ALBUM REVIEW: Orgone Unicorn – Øresund Space Collective
Space. Jazz. If those two words don’t catch your attention then nothing instrumental prog rock meets sci-fi jazz ensemble ØRESUND SPACE COLLECTIVE can do will be worth your time. For those deep enough into this eclectic rabbit hole however, Orgone Unicorn – the band’s 44th album in their 18-year history – is bound to be a trippy delight.
It’s difficult to envision a great night listening to ØRESUND SPACE COLLECTIVE without a potent combination of spice from Dune and Pan-Galactic Gargle Blasters from The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy elevating the experience; Orgone Unicorn feels specially formulated for a night of exploring remote worlds and your innermost psyche. Apart from a brief four-minute interlude there isn’t a single track of the two-hour, sixteen-minute, seven-second, double album that doesn’t clock in at over seventeen-and-a-half minutes of kaleidoscopic absurdity. Orgone Unicorn isn’t an album of singles, it’s a swirling atmospheric jam embracing a hundred years of science fiction, jazz and progressive rock into a synth-infused, self-indulgent cacophony of bleeps, bloops and exaggerated solos.
The eight-piece band, led by charismatic leader and synth wizard Dr Space and borrowing members from some of Europe’s most eccentric prog and jazz groups, explores the furthest reaches of jazz fusion and progressive music, referencing MAGMA, GOBLIN and Bitches Brew era MILES DAVIES in a genre-bending haze of spacey weirdness. Twenty-five minute long opening track Skin Walker is a rock solid barrier to entry with impressively wacky performances weaving in and out of a central groove held down by bassist Hasse Horrigmoe. For most bands a track like Skin Walker would be their most self-indulgent, progressive jam, pushing the possibilities of their music into areas only the most dedicated fans would dare enter; for ØRESUND SPACE COLLECTIVE however, this is practically their most radio-friendly single.
Despite revolving around a singular science-fiction aesthetic complete with beeping synth sounds and surreal atmospheric passages, ØRESUND SPACE COLLECTIVE still find plenty of time to explore a cosmos of different genres. The title track takes the ensemble’s hypnotic sound to the desolate dunes of Arrakis via Indian and Middle Eastern instrumentation and rhythm whereas the haunting violin and punchy drum machines of Omnia Magnifico transport the listener to the gas giant Bespin and Kraut Toe Trip’s slide guitar-led atmosphere feels reminiscent of floating weightlessly between the stars. The advantage of these longer, drawn out tracks is the space to set a scene, wordlessly painting vivid pictures of far-off landscapes making Orgone Unicorn the perfect companion for your next trip beyond the solar system.
Wacky space jazz ensemble ØRESUND SPACE COLLECTIVE’s latest effort Orgone Unicorn certainly won’t be to everyone’s taste; the drawn-out, improvised jams won’t be knocking TAYLOR SWIFT off the top of the charts any time soon. To the right listener however, this collection of soundscapes for distant imagined worlds can prove to be an incredibly immersive and engrossing experience.
Rating: 6/10
Orgone Unicorn is set for release on July 26th via The Laser’s Edge.
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