Pitchfork

Led by Romain Turzi, this Parisian psych band recorded its 2005 EP Made Under Authority in its leader's kitchen, but from the sound of A, their full-length debut on Kemado, somewhere near the medicine cabinet is probably their preferred location. Unlike the freewheeling psychedelia of current mind-alterers like Acid Mothers Temple or Dungen, for Turzi less is more, as they rely on tightly wound rhythms and hypnotic drones like Spaceman 3 or the tidy minimalism of Krautrock forefathers Can and Neu! "Afghanistan", one of the few tracks with vocals on this mostly instrumental album, has a cinematic feel that draws you in with its otherworldly electronics, guitar haze, and pulsating drums. It could be a soundtrack to a journey in Blade Runner or a party scene in Beyond the Valley of the Dolls, and it fades out at the end just like a strange dream. This is definitely taking drugs to make music to take drugs to.

MP3:> Turzi: "Afghanistan"
[from A; out now on Kemado]