Goat, Sweden

Space rock; Jazz rock; Neo psych

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Latest album: Medicine (2023) 

Requiem (2016)

Mid 1970s Embryo, Archimedes Badkar, and Kebnekaise all mashed up and distilled for the modern age. I dig it. Immensely so.

So the above represented by quick scratch off review. In listening again, I don't have that much more to add. Clearly the band are about indigenous ancient traditions - mixed with the psychedelic. Mostly African, but also the original inhabitants of South America too. My initial three bands listed above all have history with recording music with African musicians, and/or at least focusing on the continent exclusively. I would also add Los Jaivas to this mix as a good representation of South America. Then I'd add a bit of Flasket Brinner, when Goat turn on the psychedelic aspect of their sound. The album runs the gamut of the 1970s, where the first part of the decade is psych oriented, and the latter half of the decade was more into the exploratory spirit of World Fusion. While I'll maintain my 4 star rating, I have two small complaints that hold it back from being an even higher rating. 1) Some of the instrumentals have an excellent premise that they do little with. 'Temple Rhythms' in particular is just screaming for some guitar soloing. The tribal drums and wood flutes provide the perfect backdrop. But rather it just repeats itself rather than progress. I'm sure that's the point - to create a trance like state. But for this listener, it would have been devastating to hear it developed. 2) The female vocals here sound like annoying wails rather anything associated with singing. To be honest, it sounds bitchy as opposed to transcendental. Fortunately the album isn't dominated by them.

Small gripes to an otherwise excellent release. I love that modern bands are revisiting these musical areas that were abandoned all too quickly back in the day.

Commune (2014)

Commune is the second album from Sweden's Goat, a band I've tracked from the beginning. Like fellow countrymen Dungen, Goat is one of those bands that have inexplicably gained a relatively large following despite playing a style of music that doesn't usually garner such. There can be no doubt that Goat have tapped into the psychedelic strain that was so very prominent in the early 1970's Swedish landscape. And the country seems to have always had a predilection for mixing far away indigenous music into that unique strain. In this case for Goat, that would be the Saharan music of the Tuareg's. Apparently - unbeknownst to me - there's a subgenre that has been recently born that defines the electrified form of this music: Tishoumaren. I'm a novice on that point, but regardless, Goat has basically infused a new ingredient into an old recipe. Ignoring any cultural, spiritual, or political messaging, one can focus on the music itself. A music that is highly melodic, with tribal drumming, female chanting, and deliciously wicked fuzz guitar. The album gets stronger as it goes, and by the time we reach the summit with 'Hide From the Sun' (strange title if we're summiting, perhaps they were cave dwelling. I digress...) - you too will be having your very own spiritual moments. And for this, Goat has completely succeeded. If a title like Flasket Brinner Goes to Mali sounds enticing, then may I suggest Commune to you?

12/17/16 (new entry); 6/27/18 

Jordsjo, Norway

Retro prog

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Latest release: Salighet (2023). To be released in October.

---UMR notes

Pastoralia (2021)

Jordsjø (Jordsjo if doing a quick search in Anglais) is one of only a handful of contemporary bands I keep up with real time. Their brand of mysterious and murky early 70s styled progressive rock is the kind of music I never fail to enjoy. Pastoralia. What a perfect title to describe their music in general. Opener 'Prolog' is interesting, as it didn't march in lockstep with what is expected. In fact, it starts off as maybe a jazz fusion album would. Then the familiar symphonic prog sounds of Jordsjø jump in. Then it ends with some bass clarinet chamber styled avant prog. All fine musical styles, but not sure I want that with my Jordsjø. Like going to a Thai restaurant and they're introducing their "new spaghetti and meatballs!". I love Italian food. But not when I'm in the mood for Thai.

I worry too much, because after this, Jordsjø gets down to the serious business of creating a retro prog classic. My fave has to be the 3 part closer 'Jord' (shocker that). There are parts - like when the Norwegian narration pops in - that even conjure up the spirit of Krautrock. I'm reading some reviews that are expressing disappointment overall. That happens often when a band has a defined sound and then veers away from it. But I really don't think they've gone off the reservation here. Also reading comparisons to Gryphon, but honestly I never once thought of them in my back to back listens. There's a bit of Renaissance Faire here and there, but it blends nicely with the thick and wedgy early 70s analog electric sounds the genre calls for. For my tastes, Jordsjø have come up with another classic. A work that will be a contender for album of the year when it's all said and done. Definitely.

Nattfiolen (2019)

Let's make it 3 years in a row. In 2017 Wobbler's From Silence to Somewhere was my choice for album of the year. I don't think it will be topped, but one never knows as obscure albums trickle in all the time. Last year we rambled on about All Traps on Earth, in effect the 4th Anglagard album, and subsequently named it album of the year for 2018. It's definitely beatable, but at this time, no challengers have emerged. And now Jordsjo follows the same path with their 4th album Nattfiolen. No point in making the same statements as I have on the prior 2. We are talking old school, dyed-in-the-wool symphonic prog of the 1973 variety with no nods to modern instrumentation. Vintage is as vintage gets. Jordsjo isn't quite as strong as All Traps on Earth, but it's so difficult not to love this style of music, no matter who's performing it. But then again, I was always the top Sinkadus apologist.

This is Jordsjo's finest hour to date, and a very promising direction. For all other bands: It's OK if we have more than one album a year like this. Really.

2/12/18 (new entry); 7/21/19; 5/30/20; 5/9/21

Ozric Tentacles, England

UK Festival Psych

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Latest release: Lotus Unfolding (2023). To be released 10/20.

---UMR notes

Paper Monkeys (2011)

Ozric's best studio album in about a decade. Paper Monkeys seems more motivated than the last few efforts. Definitely more energy, and features some fine guitar rave-ups from Ed Wynne, similar in that way to The Floor's Too Far Away (another newer Ozric album that I'm quite fond of). Electronica continues to influence their sound - perhaps even more so than prior. There's no mistaking this is an Ozric Tentacles album, and it doesn't appear they're ever going to change the formula. But for what they do, this is one of the better ones.

Spice Doubt Streaming (1998)

If you are seeking out the high octane variation of Ozric Tentacles, then look no further than Spice Doubt Streaming. This album completely eschews their reggae and new age electronic characteristics, and focuses strictly on their ability to set your stereo in flames. Which is my favorite aspect of the band. The first good clue is that the album opens with two of their most incendiary tracks - both the opening salvo on their respective albums (Become the Other, Erpland). 'Eternal Wheel' remains my personal favorite track by Ozric, and it's probably the only song on here that isn't quite up to the task of the studio version. The others I feel surpass their studio equivalents. And these aren't the only openers they chose. Perhaps best of all is 'Dissolution' (from Pungent Effulgent), which is absolutely lethal here. Elsewhere they have two of their most intense electronic pieces in 'Sploosh!' (Strangeitude) and 'Oddentity' (Curious Corn). If that isn't enough they throw in two mid album barn burners with 'Papyrus' and 'Myriapod'. Only to be bested by two new compositions 'Citadel Jam' and 'Spice Doubt', the latter renamed and rerecorded as 'Space Out' on Swirly Termination. All that's missing is 'Kick Muck'! But that track had already been well represented on prior live outings. All of these were their live debut on CD at the time.

What a smoker. This is probably my favorite Ozric Tentacles album, only in that it filters what I like best by them. And I have to say, I enjoy all of their albums! So there you have it.

Curious Corn (1997)

Seems every time I talk about Ozric Tentacles it feels like I've already had that discussion. Honestly I have too many Ozric albums, and it's "too much of the same thing". Where does that really start though? Here? Well, I thought maybe so, but on reflection this one gets through the gate. 'Spyroid' seems more Eat Static than Ozric, but by the time of 'Oolite Grove', we're back in the comfortable world of Ed Wynne and Co. Ripping guitar solos, frequent changes, and excellent melodies. Hard to be critical of that. Curious Corn features some of their more known classics such as the title track, 'Papyrus', and especially 'Oddentity'.

Become the Other (1995)

Seems every time I talk about Ozric Tentacles it feels like I've already had that discussion. :-) Become the Other was the first Ozric album I didn't buy real time since Erpland. I had tired of their sound by the mid 90s and the reviews indicated that Become The Other wasn't any more different. But a couple of years later I picked up the CD and enjoyed it immensely, perhaps the break in action being the key. In retrospect, Become the Other is one of their stronger releases, and features a few of their classics, especially the opener 'Cat DNA' along with 'Vibuthi' and 'Wob Glass'. If only looking to pick up a few Ozric albums, I would suggest this should be in that lot.

Jurassic Shift (1993)

While listening to any album, I tend to read other reviews of what I'm listening to. I get the feeling that most reviews of Jurassic Shift were penned considerably later than the actual listen, or they weren't paying attention. For me, the most telling is the short shrift that 'Feng Shui' receives. To me it's one of their most innovative tracks, and the type of composition I'd like to see Ozric focus on more. In general I read things like "their requisite boring reggae song", "dull", and "spacey soft new age music". Did they actually listen to the whole song? Not only did they mix in traditional Chinese themes (new for them), but the last half of the track is the heaviest Ozric EVER got on tape. Ed Wynne tears it up - it's almost metal, something that Ozric stays (fortunately) away from, but in this context is breathtaking. I didn't see one review that even noted it. Wow.

Strangeitude (1991)

Long ago (1989-1992), a buddy and I hosted a monthly 6 hour radio show on Dallas' local NPR station (one of those Saturday night fill-the-airwaves from midnight to 6 gigs - and I did it as a volunteer...) showcasing underground progressive rock, jazz, and electronic music - pretty much the oeuvre I write about here minus hard rock and metal. It was in 1990 that we were first introduced to Ozric Tentacles via a mutual friend who had just purchased the 2 LP set Erpland. We were both mightily impressed, immediately picked up its predecessor Pungent Effulgent (the earlier cassettes weren't widely available back then), and proceeded to play choice cuts from each album. We did get many requests for them, as Ozric has a sound that is immediately likable.

A year later, we were super excited to learn of their new album Strangeitude. And it did not disappoint at all. 'White Rhino Tea' is as progressive a track as Ozric ever penned, with constantly shifting themes and meters. 'Bizarre Bazaar' is this album's 'Kick Muck' - tight and energetic. And they finish on a high note with the blistering 'Space Between Your Ears', where Ed Wynne really lets loose, and is one of their best tracks in their entire canon. For my tastes, I've never been a big fan of Ozrics' pure electronic work, and here there are two, including the title track and fan favorite 'Sploosh!'. The latter does have a foot stompin' beat, but would have been more effective at half the length I'd estimate. So not perfect, but still an excellent 3rd album, and showed the world that they still had plenty more to offer from a creative standpoint. This latter element would slow over the years.

Erpland (1990)

In the mid 1980s there was a burgeoning new music scene coming out of the rural fields of England. They lived the "hippie ideal" of a lifestyle unencumbered by responsibility, and that which included many free music concerts. On the music front, many of the groups were influenced by the relatively obscure UK group Here and Now, who steadfastly held to the notion that music should be free (not to mention the musical similarities between the two bands). To sustain themselves, the various bands in the scene took a page out of the heavy metal handbook, and began to make self-produced cassettes that were traded and sold at the many various concert events. As is often the case with movements such as these, many grew tired of the lifestyle and moved on. And the bands themselves began to consolidate, where the most serious and most talented would take it forward to a more professional level (Amon Duul II anyone?). And just as Metallica represented the Bay Area thrash movement, Ozric Tentacles became the icon for the UK Festival Psych scene.

Personally I had no idea any of this was going on in the 1980s. Even though I had plugged myself into the various mail order catalogs of the day, most notably England's Lotus Records, I must've looked past these items that were for sale. Or not, I'm not entirely sure. "Erpland" was my introduction to the band, and I bought the LP as it had just been newly released in 1990. I quickly snapped up the prior "Pungent Effulgent" as well on LP (Demi Monde). To my ears, Ozric Tentacles is a very easy band to get into. In fact, to this day, when someone wants to hear a few notes from "something in your collection", I'll pull out Ozric. It never fails to satisfy the guest. Sure, I could also pull out Magma's Mekanik, and have everyone screaming from the room. And for the rare person who doesn't go screaming, I begin to worry about the safety of my family. Anyway.... Ozric Tentacles has an instantly likable sound, that also happens to rock hard. Of course it must be stated that Ozric didn't create the wheel. To say they were heavily influenced by Hillage era Gong would be an understatement. But what Ozric did do successfully is to distill certain elements of that sound, perhaps the most popular ones for many a Gong fan, and take it in different and exciting directions.

Some 20 years on from "Erpland", nothing has changed, and Ozric has well over a dozen more studio and live releases. This has been the most common criticism of Ozric Tentacles. That there has been no progression, no experimentation with other sounds, instrumentation and ideas. The term "Ozricitis" was born and now applies to other bands who follow a similar path. But it's not entirely fair either, as each album, when heard on its own, does possess a unique quality. It's just a tight window frame that they operate in, that's all. The key with listening to Ozric Tentacles is to not listen to many of their albums at once. Take one in, absorb it over time, wait a few weeks or months, and then do the same with a different album. It does alter the way you hear the band. The irony in saying all of this is that "Erpland" is Ozric Tentacles' most diverse album. And is probably the ideal place to start.

If I were to recommend one track from this album, and perhaps recommend one track from their entire discography, it would the album's opener 'Eternal Wheel'. It has all the elements of a great Ozric composition - the psychedelic ambiance, the trippy progressions and the ferocious guitar lead climaxes.

1990; 1991; 1993; 1997; 2003; 2010; 11/28/11; 12/21/11 (new entry); 2/24/17; 4/17/18; 4/16/20; 4/19/20