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Bosnian Rainbows

Bosnian Rainbows

Written by: BV on 01/08/2013 14:22:01

Bosnian Rainbows is a synth-driven psychedelic quartet that, to some, might be most notable for consisting of former The Mars Volta members, Omar Rodríguez-López (guitar, backing vocals) and Deantoni Parks (drums, keyboards), alongside Le Butcherettes vocalist Teri Gender Bender and Nicci Kasper (keyboards). As the band is mainly synth driven, the psychedelic soundscapes differ vastly from what I have personally come to appreciate a lot in this genre – namely the fuzzy riffs. In spite of this, the synth-take on the psychedelic excursions is an overall interesting approach. Here’s why;

As album opener “Eli” slowly makes itself noticeable through a vast array of droning synth-sounds, it dawns on me that this particular take on psych actually leans a lot on genres like post-rock as well as the not-so-relevant genres on this site, like electronica. The eerie synth drones and the haunting female vocals do their fair part in enthralling the listener, but in all honesty the track never really takes off – even with the introduction of a fairly bombastic effort on the drums and some generally more upbeat melodies near the end of the song.

Coming up to “Morning Sickness”, the synths take a turn for the slightly funkier as they approach sounds that are reminiscent of both Os Mutantes as well as the more recent MGMT. With the funky bass lines and the cool guitar-work on this track, one could say that this particular sound stands in stark contrast to the otherwise dull album opener as the potential in the vast array of noises, drones and the like seems to be harnessed beautifully and compressed down to four amazingly focused minutes.

However, it takes more than one amazingly focused track to keep an album running smoothly, and despite the fact that “Torn Maps” and “Turtle Neck” are also interesting tracks, there are simply too many unfruitful excursions on this particular release. – At least to my particular liking. A track like “Red” for instance, seems interesting at first listen though it never really evolves to fully harness anything than the apparent and catchy funkiness, which is quite the opposite of what I would actually have expected as this album, and band, seems to have the potential, not only due to the members' legacy but also because of the potential in a select few of these tracks, to create some intense and explorative soundscapes – instead opting for 'rule-breaking' electronica induced, slightly funky psych tracks that might indeed appeal to a greater audience but will inevitably throw off the pickier listeners. All in all I wouldn’t characterize myself as a fan of Bosnian Rainbows. Not as of yet, anyway.

Download: Morning Sickness, Torn Maps, Turtle Neck
For The Fans Of: The Mars Volta, Download, The Flaming Lips, Le Butcherettes
Listen: facebook.com

Release Date 25.06.2013
Sargent House & Clouds Hill