My Sleeping Karma - Moksha

This may or may not be Ganesh giving us a horns up. You decide.I won't claim to have useful knowledge about Eastern mysticism. I mean, I am aware of Vishnu and Ganesh as deities in the Hindu pantheon. But the closest I've come to any exposure would be Keanu Reeves' Little Buddha (1993). In any case, German quartet My Sleeping Karma gives instrumental psychedlic rock an appealing Eastern flavor on its fifth studio joint Moksha. In Hindu tradition, Moksha is one of the four goals of human life and basically means emancipation, liberation, or release. So, it wouldn't at all surprise me if this was all some grand concept album, perhaps spurred on by one of the band's members for personal reasons.

Either way, this is some fantastic groove rock, replete with contemplative interludes that sound amazing. Which isn't to say that they took a stoner rock template and threw in some sitars and tablas for an instant Indian vibe. This is still pretty straightforward instrumental tripping, but it seems to have a more elevated purpose to it. Maybe it's just me. But I thoroughly enjoyed this album from the opening track Prithvi's hypnotic verse riff, through the introspective interludes, and down to the final track Agni's energetic finish.

The Bottom Line: My Sleeping Karma's instrumental trip Moksha feels like a journey to musical enlightenment and ultimately release as the album's title implies. This German group knows how to take psychedelic instrumental rock to the next level.

- Genghis is definitely getting a t-shirt with this album's awesome artwork on it...