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Acid Mothers Temple - 'Mantra Of Love' (Alien8)

Mike Reed | USA | 02/23/2005

(3 out of 5 stars)

"'Mantra Of Love' is apparently the last Acid Mothers disc to feature synth/vocalist Cotton Casino.Just two cuts here."La Le Lo" runs for 30 minutes and brings us even more of that lengthy droning noisy space rock,that many of us have come to love."L'Ambition dans le Miroir"(15:02)is more or less another piece of chaotic sonic mayhem,where I seem to hear Tibetan bells,groovin' snyth work and mind-scrambling guitar licks being put to full use.Sounds really good while wearing headphones."

AMT

antitype | 09/18/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Acid Mothers Temple, the world-class modern psychedelic rock band of Japan, released what might be their most beautifully mellifluous album yet this summer. As a highly prolific musical collective, having produced over forty releases since their inception in 1995, this is no small feat. Two of their more notable recent albums, Electric Heavyland and Univers Zen ou de Zéro à Zéro, were much more ... well, heavy on the hyperkinetic freakouts and cosmic delirium. Mantra of Love seems to be a watershed, veering into more spacious and resplendent regions of sound. Wailing tsunamis and thunder-shattered percussion have been traded out for more pleasant and easily discernible gales.



"La Le Lo," the first of two lengthy tracks on the disc, is said to be a traditional Occitan hymn drawing from the indigenous language of southern France in the 11th to 15th centuries, marking their second flirtation with ancient folk styles since La Nòvia. The bouzouki and electric sitar that snake around Cotton's voice recall Popol Vuh (particularly the Heart of Glass soundtrack) and other kraut rock while the synthesizer sends spiraling waves into space, like a message from the desert to the stars. (Interestingly enough, AMT founder/figurehead Mokoto Kawabata claims that he hears music broadcast from outer space directly into his head.) The song ebbs and swells a number of times, oscillating between bucolic and cosmic, before launching into an extended lysergic jam.



The second and final track, "L'Ambition Dans le Miroir," is even more hushed, leading in with shimmering wind chimes and the ubiquitous sound of astral synth. Guitars are strummed in a somber tone while Cotton Casino sings her swan song -- this is, sadly, rumored to be her final performance with the AMT collective. The song dwindles into a restrained drone of keyboards, feedback, and ambient texture until all has been stripped away and only the chimes remain, swaying gently in the breeze... -- B.W."

Eloquent, soaring: medieval meets mantra magnified

John L Murphy | Los Angeles | 03/28/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This takes some getting used to. I like psychedelic and spacy extended excursions, but also lots of folk, especially Irish and European, as well as the better class of electric folk rock. So, this album seemed perfect. Since it was the first AMT album I had bought, I knew that it was and was not like most of their other records. Like: the emphasis on length and breadth. Unlike: the more restrained, less freak-out nature at its core. The Occitan influences work eloquently here, and the East-West match-up inherently adds depth to the wide-ranging sonic palette. This album combines respect for this delicate and subtle music with a willingness to adapt it across time and space into a very different ambiance. I wish more bands could learn from the past while trying also to further such musical heritages into terms for our 21st century & diverse audiences.



By the way, if you like this, seek out the very rare (now) La Novia, an earlier effort in the same vein. Mantra of Love only suffers by comparison to its even better predecessor. If MoL had been the only such Occitan exploration, it'd have gained another star. On its own terms, I do recommend this album without reservation.



However, once you hear this, you will want more of the same; if you cannot find La Novia, the slightly more available Live in Japan album features a beautifully aeronautic version of one of La Novia's key tracks, which arguably soars even higher in concert. In sum, all three of these AMT + MP recordings merit a place in your collection, and nicely balance AMT's more groovy and unkempt manifestations.



P.S. I think Soundtrack of Our Lives "borrowed" this album's cover concept of blending the band member's faces onto old pictures of indigenous folk musicians on that Swedish band's "Origins, Vol. 1."!"