TAROT, PART II

The Barcelona Canterbury Psi-Funk band's second studio album release of 2024, this one from November 22.

1. "Strength" (5:05) some of Eva's sultry pagan poetry played over Ozrics-infused funky psychedelic rock that sounds as if it were a cover of a classic 1960s pop song. Nice lead guitar solo from guest Tony Jagqar in the fourth minute. The presence of creepy Fender Rhodes and sitar add to the occult-esoteric mystique. A charming, promising, top three song. (9/10)

2. "The Hanged Man" (3:31) a percussion-entrenched instrumental that moves through two or three parts with layers of synths and heavily-treated piano washing over the top. (8.75/10)

3. "The Unnamed Arcane" (3:25) an instrumental that was resuscitated from the cutting floor of Tarot, Part I. (8.7/10)

4. "The Temperance" (4:26) another throwaway instrumental that they forgot to throwaway. (8.7/10)

5. "The Devil" (3:23) trying to inflect a little Zeuhl into the Canterbury soundscape? In the third minute Eva's spoken voice reverberates like a 1970s Elvira casting spells. (8.75/10)

6. "The Tower" (3:16) now back to the 1960s--like something from a female-fronted psychedelic rock band like the or Ultimate Spinach, It's A Beautiful Day, Pan & Regaliz, Carol Of Harvest, Earth And Fire, or perhaps Jefferson Airplane. (8.875/10)

7. "The Star" (5:00) a spacey New Age Gong or Steve Hillage song. Lots of Ozric bubbles, erps, stretchy weirditudes and oolite plurnies with and gentle keyboard and guitar apreggi floating around in and around the soundscape. A top three song. (9/10)

8. "The Moon" (5:54) Eva's vocoder voice with more soft-core Ozric-Gong-Hillage sounds built over a straight 1965 psychedelic rock foundation. (8.75/10)

9. "The Sun" (4:42) a decently constructed 1960s pop song with great bass play, Mellotron, and heavily treated (and nicely arranged) vocals from both Xavi and Eva singing in unison. Lead guitar in the fourth minute is performed by guest Tony Jagwar. My final top three song. (8.875/10)

10. "The Judgement" (5:56) sitar and acoustic guitars and dreamy ethereal female whispervocals dominate this simple almost-Prog Folk song. Sounds a lot like the music that Mediæval Bæbes' Katharine Blake continues to make. (8.875/10)

11. "The World" (7:12) another pointless, meandering, needlessly drawn out pseudo-POPOL VUH-like jam with strummed and picked acoustic guitars, sitar, treated piano, and heavily-reverbed female vocalese (mostly aaah's) that achieves non of the transportive/transcendent effect of Florian Fricke's ground-breaking band. (12.75/15)

Total Time 51:50

While still of excellent sound quality and very consistent in terms of sound and stylings when compared to Tarot, Part I, the music here feels more "supplemental," less developed, polished, and/or finished. There are far more minutes of instrumental music--a lot of it what feel like "background msuic" jams--and less of Eva's wonderful vocal stylings and arrangements. Where Xavi and Eva rushed to get this out to the public? Was this really the finished product they wanted to share with their admiring audience? After the delightfully high quality and consistency of Tarot, Part I--on which the band felt like it had grown (since their self-titled 2020 debut)--I had expectations for Part II that are here sharply disappointed.

B/four stars; a decent collection of what feels like unfinished psychedelic covers of classic 1960s hit songs.

A Magick and Mystic Tarot

I don't know how many times I've written this, but Spain is experiencing a rebirth, a revival, a new wave of great music?especially in the progressive scene. Just a few days ago, I was listening to a band that I swore was from the late '60s. But no?it's from the 2020s.

Magick Brother & Mystic Sister is a band from Barcelona, Spain, and they feel like a reincarnation of those great psychedelic bands from the late '60s to mid-'70s. There's Krautrock influence?think Guru Guru, early Eloy, or Can?and the Canterbury sound of Gong. You can also hear early Hawkwind and the psych side of Pink Floyd's first records. But what's amazing is that the band still sounds original. They don't just imitate their influences?they use them to create something fresh.

This is the band's third album, and it moves between different atmospheres and textures: layered keyboards, dreamy vocals, hypnotic drums and bass, and long, expressive guitar solos.

Tarot Part II is the counterpart to Tarot I. It's less adventurous than Part I, but it met my expectations as a continuation of the band's journey. It opens with "Strength," and from there the album flows like a long meditation?spacey, atmospheric, and textured. It breaks at times with voices, guitar solos, or delicate arpeggios. It's really beautiful. The music feels organic?it grows and retracts like a living thing.

It's almost impossible to do a track-by-track breakdown because the album feels like one cohesive whole that evolves as it goes. That said, track 9, "The Sun," stands out as something a little different?a kind of refreshing American bossa nova touch. In the end, Tarot Part II confirms that Magick Brother & Mystic Sister are not just another retro band. They've taken the spirit of an era and shaped it into something personal, sincere, and timeless. The album doesn't try to impress with technical showmanship or big climaxes?it pulls you in with atmosphere, feeling, and flow. It's the kind of record you sit with, close your eyes, and let it take you somewhere else.

Spain keeps giving us these hidden gems, and this band is right up there with the best of the new progressive wave. Highly recommended for anyone into psychedelic prog, cosmic vibes, and albums that feel like a journey rather than just a collection of tracks.

3.5 stars. MAGICK BROTHER & MYSTIC SISTER are from Spain and released their debut in 2020 as a four piece. In 2024 they returned with a vengeance as a trio, releasing two studio albums, and both based on Tarot cards. And just for your information Walter Wegmuller released an album called "Tarot" back in 1973, with a who's who of Krautrock musicians.

I have to admit that this album isn't sticking to my little brain. It's bizarre that other than one track, I feel like this is a lot of spacey soundscape music. Mellotron and synths rule. "Part II was released 7 or 8 months after "Part I" and this latest comes across as being the left overs from the "Part I" sessions. I don't know this, I'm just saying what it sounds like. The guest flute is missing from "Part I" as well, but essentially this is the same trio with the same guests.

In the liner notes they show track 1 "Strength" as being track 11, so a continuation from "Part I". Except that there were eleven tracks on "Part I" so "Strength" should be track 12. Regardless, this "Part II" just feels mailed in to me, or the left overs. I like it, and I'm not sure why I am just not connecting to it at all. Keep in mind I know several fans who prefer "Part II" by a wide margin. I feel the exact opposite. The one song that did standout was "Sun". It feels energetic even though it's mid-paced, because the music on here really does feel like soundscapes that just don't move much.

I'll keep this review short as I'm just not absorbing the music enough. "Part I" is in my top 10 for 2024, while this one I will remember as being a disappointment.