Review: Mechanik - Eadem Mutata Resurgo

I've been meaning to write some words about this album for weeks now. Mechanik are a Spanish "experimental space-kraut-prog-rock formation" made up of Lete (drums, percussions), Tasio (bass, effects), Yul (electronics), and Klaus (guitars, effects, vocals). 'Eadem Mutata Resurgo' (roughly translated as 'Although changed, I arise the same') is released by R.A.I.G., who consistently turn out interesting, challenging and thought provoking music, and this is no different; a dark, atmospheric melange of psych, kraut and spacerock that surprises and delights.

Opener 'Nesmrtelnost...' begins with a simple synth refrain that sounds straight from the seventies, almost hauntological, before a motorik beat kicks in over the top. The track builds with a simple but strong bassline and synths adding some spacey effects. When the guitar eventually comes in, it adds some psychedelic dissonance to proceedings. The overall vibe conjures up some of the great krautrock bands, with some modern electronica thrown in, and it is a truly great way to kick off an album. '...A Vechnost' continues in the same vein, some alien wobbles over another strong bassline and motorik rhythms. If anything, it is heavier on the effects and has the addition of some vocals put through a vocoder, making it a whirling sci-fi kosmische masterpiece. 'To Tzeital' sees the band revert back to a more traditional song structure with the guitar playing a more central role, holding together the drums, bass and synths. The guitar has a nice lot of fuzz and reverb about it and complements the vocals, which are slightly distant and also drenched in reverb - a solid kraut/psych track. 'Ein Heller Stern' is the longest track on the album and begins with some Klaus Schulze-like synths and a melancholy sounding guitar, but when the drums join in, again beating out a metronomic motorik rhythm, they change the whole feel of the track, the guitar slowly becomes more forceful and the synths again add some futuristic squiggles and wobbles - it begins to feel like a lost Tangerine Dream track. At just over 5 minutes in, the atmosphere changes again - the synths remain but the drums disappear and the guitars mutate into echoey, metallic 'clangs' in the dark, inducing a feel of dread in the listener...like if Vangelis scored horror films. The track slowly peters out until just a lone synth line quietly slips away. 'Howl' is Allen Ginsberg's poem of the same name recited verbatim over a stunning psych background. The music is angry and forcful, with some ace guitar work soaring over Ginsberg's frankly genius work:

"I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness, starving hysterical naked, dragging themselves through the negro streets at dawn looking for an angry fix Angel-headed hipsters burning for the ancient heavenly connection to the starry dynamo in the machinery of night"

The use of 'Howl' (the poem) is an inspired base for a track, and the band is to be applauded for complementing it perfectly..a truly staggering track. 'Particulas Subatomicas en el Jet de un Agujero Negro' is a slow burning collection of synth and electronic effects over some lovely drones that seem to reflect the dark void of space. 'Eclairs de Vie Apres la Dernier Souffle' follows directly and, initially, in the same vein; some muted effects and bass slowly bubbling away, but the track builds until it becomes a cacophony of guitar, drums and synths and slowly relaxes into its formative state. 'Sgt. Shamar Thomas' is another slowburner, the guitar is sparse over a slow drum beat and yet more alien effects. This track has a post-rock feel about it, the guitars reminiscent of Godspeed! YBE and the structure will be familiar with fans of Godspeed, Explosions in the Sky et al. The snippets of spoken word samples give one the impression that this is a 'comment' on the US military, but I could be wrong!

'Eadem Mutata Resurgo' is a thing of wonder, it brings something new to the psych scene; a creativity not oft seen. Each track is embued with an atmosphere of its own, some reminiscent of krautrock forefathers, some scatological musings on space...but it's 'Howl' to which I'm drawn back - the marriage of an iconic poem with some top grade psych is truly inspired. The album is available from the R.A.I.G. bandcamp page here.