TRILOGY

Third German psyche/post-rock quartet's album is really fresh air breath between so many faceless post-rock teams from the end of the first decade of 00'. Fully instrumental album is rooted in Buddhism and music almost everywhere has some Indian scent, but really deeply under the skin.

From the surface it is really energetic, fresh and surprisingly positive guitar-based post-rock, far from stereotypes everyone is bored to death. Possibly, the reason is different component (not European classic or chamber music, as usual, but very tasteful and elegant version of Indo-European mixture).But don't expect to hear raga there - you must try hard to recognise that component in common sound.

It looks that such small difference couldn't be important too much for whole music, but it is. As a result you can hear quite usual psyche/post-rock band, which sounds different.

One of the most interesting release in the field of post-rock from the first half of 2010! Very recommended to post-rock or instrumental prog lovers , mostly because of its fresh sound.

Significantly entitled "Tri", My Sleeping Karma's third effort provides a new blow of fresh into the trodden path of space-rock within the contemporary realm of prog. True to their original stoner roots, the band remain very centered on consistent guitar riffs but the dominant psychedelic prog factor enables them to provide soaring textures to the guitar inputs as well as a relevant presence to the cosmic ornaments and fills brought in by the synth. Through all three albums released by MSK so far, the array of influences from Agitation Free, Ash Ra Tempel, Dzyan, pre- "Mountain Grill" Hawkwind and post-rock heroes Isis has been quite evident, together with some old-fashioned Crimsonian twists in places; but, generally speaking, you can notice that the repertoire of "Tri" bears a lighter feel that in any of the previous two releases. Also, you can tell that the rhythm duo of drummer Steffen and bassist Motte has some definite rooms to create agile jazz-oriented grooves in some specific passages, particularly the appealing closer 'Sarasvati'. Lighter does not equal duller or less inspired or worse, and the opener right away brings a powerful proof of that. 'Brahama' fills the album's first 7+ minutes with a continuing development of a catchy motif nurtured with Hindu moods: the most intense moments find the band anxiously flirting with the heavy prog and stoner standards. 'Parvati' is a very ethereal interlude that makes its post-rock orientation quite obvious, a moment of cosmic serenity before 'Tamas' settles in and displays an augmented version of the spacey energy firstly installed by the opener. Shortly after, 'Shiva' generates a sort of climax for the overall album ? this one and the earlier 'Tamas' might as well regarded as MSK paradigms in themselves, as if they were lost Hawkwind jams recovered and rearranged by a combo of Isis and Mogwai alumni. Right before 'Shiva', 'Sattva' offered an introspective set of eerie synth layers. 'Vishnu' is also introspective and languid, which in turn gravitates in the first section of 'Lakshmi'; ultimately, this track erupts in a powerful mixture of space-rock and post-rock that by now sounds pleasantly familiar to us. 'Rajas' is a sort of epilogue to 'Lakshmi' (rather than a prelude to 'Sarasvati') due to its pronounced cosmic moods. Finally, 'Sarasvati' elaborates the most complex groove in the album, somehow jazz-driven as it was said earlier in this very review. It is a powerful closer, indeed, bearer of an intense dynamics that makes the undercurrent density flow in a reasonably constrained fashion. Only 40+ minutes long yet a rewarding listen, "Tri" is the sort of album that keeps the space-rock scenario still an interesting place for all prog rock lovers to explore.