THE FLICKERING SKY

The first THTX album which is not released by the band's related 'label' Cosmo-Revolution Technologies what I know. They started in 2001 to jam together and recorded songs for several CDR's supported by some friends until in 2004 the first official release saw the light of day. This time it's the Austrian label Sulatron which offers their current effort 'The Flickering Sky'.

Here we have twelve songs sounding rough, unpolished - overdubbed though because THTX basically consists of only two members, Kerry Gluckman on drums and multi-instrumentalist Matthew Smith. He alone plays guitar, bass, organ plus trumpet and is also responsible for the rare vocals. Space rock is defenitely a suitable label for this music - the unique note anyhow comes from the special krautrockish and avantgarde flavour here and there.

The title song represents their spacey origin as no other - a highlight as it may be expected. Provided with multiple guitar tracks - electric and acoustic - this is totally improvised for the basic recording I would say - the overdubs though are perfectly added with intent. At least for this song the band has the support of an additional bass player. Soaring guitars all over - this is really nicely meandering and floating - quite melodic with synthesizer support. Osidias now shows them turning into another more krautrocked/ethno direction for the first time with trumpet and organ. Ultraviolet Twilight is a challenge really - weird - provided with electronically deformed drum playing - experimental by all means - and a very gripping thing over the course of time.

Collective Mind Anarchy - what title could be more suitable? - turns back to the good old spacey behaviour and makes out a grooving wild anarchic song. 'I did not choose it' - this time they even reinterpret the VDGG song Darkness (11/11) - nice - it comes rather similar to the original - okay - disregarding the guitar maybe. One of the rare songs which shows vocals by Matthew Smith. Once Before In The Future is my favourite song so far - space rock provided with so much feeling, melancholy and melody - wow!

'The Flickering Sky' holds a lot of experiments and suspense - a typical grower - the more I listen the more I'm fascinated in the meanwhile. There's a lot to examine most certainly - recommended!