Aural Innovations — January 2012

Sehnsucht — Wachstum

(R.A.I.G. 2010, R059)

Pat Albertson

Formed in St Petersburg in 2008, Sehnsucht (a German word that can be translated as yearning, craving or an insatiable desire for something unknown) is a Russian four-piece psychedelic rock band, who list early German krautrock as one of their primary inspirations. Wachstum, released at the close of 2010, is their debut album, recorded live in the RockSpb Rehearsal Centre studio, and featuring seven instrumental trips through space. Their current line-up features Michael Linov (bass), Timur Samatov (guitar), Boris Popov (drums), and Catherine Lutsevich (keyboards and swooping/whooshing synths in Dikmik/Del Dettmar tradition).

Sehnsucht open their album with Wachstum, the eleven minute title track which most aptly translates as "Growth", starting with portentous and doom-laden Careful With That Axe-style bass notes, soon joined by fuzzed-out guitar power chords. As the piece progresses/grows, the music increases in speed and intensity, punctuated with extra-terrestrial synths, but never quite reaches the point of becoming overbearing heavy metal. This is followed up by Verstehen (trans. "To Understand"), a medium paced two-chord rock jam, which calls to mind Ozric Tentacles, while Cosmic Drugstore (no translation needed on that one!) actually sounds a little bit like early Cure (� la A Forest) for a few bars, thanks to its booming bass and drum intro.

Sehnsucht would appear to be a democratic outfit in that there is little in the way of ego-massaging solos on Wachstum. In fact, if one instrument does stand out in the mix, it would be Michael Linov's bass, providing atmospheric textures as on the opening to Kosmische Meerdung. When Timur Samatov's guitar does make an appearance on this and other tracks, it is never at the expense of the overall groove played by the band. Just when things are starting to sound a little bit too safe, Linov and drummer Boris Popov are liable to go double time, and occasionally lurch into glorious chaos, as on the closing section of Langsamer Tanz. The band save their heaviest playing for album-closer Meat of the White Cosmic Geishas (nice title), which supposedly features guest vocals from Akina "Satha" Bereznechenko, although these are not exactly what you would call obvious in the mix. The droning soundscapes, screams and furious drumming on this track bring to mind F/i's Boots of Ascension, and eventually dissolve into a whirlpool of sound.

Altogether, Wachstum is a fine debut from a young band of musicians who have raided their parents' music collections, and then brought what they have heard into the 21st Century. Fans of Amon D��l II-style krautrock, F/i or Architectural Metaphor drone-rock, or Oresund Space Collective spontaneous jams are likely to find much for them to enjoy in this album.

To stream and download, visit the R.A.I.G. label Bandcamp site.

Oceans Of Night — Domain

(Ambient 2011)

Jerry Kranitz

I was first introduced to the music of composer and multi-instrumentalist Scott Mosher in 2001 when I heard his Virtuality album, which I summarized in my review as, "taking heavy Rush influences (with a dash of Dream Theater) and injecting a heavier keyboard presence that is sometimes symphonic and sometimes recalls the spaciness of Tangerine Dream or robotic synth patterns of Kraftwerk." In 2004 Mosher released his next album, Inferno, a Space Ambient/Progressive Rock blend that I enjoyed, and gave kudos to Mosher for "injecting a healthy dose of space into the heavy Prog genre, creating music that is challenging but accessible, and maybe occupying a unique little stylistic corner of his own."

And that's the last I heard from Scott Mosher until recently learning that he has kept himself busy in the years since Inferno. In 2006 he released Deep Horizon, a powerhouse set of spaced out metallic Progressive Rock. When Mosher's next album was ready he decided to shift gears and take on a band name, Oceans Of Night, and released The Shadowheart Mirror in 2009.

Despite the band name, it should be noted that Mosher composes the music and plays all guitars, bass and keyboards on his albums, with assistance from a drummer and singer Scott Oliva, who took on vocal duties starting with the Deep Horizon album and strikes me as a cross between Ronnie Dio and Rob Halford. I enjoyed Todd Corsa's vocals on the Virtuality and Inferno albums, but Oliva's powerful and passionate style is to my ears better suited to Mosher's music. The space-ambient qualities of the earlier albums remain, further supporting my opinion in earlier reviews that Mosher is stepping off the well-trodden metal-based Progressive Rock path (I deliberately avoid the term "Prog-Metal" as it conjures up analogies that don't really apply to Mosher's music).

Which brings us to the latest Oceans Of Night release, Domain. The album won me over right out of the chute, kicking the set off with the 17+ minute title track. The piece begins with an angelic ambience, soon joined by syncopated keyboards and then the crash of metal guitar chords. The music has all the hallmarks of epic metal infused Progressive Rock, though atmosphere has always been a crucial trademark part of Mosher's sound. Throughout the piece I had a sense of soaring through the cosmos, fist pumping and rocking hard all the way.

Mosher is an excellent yet restrained guitarist, rarely going on extended shred solos but treating us to tasty bits of his proficiency with the instrument along the way. In true Prog fashion the music transitions through multiple thematic shifts, and there are some lighter mind-bending moments where guitar and keyboards collaborate to create beautiful deep space soundspace passages. My favorite part is in the last couple minutes where the music had been floating along for a while, and then launches abruptly into a thrash rocking, but still space-ambient sequence that brings us to the conclusion.

Wow, this sucker left me drained and it's only the first of ten tracks. The rest of the songs are mostly in the 4-5 minute range, with a few being a little longer or shorter. Despite the relative brevity, Mosher and Oliva retain a majestic epic quality throughout the album. The music is creatively composed and arranged, continually shifting mood and pace, resulting in an emotional roller coaster ride and one hell of a powerhouse 65 minute set.

Mosher once again composed all the music and handles guitar, bass and keyboard duties. Alan Smithee plays drums and Scott Oliva is back on vocals and co-wrote some of the lyrics with Mosher. I should add that Mosher is also a graphic artist and photographer who has published two books of his photographs. Spend some time on his website to get a feel for all that this multi-faceted artist has his fingers in.

For more information you can visit Scott Mosher's website, the Oceans Of Night website, and the Oceans Of Night Bandcamp site

Henderson/Oken — Dream Theory In The IE

(Firepool Records 2011, FR003)

Jerry Kranitz

Mike Henderson & Chuck Oken Jr are both founding members of the long-lived Calfornia based Rock-Prog-Ambient-Psych band Djam Karet. Dream Theory In The IE (IE stands for The Inland Empire, a geographic region of Southern California) is a new album on Djam Karet's Firepool Record label that distills 6 hours worth of improvised music from three live shows recorded late last year down to this 7-track CD.

While some effects like reverb, delay and EQ were added during mastering, no overdubs or edits were used, providing the listener with the live experience as heard during the performances. Henderson and Oken utilize acoustic and electric guitars, lap steel guitar, analog & digital keyboards, digital drums & percussion, effects, loops and sampling to create atmospheric excursions that will appeal to fans of Djam Karet's more ambient/soundscape side, though there is much in the way of melody and rhythm in the music.

The set opens with Alive Enough?, which combines melodic acoustic guitar patterns with beautiful whining Fripp/Pinhas-like electric guitar-scapes, plus soft atmospheric keyboards and assorted bits of sound. As the piece develops the electric guitar gets more assertive, with brief solo runs and winding acidic chords wrapping around the listener's brain. Forgotten Spirits is a light, bouncy mix of playful rhythmic pulse and world music percussion, around which mind-bending guitar licks explore. I love the way Henderson and Oken combine acoustic and variously efx'd electric guitar. There's also some cool classic Prog sounding keyboards, which I suspect might possibly be guitar.

Deeper Waters features the sound of running water, bells, textural percussion, acoustic guitar, and though the electric guitar licks nearly scream, this is a peacefully serene mood focused track that drew me into a meditative state. In marked contrast is the tension laded title track, with its freaky alien effects, threatening guitar, off-kilter percussion, and abrupt and intense thematic twists and turns. This very much reminds me of Djam Karet at their more atmospheric. Zombie Attack is next... everybody loves zombies, right? I sure do and couldn't wait to hear what this track would sound like. Sure enough, it starts off sounding like John Carpenter doing the soundtrack for a George Romero flick, aided by Djam Karet styled guitars and atmospherics. As the music progresses it starts to rock out hard, with some of the heaviest drumming I've heard on the album yet. Yup, Mike and Chuck have scored their own mini zombie movie.

When All The Birds Die Away conjures up images of wandering through a forest on some planet, somewhere out there, and the busy sounds of nature, piano, soundscape guitar, moody spaced out synth lines and light orchestral atmospherics make for a pleasant stroll through an alien landscape.

The first six tracks are in the 7-12 minutes range, but the finale, John Henry Changes The Rules, is a 25 minute piece that includes some of the most song-like melodies on the album. It begins with an almost motoric rhythm, yet flows along smoothly. But of course we move through a number of thematic shifts. I especially enjoyed the spacey, quirky angelic segment propelled by steady drumming.

Overall the music has a playful feel, while being as exploratory and sound focused as the rest of the album. In summary, this is an enjoyable set of soundscape/atmospheric/mood creation, with creative use of acoustic and electric guitars, effects and keys. Put on the headphones, surrender, and enjoy all the images the music stimulates in your mind. I would have loved to have been at one of the live performances.

For more information you can visit the Djam Karet website (there is an info page on this album).

Hillmen — The Whiskey Mountain Sessions

(Firepool Records 2011, FR002)

Jerry Kranitz

Formed in 2007, Hillmen is the quartet of Peter Hillman on drums, Ralph Rivers on bass, and Djam Karet members Mike Murray on guitars and Gayle Ellett on organ & electric piano (Rivers plays bass on two tracks and Steve Re is listed in the Guest section as playing bass on the other two tracks). The Whiskey Mountain Sessions is their debut album, released on Djam Karet's Firepool Records label. The CD consists of four tracks in the 8-16 minute range and is all instrumental and all improvised.

Lights On The Bay opens the set with a jazz groove, guitar and organ jamming away. The music has a nice 70s vibe and the old time organ sound really shines. The promo sheet notes that the Hillmen use Hammond C-2, Rhodes piano, and vintage guitars and amps, which of course adds to the 70s sound. Later in the tune the guitar takes on a spaced out ethereal quality that adds a Kosmiche feel to the music.

The Fire Burns is next and I liked this one right away with its swingin' jazz vibe that inspires the body to move. I really like the guitar and organ jamming together, and piano by guest Brian Carter is prominent as well. While listening I envisioned myself wandering into some dark smoky lounge, sitting at a little table in the corner, ordering a whiskey (with just a splash of soda), and grooving along with these guys for as long as they care to play. Things groove along for a while and then around the 10-minute mark the band explode into a heavy driving jazz-rock fusion jam. Lots of cool sounds and effects add to the color and atmosphere of this piece.

Patio View has a sassy Bluesy jazz vibe, but it rocks hard with the guitar cranking out ripping solos and venturing into Hendrix territory. Summer Days brings the set to a close and on this tune Hillmen inject a heavy dose of hip-shaking swing into the music.

Quite an enjoyable set. This is improv jazz from an earlier time, when jazz musicians were aware of rock music and psychedelia, and rock and psychedelic musicians were aware of jazz. Fans of the Bay area band Mushroom will dig this, as will anyone who (like me) is fascinated by the many talents and interests of the Djam Karet folks.

For more information you can visit the Djam Karet website and the Hillmen Bandcamp site.

Vas Deferens Organization & Perihelion — The Science Of The Impossible

(Pure Pop For Now People 2011, Pure 07, LP)

Jerry Kranitz

Here we've got another archival recording from those menaces to the mainstream and mediocrity — Vas Deferens Organization (VDO). Recorded in 1997, The Science Of The Impossible was a one-off collaboration between VDO (Matt Castille and Eric Lumbleau) and a studio-only duo named Perihelion, which was keyboardist David Price and the late synthesist Tim Boone.

Gilded Portals Through Abandoned Temples / Shrouded Processions Through Forgotten Empires opens side 1. This is classic Kosmiche but in a carnival mood and reminds me of VDO's Zyzzybaloubab album which was released the same year these recordings were made. We've got multiple keyboards and synths, all playing distinct roles, both melodic and atmospheric, and all grooving along to a playful rhythmic pulse. Around the 7-minute mark things get briefly loud and noisy, before settling into an eerie but playful vibe that's like a blend of the early German cosmic pioneers and the Residents.

Elegant Eskimos In Arctic Ballrooms is next and starts off with a blend of trippy cosmic mood-scapes, bleepy blurpy effects, and freakout guitar bits. It goes quiet after a couple minutes, the cauldron bubbling ominously, with strange sounds and light melodies rising gently from the pot.

Side 2 kicks off with The Illusion Of Equilibrium. Slow moving and sparse, it begins with a simple Casio-like rhythmic pattern, over which a parade of electronic sounds and textures pass by, some spaced out and some on the found-sound/experimental side. About halfway through all the sounds abruptly gel, working together to concoct an avant-Kosmiche stew. There's still a big glom of different sounds, though the fun of it all is hearing how they contrast and cooperate.

The Perils Of Gravity is next, at first sounding like mid-70s Tangerine Dream, but these guys waste no time warping the analogies by tossing in a non-stop barrage of sounds and clatter. LOTS happening here, making for an intense ride that's an intriguing blend of classic Kosmiche and avant-garde fun.

Wow, lots of activity from the VDO camp in the past year, with both new and archival releases, and The Science Of The Impossible is another welcome addition to the VDO cannon.

The Science Of The Impossible was pressed in a limited edition of 200 LPs and was available from the Pure Pop For Now People label atppfnp.com, but that site no longer exists. The Vas Deferens Organization website is still online.

Priscilla Hernandez — The Underliving

(Yidneth 2012)

Jerry Kranitz

Spanish composer, multi-instrumentalist, and fantasy illustrator Priscilla Hernandez is back with a new album - The Underliving - the follow-up to her 2006 Ancient Shadows album. Let me give you a little background...

As a teenager, Priscilla created a graphic novel called Yidneth. It remains unpublished, but provided the inspiration for a trilogy of albums, the first of which was Ancient Shadows. The Underliving is part 2, and the third part will be titled Yidneth. Priscilla describes Yidneth as being about fairies and ghosts but not a fairytale or a ghost story. It involves several realms, among them THE LIVING (also called THE FLESH), the UNDERLIVING, THE TRANSIT (Ghosts also called SOULS) and the ELEMENTAL WORLD. As she summarizes on her website, "There are several stories branched out of them but the main 'Yidneth' is a simple romantic yet bitter story in the Elemental World."

In my review of Ancient Shadows (AI #38), I described the music as an intriguing blend of New Age and Goth, with the kind of beats not typically heard in either of those genres, and imagined the Celtic tinged New Age of Enya and Clannad with a dark but uplifting Gothic atmosphere, along with a touch of symphonic progressive rock.

The music on The Underliving is similar, though I didn't get the sense of New Age elements this time. Maybe it's because I'm reviewing this album a few years later and am more tuned in to Priscilla's music. Regardless, I felt like I was drifting along in a beautifully ethereal Gothic-Celtic-Symphonic dream world. Like a Gothic Clannad crossed with a Celtic Kate Bush, built on a symphonic-orchestral Progressive rock foundation, with an atmosphere that is often hauntingly cosmic. The music flows almost seamlessly from one track to the next, making for a thematic, full album experience.

The enchanting vocals are by Priscilla, who wrote all the lyrics and plays piano, keyboards, harp, flute and more; Hector Corcin plays percussion, synths, piano, and co-composed some of the music with Priscilla; Piel Fiol plays lead cello, and the rest is rounded out by various guests on backing vocals and other instrumentation.

But the music is informed by so much more... The booklet that accompanied Ancient Shadows had impressed me with its beautiful examples of Priscilla's illustrations and detailed information. But the packaging of The Underliving takes the CD medium to a level I've rarely seen. I'm a child of the 70s and grew up with vinyl record albums. From an aesthetic standpoint CDs are limited by their size. But The Underliving comes with a DVD case sized, 52-page book that's jam packed with Priscilla's stunning artwork, lyrics and information. The DVD size is just big enough that I can fully appreciate the artwork, which is very difficult with a regular sized CD booklet.

I'm really inspired and fascinated when someone transcends the limitations of the CD to create something that the listener genuinely wants to hold in their hands and gaze at. It's a much more immersive experience, like the days when I would gaze at a gatefold LP while listening to the music. The vocals, harmonies and music are mesmerizing, and following along with the book I was spellbound throughout the entire 70 minutes of the album. I can see The Underliving appealing to a varied audience.

For more information you can visit the Priscilla Hernandez website. Do spend some time there. There's LOADS of information, including a handy Shop link for purchases, but do yourself a favor and click the Fine Arts link at the top of the page where you'll find galleries of Priscilla's artwork.

Also check out the Videos link. I found a live performance video that made my eyes nearly pop out of their sockets. The costumes, stage design and music made me think of a Celtic-fantasy sequence-symphonic-opera. STUNNING!!! Priscilla is a multi-faceted and truly gifted talent.

Stream and download from the Priscilla Hernandez Bandcamp site.