Experimental & Rare (Mint) Messages in Ether by the Kangaroo Kourt (Darkwave)
$
70
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Description
(Review From Planet Mellotron) Kangaroo Kourt are an early Ventricle band, appearing alongside Mauve Sideshow in other words, weird darkwave, full of atonal synths, creaking Mellotrons and banshee wails. Every Ventricle project is different, concentrating on a different aspect of their vision. In this case, it's arhythmic drones and dissonance, with a good deal of accomplished harp playing on Under The Double Moon that I haven't heard on any of the collective's releases before. The album as a whole is dark and mystical, quite certainly the effect the musicians were after; job done.
Mellotrons-a-plenty here, which is pretty good going when you think that any meaningful third-party maintenance of their machine must have been of historical interest only, although Dave Kean's Audities Foundation was probably setting up shop around the same time, on the right side of the Atlantic for them. All four parts of Invocations Of The Undead are stuffed with the thing, with cellos and warbling choirs on The Stirring, string section and church organ on The Vows, and are those 'Tron sounds effects I can hear? The Third Coming features what sounds like an on/off mix of the string section and organ, assuming they're next to each other on the relevant tape frame. Dusty Lee seems to care not that the M400 wobbles around like a seasick orchestra; there are those who have it that it sounds better that way and who am I to argue?
Wow - what a rollercoaster ride.Messages in Ether is definitely at the more listenable end of the Ventricle spectrum, certainly compared to the highly dissonant Steeple of Fyre which isn't to say that they're exactly easy listening, unless you're of the opinion that Coil have wussed out in recent years. It wouldn't be true to say this album was recorded on nothing but Mellotron, but side one can't be far off it, giving the album four Ts overall and making this well worth a purchase, assuming you can actually find a copy.
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