Review: Stupid Cosmonaut - Digitalis

After the blistering sonic attack of Psychic Lemon comes this absolutely sublime album by Stupid Cosmonaut to help bring that pulse rate down and restore some equilibrium to the senses. The band have been a favourite of the blog for some time now and last year's 'Algol' has not strayed very far from the turntable since its release last year (read the review here). The band have teamed up once more with Drone Rock to bring us 'Digitalis' - it's proving to be a very productive partnership. For this release the band have foregone the more experimental approach for something that harks back, and pays respectful homage, to the great electronic kosmische pioneers of the seventies - in particular Klaus Schulze and Tangerine Dream. But, and this is a big but (stop it you at the back!), this is not simply a 'kosmische by numbers' or a rehashing of said artists' back catalogue but a thoughtful and immersive study in atmospheric electronica....and as I've already stated, it is sublime!

Right from the get-go with 'Field Trip' the band cocoon the listener in swathes of lush synths that flow from the speaker like honey..there are distinct flashes of The Orb amidst the kosmische ambience and the whole track is just so gloriously zen. 'Rephlex' is a long track, clocking in at thirteen minutes and is a bit of a masterpiece! Deep drones provide the backdrop on which hang some electronica straight from a sci-fi soundtrack...seemingly taking its cue from Vangelis' 'Bladerunner' it is drenched in a dystopian menace that seeps into the psyche conjuring visions of decaying cityscapes. It is pretty damned good! 'Offline' picks up where 'Rephlex' left off but if anything the drones are richer and deeper and the tempo is knocked up a notch. The same dystopian vibe runs through it and those retro sounding synths are just glorious. 'Post Human' comes across like a Giallo soundtrack, such is the drama and the cinematic quality the track portrays. I think of all the tracks this is the standout for me, mainly because of the authenticity with which the guys have imbued it...it has a real feel of the seventies (and I obviously mean that in a very good way!)......there are strains of Goblin's soundtrack work as well as Nicolai and Cipriani. Title track 'Digitalis' takes a different course - it still retains a certain ambience but there are more than hints of industrialism and even some psy-trance in its more beats driven structure but the addition of a piano adds a 'human' edge to it. 'Sadness and Euphoria' closes the album and never has a track been so aptly named; there is a definite rueful aspect to it at its outset....almost bordering on the lachrymose, the delicate piano motif is joined by washes of synths to convey an inherent sadness. As the track progresses the tempo and mood pick up, thanks in part to the repetition based keyboards and drones that become more urgent. The introduction of some electronic beats change the vibe once more - becoming way more uptempo and 'euphoric' ......all this happening to the everpresent kosmische backdrop.

I'll admit that I was initially wrong-footed on first hearing....I was expecting some more of the band's superb experimental electronica but what I heard instead was superb cosmic electronica. Far less drone based than, say, 'Proxima', 'Digitalis' takes its cue from the ambience of Tangerine Dream or Klaus Schulze rather than the cavernous dark ambient of Lustmord. I must say, I rather like this new direction....it is a deeply affecting and immersive album full of kosmische chiaroscuro....mixing dystopian soundscapes with passages that glitter like dew on a early summer morning. It gives and gives as an album, each listen revealing another layer or dimension. The fact that it is called Digitalis is apt....it certainly did this old heart some good! In all....yeah, a brilliant album! It will be very interesting to see where the band go next but wherever that may be, you just know it will be quality. 'Digitalis' is available for pre-order from the Drone Rock site here - unfortunately the Special Edition is pretty much sold out but there are some of the standard remaining (aquamarine vinyl).