PSYCHEDELIC/SPACE ROCK

And with "...Sounds Like This", their third album (1973), the English band based in Germany seems to want to exorcise all that rock energy in an extensive work starring Albrighton's haemorrhagic and rocky guitar dissertations, with Allan Freeman's keyboards remaining more as an important support with shy solo participations, as well as those of Derek Moore's solvent bass, and therefore moving away from the structured and lysergic style more identifiable of Nektar.

In the raw and rudimentary approach of the album, initially recorded live and then retouched and reformulated in the studio, lies its greatest attraction, with pieces marked by instrumental improvisation, and where both the arpeggiated and boxed guitar opening of "Good Day" and its persistent choral refrain, the wink to the beatlenian "Norwegian Wood" in the emotional "New Day Dawning", the bluesy "What Ya Gonna Do? "and Albrighton's vocal and guitar counterpoint stand out, as do the extended lucubrations of the funky "1-2-3-4" with the very active Ron Howden on drums accompanying the once again unleashed Albrighton, the thunderous and unbridled distorted guitar solo on the demanding "Do You Believe in Magic?", and the also lengthy and bluesy "Odyssey", with Howden's drum solo included, and a final section of increasing intensity, to bring the work to a close.

"...Sounds Like This" moves away from the progressive canons, and is rather an interesting sample of corrosive and primitive classic rock, something that Nektar would not repeat in the following years.

3/3.5 stars

Although there are thirteen enunciative themes that compose it, "Journey to the Centre of the Eye" is in reality a huge single suite that beyond the wandering and abstract lucubrations of the experimental "Prelude" and "Warp Oversight", it flows solvently, using the experimental "Prelude" and "Warp Oversight", it flows solvently through Allan Freeman's intriguing keyboards and melotrons shared with Derek Moore, the latter also responsible for an extremely deep bass, interacting with Roye Albrighton's distortion and effects-laden guitar riffs as in the rising instrumental intensity of "Countenance"; as well as in solidly structured sections such as the hopeless and dramatic "Astronauts Nightmare", the two parts of the sinuous "The Dream Nebula", the anguished "Burn Out my Eyes" or the dense and conclusive "Death of the Mind" overflown by the intensity of the omnipresent melotron, pieces that also count on the megaphonic and stunned singing of Albrighton in cosmic mode and the determined drums of Ron Howden.

"Journey to the Centre of the Eye", despite its rudimentary production work, is an excellent debut album that did not achieve all the repercussion and recognition it deserved, partly because of Nektar's geographical distance from the epicentre of the movement and partly because of the proliferation of excellent bands of the genre that made it difficult to gain a place in the general consideration of the time.

4 stars

1. "Cat DNA" (6:28) an all-out hard-drivin' rock 'n' roll song with some extraordinary guitar work impressing over the solid bass and drums rhythm section and synth interplay, the sound of this one is so good: with all instrumentalists sounding truly inspired and fully-engaged. The music is a little rooted in old rock 'n' roll forms and palettes, but it's good. Ed, in particular, is on fire with his electric guitar play--both soloing and chord play. It's weird: according to the credits John Egan is playing flutes but my ear cannot detect them--which means that they're probably so heavily- treated that I think they're a synthesizer. (9.125/10)

2. "Ahu Belahu" (2:55) the sounds of large animals (predators by the mood being cast by the music) carousing around an exotic stream. Nice percussion and synth work from Conrad, Zia and Christopher Lenox-Smith. (8.875/10)

3. "Ghedengi" (5:41)a very TANGERINE DREAM-like song whose musical sounds all feel computer generated--even the bass and drums. Scenario-like AL DI MEOLA like guitars enter in the second half of the second minute. Cross-melodies are expressed in the third minute before a stoppage and eerie wait-for-the-volcano-to-stop-spewing delay before the band restarts the initial motif to play out to the end. (8.875/10)

4. "Wob Glass" (7:50) an okay rhythm track that again has me thinking that the bass and drums are totally computer- generated. Synths lay down some interesting sounds and textures over the top. This is not a bad song except for the fact that I keep waiting (and hoping) for something extraordinary to burst out at me, but, alas! it never happens. Even the cool weave in the fifth minute and Ed's "breakout" guitar foray in the sixth fall short of what I'm hoping for. (13.125/15)

5. "Neurochasm" (6:47) nice palette of instrumental sound choices (and a song in which drums and bass finally sound like drums and bass) but, even though it's a fairly hard-driving rock song, it's not until the 3:20 mark that anything exciting really kicks in. Ed's guitar feels as if he's trying to reach for Satriani/Vai territory. Not bad! Flutes in the fifth minute (yes, real flutes)! (The longer the song goes on the more I hear TONE LOC's "Wild Thing" bass line!) (13.125/15)

6. "Become the Other" (6:24) another lush sonic landscape that sounds as if it came from AL DI MEOLA's Scenario album. Multiple guitar tracks, sometimes mellow and moody, sometimes fiery, or even very pregnant (as if he's holding back--just building up to something fiery) keep the listener enrapt with expectant tension. Finally, around the four-minute mark--in the background--it starts to happen! But then it returns to the moody, ethereal Scenario motif for the final two minutes. Nice music; it's just that, again, I was kind of expecting something ? more. (9/10)

7. "Vibuthi" (10:52) acoustic "guitar" of some sort seeming to solo while sitting next to a waterfall inside an Indian or Middle Eastern temple grounds or ashram. At the 90-second mark flute joins in with Ed's virtuosic melody-making for a bit before the rest of the band finally kicks in at the 1:52 mark. Definitely a music that is directly derived from some Oriental tradition--the study of if not the direct copying of. The flutist, bass player, and drummer all perform admirably. Even when Ed takes the melody play to his electric guitar the music remains quite true to its traditional world music roots. And what's even nicer is that the melody and harmony lines all remain catchy and engaging throughout. As the music slowly moves more and more into full-on rock 'n' roll in the seventh and eighth minutes it really rocks! But then it pauses to reconsider and then falls back into its more ethnic world music instrumental palette and melodic sensibilities. Interesting appearance of two organs in the ninth minute: sounding as if two small organs in a Jerusalem church were duelling with one another. Though the song loses its charm a bit when it keeps sliding over into the rock realms, it is quite an admirable feat of ethnic captivity--as well as quite a convincing display of teamwork. (18.25/20)

8. "Plurnstyle" (7:46) bass player Zia Geelani's style hugs a bit too closely to Reggae traditions in this one for my tastes (and enjoyment), but the laid back weave created by the rest of the musicians is quite pleasing--and even impressive. It is always such a pleasure to experience the otherworldly (or alternate-world) places that the beautifully-engineered soundscapes of any Ozric Tentacles song takes one to. After six and a half minutes of just messing around, Ed steps in with his axe to do some shredding. Again it feels as if he is trying to reach for heights that others have achieved: but somehow it comes out more like emulation than the realization of original sounds or ideas. (13.25/15)

Total Time: 54:43

An album of quite-listenable and competent songscapes that somehow manage to fall short in terms of reaching the heights one might hope for from these seasoned musicians.

B+/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of spacey world music prog.

1. "Steep" (3:12) the best song on the album for its fresh, pastoral world music take, great bass sound (and play) and great DAVE GILMOUR-like rock lead guitar. (9/10)

2. "Space Out" (8:28) what starts out with some promise turns sour with its disco drum beat. (17.375/20)

3. "Pyoing" (4:29) solid rock rhythm foundation with JLP synth weave over the top pans out to be nothing more than another Star Wars video game soundtrack. Not even Ed's inventive "Middle Eastern" electric guitar solo in the second minute can save this one--though the tightening of the bass and drums in the third minute is an improvement--as is the addition of the Petri Walli guitar play thereafter. The long drawn out finale also diminishes the powerful mid- section. (8.875/10)

4. "Far Dreaming" (5:24) a song made up of several threads that are kind of at odds with one another. Interesting but ultimately feeling more like an experiment in combining that fails to deliver the desired magic. (8.75/10)

5. "Waldorfdub" (6:13) another one of the boys' variations on the Reggae music. Though this song is interesting for its bare-bones exhibition of percussion, it is ultimately kind of boring. (8.6666667/10)

6. "Kick 98" (6:03) a nice PETRI WALLI/KINGSTON WALL opening guitar is diminished by the movement and reversion into more comfortable OT sounds and individual styles. (8.75/10)

7. "Voy Mandala" (11:52) a pretty good song with strong Southeast Asian representation is marred by the Jamaican Reggae bass play. Also, Conrad Prince's drum play here just struggles to fit with A) Zia Geelani's bass play and B) the rest of the music. The scond half is, however, a little better--once Zia leaves behind the Reggae bass lines and Conrad is able to sync up better. (21.75/25)

Total Time: 45:01

Despite the fact that I do love to hear the "real" instruments being played (as opposed to the computer-programmed tracks that will dominate the future albums (starting with Spirals in Hyperspace), my feeling is that the band in its current lineup, form, and orientation has "played itself out." I welcome the arrival of the next gen of musicians (Ed's kids) and the 21st Century computer engineering. Even the swan-song album of this lineup and form, the highly- acclaimed live album, Live at the Pongmasters Ball, feels more akin to these "end of the century" albums than it does to the "future" sound that Ed and family ignite in 2004.

B/four stars; a fine representative of the Space/Psychedelic sub-genre, just not up to creative and innovative standards of other OT albums.

The album cover is nuts with it being a collage of skulls, statues. nude women, a blowup doll and knights including one picking his nose. Classy stuff. The actual cd has a guy on it dressed like a nun I believe from a British movie. It's black and white. So we get five tracks although the vinyl version has six tracks as they split "Der G.A.U. Theil" in half using the first half to end side one and the second half to start side two. This is an insane piece both experimental and adventerous with dissonance and intensity.

The opener "Der Fiesling" is 9 1/2 minutes long and features some impressive drumming and I like when the organ joins in before a minute. So good. There's a repeated guitar melody throughout pretty much and spacey synths come and go. So much going on. A calm before 2 minutes then it builds. Electric piano too this time and the bass is more upfront, yes I'm smiling. Great sound after 4 minutes with the electric piano and guitar as the drums pound away. Like old school Jazz/Fusion here. It's like it starts over after 5 1/2 minutes with bass first then lot of intensity. Nasty keys at 6 1/2 minutes.

"Frauke" is 9 minutes long and has a Canterbury vibe early on. So many intricate sounds coming and going. Dirty sounding keys before 3 minutes then a brief drum show. Check out the distorted organ that follows. I mean this is Canterbury after 3 1/2 minutes. It turns dark just before 5 minutes, so good again as it slows down. Man I can spin this section all day. Headphone music right here with all the stuff going on really to the 7 minute mark when it settles right down and stays that way to the end.

"Ozmose" is my favourite at 13 1/2 minutes and Marja is featured here big times on the vibes. Bandcamp shows this as the only song she is on. Powerful early on with keys over the heavy rhythm section. Bass is more upfront at 3 minutes. This is crazy. Check out the vibes 5 minutes in soloing over top and leading the way. Guitar is cool too. It settles back before 7 minutes and I'm just so into this. The guitar soloing this time tastefully. Electric piano then leads after 9 minutes. Percussion leads 11 minutes in then spacey synths. A calm over the final minute with random sounds.

"Zu Schnell" is the 6 minute closer. This has such an amazing keyboard driven groove to start. Come on! Drums are busy, lots of electric piano too. Synths and bass too before the guitar takes the lead 2 minutes in and I like that tone a minute later. The drummer has to be tired. That repeated melody holds this together and how about that outro.

What an album! My kind of music, all instrumental and complex with so much going on much of the time but they know how to contrast those insane sections with calms and repeat themes and so on. Those young Norwegian bands that keep popping up over the last few years have some competition from these young Germans. Biggest question is what sub-genre am I going to put this in.

Also just had a look at EMBRYO's 2021 album "Auf Auf" and it features Marja Burchard big time as she is a multi-instrumentalist, but it also has the bass player and percussionist here from KARABA on it. I need to check that one out.

The eponymous "A Tab in the Ocean" is the centrepiece of the album, an extensive development of overflowing introduction in which Alan Freeman's organ and Roye Albrighton's raspy guitar riffs look forceful and very hard- rocking, and gradually incorporates Ron Howden's marching percussion, Derek Moore's thick bass and Albrighton's megaphonic voice in a psychedelic mode very much in the Floydian vein, thus building a vigorous instrumental wall tinged with arpeggiated guitar passages, and whose final section recreates the introductory melody giving an epic closure to the piece. A gem.

And the mid-tempo, jazzy and calm "Desolation Valley/ Waves" with Albrighton's whispering vocals and the wandering, at times intimate tones of the guitars and keyboards, gives way to the invigorated energy of "Crying in the Dark" and Albrighton's impetuous guitar solos as protagonists, and to the intensity of "King of Twilght" with the band's chorus softening the growing and powerful instrumentation until its abrupt end.

"A Tab in the Ocean", one of Nektar's seminal works, is an excellent album that was probably overshadowed in part by many of the legendary contemporary progressive rock epics released in the same year, 1972.

4/4.5 stars

For those not deeply familiar with progressive rock, Pink Floyd often comes to mind as one of the first bands associated with the genre. While some may argue against their merit, I firmly believe they deserve their recognition. The band has released numerous monumental albums, with "Wish You Were Here" happening to be my personal favorite among them. This album was released at a time when the band was uncertain about what direction they would go. Following the success of an album like "Dark Side of the Moon," it is undeniably challenging to figure out where to go next. Should they attempt to continue the commercial success of their previous album and adopt a more "mainstream" sound to appeal to the masses, or should they take the band down an even more progressive route? I believe on this album they took the second route. The album combines the concepts and musicianship of "Dark Side of the Moon" while adding an even more progressive atmosphere surrounding it, comparable to albums like "Meddle."

"Wish You Were Here" includes the talents of David Gilmour on guitar / vocals, Roger Waters on bass / vocals, Richard Wright on keyboards, and Nick Mason on drums. Each musician delivers some of their most exceptional work to date. It was cited by the keyboardist, Richard Wright, and the guitarist, David Gilmour, as their favorite Pink Floyd album. Gilmour expressed his perspective, mentioning, "One or two of the vehicles carrying the ideas were not as strong as the ideas that they carried. I thought we should try and work harder on marrying the idea and the vehicle that carried it, so that they both had an equal magic. It's something I was personally pushing when we made Wish You Were Here." I find that sentiment reflected as I listen to the album.

The album begins with "Shine on You Crazy Diamond (Parts I-V)," with "Shine on You Crazy Diamond (Parts VI-IX)" appearing at the bookend of the album. The song would eventually be considered as a tribute to the band's founding member, Syd Barrett, who parted ways with the group in 1968 due to struggles with mental health issues and substance abuse. Although the track is separated in two, the combined effect of these pieces is equivalent to some of the best progressive rock has to offer. The atmosphere is engaging and truly beautiful, with Gilmour giving an especially remarkable performance throughout. The remaining tracks include "Welcome to the Machine," showcasing Richard Wright's exceptional talent in creating atmospheric soundscapes for the band. "Have A Cigar" introduces a funk-oriented sound that contrasts with the album's overall gloomy tone, though it remains somber lyrically. Lastly, "Wish You Were Here," perhaps the most well-known song on the album, begins with David Gilmour's audible drinking, coughing, and heavy breathing before his iconic guitar melody takes center stage. Reportedly he could not hold the cough due to his smoking habit, and his disappointment with the final recording led him to quit smoking entirely.

"Shine on you Crazy Diamond" certified the band to not be considered as just a one-album wonder but as a tour- de-force of the progressive rock genre. From start to finish, the album maintains a seamless flow, illustrating the art of building momentum. Several tracks transition into one another which enhances the overall listening experience. This album is essential listening for any music enthusiast, regardless of their preferred genre.

Favorite Track: Shine On You Crazy Diamond (1-5) (13:30)

2. Katla changes radically with a snarling riff; heavy psychedelic stoner, a title that can irritate; the windy break to end on a more academic tune 3. Winter Song starts with the Floydian nursery rhymes of the 'Meedle' genre, gentle, disaffected, not causing any waves, consensual in view of our current times 4. In My Dreams the Wind Chases Away the Clouds changes by taking up a crescendic syncopated tune with the notion of latency that makes you jump; alternative prog rock; the cool airy solo with slide guitar which reverberates the ambient air, for an old return of psychedelic atmospheres, what would PINK FLOYD have done if they had continued in their initial pattern? 5. Lostlostlostlostlostlostlostlost with this title we expect metronomic otherwise what is the point??? A refined rock track that goes from LOU REED to BOWIE from 'Heroes' for the hesitant rhythm between calm rock and subversive rock; a nod to a bygone era today unfortunately. An album which is worth for its first perfect side juggling between a soaring progressive atmosphere and Floydian psychedelic rock with the hypothetical sound of today.

Perilymph's past work has often straddled the always-fuzzy line between psych and prog. That has a lot to do with the way that they evoke the instrumental tones of the late 1960s, when psych and prog were both in their infancies and it was all a big mushy blob of forward-thinking rock music. This album, though, sees the band pushing in a more clearly progressive direction. The tones and textures are as lush and psychedelic as ever, but the songwriting is more dynamic, mature, and inventive.

After the dramatic, intergalactic synth theme in this album's intro, the first proper song on Progressions Imaginaires is "Les Yeux". Soulful electric piano gives this song a grounded warmth alongside the swirling sci-fi keyboard tones. Twinkling acoustic guitars jibe with the many synthesizers in an interesting way, which lends a sense of wholeness to the sound palette.

This piece is followed by the first of four tracks named "Interlude". The mood here is contemplative, with acoustic guitar arpeggios and piercing synths taking the lead. Following this mellow passage, "Loin du Bruit" opens with a jumpy, staccato pattern. There's a jazzy bounciness to this composition, and it's a great complement to the smoothness of this album's prior tracks. Big blasts of brash, piercing synths punch through every now and then, and it really adds to the weight and drama of this cut. In its final two minutes, there's a strangely percussive synth pattern that reminds me of Pink Floyd's "On the Run". Combined with the stuttering drumbeat, it does a great job at propelling this piece to a strong climax.

"Interlude 2" again puts acoustic guitar at the forefront, though synth embellishments are never far away. I'm a big fan of the vocal arrangement here. It's dreamy and watery, reminding me of passages on Abbey Road.

"Aventure" has a rather slow, stripped-back opening. A high-pitched synthesizer line glides through the air. Eventually, an uncharacteristically heavy and bombastic theme emerges, and it elevates Perilymph's music to a level they've never before achieved. It channels many greats of progressive rock without being derivative. Though not nearly as flashy, this song contains a number of Rush-y moments; the verses, in turn, plunge back into late '60s psychedelia, for an enchanting contrast. This song feels so much quicker than its eight-minute runtime. The instrumental passages feel so natural, and the way the orchestration keeps growing grander is incredible.

There's an airy skitteriness to "Interlude 3", and this band's jazz inclinations are at their most obvious here. The drumming is tight, restrained, and smart; and the wavering organ and strangely-tuned chimes maintain a disorienting atmosphere.

"Un Instant Ou Deux" bursts out of the gate with a powerful, ascendant synth line. The verses are rather simple Perilymph standards. They're catchy, and as the song progresses, they integrate more fully with this album's preceding complexities.

The album ends on a pair of short songs. "Interlude 4" is barely a minute long, but it's a nice little breather. "Outro" revisits the theme from "Intro", albeit in a darker mood, and it's an effective conclusion.

Progressions Imaginaires is Perilymph's strongest album to date and an easy contender for my nascent best-of-2024 list. The songwriting is complex and engaging, and the playing is tight. The band effortlessly balances complexity and grandiosity against more pared-back passages, and the whole album is an incredibly satisfying experience, front-to-back.

Review originally published here: theeliteextremophile.com/2024/04/08/album-review-perilymph-progressions-imaginaires/

Over the years TANGLE EDGE released a few cassette-only releases but after adding Ronald Nygård, as a trio recorded and released the debut IN SEARCH OF A NEW DAWN in 1989 on the band's own Mushroom Productions label. This all-instrumental psychedelic delicatessen of a debut showcased the band's diverse delivery of psychedelia throughout the ages ranging from guitar driven rock to keyboard saturated Krautrock, Indo-raga rock and extended jams. With nine tracks that add up to over 48 minutes of playing time, TANGLE EDGE showcased a veritable blend of developed progressive rock techniques in the context of ethnically tinged space rock.

Ranging from the echoey placidity of the opening "Isis at the Invisible Frontispiece" to the raga rock escapism of "A Secret Inside Clopedia," TANGLE EDGE demonstrates its range of world music inspirations as well as its biting guitar attacks as in the Amon Duul II inspired "Caesar's Integrated Flaw" as well as the lysergically inspired Hawkwind styles of "The Approaching Triptykhon Sunset" that feature wild an demanding guitar antics usually not associated with psychedelic space rock. The album flows from soft pastoral detached moments to heavy eruptions of distorted guitar rock. The juxtaposition of the placid and startling keeps this album from falling into any particular mood set and in many ways showcases the ups and downs of life in general.

TANGLE EDGE also excels at demonstrating its command of various ethnic fusion techniques by incorporating Scandinavian, Mediterranean and Balkan folk influences as well as Indian ragas, small doses of jazz and most of all the trippy escapist techniques delivered by the German Krautrock scene and healthy doses of electronic embellishments. Some notable bands that find a nod or two include Amon Duul II, Golem, Eloy, Popol Vuh and Between. The band also excels at lush folky guitar passages with occasional classical references as well. The overall trip is a mind-blowing roster of diversity that is all tied together by a detached spaced out effect. The electric guitar playing is top notch too bringing Ozric Tentacles to mind however even the heavier guitar parts have a wide range as some are based on bluesy hard rock jamming while others evoke the more dissonant approaches of 1970s King Crimson.

The album's entire run is brilliant but the knotty short acoustic piece "Mushy Shadows from a Lost Caravan" followed by the 15-minute "Sorlorgy" have to be a highlight as together they demonstrate some of the best guitar workouts on the album. The incessant flow of the beefy bass grooves and the busy percussive drive also makes "Sorlorgy" the heaviest track on board with crazy guitar soloing workouts and despite all the demanding technicalities never diverts from its overall mission as a space rock act. Considering this is a mere trio, the musical flow is excellently performed with an impeccable instrumental interplay, a wide array of influences and an especially satisfying display of dynamics that shift from the most serene moments of placidity to true scorching guitar driven heft. Seriously, they must have some REALLY good mushrooms growing up in the Arctic! I absolutely adore this one.