SMART CANDLE

3.5 stars. ZACHT AUTOMAAT are a duo out of Ontario about a 2 hour drive from where I am in "cottage country". The band's name is Dutch for SOFT MACHINE and we get bass, drums and keys with plenty of electronics standing out here on "Smart Candle" named after fire works. It feels like there's a collage thing going on at times with the two side long suites offered here but the transitions are so natural sounding. I'm surprised as well that a 40 minute album seems to go by so fast. Still, this doesn't resonate with me like "I Can Feel The Mold In Me(Dead Slow, No Wake)" did but I like this record a lot.

I think it's so cool that Julian Cope knows this band's music and that he referred to them as being Druids whatever that implies. "Museum Robbery" opens with some words before drums, organ, bass and atmosphere take over. I like the organ and drums as this trips along. Piano before 2 minutes as the previous soundscape fades out. Love the spacey winds after 7 minutes with frantic drumming and much more. Electronics galore 8 1/2 minutes in. Some insanity before 15 minutes with a laugh before a circus melody kicks in with drums and bass supporting. Mellotron-like sounds 17 minutes in with experimental percussion. It's more keyboard driven before 19 minutes then some jazzy bass after 20 minutes along with the organ to the end.

"Sterling's Over" opens with crowd noise, a lot of people talking here as keys join in. That noise continues until before 2 minutes when electronics and organ take over. It's more organ led at 5 1/2 minutes then back to the electronics around the 10 minute mark. The organ is back before 13 minutes as the electronics continue. The tempo picks up and it brightens some at 16 minutes before returning to the previous soundscape to end it.

Krautrock from my end of the woods? Kind of cool and if the boys are ever up here they need to look me up.