CERIMÒNIES

Welcome to this riot!

Lubianka's , 2015, "Cerimonies" is a Psychedelic, Avant Garde/ RiO, Krautrock, Indo-Raga and electronic Hard Rock/Jazz, with a slight retro feeling, combination. Blended altogether into an exotic mix whose main ingredients are treated up front roughly, giving this work the daring but unfriendly attribute of uncompromising compositional freedom.

Its obscure and clashing colors will appeal to any Rock in Opposition's follower. In fact, this release is full of creative stylistic surprises, but as I mentioned no sugarly overcoats or user friendly riffs. Opposite to that Lubianka bets on experimental chaotic contrasts, taking them almost to the limit yet never losing songwriting focus.

Its non stop dynamic feel reminds me of old time experimental prog pioneer bands which dared to go beyond conventional borders, therefore conventional audiences.

Anyway, far more important, this is fun, bombastic and raw as it gets or may sound, each song offers some kind of unique riot like fun!

****4 PA stars.

This band from Barcelona is basically a trio (Aleix Braso on drums and percussion, Victor G. Roca on vocals, guitars, sitar, effects, and Riccardo Parenti on bass), with two occasional guest musicians (Victor Bonetarboli on sax and clarinet, and Christina Garret on vocals), with a lot of Psychedelic and Space Rock musical influences. I was asked to listen to this album and I really expected a noisy and chaotic collection of random sounds and avant-garde experimentations, and I'm not a fan of that kind music, really. But after I listened to this album in their bandcamp.com website, I found that this is not a noisy collection of random sounds. To me, it seems that every song has a planned structure played mainly by the trio of musicians with some participation from their guest musicians. Having some overdubs, I think that the songs were really composed and planned before being recorded. Even the synthesiser's psychedelic sound effects sound like being played in a planned way. Even if there are some improvisations, the music is not chaotic. There is some use of guitar feedback, atmospheric guitars, heavy drums playing and reverberation.

Another good thing is that this album is not really "dark". It is really a collection of songs with some influences from Free Jazz music, Indian music (also using a sitar), Psychedelia, and some influences from PINK FLOYD (pre- "The Dark Side of the Moon" album), KING CRIMSON (1972-74) and HAWKWIND. The music is never boring. I can't understand the lyrics because it seems to me that they are written and sung in the Catalan language. But they work very well with the music.

The recording and mixing sound good to my ears, never being really noisy, despite the use of some feedback in the guitars playing.

As a whole, this is a good album which could be a very good listening more particularly for the fans of the Psychedelic / Space Rock musical style.

You know what this album is? A stew made out of a myriad of ingredients that maybe you wouldn't have expected to be together, let alone well, but was cooked so finely that the variety all comes together into a thick and delicious whole, with all sorts of little tastes popping out from the main broth. Now, I can't tell you what exactly the main broth of this prog stew is - take your guess from the space rock, krautrock, or fusion elements as to what it may be - but it features all that and more, like a little prog electronic for one, and just jams on that for about a couple of sides of vinyl. And it really jams, pushing old school styles of playing forward while yet not being so "modern", having a lot of fun, even experimenting a little. It's up to the listener to decide whether this can be described as necessarily special, but I'd say it is, and its greatness can't be denied. I particularly enjoyed the opening track, with the overt jazz horns, but the whole album is good and compares favourably to bands like Lizards Exist.

The second album from this band from Spain. Originally a guitar/bass/drums trio but now featuring a sax/clarinet player and a guest female vocalist. The guitarist (who also sings) plays other stringed instruments, like sitar. There is some keyboards but mostly it is spacey synth noises. Although spacey, the music here can be just as jazzy. You could say the sound here is somewhat 'retro' but nothing sounds very derivative. "Fins que el sol es torni fum" fades in with some spacey goodness before a syncopated drumbeat, sax, wah-guitar and bass join it. After some vocals we are treated to some 'classic rock' style guitar soloing. Gets a little free form in the middle before going very jazzy. "Sa clau" is the shortest track but seems longer than it is. Features a memorable vocal line and what sounds like slide guitar.

"On els sants es tornen esclaus" is the longest track and most traditionally 'psychedelic'. Lots of drones, percussion sounds and sitar. Grooves along with vocals for awhile. Towards the middle is an interesting sound - not sure what it is. A steady beat and some chanting for a bit. A repetitive riff dominates for awhile. "Ouroborus" opens and closes with a call to prayer. Has an easy going space rock vibe that picks up. Sounds like some electric piano and organ in this track. Everything kind of floats around before another groove gets set up. Very Hendrix style guitar playing before it gets more 'stoner rock' sounding.

"Batec" opens very electronic sounding. On this track you hear guest vocalist Christina Garrett, whose voice is multi-tracked. The majority of the song is in a spacey groove with some fluid bass playing. The last minute is made up of orchestral sounds from a symphony or some such. "Stockhausen Melancolic Jazz" has a great title but is more jazz than Karlheinz Stockhausen. The guitar is at its most jazzy on this track. Lots of spacey effects going on. Eventually there is arpeggios on guitar, the sax gets skronkier, the synths get more trippy and you hear someone talking. Some harmony vocals near the end. Overall, a decent effort and fairly consistent with no real highs and no real lows. Recommended to those who enjoy the more 'retro' sounding modern space bands. I'll give this a 3.5 and round it up to 4 stars.

Though I confess to being ever the fanatic about old school prog, I must also bear witness to the fact that there are so many elaborate, thoroughly brilliant, contemporary bands out there. I do find, whenever I stumble across modern day progressive rock, that I am (for the most part) extremely taken and impressed by what I hear. Those finds are pure bliss. The flag of prog is flying high and that is so reassuring.

Lubianka is a spanish band, which was totally unknown to me up til a week ago. The cover caught my eye and I do find that a great cover is one of those things that makes the musical package so complete. Simple yet striking cover. The genre of Lubianka is space rock, a term that is ever so amazing. They are credited, on this site, as being psychedelic aswell.

The music is actually quite eclectic, I find. 'Fins que el sol es torni fum' is a track reminiscent of 'Dark side of the moon'-Floyd, much due to the soaring female vocals. Well, there aren't really vocals in the sense of meaning expressed by words. It's wordless chanting or wailing. Anyway, the point being the track is outstanding and sets a tone for the album which is great. It is spacious, welcoming, intriguing and lovely in every sense.

My favorite track is 'Ouroboros'. It's built like the universe. Spacious, grand and thrilling. I hear echoes of Atila's album 'Reviure', which to me is wonderful. It holds a heavier section that only accentuates the talents of this band and album.

To me everything about this album speaks of greatness. There is sure enough a lot of spacey rhythms here but also heavier thumps of music, aswell as psychedelic spices. The overall impression is really one of balance between the parts, building up a whole that is both appealing, challenging and in the end very rewarding. I will certainly follow the path of Lubianka and with pleasure examine whatever they conjure up. If you're into jams, spaced sounds and innovative use of talent, I do think this album is for you. Four stars easily.

Psychedelic rock with history longer than half-a -century is hardly a genre where new trends appear very often. Similarly with modern days jazz fusion, avant-rock and other less conservative scenes, advanced artists often experiment with eclectic mixes of what already have been found. Than main attraction is how well (or how unusually) different elements fit together.

Virtually unknown trio (with guests) "Lubianka" is a Spanish band with name, understandable to Russians (or those familiar with modern Russian history) only. They don't open new horizons but mix lot of well known tricks in an attractive manner and do it with some virtuosity.

Their second album's music is an eclectic mix of analog "Hawkwind"-like synth effervescence, early 70s naive spacey soundscapes, late 80s stoner psychedelic guitar shredding, Indian ragga and tribal rhythms. Surprisingly enough, all this brew doesn't sound chaotic or too eclectic, in a strange way different influences organically communicate with each other and the final sound is quite well organized and fortunately free of dated longish noodling so usual for many last century's psychedelic bands.

Add free jazz -like sax soling on some compositions, tasteful vocalizes and lot of rhythmic and stylistic changes during the album's music flow. "Lubianka" wouldn't make a revolution in a genre, but they sound professional, their music sounds modern, and most important - they aren't boring.

Since the evaluation is a part of a game - 3 1/2 rounded to 4.