Psychic Space Invasion - "And the Cows Go Mu"
(Elvis Coffee Records 2004, ECR 11)
Psychic Space Invasion - "And the Cows Go Mu"
(Elvis Coffee Records 2004, ECR 11)
From Aural Innovations #31 (June 2005)
Very little documentation accompanies what is apparently Psychic Space Invasion's fourth release. There are no titles, credits or information about instrumentation and production, only rather vague references to this disc being the first release in the "ECR Liminal Animal drone series." Judging from the limpid and often static soundscapes contained herein, one can only hope it's also the last. And the Cows Go Mu, like so many ambient/noise projects these days. Contains the usual bleeps and drones one has come to expect from the post-Orb/Future Sound of London tecnobrats. It certainly makes interesting background music for watching the globs and blobs of your lava lamp morph into and out of one another, but it's doubtful that sustained listening will increase your understanding of or appreciation for the kind of ritualized altered states Psychic Space Invasion tries to evoke in the listener. There are moments throughout the four extended pieces on And the Cows Go Mu where some intriguing sounds are coaxed from what must be an arsenal of electronics being utilized and manipulated, but the absence of any discernible melodic component over the course of an hour is too much for even the most avid enthusiast of sound sculpture. However, if you're a fan of Aphex Twin, particularly the Ambient Works series, Psychic Space Invasion may appeal to that part of you that's always wondered what kind of music the monolith from 2001: A Space Odyssey would make. This is especially so with the album's last-and best-track, a 25-minute plus drone of space static from the heart of the galaxy. Pass me another tab…
For more info on Psychic Space Invasion, visit: http://www.psychicspaceinvasion.co.uk.
Email at: ianh45@msn.com.
Visit the Elvis Coffee Records web site at: http://ecr.homestead.com.
Email at: elviscoffee@btinternet.com.
Contact via snail mail c/o ECRecords, PO Box 160, Swansea, SA1 6WB, Wales, UK.
NOTE: Elvic Coffee Records have decided to stop charging for their releases and are just asking customers for SAEs. They also will be putting each release on-line for free download as part of their new monthly download project.
Reviewed by Charles Van de Kree