MADHOUSE EXPRESS – Something With Space (2023, LP Self-Release) 

RELEASE INFO:

Label: Self Release

Format: LP, Album, Limited Edition, Black Vinyl

Release Date: 15 Sep 2023

Madhouse Express is a recently discovered exciting band hailing from Prague, Czech. They formed in 2014 and their debut release was the cassette EP “Lunatic’s Strange Dreams” (2015, Elephish Records). They also self-released their debut album LP “Surreal Meadow” in 2021. So, 2023 finds them back-in-discography with the album “Something With Space”, also self-released. Madhouse Express consists of Maxmilián Hruška (Vocals, Theremin, Guitar, Keyboards), Daniel Novotný (Guitar), Gregor Von Kolofon (Bass), and Petr Podzimek (Drums, Percussions). “Something With Space” contains 10 tracks, equally divided into the 2 sides of the LP album. The album takes off with a short (2:07min) Groovylicious fuzzy phased-effected spacey psychedelically flavored beauty of some modern European Neo-Psychedelia, entitled “Drip Off”. “Overflow” is a dynamic and full of-energy Neo-Psych tune, with a remarkable outstanding “psych” scenery in the background, a track that flirts with Heavy Space and some mid-70s synth Prog, filtered and presented here with a marvelous kind of Neo-Romantic Pop-Psychedelic aura, a track that can be the “bridge” and eliminate the gap between the 70s and the 20s! “Ragdoll” starts and I catch myself wondering why it is so hard to detect the band’s influences (not that it was easy to do with the previous 2 tracks), but with this song here, things are getting more complicated… Complicated in the most fascinating, and interesting Psychedelic way! Madhouse Express is flirting/playing (or whatever) with various Rock sub-genres and not with particular bands (a very hard thing to accomplish), for instance, “Ragdoll” starts as a Pop-Psych track, then goes to some Spacey-Psych, dives into to Psychedelia, enters into some dark fuzzy Middle Eastern territories, and all these in just 5:58 minutes (!!!), a wondrous fancied piece of Psych! But, there’s more, the Best is yet to come… “Something In The Sky” has a tremendous neo-psychedelic atmosphere that – like a Chameleon – changes accordingly to Singer’s mood, or his way of singing! Wow! I must admit that I haven’t heard since a long long time such a fantastic piece of lyrical breathtaking Neo-Psychedelia, psych-euphoria vibes are overflowing my brain! The whispering sample voices at the back, only add an eerie mystical sense of enchanted futurism… Side ‘A’ comes to an end with “Space Web/Telescopia”, there’s a spacey intro mysteriously blended with some Psych, emerging a prodigious 80s poppy feel, mixing Space-Psychedelia in a phantasmagoric Neo-Romantic fabulous unique way! Side ‘B’ opens with “Crystal Desert”… and… we-take-no-prisoners… A spaced-out, new-age, psychedelic mid-tempo beat leads the track into the infinite Space, a wandering “clear” guitar sound sooner to be transformed/mutated into a heavy-a-delic fuzzy space-psych anthem, this is futuristic Neo-Psychedelic Space Rock at its Best! The slower “Black Dune” follows, a track that shines through its shimmering electric guitar outbursts, one of those tracks that I like to call, a “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” track, 2 sides here, 2 faces… Doctor represents the soft, calm, serene, psych side while Mister, the dark, loud, fuzz-a-delic psych side… Wow (again!) “Fool Me” is a groovier track, a happy, energetic Psych-a-roller while “Indigo” is a balladesque song, psych-a-jazzy flirting with a mind-bending psychedelic middle section, another fine piece of Neo-Psychedelia… Eventually, the album comes to an end with “New Indigo”, a track that acts like the 2nd part of “Indigo”, a magical piece of guitar-based instrumental neo-psychedelic rock, drenched into nostalgia, nostalgia for the future as a friend of mine used to say, and sing… So…

It’s amazing how Madhouse Express manages to filter all of their influences/inspirations on this album, in a deep way that they integrated, and deconstructed them, resulting in a fresh new formula for creating “their” Psychedelic Rock… Wow! So, I will advice you to get in touch with the band RIGHT NOW and grab their album while it lasts, you can thank me later… (Of course “Something With Space” made it to my personal 50+1 best albums of 2023, picking No.19, you can check the list here) TimeLord Michalis  

Tracklist

Links

Listen/Buy through MADHOUSE EXPRESS Bandcamp

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