BRAINSTORM - fusion Krautrock - Garden of Delights - "Eclectic Earwig Reviews Music and More for You!"
HOME PAGE, prog rock, jazz fusion, jazz rock, jazz, pysch/trance, space, electronic, ambient, essentially eclectic excellence
EER-MUSIC.com HOME PAGE

GO HOME
EER-MUSIC.com
MEET THE STAFF HERE


 
Brainstorm, Last Smile (Garden of Delights)
http://www.forcedexposure.com/labels/garden.of.delights.germany.html 

    Another recording from the seemingly limitless Garden of Delights vault, 
Last Smile is a refreshing Canterbury workout with few of the 
psychedelic tinges that normally show up on reissues from this label (not 
that the psych elements are necessarily bad). Like almost all GoD releases, 
the album is a reissue of a super-obscure German group from the 70's.
 
    Also like quite a few releases from the label, Brainstorm is a band that 
really had potential to do something incredible. The compositions on the disc 
are highly imaginative, allowing ample room for nice jazzy sax and flute 
solos with some Hatfield or Caravan-esque melodies and even vocals sections 
thrown in so that no one aspect becomes overbearing. The fact that the album 
was recorded live is a plus for me, because the band really seems to have a 
lot of energy on every tune. Musicianship is high, but there's enough 
roughness to make it exciting (though compared to some of the technically 
shoddy psychedelic bands, this sounds like a studio recording). The only 
thing that bothers me a bit is the vocals aren't quite as polished as the 
instruments, but the vocal sections are used sparingly (and effectively) so 
this is a relatively minor gripe.

    If five mostly longish tracks of jazz-rock / Canterbury-influenced prog 
with superb sax, flute, bass, keys, and drums sounds like your cup of tea, 
you'll like this album. A truly nice find. ~ Adam Murphree


Brainstorm: Second Smile (CD, 41:08); Garden of Delights, CD 047, 2000 Cyberhome/Contact: http://www.forcedexposure.com/labels/garden.of.delights.germany.html 10 words or less: Fine Krautrock with Fusion moments Elaboration: This is German progressive Jazz/Rock band Brainstorm's sophomore effort, originally released in 1973. This album starts off like a classic, complete with Mellotron, Flute and intricate unison lines in 11/8 time on the opening track. Instantly the listener knows, this is not your typical, loosely arranged Psychedelic Krautrock. The second tune, performed on acoustic Guitar, Flute and Percussion, starts nice and melodic then kicks into a frantic jam to finish. Track 3 presents the first vocal, sung in English, the vocals are the weak link in this album; not necessarily on this track though as they take on somewhat of a Greg Lake styling coupled with some wordless melodicizing. Fortunately the vocals don't encompass the entire song and there are Fusion-y sections interspersed in this 8-minute piece and the use of Clavinette creates an interesting texture. Track 4 is a fast paced instrumental with well played solos taken on Organ, Flute then Guitar. Up to this point I would give this album high marks for creativity and musicianship and track 5 starts off good enough in an Avant Garde Jazz style but just when it begins to take you in, some terrible vocals come and smother the tune. Fortunately, all is not lost and after the vocals cease, the tune ends with some great playing by the band. Track 6 is a long tune filled with vocals that sound terribly dated. Track 7 is the bonus cut, which is another dated sounding vocal tune. Overall, I give this high marks, especially the first half. ~ L Perez

GO TO PREVIOUS PAGE

GO BACK


RETURN TO:


To purchase this recording and get more info, soundclips, etc.

CLICK ON ARTIST'S NAME ABOVE

OR . . .

Please visit my BUY IT E.E.R. NOW INDEX PAGE
OR...
Please try my brand spankin' new

EER and AMAZON.com QUIK-LINKs
buyer's guide to recommended music.


OR ...
go to my LINKS page and find the vendors' section.
Happy hunting!


ALL YOUR CDS ARE BELONG TO US.
Observe how the word
wheel reverses direction
if you try and read words.
EER-MUSIC.com HOME PAGE