PORTABLE MADNESS

Sensation's Fix is a talented spacey rock collectif from Italy. their music is rather different from the usual Italian progressive rock scene. The band is supposed to be captivated by weird analog keybaords experimentations & melodies, floating guitar solos and hypno / groovy bass pulses. Portable Madness features many strange, enigmatic atmospheres suggesting a mysterious astral voyage throw time...The vintage keys instruments are used in a rather old dated style in a genre that will develop Tangerine Dream at the end of the 70', however there isn't electronic patterns or arpeggios, the rhythm is given by the repetitive bass lines. The guitar's sections are rather heavy concerning the riffs and provide spacious epic solos. The inspiration is not always at the top and some parts are cheezy, partly boring or old fashioned due to an insistent use of easy melodies and electronic gadgets. The best passage on side A is represented by the dreamy-like, floating solo at the end (that reminds some Manuel Gottsching's guitar exercices in Blackouts). I personaly consider that the electronic side of Sensations' Fix is the weakest point on this album: theres' no real / visceral atmospheres and the synth waves are rather linear, accessible, mainstream and dominated by a artificial symphonic approach. The ambience is rather cold and difficult in terms of immersion, frankly this is not really a good trip and I imagined something better before to ear the album. This is an honest psychedelic / space rock album (with skilled musicians) but it sounds terribly dated after all these years, just the opposite of early musical efforts released by visionnary krautrock artists.