One week hiatus!

i'm moving all these records into a new house. It takes a lot of time. I'll be back in a week. For now, just stick with The Hearse.

Be good.

Deutsche Wertarbeit - S / T (Sky Records, 1981)

After leaving Dusseldorf progressive rock band "Streetmark", Dorothea Raukes had one shining moment with this beautiful synth classic. A true diamond in the rough, Deutsche Wertarbeit has been re-issued and is sure to stoke the mental fires of synth nerds everywhere. Driving motorik, komische, avant garde and meditative pulses and rhythms populate this incredibly gorgeous one off release. Its quite a shame that this is the only release of hers in this style. If you dig Tangerine Dream or the Editions Mego / Spectrum Spools material, you'll will flip over Dorothea Raukes.

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Brainticket - Celestial Ocean (Hallelujah, 1974)

“Celestial Ocean” is both an adventure and voyage for explorers of the human experience. In other words, the walls are breathing. Or maybe it is the projection of your own vibration as the air comes in and then out again. Either way this album is pure cosmic indulgence on a “space is deep” kind of level. Whoever has taken strong psychedelics will try and convince someone that this or that is the best music to fall into the depths of time and space. But the truth is, any kind of music or sound can seem completely psychedelic when under the influence. And with that said, there is a difference between just any kind of music and musicnauts who actually prepare to take you into the abyss and then do it with grace. Brainticket are one of those musical groups.

Brainticket is a collection of middle European musicians, primarily consisting of German and Swiss descent. The band started releasing albums in the early seventies. The two albums that precede “Celestial Ocean” were “Cottonwood Hill”(1971) and “Psychonaut”(1972). These albums gave guidance to what would be expected. Which means it is not safe to expect something in particular of the sound of Brainticket. Just know that the 1974 release of “Celestial Ocean” expanded the already vastness of life and all perceptions of it. The album tells a story of an ancient Egyptian king traveling on a ship that courses though the afterlife, inspired by the Egyptian book of the dead. One thing should be understood, Brainticket takes themselves seriously when presenting the subject matter of other and ancient worlds with space ships and dreams. Some people get turned off when musicians and artists wholeheartedly believe in what they feel no matter how unreal it may seem. Most roll the psychedelic mumbo jumbo off as being playful and goofy, like a “arn't I just the strangest thing” sorta way, not Brainticket.

Kaleidoscopic sounds twist around synthesized rhythms that continually grow and decay while creating a unknown landscape as a cacophony of voices clutter and vanish in the same breath. Yeah, it's really like that. The album is presented in a book end form, opening with “Egyptian Kings” and closing with a reprise of the beginning track, titled “Visions”. Everything in between is an absolute pleasure. At times it creates a yoga or meditation environment. Nobody thinks flutes are cool anymore. Well, they have their place along side with such complementary instruments as organs, zithers and odd sound generators. O.K. This review was my own indulgence in describing the pure psychedelic force that is Brainticket. All I really had to say was that the band is called Brainticket and don't take more than you can handle. But seriously, this should get the party started if the kind of party you like is the one where everyone lies naked on the floor and forget they have bodies and lose all concepts of reality. Just moans of ecstasy and fear as the collective consciousness merrily drifts up and down the celestial ocean. Yo! I said it. Yo! Buy the ticket, take the ride.

--Sean Dail

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Chrisma - Chinese Restaurant (Polydor, 1977)

In 1976, Maurizio Arcieri and his wife Christina Moser formed the duo under the name 'Chrisma." That year, the couple moved from Milan to London to record "U" and "Amore" with the producer Nico Papathanassiou and his brother Vangelis (yes, THE Vangelis). Their collaboration with Papathanassiou and Vangelis continued through 1978. During this time, the duo recorded the album "Chinese Restaurant."

This is synth-punk meets Goblin meets Carpenter with some funk and jazzy guitar thrown in. Christine's vocals have that unusual sensuality of a Jennifer Charles or an Anne Clark but without the discomfort of the spoken word. This is one of those records you discover and want to kick yourself for not having listened to it for the past ten years.

They didn't have much more as weird or interesting as this; however, there are a handful of tracks that make the catalog worth sifting through. The renowned film composer Hans Zimmer even joined them later for some really uninspiring material. wow. Either way, this is definitely worthy of our time.

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Aqua Velvets - Guitar Noir ( Milan,1997)

The album is called “Guitar Noir”, and that is exactly what it sounds like. The band, Aqua Velvets, and now you can almost smell it. Smooth, refined and hypnotically dark with a tinge of expected monolog that tells the first person story of a lonesome night as the days past are reflected in rain shimmering off the streetlights of some abandoned alley. Yeah, that's right.

Aqua Velvets are a southern California surf group that first appeared in the late 80's. "(The band) doesn’t slavishly imitate others or attempt to duplicate the past. All songs on the aptly titled Guitar Noir are originals and many are quite good"(Los Angeles Daily News). These fellas are part of the rebirth sound of surf to be known as neosurf. A lot of Aqua Velvets tracks have been featured in prime time detective shows and nineties noir films. It is pure guitar noir, and that is basically all there is to say about this album. Now, all one needs to do is, get a pack of smokes, scrounge up enough money for your favorite fifth, put the record on and get to work. It'll be along night, yet you know all that is left is a reason, a reason why you're here. Good luck kid, you'll need it.

--Sean Dail

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