WEST, SPACE & LOVE - VOL II

Back in 2012, a version of the revolving door line-up of musicians that can make up the Øresund Space Collective issued a vinyl only release that was to prove quite a diversion from the usual trippy jamming space-rock excursions associated with the group. Keyboardist Scott Heller aka Dr Space paired up with `Love' Forsberg and KG Westman of Siena Root to offer `West Space and Love', an intoxicating raga-rock work of groaning sitar strains, tabla and other ethnic instruments in the manner of Agitation Free and the Ash Ra Tempel, but, along with a few other musical guests, they take things even further with this follow- up, blending ambient, electronic, space and prog rock with those eastern vibes.

Sublime eleven-minute opener `Floyd's Dream' is a hypnotic chill-out of looping electronic ripples and gentle ebbing synth washes caressing mellow chiming guitars, all reminding of the precious Pink Floyd period that stretched from `Ummagumma' to `Atom Heart Mother' in the late Sixties/early Seventies. `Khan Paan' perfectly binds eastern and western sounds as ringing sitar strains twist with swampy bluesy guitars and dusty stirring violin, `2002' is a whirring theme of humming and bleeding electronics, and `Pig in Space' an amusing and twitching distorted vocal scat interlude over wild drum soloing!

Side B's `Oscillations in D Minor' drifts as an unhurried and meditative sitar rumination over rising and falling synth breezes before staggering into heavy brooding electric guitar strains, searing violin reaches, commanding drum rumbles and thick swirling electronics. `Anybody Out There?' is carefully melancholic with restrained desolate drones behind a pleading voice calling from the ether, thankfully lifted with hopeful synth trilling in the finale, and closer `Time Compression' is a contemplative sitar reflection that lurches to life with an ocean of warm and uplifting Hammond organ.

Despite initially being fully improvised, `West Space and Love 2' benefits greatly from little bits of extra production over the course of three days (although with minimal extra takes), which gives the material the most subtle of polish but never at the expense of the spontaneity and liveliness of the original recordings. It helps to make `West Space and Love 2' an immersive and deeply atmospheric work of cosmic and earthy beauty, and absolutely one of the instrumental releases of the year.

Four and a half stars.