BLACK EQUUS

I had only known of Ga'an for a few months before I decided to order both of their albums on vinyl around Mid may, despite only having had moderate interest in their debut. As a fan of the Zeuhl genre in particular, I couldn't resist getting my hands on some Zeuhl LPs before vendors decide to drive their values through the roof. So when the day of arrival finally came, I did not hesitate to give my new additions a first spin. Now I did not have particularly high expectations as I set "Black Equus" in on the turntable, (I didn't find their debut much better than average, so what reason did I have at the time to suspect that there'd be any massive improvement in their follow-up?). What I heard after I pressed play completely blew me away.

Now, anyone familiar with their debut will quickly notice some differences between the two albums. First and most obviously is the higher production quality of this album, lacking the murky sound of it's predecessor. But what really sets this album above their debut is the new focus on their composition.

This transition to a more symphonic style of Zeuhl and away from the murky gloom of their previous debut makes for a much easier listening experience over their previous album. The keyboards play a much larger role here than before, now acting as the main melodic force alongside Lindsay Powell's vocals instead of merely creating an atmosphere like in their debut. As a result, "Black Equus" feels much more fleshed out as they move further towards a more traditional Zeuhl sound.

This album was particularly refreshing for me due to my preference for the more symphonic style of Zeuhl, over the Jazz noodling of many of their modern contemporaries. Their dark and intense style of playing is put to much greater justice on this album than what we have previously heard; creating an eerie, (yet beautiful), sound.

There is no doubt in my mind that this is anything other than a modern masterpiece of the Zeuhl genre, and as such a must-listen for any fans of the genre.

4.5 stars. GA'AN are a Zeuhl band based in Chicago and this is their second album released in 2011. We get female vocals with plenty of electric piano, bass and drums. There's lots of synths too and mellotron giving us some welcomed atmosphere.

"Arms They Speak" opens with that atmosphere and man this sounds good. Drums arrive after a minute along with some vocal melodies as it builds. Nice bass lines after 3 1/2 minutes and then it brightens after 4 minutes which is such a cool contrast to what has gone before. Great sound 6 minutes in with that mellotron. Oh my! A calm after 7 1/2 minutes with bass and atmosphere as vocal melodies and drums join in. So good! Powerful stuff 8 1/2 minutes in right to the end which is quite intense. "Servant Eye" has a powerful and dark sound to start and this continues until just before 2 minutes when it stops and the mellotron storms in as the drums pound. Nice! Keys eventually join in and check out the drumming after 4 minutes. Vocals follow as it settles back some.

"Call Of The Black Equus" is the almost 19 minute closer. A dark atmosphere envelopes the soundscape to start then sounds beat and spacey ones come and go before 2 minutes. The organ floats in around 4 1/2 minutes and you gotta like that Zeuhl rhythm before 7 minutes. Some in your face bass 9 minutes in as the drums pound and the vocals help out. These pulsating keys then join in and they are kicking ass right here. A calm arrives before 12 minutes but then it starts to build quickly. Great sound before 14 1/2 minutes as it changes with some killer bass lines, keys and drums. A calm with outbursts of vocals and keys before 16 minutes but then it kicks back in quickly.

I really thought about 5 stars but the vocals are keeping me from doing that. I like them but they could be better at times, still if your into Zeuhl you really need to hear this one.

The second Zeuhl release from this lineup of young Chicago-based musicians (from whom nothing has been heard since) comes two years after their extraordinary debut. (I wonder if they were in fact outtakes from the sessions that produced the previous album--the sound is so similar.) The drums are so perfect and the bass and keys stay tightly in the fold. Lindsay's wonderful voice is, as it was on the other album, mixed a little too far back for my tastes. Still, the ethereal, "instrumental" effect this gives the vocals is probably part of the charm of the Ga'an sound.

1. "Arms They Speak" (9:54) is quite a bit more rich in terms of keyboard/synth layers than the songs of the previous album but the sound engineering and the way the vocal is mixed in is quite the same. Great drumming, cool bass and layers of keys make this one a keeper despite the melodies and chord progressions not quite being up to those of the previous album. The scaled down vocals and instrumental mix in the quieter seventh and eighth minutes are sublime--great finish! Great drumming! Papa Vander would be proud! (19/20)

2. "Servant Eye" (8:35) opens with an ANEKDOTEN-like thick/heaviness. Lindsay's entry with repeating vowel/syllables is fairly quick, but then there is a stop and restart at the one minute mark--a technique the band used to great effect on the previous album. Enter Mellotron choir. The keys are, unfortunately, a little too distorted and Lindsay's vocals a little too militaristic. Another directional shift in the third minute leads to a brief passage of Lindsay's lead vocals before the drums explode into a race around the sun. Awesome in the truest sense of the word. 'tron is replaced by saw-syth--to nice effect. New pace at the six minute mark--more insistent, resolute. This then morphs into another fast race with great synth and bass work over the frenzy of flailing drumsticks--to song's end! That went by so quickly! (On my disc there is an additional minute of silence after the music has ended.) Not as good as the previous song but still at a very high level. (13.5/15)

3. "Call Of The Black Equus" (18:44) opens with syncopated pulse of a synth bass note with floating, panning synth saw within which Lindsay interjects a single LISA GERRARD-like phrase, at first intermittantly and then nearly constantly. Drums and bell-keys arrive at the 3:05 mark prompting Lindsay to begin singing some actual lyrics--as if telling a story. Still, she is in the background, virtually yelling her words into the mix. For the second verse of her song she is accompanied by several tracks of her voice in harmonizing roles. Interesting. If the voices weren't so mirroring of the keyboard lines it might get more interesting--but, then, isn't that what the Magma choirs do: match the melodies set down by the keys and guitar? The seventh minute brings something new--a kind of choral chorus--before a dirty Canterbury-like keyboard begins playing a progression of ever-ascending chords. Lindsay continues trying to tell her tale--on multiple tracks-- as the drum plays beneath it all--kind of in a PHIL COLLINS way with many, many interesting fills and flourishes. Poorly mixed Greek chorus in the ninth minute before a break leads into a softer, more spacious "White Rabbit" like passage--which then gains power and momentum with the entrance of a very strong, very chunky bass and bass line. A Tony Banksian organ passage precedes another foray at support for Lindsay's plaintive vocals. Wild bass sounds in the twelfth minute precede a slow down, drop out section from which emerges an old synth, slow ascending bass line, and dirge-like LISA GERRARD-like vocal performance. LARRY FAST-like bass synth continues in the lead while drums and synth washes try to keep up (Lindsay takes a singing break). At 15:40 Lindsay's epithets are punctuated by synth and drums until 16:22 when the band kicks back into the previous fast-paced groove--this time with synth performing a melody line of descending steps. This continues until the final 45 seconds when the music blows up into whole band waves of power and awe. I don't know how to explain it. (I lack the musical terminology/language skills.) This is just an amazing song considering it came from three musicians. It may not be on the level of intensity or power of a Magma masterpiece, but it certainly has all of the elements to be one. (I imagine this song being performed with the expanded Magma lineup! Wow, wouldn't that be amazing?!) (36/40)

I've always thought this album quite a bit weaker than the band's 2009 debut but upon current investigation, I appreciate the creative and instrumental prowess that went into this--all three of the songs.

Five stars; a masterpiece of progressive rock music and one of the shining beacons of modern Zeuhl as created and composed by three youths from Chicago!!!

One of the rare examples of a zeuhl space rock band, the Chicago based GA'AN released two albums, the first self-titled album in 2009 and then followed it with BLACK EQUUS in 2011. During this short time synthesizer player Jeremiah Fisher and bassist / synth player Jason Sublette both left the band leaving only vocalist Lindsay Powell and drummer Seth Sher. The duo added Tyson Torstensen to the team who played not only bass and synthesizers but also added the electric piano making the band a trio. At this point the band also enjoyed the benefit of the Captcha label releasing not only this second album but also reissuing its cassette only debut on vinyl. Still no CD versions of either album exist. A combo package would be nice.

Continuing the mix of Magma inspired zeuhl martial rhythms along with the ethereal space rock style of Popol Vuh and other Krautrock bands, GA'AN's second album is more of the same but also quite different in many ways as well. The main difference are the vocals of Lindsay Powell who on the debut existed on the ethereal plane and delivered a consistent flow of angelic high register wordless utterances. On BLACK EQUUS she has reentered the Earthly realms and sounds less aerial as well as sounding like she's actually singing although i'm not able to tel if she's singing in some fictitious language or just nonsensical words this time. She rather sounds like Grace Slick on this one with a lower register vocal style. Once again the album is drenched in synthesized atmospheres, a bouncy bass groove and the frenetic drumming style of Seth Sher.

Also the tracks are much longer on BLACK EQUUS as this album has only three long ones rather than six shorter ones with the the closing "Call Of The Black Equus" almost reaching 19 minutes. Also this second album is more musical and less hypnotic. The vocals form clusters of melodies like Powell is perpetually trying to break into a Jefferson Airplane song but never quite does. The bass and synthesizers add cyclical melodic loops that offer a bit more variation than the droning and ethereal Kraut-zeuhl of the debut. The bass features a thicker distortion and there are many more moments of genuine rock. For example the closing track breaks up into a few motifs with rock as key player. The keys play different roles this time around too with one active and the other sort of passively ambient. The drumming is more diverse as are the throbbing bass grooves. Basically this one isn't as minimalistic as the self-titled debut.

This one will appeal more to those who want more of a progressive rock feel to the album whereas the debut will appeal to the space trippers who want a detached and free floating kosmische experience. Personally i think they've both excellent however i do prefer the higher register angelic vocal style of the debut to this Grace Slick impersonator shtick. It's not horrible or anything but just not as pleasant however as far as the instrumental side of the equation is concerned, this album is much more dynamic whereas the other one proceeded with caution. This one just goes for it with bold reckless abandon. Very distinct differences on this one but still a very unique expression of zeuhl and space rock commingling together. I'm not sure what happened to this band because they appear to still be active but since it's been 13 years since BLACK EQUUS was released there's no telling when or even if a third album will emerge. GA'AN definitely stands out as something unique though. Recommended for adventurous listeners looking for something different.