MATTMAR

The six tracks of this album form a solid sacred flow of music, culminating to the raga- oriented title track climax. The patience and determination focusing to development of minimal elements associated with some classic Indian music I have heard, and here this philosophy has been implemented to the form of post-psychedelic experimental acid rock sound. Strong electronic presence used in very delicate way uniting to more analogue psych orientalism opens gates for intensive voyage.

"Depending on These Shady Characters" starts the travelling with low frequency electronic humming, giving some flashbacks of "Zeit" era Tangerine Dream. The sonic realms are entered with minimalist patience, delicate hints of reversed guitars and drums signaling the presence of conventional rock band instrumentation. A vast sea of sounds keeps waving, projecting a huge feeling of space, where low keynotes keep the continuity flowing in stagnant manner. The percussions and melodic elements swarm and searching unite form. Massive feedback leads to "Sen Ska Vi Se Vad Jag Sjunger", a quiet scene with hollowly weeping ebow sounds and gentle chord pickings from possibly Carelian or such Slavic sitar, focusing to sampled layers of children's singing. Long drone waving is spiced with tender lysergic electronic sounds, creating very holy feeling of emotional entity, exceeding the normal experience of existence, and escaping to larger concepts of time and space. Some sonic elements pass by, all delicately growing intensity and blurring the flow of time due the powerful ambient components. Primitively pounding drums are later included, and the form of chords focusing with more clearer rhythm lead to "Dry Air Static Sparks Northern Skies", blindingly shimmering enormous wall of sound in style of early Ash Ra Tempel. This abstract open scene holds faint hints of upcoming climax in melodic clues, all notes vibrating harmoniously for the reciting of reverb treated poem on the song's name theme. Wails of ebows unite with some casual chord pickings and effects, all searching same mutual vibrations and power for "Mattmar", an euphoric culmination of the record from melodic and rhythmic perspectives. In my opinion the open song honors the Indian musical tradition, which has been adopted as one ingredient to the psychedelic music style. Beautifully pulsing stoner flows to ecstatic heights, like a flower petal infinitely opening as it blooms. This track is also the few places, where the bass guitar is strongly driving the music forth along with the drums, a flowing river upon where the guitar solos are mingling. "Fylgia" continues to drown in atonal waves, containing scarce shadows of the real existing world, which are hurled to eternal infinity by roaring presence of electric guitar. Radiant "radiophonics" here reminded also slightly the open new age sounds of Robert Fripp's 1990's solo recordings. Last ambience "Tjalen" is painted with colors of evening, closing the meditative cycle perfectly. This minimal scenario of enormously long waves inhabits electronic drones, tender background pulsing, flashbacks from the Mattmar themes, and in final moments kicking out some grooves from the rock phase of the band, giving the final touch for this free flowing journey upon the fading fireside, illuminated by torch jugglers and stars of a freezing northern skies.

The record label "God Damn I'm A Countryman" has also released The Spacious Mind albums, focusing to the related family bands and projects, which I believe this group also is. There are similarities found to the tonal textures of the mentioned group, but this record venture much further in atmospheric acid ambiences, leaving the formulas and rhythmic structures of psychedelic rock behind. So, a very powerful psychedelic experimental ambient record, and like the project name suggests, this album related for me with sacred religious experiences. Thus I certainly recommend it to the fans of transcendental hippie mantras.