Mazinga Phaser - "Cruising In The Neon Glories Of The New American Night"
(Aether Records,
1996 AELP-002 LP)
From Aural Innovations #4 (October 1998)
From Ft. Worth, TX, Mazinga Phaser play a totally cosmic blend of genuine SpaceRock and sonic mind assaulting psychedelia. The group on this release consists of Wanz Dover, Eric Hermeyer, Jessica Nelson, Cole Wheeler, and Travis Williams. No instrumentation is listed but I hear guitar, bass, various keyboards and synths, drums, and trumpet.
"Katia", the opening track, begins as a laid back atmospheric piece with slowly repeating bass and synth lines. All this is soon joined by various jolting synth sounds, vocalizations, and a few found sounds. A loud jarring static sound abruptly leads into "Ling Ling And Pepper" which becomes a sort of psychedelic drone. The bass is like a heartbeat that pounded in my chest and the whole thing gets very cosmic with static, fuzz guitar, and an all out jumble of sonic space madness that is clearly not designed to facilitate relaxation. "Dub Sonic At The Jelly Kubota" has a somewhat jazzy trumpet sound that combined with the heartbeat bass and slowly tripping guitars and synths makes for a still intense, but more ambient mood.
My personal favorites on the album are "Glass Of Glycerine", New Journey To The Edge Of Rom", and Infinity For Now". All feature Jessica Nelson's celestial vocals and though more song-oriented, feature even more sounds than the instrumental tracks. On "Glass Of Glycerine" the guitars are heavier and more overtly psychedelic than previous tracks, as are the sonic SpaceRock elements. "Rom" has a very 60's feel and the trumpet, guitars, and synths produce a hard to describe, but generally cosmic sensation. "Infinity For Now" is one of the more mind expanding rather than assaulting tracks, though there is enough harshness to keep the listener from getting too comfortable. Acoustic guitar and orchestral mellotron sounds give this a different edge than the other songs. Highly recommended to both space and psych fans.
Reviewed by Jerry Kranitz