CRAWLING TO LHASA

'Crawling to Lhasa' does have its moments, but only on the first track 'Naerby shiras' which has some nice 'n creepy whispered German vocals. However, the recording sounds primitive which you'd think would add to the atmosphere. Unfortunately it doesn't. It just sounds cheap and trashy.

Kalacakra' approach to this recording is almost 'blues' in nature. It's such a pity then, that it all sounds like a teenagers bedroom recording from the early 70's.

'September Fullmoon' is certainly the dullest tune on the album, with repetitive acoustic guitar strumming that leads nowhere. Flutes float around at the same time in a very non spectacular way just following the guitar for no other reason than that it's there. This whole track sounds wobbly and off key which just goes to highlight the production failures. Ten whole minutes of this have to be endured before we can continue into choppier waters.

A harmonica rears its ugly head in 'Arapaho's circle dance' which sounds like a bored Captain Beefheart first take from 'Strictly Personal'. I'm afraid it's all downhill from here with an ever increasing blues feel which negates the rather promising opener.

The second half seriously runs out of steam and ideas, where they just seem to repeat themselves. Eastern influences are prevalent during the first half with lots of bongos pitter pattering away as if they have a life of their own but are happily oblivious to what else is occurring around them.

Just when things couldn't get much worse, we're subjected to the jarringly awkward shift into 1980's territory with 'Vamos', which is completely out of place on this recording with its mid eighties funky bass, drum machine and ugly guitars. And by God - it's repetitive!

The nadir is left for last with 'Deja vu' - a track so uninteresting with the aforementioned faults that it's enough to make a grown man burst into tears... Truly awful...

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