VOCOKESH - Through the Smoke

With Through the Smoke, Vocokesh expand upon the ominous acid soundtracks that saturated The Tenth Corner. Combining the swirling guitars of Pink Floyd and the Kraut-inspired mayhem of Ash Ra Tempel with the early analog electronic surrealism of Tangerine Dream and Popol Vuh, Vocokesh continue to place pressure on the boundaries of sound, incessantly exploring cryptic soundscapes via their oftentimes unsettling brand of electronics-drenched, drugged-out rock.-Ç On this outing, however, the soundscapes come mixed with some more prog-like elements and even a touch of-Ç psych/garage riffing. Vibe #6 stirs slowly with heady bass pulses, swooshing synths and subtle guitar lines, but quickly stumbles headlong into all-out mania as Franeckis guitar pyrotechnics spiral forth like alien tendrils, reverberations of a gong tolling the first wave of what is to be a long, dark trip.-Ç But a sidestep into garage-psych of Vocokesh Theme Song provides a nice respite, as the band exhumes the spirit of Electric Prunes-like fuzz and vibrato. The sojourn is short-lived, as Vocokesh continue on, taking the listener on their impressionistic journey woven from total sound exploration. Vocokesh manage to skillfully hybridize the best of the early 70s avant-garde into their cinematic improvisations. Florian Fricke, David Gilmour, Manuel Göttsching, Edgar Froese, Moebius & Roedelius and Fripp & Eno are all exhumed, but Vocokesh re-image the references into something far more extreme than the aforementioned ever imagined.-Ç Eerie and sonically provocative, Through the Smoke is one intense mind-moving hallucination. - Strange Attractors Audio House.