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Acid Mothers Temple & The Melting Paraiso U.F.O. –
In C (Squealer)
First off, thanks to Charles at My Mind’s Eye Records for
recommending this. If you’re a fan of late sixties/early seventies psychedelia
and experimental music like Can, Amon Duul II, or Terry Riley (whose composition
“In C” provides the title track for this release), you’ll no doubt enjoy spacing
out to this. Fans of more contemporary artists like Sonic Youth, Godspeed
You Black Emperor, and Mercury Rev may find this interesting as well. The
album consists of 3 lengthy tracks. The aforementioned “In C” mixes
minimalism and psychedelia, slowly building to a crescendo. “In E”
features driving space rock beats, atmospheric noise, and a more upfront guitar
sound. The general vibe is sort of like the improvisational freak-outs on Amon
Duul II’s ‘Yeti’ album. The only vocals are half heard whispers and quiet
screams, like Floyd’s “Careful With That Axe, Eugene”. "In D" is droning
"ambient rock", a soothing psychedelic lullaby. Definitely not for
everyone, but if you dig the style, this Japanese band does it as well as
anybody.
Arcturus – The Sham Mirrors (Ad Astra)
Arcturus were one of the first black metal bands to show
the influence of progressive rock. Their latest CD proves they’re still one of
the best. Their music is complex without sounding sterile like so many prog
influenced bands. That’s mainly due to the fact that the musicians, while
certainly top notch, never allow their virtuosity to get in the way of the
songs. The singing style of vocalist Trickster G. Rex is clean and almost
operatic at times. The sole exception is “Radical Cut” featuring Ihsahn of
Emperor fame providing his trademark screams from the bowels of hell. A lot of
the songs on ‘The Sham Mirrors’ are quite catchy, notably “Kinetic” and the epic
closer “For to End Yet Again”. Black metal purists will probably hate it, but
for those with open minds ‘The Sham Mirrors’ may be one of the best metal
releases of 2002.
The Future Sound of London – ‘The Isness’ (Hypnotic)
Don’t know if “Future” is really an appropriate adjective
for this group’s latest release. Fans hoping for ‘Dead Cities’ part II will be
sorely disappointed. That said, ‘The Isness’ is a really good mix of sixties
psychedelia with just a touch of techno. The computerized beats are more
organic, and FSOL flavors their sound with Hammond organ, sitar, flute, and even
acoustic guitars. Overall, the feel is mellow and upbeat, a radical departure
from the sounds of the apocalypse produced on ‘Dead Cities’. “The Lovers”
sounds like a great soundtrack for a seventies porno. “The Mello Hippo Disco
Show” is a Hammond saturated take on Cream’s “Tales of Brave Ulysses” riff with
trippy lyrics and Hawkwind-style wooshes of synthesizer backed with a mellow
electronic beat. And I swear I hear the influence of the ‘Vampyros Lesbos’
soundtrack on instrumentals like “Elysian Feels” and “Guru Song. “Osho” starts
off like vintage Moody Blues then shifts into electronic weirdness. And the
album closes with a 13 minute plus epic of Floydian proportions called “The
Galaxial Pharmaceutical”. Only the acoustic ballad “Divinity” had me reaching
for the remote. An excellent release.
Kotipelto – ‘Waiting for the Dawn’ (Century Media)
Look out folks, it’s a concept album. ‘Waiting for the
Dawn’ is told “through the eyes of an Egyptian man reincarnated through various
time periods” and exudes all the bombastic pomposity one would expect from such
material. This is the debut solo project from vocalist Timo Kotipelto, and fans
of his band Stratovarius will no doubt find this right down their alley. The
musicians shred, Timo hits all the notes dead on, and the songs have an
undeniable upbeat energy. That said, the album suffers from the “serious as a
heart attack” tone and perfect but sterile playing that infests so many “power
metal” bands. Can’t say I loved it, but those more enamored of the genre will
probably find Kotipelto worthy of their attention.
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