Review: Electric Moon - Flaming Lake

Being a follower of Electric Moon is both infuriating and a joy; infuriating because you know you're missing out on some of the earlier recordings that sold out in the blinking of an eye, and a joy because EM and Sulatron look after their fans and re-press/re-release their material on occasion, and this is one of those very welcome occasions. 'Flaming Lake' is a live recording taken at an open air festival in Battenburg (hands up those whose first thought was of cake!) in 2011 and is being released by Sulatron early December in one of their 'Back To Basics' editions i.e. no flashy packaging but high quality sounds. Electric Moon live are a force of nature and this recording catches Sula, Lulu et al at their very best!

The album comprises four tracks spread over almost 80 minutes, and that's 80 glorious minutes of trippy, psychedelic jams that allow the listener to suspend real-life (and in mind of recent global events, that is very welcome!) and enter the cosmic surroundings that the band inhabit. Opener 'The Cosmic Creator' is aptly named; the first tentative notes reflecting the hesitant steps in a birth of a planet (whether physically or metaphorically), Lulu's bass and Alex's drums slowly building a framework around which Sula can weave his guitar magic. As the track progresses things become more urgent and the wah-wah guitar laying down some freaky psych that seems to bounce around the listeners head. 'Flaming Lake' takes the same swagger and attitude of 'The Creator' and, with the addition of some spacey flourishes, builds into space rock opus that makes Hawkwind sound like Leonard Cohen in comparison. One of the real joys in life is to hear a band of real musicians like EM cut loose and allow the music to dictate the direction, and this track is joyous. 'Lost And Found Souls' is a huge, brooding monster of a track, the guitar has a purposeful menace about it and the rhythm section is, as ever, rock solid. Off the top of my head I can't think of another EM track this heavy, the pace and the sheer density of the riffs give it an almost 'doom' feel and when Sula lets rip with some Hendrix-like shredding you instinctively looks about for the coming of a certain four horsemen....this track is speaker-shakingly HUGE!! 'Burning Battenburg' sees a shift in dynamics, but certainly not the intensity. There is a line-up change for this last number with Philipp from Daturana replacing Alex on the drums. Sula's guitar takes on an a Spanish Flamenco aspect to begin with, showing the dexterity of a master. The band provide the ever-solid backing, Philipp's drumming adding a few jazzy elements. As is the way with EM, the track builds and it's not long before those lush wah-wahs hit in and Lulu's bass becomes that little bit fuzzier and it all ends in another superlative jam session that pitches and rolls and hits exactly the right spot.

I know I'm biased, being a lover of all things EM, but this album really is fantastic; it captures the vitality and the very essence of a band whose natural environment is being on stage playing some lysergic acid rock to a captivated audience. Each band member seems in total sync with each other, like finely tuned clockwork. Electric Moon are the very definition of psychedelic and this album reflects that. Sulatron giving this a re-release gives the poor souls who missed this first time around another chance to own a prime slab of wax (or CD). In my humble opinion, 'Flaming Lake' is on the very best Electric Moon releases in what is an exceptionally strong back catalogue. Essential! Both vinyl (with more ace artwork from Komet Lulu) and CD are on sale early December and can be purchased via the Sulatron webstore.