THE WORLD OF GENIUS HANS

For their second release the band employed some guest musicians in the studio to add backing vocals, bassoon, trombone and vibes. I think it's fair to say that this is a more polished and mature effort. It took me a long time to get into this album. That was a surprise to me given my adoration for their debut. It just seems to lack the energy, enthusiasm and freshness of the debut. Check out the album cover ! Craziest picture you'll ever see.

'The World Of Genius Hans ' is the 14 minute opener and best track on the record. It doesn't measure up to "Last Song" from their debut but it is incredible nonetheless. It opens with some heavy fuzz bass as some funky guitar comes in. Sax takes over before some angular guitar joins in. A lot of sounds jumping in and out. The sax by now is dissonant. Vocal melodies, as drums fire off some rounds. Vocals arrive after 3 minutes. It sounds like a Zappa tune after 4 1/2 minutes and the drums and guitar to follow are excellent. Horns come and go. We get a calm 6 1/2 minutes in with lots of atmosphere. A nice sax solo 8 minutes in as drums beat and bass throbs. Organ 11 1/2 minutes in followed by trombone. The tempo picks up a minute later.

"Funny Doll" is a jazzy track that builds with drums and horns leading the way. Some fuzz bass before vocals and flute arrive 1 1/2 minutes in. Some prominant bass after 2 minutes. "Astromonster" features vibes early as sounds are added. The tempo picks up 2 minutes in. The guitar and drums sound great 3 minutes in. It calms down before it ends. "Moving Theme" is an uptempo track that is so impressive. The interplay and sound is fantastic ! It does settle down but they still amaze. "Cauchemar" features a lot of tempo shifts as bass, sax and drums lead the way.The vocal melodies 2 1/2 minutes in are a nice touch. Another great tune. "We Were Lovin' Her" is different as we get a spacey soundscape for the first 2 minutes including some fuzz. Some weird vocals come in although the spacey vibe is still presant. "Un Jour..." is a short instrumental to close the album.

Not as dynamic or impressive as the debut but well worth picking up. I found this one to be a grower. It grew to 4 stars.