Detailed Reviews [Polska Radio One - 2013 - "Cosmos Inside"]

Prolusion. The Russian band POLSKA RADIO ONE was formed in 2012, and from what I can understand, consists of four young musicians, ones that appear to be enthusiastic about their music. Less than three years into their career they have already released two full-length albums as well as a number of singles and EPs. "Cosmos Inside" is an extended version of their debut album "Polska Radio One" from 2013, and was released through the US label Trail Records at the start of 2014.

Analysis. Those who have followed the psychedelic rock music scene will most likely have encountered the label Trail Records at some point the last few years. They release a few albums each year, mostly by artists either overlooked when at their most active, artists partially forgotten about or by completely unknown bands, many of which are of Russian or Eastern European origins. Polska Radio One is, obviously, among the latter category of artists. While this is a young band, they have opted to explore music that has much more of a vintage character to it. This is a production that stands firmly in the traditions of the late ‘60s and early ‘70s, music of the kind that comes with instant associations to recreational drugs and chants of make love, not war. Psychedelic music of the kind that was made before the hippie movement lost its final traces of naivety, one might say. Vintage organ textures are used liberally throughout, as one would expect, and of course, there's a sitar present too, even if only on two tracks. The bass guitar is used effectively to create and maintain momentum alongside drums, and then there's a vast multitude of mainly vintage-sounding guitar textures. Plain acoustic guitars are used here and there, but psychedelic drenched or twisted guitar details are more common than not. Reverberating textured riffs, subtly twisted, psych-dripping guitar soloing, resonating plucked notes and just about any additional guitar effect you'd expect from a band that appears to know their late ‘60s and early ‘70s psychedelic rock on a detailed level. The electric tampura is presumably one of the suppliers of sounds I've noted down as one possibly originating from a guitar. The vocals, when present, are also given an effect makeover that gives them a distinct psychedelic presence, while keyboards and effects other than the organ are used with more care as providers of additional psychedelic vibes, at times adding a slight cosmic vibe to the proceedings. The sole exception to the above comes in the shape of Morosim (‘Freezing’ in Russian), a creation that blends this band's vintage-oriented psychedelic rock with what I'd describe as ambient dubstep, with bass and rhythms adding a slight techno touch to the proceedings.

Conclusion. If you have a soft spot for psychedelic rock of the vintage sounding orientation, then Polska Radio One is a band that merits a check. As far as contextual references for progressive rock fans go, I'd suggest that those who enjoy Syd Barret-era Pink Floyd might be a likely audience for this production, alongside those with a general interest in bands from the same era exploring a somewhat more intense variety of psychedelic rock.

OMB=Olav M Bjornsen: February 6, 2015
The Rating Room