FLYING MICROTONAL BANANA

The prolific Aussie jam band is experimenting with Middle Eastern microtonalism.

1. "Rattlesnake" (7:48) run-of-the-mill, straightforward lyrics-driven rock. (12/15)

2. "Melting" (5:27) hypnotic SANTANA-like music. A top three song. (8.75/10)

3. "Open Water" (7:13) interesting and engaging in a MOTORPSYCHO-kind of way. The insidious repetition runs the chance of boring me musically until the guitars cut out at the 4:15 mark and then a very interesting ADRIAN BELEW/TALKING HEADS section begins. Cool! My second top three song. (13.25/15)

4. "Sleep Drifter" (4:44) good modern psychedelic rock with some classic "Southern" rock chord structures and soundscapes. I like the pause and slow restart at 2:40?it really sets apart the microtonal inputs that everyone talks about. There's a little CAN-like Krautrock feel to this, as well. (8.5/10)

5. "Billabong Valley" (3:34) same CAN-like beat and pace from the previous song with the unusual singing voice of a female(?) The song slows down in the second half and then the presence of the zurna makes it interesting. (8.5/10)

6. "Anoxia" (3:04) Here the zurna feels like it's coming from its own separate universe while the pretty standard rock music supports the guitar-and-choral vocal approach the band used to use a lot back in 2014. (8.5/10)

7. "Doom City" (3:14) odd slow blues riff opens before it switches to New Wave-like rhythmic styling. Zurna and choir take the band down the slow blues riff for the choruses. Very strange! Stu's untreated voice, sung in the mid-range, sounds so unusual. (8.25/10)

8. "Nuclear Fusion" (4:15) Very interesting, curious, yet catchy soundscape and weave. A top three song for me. (8.75/10)

9. "Flying Microtonal Banana" (2:34) an instrumental with congos, djembe, and marimba with guitars and multiple tracks of zurna. Eventually they create a kind of chorus out of the chorus riff from Jesus Christ Superstar song "The Temple." Whereas the rest could come from PETER GABRIEL's Passion Sources. I have to say, when these guys choose to do instrumentals, they do them well. My favorite song on the album. (4.75/5)

Total Time 41:53

B/four stars; a nice excursion into KG&TLW's excursion into Middle Eastern-influenced psychedelia. Recommended for your own exploration--especially if you're into following this band's evolution.

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