MAGICK BROTHER & MYSTIC SISTER

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.

Spain give us another gift in music Magick Brother & Mystic Sister formed in Barcelona in 2013, and its members have participated in multiple musical projects, among which I'd like to highlight Akron, a Magic Pop favorite. The original project was called Fungus Mungus, where they set the Tarot to music. The band is made up of Eva Muntada (vocals, piano, organ, synthesizers, and mellotron), Xavi Sandoval (guitar, sitar, and bass, as well as mixing), Maya Fernández (flute), and Marc Tena (vocals and drums). The project began to take shape in the early 2000s when the first two met Daevid Allen at the Canterbury Festival. They even released a DVD of the documentary about Gong's performance in Montserrat, entitled "Gong Montserrat 1973 and Other Stories." Maya and Marc joined the project in 2013, forming the band. They began performing live covers of Soft Machine, Skin Alley, and Jethro Tull, before later focusing on their own creations. There's also 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. Right from the first track, "The Fool," you know you're stepping into something special. The band doesn't rush anything. The music unfolds slowly, naturally?like incense smoke swirling in a candlelit room. This is pure, analog-feeling psychedelic prog with deep roots in late-'60s and early-'70s sounds, but it never comes off as copycat. Think early Gong, some Amon Düül II, or even the quieter parts of Pink Floyd's Obscured by Clouds?but more colorful, more melodic.

The instrumentation is full of vintage keyboards (mellotron, organ, Moog), hypnotic basslines, soft female vocals that drift in and out like a ghost in a dream, and guitars that shimmer rather than shred. There's no rush to get anywhere, and that's the beauty of it. The songs feel like Tarot cards being turned one by one? each one opening a new scene, a new feeling.

1. The Fool The perfect opening. Light, mysterious, and playful?just like the Tarot card itself. The melody feels like a character stepping into the unknown, wide-eyed and curious. The drums are soft, the organ dreamy. It's a gentle invitation into the band's world, with that hazy, late-'60s vibe already in full effect.

2. The Magician More grounded than the opener, this one brings a subtle groove and more focused arrangements. You can feel the intention behind the music?like something's being conjured. The synth lines swirl around like smoke, and the bassline really drives the spell forward. You start to sense that this album is not just a collection of moods?it's telling a story.

3. The High Priestess Mysterious and slow-burning. A standout. The vocals are ethereal, almost whispered, and the keys paint this misty, sacred space. The atmosphere is everything here?beautifully restrained, but layered with meaning. You don't just hear this track, you feel it on your skin.

4. The Empress Here things start to bloom. There's a warm, almost pastoral energy?like walking through a garden at sunrise. Flutes and soft guitar lines give it a folky touch, very early Gong or maybe even something out of the Italian prog scene. The rhythm flows naturally, almost womb-like. A nurturing, enveloping piece.

5. The Emperor The contrast to "The Empress" is perfect. This one's more structured, heavier. There's a quiet authority in the rhythm section and more pronounced organ work. It's not aggressive?but it stands firm, grounded. You can feel the Tarot card in the music: power, presence, control.

6. The Hierophant One of the more esoteric pieces. Echoes of Krautrock here?slow, ritualistic pacing, lots of space between the notes. The textures are deep, almost meditative. If the Hierophant is about spiritual tradition, this track sounds like it's channeling some cosmic church service in another dimension.

7. The Lovers Probably the most melodic track on the album. It has a dreamy romanticism to it?tender vocals, gentle guitar arpeggios, and a real sense of connection between the instruments. There's no drama, no big climax. Just two musical forces intertwining. It's beautiful.

8. The Chariot More movement here. The drums pick up, the tempo shifts, and things start to push forward. It's not explosive, but it's clearly going somewhere. Feels like a cosmic road trip?lots of swirling keys and that classic '70s psych-prog momentum.

9. Strength A slower, deeper cut. It doesn't show off?just holds its own. The bass is heavy and grounding, while the organ creates a kind of floating contrast. There's emotional weight here, but no melodrama. It's subtle strength, just like the Tarot card.

10. The Hermit A quiet moment of reflection. Sparse arrangement, more ambient textures. You can hear the solitude in the music. It's not sad, though?it's thoughtful, inward-looking. Like watching the stars alone from a mountaintop.

11. Wheel of Fortune The closer ties it all together. It has ups and downs, changes in tempo, shifting dynamics?just like the ever- turning wheel. There's a sense of motion and resolution. It doesn't end with a bang, but with a kind of knowing exhale. The journey pauses here? until Part II.

Tracks like "The High Priestess" and "The Lovers" are standout moments?not because they try to blow you away, but because they invite you in. This is headphone music. Room-dark, incense-lit, eyes-closed kind of stuff. There's also a strong cinematic vibe?like a forgotten European film soundtrack from 1972.

As an album, Tarot Pt. I is a space to get lost in. It flows beautifully and builds a dream world that continues in Tarot Pt. II. But this first part stands solid on its own. It's patient, immersive, and incredibly well-crafted.

For lovers of cosmic prog, mellow psych, and vintage sound textures. Magick Brother & Mystic Sister aren't just looking backward?they're reaching across time, channeling something old and making it new again. This record is slightly better than their sequel Both are great

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.

Chronique Magick Brother and Mystic Sister.

Quelle belle découverte psychédélique ! De surcroît accessible. Je fus comme suspendue, devant cette effervescence sonore. D'où émerge une atmosphère spatiale aux concomitances "floydiennes". Mon ouïe fut embarquée par ces effluves vintage rappelant un tant soit peu les beaux jours du groupe GONG dans des sonorités en moins excentriques, plus somptueuses, et voluptueuses de la scène Canterbury's proche également de CARAVAN, plus précisément de l'époque "If I Could Do it all Over again?" Mais, dès le début du répertoire des saccades enivrantes, combinées avec une basse envoûtante, hypnotique, convergent vers des notes radieuses, virevoltantes à souhait. L'ambiance y est "psyché", surréaliste, tribale. À cela, j'ajoute des couches électros pour parfaire l'aspect cosmique. Ça.."vocode" à tout va ! si je puis m'exprimer ainsi. En veux-tu en voilà ! Le combo accentue la prosodie en juxtaposant des réverbérations de voix féminine. Sans être pour autant prosaïque ni cartomancienne, le mystique a certains attraits qui me sied. J'en conclus là, inopinément, pour la première carte du tarot de Marseille " The Fool" l'une des vingt-deux arcanes majeurs du tarot divinatoire. Voilà, à brûle pourpoint, un petit cliché éphémère de la thématique de l'album. Si, je vous ai donné l'eau à la bouche, j'en serais fort aise ! Toutefois, il serait opportun désormais d'apporter de l'eau au moulin concernant nos deux lascars catalans tout droit venus de Barcelone, si j'en crois les infos recueillies. Une anecdote aurait été rendue publique par le duo. Elle évoque l'épisode impliquant DAEVID ALLEN (cofondateur de Soft Machine et créateur de Gong). Cela remonte en 2000 lorsque EVA MUNTADA (piano, synthé, orgue, Mellotron, vocals) et XAVI SANDOVAL(basse, guitares, mandoline, voix , sitar, backing vocals basse/ guitare) l'ont rencontré lors d'un festival à Canterbury où se produisaient GONG, CARAVAN et ARTHUR BROWN. Quelques décennies plus tard, le binôme se lance avec brio dans leur premier projet créatif. Ils choisissent, comme nom du groupe " Magick Brother & Mystic Sister ", en référence au premier titre du premier album de GONG. Cet événement fut source d'inspiration pour le combo puisqu'il s'enrichit de MARC TENA (batterie et chant) et de MAYA FERNÀNDEZ (flûte). Afin de donner vie au projet, Ils publient en 2020 leur premier album éponyme. Le quatuor sort de l'ombre, à la lumière d'une presse dithyrambique. Il aura fallu néanmoins quatre années de gestation pour que les espagnols de "MB&MS" accouchent d'un nouveau projet. Il a vu le jour sous le label grec "Sound Effect Record" le 29 mars 2024 titré "Tarot Part 1". Ce sera le premier volet d'une série en deux parties. Ils s'inspirent notamment des cartes du tarot divinatoire des arcanes majeurs. Pour cette première partie onze cartes seront tirées. Auxquels sont associés onze morceaux plutôt ramassés représentant les cartes du tarot. Mais, avant de me lancer dans la narration des divines cartes. Je souhaite vous faire partager une sensation controversée qui m'amène à cette réflexion. Certes, via ces quelques lignes vous y avez sûrement décelé un élan d'enthousiasme et d'euphorie. Une sensation tout à fait justifiée à l'égard de cette formation. Cependant, que ce fut difficile d'y plonger sans décrocher puis, d'en extraire matière à écrire. Pataugeant dans mon marasme linguistique, il a fallu être assidu, concentré. Il m'aura fallu énormément d'écoute. Est-ce une aphasie, une sorte de catharsis liée à l'extase de ces notes radieuses, virevoltantes, aériennes, cosmiques, relaxantes, oniriques, qui ont traversé mon lob frontal ? Ainsi inoculé, je fus perplexe, confuse, divergente, sans pouvoir y aligner le moindre mot. Aurai-je été plongée dans un songe ? Bref, un autre point m'interpelle. Est-ce une coïncidence, l'alignement des étoiles, une intervention divine ? aurait-elle guidé mon choix pour cette nouvelle découverte ? Quelle qu'en soit la raison, je suis heureuse d'avoir fait ce choix, ô combien judicieux. Cela m'a permis de me délecter d'un kaléidoscope sonore en tout point remarquable de la formation sis Catalogne. Un son rétro futuriste, folk, avec des accointances néo Canterbury psychédélique. Estampillé rock psychédélique/ Space Rock. Avec autant de marqueurs seventies, j'espère sincèrement que vous n'imaginez pas que nos loustics seraient une pâle copie, un prog rétrograde de GONG ? Il n'en est rien, je vous en conjure ! Seul le nom du groupe est un indicatif et un hommage à leur aîné. Ils ont su au travers leurs influences musicales, leurs appétences, trouver leurs propres identités. Et qui plus est, leur empreinte sonore ne laissera personne indifférent. Mais, voyons les cartes que nos hôtes ont tirées pour les convives. La première carte " The Fool" il faut se l'avouer, les jalons avait bien été posés dès l'album éponyme. On retrouve ici, ces sonorités psychédéliques moins déjantées certes, que leur aîné avec une touche cosmique, hypnotique, envoûtante, une orchestration conçue aux petits oignons de derrière les fagots. Wouah ! ça titille les esgourdes vers un voyage onirique. La seconde carte montre le magicien "The Wizard". S'ouvre alors, un narratif et, à l'instar de "The Fool" emporte l'auditeur au pays des songes. La magie opère, l'ambiance psychédélique demeure. Subrepticement se dévoile à l'ouïe des phases éphémères, évanescentes, au piano, à la guitare, au mellotron trois minutes de rêve instantané. Le rêve se poursuit à l'écoute du troisième tirage "The High Priestess" Les réverbérations des voix féminines se superposent sur des séquences folk/médiévales de toute beauté. S'ensuit la quatrième carte "The Empress" les envoûtantes vocalises féminines se déclinent dans l'apaisement et la sérénité. Un moment de nostalgie captivant. S'enchaînent allègrement "The Emperor" trois minutes Canterbury's , cinématographique aux réminiscences de CARAVAN. Quant à "The Hierophant" , les notes mystiques du sitar transcendées par les accords magiques de TONY JAGWAR dans un rythme effréné, apportent l'orient à portée de l'ouïe. "The Lover", les douces harmonies de la sitar évoquent à nouveau les sonorités sino -orientales. "The Chariot", une fioriture de sonorités prog psyché, émerge le long de mon lob auditif. Ne serait ce pas des réminiscences à "Sweet Smoke just a poke" combiné à la magie de la flûte de MAYA FERNÀNDEZ ? Une merveille d'exotisme. "The Justice" Un dream prog Canterbury associé aux harmonies de la flûte et de la voix d'Eva. Épique ! "The Hermit", l'immersion dans un espace sonore méditatif, obscur et futuriste. Intrigant ! L'opus se conclut avec : "The Wheel of Fortune". Un final qui mêle sons et pulsations charnelles. Les combinaisons sonores évoquent une impression d'apesanteur, les voix masculines y sont feutrées et se réverbèrent à l'unisson. Nous sommes dans un tempo plutôt lent, les saccades derrière les fûts fluctuent. L'alchimie agit. La beauté des notes s'enchevêtrent avec légèreté dans une atmosphère psyché cosmique. Une composition à la beauté formelle, comme le sont, l'ensemble des onze compositions merveilleusement orchestrées pour charmer vôtre ouïe et jouir de ses parements sensoriels. Puis, arrive le moment fatidique de la conclusion. Où demeurent sans réponse les sempiternelles supputations, interrogations ? Pourquoi n'ont-ils pas fait un double album part 1 et part 2 ? Est-ce le temps de digérer le premier ? Ou peut- être de faire grimper au rideau l'auditeur d'impatience ? Outre ces questions sans réponse, il me semble également avoir omis d'évoquer la virtuosité du combo, la symbiose qui en émane, condition sine qua none d'une bonne d'orchestration. Puis, le charme des vocalises d'Eva. J'en conclus là mes omissions. Enfin, pour l'avenir, sans l'ombre d'un doute, j'envisage un avenir prometteur pour les Catalans de MB&MS.

4.5 stars. MAGICK BROTHER & MYSTIC SISTER became a four piece in 2013, and that four piece wold release their debut in 2020. This band is from Spain, and they play a spacey brand of psychedelia with male and female vocals. It's interesting that they drop to a trio on this their second album "Tarot Part I", and some 8 months later they release "Tarot Part II" , again as a trio with guests.

So two albums in one year but it completes the subject of Tarot cards. And while I'm not into this subject it certainly is interesting as a concept album. I really appreciated Walter Wegmuller's "Tarot" album from the early seventies. Walter was an artist and he painted his own Tarot cards, plus he was an expert on the subject. A huge inspiration for Xavi and Eva our two main players here was Daevid Allen. And meeting him at a music festival must have been a dream come true.

So yes they name themselves after the opening song on GONG's debut "Magick Brother" from 1969, but switch the order of the names. And while my favourite psychedelic band from Spain is ATIVISMO, I have to admit this band is approaching that level with this record. Mind you the music here has more in common with SATURNIA, from neighbouring Portugal. Eva is the keyboardist and main singer while Xavi plays the stringed instruments. Some guests add spoken words, percussion, sitar and flute.

The opener "The Fool" after a spacey start kicks in with a catchy rhythm. A great opener actually as it's catchy, melodic, and it moves with some pace. Some acid guitar before 3 minutes. A trippy track. "The Magician" really shows this bands stripes. The spoken words, the piano, the depth of sound, the atmosphere. So drifting at times with the synths helping with that. "The High Priestess" opens with piano and guitar expressions bringing to mind Conny Veit and POPOL VUH. There will be a lot more of this on the next track. I like the mandolin on here and really there's lots of beautiful sounds on this track.

"The Empress" sounds like a lost POPOL VUH song because of the guitar mostly. So refreshing to hear this though. Mellotron, spoken words and more. "The Emperor" like the opener adds some energy to this record. "The Hierophant" is a cool tune with that sitar. More sitar on "The Lover" along with synths, mellotron, guitar and organ. I really like the flute on the next track "The Chariot", and also on "The Justice" which is my favourite song overall. A bass line to start the latter as drums arrive, and I really like this. Flute then vocals. Almost a jazz vibe here.

"The Hermit" is different, of course. It's an instrumental that sort of breathes in and out with guitar, synths and mellotron. Lastly we get "The Wheel Of Fortune" which had to inspire Vanna right? I'm not sure why I'm not hitting the five stars here, but 4.5 stars rounded down for now. And for sure this will rank high in my top ten or so of 2024.

Phenomenal album. So many influences I hear: Canterbury a la Gong and Caravan, David Axelrod theatrics, Hackett from Acolyte, Popol Vuh, Khan, Hillage, and a bit of Traffic. Throw in modern Kruanghbin and what you have is accessible yet intricate "Space Rock" that knows no boundaries and clearly has an early 70s feel. It's just one amazing track after another. Honestly I am a bit gobsmacked. Get out your wine and weed and take a trip! This does for 70s space rock what Kosmischer Laufer does for Neu! Krautrock style. No bad tracks. The production is very clean but also very warm. 4.5 stars really!

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.

These cosmic trippers emerged from the Barcelona psychedelic scene in 2013. After having named themselves after the first song on the very first Gong album that was released back in 1970, MAGICK BROTHER AND MYSTIC SISTER has revived those early psychedelic Canterbury sounds by looking back to the wild and lysergic 60s for inspiration and developing a sound that absolutely nails the zeitgeist of those freewheelin' years when cosmic visions and astral dreams permeated the youth culture. Basically the trio of Evan Muntada who handles keys, piano and mellotron along with Xavi Sandoval who tackles bass, drums, mandolin, sitar and other stringed instruments. The main duo is joined by drummer Alejandro Carmona and a handful of guest musicians who add some flute, percussion, spoken word moments and even more sitar! It's like a classic Daevid Allen and Gili Smyth party in raga rock land along with all the best hippie vibes at the gleeful glissando gala!

The band caught the attention of the psych freaks in 2020 with its debut release and its spellbinding mystic stylistic approach that sounds like it traveled from another time and place. These cosmic trippers are back for round two with the 2024 release TAROT, PART I which draws inspiration from the Major Arcana of the TAROT, a concept i haven't heard from since Walter Wegmüller's 1973 psychedelic Krautrock journey. TAROT, PART I features 11 tracks which constitute only half of the 22 cards of the TAROT which means we will definitely see a PART II coming soon to an astral plane near you! Crafting a true sense of legit psychedelia MAGICK BROTHER AND MYSTIC SISTER delivers the goods in fine form with nods to not only Daevid Allen and Gilli Smyth in their peak Gong years but also to Steve Hillage and his glissando guitar playing as well as some of the more psych folk bands of yore with moments that vaguely remind of Comus, Arco Iris, Tomorrow's Gift and a whole slew of psych folk / rock dabblers of the trade.

Traversing the first half of the TAROT, the album opens with the groovy "The Fool" which slowly slinks into your consciousness and then bedazzles you with psych-soaked keyboards and mellotrons and mesmerizing bass lines that hypnotize your soul and take you to the party section of the astral world where all your anxieties will dissipate into the ether. "The Magician" follows with a far out poetic prose accompanied by arpeggiate piano rolls and spaced out atmospheres and rock bass thumping with busy percussion. The band masters the seamless transitions between more energetic rock passages and dreamy float away escapism with swirling synthesizers and guitar glissando not heard since classic Gong days. "The High Priestess" on the other hand showcases Eva Muntada's siren-esque vocals as she becomes one with the ethereal and generates a Cocteau Twin like style of dream prog. "The Empress" jumps back into the raga motifs with sitar sounds and then off to space on a mellifluous journey into the stars.

"The Emperor" steps off the Gong train for a while to tackle the more classic Canterbury jazz sounds with references to classic Soft Machine and Egg but then re-enters Gong paradise with one of those tripped out sound collages with a cosmic narration before jumping back into the Mike Ratledge keyboard runs. And then back to raga world on "The Hierophant" before that track morphs into a beefy bass driven rocker that offers the perfect raga rock album of the album. "The Lover" is a more sensual affair with a spaciness and melody that reminds me of the "Moon Safari" album by the French band Air at least before it morphs into a classical Indian musical motif with tablas and more sitar. "The Chariot" offers the most rocked out performances with heavy guitars, thumping bass grooves and even guitar soloing. "The Justice" adds a bit more Canterbury key magic while "The Hermit" generates a more subdued loner vibe like the soundtrack of a lost soul in a cavern contemplating the existential quandaries of the universe. The closing "The Wheel Of Fortune" offers a touch of psych folk to bring you back to Earth for a little grounding.

There are quite a few retro bands trying to rekindle those lost escapist paradise sounds of the past but few have done so quite as convincingly as MAGICK BROTHER AND MYSTIC SISTER who studied the early Gong playbook without missing a beat and delivered a fantastic sonic journey into the ethereal and esoteric realms of the occult by dishing out a musical accompaniment to everyone's favorite metaphysical pastime, the TAROT. The album is graced with an incessant lysergia that keeps your astral body floating above your corporeal existence and takes you directly to the shamanic sermon in some parallel dimension. While psychedelic is a constant, each track dedicated to a card in the TAROT delivers a distinct style that keeps the album flowing and interesting. The accessible psychedelic pop hooks mixed with the koschmische Krautish ethereal ambience allow for perfect bed fellows and one of the most authentic 60s prog psych rock and folk albums i've heard in a long time. Wow! Spain is really killin' it this year with its prog. Yet another winner.

The Neo-Canterbury band from Catalán is back with their sophomore album--and I'm so excited. (Their 2020 self-titled debut, is one of my top 5 favorite albums of the 2020s, so far.)

1. "The Fool" (5:39) great bass with a bit of a mix of THE BEATLES' "Tomorrow Never Knows" and ALAN PARSONS PROJECT feel with their uses of panned synthesizers, reversed lead guitar, and vocoder, respectively. Once the vocals, drums, and chugging rhythm guitar join in, it becomes more like a psychedelic song from someone like The PRETTY THINGS on S.F. Sorrow or GENESIS' first album or, from the 21st Century, WEST INDIAN GIRL. Very warm and inviting. (8.875/10)

2. "The Wizard" (3:05) male vocal recitation over the spacey opening, but then piano, drums, and bass take us into a more psych-rock motif before switching over to a very NEKTAR-like passage starting at 1:25. This is excellent psychedelia! Too bad it doesn't have more of a "finished" quality to it. (9/10)

3. "The High Priestess" (3:38) dreamy female vocals (many tracks) with some Baroque instrumentation beneath. Very beautiful--and so Sixties-ish! The vocal arrangements could rival anything from THE MAMAS & THE PAPAS, STEELEYE SPAN, or MELLOW CANDLE (or, in the 21st Century, The MEDIÆVAL BÆBES). Eva Muntada's vocal arrangements are amazing! (9.5/10)

4. "The Empress" (3:42) more dreamy, floating vocals over more normal folk-rock-like instrument palette. I am so impressed with Eva's amazingly etheric vocal layering! It's so Siren-like in its calm and ultra-confident allure. Whale-like lead guitar arrives in the third minute. Nice! And thank you, Maddy Gray, for those seductive words to finish! (9.125/10)

5. "The Emperor" (2:52) a little more reminiscent of the band's first album, the rich palette of Fender Rhodes, thick bass, "distant" horn synth, and fuzz guitar make for a wonderfully alluring sound. The spoken voice of Dominic O'Dair fills the pause in the middle with pertinent descriptors and nouns from the lexicon of the Tarot world. (9.125/10)

6. "The Hierophant" (3:21) guest Tony Jagwar's searing sitar soloing over fast-rocking bass and drums and hypnotic floating waves of synths! This reminds me of KULA SHAKER at their absolute best! Xavi Sandoval is the listener's champion: he makes his bass sound and lines so infectious! (9.5/10)

7. "The Lover" (3:21) Mellotron and keyboard bells (and distant flute) make for a very dreamy, Days of Future Passed- like soundscape. Then harpsichord takes over to back the angelic multi-tracked voices of Eva Muntada before the music switches to pure Indian with Didac Ruiz' tabla play and Xavi's sitar. Unexpectedly fragmented but it all works! It is an amazing cross-cultural view of the cosmic phenomenon we call "love"! (9.125/10)

8. "The Chariot" (3:06) more bass-led music that could very well have come from the band's debut album, Xavi, Alejandro, and Eva create a wonderful groove over which wah-ed lead gutar, flute, and organ take turns soloing. I love the flanged drums! Great tune! Xavi's electric guitar really cooks in that 30 seconds! This one reminds me very much of something from Devonshire band MAGIC BUS. (9.25/10)

9. "The Justice" (4:56) Xavi's great bass, front and center, seducing us from his first notes, with reverbed drums and piano and dreamy 1960s flute open this one before Eva's balmy vocals--in a lower register--come in to sing us her folk wisdom. Great pop-jazziness to this one. Should/could be a hit! Eva's Mellotron and Xavi's heavily-effected chorused lead guitar come in with about a minute to go but it's 'tron and flute that take us to the end fade. Wow! A perfect song! (10/10)

10. "The Hermit" (3:11) floating strummed guitar chords with matching lead guitar notes and Mellotron male voices open this instrumental like some kind of Steve Hackett impressionistic piece. More vocals and heavily-flanged cymbal play join in during the second half. Great atmosphere with a very mystical result. (8.875/10)

11. "The Wheel of Fortune" (4:21) lightly-flanged 12-string pickings for an intro before the music shifts into a psychedelic pop waltz with Glenn Brigman's dreamy DONOVAN-like flanged voice singing. It's so Sixties dreamy Psychedelic Pop! Masterful! Even the rising chord progression that carries the song has something magically mind- altering to it! Absolutely, astonishingly wonderful! (9.5/10)

Total Time 41:12

The band has definitely chosen to proceed down the more space/psychedelic form of Canterbury that Daevid Allen, Steve Hillage, Pierre Moerlin, and Gillie Smyth travelled over their careers--maybe even moreso! I have to agree with fellow reviewers that this is one of the finest collections of Neo-1960s-Psychedelia that I've heard--and that it surely qualifies of one of 2024's prog masterpieces!

A/five stars; a minor masterpiece of wonderfully-suggestive Canterbury-tinged Space/Psychedelic prog.

I was certain Magick Brother & Mystic Sister were one and done and have disappeared. I'm glad to see that wasn't the truth. I know COVID greatly affected many bands, Magick Brother & Mystic Sister included. It also seems they went through a lineup change, Marc Tena departing, with a new drummer, Alejandro Carmona replacing him, and flautist Maya Fernandez listed now as a guest (I believe that's due to Marc's departure). Eva Muntada and Xavi Sandoval are still there. It's 2024 and their second album Tarot Part I is nothing short of a masterpiece! Alejandro Carmona seems to have a more rock-approach to his drumming (Marc's drumming was more jazzy), so that means the music has less of that jazz-influence, but that really doesn't matter as they took that psych and prog sound to the next level, with a more pastoral and frequently spacy approach than before. Tarot Part I is simply some of the finest modern-day psych music I have ever heard! I could even imagine those who grew up in the 1960s appreciating this. "The Fool" has some really nice use of vocoder, which is unusual for psych, but it goes great with the nice vocals. "The High Priestess" is more in the psychedelic folk vein, largely acoustic. "Battle of Evermore" from Zeppelin is what this song reminds me of. Of course you don't have Robert Plant with Sandy Denny, but you do have the nice ethereal vocals from Eva Muntada. "The Emperor" has that same vibe as the 1967 Elektra album The Zodiac - Cosmic Sounds. It even has similar spoken dialog. "The Hermit" has that strange ethereal vocal in a psych setting, while "The Wheel of Fortune" starts off a bit on the folk side, but then gets proggy at the end with a dramatic Mellotron passage. So, while I don't get much of a Soft Machine vibe this time around, the occasional reminders of The Zodiac - Cosmic Sounds (turns out that Eva loves that album, so I'm sure the vibe of that album on "The Emperor" was intentional), acoustic Zeppelin, Ultimate Spinach (particularly "Pamela" from their self-entitled debut), and psych in general, is what I do notice. There is that MB&MS style, most particularly with Eva Muntada who does actual singing, but still does her ethereal wordless voices as well.

I didn't quite pay close attention to interviews by members of this group, but back in 2020 when they released their debut, they were already hinting at recording music inspired by the Tarot. I'm certain if it weren't for COVID, I would have seen the Tarot albums likely surfacing around 2022 but that didn't happen, for obvious reasons. Tarot I is simply some of the finest modern-day retro-psych I have ever heard! The second installment will appear on November 22, 2024. I saw some articles stating the second installment would appear within a couple of months after the first, but that never happened, and that was probably a bit unrealistic (record pressing plants are more backlogged than ever, that's why albums take longer to be released after they were recorded). Tarot Part I is everything I imagine the band going for that follow-up. They simply upped the ante for some of the finest psych and prog going these days and this album deserves no less than a five star rating!