Sweden’s instrumental cosmic rock quartet, My Brother The Wind, knows how to groove old school, and that's a fact. Okay, I'm just going to come right out at the beginning of this review and say that I'm a sucker for what bands like Sweden's My Brother The Wind (MBTW) do on their latest LP Once There Was A Time When Time And Space Were One. These guys make the kind of classic instrumental cosmic rock (I've always called it space rock, but whatever) that Pink Floyd made famous in their more contemplative, if self-indulgent, moments for generation of stoned teenagers where the sense of time goes by the wayside. And I couldn't be more into it. Dat title though.
Recorded live, and completely improvised, with no overdubs during one January day in Åmål, Sweden, the thoroughly analog feel of the album came from using vintage flangers, plate reverbs and tape echoes recorded to 2" tape on a 44-year-old 16-track Ampex. How's that grab you for authenticity? But it's all for naught if the tunes don't work, right? Luckily MBTW has the goods, indulging in songs that sometimes break the 12 minute mark without sounding like the needle's stuck on the record. And it's that kind of solid grooving that makes or breaks this genre; chill and groove out, but don't be boring, man. Nice work, lads.
The Bottom Line: Sweden's reputation for musical innovation and revival continues to grow to the delight of eager listeners with bands like My Brother The Wind. This is classic head-tripping stuff, and the fact that it's all performed without a net makes it all the more amazing. Now if you'll excuse me, I gotta get my vape on.
Tracks To Enjoy While Lying On Your Bokhara Rug With Your Headphones On: Songs Of Innocence Part 1, Misty Mountainside, and Garden Of Delights
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