BEAUTY AND THE BEAST

'Beauty And The Beast' has a weird opening like playing an excerpt of a horror movie soundtrack. The intro of Drowned World immediately gives the listener the right impression what can be expected from this album: surprise, surprise - quite far away from their familiar origin. And indeed - guitarist Fred Laird announces 'a farewell to our more obvious space rock leanings' noted in the release sheet from their new label 4 ZERO Records.

Okay - now go for it! The song later glides into an industrial repetitive direction which reminds of some wellknown krautrock bands and provides a mysterious mood with the support of theremin. Candlemass instead developes to a Stones stimulated and vocal focused blues track - a psychedelic guitar outro added though which you will never hear from Ron Wood or Keith Richards I assume. This might be nearly enough for trying to describe the album's stylistical boundaries. But another eight songs are waiting for you.

Tenement Song moves nearer to the familiar EARTHLING SOCIETY sound - spaced out vocals with hall effects, acoustic guitars, birds twittering - in short: back to the hippie flower power 60/70s. Mellow keyboards are initiating the next relaxed song Sundropped which reminds me of Tears For Fears - only being on the 'wrong' path because drifting into psychedelia. Probably this song has the most popular vibe. The next untitled piece is something special - asian flavoured with mandolin, chirping synths, tribal drums finally ending into a fantastic guitar solo. The melodic A Modest Flower entertains for singing along and is proving Fred Laird a fine vocalist.

The same with the mellotron infected The Moonlit Road featuring Mick Hale on flute and the last two songs can be treated as the album's highlight. Valerie A Tyden Divu starts and ends with heavy hallucinatory impressions. But you will also detect a catchy melody and charming synth and guitar solos. Acid folk I would say. The instruments are spinning a fine mellow web - yeah! - impressing songwriting! Last song ist the synthesizer drenched A Playground Mistery - trippy trance alike, gliding, provided with percussion otherwise known from typical triphop/dub productions. After a time-out of silence for two minutes an electronical hidden part appears sounding like deformed circulating fairground music.

'Beauty And The Beast' turns to another direction, less space rocking and more acid psychedelic laid back. Probably not unfamiliar for EARTHLING SOCIETY fans because all the four albums they released until today are differing. And this musical orientation may bring them new popularity. Superficially, at a first glance, this sounds more popular but after taking enough time to explore all the details which are buried in the songs I come to the conclusion that this is a new big hit in any case - lovely! The band is offering matured vocal dominated songs, well-provided with a wide range of instruments and combining weird elements with wonderful melodic parts. An album which I come back to for sure (for to recover new impressions) - 4.5 stars!