TKC: Seven By Seven

Having initially risen from the ashes of the then defunct Outstation, The Kris Aylesbury OutStation Collective quickly become know as The KAOS Collective, but now go under the even shorter and catchier acronym, TKC. What began as a small endeavour quickly grew into a seven-piece band, the sax and flute playing Aylesbury joined by keyboard player Emma Jones, percussion and ‘voice’ artist Poonam Agrawal, sitar and Indian banjo player Shrinivasan Agrawal, guitarist Vincent Maher, bassist Finlay Smythe and drummer Mark Durrant. Their latest album is entitled Seven By Seven, alluding to the seven chakras that can found along the body’s spine, and the colours they emit. Therefore it should be no surprise that the seven main tracks work along those spiritual lines and evoke a sense of wholeness and calm as the pleasingly unusual instrumentation takes us into and out of a progressive rock shell that evolves keenly into space rock, world music and much else.

If that all sounds a little ‘airy-fairy’ for you, fear not, because if it’s more of a Jean Michel Jarre meets space rock groove that you’re after, then the Ozric Tentacles like “Spiral To The Sky� should satisfy that urge and then some. This is a glorious romp along of epic proportions, and following on from the more ethereal “Seven Chakra Relaxation�, clearly illustrates the controlled eclecticism at TKC’s disposal.

“Crystal And Moonstone� moves things into a much more relaxed setting, where you can’t help but be pulled in to the world being created, before the swirling soundscape of “Rose Petal Awakening� takes us on an Eastern flavoured, but still synth infused side step that again proves both soothing and invigorating. In truth, I can’t honestly say that the experience is going to be for everyone, with this album truly asking you set aside misconceptions and go along on the mystical journey being laid out. However, any willingness to do just that does pay off, and cleverly, there are enough jolts and asides to ensure you stay tuned in along the path.

With the main seven songs being a reasonably brief outing, two bonus cuts are added at the album’s end, but I must admit that while they do still reside in the the same world as the main tracks, I think I’d probably have preferred the album without them, as the tone does change just enough to cause, for me anyway, a slight disconnect. That however, is a small complaint and while I can’t hand on heart tell you that I’ll be coming back to Seven By Seven often, on the occasion that I’m looking for something more involved and laid back, yet thoroughly thought provoking, this is where I might well be headed.

Track Listing
1. Seven Chakra Relaxation
2. Spirit To The Sky
3. Summoning The Spirits
4. Crystal And Moonstone
5. Rose petal Awakening
6. Cosmic Shift
7. Harvest of Light
Bonus Tracks
8. Tread Softly This Starless Night
9. Woodland Shadows

Added: May 21st 2022
Reviewer: Steven Reid
Score:
Related Link: TKC @ bandcamp
Hits: 682
Language: english

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