Acid Mothers Temple & the Melting Paraiso

The latest from the reigning masters of psychedelic jam bands consists of only three tracks, albeit three typically blistering, aura altering, mind-expanding tracks. Opener "Pussy Head Man from Outer Space” is a loud, driving track riddled with the familiar sounds of UFOs shooting into distant galaxies; it’s an omnipresent reminder that you are being coaxed out of your mind and body. Meanwhile, track two, "Crystal Rainbow Pyramid,” serves as a delicate buffer between the opening and closing tracks, working the ground between screeching riffs and the ambling, mellowed acoustics. The most explosive and exploratory of the tracks is the 40-minute marathon closing track "Electric Psilocybin Flashback.” It opens with a surprisingly simple and arguably catchy riff that builds a sturdy and uncommonly rhythmic base for this beast of a song that binges on a sax solo. This is the first album to feature the vocal talents of Kitagawa Hao and it’s on "Electric Psilocybin” that we really get a sense of her range and style, which appears ethereal and choir-like in its calmness and grace. The album plays to a close on a gentle note, like a return to a welcoming arms.