primordial undermind Loss of Affect (LP, £15.25)

LIMITED VINYL VERSION! Eric Arn and his Primordial Undermind have tirelessly mined the nether regions of avant psych-rock for the past 15 years, resulting in a sonically fertile body of work. Arn cut his teeth in the legendary Crystallized Movements throughout the 1980s, the Twisted Village flagship band which, in its wake, also spawned Magic Hour and Major Stars (Wayne Rogers & Kate Village). With a wealth of 7" singles and a number of compilation appearances throughout the 1990s, plus albums for September Gurls, Camera Obscura and Emperor Jones, the Primordial Undermind trajectory has grown and evolved with each outing. A rotating membership came to typify the band, and a restlessness to stay put in one sound form denotes a steady progression from distorted, psychedelic Nuggets-esque overload as found on You and Me and The Continuum (Camera Obscura, 1997) to full blown free instrumental rock exemplified on Beings of Game P-U (starring Tom Carter of Charalambides; Camera Obscura, 2001), and everything in between (Thin Shells of Revolution, Emperor Jones, 2003). Just before relocating from Austin, Texas to Vienna, Austria in late 2004, Arn engaged in a furious series of studio sessions with his Austin crew. The results have been honed down to a fantastic album entitled Loss of Affect, the most out there document of the Primordial Undermind sound to date.