There has been a compelling trajectory at work since
J.J. Whitefield's
Karl Hector & the Malcouns issued 2008's
Sahara Swing. It articulated
Whitefield's lifelong love of sounds from the African Diaspora that include
Ebo Taylor's slippery guitar funk, Zamrock, Malian blues, and disco-fied Nigerian Afrobeat. Six years later,
the Malcouns dug deeper on
Unstraight Ahead by exploring the Ethio jazz of
Mulatu Astatke,
Hailu Mergia, and
Getatchew Mekuria, soldered onto the German band's love of Krautrock and trancey psychedelia as exemplified by countrymen
Can,
Agitation Free, and
Tomorrow's Gift.
Non Ex Orbis, issued more than a decade after their debut, finds the band traveling further afield without losing their way. This eight-track set engages the experimentalism of krautrock as it meets classic German prog influences such as
Amon Dueuel,
Popol Vuh, and
Embryo, and dark, trippy analog funk. Woven in are an eclectic mix of trance, analog synth, interlocking Afrobeat grooves, and ghostly, dark mercurial psych.
The lineup on
Non Ex Orbis includes
Whitefield on guitars and vintage Prodigy, a monosynth from Moog, founding
Malcouns' drummer and second guitarist
Zdenko Curulija, bassist
Al Markovic, synthesist
Andreas Kainz, and vocalist, organist, and vibraphonist
Marja Burchard, daughter of
Embryo founder
Christian Burchard. The title-track opener showcases the intersection of staccato, stop-and-start prog and beat-driven funky psych. Introduced by
Burchard's wordless vocal, its knotty guitars offer an angular theme before the Prodigy, an ARP, and organ reach flanged guitars and a whomping bassline that pump out massive psychedelic funk. "Crawling Through Your Mind" comes out of the gate with a funky drum shuffle extrapolated onto a droney soundscape with
Robin Trower-esque guitar vamp (a la "Bridge of Sighs"), a fragmented melodic idea, and a wandering bassline that draws the listener down into a sonic vortex. "Hymnin5," is jazz-prog fusion with drifting vibraphone solos, pulsing organs that alternate between vamp and fractured melody lines, a galloping bass, and
Whitefield's sitar-esque electric guitar. "Stossgebet" employs Krautrock and skeletal psych with
Burchard offering a single syllable as the tune's vocal, while the bass, effects-laden guitar, and Afrobeat drum kit delve deep into spidery funk. A
Return to Forever-esque arpegiattic synth solo adds a spacious, hard-grooving fusion element as well. "Mother Seletta" is anchored by
Burchard's vocals and Krautrock;
Whitefield's use of
Fela Kuti's rhythmic invention and
Embryo's textured drift -- colored by stinging, distorted,
Hendrix-ian guitars and punchy organ -- create a multi-dimensional foundation that breaks the mold. Closer "Dekagon" straddles Krautrock and space age dub in a steamy, nightmarish union that results in aural hypnosis. While not as exotic as its predecessors,
Non Ex Orbis is in many ways the most satisfying
Malcouns' album because it channels its influences in a more natural articulation of ideas and inner space grooves. Tune in, turn on, and dance. ~ Thom Jurek