MAGMA [AKA: KOBAÏA]

After reading numerous reviews of different Magma albums, I thought it was time to find out what the fuzz is about. I always start with the first album from a band and then work my way forward through the band´s discography and that´s how I came upon Magma´s debut album Magma (Kobaïa). I must say I am pleasantly surprised after listening to Magma (Kobaïa), as it is an excellent album. Not quite a masterpiece but very excellent. I must admit it has taken me a while though to get through Magma (Kobaïa) as it is a very long album. 2 discs and a running time of 82:20 minutes can scare even the most experienced prog listener just a bit, but I promise you it´s worth your effort if you like your prog rock to be unpredictable and challenging.

The music has many influences that ranges from Jazz, classical music, rock and avant garde. It´s very pleasant to listen to even though you have to concentrate most of the time if you don´t want to miss something. The sound is very soft though and it soothes my ears. I don´t know how else to express this but the music has a very cool drive that I enjoy but at the same time it´s very complex and demanding. It´s not often you come across music this demanding but at the same time so accessible. I think it´s one of the forces that Magma (Kobaïa) has. There are lots of sax and flute who are the main melody creating instruments, but there are also singing in what I suppose is the strange language created by drummer and founder of Magma Christian Vander. The singing is good for my listening pleasure as it creates the diversity you need to get through an album this long. All songs have a very high standard but there are a few standout tracks I will mention. Kobaïa which starts the album is a very strong and diverse song and it´s a great teaser to the rest of the album. Naü Ektila from the second disc needs to be mentioned too as there are some really great acoustic guitar playing that sets it apart from the other songs. It´s a bit of an oasis in the midst on complex and demanding songs. Naü Ektila is very complex too though, there are just some more calm parts to keep my stress level in ave.

The musicians are all outstanding but Christian Vander needs to be mentioned for his skillful and innovative drumming. That man is a genious on the drumkit no less. I understand that he is the main composer too and that´s just even more fantastic.

The sound quality isn´t the best, but you have to remenber that this was 1970, and for the time it´s pretty good. The most important thing is that it suits the music well and you can hear everything that´s happening in the soundscape.

This has been a great introduction to Magma for me and I´ll definitely be purchasing the rest of their discography shortly. I´m very impressed as you can probably understand if you have read the whole review. 4 stars is well deserved for this excellent Magma album.