Relaps

Re-release of a Belgian band’s work from 84-86 that smacks so much of Soft Machine, Matching Mole, Zappa, Henry Cow, King Crimson that I am ashamed to say that I came close to living out my entire life without ever hearing of them (oh how I love you, Cuneiform Records! Let me count the ways in 13/16th timing). Honestly, this is the holy grail of bent prog: pianos, violin, brass/woodwinds, guitar, kitchen sink, sultry lower back of orgasmic woman (pretty sure that’s in there). Play with Birdsongs of the Mesozoic and the names I just dropped, or even Bitches Brew Miles Davis or John McLaughlin’s ‘Vishnu Orch or goddamned Black Flag or …. Damn good smoking stuff!!! Recorded live to beat all too. Dang!.... All tracks great, seriously.

1) driving and intensesoprano sax dominates this perfect melding of the musicality of a Soft Machine and a loopiness of a Zappa, is actually an intro to the next track which is…
2) a tad introspective to start, dramatic like King Crimson but picks up and smashes about (you expect Fripp to rise from the carnage and lay waste to all with his wall of metal chords)
3) not as balls out driving, slower if I may say, bent and twisted
4) radio friendly length, but mellow/dynamic, clarinet plays large part
5) very slow and pensive to start, dark really, but the light shines in with the sax
6) pots and pan percussion joins spacey synth to start, melodic clarinet, and the thing ebbs and flows with bizarre almost noisey walls of interjections, obtuse for sure
7) an 18 minute track that starts very mellow and sparse and waits til midway to shift into something very atypical, almost Byrne/Eno’esque in its slightly industrial yet accessibility, cant figure this one out except I know a great track when I hear one especially with the insanity it ends with
8) a briefer yet dissonant and bent piece