K2O

Ending with a motorik finale titled "Swim into the Sun," for which Kandodo mastermind Simon Price paints the canvas with a cavalcade of distortion projected from his 1965 Magnatone Typhoon for 22 minutes, K2O blends noise rock and Krautrock into raunchy bliss. With his Thrill Jockey sophomore outing, the former guitarist/vocalist of the British group the Heads buries himself in long winding instrumental 2/4 rhythms, often based on singular drones. He wears the typical German influences of Can and Neu! very well, while occasionally letting his chugging overdriven Kyuss and Black Rebel Motorcycle Club stoner rock roots seep through. Minimalistic riffs, repetition, and hypnotic drones overpower the bulk of these six songs, to give the feel of a fever dream or, at the extremely spacy moments, a full-fledged drug coma. Ironically, "Waves" provides the only break from the waves of feedback, instead incorporating actual field recordings of the Italian surf and adding acoustic fingerpicking to give a nostalgic feel of a lazy day at the beach. A few other samples seep into the watery soundscape, including a recording of a Graceland tour guide on "Grace And." Other twists and turns include the plodding 13 minutes of "Kandy Rock Mountain," giving every indication that the track will build to an explosive climax but never breaking past a sleepy calm. Mostly, K2O plays like an extended groove, and while the addition of guest percussionists makes it feel more like a band jam than a bedroom recording, the instrumentation never flares up enough to break the listener from a trance. Instead, the setting-sun artwork sums up the vibe for an album that Price himself elegantly describes as "fuzzy lullabies." ~ Jason Lymangrover