Review: Domboshawa - Minds Electrix

Right, back from my hols - refreshed,revitalised and ready to get straight back into the music. I've been excited about this release since the promo files came through a while back and (much to the wife's consternation...you just can't help some people) it played a big part in my 'holiday soundtrack'. It is the latest release on Drone Rock Records, a label which is becoming an essential and integral part of any psych lovers collection and this release will only reinforce that. I'll admit I had never heard any of Domboshawa's material before but this album blew me away! The brainchild of Anders Broström, Domboshawa are a very worthy addition to the list of shithot Swedish psychedelic bands currently plying their trade. Oh, and as for the name...no idea! The only Domboshawa I know is a place in Zimbabwe.

The album kicks off with 'Saturdaze'. After a vaguely menacing opening it opens up into a scorching 7 minute blast of fuzz laden psych/spacerock. Circular riffs ride high on a background of heavenly drones, the guitar wielded less as a weapon and more of a healing instrument....the fuzz is heavy but the feel is bordering on blissful. It reminded me a great deal of Electric Moon (and anyone who has read the blog before knows how much I love those guys!). This really is psychedelia of the highest order and it leads one to think that maybe, just maybe, Drone Rock have released their best yet ..although I seem to say that with every release. 'Quicksilver Rising' replaces the fuzz for a purer guitar tone and the drones are more prevalent but the overall feel is just as pleasing. The drones really are the stars of this piece..there are rich swathes of synths that give it a kosmische vibe but over these lays a drone of pure electricity that is disconcerting at first but melds into the whole nicely. 'Karlavagnen' is the longest track on the album at just shy of ten minutes. It opens with oscillating drones and a pulsing bass line before the guitar kicks in, again ringing with crystal clarity. The track as a whole is not as fluid as its predecessors, it has a more experimental edge to it with short stabs of guitar and flourishes of spacey effects but it all works exceptionally well..an artful mix of psychedelic spacerock and avant garde electronica. 'Far Beyond' adopts pretty much the same approach, that mix of cracking guitar work with kosmische electronica and the result is awesomely good....this is a track in which to lose oneself, it is headily lysergic and cosmically spacey and if you give in to its irresistible draw you can drift away and leave behind all of the shit that this world is currently throwing at all of us...without doubt one of my favourite tracks of the year. This is followed by 'Aces High', which, at the risk of running out of superlatives, is just amazing. It has the same hypnotic quality as 'Far Beyond' but has a slightly harder edge thanks to a more strident guitar that just builds and builds. The sound of an organ can be heard which almost imbues proceedings with a wistful Procul Harem vibe. This album just gets better and better!. 'Höstlöv' closes the album with another fantastic exhibition of psych guitar playing....this time on a track that is straight up psych/space rock fair and again the Electric Moon comparison is apt...that same depth and richness that Sula et al seem to conjure up is present here. It is an ideal manner in which to close a superlative album.

In this year of so many top notch releases it is gonna be hard to pin down a surefire 'best of 2017' but 'Minds Electrix' is going to be there or thereabouts, it is an album of impressive musicianship and one that is willing to play with the form with exceedingly good results. After listening to this album I went back through Domboshawa's back catalogue via their Bandcamp page and found a treasure trove of brilliant music that deserves some close inspection by everyone who enjoys lysergically charged and technically brilliant psychedelic music. Pre-Orders should be up at the Drone Rock Records Website (here) soon....keep checking 'cos you will not want to miss out on this one!