The variety of music which encompasses the progressive spectrum in the 21st century never ceases to amaze me. There is a long history of class psychedelic music within that, and to the roster must now be added Chakra Vimana, whose Feed My Soul is the debut collaboration of spoken word artist Shane Beck (known as The Last American Poet) from Astral Magic, Talking Clouds, Language of The Moon & more, Mark Cook from Herd of Instinct, Liquid Sound Company, The Forever Moment & more, and Santtu Laakso from Dark Sun & Astral Magic. These three create a sound that delves deeply into different forms of space and prog rock and should certainly appeal to fans of a diverse range of artists such as Porcupine Tree, Nik Turner, King Crimson, Bill Laswell, and Tangerine Dream.
There is a special guest, Steven Leak, responsible for creating soundscapes, and immediately it must be emphasised just what a wholly sonic experience this album is, one to be immersed in and forget about your earthly travails.
You can buy both digital and physical content at their Bandcamp page, https://chakravimana.bandcamp.com/album/feed-my-soul-3
The name of the band closely associates with the Sanskrit epics, Vimana being an avatar of the Hindu Deity, Vishnu, who strode thrice through the universe.
There are seven pieces of music. Let’s discuss them.
We start with I Anoint Thee, something initiates of the divine and mysterious have experienced for countless human millennia (Christians can, at times, be somewhat arrogant and assume that all else faded into insignificance some 2,000 years ago). The words speak of shuddering waves of ecstasy, and it is a track imbued with the spirit of the eastern tradition with some incredibly intricate and intense guitar work, very strongly reminding one of Fripp’s sonic works through the decades, groove-laden percussion, delicate bass, synths and soundscapes atmospheric, and the sitar rising above to conquer all. A superb start which draws the listener into the work.
The album is released by Tonzonen Records, and they have provided YouTube with a video of the epic track, Oblivious. It is embedded below for you. The start is in stark contrast to the preceding piece; a slab of psychedelic rock infused with captivating beats and grooves. You will note the guitar riffs created by Cook, deliciously understated, but captivating, the sound of a master at work, the rhythm section pushing matters along nicely, with some jazz-infused skins work competing for attention with a melodious bass riff, the synths spacey with some interesting experimental effects therein. Like me, I think you will enjoy the subtle change of emphasis at the seven-minute mark as the song moves to its final passage, the guitar riffs becoming more urgent and industrial, then giving way to the spoken word and mournful orchestration, oblivious to all damage done, emphasising the need for us to change (and they are right. We do).
Time to Sigh follows, the breezy start somewhat belying the downbeat title, some great noises coming from the synths from the word go, alongside a beautiful bass melody, the spoken words echoing against a ghostly guitar, the whole song an interesting fusion of futuristic electronica and modern art rock, with two souls once again meeting. Really beguiling stuff, this, the guitar solo as we move to the close especially.
Striving to Connect is just short of epic length. The effects as we start reminding one of a dark, almost slave connected, factory in a dystopian future, sort of Blade Runner, I suppose, but these give way to something lighter in feel, the synths and guitars overlaying a pulsing bass melody, the percussion urgent. As the song develops, the spoken words are almost robotic in their “striving to connect”, some very strong drum and percussion work here, with the words then sung, a track in which the bass especially takes you around and around, striving to connect, but never quite getting there, the guitar ephemeral, the female spoken words in French, the closing passage delicate and as close to pastoral as the album gets, all bundled in a package which is not really like anything you have heard before.
The title track is next, and they have produced a stunning video for this embedded for you to enjoy below. Allow it to wash over you, the guitar work again strongly influenced by Fripp, the bass rhythm pulling you in alongside some more beats from the skins, the swirling music well describing the conveyor belt of humanity in need of spiritual sustenance. The images and production values are so good on this video, and it works so well with the fire performers and the gorgeous guitar solo, and soundscapes created above, moving then into a synth-driven passage directly from the TD playbook, and done very effectively.
Waving at the Stars is a bonus track, the start returning to the feel of the opening track, the sitar prominent before this is fused with more traditional western rock, creating a very interesting dichotomy.
Feed My Soul is a very good album. It never once loses the listeners interest and is one of those albums where you hear something different each listen and feel subtle impacts, the hallmark of quality music of this type. It comes very highly recommended.