KING BLACK ACID

This band is now officially the hottest Psych-Rock potato since who knows when… (well Porcupine Tree actually).In the beginning there was Pink Floyd. A lot later, once they’d found their real direction, came Porcupine Tree, a band that, apart from the original label that found them, were championed whole heartedly in the UK by us at CD Services. Then, along came King Black Acid, and after 3 excellent albums they found their destiny at CD Services via the now rare and out of print limited edition CD single ‘Into The Sun’, which sold for us by the box load. The band’s 4^th album followed and it was a sensation - ‘Loves A Long Song’ shot straight to the top of the CD Services album chart the week it was released. Now, in a lifetime, we are lucky to have a band such as Porcupine Tree – but to get two such bands, who probably don’t even know of each others existence, with leaders that probably come from totally different musical backgrounds, co-existing on an amazingly parallel plane, is nothing short of mind-blowing!  King Black Acid, do have quite a few certain similarities to Porcupine Tree, only their slightly more psychedelic sound replaces the prog-rock atmospheres of the Porkies. The instrumental line-up is almost identical and the songs often ‘feel’ similar, but the overriding connection between the two for us at CDS is obvious – A high percentage of CD Services clients (including Pink Floyd fans) who tried Porcupine Tree on our recommendation, went on to become dedicated followers of that band – Many were also tempted into the world of King Black Acid via our promotional activities for the ‘Into The Sun’ EP and the ‘Love’s A Long Song’ album, and the result has been the same. So, yet another high quality band has expanded it popularity ratings via CDS - Enjoy these for now - We’re sure to let you know when another comes our way…

This is one seriously brilliant album with every track a total gem! It is the band’s 4^th album, and it swept to the top slot at CDS towers as soon as it was released! In a lifetime, we are lucky to have a band such as Porcupine Tree – but to get two such bands who probably don’t even know of each others existence, with leaders that probably come from totally different musical backgrounds, co-existing on an amazingly parallel plane, is nothing short of mind-blowing – And this is certainly the case on this fantastic album. ‘Love Is A Long Song’ is a stunning record with 8 excellently produced tracks with well laid out arrangements that all work to absolute perfection. So, put a smile on your face and joy in your heart, by bearing witness to a top class act with an album that oozes quality from every pore. There are moments of pure song-writing genius here - Songs with addictive hook-lines, soft, ethereal, atmospheric ballads with powerful lyrics and beautifully crafted instrumental arrangements. There are fantastic Floyd-styled guitar-led passages full of fuzzed-out, multi-tracked guitar leads with organ/synth chords providing thick melodic backdrops. The dynamic guitar-led arrangement also make you think of Porcupine Tree as the soaring guitars fly up to the heavens and burst into solos of super nova proportions and then develop into monumental instrumental infernos. Yes, it’s sixty-three minutes of seriously brilliant music people!

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Weight: 150.00 g

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The bands’ 3rd album continues the Pink Floyd analogy, and it’s a mostly instrumental affair that has reached the ‘Meddle’ / ‘Dark Side Of The Moon’ era. Some of the early passages have the sound and feel of the quiet parts of 'Echoes', while the song itself has definite echoes of all sorts of parts of ‘Dark Side’ Overall, this is a much mellower album than the previous two, with some great guitar/keyboard soundscapes along the way. The cosmic sound pools of track 5 (‘Passing Through The Photon Belt’) and continue on into track 6 (‘1000 Member Acid Army’) where rolling drum rhythms, synths, a dirty guitar riff and distant chanting emerge into the light. Amazing wah-wah guitar and space synth effects surge up alongside to take what is already a tremendously powerful piece of music into a sort of African-flavoured space-rock jam that closes in a glorious finale that features seven minutes of atmospheric space music. This continues into track 7 (‘Exit Ground Level’) and then the final track (‘Royal Subjects’) begins with a gorgeous textural guitar and keyboard passage, played in typically dynamic Floyd fashion, with layers of sustained lead electric & background acoustic guitars, distant synth surrounds, bass and drums. The music moves slowly toward some far horizon in fine melodic fashion, with a poignant lead guitar solo emerging just at the right moment. Then, an organ line begins, furthering early Floyd feel, only this is a little jauntier than the 70’s rock icons make it. Acoustic guitars come up in the mix and take a lead break as the rhythms and backdrops move effortlessly on, eventually fading and slipping from day into night as another long cosmic outro begins and takes us right up to the fifteen-minute end point. Overall, this is a much more atmospheric and spacier album than the others and an interesting direction for the band to take.

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Weight: 150.00 g

Just 3 long tracks that run over an hour, starting with ‘Some Things Must Be Believed To Be Seen’ - a 1990's version of '70/'71-era Pink Floyd, without the organ, but with an increased intensity – a bit like a twenty-minute 'Fat Old Sun', with added guitar density and similar dynamics, especially in the rhythm section, with touches of Gilmour-styled slide guitar and Wright-esque piano chords to fill out the sound - A spectacular piece of psych rock! The eighteen-minute ‘Headfull’ drops any Floyd-isms far behind and is full of slow, but solid rhythm work, with electric and bass guitar taking a languid, melodic stroll through a world of intense restraint, giving a strong yet spacious feel to the extended guitar work. Here, the vocals are in the far distance, the lead guitars chime to heart-warming effect and they ring out rather than sting, as the whole addictive track moves along so effortlessly in a breathtakingly magnificent fashion. ‘Think Away’, the twenty-two minute 3^rd track, develops the mood and feel of the previous two, but it’s an altogether more intense, angst-ridden experience with it’s cauldron of guitars, bass & drums. The heart of the piece burns with a sense that it is only being held in check by the thinnest of musical restraints, yet stay in check it does, as guitars and voices take on a sinister role, finally doing a Floyd-esque 'Eugene' style, exploding in your face blast at the fourteen-minute mark, with a similar hail of electronic screams and blazing guitars. The piece scorches fourth in slow motion, with guitars, synths and rhythm section at nuclear force levels, burning out during the final four minutes, where all the instruments die away as an eerie, echoed vocal is heard in the distance. Overall, one of the most original and inventive albums I've heard in the psych-rock genre, choc-full of familiar reference points, but with hardly a guitar-led melody in sight - A huge sounding, superbly played and produced album for sure!

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Weight: 150.00 g

This is the brilliant debut album, and a glimpse of the perfection that was to follow. With just 4 long tracks, the opener is ‘The Wave’, a ten minute and very spacey, panoramic slice of musical sound sculpting, using electric guitars, electric bass, electronics and samples, to create a totally unique, almost Floyd-like musical universe in deep space where time seems to stands still. Track 2 is the near nineteen-minute ‘Aloha’, and it begins with a gentle bass rhythm and fantastic Mellotron lead, with new musical textures constantly being added, first with strummed electric guitar, then with more electric bass intensity. It’s all very flowing and dynamic as the music slowly intensifies, then the guitar moves up in the mix with the Mellotron giving way to distant synths, and then the guitar breaks out into a Pinhas-meets-Floyd style solo raging over keyboards, driving bass & drums. The 3^rd track clocks in at just under fifteen minutes and is entitled ‘Alone On Mars’. This piece creates a full sound, with wistful vocals, layers of percussion, soaring electric guitars and swirling organ backdrop - all on the dynamic side of eruption, as the pace hots up and the piece dives into a musical hurricane of epic prog/psych proportions. The final track is ‘Autumn’ and it has a 70's feel with an emotional mix of early Floyd structures and slow, modern-day post-rock, conjuring images of exploration into deep, dark space on a slow interstellar flight through the cosmos. An intense, dense sound - one of the best debut ‘Psych’ CD’s around.

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Weight: 150.00 g

By the time this album was released in 2002, KBA had become one of our biggest selling bands. This is a double album of music used for the film of the same name – One disc of songs and one of the instrumental score. Taking the song CD first -You get an almost complete album of 7 brand new KBA tracks, and we’re not talking disposable soundtrack gloop here – we’re talking a proper album – you know, real songs, real instrumentals – the full works! The psychedelic influences that make this band so special are well in evidence, only this time with a slightly darker mood and less aggressive feel to the material, but no less powerful than much of their previous material. All the tracks are, by and large, on the reflective side, more like those slightly melancholy tracks that Pink Floyd used to do in their film soundtracks such as ‘La Valleee’, with a similar sound and style it has to be admitted. It is a sort of mellower, atmospheric brew of progressive psychedelia, with touches of influences from early-mid seventies soundtrack-era Floyd. You’ve only got to cop an earful of ‘Wake Up 37’ to hear the Floyd influences come shining through, only fuller sounding and more atmospheric. The two songs from the American band Low are in keeping with the feel of the KBA compositions, as vocal layers weave webs around flowing guitar lines. Disc 2 is entirely instrumental and presumably features the electronic score from the film. This too is excellent and entirely engaging - A sort of giant, dark cosmic electronic work of quite enthralling and epic proportions. So overall, this is great value for money package for KBA and cosmic music fans alike.

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Weight: 250.00 g