LSD March - Nikutai No Tubomi [Beta-lactum Ring Records - 2008]This new double disk set from Japanese psychedelic rock/ folk/ out-there group shows them offering up one sprawling, crawling, jammed- out and ominous psychedelic rock cd long track. And 8 smaller tracks that dip into psychedelic ritual music, improvised music, lo-fi dada electronics,avant- jazz and all manner of fun & chaos. Aubade fills the whole of the first disk with it’s near on 40 minute sonic bulk. It’s all Starts off like a drugged out and ominous, take on Tangerine dream at their darkest and most corrupt with throbbing synth, guitar feedback yawning and general psychedelic bad karma. At about the 6 minute mark things brighten up somewhat as we get thrown into a slow chugging gully of guitar and drum heavy cymbal work. With some still stoned but nicely harmonic guitar soloing going on over the top, this stumbles on until about twenty minute mark where the drums pick-up and some hazed Japanese vocals drift in & out, while the jammed- out feeling carries on, but in a slightly more upbeat but no less messed up form. The second disk is more varied, quirky and out-there. Opening the title track which is a strange, hazy and hypnotic mix of bells, rock drum set rolls & mumbled Japanese vocals. Later on with the track Love we drop into a tripped-out carnival gone wrong mix of echoed spacey effects, weaving horror film/ merry-go- mad organ, lo-if electronics and big muffled vocals. The albums topped off with overloaded and bash like mad drums, happy sawing harmonica playing of Holy Ghost, which feels like the soundtrack to watching speeded up, then slowed down film of barn dancing while beign in a strange colour shifting acid hazy. Like the rest of the disk,completely mad and shouldn’t really work but somehow mangers to pull it off.
A suitable screwed-up, atmospheric, stoned, to completely bonkers double disk set. Nicely balanced with the mammoth but lovely first disks long track and the second disk with its handful of smaller and more demented sonic treats. Roger Batty
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