PICTURES UNRELATED

A fantastic debut shot has come to us. A Helsinki-based rock combo ASTRAL BAZAAR say they were founded as a rock project influenced by classic progressive rock and modern alternative one, and this album titled "Picture Unrelated" consists of 8 tracks each of which has a linkage to other ones, totally inspired by a brilliant work of a famous painter. Like the sleeve picture of an ice upon the cracked desert, they play mutually distorted psychedelia and comprehensible rock. Such a mixture via their material is quite acceptable, blended with pop / catchy and complicated, bluesy melody lines created by psychedelic fuzzy guitar and sincere, strict drumming / bass play.

The epilogue "Picture Unrelated Part 2" reminds me of another incarnation of early Pink Floyd. On the other hand, comfortable melodic texture around the second track "The Animation Hand" can be said Genesis meet U2. Complex components via their instruments should be accepted without any toughness. Sounds like "Nuclear Mystique" or "Age Of Gold" might be fully influenced by 90s alternative rock, regardless of its musical diversity. Pretty good their stuffs feature complexity and catchiness. Anyway let me say one of my favourites is "Prelude To Lucid Circus" flooded with blurred funky piccolo sounds and quiet, gentle psychedelic ballads ... followed by the main dish along with fantastic chorus and mysterious ethnic touches.