Yerba Mansa
Gravity's Joke
As the heppest of you undoubtedly know, Yerba Mansa are Edwin Stevens (guitar and member of Irma Vep, Klaus Kinski, The Web Of Lies) and Andrew Cheetham (drums - Richard Dawson, Jane Weaver, Waterless Hilss) as well as both been members of Desmadrados Soldados De Ventura, ande purveyors of raging, mind-bending primitive garage infused Middle-Eastern free-rock psychedelia. Showcased here is Edwin's mesmerizing guitar playing, capable of conjuring sonic specters from thin air and Andrews limitless drumming, rooted in jazz and totally mesmerizing in fluidity and movement as contained within Gravity's Joke the grooves are some of the most fierce apocalyptic and heady jams you will hear this year. Yerba Mansa whirl up demonic raga meltdowns which showcase their individual chops and duo telepathy, the guitar vernacular is pure Sharrock/Flower/Quine - indeed the tuning sounds like it could be ostrich; while the drumming is more octopus. Side two is a near 20 minute mystical freak out, the whole shebang could and should implode at any time, but doesn't. It hangs together somehow as melodies appear out of the chaos as the title track relentlessly builds up to a shamonic climax, akin to stumbling across a Voodoun ritual in the American Plains late at night as your backbone tingles as though a demonic spirit has left the speaker cones and entered your soul. Sizzling, stifling and ever so slightly ear-scraping - this is a must for any lover of untamed music. This ain't an album, it's some kind of ritual.