Review: The Band Whose Name Is A Symbol (TBWNIAS) - Masters Of The Molehill

There are very few certainties in life outside of death and taxes; that being said, you just know that a new TBWNIAS is gonna be a beaut, especially when released by the venerable Cardinal Fuzz. For those 'not in the know' TBWNIAS are a collection of musicians from Ottawa, Canada who play some of the best improv, free form psych this side of....well, anywhere really. John Westhaver, proprietor of Birdman Sounds record store in Ottawa and a man who has the spirit of rock flowing through his veins, and his compatriots Bill Guerrero, Nathaniel Hurlow, Jason Vaughan, Dave Reford, Miche Jette and Jan Lis have released 8 vinyl only LPs, in ridicously limited numbers, and have become a 'cult band' in psych circles; a look on Discogs shows none of their LPs for sale - once you own a slab of TBWNIAS on wax, you ain't gonna part with it and with good reason. Their last release 'Pathfinder' (nestled safely on my 'precious' shelf) was a masterpiece of free form psych/kraut and the upcoming 'Masters of the Molehill' is possibly even better. Released by Cardinal Fuzz, and with a bigger than normal pressing (350), it is gonna top 'Best Of..' lists come the end of the year.

'Underworld' gets proceedings off to a start with some dissonant guitar and feedback that makes the hairs on the back your neck stand up. After a couple of minute the dissonance is replaced by a more structured sound; the drums laying down a rock solid rhythm and the guitars soaring majestically above. It has a real krautrock vibe and brings to mind some of the kosmische greats. Immediately you can sense that all the members of the band are bringing their experience and nous to the table. 'Baalslapper' begins with a more traditional riff, albeit one that rocks, and rocks hard. It drives along like a souped-up chevy on Route 66, with no let up. The guitars break out into some ace psych over another regolithic rhythm. 'Darkness' begins with a fuzzy bassline before the band join in another superlative jam, complete with some wah wah and plenty of fuzz and reverb...the holy grail to all psych lovers. 'LM' again begins with a single bassline and keyboard before the guitar really lets go and takes to the cosmos in a miasma of reverb and feedback - like Jimi never died. 'You Do Wrong' is another track that channels Neu! and Can; the drums have a metronomic motorik quality and the track feels like it could have been recorded in Germany in the seventies, but with more attack than those bands could muster - possibly one of the standout tracks of the album. 'GOD II' is initially more of a slowburner, the tempo is dropped but not the intensity. Things speed up, driven onwards and upwards by the drums and the rest of the band duly respond; the guitar becomes dirtier and feedback drenched and there is a lovely guitar break around the 4 minute mark. It leaves you with no doubts whatsoever that you are in the prescence of a group of 'musicians' not just a bunch of mates who formed a band. 'Ice Rings', at just shy of 12 minutes, is the longest track on the album. With its simple beginnings of bass, shimmering cymbals, keyboard drones and vaguely perceptible chatter in the background, it conjures up a more sedate atmosphere, not melancholic but more pastoral. The keyboards play a much larger part and soon the vibe takes on a Vangelis 'Bladerunner' aspect or Michael Rother circa 'Fernwärme'. It's the details that make this such a stunning track; the electronic squiggles and drones, and the sporadic appearance of bells. The track evolves at a leisurely pace with the drums adding some structure and the glass sharp guitar picking out a simple but effective melody before again soaring skywards. This is without doubt my favourite track of the album - the atmosphere is creates and the fact that it plays homage to some of the greats of kosmische whilst still remaining fresh and original - simply stunning.

2015 has been a vintage year for all things psych/kraut/space, with so many fantastic albums being released and the whole scene has grown - and as with many of these releases, one runs out of superlatives when it comes to 'Masters of the Molehill'. It is an album born of consumate musicianship, experience and an obvious love of music and these all shine through in the making of this album. It's run of 350 gives the band the exposure that this band richly deserve and so I urge all lovers of psych/kraut who haven't felt the thrill of owning a slice of TBWNIAS to get on it....pre orders should be up soon on the Cardinal Fuzz site. In years hence, when people look back on the psychedelic music scene, TBWNIAS will be spoken about in hushed, reverential tones....go get it! TBWNIAS's back catalogue can be checked out on their Bandcamp page.