RETURN OF THE SWEATY OWL

In 2003 Procosmian Fannyfiddlers launched another effort packaged in both vinyl and CD formats, the funny title ''Return of the sweaty owl'' only prooved the humurous background of the band (as well as all liner notes and photos of the members).They have added at the time a new member, Bente Marit Ekker on violin.They even refered to the album's pieces as all being bonus tracks!Crazy music company indeed!

The fannyfiddlers may not take themselves too seriously, but their music is exactly the opposite, the 20-min. attempt on ''Prevarications (Improvidents of the night)'' comes as a great example of their furious, complex and fully active style.Again the YES and YEZDA URFA references are unavoidable, this track features lots of variations, climate changes and time signatures, mostly revealed via the keyboards, acoustic instruments and a frenetic rhythm section and less on electric guitars.It follows a Symphonic/Psych/Folk Rock style with rural soundscapes, semi-symphonic instrumental interludes and sudden breaks with nice female vocals and lots of Mellotron and flute.The rest of the way features more or less the same style, very much 70's-influenced with emphasis on the psychedelic and bucolic sound of the band with the exception of the longer tracks, which still contain good thoughts on symphonic-flavored Mellotron and organ.Acoustic instruments are dominating the sound, violin enters the scene, the electric guitar becomes more pronounced, the instrumental themes are pretty chaotic and the use of analog keyboards creates a vintage atmosphere.Trully complex and adventurous music, which often tends to be slightly forgettable due to its high composing quality.EARTH & FIRE is another act to come to mind during these pieces due to the female voice and loads of Mellotron.

I think this one is a tad less convincing than ''The rolling court massacre'', but quite interesting of a release.Remaining an underground full-blown Prog band just shows that these guys and girls were committed to produce extremely progressive and unaccesible music.''Return of the sweaty owl'' is just that.Full-blown Retro Prog with some incredible skills exhibited.Warmly recommended.