TUSSILAGO FANFARA

A dark barroque electronic pastorale, that is how I will start the bi-annual PA review of this "Masterpiece", or as they call it in PA, not so known "Gems". Released in 1977, I will be the first one to admit, it does resemble TD's and Schulze's work in those same times. So, 4,5 PA stars, why? Each song, there are four, are used each, as whole concepts, meaning they are free of each other and yet integral parts of the whole, but totally different in "atmospheres", which in turn set this album as a different kind of effort in four perspectives.

The simmilarities as mentioned go as far as the sound of the synthethizers available at the time sounded. It is completely obvious in the course "Mossen", the first song of this LP goes through. This simmilarity is made irrelevant, by the way the musicians handle the song-writing, which in turn, forewarns of the posterior musical "language", both TD and Schulze will adopt and use in their near future.

This is made clear in, "Inkomster Utanför Tiden", the second song. The use of an accordion and organ, alongside "electronic" pulses is mesmerizing, closing with a "Stratosfear" like kind of electric guitar. As soon as side "B" starts with "Den Barbariska Söndagen", the third song, it is quiet clear what this musicians are capable of offering to the "Progressive Electronic" genre for the first time (and last, this is this band's only record), this is the real deal.

And from here things just get better, with the closing 4th. song "Tusen år & Sju Timmar", the most experimental of the whole. It returns the course to the acoustic world of electronics, with an awesome and inspired guitar song, something like "Krautrock" unplugged, to call it somehow.

So as it takes, it gives back. .............................****4.5 PA stars.

You have been forewarned.