Rackete 001) LP

For more information you can visit The Pancakes at their Kerntonschall Records label at: http://www.kerntonschall.de

Reviewed by Jerry Kranitz

Voïvod is an eminent Canadian underground/punk/thrash/progressive era band that have covered Astronomy Domine, The Nile Song and 21st Century Schitzoid Man, had Rush producer Terry Brown tweak their 1991 effort Angel Rat and has, during a slightly bad spell without former bassists Blacky or Eric Forrest, had Jason Newsted (from Metallica) as a member and, they’ve explored so many various interesting phases from the out and out futuristic Chrome-style cyber-space-thrash-punk album Killing Technology (1986) and the insanely gothic space assault like Phobos (1997) to more mellow psych/prog efforts like Angel Rat (1991) and The Outer Limits (1993). With an awesome cartoonist drummer leading the band, a la Christian Vander, named Away, who also does all the artwork and Voïvod comics for the band, they have an album which just came out in the wee month of January 2013 called Target Earth. More on the actual album a bit later in the article.

First: Voïvod is a band I rate very highly for the thrash genre, with an apocalyptic SF theme of a storyline continuing throughout all their albums, being concept albums about the warrior Voïvod and others like Korgull the Exterminator who come from a ravaged Earth in the future. Voïvod has travelled on and out into Space and beyond over the years a la Magma’s Kobaian mythos, a band they in many ways echo, also having French as their native language, and thus a funny sounding accented vocalist named Snake. Along with Celtic Frost, Fates Warning up to 1990, Iced Earth, Manilla Road, and early Tiamat amongst others, Voïvod pioneered and blurred the boundaries between early black metal, thrash and progressive and punk genres

And the new album? Not so sure. In fact I discussed for an hour or two with Away at Betong in Oslo before and after Voïvod played a night in 1997, our common love of Hawkwind and Magma and Van Der Graaf Generator and many other prog acts from the seventies we shared interest in, as they tend to cover cutting edge prog stuff like Floyd and Crimson, when not being cutting edge with their own material. They always have a good idea mapping a course for each album in their musical story of Voïvod and his adventures. That night guitarist Piggy (who passed away from cancer some years ago) played strings by firing off all kinds of sounds with a toy raygun on all the different modes onto his guitar strings. It was awesome. Check out the 1997 Phobos CD for those crazy sounding experiments. A true art band if there ever was one! So, since Piggy’s death they hired a new guitarist called Chewy who fills in rather nicely. Jason Newsted has been dispatched from the mothership to join Eric Forrest on the ex-member prison planet, only to be replaced by a returned Blacky.

And the result? I have to say my opinion of the new album falls somewhere between being underwhelmed yet satisfied, expecting something not so mindblowing as their older material. Their last CD, Infini from 2009 had some quality stuff and showed Voïvod were still a creative and vital act in an otherwise bleak metal landscape filled with Emo, symphonic and stoner and other modern upstart genres generally filled with poseurs too young to even have been born when Voïvod released their first album, the excellent War And Pain in 1983. Target Earth chugs along nicely without much notice. It’s good, it just does not possess much melodic or progressive qualities, almost as if the band has decided for a simple and less complex approach, and each song just moves on in a similar fashion. Not the feast I expected upon Blacky’s return, there is just some elements missing. A standout track can be found amongst the bonus tracks on the deluxe CD, namely Man in the Trees from Roadburn Fest.

I recommend Target Earth only to those familiar with the band already, but not as a starting point to check out the band. Set forth and sample the previously mentioned albums in this article, and take exploration from there. But, thank whomever is your deity, that we still have Voïvod after 30 years in existence.

For more info, visit: http://www.voivod.com

Reviewed by Christian Eric Mumford

Are you curious how modern balladeering Marillion would sound like if they were gene-spliced with cutting edge prog like Porcupine Tree? Would the result be a poetry laden and technological creative soup along the lines of ‘tronic wave experimental esoteric bands like The Legendary Pink Dots and their ilk? I am afraid the answer echoes and shouts “yes!” “yes!” repeatedly from a ghostly other dimension. Not The Weapon But the Hand is a truly progressive album in the modern sense, it grows on you with its low key approach and many fine details. Hogarth is a fine vocalist when he really gels. Often his work with Marillion is a bit non-descript, but imagine an album somewhere in between his two solo efforts like the rocky-poppy Ice Cream Genius album from 1998 and the laid back mature balladeering of his Natural Selection live album some five years ago. Mature, reflected, subtle and intricately crafted. Richard Barbieri from Porcupine Tree and Japan does instrumentation and it works very well, with all his electronic ambience, guitars, experimental hi tech beats and washes of synths with Hogarth’s voice narrating songcraftingly on top is very comfortable to listen to. A Cat With Seven Souls and Your Beautiful Face are two of the tracks that struck me as very poetic and serious. There are no whimsical or humorous elements about this record, it definitely is “art rock” with all its pretensions, but not an out and out “prog” album. I could compare it to Steven Wilson’s solo outings; to an extent, Peter Hammill’s solo work, The Legendary Pink Dots, and a bit of Hogarth era Marillion. But far better than Marillion with Hogarth on vocals. Hogarth really needs to distinguish his own voice. I feel his Marillion work does not hold up against the Fish era of the band, but now I realise there is no need to compare him with Fish. This is totally different than either, yet would appeal to fans of Porcupine Tree and Steven Wilson very much. Set forth and purchase this if you are a fan of Porcupine Tree, Marillion or serious poetic/muso “art rock” in general. A fine collection that will not date on your record shelf.

For more info, visit: http://www.kscopemusic.com/hogarthbarbieri/nottheweaponbutthehand, http://www.richardbarbieri.net and http://stevehogarth.com

Reviewed by Christian Eric Mumford

Sky Picnic are the Brooklyn, New York based trio of Chris Sherman on guitar and vocals, Leah Cinnamon on bass and vocals, and Pete Meriwether on drums and percussion. Paint Me A Dream is billed as their second full length album, though the band have also released a couple EPs, singles, and contributed to various compilations. Here’s the skinny on the album’s 9 songs:

The album opens with Lost Is Found, a psych rock song with a 60s feel and a killer intense acid freakout jam for the finale. The title track is next and is a more overtly 60s sounding song. It rocks out but has a floating trippy feel, a nice flute melody (maybe synth produced), acoustic and electric guitars, space effects, and a damn good melody. Freak Out Ethel starts off with an early Pink Floyd feel, like Astronomy Domine crossed with Careful With that Ax Eugene, but then morphs into a heavy driving psych rock instrumental. Dream Yourself Away has a pleasant guitar melody and vocals, plus an orchestral mellotron-like backdrop. About halfway through the music quiets into the dream-state of the title… “dreeeeeeam yourself awaaaaay”… with cool efx’d guitar licks and haunting vocals, gradually building and receding in intensity, with the orchestral keys projecting the song into Prog-Psych realms. Another damn good song! Kaleidoscopic Cadence is a short but lovely acoustic Folk-Psych song, and wraps up with more of those classic Prog orchestral embellishments. Rippled continues the 60s dreamy Prog-Psych drift that I’m catching from the last two tracks, and in parts has an underlying Ennio Morricone soundtrack vibe. Translucent Lucy is a chunky psychedelic rock ‘n roll song with a bit of a surf edge and cool wah’d guitar solo. At 8 minutes Slumbers Gate is the longest track of the set. For the first couple minutes the band playfully meander. But then the drums start to rock out hard, while the guitar goes into deep space with the effects. This lasts a couple more minutes before things go quiet and the musicians focus on pure spaced out atmosphere and effects creation, once again recalling early experimental Pink Floyd. In fact, in the last couple minutes I’m reminded of Atom Heart Mother. Sky Picnic cover a lot of interesting ground on this track. Finally, Aurora is a brief instrumental that brings the album to a close on a heavy psych rocking note.

In summary, Sky Picnic are heavily 60s psychedelic influenced but are by NO means a retro act. Vibravoid might be a good analogy. I’ve liked all their releases but what stands out on Paint Me A Dream is the songwriting, which is a pretty impressive. Solid songs and melodies, AND lots of cool freaky and often spaced out psychedelic music.

Note that the album is available in black and colored vinyl editions, as well as digital download. AND for you vinyl junkies in the U.S. who are accustomed to paying big bucks for Nasoni imports, the LP is available for a very reasonable price at the Sky Picnic Bandcamp site.

For more information you can visit the Sky Picnic web site at: http://www.skypicnicmusic.com
Purchase the LP or digital download at: http://skypicnic.bandcamp.com
Visit the Nasoni Records web site at: http://www.nasoni-records.com

Reviewed by Jerry Kranitz

My introduction to Solus3 was through Lunar Dunes, a UK based space rock band who have released two excellent albums – Lunar Dunes (2007) and Galaxsea (2011). Solus3 consists of four members of Lunar Dunes, and while Solus3 are deep in space, they are very different from Lunar Dunes.

Corner Of The World is the second Solus3 album and opens with the 10 minute Unfold. What a strange and fascinating blend of musical elements! There’s a Dub foundation, along with spacey atmospherics and effects, didge-like throat singing, a steady lead and groove by harp (of all instruments), trumpet, and vocals from Krupa MaNomay (female) that are simultaneously haunting and sultry. It all comes together in ways that a very difficult to describe, and that’s a good thing because these folks are doing something that to my ears is quite different. Bassist Ian Blackaby, who is in both bands, describes Solus3 as a kind of Post-Punk development of the Dunes, like Lunar Dunes without the guitar player and the harp taking the central role.

The fun continues on Tricked By A Monster, which is more of a structured, accessible jazz-Dub-in-space song, though there’s no shortage of adventurous cosmic embellishments by the trumpet and effects, plus guitar from guest Jemma Freeman and Larry Whelan from Lunar Dunes contributes keyboards and saxophone. I love the combination of Dub-bass, floating harp leads and vocals. Corner Of The World is similar and I really like the section where the harp actually jams while the drums rock out. Lollardy is a lysergic experimental space-jazz-lullaby that blends harp, trumpet, off-kilter percussion and what sounds like a bagpipe trying to be an Arabian call-to-prayer horn. When Porn Jam came on I instantly recognized it, though it took me a minute to make the connection with the track Moon Bathing, from the Lunar Dunes album Galaxsea, which this is a re-working of, being a trippy, hip-shaking lounge-jazz-in-space groover. Reich is an instrumental with cool looped effects and cosmic keys, synths and harp, all zipping along playing a repetitive and slowly developing pattern. After a few minutes the music transitions to gentle drifting lullaby mode, though it quickly starts to edge back toward the more intense opening theme. Finally, the album wraps up with the 10+ minute Pumori, a hypnotic trip that takes us to a dark, smoky, surreal alien lounge and features Krupa’s most soulful vocals of the set.

This is very interesting and mesmerizing music which will appeal to those who fancy a creative mix of psychedelia, Dub and jazz, though these descriptions don’t begin to characterize what this off-the-beaten-path band are about. And speaking of Dub, the latest Solus3 album is titled Corner Of The Dub. It’s described as “a half sibling to Corner Of The World” and features remixes by various artists of tracks from the Corner Of The World album.

We get two Tricked By A Monster treatments, one by The Krell, but the more interesting of which is by Gary Langan (Art Of Noise), which adds more effects and puts interesting freakout emphasis on the guitar. Dr. Das adds a more classic Dub vibe to Reich, without straying too far from the original, and I like the brief scorching effects. Shugmonkey injects a quirky, whimsical edge into Lollardy. Corner Of The World is another tune that gets a double dose of remix surgery, but they’re both by the same artist – Dub Colossus. He Dubs it up and adds lots of spaced out effects on his Firfir Remix, and does the same on his King Krar Remix, though it sounds like he focuses more on grooves for the later. Eccodek is all about atmosphere in their treatment of Unfold. There’s a second Unfold entry, this time by Phil Meadley who takes it 360 degrees from Eccodek into hyper-kinetic electro-robot-dance territory. Gianni Mantice takes the most liberties of just about anyone with his manipulation of Porn Jam and comes out with one of my favorites of the set. It’s got lots of wild space effects, heavy grooves, plus a cool and strange Arabian styled male vocal. The one track that doesn’t take on a single song from Corner Of The World is Monster Mori Remix, a nearly 10 minute piece that the promo sheet describes as “a Frankenstein monster of prog dubtronica built out of our spare parts”, so I’m assuming it’s a remix glom of various Solus3 tracks, and indeed I recognize a lot of it.

In summary, Corner Of The Dub is a fun listen when experienced alongside Corner Of The World. But I’d not like someone to hear it as their introduction to Solus3. Start with Corner Of The World and the band’s excellent debut, The Sky Above The Roof.

For more information you can visit the Solus3 web site at: http://solus-3.bandcamp.com

Reviewed by Jerry Kranitz

I’ve long enjoyed Italian band Insider’s last albums – Jammin’ For Smiling God and Simple Water Drops. Both were killer sets of ultra-heavy space rock and space infused stoner rock and metal. But Simple Water Drops came out in 2005 and I’d heard nothing since so I figured that was it for the band. Bassist Piero Ranalli has been busy since then with the prog band Areknames and released several CDs of his solo kraut/psych/prog project Unimother 27.

And now, courtesy of Phonosphera Records, we’ve got Vibrations From The Tapes, with the trio of Piero on bass, brother Marco Ranalli on guitars and effects, and Stefano Di Rito on drums. But this is very different from the last albums, which were a combination of composed pieces with vocals and instrumental segments. Vibrations From The Tapes features nearly 80 minutes of pure improvisation.

The set opens with the 22 minute Your Brainticket. Piero and Stefano set an easy-paced rhythmic foundation over which Marco jams. His guitar sails away playing steady melodic psych leads, edgy acidic runs, and free-wheeling rock leads. Sometimes I hear a Dave Gilmour flavor and near the end Marco briefly goes into Hendrix mode. He continually shifts gears and it all flows seamlessly. We’re also treated to tasty meteor shower alien electronics which embellish things nicely. This is followed by Killing Boredom, an aggressive rock ‘n roller which at only 3 minutes seems a little out of place amongst the lengthy behemoths that accompany it. The appropriately titled Raga In The Sky is next and has a drugged dervish-like rhythmic pulse over which Marco plays trippy Eastern slathered leads. I like how Piero’s bass patterns contrast with the drumming, so that each musician is operating in his own space, yet it all gels together perfectly into a lysergically whigged out heavy rocking whole.

You like improv that takes off and explores and doesn’t ever want to stop? First Steps is the monster track of the set, clocking in at a whopping 27+ minutes. It starts off slow, like a psychedelic band waking up in the morning. The bass melody leads the way while Marco plays mind-bending ambient guitar leads. The pace gradually accelerates and I start thinking of Robert Fripp doing his soundscape thing with a space rock band. But eventually the band settles into a steady groove as Marco jams away in various styles, similar to what we heard on Your Brainticket, though he goes far deeper into space on this one. Dark Age is the closing track and starts off similar to First Steps, with a slow rhythmic pulse and ambient guitar leads. But Marco quickly transitions to a spaced out melodic rocking style, cranking out winding and near screaming licks, really ripping it up at times, and all the while the bass and drums are following along at a reserved pace. Then for the final minutes the entire band goes into aggressive mode, finishing on a completely stoned note like Black Sabbath gone totally acid freakout.

In summary, Vibrations From The Tapes is exactly what it’s trying to be – damn good stretched out spacey psychedelic improvisation. The music was recorded live with two microphones, and you do get that raw live feel. I thoroughly enjoyed it. BUT… what I REALLY want is a full blown new Insider studio album! Note that the CD is limited to 200 copies.

For more information you can visit the Phonosphera Records web site at: http://www.phonosphera.com

Reviewed by Jerry Kranitz

Fruits de Mer Records (FdM) kick off 2013 by tackling The Hollies with a 16 song LP + 7″ vinyl package of contemporary bands doing covers of classic tracks by Manchester, England’s great 60s pop maestros. For those not in the know, FdM is a UK based label who specialize in vinyl only releases of current bands covering music, often quite obscure, from the 60s-early 70s, though the label also features some original music as well. Re-Evolution: FdM Sings The Hollies is a tasty set and deserves a track-by-track overview.

Beautify Junkyards, a Portuguese band who I was introduced to last year when they released a 7″ on FdM, do a gorgeous rendition of Butterfly with a spaced out medieval vibe. Atlanta, Georgia based The Seventh Ring Of Saturn do a beautifully executed cover of All The World Is Love, upping the psychedelic ante far beyond The Hollies original. I love that Eastern tinged vibe. Ditto for Nevada based musician Jay Tausig, who does an ultra-trippy and intense version of Elevated Observations. It’s got solid production and arrangements with killer guitar, sitar and effects. Between his FdM contributions and [almost] monthly The Trip Around The Sun series of albums, Jay was one of my big discoveries of 2012. From Bristol, UK, Hi-Fiction Science released an excellent album in 2011 and have made several contributions to FdM compilations. Their take on King Midas In Reverse starts off as a stripped down acoustic, sorta garage-tribal jam that gets more fleshed out as the song progresses, especially when the psych guitar leads and freaky electronic embellishments are added. The Re-Stoned are a Russian stoner rock band that I’m well familiar with from their three albums on the R.A.I.G. label, and pleasantly surprised to find doing a Hollies cover. Then The Heartaches Begin was a pretty psychy Hollies song with cool acidic guitar licks. The Re-Stoned quicken the pace and add female vocals, making it a rough and tumble fuzz-psych-pop rock ‘n roller, with a fantastic stoned rocking instrumental freakout break. Moonweevil, who I think might be a Cranium Pie side project, wrap up Side 1 of the LP with a wildly whacked rendition of Bus Stop, running it through an avant-spaced out electro-groove grinder. Adventurously off the beaten path this one is.

Side 2 kicks off with The Gathering Grey doing an almost spot on cover of Postcard, though adding mellotron-ish sounding embellishments and other little effects, and I dig their trippy prog-psych instrumental finale. auralcandy are a UK based band I don’t think I’ve heard before, but I really like the way they add a soulful and slightly funky edge to Heading For A Fall. Hard Hard Year, as recorded by The Hollies, had a Beatles-esque You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away feel to it. This was a good song choice for The Bevis Frond, as its ideal fodder for Nick Saloman’s acid-minstrel craftsmanship. Try It was one of The Hollies more tripped out, effects-laden psych songs, and the New York City based Sky Picnic are just the ones to take it even deeper into space. Theirs is a valium-paced cross between classic lysergic 60s psych and dronier Velvet Underground experimentations. The Neutron Drivers are a New Jersey based band I’d not heard before who do a relatively faithful cover of Water On The Brain, but their instrumental section goes way out into intense outer space. Very cool. Side 2 ends with Swedish duo Us and Them being the second band to take a whack at Butterfly, and really make the song their own with an acid/wryd-folk interpretation that will make you start thinking there should be a “Pagan-Prog” genre. I loved their songs from The Wicker Man 7″ on FdM a couple years ago.

So that’s the LP, but we’ve got four more songs on the 7″ EP that comes with the package. King Penguin are from the New York City area and do a very interesting take on Dear Eloise. It starts off with a country-rock feel, then veers off into sitar and tabla driven Eastern influenced psychedelia, which I found to be a disorienting but very cool transition. The Higher State are another band I’d not heard before this compilation. Their cover of Don’t Run And Hide is one of the more spot-on covers of this set. Ditto for Scranton, PA based Langor’s rendition of Everything Is Sunshine. And UK based The Electric Stars are also mostly faithful to the original with their version of Jennifer Eccles, but do add some tasty guitar and effects embellishments.

In summary, the bands on this compilation all do better than fine interpretations of their chosen Hollies songs, and not a few really took the music in a different direction, which always appeals to me.

The album will be available in February and is limited to 800 copies, and as usual this is vinyl ONLY, no CDs or downloads. If interested you better hurry because Fruits de Mer releases have a tendency to sell out QUICK!

For more information you can visit the Fruits de Mer Records web site at: http://www.fruitsdemerrecords.com

Reviewed by Jerry Kranitz

It’s unusual for Fruits de Mer Records to release a full LP of a band doing all original music so when they do it’s gotta be good, and this sucker is a 2-LP + 7″ package. Soft Hearted Scientists are the Welsh quartet of Nathan Hall, Dylan Line, Paul Jones and Michael Bailey. They formed in Cardiff in 2001 as the duo of Hall and Line, making cassette demos in Hall’s house, and have been releasing albums since 2005. Whatever Happened To The Soft Hearted Scientists compiles Fruits de Mer’s favorites from the band’s CDs, plus a title track exclusive to this set, songs from their soon to be released new album, and a 7″ consisting of previously unreleased demos. We’ve got a total of 23 songs here so I’ll give you the skinny on some of my favorites that should provide a good feel for what the band are about.

Soft Hearted Scientists cover a fair range of territory. The music is heavily 60s influenced and mostly folk-psych and pop-psych based, though the band incorporate traditional influences, progressive rock, and much more. Mount Palomar is a seductively dreamy folk-pop tune with a 60s vibe and spacey alien effects. I love how it starts off acoustic driven and then blasts off into a lush and uplifting chorus. The space effects are front and center on the haunting yet melodic Wendigo. The tale of the The Yongy Bongy Bo combines traditional folklore elements with a pagan folk feel. The acoustic guitars and vocals are enchanting on Siberia, and the looped effects and keyboard lines add multiple layers that keep things continually interesting on this beautifully flowing song. Rockford’s Return is a fun, quirky, spacey acid-psych-pop song. Eyes has a stick-in-yer-craw melody that sounds straight out of 60s pop-psych, but incorporates the fun freaky space effects that the Scientists seem to like so much. Most of the songs are in the 3-6 minute range, but The Caterpillar Song is a 10 minute epic. It starts off as a spaced out folk infused pop-psych song and eventually builds into full blown progressive rock, with BIG keyboards, a ripping tripped out guitar solo, and oscillating UFO effects. Wow! Road To Rhayader consists of mesmerizing psychedelia, with its hypnotic melody and vocals, interweaving acoustic and electric guitars and marching rhythmic pace, and all-around beautiful instrumental arrangements. The Scientists show their flair for foot stomping music-hall fun and whimsy on Halloween People. And the four songs on the 7″ may be billed as “demos”, but they’re as good as anything on the LPs, my favorite being Newest Things, a stellar example of immaculately produced 60s influenced pop-psych.

In summary, this is a thoroughly captivating set of music, with outstanding compositions, arrangements, and excellent production. I agree with the folks at Fruits de Mer… this is a special band.

The album will be available in February and is limited to 800 copies, and as usual this is vinyl ONLY, no CDs or downloads. If interested you better hurry because Fruits de Mer releases have a tendency to sell out QUICK!

For more information you can visit the Fruits de Mer Records web site at: http://www.fruitsdemerrecords.com
Visit the Soft Hearted Scientists web site at: http://www.softheartedscientists.co.uk. They have LOTS of mp3’s you can hear!

Reviewed by Jerry Kranitz

I’d previously known of UK based musician Keith Hill from Citizen Zen and his participation in Vert:x. Oceanfire is Keith’s solo project and he recently made two sets (four tracks each) of recordings available for free download from his Bandcamp site.

The four tracks in A Set Of Songs Part 1 were recorded in 2009 and 2012. Fractal Sun sets a repetitive rocking rhythmic pace with a nice melody, around which Keith adds whooshing synths and gliss-like guitar licks. About halfway through the electronics take over for some serious cosmic dance floor action, and I like how it gets increasingly chaotic as the track progresses. Cloud 10 is a brief space-soundscape piece that develops quite nicely for something that’s less than 2 minutes. I wish Keith would have fleshed this one out more. Zirna is the hot smokin’ spacerocker among these four tracks. The first three minutes rock hard, but then Keith abruptly shifts gears and goes into a thematic ambient/atmospheric section, before launching back into the heavy blazing space rock. There’s lots of ripping guitar leads and a simple melody line that I can’t tell whether it’s a keyboard or stringed instrument, but I like the way it contrasts with the more aggressive music around it. Finally, Keith eases the pace for a smooth landing in the last couple minutes. Heliopolis is something of a cosmic avant-garde piece, mixing various contrasting and off-kilter sound/rhythmic patterns, ethnic percussion, and a darkly ominous atmosphere. It’s 6 minutes long but is another one that could have stood for more development as I was in a nice groove with it when it ended.

A Set Of Songs Part 2 also consists of four tracks, all of which were recorded in 2012. Portal is similar to Cloud 10, being a short spaced out bit of soundscapes and effects, though in this case the brevity works better because the next track, Cylindrical Helix, starts with a similar electronic based theme before developing into a pretty cool Hawkwind inspired space rocker (including Alan Davey styled bass). It’s also the only track among the eight with vocals. Freyr is a cosmic drifting, gently rhythmic piece with soaring synths and saxophone and guitar leads that I liked. And Gravitational Waves is similar to Heliopolis in the strange but interesting variety it includes. It’s got an almost industrial sounding choppy but near-dancey rhythmic groove, wild space synths and various other ambient/soundscape elements.

There’s quite a bit of variety across these eight tracks, which Keith described to me as demos. Zirna and Cylindrical Helix are my favorites because of the heavier space rock, and I’d like to see Keith aim for a full album that concentrates on this aspect of Oceanfire but also include some of the interesting space/soundscape/experimental work heard on Heliopolis and Gravitational Waves. You can listen online or download for free so check it out.

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

Reviewed by Jerry Kranitz

I have to say that I, in fact, have heard the band’s first CD, their self-titled opus released in 2000 and I believe that I like this title, Sonic Astronomy, their long-awaited second disc a bit more. Came to a complete surprise to me but finding out that Plastic Overlords comes from Atlanta, Georgia (who would have ever guessed?) I mean, in all honesty I would have immediately assumed that they were most likely British. Best described as psychedelic/progressive. Some typical science fiction references occur here and there throughout this CD’s 63:40 duration. As for the tunes, the ten-minute opener Star Avenger vs. The Winged Hippopotamus is where one would likely get the initial impression that these blokes are from the UK. I’ve actually played their wonderfully cosmic psych piece You Crumble To Bits by itself on a few occasions and I thought that A Moment Of Silence For Unsynchronized Watches sort of maybe reminded me of like an undiscovered Pink Floyd B-side (yet it’s been noted elsewhere this particular cut isn’t too dissimilar of the Rush masterpiece 2112). The Sunburst Going Strong? has a solid ’70’s sound and vibe to it – as it’s a bit difficult to believe this song is from a modern-day effort as such, as Twelve Steps To Seventh Heaven made me reminisce of – say ’90’s Hawkwind and the eight-minute Silver Sparks From The Holy Mountain is truly an astounding cut to thoroughly soak in. That leaves the somewhat King Crimson-inspired Your Chariot Awaits and the well-played seventeen-minute epic (of a) closer Tea and Cake With Another Mad Hatter. Overall, Sonic Astronomy happens to possess a healthy dose of impressive guitar riffs as well as an atmospheric vibe with a clear musical influence of early Hawkwind, Syd Barrett era-Floyd, Peter Gabriel-era Genesis and vintage Rush.

Personnel: David Noel – bass, keyboards & vocals, Eric Hand – electric guitar, John Eades – electric & acoustic guitars and Brad Johnson – drums. Perhaps it’s just me, but I thought that the first half of Sonic Astronomy was psychedelic and the second half was more in the progressive vein. Either way, it all makes for great listening. I do plan to keep this CD in my current rotation stack for a while.

For more info, visit: http://www.foolserrandrecords.com

Reviewed by Mike Reed