GERMINAL

Impressed by their sample on Progsphere's Progstravaganza compilation, I sought further for these retro-sounding Germans and found treasure in the well... ''Germinal", their debut album, boasts of enthusiastic, up-tempo psychedelic moods, stoner rhythms, compatible with a somewhat avant-garde/jazz tendency for experimentation and direct influences from the 70's.

The four-piece benefits from Benjamin Ihnow's exceptional performance on the saxophone, which gives them the kick to go the extra mile, escaping from the stoner/indie norm of our days. Here, Atomic Rooster and The Mars Volta blend with blues, post-rock, canterbury (!), jazz and mathy riffs. The raw, "street" sound is due to their main influence: "music which we can hear on vinyl."

They have no fear in experimenting with long compositions, often using the bluesy style of Led Zeppelin with Zappa-esque or VDGG intersections. Yet, the result comes out so fresh and certainly heavier than any of the artists mentioned above. Vocals are in the same line, retro-rocking, somehow resembling to Bigelf. The only track where the stoner character dominates is "Hastily", but even then the organ-sounding keyboards reveals their progressive roots. And as if the variety wasn't enough, "Der gläserne Käfig" is a 4-minute folksy acoustic guitar interlude with some excellent flute sections.

Surprised at how this gem has gone unnoticed, I cannot rate this with anything less than 4 stars. The creativity is flowing from every corner of this album.

Highlights (if I have to...): Before I Lost My Fight And Sight, All I've Done, Schicht im Schacht