Census Of Hallucinations - "10"
CENSUS OF HALLUCINATIONS - COH 10
Jeezzzzussssssss!!!!!!!! I didn't think you could squeeze so much onto one album!! Across 15 compositions and a shade under 50 minutes of music, the COH people - of which there are many - have succeeded in completely redefining the boundaries of what makes a psychedelic rock album. You couldn't possibly review this in detail - well, you could, I guess, but life's too short!! Suffice to say that, across a plethora of songs and instrumentals, there is this structure at work that's somewhat akin to an idea overload at work, sort of Zappa-meets-Gong under Bonzo Dog skies, gone completely bananas, with a raft of distant, lead, harmony and spoken vocals almost buried under a psychedelic mountain of guitars, keys bass and drums. But, guess what - it works! Don't ask me how or why, but I found it to be the most engaging slice of originality in this musical field that I've come across in recent times, something that has more to do with its sonic soup-like arrangements where the vocals aren't too upfront and instead become a part of the overall scenery, which is what makes it such a consistently enjoyable slice of listening - probably best when stoned, but I wouldn't know about that in any way, shape or form - although I can imagine that the people who made this know only too well. Bizarre, solid, inventive, quirkily original music and a decidedly British sense of humour all combine to produce something pretty jaw-dropping on all fronts.
(Reviewed by Andy G)