Friday 27 September 2013

Oresund Space Collective - Dead Man In Space ( 2010 )



Actually, these are nine live men on earth jamming, improvising and creating a trip to several places. What I love from Oresund Space Collective's music is how it introduces us into other worlds, one new song is one new world, and each and every of them has its own passages, its own lands in which we will imagine, discover, trip. I believe when music can produce these things on the listeners, then it simply succeeds, and that has happened with me.

This collective released in 2010 an album entitled "Dead Man in Space" which consists of four songs that make a total time of 63 minutes. As usual, they bomb us with some long jams that let us expand our minds and experience spacey trips. The best example is the first track which is a long 32-minute length song full of synthesizers, guitars and spacey nuances and atmospheres. Here, though we will find several minor changes, we will not find moments where the music dramatically falls or becomes anything new, no, here they create a very cool long jam that perfectly flows and does not bores at all.

In spite its long duration, one can easily listen to it without feeling the need of skipping it after some minutes, because it little by little traps you until you become part of it and cannot escape until the very end. There are always drums accompanying the prominent synthesizers, while the bass creates a sometimes soft, sometimes faster mood that is perfectly complemented by the almost non-stop guitar work. There are of course moments more interesting than others, but in general, this ambitious 32-minute song left me satisfied. In fact, I would honestly had enough with this long theme and another shorter one.

"Who tripped on the C(h)ord" is a ten-minute song with a more relaxed mood, perfect for the night or a tired day. The music once again flows without a problem, creating nice atmospheres, soft passages in which the listener can be doing any work needed, I mean, you can lie on your bed and rest, you can be working, doing homework, reading, etc. and the music will not harm you at all, on the other hand, it is your friend and works as a partner, it may be a positive distracter.

A new element is added in "Space Jam 2.2." where since the first seconds we can listen to a delicious rhythmic saxophone. Seemed that it would only appear in the introductory moments of the song, however it actually has a main role here, accompanying the "basic" instruments during the whole jam. Here we can also listen to an addictive and more participative bass, while as usual, the drums, synths and guitars create landscapes, spacey effects and a diversity of textures. A thing that makes this song different, is that here we can clearly appreciate different passages, some faster and more emotional than others, where the progression is evident, putting dynamism to the track, offering a quite interesting creation.

The last song truly contrasts with the previous, because it is only a three-minute improvisation that works as a closer, nothing more. Well, as you noticed I am like this album, which stands in the top (maybe second) of my OSC preferences. My final grade will be four stars.

Enjoy it! Review from Progarchives.com

Songs/Tracks

1. High Pilots (21:54)
2. Space Jazz Jam 2.2 (17:35)
3. Dead Man in Space (4:00)

Total Time: 42:29

CD release:
1. High Pilots (32::30)
2. Space Jazz Jam 2.2 (17:35)
3. Who Tripped On The C(h)ord? (10:35)
4. Dead Man In Space (3:02)

Total Time: 63:42

Line-up / Musicians

- Stefan / guitar
- Kaufmann / drums, percussion
- Dr. Space / synthesizer
- Thomas / bass (1)
- Jocke / guitar (1)
- Magnus / guitar, synthesizer (1)
- Pär / bass (2,3)
- Mogens / Hammond, synthesizer (2,3)
- Anders / saxophone, effects




Wednesday 25 September 2013

Virus - Revelation ( 1970)



In the early 90's race to release rare German from the early 70's, three labels raged on: Repertoire (with their big means, they managed most of Phillips and subsidiary Vertigo and much more outside the country), Ohrwaschl (who released the legendary Ohr label as well as the other legendary label Kuckuck) and Second Battle, who always seemed to get the second choice material (getting stuck with Light Of Darkness, King Ping Meh and Gift. Lately of course, Garden Of Delights have been taking most of the cake, serving us a bunch of goodies (a few less ripe though), but when comparing labels specializing into German re-issues, Second Battle always seems to get the lesser ones.

This quintet recorded just two albums, this debut by excellent producer Konrad Plank in Munich - where so much of Germany's "spacier" rock was being recorded. You might want to think of a cross of Floyd (for the heavy freak-out bouts) with some early 70's UK heavy progressive between Purple (Jon Lord for the organs) and early Sabbath (Geezer Butler on bass), or Raw Material.

The lenghty opener is a good 12-min+ improvisation based on the Stones' Paint It Black (a fave of mine and of many progheads as this was one of their most covered tracks), but this is maybe one of the best homage ever done to the track (along with metalheads Anvil and fellow early proggers Jody Grind). Endless Game (also above the 12-min mark) starts very slowly with great organs underlined by a superb and delicate guitar, being replaced gradually by a flute and bass riffs and then heavy freaking passages not far away from Floyd (around atom Heart Mother), simply great if not completely original, though!! Burning Candle is however a much shorter and harder track and can be thought of Alvin Lee jamming with Ten Years After. The 10-min+ Hungry Looser is again sensibly harder rocking, until the song breaks into a bluesy piano, and it could be the low point in the album, but hardly worth pushing the SKIP button on your remote control. The album closes on a 7-min+ psych deliria bringing you gladly back to the first few tracks. This heavyly Floyd-influenced track is simply awesome and much recommended if you are about to spark a Jamaican cigar.

They will then move to the ultra small (and now very collectible) label Pilz, but their second album (with only two original remaining members) will be a far cry from the great haunting atmosphere dominating this one. But with Virus, they struck a pretty good one, with this heavy psychedelic group specializing in lenghty space rock tracks (sometimes approaching Floyd at its spaciest) and dreamy voyage around our atmosphere. Yes, it was about time that Second Battle actually got the better release, leaving Ohrwaschl the worse one. Yes it was about time Second Battle actually released a superb album inn their re-issue series. Hardly groundbreaking but quite enjoyable. Review from Progarchives.com


Songs / Tracks Listing

1. Revelation (12:14)
2. Endless Game (12:17) 
3. Burning Candle (5:27) 
4. Hungry Loser (10:30) 
5. Nur noch zwei Lichtjahre (7:50) 
6. Confusion (Bonustrack CD-Reissue) (3:18) 
7. Facts Of Death (Bonustrack CD-Reissue) (3:38) 

Total Time: 55:14

Line-up / Musicians

- Reinhold Spiegelfeld / bass 
- Bernd Hohman / flute, vocals 
- Jörg-Dieter Krahe / keybpards 
- Wolfgang Rieke / drums 
- Werner Monka / rhythm guitar

Friday 20 September 2013

Siilk - Way To Lhassa (2013)



Fans of the classic french band PULSAR should in the main enjoy this album, as there are  many of the original members and the music retains much of their earlier style, albeit in a more modern setting with strong PINK FLOYD elements in particular. 

I can see though that for many this is just going to be too diverse and i don't think the choirs on some of the tracks worked well...... one track though ( Midlife Crisis ) sounds like a cross between Mark Knopfler/Dire Straits and Jade Warrior? Excellent! More like this please!

An enjoyable album in all but certainly as a whole does not have the flow or consistency of many of Pulsars earlier works. A nice blend though of  music and poetry with lots of world elements too which works particularly well on the track 'Way To Lhassa'


Tracklist
 1. Childhood's Memories 5:51
2. Between 6:43
3. Cathy's Wood 4:56
4. In the Grey Chapel 1:17
5. Leaving North 5:25
6. Midlife Crisis 4:33
7. Khajuraho Dreams 3:41
8. Way to Lhassa 6:37
9. Witness 4:13
10. Wladyslaw's Marching Band 4:03

Line-up

Richard Pick – lead vocal, acoustic guitar, tampoura
Gilbert Gandil (Pulsar) – electric and acoustic guitars, dobro, additional keyboards, lap steel
Jacques Roman (Pulsar) – pianos, synthesizers and mellotron
Guillaume Antonicelli – bass guitar
Attilio Terlizzi – drums, gongs
With
Jean-Nicolas Susse – additional keyboards, backing vocals, horn, Indian harmonium
Catherine Pick - vocals
Paul Grant – Indian santur
Gabrielle Vargiu - tranverse flute
Hagop Boyadjian – Armenian duduk
Adrien Bernard – choir direction on track 4, guitar, keyboards, violin, vocals and lyrics on track 10
Axelle Ciofolo de Peretti – bass clarinet
Bertrand Plé - brass quartet direction on track 10
Pierre Bassery - trombone
Nicolas Salmon - tuba
Christophe Coronas – trumpet

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