Strange things are
happening in Italy……..from that county’s thriving psychedelic scene come
Menimals, a force of nature exploring the mysteries of chaos and creation.
Shrouded in an enigmatic cloak of inscrutability, the four musicians are the
sonic representation of the cosmic beauty and symmetry embodied in the Platonic
solids, the classical elements of alchemy, and the symbolic animal spirits
whose masks they wear:
The Rat:
Drums/Hexahedron/Earth
The most stable element,
the layer on which the other instruments stand.
The Chimera: Bass and
Additional Guitar/Icosahedron/Water
Is complementary to earth
and is the most mobile element.
The Griphon: Guitar and
Production/Octahedron/Air
The water lies on the
earth, the air lies in the surface of the water. Constantly flies between
melody and noise.
Doctor Forge:
Voice/Tetrahedron/Man/Fire
The most mutable and
unpredictable element. May be a spark or a blaze. It carries the light. It's
the lantern in the dark that shows the way.
Menimals' debut album is
"a symphony of solids in five
movements", a reference to the five shapes that make up the Platonic
Solids and from which each of the Menimals was conceived. Behind the masks,
myths and magic is a band whose improvisational investigation of Krautrock with
strong ambient influences reflects an experimental worldview that reveals
itself in the lyrics, visual aesthetic, and in the hypnotic live performances
which are not just concerts but cinematic events in which they reconnect with
the mysticism of nature. Breaking the boundary between men and animals, they
interact with the audience through the psychedelia of their soundscapes. Live
performances are rare due to the frail state of Dr Forge's health and the fact
that he lives secluded upon another continent, North America, while his
creatures toil in the hills of Northern Italy. This is quite a remarkable debut
album blending together the dark ambience of experimental Psychedelia, free
Jazz and Trip Hop as Dr Forge, with his scorched lungs and frail bones, weaves
an archetypal story of the hero's journey through the five shapes related to
the elemental root symbolized by each of the characters of Menimals.
“From the known to the unknown, each unknown becomes a familiar -- a
spirit-creature of mysticism serving as spy and companion and jester. In the
music, the listener is given both solace and a challenge to transcend”. A
looping, double bass line introduces ‘In This Unforgiving Heat’ as the Menimals' debut album opens with a track not unlike Barry Adamson’s future noir imaginary
soundtracks. A dark trip hop flavoured track not a million miles away from the
shadowy, bluesy ambience of Portishead, blending Middle Eastern motifs with a
heady jazz vibe…………it’s psychedelic, but not in a conventional way. The sinister,
ethereal Future Jazz feel of ‘In This Unforgiving Heat’ spills over into ‘Dodecahedron,
The Window Sphere’……..again a track that evokes Portishead at their most
experimental. Imagine if the whole 90s Trip Hop scene had been fuelled on
powerful hallucinogens and not big blunts then you may possibly get a handle
where Menimals are coming from on these two strange but beautiful opening
tracks. There is a change of pace and atmosphere as ‘Tetrahedron’ is probably
the most “conventional” Psych Rock track on the album and is a slow burning ethereal
swirl of a song which builds and builds until sparking into a high octane flame-out
of scorching guitar noise. ‘Transition From A Cube To The Octahedron’ is a dark
psychedelic masterpiece…………………somewhat akin to the tracks Bill Laswell recorded
with William Burroughs in the mid 80s, Dr Forge’s cracked, vocal gravel whispering
spoken text over an minimalistic soundscape of
guitar, abstract white noise and sparse percussion serves to offer up a rationale
of knowing in an increasingly convoluted world. Closing with ‘Bird On The Wing
As A Hinge’, another beautifully constructed soundscape of pulsing bass, synth
drone and delicate guitar figures, although
experimental in structure, melody is never sacrificed as Menimals open a gate
through which Doctor Forge and the creatures he engineered deliver their
luminous messages of myth and truth to the world. Although not redefining the
genre, Menimals are certainly pushing hard at its edges with their unique style
of mystic multi-media at a time where psychedelic music is in danger of
becoming very conservative, taking any preconceived notion of what modern
psychedelia has evolved into and tipping it on its head. If there is such a
thing as a psychedelic rule book, Menimals have torn it to shreds after
scribbling all over the pages. It takes a few listens for the majesty of this
record to really hit home but for the more inquisitive Psychonaut spending time
in Menimals world of magic and mystery is a must.
The Menimals debut album
is another one of Riot Season’s occasional forays into the psychedelic realm…………………….released
on 9th April 2016 and available in a super limited edition run of
only 75 copies on black vinyl c/w insert plus a bonus CDr of the album when
ordered directly from Riot Season. Available to pre-order from either the RiotSeason online store or their Bandcamp page at https://riotseasonrecords.bandcamp.com/album/menimals.
The CDr along with a digital download of the album are both available separately from the
same sources.
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