Kohoutek - Lossless Loss **VINYL ONLY**
Limited edition two color vinyl (orange and white!) gatefold packaging! HOT!Available Now!
Improvised experimental psych-rock excursion infused with traces of Free Jazz, Krautrock, and electronic fizzleLossless Loss, the second studio album from Mid-Atlantic improv collective Kohoutek, covers most of the dynamic stylistic range Kohoutek is known for: abstract and textural sound, atmospheric rock, harsh noise freakouts, clattering percussion, guitar heroics, and alien electronics congealing to form a multihued psychedelic extravaganza. Recorded deep in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia in September 2007, the five members embarked on a psilocybic twilight journey, and this 44-minute aural excursion is the result. No overdubs and minimal editing create an experience as close as possible to a Kohoutek performance. With longtime core members Scott Verrastro (percussion, flute), Craig Garrett (bass) and Scott Allison (electronics) augmented by Vic Salazar (electric guitar) and Damian Languell (vocals, harmonica, clarinet, didgeridoo, Space Echo), Kohoutek forge their own path in the improv universe, and Lossless Loss is another burning fragment of this fleeting sonic comet.
Track Listing: Reviewed by Andy Beresky (www.FuzzRock.com)
Prophase Music
Available now
I'll give Kohoutek credit - they've been along for awhile now, and every time they release new material (or I see them live...), I don't know what to expect. Their "anything goes" approach to psych rock puts them in the same experimental camp as bands like Sunburned Hand Of The Man.
On Losslessloss, which is a beautifully packaged vinyl only release, the band dive right into surreal, free jazz influenced soundscapes. Think Claude Debussy composing on too much of Woodstock's fabled brown acid, or Bitches Brew on some serious downers, and you're in the right ballpark. It's obviously improvised, with some repeating melodic themes giving it cohesiveness, and it's quite obvious that these guys have jammed together quite a bit, in various altered states of consciousness.
The instrumentation isn't your typical guitar/bass/drums setup, there's a lot of electronic effects going on, along with some "effected" woodwind instruments such as flute and clarinet. There aren't any riffs or songs in the traditional sense either, and the rhythms are sparse and free-flowing.
On the first side of the LP, they pick up the pace a bit halfway through, with some guitar playing that's as noisy as it is bluesy, punctuated by electronic flange sweeps and a loose, dub influenced groove from the rhythm section. Side B immediately starts out more frenzied and otherwordly before dissolving into the bliss of electronic bleeps and blurps. Even the electronics have an organic, warm sound to them though, and as noisy as Kohoutek can be at times, they never really venture too far into harsh or abrasive territories. Vocals drift in and out, along with bizarre drones and scrapes, before they peak it out in a trance inducing rave up.
If you're into psych rockers that take it as far out as they possibly can every time they jam, this record is a definite must have. You'll hear different things with each listen, different melodies or parts will jump out, as there's a lot going on, and a lot to take in. For fans of Acid Mothers Temple, Sunburned Hand of the Man, and all things acid damaged, recommended.