My Cat is an Alien

This release falls into the psychedelic path cut by everyone from early Pink Floyd and "The Pot Head Pixies”–era Gong to the tribal noise/rock/psych folk epics of Akron/Family and Acid Mothers Temple. Epic (two tracks at 35 and 15 minutes apiece), rambling washes of synth and electronics punctuated by drums, voices, percussion and "cosmic/space” guitar. While the temptation is to pass this off as otherworldly noodling, Maurizio and Roberto Opalio are successful at telling a long, involved story with a minimum of dead spots. The music touches base with all the aforementioned influences, which gives one interesting context, yet stays true to its own character in surprising ways.