Magic Muscle - Gulp! flac mp3 download

Knowing nothing of this band back in 1991 other than that the artwork seemed to have been lifted straight from the demented mind of 60’s illustrator Stanley Mouse, I revert to an old practice and purchased this record based on the tripped out nature of the album jacket alone, feeling that anything this lysergicly based would be right up my alley. Then something in my head made the Hawkwind connection, and Hawkwind’s staggering single “Valium Ten,” and I strolled out of the store sure that I’d made both a divine and righteous selection.Gulp! does not feature the original lineup, yet with the considered blues rock that morphs into a restrained but adventurous space journey of sonic inspiration, where along with vocals that have been deeply mixed within the instrumentation, it’s an album definitely out of time in many respects. What had eluded me was that this was not a new band by any stretch of the imagination, first revealing themselves back in 1969, and have continued to travel down those same psychedelic trails [and I say psychedelic and not neo-psychedelic, because this has been an extensive journey], where rather than being a formal band, they’re more of a community or commune of collective efforts as members ebb in, wander off, and then slip back in again nearly unnoticed, where they quickly built a cult following that still exists today.While their sound is not totally original, what’s presented here has been well considered, well constructed and well produced, where Magic Muscle lay down a very clean take on space rock that doesn’t get muddied, fall back into itself, or become over indulgent, to the point where guitar layers can often come across as sophomoric, and noodling can exists for the sake of noodling. Perhaps with twenty some years and endless live shows under their belts, the band possess a clear vision, knowing where they wish to take their listeners, and more importantly, how to bring them back again without feeling assaulted hungover or uncomfortable wasted.Gulp! is more than a worthwhile excursion into the nether regions of your soul, Gulp! comes off as jamming yet is anything but, taking you to distant stars and lands where lightning strikes with soft explosions that flower onto the visual cortex of your mind, where you’re rewarded with an inner planetary play of solar systems swirling together, and then sliding back into place as if nothing had happened … certainly the destination for Bell Flight Fourteen.Review by Jenell Kesler

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