The Squid's Ear
Writing about improvised, contemporary, experimental and unusual music,
following the activities of Squidco...
  •  •  •     Join Our Mailing List!



The Squid's Ear




Heard In

Reviews of artist releases:
cd's, books, magazines, &c.


  Gurumaniax 
  Psy Valley Hill
  (Bureau B) 


  
   review by Jeph Jerman
  2011-01-19
Gurumaniax: Psy Valley Hill (Bureau B)

Drummer Mani Neumeier late of Guru Guru, and guitarist Ax Genrich, are joined by bassist Guy Segers from Universe Zero for a "let's lay down some sounds before we can't anymore" jam, and succeed in resurrecting the ghost of Krautrock. Not having heard very much of this genre I can't comment on how it compares to the "classic" recordings, but for what it is, it's a fun listen. This kind of jamming can become tedious really quickly, but through good playing and listening, and some well-placed textural elements, these guys manage to keep things interesting.

"Drumoroto" kicks off with a driving beat and once it gets going turns into a nice Psych-rock work out, building to a couple of peaks and settling back down. "Spaceship Memory" is, as its name implies, spacier, with whines, groans and synth sounds oscillating between speakers before a throbbing beat starts up. The longest track here, it takes its time getting going. "Telefonladies" has bits of disembodied telephone operator voices floating through, and these are just about the only vocals on the album, except for a bit of yodeling from Neumeier on "Ghost Of Odin".

"Voodoo Touch" is jazzier, with a swing beat underneath the synth sweeps which gradually starts to unravel a bit, creating some tension. "Electrosaurus" starts with a crunching sound and continues with highly reverberated guitar and synth. Probably the most atmospheric thing here, the beat kind of floats before disappearing altogether. And so it goes. Not a groundbreaking session by any means, but hey, what will you be doing when you're 70?





Comments and Feedback:



More Recent Reviews, Articles, and Interviews @ The Squid's Ear...


The Squid's Ear presents
reviews about releases
sold at Squidco.com
written by
independent writers.

Squidco

Recent Selections @ Squidco:


Marty Ehrlich/
Julius Hemphill:
Circle the Heart
[CD + DOWNLOAD]
(Relative Pitch)



John Butcher:
Away, I Was
[CD + DOWNLOAD]
(Relative Pitch)



Joel Futterman:
Absorb
[DIGITAL RELEASE]
(Squid Note Records)



Joel Futterman:
Reflective
[DIGITAL RELEASE]
(Squid Note Records)



Rainer Jancis/
Elliott Sharp:
Uhhuu
(zOaR Records)



Memphis Metaphysics (
Moses/
Westgaard/
Oswald/
Edmaiston/
Cheli):
Memphis Metaphysics
(Sonic Transmissions Records)



Steve Lehman Trio +
Mark Turner:
The Music of
Anthony Braxton
(Pi Recordings)



John Cage:
Chamber Works 1943-1951
(Another Timbre)



Fieldwork (
Iyer/
Lehman/
Sorey):
Thereupon
(Pi Recordings)



Angharad Davies/
Burkhard Beins:
Meshes Of The Evening
[VINYL]
(NI-VU-NI-CONNU)



Morton Feldman/
GBSR Duo w/ Taylor MacLennan:
Trios
[6 CD BOX SET]
(Another Timbre)



Jessica Williams:
Blue Abstraction:
Prepared Piano Project
1985-1987
[VINYL]
(Pre-Echo Press)



Daniel Levin/
Laurent Estoppey:
Freedom From The Known
[VINYL]
(ezz-thetics by
Hat Hut Records
Ltd)



Kai Fagaschinski:
Aerodynamics
[VINYL 2 LPs]
(NI-VU-NI-CONNU)



Liz Allbee:
Breath Vessels
[VINYL]
(NI-VU-NI-CONNU)



Kris Davis and
The Lutoslawski Quartet:
Solastalgia Suite
(Pyroclastic Records)



Ernesto Rodrigues/
Guilherme Rodrigues:
Pico
(Creative Sources)



Ernesto Rodrigues/
Ines Ferreira/
Carlos Santos/
Monsieur Trinite:
Cimetiere des Bateaux
(Creative Sources)



Evan Parker/
Andrea Centazzo:
Bullfighting On Ice!
Live In Padova
1977
[VINYL]
(Ictus Remastered Collection)



Alvin Curran/
Andrea Centazzo/
Evan Parker:
Real Time
[VINYL]
(Ictus Remastered Collection)







Squidco
Click here to
advertise with
The Squid's Ear






The Squid's Ear pays its writers.
Interested in becoming a reviewer?




The Squid's Ear is the companion magazine to the online music shop Squidco !


  Copyright © Squidco. All rights reserved. Trademarks. (40030)