Magenta Flac

Sounds like Can meets Hawkwind! Unbelievably killer and super, super heavy brand-new Cosmic Psyche/Krautrock album from Brown Spirits, new on Soul Jazz Records!

Sounds like Can meets Hawkwind! Unbelievably killer and super, super heavy brand-new Cosmic Psyche/Krautrock album from Brown Spirits, new on Soul Jazz Records!

Heaven knows, the Scotsman born Donovan Leitch was ripe for ridicule, even when he was hitting the charts with regularity. He was the ultimate flower child, and his airier pronouncements made cynics want to tighten up those love beads around his neck. Listening to Troubadour, however, it's striking how versatile, melodic, and agreeable most of his material sounds decades after "Mellow Yellow" has faded into a jaundiced yellow. Clearly under the sway of Bob Dylan early on in his career, Donovan nevertheless was capable of directing his reverence into something as enchanting as "Catch the Wind." Amping up as the '60s progressed, he assembled a series of psychedelic-pop classics, including "Season of the Witch," the "Hey Jude"-like sing-along "Atlantis," and the uncharacteristically driving "Hurdy Gurdy Man" (the latter features three-quarters of what was to become Led Zeppelin providing stellar support). This two-disc anthology may be more Donovan than some desire, but the booklet, seven previously unreleased tracks, and expansive perspective it provides makes it a more-than-worthy overview for those who take their paisley folk-rock with a beatific smile.

Staying true to eclectic ambience through dramatic electronic music, Hooverphonic raise the pressure from their debut single "2Wicky" for a more passionate effort on their second album, Blue Wonder Power Milk. New vocalist Geike Arnaert captures an innocence that was practically blindsided on the first album by former lead singer Liesje Sadonius. Blue Wonder Power Milk is intricately woven with string arrangements and pulsating dance club beats for a drowsy feel. Most songs featured on Blue Wonder Power Milk are guided by light strings, allowing Hooverphonic to gently fall into genres of indie pop, dream pop, and trip-hop, however each song does take on a life of its own – slowly. Album opener "Battersea" arrives with Arnaert's breathy vocals for a spiraling drum'n'bass track about self-indulgence. "Club Montepulciano," which received moderate airplay on college radio and "Eden" both glide with an ethereal beauty, whereas "Lung" thrives with heavy guitar licks and throbbing Depeche Mode-like synths. Blue Wonder Power Milk attempts for a strong introduction, and while it is indeed enchanting, it's also slow to rise.

After a long career with much hard work and much beautiful music, Marcus seems to have reached another level. With the help of the clarinet, he is coming into his mature voice, full of confidence and ease. And at the risk of making any kind of statement about the "current state of jazz," it seems that Marcus is part of the happy marriage emerging between the traditionalists and the avant-garde. There are two magnificent streams within this music, and the combination of their strengths is an exciting prospect. For Yes! is a step forward that leaves no one behind, and it's also one of the most thoroughly enjoyable albums in recent memory.