VAS DEFERENS ORGANIZATION & PERIHELION - The Science Of The Impo

200 copies / handmade heavy paper gatefold covers / black vinyl

Here we’ve got another archival recording from those menaces to the mainstream and mediocrity – Vas Deferens Organization (VDO). Recorded in 1997, The Science Of The Impossible was a one-off collaboration between VDO (Matt Castille and Eric Lumbleau) and a studio-only duo named Perihelion, which was keyboardist David Price and the late synthesist Tim Boone.

Gilded Portals Through Abandoned Temples / Shrouded Processions Through Forgotten Empires opens side 1. This is classic Kosmiche but in a carnival mood and reminds me of VDO’s Zyzzybaloubab album which was released the same year these recordings were made. We’ve got multiple keyboards and synths, all playing distinct roles, both melodic and atmospheric, and all grooving along to a playful rhythmic pulse. Around the 7 minute mark things get briefly loud and noisy, before settling into an eerie but playful vibe that’s like a blend of the early German cosmic pioneers and the Residents. Elegant Eskimos In Arctic Ballrooms is next and starts off with a blend of trippy cosmic mood-scapes, bleepy blurpy effects, and freakout guitar bits. It goes quiet after a couple minutes, the cauldron bubbling ominously, with strange sounds and light melodies rising gently from the pot.

Side 2 kicks off with The Illusion Of Equilibrium. Slow moving and sparse, it begins with a simple Casio-like rhythmic pattern, over which a parade of electronic sounds and textures pass by, some spaced out and some on the found-sound/experimental side. About halfway through all the sounds abruptly gel, working together to concoct an avant-Kosmiche stew. There’s still a big glom of different sounds, though the fun of it all is hearing how they contrast and cooperate. The Perils Of Gravity is next, at first sounding like mid-70s Tangerine Dream, but these guys waste no time warping the analogies by tossing in a non-stop barrage of sounds and clatter. LOTS happening here, making for an intense ride that’s an intriguing blend of classic Kosmiche and avant-garde fun.

Wow, lots of activity from the VDO camp in the past year, with both new and archival releases, and The Science Of The Impossible is another welcome addition to the VDO cannon.

(Aural Innovations January 21st, 2012)
 

- Gilded Portals Through Abandoned Temples/
Shrouded Processions Through Forgotten Empires (2:42)

- Elegant Eskimos In Arcic Ballrooms (6:59)

- The Illusion Of Equilibrium (6:46)

- The Perils Of Gravity (5:17)

- Eric Lumbleau

- Matt Castille

- Christopher Moock

- Tim Boone (Perihelion)

- David Price (Perihelion)

- guest musician: Craig Shropshire