TAMBOURINE FREAK MACHINE

I couldn't listen to the debut from 2007 yet. 'Tambourine Freak Machine' sounds like they have worked out their masterpiece. Anyhow - I'm noncommital actually. The predecessor album was immediately ordered after getting into this album. But there is no reason to wait for reviewing this one as a matter of fact.

DRAGONTEARS is a side project of the stoner rock band BABY WOODROSE where guitarist Lorenzo Woodrose can be treated as the mastermind. They are additionally supported by some members of another danish band called ON TRIAL.

First of all - don't expect much heavy psych/space rock in the vein of HAWKWIND or 35007. 'The concept is letting songs evolve freely in the sonic playground' they write on the myspace site. That's the case - and this is prepared in a more hallucinatory transcendental way which lets you questioning the musician's stoner rock origin in any case. The album sounds like recorded on bloc and is pointing to the former hippiesque 60/70s times a lot. But on the other hand this is not retro exclusively because they also use several innovative electronic ingredients.

Starting with The River - not a Springsteen cover but a drug fantasy by the way - they immediately catch you to enter a somewhat musical delerium. You feel like getting phlegmatic ... no, this doesn't apply exactly ... better like listening in slow-motion. Dead honest! 'The river flows within my mind' - ethereal vocals by Woodrose plus decent drum and acoustic guitar contributions. Well done - melancholic and weird at once. Mysterious synths and quirky electric guitar tones are swirling around. I really wonder how they managed to work out such an impressing mood.

Spooky snippets like coming from aliens contacting mother earth are colliding with an oriental mizmar similiar sound when fading into the follower Sunrise. This is tabla and acoustic guitar driven first, later changing to a rocking part which comes near to their heavy origin. But this doesn't last for a long time because they start to interpret the Bob Dylan song Masters Of War afterwards, a ballad with some creepy synths in the background. The following The Freedom Seed appears as the next highlight falling back into this hallucinatory dimension soon. A hypnotic piece with repetitive percussion and organ/synth patterns featuring danish punk diva Janine Neble - hard to describe - you have to listen and to conceive your own opinion.

The album ends with the experimental tune Dreamweaver 2 dominated by a drum machine rhythm and japanese toy key. Danceable though I have to confess and matching perfectly to the whole album with deformed vocals. Manoj Ramdas, former guitarist of THE RAVEONETTES is involved here. Probably they recorded this album en passant, just for fun and because of that it comes up in a fresh relaxed manner. I want more of this! Definetely an outstanding discovery in 2008.

'Tambourine Freak Machine' is recommended with a relaxed spacey base and nice melodies as well as portions of weirdness which makes this also interesting for krautrock fans. A special mix which is hardly comparable ...

My first review of a Danish band and a nice surprise. Take the Amon Duul's poor debut. Extract the few good things from that album, add some inventive and a good melodic line eclipsed by the quirky keyboard's background.

There's something that makes me think to the Japaneses Karuna Khyal, even if not so scary as them. At least in the first track, maybe because they are geographically close, I see some contact points with the dutch 35007 and, please don't think I'm mad, some Ayreon in the singing. The last minutes of The River fade into Sunrise. Strange electronic sounds and the acoustic guitar still remind to Amon Duul but it goes into rock after one minute. It's like we are back in 1970.

"Masters of War" is a Dylan's cover that enhances the sensation of being in 1970 with 12- strings guitar and tablas. A very good cover. I've found myself thinking to how this song could sound if arranged by Metallica.

"The freedom seed" is the longest track. It opens very floydian with an organ playing a major chord (or without the 3rd note so it sounds like major) and ummagumma like sounds. Bass and percussion remind to "Let there be more light", then the organ plays a background eastern-flavoured melody like Rick Wright was used to do. The singing gives it a clue of Krautrock. The fact that the basic chord is major transmits a positive sensation even in the most chaotic parts. I think it represents a "good trip". A rapid glance to the Nirvana. This is what I mean for psychedelic music.

It's followed by a dark filler: "Rocco's revenge". Just one minute and half of darkness that reminds to "Tsunami" of 35007.

The closing track, "Dreamweaver 2" is an electronic track again in the mood of 35007. Not bad but not an highlight.

This album is very promising. Not enough to be rated 4 stars, but an excellent addition to any psychedelic/space rock collection.