Main » 2011»February»4 » Damin Eih, A.L.K & Brother Clark - 1973 - Never Mind
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Damin Eih, A.L.K & Brother Clark - 1973 - Never Mind
Damin Eih - guitars, lead vocals, synthesizer, piano, A.L.K. (A.L. Katzner) - percussion, piano, vocals, guitar, Brother Clark (Clark Dircz) - bass, guitar, piano, chinese chimes. Who are Damien Eih, A.l.k and Brother Clark you may ask yourself and so do I. Hardly anything is known about these lads, but their only LP, a private pressing from 1973 is something you should not miss.Mostly acoustic and gentle, but highly trippy and mystic this is the real collector's stuff. I really love this record and i am sure you will too...so download, "Take Off Your Eyes" and fly.More information welcome!(Note: the tracks on the LP go into one another, so the parted tracks often don't have a clearly defined beginning or end. This effect will disappear if you hear it as a whole) One of those elaborate Midwestern headtrips that will send you into aural space you didn't even know exitsted, like CA Quintet of side 1 of Yezda Urfa. The longer suites are particularly impressive, while the shorter tunes less so. A unique mix of multi-layered acoustic guitars, treated vocals and extensive use of cymbals creates a piercing yet enjoyable high frequency soundscape that demands your attention, while soom moog and fuzz bass round out the bottom. Someone spent a lot of money on this one and I would deem it largely successful, with parts that are truly spellbinding, even though the 'message' remains obscure. Pretentious and rather Euro-proggish in its sensibility, yet playful and exotic enough to appeal to more adventerous psych fans. The bands ridiculously unwieldy moniker and the lack of a high profile reissue keeps this one buried.'(Acid Archives) One of a kind album from a truly warped, unique sensibility. It's a tough to describe mix of acoustic guitars, pop melodies, folk, prog, and just plain weirdness. Often brilliant (i.e. the truly classic "Thundermice") but just as often impenetrable. Those who "get it" seem to instantly place this in their personal all-time top tens. I can't say I'm one of those privileged ones, but on every listen I do discover something new and enjoy bits and pieces of it. The album is constructed to feel like one continuous whole rather than a collection of songs, which actually makes it harder to enjoy-other than "Thundermice" the individual songs don't really distinguish themselves. It reminds me of the better Gong albums, where you wade through a couple of minutes of forgettable jamming, and hit a great 20 seconds or so, thinking "wow... if they just developed that into a complete song rather than noodling around so much this would be an amazing record." The problem, though, is that they really don't have enough focus or fully-formed ideas to do so even if they wanted to, and my instinct is that Eih (whoever he really is) has the same problem. The good moments make you want to forgive the dull spots, thinking they're over your head, but I suspect they're just Eih rambling rather than Eih in the midst of inspiration. Of course, those chosen few who "get it" would certainly say I'm wrong about this. [AM]
01 - Tourniquet 02 - Sing A Different Song 03 - Take Off Your Eyes 04 - Soft Margins 05 - Thundermice 06 - Monday Morning Prayer 07 - Gone 08 - Marching Together 09 - Kathryn At Night 10 - Party Hats & Olive Spats 11 - Return Naked
