Instagon - Pink Eye (Placenta)

For nearly 20 years, Instagon have confused, enlightened and hypnotized audiences with their magickal approach to improvisational music. Led by Lob, with an ever-changing roster of musicians/noisicians, the group has performed over 600 times with over 600 different results. Pink Eye showcases the true eclecticism of Instagon, compiling fully improvised noise and music from 1998, 2007 and 2011.

The opening “Dark Invokation” is exactly what it says it is, i.e., 12 minutes of ominous harsh noise juxtaposed with a clean, delayed guitar, energies summoned and convergent in this ceremony of sonic chaos. Later on, the 18 minute “Fighting Fever with Frequencies” expands on these ideas – bubbling space keyboards and ambient tones collide with over-modulated static, demonic voices and dark waves. On the foreboding sister tracks, “Don’t Speed in thee Rain” and “Results ov Speeding in thee Rain,” as well as the pulsing, bass-driven “Dripfall,” music creeps into the noise, creating spacerock that could be a more punk rock, garage version of Acid Mothers Temple, all of which gels perfectly on the space-doom cover of Black Sabbath‘s “Electric Funeral.” The remaining three songs are more jam-band oriented, especially “Speed” and the closing “Thruster,” which could be outtakes from an MX-80 session.

In Instagon’s realm, noise and music are one. This is sonic magick, where all sounds achieve the same end. On the temple of the stage, this is high worship. Embrace the energy and rejoice in it.