There?s something to be said for old Krautrock albums. I?m thinking of Ash Ra Tempel?s debut with its two side-long astral projections of acid fuzz bursts and third eye meditations, all unencumbered by those pesky little track breaks. It was music made for a headlong plunge into the vinyl void. ?Black Forest/Black Sea? (the second self-titled album by the duo of Jeffrey Alexander and Miriam Goldberg, not to be confused with their first album released on Secret Eye some years ago) comes in such a vein, and thankfully a vinyl edition should hit the shelves any day. These two 20 min tracks are epic glimpses through alien prisms of electronic squiggles, voices and hums all melting into the steady backdrop of Alexander?s drifting guitar and Goldberg?s haunted cello trills.

All in all, this is the most satisfying BF/BS album I?ve heard yet. Its aural tentacles spread out and engulf the listener in waves of dark melodic spirals and dissonant fuzz washes, ebbing and flowing like night tides. Some percussion and other effects lend things a creaky free (electronic) jazz vibe that only adds depth to the proceedings. After years of working out any bugs and playing dozens of live gigs all over the world with some of the most respected folk in the avant rock scene, Black Forest/Black Sea has reached a creative peak that touches on all of this while remaining virtually unclassifiable. I guess chamber psych still works, but even that?s pushing it. This is close to murk-tronic-live-kraut-mantra-surrender. And it?s one of the most darkly hypnotic albums I?ve heard all year. These dark waters engage the listener every second of the albums 40 minutes, and like those side long blasts of old, it?s is one for the ages. Just wish I?d gotten mine on vinyl. 8/10 -- Lee Jackson (20 February, 2007)