You may already have the originals, or have read reviews
from when they originally came out, but I thought, even after many previous
listens, I’d put on the headphones and write a bit about the experience again,
provided by the three cosmonauts, Dave “Sula Bassana” Schmidt, Komet Lulu and Marcus
Schnitzler.
Mind Explosion was recorded in Feldkirch, Austria in
September 2013, and kicks off with Trip to the Moon which slowly begins to
build with a percussion mixed with space like effects, elevating you above the
atmosphere and out in to the cold night sky. The repetition of the drums gets
louder and louder and the cymbals crash at a more furious pace and the effects
start twisting at you as the soaring guitars interject themselves into the mix
and place you in that cosmic nod state and hold you there for several more
minutes. I’m guessing that at around the 13 minute mark is when they have
reached the moon as the track levels off and all three instruments play
together with a more reflective vibe to them before the underlying hypnotic
beat falls back into place for your return to Earth, that starts heavy and
abrasive before concluding atmospherically into the night.
Kaleidoscopepeephole feels like several soundscapes layered
over one another, like the constant repetitive change of a kaleidoscope. Like a
22 minute cosmic jam, they create a sound that has been captured perfectly in
the live setting. Throughout, it twist and turns from a more laid back vibe to
a near freak out at times to that heavy space like psych that all three members
have more than mastered.
As The Picture takes off you can pick out the noises of the audience in the background that gives you that proper “at a gig” feel to the recording. Musically this feels like the heaviest of the 4 tracks, like a big epic space rock jam that doesn’t let up for the full 17 minutes. The ever present hypnotic and sometimes drone like percussion drives it at pace, with a whirlwind of guitar effects fed into the mix so that you know this is Electric Moon.
Title track Mind Explosion starts with a lot more keyboard
effects which feel more mind-warp and robotic that the usual sounds of outer
space. They slide nicely into the rhythm of the track that feels slightly
different to the rest as the guitar loses its big intensity and has more of a
raw early Pink Floyd and definitely a lot more trippy. Like any good album
though, the last 5 minutes build everything to a huge crescendo with all
instruments blazing before that final comedown, something the band are so good
at writing and performing.
Theory of Mind was recorded at the Kosmodrom in Heidelberg,
Germany in February 2014, with Hypnotika starting distant and dreamlike, almost
as though you are floating through a place beyond the stars. The keyboard
effects and synth noises have an almost sinister feel to them as though
something is approaching from the heavens, not knowing if it is good or evil.
The bassline starts to take hold of you and the rolling of drums and crashing
of cymbals intensifies with the soaring space rock guitar lines pull everything
from left to right, then back again in an almost “at sea” swaying motion. As
the trip continues I still get the feeling that however heavy and psychedelic
it feels, the atmosphere created has a more dangerous “edge of your seat”
serious feel to it. I don’t remember feeling this last time a listened to it,
but that’s the magic of what Electric Moon can do to you.
The track Theory of Mind is something rather special. It
starts slowly with a warm inviting feel to it with some almost hypnotic wah-wah
guitar. I’m sure I read a review when it first came out saying they could
picture hippies dancing in a field near Glastonbury at this point, and yes, I
can see what they meant. As the flow of the track takes off and the guitar
takes you up there to some place special, you can see and feel the warm colours
melt into each other, time and time again. The bass and drum work is inch
perfect as they hold you as you walk the warm psychedelic path into the summer’s
night. At around 12 minutes the bass really kicks in and the freak out explodes
as wave after wave of soaring guitars push you aside before one last final
sonic blast.
A slightly shorter version of The Picture (mentioned earlier) has a more abrasive and sonic feel to it this time round, and fits right into the vibe of the record due to the huge expansiveness of its sound.
Aerosoul finishes everything off with a more atmospheric
vibe to the trip. The sparse opening teases you with distant keyboards and
effects as though you are alone on a distant planet a long way from Earth.
Behind the guitars and feedback, both drums and bass create another drone like
soundscape that keeps your head nodding in time. There’s a lot more feedback
used as the track moves on to create more sonic effects to compliment the
overall feel of Aerosoul and its near trance like state.
It’s always a pleasure writing about Electric Moon as like I
have said previously, no matter how many times I listen to their numerous
recordings, nothing ever sounds the same twice. I would be hard pressed to pick
a favourite between these two records, so you’ll have to make sure you own them
both to decide.
Both the band and label have done another special job in
re-releasing both albums and Lulu’s brilliant artwork on both truly carries the
vibe of each record. If you want them, then don’t hang around as both are on
limited run with cover matching colored vinyl.
Luckily between Worst
Bassist Records and Sulatron Records, there should be more Electric Moon on the
horizon soon.
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