Phil Dirt - Reverb Central - PO Box 1609, Felton, CA 95018-1609 USA The Mind Expanders - What's Happening?
 | Aside from source production house, this sounds to be a completely different set of musicians from the other Alshire strangitude. Imagine if Ferranti and Teischer had cut their teeth in Silver Apples. OK, take your Dramamine and it will be fine. I think the clincher here is that I had to listen over an extended period because I found my mind kept wandering. |
Picks: Pictures At A Psychedelic Art Exhibition, Sensory Overload
Track by Track Review
Pop Psych (Instrumental)
Twerpy electro nonsense and sitar along with elitist faux intelligencia. That said, "Love Syndrome" is sort of hypnotic in a drug induced trance sort of way. It's very period tune in drop out exploitation. Tolerable.
Them From Pop Psych (Instrumental)
Theremin plays lead for this slow and sad-pretty melody, creating an other worldly scene... that is, until the old fart organ comes along to make it perfectly obvious that it's a studio session.
Pictures At A Psychedelic Art Exhibition Pop Psych (Instrumental)
Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky's "Pictures At An Exhibition" is the subject of this semi-goofy instro - semi-goofy because there are places where it boasts serious reading, and places where it's just period tweaky. It surely must have been the inspiration for ELP's take. There's a lot in common, and this does predate it by several years.
Pop Psych (Instrumental)
"Cul De Sac" is just gently moving easy listening piece that made a left turn off the main road, finding itself on a frontage, able to see normality, but only by squinting the eyes.
Downtown Trip Pop Psych (Instrumental)
Petula Clark's "Downtown" is a combination of cheesy middle of the road and tongue in cheek rock guitar. There are places where this brings a satisfaction, but most are shattered by tweakery and overbearing organ. The upper crust piano contrasts to the drug hazed arranging. It was almost a good idea.
Pulsation Pop Psych (Instrumental)
Moderately interesting, in a film score kind of way. An interesting rhythm runs under a song that's trying too hard to be weird and cool. It just sounds like a bunch of suits pretending their on a trip.
A Night On Bald Mountain Pop Psych (Instrumental)
Modeste Mussorgsky / Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov's "A Night On Bald Mountain," most notably featured in Fantasia, gets a dull airing from The Mind Expanders. Next.
Pop Psych (Instrumental)
Again trying too hard, the Theremin is just weird, not cool. The song is interesting, but the Theremin's imitation of Captain Beefheart's "Electricity" is mostly ineffective.
Euphoria Pop Psych (Instrumental)
Acoustic guitar, piano, and keys pretending to be an oboe play a forgettable number. It's sorta pleasant, and the intrusion of the fuzz guitar unsettles it, but that's a bout it. Studio session mindless, especially when the kazoo (or wax paper comb) comes in trying really hard to be psychedelic.
Mandala
Pop Psych (Instrumental)
This is a just a slightly offbeat easy listening track. Fine in the background, but hard to focus on.