In early 2020, Acid Mothers Temple of Japan and Reynols of Argentina emerged with a surprise collaboration. Fans of psychedelia, prog rock, experimental drone, and Krautrock uttered a collective woah, then rejoiced. Now, these two bands melded into one unveil a follow-up recorded during the same sessions (November of 2017 in Buenos Aires), released this time on Hive Mind Records. As before, the results are expansive yet heavy, and in a borderline miraculous twist, are coming out six months ahead of schedule, with Vol. 2 available now on classic black vinyl in a reverse board sleeve in an edition of 500 copies.
Formed in 1995 and originally named Acid Mothers Temple & the Melting Paraiso U.F.O., this size-shifting unit led by Kawabata Makoto issued a handful of cassettes prior to recording an eponymous CD in ’97 on the storied P.S.F. label (released on 2LP in 2019 by Black Editions). Often scorchingly raw in its druggy and even spacy progressions, it makes a fine introduction to the band, but then so does Pataphisical Freak Out MU!! From ’99 (also on P.S.F.) and Absolutely Freak Out (Zap Your Mind!!) from 2001 (on Static Caravan / Resonant).
Originally named Burt Reynols Ensamble, Reynols released their debut cassette in 1993 and continued under that name until ’96, with the creative focal point before and long since being multi-instrumentalist experimenter Miguel Tomasín, who has Down’s Syndrome and is described as the band’s “spiritual architect” alongside the unit’s core lineup, which has remained pretty sturdy over the years, namely Rob Conlazo, Pacu Conlazo, and Anla Courtis.
Although generally lumped into the international noise underground, particularly as it flourished in the late 20th-early 21st century (the band effectively went on hiatus, at least in terms of releasing recordings, from 2005–2018), Reynols possess a playful, at times pranksterish, conceptual streak that makes them difficult to categorize. By extension, pinpointing a solid introduction to Reynols’ discography can prove a challenge.
Blank Tapes, released on CD in 2000 by the Trente Oiseaux label and consisting entirely of amplified and edited recordings of, yes, blank cassettes, caused a bit of a u-ground stir when first released. It does a good job of illuminating Reynols’ conceptual-experimental side. While a fascinating listen (it sounds like you’d expect, and then suddenly, doesn’t), it’s not indicative of the portion of their output, also wonderfully fucked, that can nonetheless be traced back to something resembling “rock”: for that, the Barbatrulos LP, also from 2000 on the Freedom From label, is a good bet.
But another worthy point of entry is the 6CD+DVD box set Minecxio Emanations 1993-2018, which the Pica Disk label released in 2019 as a harbinger of Reynols’ return to activity (it’s available for sampling and purchase on Bandcamp). The first volume by Acid Mothers Reynols emerged in February of 2020 through the French label Vert Pituite La belle, with Reynols’ Gona Rubian Ranesa following in November of that year through Outlier Communications of Canada (vinyl copies are still available for both).
To bring it back to Acid Mothers Temple, it should be noted that this album with Reynols is just the latest in a long string of team ups, with the creative interactions including fellow Japanese acts Hijokaidan (Acid Mother Kaidan), Afrirampo (Acid Mothers Afrirampo), and Masonna (Acid Maso Temple), plus France’s Gong, Germany’s Guru Guru, and Bardo Pond of the USA (Acid Mothers Gong, Acid Mothers Guru Guru, Acid Mothers Guru Guru Gong, and Acid Guru Pond).
Reynols are no strangers to collaboration themselves, having recorded with the Canadian noise-improv pioneers Nihilist Spasm Band on No Borders To No Borders (a 2002 recording issued on CD in 2007 by the Hushush label), which also features free jazz multi-instrumentalist Joe McPhee on didgeridoo. Also, there was recurring interaction with the late avant-garde composer and experimentalist Pauline Oliveros (including a performance at NYC’s Lincoln Center). Minecxio Emanations 1993-2018 even concludes with an Acid Mothers Reynols track, “Burning the Sun, Gently,” that’s not on Vol. 1 or this follow-up.
Across both albums, Acid Mothers Reynols is a recognizably spacy-psychedelic affair, which could lead some to surmise, given the general directions of the participant’s individual outputs, that, as the proceedings developed, AMT grew dominant. However, it takes but a spin of Gona Rubian Ranesa to ascertain how Reynols has grown comfortable with an approach that’s pretty easily identifiable as rock (if still nicely fucked around the edges).
As on its predecessor, Vol. 2 offers two tracks per side, with opener “Sun Inside a Silent Sun” beginning rather quietly with a touch of Tomasín’s vocals and the achy wiggle of bowed strings. Arising slowly is an increasingly tense drift that’s reminiscent of the Pink Floyd from not long after Syd’s departure blended with a little Popol Vuh.
It’s not long before the collective achieves full ignition, dishing the amp burn and coming off a bit like Hawkwind infused with the sheer potency of later ’80s-’90s US u-grounders Crystalized Movements. But with “Antimatter-Sound Milkshake,” the druggy pendulum swings back toward the ’60s with a snaky tendrils groove-jammer that sounds like it’s emanating from a hazy dark ballroom, at least until the piano banging comes in.
Piano is also a component in side two’s opener “Volcano Waterfall,” a deep excursion into primo psych-noise tribalism, if a relatively brief one at under five minutes. Tickled with the swirl of synth and Theremin, there is also an influx of drum racket suggesting somebody invited Gene Krupa’s ghost to the party.
Closer “Dimentional Brochette O’Clock” spreads out the longest, and in its early looseness is most reflective of studio improv, though it does grow into a soaring rocker and a delightful capper to this union’s sweet second installment. It might not land the punch of Vol. 1’s finale “Bo Bubbles,” which resonates as if AMT and Reynols were striving to sound like the Grateful Dead embodying the essence of Diddley, but hey, it’s not far off.
The unexpected early arrival of this LP threw Hive Mind label operator Marc Teare for a loop, but in another fantastic twist, it’s completion synched up perfectly with the announcement that on January 27, Miguel Tomasín was the recipient of the Henry Viscardi Achievement Award, which “recognize(s) exemplary leaders within the global disability community and their extraordinary societal contributions.” Listening to Acid Mothers Reynols’ Vol. 2, it’s clear the honor is fully deserved.
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