Pacalirte Sorban Cumanos

This is Reynols' most "rock" effort, with a distinct Krautrock feel that might explain why it came out on Beta-Lactam Ring Records. Fans of the spirit of Faust and Neu! and the realizations of Acid Mothers Temple and Keiji Haino should give it a try. The dual guitars of Anla Courtis and Moncho Conlazo are acid to the bone, fuzzing, droning, and churning six-stringed hallucinogens. Drummer/singer Miguel Tomasin provides the bridge between Krautrock and Japanese neo-psychedelia (the label calls it "sushikraut," you are at liberty to forge a better term). His drumming is definitely informed by the once-started-there's-no-stopping momentum of Can's Jaki Liebezeit, while his reverb-drenched off-key singing is empowered — despite all its shortcomings — by the moving sincerity of Haino. His discourse, in Spanish and in what sounds like an invented language, and his delivery, smack of outsider art and a genuine disregard for conventions. We all know by now that Tomasin has Down syndrome, but that's not what comes through from the music and, truth is, it doesn't matter. What strikes the ear is the drive of this band on tunes like "7 Apoloca Baluba" and "Mentalimo Chorlin," and the painfully languid tone of Tomasin in "Mante Vedeosmas" that recalls Fushitsusha's or Kousokuya's slow numbers. "Fincoll (Que Norar)" takes a different approach, pairing the singer's voice with a sequence of organ chords that recall a Sunday mass. It makes a strange inclusion, and it's a bit too long. Pacalirte Sorban Cumanos provides a very odd listen. Adventurous listeners will find it intriguing at the very least. ~ François Couture, Rovi