SPACE BETWEEN GRIEF AND COMFORT

KOZMIC MUFFIN´s second and last record has the title inspired by Brazilian songwriter Tom Zè´s "O Riso e a Faça", although the record is far from that style, because it offers a very interesting blend of early psych and prog rock, with a sound clearly inspired by the late 60´s and early 70´s. It can´t actually be considered a concept album, although the lyrics have great importance because they are all related to the narration included in the booklet, a short story about chidhood grieves, mental illness, recovering and final revenge. This dark mood will appear from time to time on the whole record.

The record starts with the atmospheric intro, including flute, of "Marble Man", song in which blues turns into rock, in a very interesting way, with some changes and excellent job with both guitars soloing. It won´t last because "Peelin´Cebollitas" has a much darker mood, in both lyrics and music, but with the funny insert of a cooking scene (in the vein of BAUHAUS´ "Fish Cakes" or THINKING PLAGUE´s "How to Clean Squid").

"Telly Selly Time" contains slower passages, including violin and saxes reminding KING CRIMSON, but the overall result is not at a top level, despite being quite interesting. The ironic sense of humour appears again with a mention to their first record, Nautilus, offered as a budget item in a TV show. KING CRIMSON appears again in one of the best tracks of the record, "Sadie Hawkins Dance", in which the percussive intro is followed by a furious guitar solo. A sudden change turns into a sax driven section leading to the end of the track. Songs like this deserve great attention, and that´s why KOZMIC MUFFIN gained such a good reputation.

The record goes on with "Black Chess Figurines", a soft ballad full of poetry, with superb job on Hammond and vocals, reminding John Wetton in his best moments. Excellent counterpoint for the rest of the record. The dark mood will appear again in "Muffled Thrill" a superb instrumental piece that is another of the top songs of the record. "Sunday in America, Monday in Spain" is the final track, full of changes and continuous soloing on guitar and sax, but the result isn´t very surprising despite the great musicianship displayed. The ringbell will wake us up from this musical trip. Or isn´t it finished? Listen to it and you will understand

This record will appeal mainly to those interested in the more vintage oriented prog rock and those devoted to the psychedelic riffs and organs, because the rest won´t discover anything new, although the instrumental skills are at a high level. This record well deserves 3 stars.