Ryley Walker and Kikagaku Moyo: Deep Fried Grandeur

I knew nothing about either Ryley Walker or Kikagaku Moyo before hearing this album. I am very glad to have been introduced to both of them, especially in this intriguing package of two lengthy instrumental tunes that both clock in at about 18 minutes. (Thanks to Niamh the Prog Nerd’s Dad for mentioning the album in a recent video on Niamh’s YouTube channel!)

I have gone back and listened to some of Walker’s previous output. It is very eclectic, ranging from folk to the blues to jazz. Kikagaku Moyo, on the other hand, is a pretty straightforward Japanese psychedelic/space rock outfit.

They met up at a festival in the Netherlands in 2018 and jammed, with a total of nine people on stage. The live recordings were then touched up a bit in the studio and released last year.

The two songs, if you can call them that (somewhat atonal explorations may be a better way to put it), might put some people off. While others, like me, will be attracted to them from the start. It may seem that the tunes don’t go anywhere, but that is not really the case. There is a loose structure to both of them, but it does require a few listens to discover that.

If you are a fan of the live disc from Pink Floyd’s Ummagumma or of two Floyd songs from the same period that never made it on conventional album releases, “The Embryo� and “Moonhead,� I suspect Deep Fried Grandeur will be up your alley. Same for those who enjoyed Can’s two recent live albums from 1975, from Stuttgart and Brighton. Give Deep Fried Grandeur a shot.

Track Listing:
1. Pour Dampness Down in the Stream
2. Shrinks the Day

Added: January 18th 2022
Reviewer: Aaron Steelman
Score:
Related Link: Artists @ Bandcamp
Hits: 538
Language: english

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