GA'AN

What a dark, graceful, and Krautrock-like experimental ambiance.

GA'AN got started firstly as a Chicago minimalistic rock quartet in late 2000s by Lindsay POWELL (voices), Seth SHER (drums), Jeremiah FISHER (synthesizer), and Jason SUBLETTE (bass, synthesizer). They launched their debut album "Ga'an" in 2009 as a limited edition cassette (and in the following year the album was released as a limited vinyl and downloadable material via an indepecdent label in South Bend named Captcha Records). After playing on various stages or radio shows, Lindsay and Seth have reunified GA'AN with another bassist / synth player Tyson TORSTENSEN and released their second album "Black Equus" in November 2011.

They've called themselves as a "minimalistic progressive rock" combo, that's well-said indeed. Not only for minimalists but also for all progressive rock freaks. Guess their soundscape deeply spread beneath a dark black sea can move everyone who listens to the stuff. Heavy riffs based upon deep synthesizer, dark bass, drone drum sounds. Lindsay's weird but graceful words (Zeuhl-ish slightly) and chorus. Both can easily grab our heart strictly. Gracious melody line with insistent, painful dubs and, on the contrary, desert and inorganic experimentalism can remind me something like melodic Krautrock projects like Amon Duul II. Regardless of their simple minimalism, we cannot get bored or annoyed at all ... their long long depth, profound and visible sound approach, and especially Lindsay's cold, dry-fruity, but hearty incantation upon us may squeeze our mind into amazement. In this debut album we can enjoy various appearances of minimal shower called GA'AN, yes, touch a real 'kaleidoscopic' minimalism.

Blair Witch Project psychedelia

One of those wonderful free albums out there for grabs by anyone in the know. Let me tell you about the parallels between Zeuhl and Chicago people! What? Nothing? Oh well, I must confess that I had never ever in my wildest dreams thought of mixing the two, - that is before I heard this band. Chicago and Zeuhl...

If you are a big fan of The Blair Witch Project - and keep wondering how the creepy forest witch would have sounded like - had she been properly interviewed, or maybe you are one of those who just think that she'd prefer doing a wee banjo ditty with accompanying vocals. Anyways - you should definitely check out this album! The female vocals here are nonsensical, ethereal, diabolic, beautiful like ice crystals and haunting like a night spent in a black swamp. In other words: Welcome to the long lost soundtrack to The Blair Witch Project! This girl can sing - and she does so with the power of your most recent nightmare - inching her way back into your subconsciousness.

Gothic emanations, brooding atmospheres, teutonic drumming, enormous sound sculptures and this blood-red line creeping through the heart of the record, even if the voices it contains are incomprehensible and obscure.

When Ga'an first got suggested for PA, there was a lot of discussion about what genre - which box to throw them into, and I believe both Krautrock and Zeuhl were candidates at the same time. Now to me personally, I don't care about the categorisation of either carrots or sheepdogs - I just want one of those to be orange and the other to be fluffy. Ga'an have got some serious worm like synthesizers going for them - twitching and bubbling beneath the narratives of the tracks, but overall I do find the propulsive energetic bass work that trots away like an angry farmer in cement boots - to flavour this outing in a decisively more French attitude - harking back to both Magma and Weidorje. Even so - Zeuhl can be psychedelic, and this album is certainly proof of that.

One thing I've been thinking about lately, is the way most music divides itself into smaller groups within the bands they are born in. Partners in crime - tomatoes and salt - lions and tigers. On this debut album though, it struck me like a ton of bricks. I mean, If you listen to the vocals here, and how they sensuously slip into the choir mellotron - you get the impression of a match made in heaven - or maybe hell for that matter. Which ever sounds most promising to you. There's just something magical about the Gregorian chant emanations of the mellotron together with those diabolic vocals, which makes me think that they were made for each other from the get go. Pure fate. It's the same way with the bass and drums, but maybe that's why we call them the rhythm section eh?

If you are sitting around doing nothing - wooing your dog, throwing salt at the tv, eating cheese in your speedos, picking your nose with a hammer or just plain bored out of your skull, - then pull yourself together man and go download this magnificent gothic psych Zeuhl album in a hurry, before the icecaps melt and I loose my temper!

New and delicious Zeuhl!

Ga'an is a new project by US musicians who in 2009 released their self-titled album which fortunately is a free and legal download, so by recommendation by the great Keishiro Maki, I did not hesitate and got it. Here, this band will delight you with 40 minutes of a dark, tasty and great combination of zeulh and krautrock hints that will make you have a mesmerizing time.

The first track is entitled "Chasmaeon". The first two minutes have a dark atmosphere created by keyboards, later drums and bass appear, and then female vocals join. Honestly, the name of Eskaton came to my mind almost immediately after the vocals appear, and though Ga'an are by no means a clone band, they do have some clear reminiscences of those older acts. What I love of this music is that though seems to be repetitive, it little by little is absorbing you and involving you to their realm. Worth highlighting the drums work here.

"Living Tribunal" continues with that dark and tense atmosphere created by keyboards. This is also the longest track here, whose eight minutes share that hypnotic sound where keyboards and drums make a wonderful couple responsible for our addiction. Though the music seems not to change and have a plan structure, it s actually perfect, no matter if one or five minutes have passed, one can truly enjoy every one of them and feel part of that hypnotic world. Later when the female voice enters along with a cool distorted bass, the music shares different emotions and creates addictive atmospheres that will not let us escape until the song finishes. A true and enjoyable zeuhl experience!

"I of Infinite Forms Parts I and II" is an eleven-minute track divided in two, the first one with five and the second with six minutes. The first part has fast and excellent drums since the very first minute, accompanied by wonderful keyboards as background, a repetitive and once again mesmerizing bass sound and of course, that essential female vocals. The addiction continues and never ceases, the song becomes faster and progresses little by little inviting us to a vertiginous and amazing trip. There is a minor change where a keyboard shares a different nuance, when that happens we are actually listening to the second part of the song.

"Servant Eye" has practically a very alike sound, actually, Ga'an as a band has already a particular sound that makes them different from the other bands, even from Eskaton who I previously mentioned. Here once again a cool communion between keyboards as background, nice bass lines, excellent female voice and fast and powerful drums is shared. There are some changes, one of them at minute two where the voice vanishes and a choir keyboard sound is now implemented, being accompanied by the terrific drums. Great song!

Finally, "Vultures of the Horn" closes this album. It opens with bass and drums making a raw sound, later keyboards enter, giving the correspondent atmosphere and the song changes. Then we can appreciate again different textures and nuances, as well as some minor changes that give dynamism to the music. So the song flows and just like in the previous five tracks, it involves us little by little.

I loved this album since the very first time I listened to it, and it is good to know the zeuhl influences have arrived to young US musicians, who I trust will be around in this musical scene for long time. This is an excellent debut by Ga'an, and though it is not precisely what would call a masterpiece, it is really solid and highly recommendable mostly for fans of this particular genre. My final grade will be four stars.

Enjoy it!

When the suggestion of Ga'an for inclusion arrived to the ZART team I was very surprised since the first notes.

"Chasmaeon" is opened by two minutes of progressive electronic that's one of my favorite prog subgenres. I wondered about why the band was suggested to Zeuhl but I understood immediately what the reason was just after hearing the operistic voice of Lindsay Powell. So imagine a repetitive hypnotic theme with a Zeuhl flavor very well played with a special mention to the drums. The music is quite melancholic instead of being dark as often happens with Zeuhl bands specially in the second half of the song when the repetitive theme is replaced by the compulsive drumming which accompanies a melancholic melody.

"Living Tribunal" comes as a natural follow-up. The very sad intro is quite symphonic. Even when the drums start playing compulsively I can hear echoes of Gustav Mahler or Albinoni. At least the music transmits the same sense of sadness of Mahler's 3rd symphony. When Lindsay sings her voice is monotonous and repetitive as a mantra. This enhances the listening experience. She sings in the best possible way for this track, a very excellent one. The final crescendo makes it grow even more. The variation is provided by a great bass line until the coda which occupies the last seconds.

"1 Of Infinite Forms" is immediately uptime. This time it's drums and piano which drive. The bass is compulsive and even on this track Lindsay sings hypnotically. The melody is very proggy. In some moments it makes me think also to Renaissance. The tempo is very fast and captivating and the operistic singing provides a fantastic contrast. Another reference? The choristic parts of Atom Heart Mother even more connected to classical symphonic music. There's no solution of continuity between part 1 and part 2 so it can be treated as a single track. The last three minutes make me remind Eloy's Ocean, that's one of my favorite space rock albums. Please note that even with all those references to classic prog this is still Zeuhl.

"Servant Eye" reminds me again to the psychedelic period of Eloy but thanks God with Lindsay as vocalist. There's a great synth work which provides the best possible layer for the performances of drums and bass in the instrumental parts. Try to imagine Frank Bornemann speaking on it with his strong German accent.... The music changes suddenly in the last two minutes as Ga'an wanted remin us that they are making what they call "minimalistic prog-rock". This is another very good track which ends with a vocal crescendo and ends suddenly.

Bass and drums to introduce the keyboards on the closer "Vultures Of The Horn". It's the most Zeuhl track of the album but it contains also other elements. In particular the drumming and the continuos minor chord played by the keyboard in the instrumental interlude have some of the Post Rock of bands like From Monument To Masses, but the vocal parts are always hypnotic. The changes in the theme male it sound like a small suite, a 7 minutes epic. I can't say if it's dark or sad or anything else. It's very dreamy. Have you present when you wake up suddenly in the early morning with still some images and sensations of your last dreams? This is how this track, specially the second part makes me feel.

Other than Zeuhl, people who likes Krautrock, Space Rock and Progressive Electronic will surely like this band and its very excellent debut.

4 stars that are probably rounded down....

I've been listening to this album for months now at first with utter amazement and now with total respect and admiration. That a group of young musicians from Chicago would latch on to the Zeuhl sound to such a degree as to create this amazing and refreshing album of upbeat, beautiful music is astounding but that they could actually add something quite significant to the Zeuhl lexicon is even more astounding. This is a collection of songs that, like the MAGMA discography, has a flow and continuity which makes it feel cohesive, comprehensive and conceptual. And, as I said, with their unique use of keyboards (including lots of mellotron!), excellent drumming, and wonderful operatic vocals from Lindsay Powell, Ga'an has added something new, fresh, upbeat and positive to the world of Kobaia. In fact, that may be what makes this album so listenable, so entrancing, and so addicting is its lighter, upbeat, 'optimistic' feel and sound. Though in reality I would have trouble telling one song from another--this is because I have never listened to them in isolation from one another; I always listen to the album start to finish--it just flows that way and once you start you just want to keep going till it's over! So, as I said, it's hard to distinguish one song from the next, I know that each song has its unique individuality. For example,

1. "Chasmaeon" (7:01) (10/10) has its awesome mellotron "Gregorian Chant" opening before TANGERINE DREAM keyboards join in. From 2:15 to 3:00 the full complement of instrumental structure is gradually put on display: keys, drums, guitar arpeggi, and Lindsay Powell's incredibly gorgeous voice. Then, beginning at 4:10 the pace is awesomely doubled, slowed down, doubled again, back and forth throughout the rest of the song in this amazing play on the listener's emotions. The bass, drums, mellotron Gregorian chant, and Linday Powell lead chant is rising and falling, twisting and turning, taking us on this rollercoaster of Zeuhl heaven. This must be Nebëhr Gudahtt's life after death place!

On 2. "Living Tribunal" (8:12) the mellotron voices are turned into the upper "female" octaves while the more vibrated, slow picked bass and militarized dance drumming take over three minutes to prep us for Lindsay's plaintive call--and mesmerizing is her summons! She is my siren! I will willingly do your bidding, Zeuhl Princess! Enter electric guitar to mirror and amplify Lindsay's hypnotic call all the while drums, bass, and keys maintain a constant thrum of insistent support. This is prog heaven, to be sure! Chicago! These are 'kids'--a new generation of prog devotees! Hallelujah! Towards the end the drums and especially the bass begin to embellish their play. Awesome! (10/10)

3. "I Of Infinite Forms Pt. 1" (5:00) opens, again, with keyboard chord hits most familiar to us from the 1970s work of TANGERINE DREAM before very quickly being joined by the bass and drumming so familiar to us from the Zuehl world. High octave keys and wildly motive bass play are the highlights to the first half of this song as Lindsay's gorgeous mid-octave chanting stays mostly in the background. (8/10)

4. "I Of Infinite Forms Pt. 2" (6:06) flowing continuously from the previous song, there is a noticeable shift in style and tempo, but it is really only a bridge before the song builds back into a more tightly woven version of the tapestry of the Part 1. Where the difference really begins to show is with the addition of tubular bells (!) and Lindsay's more frenetic insistent chanting. Mid song the rhythm section virtually drops out for a bridge in which Lindsay and the tubular bells take center stage. By 3:40 a new rhythm and sound has been established that is more keyboard centered and keyboard dominant while LIndsay and the rhythm section pretty much maintain their style and melodies if slightly slowed down. Amazing drumming in the last minute! (9/10)

5. "Servant Eye" (6:31) opens as if on a continuous thread from previous songs--kind of a melding of the opening song with the previous one. A brief bridge of "Gregorian Chant" mellotron chords at 0:45 allows for a complete transition into a new vocal chant pattern and a new keyboard arpeggio foundation. Then at 2:00 occurs another shift--establishing whole new pace and rhythm pattern from the rhythm section while also introducing a more "angelic" voice mellotron chord sequence pattern while Lindsay's vocal almost disappears for a while. In the final two minutes the bass and lead female chant step forward to take the lead while the pace behind quickens to a rhapsodic frenzy! Awesome! (9/10)

6. "Vultures Of The Horn" (7:16) is perhaps the most maturely structured, least frenzied and tempermental song on the album which makes it seem more sedate and less emotional yet the keyboard, drum and vocal work are incredible for their display of subtle mastery. (9/10)

I honestly cannot say that there is another Zeuhl album I've ever felt this kind of affinty and attachment to since I heard MDK. Eskaton, Xing Sa, and Universal Totem Orchestra are the only others that come to mind as having the kind of fresh beauty that I feel from Ga'an. As raw as it is for its being a debut record, this is without a doubt one of the premier Zeuhl albums I've ever heard. And from a group of young musicians from Chicago!! Bravo! I am so excited to see a new generation of artists latching onto and carrying forward the Zeuhl torch!

5 stars: Essential as a masterpiece of progressive rock music.