POLEMOSOPHY

This Ukrainian band caught my attention with its debut release "Somatic Schematic" from 2018 which showcased the modern trend of all things retro in this case the long lost sounds of the late 60s and early 70s psychedelic rock scene. Fortified with an arsenal of instrumentation and a keen sense of the past, LA HORSA BIANCA delivered an excellent array of progressive psychedelic rock that while not sounding out of sync with the modern space rock revivalists, still found a way to find its own way. Somehow i missed the following "Oneiric Numeric," "Diluvian Beat" and "Welcome Back My Friends?" but here i am finally reconnecting with a lost old friend with the band's fifth release POLEMOSOPHY.

A majorly stable band (it is a HORSA band after all, snort snort), LA HORSA BIANCA has enjoyed the same exact lineup since its 2016 formation. Eugene Manko, rocks the most instruments and presumably the band leader contributes the bass, flute, saxophones, horns keyboards, percussion, acoustic guitar, mellotron, xaphoon and even orchestral sounds! Xendza rocks the pianos and theremins, Kirill Gonchar and Andrew Brahin perform the guitar antics and drummer Igor Avdeyev delivers the percussive drive. Another day in psychedelic paradise allows these Ukrainians to deliver a batch of six tracks that just exceeds the 42 minute mark.

Mellow and sluggish, "Encyclica" wakes up from a multi-year nap and is in no hurry to get the party started. A true snail's paced introduction keeps this album on slo-mo for the first couple of tracks before things get a bit more excite with the third track "Polemosophy II." BTW, no idea what the word means. It doesn't seem to exist but the band claims it means "knowledge of war"! This track still lollygags on space rock mode but featured an interesting piano run, ethereal atmospheres and guitar contributions that evoke the great Pink Floyd but are separated by many degrees that it doesn't sound like the band except distantly. The chill out vibe commences with the mellotron-rich "Akinesis" which offers a bit of Canterbury jazz piano warmth.

"Hyperknesis" offers a much needed upbeat groove provided on the synthpop flavored keyboards with the drums offering a jazzy roll and the guitars adopting the same jazzy ethos. Much unexpected, fiery rock guitars burst out from nowhere and accompany the drifting atmospheric ambience while the guitar licks deliver energetic outbursts. Heavily synthesized, the crazy atmospheric turbulence and the groovy bass provide the album's true maelstrom of sonic chaos. And just when you think the album turned into a veritable rocker, the third installment of the title track "Polemosophy III" reverts back to the lazy sluggish style that began the album. But wait! Half way through it suddenly and abruptly shifts the tempo and sounds more like a symphonic prog track with busy Wakeman-esque keyboard workouts and hefty guitars.

And then the album falls into snail mode once again with "Pseudesthesia" but picks up with the proggier than average "Isorropia" which delivers some of the most creative outbursts on the entire album. Well, it took the band seven tracks to warm up and saved the best for last. I can't say this album was as dynamic as the debut and doesn't make me feel like i missed out too much for skipping all the albums in between. This is nice pleasant progressive space rock but a bit inconsistent with too much dragging on with glacial grooves and hypnotizing atmospheres. The last track probably offers more variation than most others. The production is excellent and i love the echoey effects of everything. The band is great at what it does but i wish the tracks could've been more interesting overall. Decent but not dynamic.