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The first album was good - a bit different from what you might have expected from the psychedlic leader of the Western World, Gong's Daevid Allen but this - THIS!!!!!! - is mind-blowing. The opening instrumental erupts in a lightning ball of guitar chords, almost Zeppelin/Page for just a few seconds, before this monster rhythm from bass and drums, cuts a phased path across the landscape as a wicked glissando guitar line, right up front, travels across the speakers, and Barrett-era Floyd 'Interstellar' guitarscapes sear a burning path through the heart of it as a scorching electric guitar solos loud and hard - just incredible stuff and the sort of album intro you only dreamt possible until now. Then, in a few seconds of guitar chording reminiscent of Zappa's 'Watermelon In Easter Hay' (which I could actually imagine being covered by Daevid with added gliss), a thoroughly gorgeous slice of crooning songwriting so typical of Allen at his absolute best, gradually starts to build, but the addition of the strong foundations of wicked bass and electric guitar give a cohesion to the piece that, even in his vintage days, Allen rarely sounded so strong doing.
Track three, and thence the whole album, exhibits all the best musical, writing and singing strengths that made the very best Allen works sound so legendary, and the way they use the glissando takes you right back to the seventies. Yet it is this mixture with the muscular polyrhythms and almost Fripp-like searing guitar leads and backdrops that, as a whole, make the album something very special indeed, the combination charged with electrifying excitement from track to track, so much so that, while you are loving every minute of what you are hearing, you can't wait to see what's around the corner. Neither musician has sounded this confident in such a context before, while the quality of production, writing and delivery is at a peak throughout. It's not 'like' Gong - more powerful and guitar-based with a diamond-tipped rhythmic arrow aimed straight and true to your heart - but open-minded fans will love it and those of us who want something that mixes modern controlled power with seventies atmospherics will thrill to it without fail - a remarkable and unhesitatingly recommended album.
Andy G - CD Services
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