(Lotushouse Records LHRCD19)
CD
The first time I played
this CD I fell asleep. Not, you may think, the most auspicious first
impression but it was a very nice sleep indeed - what wasn't so good was
the bit where I woke up with my head slumped sideways over the arm of
the chair with the worst pain in my neck. The sleep though, was deep
and dark and profound. I'd got to about halfway through the album's 14
minute epic journey towards 'Infinity' and then I was gone. They'd
taken me with them, entirely.
What we have here is a UK
duo of Mark Pilkington on modular synth & electronics and Zali
Krishna on electric sitar & guitar who have produced a set of
intensely celestial kosmische jams; some live, some studio. The
occasional presence of the sitar means that a vaguely Indian aspect is
often shown (as is also implied by the bands name) but it is Germany of
the very early 1970s that is most apparent.
With a
running time of an hour and with a concise palate, many of the tracks,
once the music starts to permeate the room, do run into each other and
the whole becomes more important than it's parts as they paint a really
rather glorious psychotropic colourfield. There are moments I'm not
hugely enamoured with but even these parts often swirl by once it's
achieved consonance with the room (and my head) and they are few and far
between.
I've had this album here for just under a
week now and it has pretty much dominated my ears since it arrived with
the disc being carried from house to car and a rip sitting front and
centre on my MP3 player. If big, bold Krautrock inspired kosmische
excursions are your bag then really do hunt this down cause you'll love
it. If they're not, hunt this down anyway because it's great and it may
change your mind.
in UK available from Strange Attractor
in US or RoW available from lotushouserecords.com
NB - This review originally appeared in the pages of one of my other blogs - http://ian-quietworld.blogspot.co.uk/