ELECTRIC MUD

Electric Mud have dared an experiment on their latest album to reinvent themselves and expand their spectrum. The duo (Nico Walser, Hagen Bretschneider) has become an ensemble of six people (+ Timo Aspelmeier, David Marlow, Judith Rezzlik, Andrea Weiß) . I think they wanted to go a step further and integrate new ideas and influences into the Electric Mud sound with the help of the new musicians. The best song on the album, which deeply impresses immediately on the first listen is "The Fear Within" with its dark tones and menacing vibes. I also like "Silent Stranger Suite" with its slightly mysterious and ambient atmosphere. The mystical-symphonic opener "Exploring The Great Wide Nothing" also pleases. Most of the tracks are well done and interesting, although I would say that only "The Fear Within" reaches the heights of the last two albums. Overall, this is a good solid album with some great songs, but I prefer some of their earlier works such as "Quiet Days On Earth" which creates a calm but dense and intense atmosphere with great compositions and almost perfect production, or "The Deconstruction Of Light" with its roaring guitars, emotional soloing, bassy rock grooves and absolutely stunning keyboards. In these two albums you found yourself feeling the music and drowning in the sea of emotions that the musicians painted for us. This is my biggest criticism of "The Inner World Outside": The album sounds very ambitious but does not reach the feelings of the listener. This may have different reasons. The production is not as convincing as on the predecessors. Even more critical I see the compositions, which are musically great implemented but rarely touch emotionally. I hope that Electric Mud will find back to their old qualities in the future. I will continue to watch them. They are always good for a surprise.

ELECTRIC MUD was born in 2011, a fusion of Hagen BRETSCHNIEDER and Nico WALSER, initially blues and stoner; the group has since described itself as post-folk-jazzy experimental progressive rock, eclectic prog, short difficulty to put in a musical drawer, prog art ambient music surely; moments of relaxation, of turmoil worthy of a cinema soundtrack; majestic symphonic organ, futuristic chamber music with nature sounds taken from the field, all for an extraordinary cinematic experience.

'Exploring the Great Wide Nothing' on a children's piano and violin declination, orchestra for an appetizer reminiscent of 'Interstellar' or 'Prometheus'. 'The Fear Within' musical marshmallow sweetness with an austere and dark atmosphere; a keyboard, choirs, the cinematic atmosphere à la 'Birdy'. 'Around the Mind in 80 Lies' on a bombastic intro, trumpets and strings for the coming of the king then a sound straight out of a 60's spy movie; a bit of Oldfield, children's voices, a Mellotron, a whisper and a sparkling guitar solo... 'Those Who Leave the World Behind' more medieval with the solemn organ. 'Guardians of the Weather Machine' turns 180 degrees with a modern tonality, electronic rhythm combined with discordant violin; the organ à la Yes qui tue, a jerky passage à la Vidocq, a bit of Wilson. 'Silent Stranger Suite' Greece, banjo, organ, divine sound, progressive ballad in a baroque film; there is avant-garde, stunning Kitajima, ideal for dreaming, the most beautiful and the longest . 'Serotonin' on an Asian atmosphere filled with crystalline sounds and other dark ones with strings reminding me of 80's Japan; the finale with this majestic crescendical rise gives goosebumps. 'Descent into the Jagged Valley' cold monolithic basic piano, atmosphere of BOF of 'Delicatessen' with the musical saw, jazzy break for the end, disconcerting and discordant. 'Moving On' when the sinister beauty interferes with the crystallized sweetness of the piano notes for the final chord.

ELECTRIC MUD therefore sends you off to distant lands where cinema and prog music combine by touches creating a unique climate worthy of a painting in the sun, where the paints intermingle as they melt; a singular album which becomes avant-garde in the genre.

Electric Mud has created a true masterpiece. Reinforced by three additional musicians, Electric Mud's music has taken on a new timbre without losing its focus. The musicians Timo Aspelmeier, David Marlow and Judith Retzlik are new to the team and have actively supported Hagen Bretschneider and Nico Walser. Each track paints a wonderful painting with intense colors. An explosion of the senses. The alternation between fast and slow passages is well-dosed and makes each song a jewel. The same goes for the alternation between classical, jazzy and funky elements. They all add up to a wonderful overall picture and listening pleasure. I love all the songs, but there are three that touched me the most: Exploring the great wide Nothing Those who leave The World behind Sérotonine

Credits: Timo Aspelmeier ? composer, rhodes, hammond, synths, piano, drums, noises David Marlow ? composer, piano, orchestral programming, piano, synths, percussion Nico Walser ? composer, multi instrumentalist & field recordings & mixing Judith Retzlik - violins, violas, cellos & voice Hagen Bretschneider - music conceptions, visual design & video editing Andrea Weiß - digital art & photography

This is the fourth album by German band Electric Mud, and although this is the first time I have come across them any band which describes their last album as Deep Purple and Camel jammed together with Pink Floyd and Tangerine Dream then they are going to grab my attention. This release is described as "rooted in the classic prog era of the 70's but takes a step forward into the great unknown of instrumental territory sublimely combining styles like post-rock with neoclassical elements and Berlin school." This is definitely looking back to the Seventies, with Tangerine Dream being very much the main influence, alongside some early Kraftwerk and Brian Eno, resulting in something which is delicate and dreamy, yet also containing some repetitive elements which take the music in a quite different direction. The band used to be a live trio, but these days have morphed into a studio-based duo with founder Hagen Bretschneider (bass) joined by guitarist and keyboard player Nico Walser.

Together they have produced an album which at times feels incredibly fragile in its simplicity, at others more complex, but always interesting and intriguing. This has a deep heart and soul within it, passionate yet somehow fresh and invigorating without ever being overbearing. Synthesisers are very much at the heart of all they do yet they do not fall into the traps of being overbearing, with guitars used sparingly yet to great effect, and a use of space as an additional element. There is even fretless bass and classical guitar, not what one would normally expect from a band playing this style of music. The result is a very enjoyable album indeed, which fans of this school of music should seek out.

[Originally published at The Progressive Aspect]

I first became aware of German band Electric Mud from a review of their 2018 album The Deconstruction of Light on The Prog Mind. I was intrigued enough by the review, and impressed enough by the music, to buy that album, and follow the band on Facebook. Now, a couple of years later, a new Electric Mud album has been released. First things first, I must say Quiet Days on Earth is not at all what I expected! Had this been the first album I heard from Electric Mud, I would of course have had no expectations. So, why was this album such a shock for me?

The Deconstruction of Light was a challenging, diverse, eclectic and adventurous album, full of distortion and dissonance, roaring guitars and edgy synths. Yet for every passage of King Crimson meets Black Sabbath heaviness, there were atmospheric and almost ambient Tangerine Dream meets Pink Floyd electronic soundscapes. Add in a little Camel and maybe some Deep Purple. Three of the tracks were lengthy numbers that naturally led to an expansiveness of sound, and progression of varying moods and ideas. But even the shorter numbers were not static. Wonderfully, for such an eclectic mix, as surprising as some of the changes could be, they were all beautifully fluid and organic. A lot of this consistency in the face of constant change is down to the bass of Hagen Bretschneider, who sets the tone for each track. The importance of the bass in any band is often under-appreciated, but it's hard to overlook the contribution Bretschneider's bass provides to the sound of Electric Mud.

Quiet Days on Earth is an almost entirely different beast. All the bombast and brouhaha has gone. I guess the title of the album should have alerted me to this, but it didn't occur to me at all. And yet, as different as the album might seem on first impression, it has far more similarities to its forebear than are immediately apparent. While The Deconstruction of Light is probably best described as a heavy album, for its at times violent and industrial nature, it still has plenty of delicate and beautiful passages. It is those more cinematic and atmospheric vibes which form the mainstay of Quiet Days on Earth. Passionate, poignant, and restrained. It makes for an easier listening experience than The Deconstruction of Light ' where the seemingly inexhaustible changes of mood, tempo and complexity could potentially be overwhelming ' but whether that makes it better is entirely subjective. I think I like both albums equally, and it depends entirely on my own mood, what my preference will be at any one time.

Unlike the predecessor, much of Quiet Days on Earth is slow-burning. It creeps up on you, as layers and textures within the music intensify. I'm reminded often of Nordic Giants, but Electric Mud create even more affective soundscapes. Bretschneider's bass, once again, shines. I often realise I am paying more attention to his nimble fingers than to other more overt instrumentation in the mix, and that is a shame, because the sheer amount of different sounds created by the other member of the duo, Nico Walser, is nothing short of amazing! So much of the music is so gentle and subtle, that it enters the mind subconsciously, and it's only on closer listening that you realise just how much attention to detail has been made.

Yet, though it may seem like Quiet Days on Earth is all peaceful and non-threatening in comparison to The Deconstruction of Light, there are plenty of moments that are just as haunting and unsettling. The dreamy melodies might not quite be nightmarish, but there are definite moments where they are more malevolent than they might initially seem. It's definitely not an entirely relaxing journey, but this keeps the listener on their toes, and a little on edge, just as effectively as the constant shifts of The Deconstruction of Light did.

I was going to pick highlights, until I realised I was listing almost every track as a highlight. After repeated listens I have come to realise that Quiet Days on Earth has just as many changes and shifts as The Deconstruction of Light after all. The difference is that they have been made within a far narrower scope, so they are not so immediately noticeable. I think I recall a review of the previous album where the reviewer mentioned that Electric Mud have as many changes in style in one track than other artists do over a whole album. That holds just as true for Quiet Days on Earth. And yet, just as with The Deconstruction of Light, the track never sounds incohesive, disjointed of forced. Every transition is seamless. There's a sense that this album must have been incredibly meticulously crafted. Something that sounds this effortless clearly took a lot of effort to sound that way, and I can't help but be impressed every time I listen.

German band ELECTRIC MUD was formed back in 2011, and since then main men Hagen Bretschneider and Nico Walser have explored their particular variety of post-progressive rock on 5 studio albums so far. "Quiet Days on Earth" is the most recent of these, and was released through German label Timezone Records in 2020.

The music explored by Electric Mud on this latest album of theirs isn't as easy to digest as one might surmise when an album is described in a manner that includes the word ambient. Personally I'd summarize this production as being some kind of an avant-garde ambient creation with post-rock tendencies, progressive rock features and something of a futuristic, dystopian sheen to it. If such a description makes any sense at all, and sounds interesting, chances are good that you'll also enjoy what Electric Mud provides of music on "Quiet Days on Earth".

Madness and Anarchy

There's Stately Beauty Here

Yes, it's undeniable. Some passages lead me straight to fantasy- an orchestra, ballet dancers, a vast stage. Stately chord progressions that grow and swell, then begin to subtly change key and direction, putting the listener on the alert- quiet anarchy.

Electric Mud in Pulsating Maneuvers

The name itself suggests something earthy, slimy, fecund...with electrical currents racing and zapping and bringing menace.

Where Once We Heard Rude Bass Tones

Hagen knows how to honk and grunt and bring the bass into new dimensions. THIS album slithers into synthesizer territory, electronica, wrecking- with grace and majesty and slyly demonic stylings- the peaceful, restful expectations being made.

Yes, Madness and Anarchy

You see, nibbling at the edges of this gently simmering pot of musical brews and stews are alien spaceship voyagings, other-worldly chitterings and creakings of insects, small critters from another galaxy gnawing away, and perhaps the through-line for Electric Mud music- the alienating intrusions of industrial wastelands and decaying superstructures that once held great promise.

Sure, We Get Seduced

The gentle acoustic piano, the rich Hammond organ sounds, the synthesized flute or (actual?) sax, the drums (programmed?), the surges and flows of fine compositions-

But Then

Oh yes, just as we settle back into lush ecstasy, we are silkily shocked by bleating bass sounds, hammering from some celestial forge, dragged from cathedral organ to an underlying dissonant tension of driving...anarchy... beneath it all.

Madness.

I thought the voices, the sentences spoken, the attempted conversations, the scratchy dirty record sounds, the tarnished tones added up to madness, just there, just a pretext, just a suggestion, just in hints and at the edges.

I Thought Hagen and Nico Inhabit a Dangerous World

And perhaps, so do we all- the beauty interlaced with menace, quietly percolating sometimes loudly intruding- anarchy.

My Rating

4.5/5 anarchic anvils.

The follow up to 2018 Deconstruction of Light - Hagen and Nico return with with 79 minutes of beautiful soundscapes -more ambient and less industrial than the predecessor.15 tracks take you through a journey of moods.If you want to compare then elements of Tangerine Dream,Camel,classicPink Floyd and a touch of pastoral Genesis. No weak tracks,but I will highlight some standouts. Track 2 Silhouettes has a quiet piano intro and sequencer kick in at 1.25 similar to T Dream.Percussion hits at 3.45 -and overall a great track with many parts. Track 3 mer de Glacé sounds icy -very Vangelis - a short track,but quite beautiful Track 4,the title track goes through many phases.An acoustic intro backed by subtle organ,synths enter at 2.48 then Camel like electric guitar at 5.16 -this has everything. Eerie voices begin track 7 ,which begins with a siren like synth blast and builds calmly but dramatically to 4.35,but then quietens into a calm but beautiful conclusion Track 8 Durance -a short track but destined to be a highlight is a quiet track with soft percussion and gentle,bubbling synths dancing playfully. Track 12 begins with church sounding organ,builds with acoustic guitar and sequencer,then symphonic ending after 2.30 Track 14 begins with very Steve Hackett like acoustic guitar,and flute similar to pastoral Genesis,changes direction at 1.50 with more dark synth pattern.I like the closing sequence of this with sax sound over an increasing symphonic background -quite King Crimson Track 15,the final track is quite beautiful with a Mellotron flute like intro at 1.09 comes a stunningly beautiful Air-like synth backdrop with percussion,piano and a gentle beat - my favourite track -one I will play a lot.The album ends on this optimistic note -stunning. This has to be one of the albums of the year and highly recommended.

Review originally posted in www.therocktologist.com

A great album!

Nowadays the power of social media is so huge that one can get closer to new music through it. I am saying this because I got in touch with Electric Mud via Twitter, listened to the music, liked it and then got in contact with Hagen Bretschneider, the mastermind behind this project. "The Deconstruction of Light" is the third album of the German, which features 7 songs and a total time of 52 minutes of great instrumental music.

I think it would not be fair to put only one label to this music, it is impossible, since we can find hints of diverse sounds and genres. A clear example of it is the first track "Deadend Mind" whose first minutes are heavy, with some stoner or even sludge sound that later turns proggy and then, a sudden change takes us to an spacey trip that evokes some classic electronic pioneers such as Jean-Michel Jarre. Another change come next, xylophone and moon appear, the spacey atmosphere prevails but now with a more captivating sound. More intensity is present, repetitive but addictive notes that create a very enjoyable final part.

"Canary in a Cathouse" opens softly with a piano and a spacey background creating a melancholic sound, but wait, a minute later a raw guitar appears and a completely new sound appears. See, one cannot label this band because in one single song they offer a challenging blend of genres and sounds. This time they take us to a rock trip that later turns a bit psych with the introduction of organ. I also believe Hagen and co. make some kind of renditions to some heroes such as Steve Hackett with a mini solo just before the song becomes again spacey. At minute 7, drums start to rebuild the music, then guitar takes the lead and the song becomes rockier. It is a cool journey through vast lands and sounds, indeed.

A couple of shorter tracks come next. "Black Dog" returns with a raw rockin' guitar that reminds me of some old school acts such as Deep Purple or Black Sabbath (though the song's name would recall another giant). Within the song one will find again some changes in mood and tempo, but none of them are out of place, I mean, they are well-thought so we can easily enjoy them. "Suburban Wasteland Blues" starts with a catchy sound that has of course that bluesy inspiration on it, however, fulfilled with a stoner spirit, the bass will tell you. At half the track there is a major change, soft music with even a jazzy feeling. So Electric Mud don't cease to offer new and different sounds, maybe you could say it doesn't have a clear musical style, I would say their style is certainly going to a journey through the decades.

The longest song comes next. "Heads in Beds" opens with a delicate acoustic guitar, soft and calm that opens the door to electric guitar, reminding me a bit of Gilmour this time. This peaceful moment continues for four minutes, relaxing, introspective, beautiful, and then, little by little keyboards enter with a repetitive sound whose intensity increases until it explodes and becomes a Tangerine Dream ?inspired track. The last minutes are very emotional, with colorful guitar solos and an amazing background. This is a wonderful track, one of my favorites here and one I would recommend if you want to have a peaceful journey.

"Through the Gates" is a short but wonderful track that has the electronic essence of those already mentioned giants such as Tangerine Dream or Jean-Michel Jarre. This could easily work as a sci-fi movie soundtrack. Addictive and epic, what a great track! And the album finishes with "Moongarden", which will take us to the opener track since it evokes its final part, the one with xylophone. It is like rounding the circle, though the music within the album has a lot of edges, all of them which provide a very pleasant listening journey.

Enjoy it!