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/ BLOWN OUT LISTEN TO THIS RELEASE VIA BANDCAMP BELOW
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LIMITED EDITION COLOURED (250 GREEN / 250 PURPLE) VINYL LP. HOUSED IN A 350GSM BOARD PRINTED OUTER SLEEVE WITH BLACK INNER BAG SLEEVE ARTWORK - ONE SLEEVE WITH TWO 'FRONTS'. TURN IT WHICH WAY YOU PREFER
ORDER VIA THE WEBSHOP OR BANDCAMP SITE (IF STILL AVAILABLE)
LP Tracklisting
A. COMACOZER - BinBeal (17:58)
B. BLOWN OUT - Terraform / Void Sucker /
Hook Up The Telepath (19:54)
The first slab in a possible new split
series titled 'In Search Of Highs'
Both the bands here are instrumental
trio's, BLOWN OUT (UK) & COMACOZER (Australia) are interlinked by
history and their shared love of sonic psych explorations and both are
here for Phase 1 of this cosmic experience.
You will no doubt already know the two
bands gracing this first slab of wax. They're from worlds apart,
geographically that is, but musically are very much on the same plain.
Both bands have multiple releases behind
them, and this one is sure to pick them up new fans aplenty.
Blown Out deliver three relatively short
(for them) blasts, channelling their inner Stooges / Marble Sheep
coming on like grand funk space lords. Three tracks of groove sonics
and head changes.
Comacozer go the opposite route and slide
in with another of their trademark epic trips, that sucks everything
around it into it's own cosmic gloop.
There are 500 copies available. Half
pressed on green wax and half on purple. Take your pick, or pick both.
REVIEWS
So the question is...how do you follow
something like that Anthroprophh album? Well, with something just as
heavy and just as powerful of course...and this one fits the bill
perfectly. 'In Search Of Highs Vol. 1' is the first in an exciting new
series (we hope!) from Riot Season. This first volume sees a
cosmic pairing - 2 leviathans of fuzz (both favourites of this blog)
who, despite being from opposite sides of this revolving lump of rock,
have a shared love of all things loud, heavy and fuzzy - namely Blown
Out and Comacozer. It is an inspired pairing and if this is
indicative of how this series could pan out then it could be something
very, very exciting indeed.
Blown Out need no introduction to regular
readers of this blog. The band, from North East UK, have a prodigious
output and their distinctive sound has garnered many, many discerning
fans. The one thing for which they are known is their penchant for
long, nay epic, galactic forays that see an album consisting of just
two tracks, so it comes as some surprise to see that their
contribution to this album is 3 tracks, 2 of which are sub 6 minutes.
However, fear not readers, because these tracks flow so beautifully
that they form a seamless whole...a suite of songs if you will. 'Terraform'
sees the band instantly launching into what they do best...huge riffs
that roll out of the speakers like some cosmic tsunami.. the
distinctive repetitive bass over which Mike Vest weaves his magic.
Vest has an uncanny way with his guitar, it is controlled mayhem -
genuine freakout psych but you always feel that Vest has a hold on it,
there's no danger of it running wild - a tightness of form that allows
a freedom of expression. It is this control that make Blown Out what
they are...absolute masters of heavy, spacey psych...there really is
no-one to touch them. 'Void Sucker' is under five minutes in length
but what it lacks in length it makes up for in sheer psychedelic
power. A tad faster than 'Terraform' but speed isn't the key with this
band..it's about the density and this is dense! Layers of roiling
riffs over a rock-solid rhythm section.....it's like a heavy
psychedelic amuse bouche. 'Hook Up The Telepath' is the final
track from Blown Out and, after an extended, dissonant intro full of
feedback and squalls of static, settles into another superlative jaunt
around the solar system accompanied by more black hole sized riffs and
pummelling drums. There really is no-one quite like Blown Out.
Denizens of Australia, Comacozer are
another band beloved by this blog and 'In Search Of Highs' sees them
contribute what may well be their best yet. Just the one track, 'BinBeal',
but what a track! Opening in a slow and sedate fashion with trippy
wah-wah and undulating bass, it really lulls you into a false sense of
tranquillity. The build-up is slow, so slow that it becomes almost
unnoticable....the drums enter and become more pronounced, the
bassline becomes more strident and that guitar...heavenly! It is
around the ten minute mark when the full Comacozer effect hits..the
guitar transforms from benevolent peace bringer to a harbinger of doom
- quite literally. When it comes to full blown psychedelic doom,
no-one can touch these guys...they take the doom tropes of heaviness,
of slow, down-tuned guitars but combine it with a light psychedelic
touch. Seriously, and I've been saying this for a while now, these
guys should be huge! From thereon in the track ebbs and flows, after a
period of scorching psych it settles back down to the same hypnotic
blissfulness from the start. The twenty minute or so span of the track
positively flies by..a tour de force of psychedelic doom.
Much credit must go to Andy at Riot Season
- the whole 'In Search Of Highs' concept is an exciting one and I
sincerely hope that there is more to come. This particular pairing,
however, is inspired - the cosmic heaviness of Blown Out works so well
with the no less psychedelic but more doom inflected track from
Comacozer, two sides of the same coin if you will - two bands on top
of their game and contributing to a wonderful, wonderful album. The
album is released on March 16th and I would get yourself down to local
retailer to score one because they have (unsurprisingly) sold out on
pre-order via Riot Season.
In what looks to be the first in a new
series of split releases from the ever excellent Riot Season label, In
Search Of Highs Volume 1 takes two underground space rock giants,
and puts them against each other in an attempt to change time, space,
and your mind. At least that’s what it feels like, as bothBlown Out and Comacozer deliver
a masterclass in fucked up lysergic rock. Deep, intense, and probably
spiritual somewhere along the line, this ain’t for the fainthearted.
Unusually for Blown Out, they use the
space to deliver three shorter slabs of psychedelic goodness, rather
than their usual expansive trips. The repetitive riffs remain, as does
the full on wall of sound displacement that they have become such
masters at. They sound much more raw here though, as if you are
standing next to them in the studio, which adds to the short, sharp
shock to the synapses. In place of the zoned out mind is a speed
fuelled intensity.
‘Void Sucker’ is the highlight of the
three tracks, where they build on a sub-Hawkwind riff to reach what
can only be described as ecstatic highs. For all their “rooted in
the garage” feel, they still manage to throw you completely out into
space. The very reason they are one of the best space rock bands
around is that they recognise the certain chord changes, riffs and
repetitions that cause such loss of normal awareness. Magnificent as
always.
Just as good is the lengthier
‘Binbeal’ from Comacozer. A much more chilled out affair, its dub
inflected space bounces around inside your cranium like some niggling
LSD trip, not quite letting you out of its grip. It’s a beautiful
piece of music which demonstrates why the Aussie band are held in such
high regard. They could have gone heavy, but instead opt for a more
leisurely approach to offset the tumultuous sound of Blown Out. It
makes for a satisfyingly high listen as the two opposing bands join in
curious synergy.
Where this series of splits goes next, we
will have to wait to see, but as a starter for ten it really doesn’t
get much better than this. A release for the more hardened psych-head,
it’s a release which provides both a satisfying high for older fans,
whilst offering an easier way in for the initiated who don’t quite
want to jump straight into one of their albums just yet. Either way,
it does it’s job, and does it remarkably well.
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