MOIRA – Moira aka Reise nach Ixtlan – (LP: Schneeball 0025?, 1984?)
...six years later the group had completely changed hands (see below for more explanation) and actually took on an older, more retro sound when absolutely no one was doing that in 1984... ...sounding like a long lost recording from a smoky club in Hamburg, the band let loose with an unpretentious instrumental jazz rock album not found since the glory days of 1974... a truly astonishing release that beats their already excellent debut in every way...
the title track opener is a side long exercise in organ, analog synth and guitar jamming with some incredible jazz drumming and a mighty fine bass player... This is followed by the short "Oase," a flute, drum and percussion piece that would not have been out of place on YATHA SIDHRA’s album... side two opens with "Kristall," a more fusion oriented piece with some dirty organ and guitar shredding... "Einsame Schatten", the only track with singing, follows with a blistering sequence that recalls the early TOTO BLANKE works... this track continues paradoxically with a funky jazz bit with German vocals recalling EMBRYO's “Bad Heads And Bad Cats” in their most silly mood... the too short closer "Resume" recalls the ending of VIRUS’ “Revelation” album complete with echoed German recitation and acid guitars... ...there’s been quite a bit of debate about this second album and its origins/authenticity... anyone from Ultima Thule’s Cosmic Egg professors to Schneeball label owner/EMBRYO icon CHRISTIAN BURCHARD have shrugged their shoulders and said “no idea?”... but the label clearly says Schneeball with a yellow background... the catalog number of 0025 was presumably used by polit-rockers HAMMERFEST on “Hier Bei Uns”, though careful steady shows that album was also on the Maulschnauz label, causing even more confusion... then there was the small matter that neither album shared similar members... however there is a link: some copies of “Crazy Countdown” come with a detailed MOIRA newsletter... the then current lineup of the band (1978) had already evolved and included one EBERHARD BRONNER on drums, who is in fact on “Reise Nach Ixtlan”... [Tom Hayes, http://gnosis2000.net/reviews/moira.htm] |