ACID MOTHERS TEMPLE - MAGICAL POWER FROM MARS (Important 2008)

I've been buying a lot of AMT c.ds from Amazon over the last month, as well as going through much of their back catalogue on Youtube. In fact, as regards listening to music, I've been on an exclusive diet of AMT (& a few Makoto Kawabata solo releases) for the last 4 or 5 weeks. Their musical universe is so wide, & covers so many diverse styles, that during this time I never felt any desire to listen to anything else. Having said that, the last few c.ds I bought by them were starting to sound very much the same - all more or less in the style of psychedelic rock. As much as they're great at playing in that style, & as much as I love it, I wanted a change. I wanted to get something by them that branched into some of their other styles (ethnic / ambient / experimental etc), so when this c.d arrived in the post, it was a real breath of fresh air, and this has gone on to become one of my favourite albums by them.
This c.d really excels in these other styles, & is a reminder of the unique sound that AMT can produce when they get away from the psychedelic rock template (in my opinion, even when they're playing psychedelic rock, they still have a unique sound, though many detractors disagree, & resort to lazy comparisons such as 'Hawkwind' or 'Pink Floyd'). As human beings, when we listen to music, we seem to have an urgent need to quickly find comparisons (no matter how remote) & have 'reference points'. It's a bit like spotting 'faces' when we look at clouds (or looking at a rorschach ink block test) - we far too quickly project our own reference points into what we're experiencing.
It might also be the curse of postmodern hipsterism - everybody is so 'informed' about music, that they need to show off their alleged 'knowledge'. No matter how original & unique a piece of music is, there will always be some bloody hipster who can conjure up some bogus 'comparison', usually constructed using some dreadful cliche (e.g - 'The bastard son of band A and band Y' or 'Imagine band X jamming with band Y on the moon, whilst Sun Ra plays the bagpipes').
Of course, such comparisons are usually just based on surface fripperies (immediate over-simplified & lazy associations) & show that people aren't really listening to overall structure. If it's got overdriven guitar pyrotechnics it must be 'Hendrix', if it's got slide guitar through echo it must be 'early Pink Floyd', & if it's got some synth whooshes, it must be 'Hawkwind'. There are only a limited amount of instruments, a limited amount of notes, and a limited (though conversely - almost infinite) palette of sounds that a musician can use, and therefore any 'informed' listener can find alleged 'comparisons. However, to me, AMT  still sound unique, in that, whilst drawing on sounds from the past (& they will openly acknowledge their influences) the way they structure these sounds into a track is like nobody else, making such lazy comparisons inaccurate.
To my ears (even after 35 years of seeking out the most strange & obscure music), AMT sound like nobody else, primarily because of the way they structure their tracks. 
This C.D could be classified in the 'experimental' category.  However, none of this is freeform noodling. Instead, each track is well thought out, is based on good ideas, is played with absolute conviction, and has a clear & very original structure.

The first track - 'Ziggy Sitar Dust Raga' (19.46) starts with an 8 note ascending / descending sitar motif, running through a beautiful shimmering echo. It's backed by a keyboard drone, that sounds like a harmonium. This repeats for nine minutes, but never gets monotonous. Occasional splashes of synth & another faint layer of sitar come in subtly at points. Eventually the sitar fades out. leaving only the keyboard drone.
At this point, Cotton Casino adds some wonderful, very high pitched spacey abstract warbling. I love her vocals. Even at her wildest, she has a lovely clear & pure tone to her voice, & never sounds screechy, harsh or grating (i.e - she's not Yoko Ono). She sounds like some disembodied spirit flying about. The sitar fades back in, this time put through so much echo / reverb, it just becomes a gorgeous glittering wall of sound. This track is fantastic, a brilliant exercise in creating a unique musical structure. and is one of my all time favourite AMT tracks.

The second track - 'Diamond Doggy Peggy' (15.05) is a mid-paced psychedelic rocker. Cotton Casino adds some more warbling, which although low in the mix, sits on top of the track nicely. Her very high pitch means she doesn't get drowned out in the mix. It sounds like the guitar & vocals are going through an effect which makes them all squidgy - a bit like listening to a rock band whilst underwater. Even though they're 'rocking out', these effects make them sound like no rock band you've ever heard before.
At times, this track sounds like they're about to go into 'Crystal Pyramid Rainbow' (from the 'Crystal Pyramid Rainbow Under The Stars' C.D), and I wonder if that particular track was developed from this one.

The third track -'Aladdin Kane (14.50) is underpinned by an echoing sequence of bass keyboard notes, processed so that they're playing backwards on this recording. There are some flourishes of slide guitar, & a layer of lead guitar. I'm not as fond of this track as I am of the other three tracks, but it's still enjoyable.

The final track - 'Cosmic Funky Dolly' (20.07) is almost indescribable, & as I've already said (& like everything else on this album) AMT  really sound like nobody else. There's a shimmering, echoing synth motif, on top of which Cotton Casino adds some fantastic spacey high pitched abstract vocals, once again sounding like some mysterious spirit flying around. Synth splashes & whooshes come in. This track sounds like you've been transported to the surface of some strange planet. I've never heard anything remotely like this from any other band.

I almost didn't buy this c.d, as the picture of the cover art (that I saw on Amazon) put me off a little - 1950s style sci-fi comic art isn't my thing. However, the c.d art looks great when you see it full size, and it's a fantastic 3-D hologram. It perfectly suits the music on this c.d.

This is one of the best albums I've heard by AMT, and is stunningly original (despite any bogus 'comparisons' any bloody hipsters might make). If you're an AMT fan, or a lover of experimental & unique sounds, I wholeheartedly recommend this.