Michael Flower - 2005 - Return to Knowing Nothing (Phase Two)

Quality: 4.75 out of 5
Trip-O-Meter: 5 out of 5

Now here's what I was looking for with that Sitaar Tah! album. Michael Flower is also very interested in trance inducting sound, but his approach is very much rooted in modern minimalism along with those concepts that have carried on from eastern drones. This album is rife with experiments and most of them work out very well. The sound is a little ragged, but very charming. This is music that you'd expect to hear at 2am in the hippest of clubs.

While the emphasis is certainly on droning sounds, there is quite a bit of variety here. Bookending the album we find "FFR #1," which recalls 60's jazz weirdos like Pharaoh Sanders (although with less sax insanity and with more cosmic drone), and "Guitar Solo," which is like the more entertaining moments of your tripped-out buddies jamming in a garage. In between we find the chill drone of "ZAP!...That's Witchcraft," which must be near the top of my favorite song titles. "Antlers and Whiskers" mixes blaring horns with another good Terry Riley impression, while a touch of electronics find its way into "Twelve Tone Down" and "FFR 28 08 05."

This is a fun take on minimalism with a strong, grungy, urban twist. My father and I went to see the Japanese avant-metal band Boris a few months ago, after which he suggested that the band's height of guitar noise was like the sonic equivalent of blue smoke. I'm willing to attach a similar signifier to this album.

Sitaar Tah - 2007 - Tah

Quality: 3.75 out of 5
Trip-O-Meter: 4.25 out of 5

Sitaar Tah! is a Japanese ensemble of about 30 people focusing primarily on the, uh, sitar. The music itself is very cool with layers of sitars floating on top of electronics, organ, and I think some acoustic percussion. Obviously, the music owes quite a bit to Indian music, but there are plenty of modern sensibilities at work and the occasional strain of Japanese folk sounds (sitars and kotos are not that far off from each other). If you haven't caught on yet, I have a soft spot for sitar sounds, so this album got one foot in the door without even trying. It does live up to its promise in great part, but I do have one bone to pick concerning the production. My philosophy is that trance-inducing music works best with the ambiance of a secluded, ancient mountain temple, incense wafting through the air. Tah!!!, however, too often has more of a sterile studio sound. It makes me think of some of Bela Fleck's recordings production-wise, with all the instruments clearly separated and clearly defined. I suppose it works fine for Fleck's jazzy banjo aesthetic, but I do wish this album produced a touch more haze.

The record divides up pretty well into two camps - the first five tracks and the last one. That last one, entitled "Solo," is my favorite. It scraps percussion and actually produces some of the drifting production sounds that I enjoy. While there is a pad of sitar billowing out into the cosmos, I believe that some of the actual solo is performed on the koto. Maybe. The first five tracks are more of an electronic amalgam that hits and misses in about equal qualities. "In Sight" is a fine lead off track to acclimatize the listener to the ensemble's M.O. I also dig "Foyer" quite well; especially when freaky Terry Riley-esque sequenced organ tones begin invading the track in its second half. The three tracks in the middle are far from bad, but they do skirt close to the lamer side of electronica (like the drums in "Peering Into MNDR") and/or new age (like "Into Yaman Coir") a little more often than I'd like. Usually a crazed tabla appears just in time to course correct the music.

There is quite a lot going for the sounds of Sitaar Tah!(.) It's pretty hard to go wrong with a wall of sitars in my book, although there are a few annoying characteristics that I hope the group hashes out on other recordings. This is a wonderful album to provide droning weirdness to your day.

The Best Band Ever?

The Astral Projection - 1968 - Astral Scene

Quality: 4 out of 5
Trip-O-Meter: 4 out of 5

It could be the two manhattans that I just drank speaking, but I find this one exceptionally groovy. Even more than the Millennium's Begin, I feel like these cats are trying to induct me into some strange hippy cult. We'll dance around like the Brady Bunch on the days that Greg got high, sugarcubes in hand. That said, this sunshine pop is not musically in the same league as Curt Boettcher's productions (like the aforementioned Millennium), but I would go for this one before the 5th Dimension, and it's far trippier than the Mamas and the Papas. The Allmusic Guide mentioned that this was a studio construct and mostly exploitative of the counterculture scene, but I'll admit that I'm pretty well fooled.

Usually there are a few tracks on sunshine pop albums that leave me running in terror, but these tracks are exceptionally smooth. Yes, there is a pretty thick layer of cheese, but the orchestral arrangements hold just enough restraint to keep aware from complete kitsch, and the vocals are very well done. The keeper here is "The Happening People," which I hope ended up on some soundtrack for a low-budget counterculture documentary. I've also found myself humming "Whatta We Gotta Lose" is a few elevators. I'd like to think that the answer to that question is far more disturbing than the song. "Plant Your Seed" seeks to pose a misguided rebuttal to family planning, but in a very groovy way. I find most of the songs with parentheticals in the titles to stand out as well. These glue together the album concept of exploring the astral plane together, but I'd imagine that you have to join their cult before you do so. Hopefully it's a little more charitable than the Manson Family. Just as a little side note, the last track sounds like it REALLY wants to be a cover of Simon and Garfunkel's "Homeward Bound," but those hipsters in the Astral Projection just could quite justify paying residuals to those superstars.

If we look at this on a straight up taste level, a copy of this album should probably find itself flung out of the nearest window posthaste. Yet, giving this a listen fills me with peace, love, and the urge to watch one of those Brady Bunch episodes where the guys all have those Noel Redding 'fros. Maybe it will do the same for you.

Buy Me:
The Astral Projection - 1968 - Astral Scene

Grouper - 2007 - Wide

Quality: 4 out of 5
Trip-O-Meter: 4.5 out of 5

Most of my thoughts concerning Grouper in the review directly preceding this one pretty much relate to this album as well. Like Way Their Crept, Wide is an endless plunge into a hazy vortex of sound. I guess that this one rises ever so slightly above the aether. There is a little more of Ms. Liz Harris beating guitar strings (I think) through infinity, but this is still pretty unlikely to show up on your local top 40 station anytime soon. Once again, it's almost impossible to break this down into individual songs. If you put on Grouper, you best be in it for the entire 38 minute experience. As the rating above indicates, I'm not quite as infatuated with this one, but it goes nicely as a double feature with Way Their Crept. Our intrepid sound voyager does have another LP out which I haven't heard, but I'm hoping that a few stylistic changes appear. This is awesome music, but it could lead to quite a rut and I'd hate to think that Grouper is a one-trick pony. Well, we'll make it two tricks as I'm more than happy to pass on my recommendation for Wide.

Grouper - 2005 - Way Their Crept

Quality: 4.5 out of 5
Trip-O-Meter: 5 out of 5

I have to admit that I've been listening to this one pretty obsessively over the past two months or so. Grouper is not really a band, but one Liz Harris hailing from Portland, Oregon. On the surface, Harris' approach is a terrible idea. The majority of the sounds of this album is simply her voice run through a phalanx of echoplexes, delays, and other assorted reverb units. The songs are almost impossible to distinguish from each other, and the whole damn thing runs together. Yet there is a steady hand over the proceedings and the end result is just short of genius. I don't think I've run across a recording quite this hypnotic this side of Paul Horn's Inside.

While I've given Way Their Crept quite a few listens, I still feel unqualified to make much comment on the songs. The first track almost has discernible lyrics, and then everything plunges down a deep well for the rest of the album. The variety comes only in the density of the sound that you are experiencing at a single moment. I have trouble coming up with positives to express in words, yet I really dig this. Once again, I feel that Paul Horn is the best comparison, but while his music holds a very tenuous grip with jazz, Grouper's music hold an equally tenuous grip with shoegazing sounds.

I rarely find myself so infatuated with music, yet also find myself without the means to express the reasons why. Maybe this album is like the sirens' song. You best lash yourself to a masthead before hitting play on this one.

Andrew Rudin - 1967 - Tragoedia

Quality: 3.25 out of 5
Trip-O-Meter: 4.5 out of 5

This has to be one of the first Moog recordings out there. Andrew Rudin is very much part of the classical, technique-oriented school of electronic music. There's a very self-serious photo on the back of my LP along with thoughtful ruminations of the music and a short bio which states that Rudin taught at the Philadelphia Music Academy. Tragoedia is of a kin with Morton Subotnick's works and likely casts a spiteful eye on the more playful recordings of something like Perry and Kingsley. Be that as it may, this is pretty much one of those 'bleeps and bloops' sort of albums, and sometimes I have trouble justifying that this is much different than me dicking around on my Minimoog for 37 minutes. But I suppose that it's much better organized than that, at least on paper.

We've got four tracks here ranging from five to fifteen minutes and there's a ton of explanation for them in the liner notes than I'm too lazy to read. In my proletarian assessment, I'd say skip side one and go straight for side two. "Hybris" has some cool resonate Moog sounds, but once again I can dial that in on the Minimoog in 12 seconds or less (granted few people could do that in 1967). Side two is far more interesting in my humble opinion. "Peitho" is kind of like an insane, electrified "Flight of the Bumblebee." Better is the fifteen minute "Ate" (the 'e' has an accent but I'm not smart enough to know how to type it). The liner notes say it is "the quality of utter ruin and desolation resulting from (the first three tracks)." With the benefit of hindsight, I'd say it's more of a primitive precursor to Tangerine Dream's early long-form meditations. It's like an extra-planetary excursion much like a track such as "Alpha Centauri."

For your first venture into early electronic composition, scroll down through this blog posthaste for Morton Subotnick's "Silver Apples of the Moon." You seasoned sonic adventurers might give this a try. The doctor's advice is to start with track three and zone out to track four. If the first two get your attention as well, then consider it icing on the cake.

The Deep - 1966 - Psychedelic Moods

Quality: 4 out of 5
Trip-O-Meter: 4 out of 5

If you go by the cover, you'd probably guess that this is an early psychedelic exploitation album, and that would lead you off the mark. The Deep hailed from Philadelphia and did a fine job of assimilating the various strains of emerging psychedelic sounds. More notable, and what got my attention, is the fact that these guys seemed to have stumbled onto some of the Velvet Underground's signature sound a year before the first Velvet Underground (we're using VU from here on out) album appeared. Maybe the Deep hung out at Andy Warhol's happenings or something. Apparently, the leader of this band was one Rusty Evans. I believe he's responsible for the acid leads and songwriting. We'll credit him with psychic prescience as well.

"Color Dream" starts the album with a track that practically sounds like an outtake from the first VU album. "When Rain is Black" and "Shadows on the Wall" have a similar vibe to the VU's "Says" songs or third album in general. Then "Pink Ether" approximates the gothic vibe of something like "Venus in Furs." I guess it doesn't help that the Deep's main vocalist (Evans?) sings in a cadence remarkably similar to Lou Reed's. The truth is that I'm amazed by the VU comparisons, but we have tracks like "It's All a Part of Me" which comes across more like a garage hippy sing-a-long. Likewise, "Trip #76," probably the best known track here, is a very groovy psych-pop chant. "On Off -Off On" is more like Simon and Garfunkel on lots of amphetamines than the VU. I'd say the biggest freak out here is "Your Choice to Choose," which sounds like the 13 Floor Elevators playing backwards with Lou Reed ranting over it.

There are a few potential problems with the album, both of which you may be able to get around. First off is the tinny production sound. Listening to this straight through gives me a headache. The culprit may just be bad production (and there is a mono mix out there that I don't have as well), and one of the recent remasters may sound better. The lyrics also get psychedelically goofy. I can't defend the quality of the lyrics, but I will say that I quite enjoy them personally.

All in all, this is a album that deserves your ear. There is some solid, innovative, and obscure psychedelia at work here. And as you may have gleaned, there is a bonus jaw drop in store for those of you that groove to the Velvet Underground, especially since this album came out first.

Buy Me:
The Deep - 1966 - Psychedelic Moods

The New Hobbits - 1969 - Back From Middle Earth

Quality: 3.25 out of 5
Trip-O-Meter: 3 out of 5

I have to admit that I'm not a J.R.R. Tolkien fan. I've never been able to make it through the book despite several attempts, and I spent most of my time in the theater for the first Lord of the Rings movie doing my Mystery Science Theater impression (granted I also had a couple of martinis in my for that viewing). Fortunately, the New Hobbits don't seem to have more than a superficial connection to those works, although I imagine this may be unfortunate for some of you. What we get instead is some solid AM-pop in the mold of the Grass Roots. This music is far from experimental, but you will find so juicy hooks that might worm their way into your brain. It also features lower-fi, more ragged production than the more famous AM-pop herd. I see this as a positive thing.

The first track, "You Could Have Made it Easy," just happens to be one of the catchiest with a groovy horn arrangement and a propulsive beat. Many of the other tracks anticipate the soft rock of the 70's, so I'm more entertained by the paranoid Band rip-off entitled "The Devil's Gonna Get Me," even though it does feature an embarrassingly out-of-tune piano in the mix. "Underground" features what I consider the best melody on the disc and drifts the closest to the psych/sunshine pop sphere. "Love Can Set You Free" is like the pauper prison's rendition of "All You Need is Love."

There's a couple of keepers here, but this is more like the album you might have bought from the house band at the Holiday Inn after an evening of business dinner binge drinking in 1969, not that I've ever been a businessman or alive in 1969 (although I think I have stayed at a Holiday Inn). Still, if you can live with that comparison, then you will probably find something to enjoy here. For me, I guess the key appeal here is with the "You Could Have Made it Easy," "Underground," and the very groovy cover art.

Terry Riley - 1980 - Shri Camel

Quality: 4.75 out of 5
Trip-O-Meter: 5 out of 5

We have a soft spot for Terry Riley at the Psychedelic Garage. This album presents some of his more obscure recordings, but it's not for lack of quality. The basic framework here remains Riley's interlocking patterns or organ tones, but there is an attempt to meld his music with more eastern tones, especially those of the Indian variety. While it doesn't make any major stylistic changes, it's enough to distinguish this one from masterworks such as "In C" or "A Rainbow in Curved Air."

There are four tracks on this album, but I'd suggest that they probably fit in pairs. "Anthem of the Trinity" and "Across the Lake of the Ancient World" explore similar droning, lower level motifs more like what you'd hear with "In C." "Celestial Valley" and "Desert of Ice" tend to sparkle more and display more sonic relief. The eastern influence is subtle, but you'll hear it in small patches of melody wafting around through the lattuce of keyboard patterns. Riley also benefits here from clear studio production as all of the different threads of sound are distinguishable and clear.

I haven't heard anything by Riley that did not end up entrancing me and bring me back for multiple listens. This album is not exception. Yes, this music is technically minimalist, but there is a world of sound and infinite combinations available for the dedicated listener. You should hear this unless you simply have an absolute distaste for this tributary of music (yes, we are far from the mainstream).

Taj Mahal Travellers - 1972 - July 15, 1972

Quality: 4 out of 5
Trip-O-Meter: 4.75 out of 5

Here's an early sound expedition from our heroes of the 70's Japanese avant-garde. This is the kind of sound that it's pretty hard to put a finger on. You won't find yourself humming (or even remembering) what this band does, but you very well may find yourself coming back to the recordings often. I like to be disoriented by music and be puzzled by what exactly is in the instrumental mix. The Taj Mahal Travellers are masters of those particular traits.

There are three tracks present here, and considering that this band peddles amorphous sound, I'd say they there is a reasonable amount of stylistic variation. While not necessarily a rip-off, the first track recalls the interstellar sound journeys of early Tangerine Dream. Think of it as the further explorations of Alpha Centauri or Ultima Thule. The second track makes me think of hanging outside of a disintegrating Buddhist temple with a fellow playing a broken accordion. It does have a touch of throat singing, and I'm always a sucker for that. The final track attempts to lull you into a hypnotic state with a droning fiddle. The attempt is nice, but I'm a cello player and I like to hear lower register, less scratchy strings.

A good 90% of the populace would probably dismiss something like this as pointless noise. If you've taken the time to read through the Psychedelic Garage, I'd wager that you very well may be open to these sounds and fit in that last 10%. It's not elitism; some of us are just crazier than other and this disc will fuel your insanity.

East Bionic Symphonia - 1976 - Live

Quality: 3.75 out of 5
Trip-O-Meter: 4.5 out of 5

I came across these musicians in a listing with a bunch of other 'out there' Japanese artists. For better or for worse, this is all I know about their background. The music presented here is very much in the 70 Japanese avant-garde tradition, with washes of ambient noise and a few hints of Japanese folk sounds invading the mix. This album is listed as live, and I imagine some kind of strange museum art instillation with slowly shifting colored lights as the band drones on.

We get two tracks here, both seemingly scraping stardust from the upper regions of the stratosphere. The first track stays squarely in the realm of the mystical, with echoed koto and throaty chants hovering above occasionally minimal, but usually absent percussion. In general, the second track is in the same ballpark as the first, but there is more hand percussion present. It's still pretty far from the mainstream as their more together moments still sounds like something Sun Ra would cook up in his odder moments.

I seem to have a weird addiction to this kind of experimental music, and except for a few screeching string sounds, this collection of sound pretty well fits the bill. This is not really music for the uninitiated, but there are some pleasures to be found here for the abstract sound junkie.

Paul Masse - 1968 - Butterfly Lake

Quality: 3.25 out of 5
Trip-O-Meter: 3 out of 5

Butterfly Lake doesn't bat with the A-listers of the 60's, but for those of us looking for our fix of obscure psych pop, we could do far worse. Goofy lyrics abound flanked by syrupy strings - there isn't really much in the way of edge here. Paul Masse's voice itself isn't really for the ages, but it is pleasant and adds enough dimension to the music to make it interesting. This is music for a breezy, warm Sunday afternoon.

The key track by far is the title track. It becomes more than the sum of its parts as it juxtaposes AM radio ready pop with murder ballad lyrics. Even with a few minor chords thrown in, Mr. Masse doesn't sound too despondent about the drowning incident that he's singing about. The strings with happy pop element doesn't really change much over the course of the album. This is more of comfort food music - especially if you're a lobotomized acid eater (sometimes even I don;t know if I'm complementing or criticizing). As a warning, the cheese factor triples after the fifth track, so you might want to stop this one early if you don't have much tolerance for that. The lyrics of "Dream Along" might actually cause vomiting. This album is pretty rigidly front loaded with the better tracks. Side one probably rates a four or slightly under while side two dares to sing about the magic flea.

Go ahead and strike the cheese alarm on this one. If you have a stomach for some cheese, however, you'll probably find some pleasures on the first half of this one. That's like 15 minutes of solid, but schmaltzy, psych pop if you're in the market for that.

Les Mogol - 1971 - Dances and Rhythms of Turkey of Yesterday and Today

Quality: 3.5 out of 5
Trip-O-Meter: 2.75 out of 5

As the trip-o-meter indicates, this is far from the most psychedelic thing you'll hear at the Psychedelic Garage. Les Mogol were a group of Turkish string players focused for the most part on the folk styles of their native country. This was the late 60's, however, and these young fellows tried to add a bit of psychedelic flourish to keep up with the times. Unlike typical psychedelic exploitation, it works really well on this album and presents an interesting counterpoint to the more straight ahead stuff.

"Lorke," which is the first full song on the album, is about as psychedelic as the album gets with a Turkish melody played on organ glides upon trance-like percussion. It's a pretty cool melding of styles. "Ilgaz" follows with a style more representative of the album. The tune comes across as having roots in Turkish folk, but the structure and instrumentation is a nod toward the San Francisco rock sound. Most of the highlights come closer to the end of the album. "Ziganalar'dan Gecis" fares well by focusing on some of the more exotic string instruments. "Mogol Halay" ups the psych quotient with some fuzzed-out guitar leads and "Cigrik" comes across as a proper psychedelic pop song.

The execution is not quite as assured as it could be, and there are some noticible bland stretches on this album, but it's worth a listen or two for the highlight. We practically demand that modern music makes an attempt at genre bending, but this is pretty far ahead of the curve in that respect, and it make Les Mogol historically interesting if nothing else.

Fantastikoi Hxoi - 2008 - Kyriaxoi Tou Sympantos

Quality: 4 out of 5
Trip-O-Meter: 4.25 out of 5

This album comes to us via the rocky hills of Greece. Although I have no idea how to say their band name, I can say that this is a solid collection of music that needs more exposure. Throughout the span of this double album, Fantastikoi Hxoi sends us careening through shoegazing, metronomic kraut rock, straight-up psychedelia, and what I believe is a touch of Greek folk music. All of this is paired up with some pristine production that rarely sounds cheap and presents very professional sound textures. Texture is paramount here; there is not much in the way of pop song structure, and I see most of these tracks as sound paintings.

In all truthfulness, this is one of those double albums that would probably work better as one, but there are plenty of highlights to sink your teeth into. After a short intro, "Aggeloi" presents itself as a quintessential electronic shoegazing track. Also of note on the first disc is the Greek freak folk of "Mayrh Trypta," which eventually devolves (or evolves) into something Manuel Gottsching would have been proud of in the late 70's. "Morka" also stands out as the sort of electro-shoegazing track that Ulrich Schnauss is known for, but once again with an interesting Greek folk twist. The second disc is even better, with less filler hanging around. "Pyramida" makes an nod to lounge music while maintaining a Neu-worthy beat, while "H Palia Edem" entertains with some groovy percussion and oddly-reverbed chanting vocals. The closing track even inches towards a J-pop (as in Japanese) happiness while an 80's synth riff drives it on.

This may not be the best music you'll hear this year, but it will definitely rank at the top of your unsigned band lists. There are plenty of styles on Fantastikoi Hxoi's palette and they manage to mix them quite well for the most part. I'd love to see them focus their sound and hone their songwriting for the next album; the playing and textures are firmly in place now.