On The Hi-Fi Part 22

Forest Of Evil II - Frank Reidy & Eric Allen (De Wolfe)
This would have to be in my top 5 library LPs of all time. Splendid Haunted Arrangements from 1981. Strings and electronics. Perfect for days like these. The title says it all. Class and quality all the way. This shit should get a reissue, can't recall where I found this though. I've been tryin' to track down Volume 1 for years now but to no avail.

Cold Nose - Franco Falsini
For fans of mellow kosmiche. Laconic atmospheric guitar and electronics from this Italian chap recorded in 1975. Reissued last year on the fine Spectrum Spools label

Tellus #13 Power Electronics - Various Artists
Downloaded this from UbuWeb and wow what a revelation. Only a couple of familiar names here for me Merzbow, f/i and Rhys Chatham. The rest ?? But the rest are fucking great. Who'd heard of Merzbow in 1985? The guys at Tellus were certainly documenting the cutting edge. I'm loving the track excerpt from between Space by Psyclones which is prime space rock electronics with radio and turntable manipulation by the sounds. The Heaviest from Master/Slave Relationship is a gas that sounds like it could come from the current cassette underground. Joseph Nechvatal's track How To Kill is an Oswaldian deconstruction of Janet Jackson's Nasty Boys. There's even a Christian Industrial band, Blackhouse, amidst these nihilistic fiends. Anyway that's just the tip of the iceberg. There's plenty more. Controlled Bleeding are here who once did a split LP with Maybe Mental who also feature with 2 tracks.  A lot of these bands recorded for the Ladd-Frith cassette label which was run by Brian Ladd of Blackhouse & Julie Frith of Psyclones. Other labels connected to these groups include Sub Rosa, Subterranean, Staalplat, RRRrecords etc so you know it's quality. F/i finish the set with the most er... rock (if you can call it that) track which sent me on this mission of rediscovery....

Space Mantra - F/i
This is classic space rock from 1988. Space Mantra is possibly the greatest scuzz psych/space rock LP of the 80s. Who else was doing anything remotely like this in the mid to late 80s? These are sonic transmissions from amongst the space debris. Occasionally stopping off in clangorous ethnic tribal colonies. This deep space rock drifts into black corridors then blasts itself out of the vortex. This is all driven by these Galaxian rockers F/i from er... Milwaukee. Then there are the rest of their 80s records The Split LP,  Why Not Now?.... Alan,  Paradise Out Here and The Past Darkly compilation which are all gold (More on those another time).

More Kosmische

Bataille Solaire-Baal Shamash et son char Celeste

This tape is a bewdy. It's somewhere along the the lines of atmospheric kosmische synth/organ/space/drone, occasionally slipping in and out wormholes. Sometimes heavenly at other times delving into the darkness. It's a true sonic journey not staying in the one place too long which is a bit different for this kind of thing. Sometimes hypnotic and then disorientating. This is a top shelf synth record from out of the blue and fast becoming one of my favourite records of the year. Cheers to Bataille Solaire and surprises. (thanks to you know who you are for recommending this). I know next to nothing about them which kind of adds to the mystique of it all.



Outer Space - Akashic Record (Events: 1986-1990)



Something must be in the air this week or is it amongst the stars and the planets? This is another LP that is loosely Kosmische in stylee. Finally tracked down this cracker from Outer Space. Beautifully recorded intergalactic electronics on Akachic Record (Events: 1986-1990). They are definitely getting out there into rarely travelled zones. John Elliot from Emeralds along with several other colleagues have probably created the most electric Kosmische LP since, well, the last Emeralds LP. The fidelity of this record has to be experienced through headphones to be believed, it so cool and crisp. This could be the best solo outing ever from an Emeralds member and believe me there have been some real good ones. Usually I think records are too long and could be trimmed a little but this left me wanting more. Spectrum Spools have done it again this year. This must be at least their 4th great release of the year.



Motion Sickness of Time Travel (part II)

I did such a bad attempt at a review of their latest self-titled double LP on Spectrum Spools I thought they deserved another try. For me it all started with the tape Seeping Through The Veil of Unconsciousness on Digitalis. This came out of the blue for me and was a cut above the rest of the field with their unique pretty haunting echoes and immersive electronic drift. In my top 5 for 2010. I thought they were going to struggle to top this but they have at least twice.

An auspicious introduction.

Then there was Awakening a 3 track tape which may have been recorded earlier than the previous tape I'm not sure. More vague allusive bubbling drones, haunting ebbs and flows with waves of of wordless vocals. Side B gains an atmospheric intensity.

Released on Dial Square Tapes

I think I have missed a few in between(try a gazillion, check bandcamp) but my next one was the 2011 classic Luminaries & Synastry. This release containing shorter tracks. Is this their attempt at a pop album? Dunno about that. Electronic pulses, synth ambience and even some textural guitar. There may have even been words hidden in the swarms of buried of vocals. I described it in my top 11 LPs of 2011 as all the Vs - vaporous, vague and vacuous. All meant as compliments. Lovely.



Did you read your Stars today?



Now for my 2nd attempt to make this album sound as appealing as it is. Motion Sickness of Time Travel's self titled 2012 epic double LP. They really stretch out here with side long tracks and it suits them. They voyage out into the the cosmos in a holy manner with heavenly pulsating tones Tripping through intergalactic aquatic landscapes and then into ominous black holes and back again. Nobody has come up with a true Kosmische masterpiece such as this since the 1970s.



Rating - A Galaxy.