Review: Øresund Space Collective ‘Progably you’re Wrong’
I am no stranger to either instrumental music or long-form improvisation. I’ve delved into the depths of ‘60s and ‘70s prog and kraut rock annals. I’ve attended many a jazz show, both from my time in high school to the present.
I’ve stood in a stoned haze at more than a few festivals of the sometimes-mocked stateside genre known as the jam band scene. And I’ve participated in the process myself, with varying results.
In short, I’m familiar with the world of musicians who aren’t sure how to land the mighty musical phoenix they have launched from the Earth. But it’s been some time since I’ve been confronted with a musical offering of such immense weight, spectacle, length and multifaceted sonic expression – like some monstrous celestial hydra – as I have with Progably you’re Wrong. This is another offering this year from international collective Øresund Space Collective. Get comfortable for this one, it’s a ride that is not going to let you go for a long, long time.
Stars Explode In The Fridge starts as a crawl, like an awkward hungover walk home from a bar on Mars. Staccato guitar pedals punctuate a bass-guided waltz orbited by keyboard noises and ambience for a good fifteen minutes. But things take a considerable shift in tempo as the improv shifts from cruising speed to ‘Quick! The wormhole is closing!’ acceleration.
a musical offering of such immense weight, spectacle, length and multifaceted sonic expression…
The drastically shorter CakeFakeBake floats much more gently with a decidedly Brian Eno flair, while the title track carries a brisker, static-laced pace bringing to mind the daring fluidity of Can’s Tago Mago. Down Around Over And About is a weird one, with some luminous violin and spacey bass that gradually develops into something that Yes might have written if they brought Syd Barrett on board for a day. This is by far the whackiest track on an album of some serious space rock wackiness.
With most tracks nearing or exceeding thirty minutes, Progably you’re Wrong is about as dense a collection of improvisation as I have ever come across. ØSC’s sound is ultimately going for something that radiates more kaleidoscopic abnormality rather than trying to simply wow the listener with cosmic majesty like other space rock acts or taking them on a drug-fueled ride in the vein of Hawkwind.
It is a record meant for focus, as all of the various musicians are busily building something vast and grand that a casual listen simply cannot process. This immense sound tapestry is an earthful, but it progably might change the way you look at music that ultimately decides when and where it wants to go.
Label: Space Rock Productions
Band Links: Official | Facebook | Bandcamp | Spotify | Instagram
Scribed by: Rob Walsh
