Aural Innovations - January 2016

Glodblug — Globule

Jerry Kranitz

Glodblug is a Census Of Hallucinations side project that resulted when the band realized they had material left over from the sessions for their last two albums, Nothing Is As It Seems and The Nine. Glodblug are, as Tim Jones explains, “pure experimentation in order to try to create something new, focusing on atmospheres as a platform for John's guitar improvisations. We used many of the textures and keyboard parts that John had played/created for the last couple of Census of Hallucinations albums and effectively turned them into new pieces”.

All guitars are by John Simms, Maxine Marten played all percussion, with input from Rob Kirtley and assistance from Mark Dunn on drum programming, and Tim and Rob played/created/programmed the keyboard parts. Oh, and if the name Glodblug sounds familiar to Census Of Hallucinations fans I'll remind you that The Glodblug was a character, and track title, on the 2004 Nine Lives album.

Globule consists of seven instrumental tracks sequentially titled Glob 1 - Glob 7, but is for the most part one continuous journey that draws on multiple related influences, including ambient/soundscape, kosmiche, floating meditative space electronica, cosmic sound and effects collage, plus bits of trance-house, and overall could be the image inducing soundtrack to a lonely astronaut's experience in space.

The music is otherworldly and uplifting, though also deep space psychedelically sound experimental without being in any way abstract. The use of looped and/or backward effects at times create a hallucinatory sensation, though it all occurs within the larger meditative flow of the music. I especially like the soar-to-the-heavens symphonic space-prog segments embellished with John's impassioned space-blues leads. John is like a Dave Gilmour in the way that even the slowest leads and singular licks are soul stirring statements.

In summary, if you like the spacey/psychy/freaky instrumental side of Census Of Hallucinations, especially as represented on the 2012 2CD A Bundle Of Perceptions/A Parliament Of Modules set, you're sure to enjoy Glodblug.

Lee Negin — Dervish Dharma Dancing

Jerry Kranitz

Detroit raised and currently Tokyo residing electronic musician Lee Negin follows up his recent Frack Art, Let's Dance single with another cool song and accompanying video titled Dervish Dharma Dancing. And boy does this appropriately titled tune deliver on all three. After a brief bit of droning sitar swirl, chant and effects, a classic throbbing trance-house beat kicks in, and we're off to the psychedelic rave races. I'm talking disco balls in space that shoot showers of paisley colored lights and stream melting and weaving layers of Eastern-flavoured meditative drone ooze that one can either dance the night away to and just close your eyes and groove with.

The song is available for download but to really appreciate it you have to see the video. Negin teamed up with Japanese video artist, Aurora Wizard a.k.a. Sinarisama, who he plans to work with to create videos for his new album and a possible DVD, and maybe even play live concerts with. (Negin reports that he is writing a new album of psychedelic electro-acoustic "dance" music, scheduled for release early this year and Dervish Dharma Dancing is a single from the to be titled new album.) Check out the video below. Focus your mind's eye on the screen, marvel at the colors and multi-directional whirling patterns and prepare to be hypnotized. Beautiful!

Soft Hearted Scientists — Uncanny Tales From The Everyday Undergrowth

Jerry Kranitz

The debut album from Welsh psych-folk-prog alchemists Soft Hearted Scientists started life as three EPs released in 2004 — Wendigo, Bethesda, and Midnight Mutinies — which were then collected the following year into the dozen songs that comprise Uncanny Tales From The Everyday Undergrowth. To celebrate the 10th anniversary of this long out-of-print gem it has been reissued as a 2CD set, with one being the original album and the second consisting of home recordings of the songs.

The album is a psychedelically pastoral set of songs. We open with the song that has become one of my favorites in the entire Soft Hearted Scientists catalog: Mount Palomar. It's acoustic driven, but with a full band backing, including rhythm section, organ and freaky electronics. And when the chorus kicks in it's like an acoustic-orchestral explosion with a joyously uplifting feel that borders on the spiritual. Its part 60s pop-folk-psych, with beautiful harmonies, dashes of progressive rock, and wee bits of playful experimentalism. This acoustic led, yet full band sound, utilizing various instruments and sounds characterizes much of the album. The melodies, instrumentation and arrangements will hook you on the first spin, but there's so much going on that attentive listeners will be rewarded on multiple listens.

Along with the enchanting music, Nathan Hall's lyrics are crucial to what Soft Hearted Scientists are about. Topics can range from bucolic to thoughtful, to wildly surreal, and just pure fun. Diving Bell is a musing toe-tapper that includes a spoken word segment describing a dream, part of which is about Billy Ray Cyrus sitting in Satan's waiting room and being forced to play Achy Breaky Heart surrounded by demons with flaming mullets. Demons appear again in the form of the Wendigo. I love the combination of guitar melody that sounds like a Morricone soundtrack, oddball warbling synths, and multipart vocals. I like the strange but seductive ooh-wee-ooh synths and acoustic guitars on Brother Sister. The Yongy Bongy Bo is another highlight of the set, with its blend of pagan folk and Celtic, and the lyrics based on a poem by Edward Lear. Isabella (Keep Riding The Road To The Sea) is another standout, sounding like a folk-prog take on a gypsy influenced show tune. But then halfway through the song the band shift gears and settle into that mixture of rhythmic toe tapping, traditional pub gathering and pop-folk-psych that Soft Hearted Scientists are so adept at. Dig that banjo. And Midnight Mutinies is a stunning blend of folk-prog and spacey freakiness.

The home recordings CD is fun for seasoned fans to get a feel for how the songs evolved into their finished form. Mount Palomar allows one to imagine how it might sound if performed by the more stripped down version of the band that plays concerts. The home version of Wendigo is close to fully formed but doesn't yet have lyrics. The mystical feel of The Yongy Bongy Bo is already present, though in lo-fi living room mode. And on we go. It was fun listening to the songs side by side.

Note that the set comes in two flavors: The “regular” set on the Hip Replacement label, which consists of the original album plus a second CD with home demos of the same songs. There is also a limited to 100 copies special edition which in addition to the 2-CD set comes with a signed copy of the Midnight Mutinies EP, signed A2 poster for Uncanny Tales, two postcards, a plastic A4 wallet with Uncanny Tales sticker, and a signed lyric sheet for Mount Palomar. And the promo sheet notes that the next new Soft Hearted Scientists album is on the horizon, to be titled Golden Omens. Can't wait!

Paradox One — Reality?

Jerry Kranitz

Paradox One is Scottish space-prog musician Phil Jackson, who has also been a long time writer for Acid Dragon Progressive Rock magazine. Back in the early Aural Innovations days I reviewed the Paradox One - Reality Quake (2000) and Dimension Of Miracles (2002) albums, originally released on Rick Ray's Neurosis Records label.

The first of this two CD set reissues Reality Quake plus Dimension Of Miracles, with the latter being truncated by about 20 minutes. It's been years since I've heard these and avoided re-reading my original reviews, preferring to dive in with a fresh ear.

Jackson's music is heavily sci-fi influenced. Childhood's End is based on Arthur C. Clarke's story. Urbmon 116 is inspired by Robert Silverberg's The World Inside. Crompton's Divide is based on Robert Sheckley's book. Dimension Of Miracles is also heavily Sheckley-inspired. In fact, Jackson reports that he's working on a new space rock/melodic prog project with the group name to be Sheckley.

Though based primarily in keyboard-driven progressive rock, Jackson, not surprisingly, supplements his sci-fi themes with plenty of cosmic influences. Flowing synth waves, Berlin School electronica, and freaky electronic effects meld with symphonic and orchestral elements to create a continually evolving narrative that brings the tales Jackson draws inspiration from to life. There are 26 tracks on the CD, though the thematic flow is seamless as scenes and chapters build at a steadily propulsive clip.

I like how classic prog styling like ELP, full-blown symphonics and Hammond-heavy rock are woven in with the spacier end of the spectrum like Hawkwind, Eloy and Tangerine Dream. But Jackson can also rock out and groove, like on the brief vocal portion of Liberty's Dream Part 4 where I felt drawn to what could have been a dance floor in front of an ELP concert stage. This interestingly leads into the church organ Victorian era waltz of Kindescenen, and then on to the ominously mood-bending and wildly electro freaky Surrealistic Dungeons Of The Mind. But there's also the cool grooving sense of funk and soul on Crompton's Divide which leads into the stoned fuzzed rock of Dan The Man. A lot is happening here and attentive listening will be rewarded with the audio equivalent of a sci-fi page turning epic.

The second CD compiles an EP version of Escalator To Mars, which was the third Paradox One album released by Neurosis, an EP version of the fourth album, Alternative Reality, plus tracks from later albums and even some unreleased goodies.

All of this music is new to me, but it's very much in the spirit of Reality Quake and Dimension Of Miracle and once again there's lots of interesting variety and thematic development. We've got high intensity rumbling space rock, fun freaky alien psychedelic loop and effects bits, darkly melodic progressive rock with wailing fuzz keys, floating yet rhythmic space electronica, a funky grooving soulful jam, 70s-styled prog and jazz-infused hard rock, a cool spacey jazz-psych jam, a hip shakin' space-rave, and more. Fun stuff!

Spirits Burning — Starhawk

Jerry Kranitz

Don Falcone's ongoing Gathering In Space continues with a musical adaptation of Mack Maloney's sci-fi novel Starhawk (I googled it, and it's actually a series). We've got over 70 minutes of music and more than forty-five cosmic crew members on this space-prog adventure. As usual, I won't list them all but tell you that among the luminaries are the late great Daevid Allen, Dave Anderson, Alan Davey, Kev Ellis, Pete Pavli, Jerry Richards, Cyndee Lee Rule, Steffe Sharpstrings, Billy Sherwood, Jay Tausig, Nik Turner, Bridget Wishart, Cyrille Verdeaux, and Twink. And the CD comes with an 8 page Starhawk based comic book with art by Steve Lines and Matt Woodward.

The set kicks off in full space rock 'n' roll mode with Our Crash. Killer guitar solos from Billy Sherwood on this and I Have Two Names. There's lots of variety across the 17 songs. I like the combination of Keith Christmas' vocals and acoustic guitar and Cyrille Verdeaux's piano backed by electro beats and spacey soundscapes on JigSawMan Flies A JigSawShip. Things get Eastern psychedelic jazzy grooving on Let's All Go Cloud Puffing. Stellar Kingdom has an orchestral prog-pop feel and whimsically exaggerated vocals from Judge Smith. Emma MacKenzie's vocals are lovely on the beautifully ambient and electro rhythmic Xara's Poem. Bridget's trademark breathy vocals are a cosmically seductive narration on For Those Who Are Searching. Bridget also takes lead vocals on the heavy blues rocking and prog-infused jamming Right On The Mark, which includes an always welcome violin solo from Cyndee Lee Rule.

Other spirited space rockers include the propulsive Live Forever, with dual vocals by Kev Ellis and Emma MacKenzie and guitar from Steffe Sharpstrings. My Life Of Voices kicks ass with its ripping metallic edge, but also Kev Ellis' distinctively emotive vocals, soulful keys and King Crimson-ish guitar fills. We Move You is both ripping rocker and Broadway space-prog show tune. I like the ultra-heavy prog keys and spacey synth licks on Rolling Out. Angel Full Of Pity starts off totally trippy Eastern psychedelic before launching into a bouncy anthem rocker with potent vocals from Kev Ellis, who appeals to us fans of his old Dr Brown days with a little bluesy harmonica wailing.

Lyrically, this is a full-blown sci-fi adventure and while I've not read the books I suspect this musical adaption would be exciting for Mack Maloney fans. For seasoned Spirits Burning fans, the adventure continues down ever expanding paths.

Sendelica — I’ll Walk With The Stars For You

Jerry Kranitz

The latest from Sendelica consists of five tracks with a varying line-up around the core of Pete Bingham (guitar) and Glenda Pescado (bass), including some fun guests and different sounds for the band.

The set opens on a heavy space / blues / hard rock note with Black Widow Man, with crunchy guitar and rhythm section, potent Hammond from Roger Morgan and electronics and Theremin embellishment from Lord Sealand. I listened to the album a couple of times before checking the credits and was pleasantly surprised to see that the singer is none other than Twink! Twink sings on the closing song too, the dreamily drifting Dance, Stars Dance, which includes luscious accompaniment from Lee Relfe's seductively melodic sax and Pete's trippy soundscape strumming.

Sendelica go totally psyched out jamming space rock 'n' roll on the 11-minute Moscow Bunker Blues. You could close your eyes and trip out or leap on to the dance floor with this sucker. The saxophone cranks out jazzy jamming leads while the bass plays a supporting lead role and the guitar keeps it all in space.

We've also got an enchanting guitar led siren call cover of Fleetwood Mac's Albatross with supporting flute from Nik Turner. And the guys must have really had early Mac on their minds because rounding out the set is the nearly 16-minute spacey, ambient, jazzy I Once Fed Peter Green's Pet Albatross, which takes the spirit of Albatross into space for an extended meditative yet cool grooving and jamming excursion. An excellent set with a great combination of heavy and mellow music.

For more information visit the Sendelica Bandcamp page. You can stream and purchase the LP or download there. Note that the LP is being pressed in an edition of 250 blue vinyl with poster and 250 black vinyl which will be available in March.

Arnold Mathes — 40 Years

Jerry Kranitz

Veteran musician Arnold Mathes celebrates 40 years of creating electronic music with his 66th album and the succinct title 40 Years.

Mathes makes clear that we're in electronic space rock territory right out of the chute with a world-of-tomorrow voice announcement that leads into a combination of Berlin school electronica, freaky space-rave and Hawkwind-style moments of synth domination.

But there's lots of variety as this is followed by the 10 minute Atmospherea, the first half of which is a deep space effects and atmospherics exploration with a sound sculpture experimental edge. It eventually morphs into a gorgeously celestial and rhythmic drift among the stars. Voyager is another lengthy piece that's a cool grooving Neu!-ish dittie with a freakily fx'd edge, though it too shifts gears later into pure sound experimental electronica that is simultaneously fun frenzied and intense. This is followed by some shorter tracks that feature darkly symphonic sci-fi soundtracks, syncopated space rock, bouncy cosmic melodies and more.

Other highlights include Mathes' two-track The Shadow Out Of Time, an electronic orchestral space-prog soundtrack inspired by H.P. Lovecraft's story of the same name. And Ground To Air is like Vangelis at his most spaced out. A cool collection of deep space electronica and space-prog soundtracks for yet to be filmed sci-fi flicks.

For more information email Arnold Mathes at: .

Various Artists — Drones4Daevid — The Real Music Club, Brighton, February 8 2015

Jerry Kranitz

Quoting from the back of the CD: “The Drones4Daevid gig was organised by the Real Music Club as a benefit gig for Daevid Allen, to help with his medical recuperation costs after he had been treated for cancer. Very sadly, a week before the gig, Daevid announced that the cancer had returned and that he was going to decline further treatment, and bow out with dignity. The gig became a celebration of Daevid's life and works, and a big thank you to Daevid with fans and performers travelling far and wide to be at this gig”.

Drones4Daevid took place on February 8, 2015 and of course we lost Daevid the following month. We've got an array of performers, much of it with collective line-ups, performing Daevid's compositions and other music.

The seven musician Invisible Opera Company Of Tibet open the festivities with the space-pop rocking Mysteries, which has killer melodic hooks and a ripping tripped out guitar solo. The Opera Company returns again with the space-prog rocker Circle Around, which is powerfully Gong-spirited and includes some nifty hypnotic segments. The Opera Company later go into full-blown Gong mode for a rousing version of the classic You Can't Kill Me. It's a monster performance and extra kudos to Jackie Juno for channeling Gilli on this one. Equally potent is the heavy rocking Reign Of The Dragon.

Monty Oxymoron And Friends weigh in with a deep space, mystically throb grooving take on Daevid's Non God Will Not Go On Or The Wrong Way To Be Right. They also crank out a very cool soulfully psychedelic rendition of Soft Machine's We Did It Again. And Monty steps up to the mic for a couple of solo spoken word poems.

With a duo line-up of piano and violin, Mark Robson brings a tear to the eye with his lovely cover of Daevid's Garden Song. Mark is a very impressive vocalist. He gets plenty of room to stretch out on the 14-minute Blame The Rich, which starts off as a song and then becomes a poster child for this set's Drones4Daevid title with an OM chant-charged violin, didge, gliss guitar and piano excursion which is variously hypnotic, space-prog-jazz exploratory and at one point has a traditional Celtic vibe, which is especially cool with the didge droning along. Absolutely freakin' fantastic!

Shankara Andy Bole on guitar, bazouki, gliss guitar, and ebow serves up 23 minutes of Eastern/Indian-inflected space/drone/gliss exploration. Andy is later joined by Elliet Mackrell, whose violin graced Mark Robson's songs, for what briefly sounds like the Fiddler On The Roof soundtrack performed for a group of yogis and snake charmers before spinning off into an intense combination of psychedelic and concert hall jamming swirl. We're treated to another lengthy workout by The Glissando Guitar Orchestra which features the lineup of Brian Abbott, Andy Bole, Dani Speakman (Timelords, Psychik Atters), Kev Hagan (Nukli), Mark Huxley (Nukli), Bob Hedger, and Gregg McKella (Paradise 9), and conducted by Jackie Juno. Wow, Glissando + Orchestra = 20 minutes of mind-bending, whirly, swirly, droney stoney space exploration. Finally, the festivities close with a heartfelt poem-tribute to Daevid by Arthur Brown.

In summary, this is one hell of a set, with lots of variety and fantastic musicianship and spirited performances from all. Highly recommended.

The 2CD set is available in an edition of only 200. Order the CD or stream and purchase the download at the Real Music Club's Bandcamp page. Note that all proceeds will go to the Daevid Allen Foundation Trust.