SAN KAZAKGASCAR – Too Many People (2023, LP/CD Lather Records) 

RELEASE INFO:

Label: Lather Records

Format: LP, Album, Limited Edition, Black Vinyl (comes with full-color sleeve and insert), 100 copies

Format: CD, Album, Limited Edition, Full-colored digipack, 100 copies

Release Date: 2 Oct 2023

San Kazakgascar is a not-so-known band to the Underground Psych European audience (and we’re going to fix this, hehe), but the counterpart American one, I believe knows them, quite well… San Kazakgascar is a Sacramento-based band that formed back in 2006-07. Core members Jed Brewer and Greg Hain have worked with several players such as Anthony Occipinti, Rachel Freund, Chris Hall, Paul Takushi, Linda Michelle Hardy, Mike Woo, Tony Passarell, Matt Kretzman, Sheila Bosco, Ethan Port, Brian Lucas, Robert Kennedy, Colleen Kelly, James Jaroba Barnes, John Cypher, Jeff Tobias, Rusi Gustafson, and others. San Kazakgascar plays/performs quasi-Middle Eastern/Indian psychedelic rock. The group has released two full-length albums, two EPs, and two singles. “Too Many People” is San Kazakgascar’s third album and the musicians that took part are Jed Brewer (guitar, field recording), Rachel Freund (clarinet, bass clarinet), Greg Hain (bass, synth, pedal steel), Christopher Hall (saxophone), Linda Michelle Hardy (flute, hulusi), Matthew Kretzmann (keyboard, synth, guitar), and Anthony Occhipinti (drums, percussion). “Too Many People” is released through Lather Records (as all of their works), a micro-label of Jed Brewer and friends’ bands established in 1991. San Kazakgascar states “No More Vocals”, so it is obvious that their new album consists of instrumental tracks, 8 tracks equally divided into the 2 sides of the LP album. The opener “Heart Of Dusk” brings a brilliant aura of some Neo-Psych sunshine, a track that blends a bit of folk, a bit of prog, presented in a colorful way under a huge Middle Eastern prism, the Clarinet adds an experimental touch while of course at the end everything has turned into Psych-related! “Dry Hands Of El Paso” starts in a trippy Middle Eastern-inspired way, slowly diving into a dark mystical Psych environment, the Clarinet leads the track to another age, another time, it seems/sounds that somehow magically we have landed right in the first side of “Hard Rock From Middle East”, in 1967, invited by our New York hosts, The Devil’s Anvil! The next one is called “Path Of The Python”… When, for the first time, I started listening to the album trying to figure out if I was going to review it or no, obviously I reach to the third track, “Path Of The Python”, and I believe that it took me around 20 “listens” before I move to the next one… Yes, I decided to review the album (hehe), and yes this is my personal favorite track in here, a mind-blowing, lysergic piece of Modern NEO-PSYCHEDELIA, trip-a-delic and a little Krauty-flirting, Middle Eastern-inspired (of course)… it seems that the “time-jump” now is more impressive and unexpected, I’m landed into 1972, somewhere in Duisburg (West Germany), and magically (again) I’m inside Kalacakra’s sole album “Crawling To Lhasa”, what a fantastic time-warp I’ve been too! “Suburban Bluffs” is a kind of a trippy interlude, acoustic, guitar-based, drenched into mystery and suspense… Side ‘B’ opens with “Slickster Slimester”, guitar, synth, clarinet, flute, sax, are altogether creating a mind-bending Zappa-esque atmosphere, Psych-flavored of course, Middle Eastern-flavored and concerning the wind instruments I can detect a bit of a “Bitches Brew” atmosphere, maybe… “Motorcade For The Prince” is another cool psych track, based on a trippy guitar sound and a haunted Sax one – in a way – trying in a rather successful way to become a free-form psych-jazzy anthem, probably due to the magnificent Clarinet towards the end… There’s a total change of the scenery on “Vets Day At The Dining Room Table”, the track/band not only flirts with Kraut but also tries a body-connection with Psych, where after this sexual intercourse, billions of psychedelic colorful vibes/sperms are spreading to the universe, what an experience! I could definitely TRIP to Space (or wherever) with this one… The album comes to an end, after a couple of hours (remember the 20 times of “Path Of The Python”, hehe) with another surprising track, the rather experimental and quite ambient-like “Crocket Creek”, an acoustically trippy track, dark, cold, kind of creepy that makes you wonder if you have tele-transported again back in the past, this time right in the middle of an Amon Düül rehearsal, sometime in 1968, in one of their communes… I can only call this, Twilight Psych Music! So, mark the name… San Kazakgascar… “Too Many People” is a must album for all you Psych-Seekers out there, an exceptional and mind-expanding album that sadly missed my Psych-Radar (sorry) when I was making the list with the best albums of 2023, it could have easily entered the TOP10… By the way, I advice you to start digging on their previous releases, starting from 2007’s “Greetings From Beautiful San Kazakgascar”, you will not be disappointed and probably you will be an “instant-fan”… Dig! TimeLord Michalis

Tracklist

Links

Listen/Buy through SAN KAZAKGASCAR Bandcamp

Visit SAN KAZAKGASCAR Facebook