Current 93 — Aleph at Hallucinatory Mountain
Where the last proper current 93 album Black ships ate the sky was more epic and varied in it's sound Aleph at Hallucinatory Mountain very much focusers in on heavy guitar tone and a very distinct 70’s air. Though that’s not to say it’s one dimensional by any means, there are more mellow and atmospheric moments here too, as well of course as the often many layered production controlled masterfully as always by Stephen Stapleton. This is also the first proper album Current 93 not to featuring Michael Cashmore distinct and elegant guitar work; instead we have Matt Sweeney (ZWAN, Neil Diamond, Superwolf), Keith Wood(Six Organs of Admittance, Wooden Wand and Sunburned Hand of Man) and Tibet himself taking on the heavy psychedelic bound guitar duties. With James Blackshaw giving the more acoustic and elegant moments with 12-string guitar as well as piano. But also as in the case of Black ships ate the sky there a whole host of guests that deepen and expand the Current 93 sound here in the form of: William Breeze: electric viola & viola controlled sampler, Andrew WK: bass, piano, vocals, finger bells, Alex Neilson: drums & percussion, Ossian Brown: synthesizers, & treated organ, Andrew Liles: electronics, guitars & mix, Baby Dee: piano & Hammond organ and John Contreras: cello & synthesizers.
With various vocal backing and elements from the following: Andria Degens, Sasha Grey, Rickie Lee Jones, Alice & Henry Rousham. But unlike some moments on Black ships ate the sky where the support singers took a more central role, the main vocals here are pretty exclusively Tibet himself in his normal spoken word/ semi sang form, but also fittingly with the heavy guitar edge a more angry almost vein bulging form too. As usually the lyrics are a mixture of biblical and varied religious references, apocalyptic imagery, occultic ruminations and fevered flights of Tibet's imagination; through rather nicely this time around there are mentions of more earth bound and mundane things like amusingly on the bizarrely entitled 26 April 2007 metions of famous kitchen bound storage system with the lines “cronos at Tupperware time, gods in plastic boxers”.
So in summing up Aleph at Hallucinatory Mountain sees Tibet taking his project down new and heaved guitar path, yet never losing the depth and scope of sound he’s forged in the last few years. It’s another album that brimming beneath the surface with clever sonic depths and creatively; yet it feels stripped of indulgent and wondering moments that have surfaced on some of Current 93’s past albums. Simply put it feels leaner and meaner take on the projects sound; meaning this will surely get new converts to Tibet’s distinctive sonic cause. With Tibet as usual in very wordy, descriptive and at times brain spinning form; with texts that I’m sure I’ll be finding wonder and cross connection with-in for years to come- unmissble really