Mul.Apin, the fourth album by Chicago psych-rock explorers
Verma (and third for Trouble in Mind), is the group's most cosmically minded work yet, moving away from some of the bombastic prog elements of their previous album and inhabiting more of a stargazing space. The album's track titles suggest a heroic story line, and its most exciting moments ("Elil.Sa.Ursag/Hero's.Theme" and "Kaskal/The.Journey") build heavy motorik rhythms with distorted, fuzzy organ and coolly gliding synths and guitars, providing the warrior with some fairly radical expedition music. Surrounding these neo-Krautrock gems,
Verma position their telescopes toward the farthest corners of the galaxy, constructing meditative space rock that calmly drifts through the cosmos. It all culminates in the epic 15-minute "Gal.Damhara/Last.Battle," which seems to find the hero exercising an extraordinary amount of discipline in order to defeat the opponent. The piece builds very slowly, gradually veering through forcefields and revealing traces of star trails. It takes eight minutes for the slow, creeping drums to saunter in, and the track ends less with a bang than with a fearless leap into the void. It seems a bit open-ended as to who won the duel; perhaps it was actually a conflict with one's self. Surprisingly enough, the group manages to tell the story without any lyrics; if the vocals of Whitney Johnson (who also has an astounding solo project called
Matchess) are present, they're completely inaudible. Regardless,
Mul.Apin is a richly satisfying journey that distills the band's approach while expanding on its conceptual angle, resulting in a focused, enthralling record. ~ Paul Simpson