24 April 2023

PLASTIC CRIMEWAVE SYNDICATE – Space Alley (2023, LP Cardinal Fuzz/Lion Records)

RELEASE INFO:

Label: Cardinal Fuzz/Lion Records

Format: LP, Album, Limited Edition, Black Vinyl

Release Date: 20 Jan 2023

This experimental psych-electric trio from Chicago, Illinois, came together around 2013 from the ashes of Plastic Crimewave Sound. Plastic Crimewave Syndicate are describing themselves as an Experimental Spacepunkin’ band and “Space Alley” is their 8^th album release (If I’m not mistaken). Their previous LP release “Massacre Of The Celestials” was included in the list with our personal TOP50 Albums of 2019 (check the list here)… The line-up of the band includes PCW on guitars, keys, and voices, Jose “The Beast” Bernal on drums, and Rob Rodak on bass. Also on “Space Alley” three more musicians are taking part, Sara Gossett on flute, Taralie Peterson on saxophone, and Will “The Vulcan” MacLean on synthesizer. The album release is a collaboration between Cardinal Fuzz and Lion Records and let’s have a look at their informative press release:

“Now on Cardinal Fuzz/Lion recs, Plastic Crimewave Syndicate has finally returned with a wide-ranging/raging new album — recorded two years ago in an expansive, benevolent alleyway in the midst of a dark, diseased, claustrophobic time of global chaos. The new PCWS album, entitled Space Alley, boldly travels into the relatively unexplored malevolent terrain of free doom, space/noise punk, and darkly dubbed-out library/soundtrack grooves (call it 70’s crooked-cop show/freak-funk, if you must). This is all capped off with a sidelong, (beat of the) earth-harvesting modal exploration of synthed-out kraut-throb. With new bassist Rob Rodak (Dead Feathers) aboard, and guests like sax-skronk legend Taralie Peterson (Spires That in the Sunset Rise), flautist Sara Gossett (Spiral Galaxy), and synth lord Will MacLean (Protovulcan), new influences have seeped into PCWS’s dystopian vision. The Syndicate have opened for revered deities like Nik Turner, Loop, Simply Saucer, Chrome, and Josefus; but now a more diverse and groovy array of past underground sounds like Skin Alley, Sound of Imker, Here and Now, Mann/Sharrock, Black Sun Ensemble, Parson Sound, and Schizo have influenced PCWS’s journey. Recorded by Eric Block (Rhys Chatham, Sick Gazelle) of Rec Rooms studios, and mastered by Monster Magnet/Desert Sessions guitar god JP McBain, the mind-fry level is set to 11 ½ on Space Alley!”…

“Space Alley” consists of just 4 tracks. It takes off with “Son Of None”, a super distorted, extra heavy, and dark freak-out psych-a-something track that blinks an eye to that Heavy Space out there introducing a cool-as-fuck blowing ethereal Sax sound (maybe at times this reminds me some of the heaviest moments of Sendelica)… “Yooz Yer Mynd” is a 2:35 min heavy punk-a-delic wild tune full of fuzzy energy… The ‘A’ side is closing with “Space Alley Chase”, there’s a spacey atmosphere but placed in a Psych-Dub (kind of) scenery, quite trippy, the flute adds a magical and a kind of an Eastern elegance while at the back the shimmering screaming guitar sound makes the whole thing sounding sonically heavy but somehow manages to maintain its spacey appeal, Groovylicious! Side ‘B’ occupies just one track, the 19:27 min “Celestial Father (Lord Of Limbo)”, an adventurous fantastic PSYCH Trip, a ride to superb and exceptional Neo-Psychedelia with a lysergically trippy start and a kind of hallucinated and hypnotic rhythm that develops to a long improvisational jam, the guitars are slowly taking the control leading the track into heavy spacey territories while the Shaman-Psych-like spoken words add more mystery resulting a Mynd Hallucinogenic Sonic Orgasm! What A Trip! Indeed! TimeLord Michalis