KOZMIC MUFFIN

KOZMIC MUFFIN play some mix of Psych/Prog with hints from Heavy Rock,presented in six rather long cuts.The musicianship has an intense retro-feeling and is based on the hypnotic guitars of Pedro Granell and the monster organ waves of Enrique Otero.Sometimes the sound gets more aggresive as Granell's both guitars and vocals explode,while I can't help of thinking of PINK FLOYD in all their aspects in a couple of tracks.Compared to them KOZMIC MUFFIN are less melodic and have a more powerful sound.The end of the listening finds me pleased to have listened to an underground name of the modern Psychedelic Rock scene,despite the obvious lack of originality.

This album could have easily been buried in time,but fortunately some hard-workers brought it up and that was a good thing.Far from essential,but fairly balanced and a great listening for all Floyd-ian fans out there.

The record starts with the atmospheric intro, including flute, of "Marble Man", song in which blues turns into rock, in a very interesting way, with some changes and excellent job with both guitars soloing. It won´t last because "Peelin´Cebollitas" has a much darker mood, in both lyrics and music, but with the funny insert of a cooking scene (in the vein of BAUHAUS´ "Fish Cakes" or THINKING PLAGUE´s "How to Clean Squid").

"Telly Selly Time" contains slower passages, including violin and saxes reminding KING CRIMSON, but the overall result is not at a top level, despite being quite interesting. The ironic sense of humour appears again with a mention to their first record, Nautilus, offered as a budget item in a TV show. KING CRIMSON appears again in one of the best tracks of the record, "Sadie Hawkins Dance", in which the percussive intro is followed by a furious guitar solo. A sudden change turns into a sax driven section leading to the end of the track. Songs like this deserve great attention, and that´s why KOZMIC MUFFIN gained such a good reputation.

The record goes on with "Black Chess Figurines", a soft ballad full of poetry, with superb job on Hammond and vocals, reminding John Wetton in his best moments. Excellent counterpoint for the rest of the record. The dark mood will appear again in "Muffled Thrill" a superb instrumental piece that is another of the top songs of the record. "Sunday in America, Monday in Spain" is the final track, full of changes and continuous soloing on guitar and sax, but the result isn´t very surprising despite the great musicianship displayed. The ringbell will wake us up from this musical trip. Or isn´t it finished? Listen to it and you will understand

This record will appeal mainly to those interested in the more vintage oriented prog rock and those devoted to the psychedelic riffs and organs, because the rest won´t discover anything new, although the instrumental skills are at a high level. This record well deserves 3 stars.

The first song of the record, Andrew, is probably the most devoted song to their source of inspiration. Soft guitars and organ with some funky taste introduce the listener to their particular tribute to classic psych rock. But it won´t last too long, becuase Sun, Glass & Vacuum is much more elaborated, with atmospheric organ that creates a very delicate mood, despite the guitar solo in an accelerated middle section. Kozmic Muffin is quite different, very aggressive from the beginning, including distorted vocals at the end of the track, which is one of the most interesting pieces of the record. Bedlam returns to the quiet mood, with a middle section that reminds Kevin Ayers works, more melodic and pop oriented. Open MInds will give us back to the more intricate side of the record, with lots of distorted guitars and an organ that reminds me of Brian Auger in his funkiest way. And the best is yet to come with Eleusis, a lysergic title that properly fits this song: cosmic music meets Canterbury in a real progression from the almost atmospheric start to the fastest final of the song, which is also a great final for the record. The final breath reminds us the great effort they made not only on this song, but also on the whole disc. This record leaves the listener with a great feeling and the sensation that not everything was played in the old days. Although the sound is clearly classic, the overall sound looks somehow fresh and not really repetitive, which I consider one of the strongest points of this record. I strongly reccommend this record, although the vinyl LP version is nowadays a collector item.