RECOLLECTION HARVEST

Over the last couple of months this band has been steadily growing on me. I've worked my way through a few of their albums now and this Recollection Harvest is one of the albums that please me entirely.

Djam Karet is often quoted as the American answer to Ozric Tentacles. This is understandable due to a number of facts: they originate from the same era and they both make instrumental albums with improvised pieces of around 10 minutes. That is it more or less. In my ears, the differences are far bigger.

I like the Ozrics a lot, but Djam Karet covers a much more diverse range of styles. Some albums are very laid back and ambient (Suspension), others are very jazz-rock oriented (New Dark Age) and this one has strong King Crimson leanings due to the heavy bass and the typical chromatic guitar progressions. They also add tasteful touches of moog and mellotron.

They have a more organic sound and style. There's none or not much of the Ozrics' space-rock and heavy synth sound. The production is very much "in your room" and instruments have ample room to breathe.

A last big difference is in the tempo. While Ozric Tentacles mainly goes for danceable grooves, Djam Karet plays around with the rhythm all the time. There are funky grooves but also rocking parts and sections that are very slow and laidback.

Oh yes, there's one other difference. As they need a bit more time to grow on you, they are nearly not as popular as the Ozrics. But I'm sure that will not prevent you to check them out! 3.5 stars