Tren Go! Sound System is a guitar, loop and fx driven one-man-band psychedelia. The steel driving man behind this locomotive is Pedro Pestana (10 000 Russos and Talea Jacta) who started this journey on train tracks back in 2006. Ornamental is the alter ego of Sidney Jaffe is producing and performing music since 2013. The singer and drummer of the psychedelic rock bands Burnpilot, Arcane allies and sideman in bands like Dai Kaiju (us) and Revvnant (solo project of Elias from the Flying Eyes) found his style as a solo artist between Detroit Techno and synthesizer greats such as Tangerine Dream, Can and Terry Riley.
The two have joined forces to take us on a trip into another dimension and called it Assessment; it is out now through Dirty Filthy and Pink Tank Records.
Opening with the title track, it wastes no time in telling us exactly what this record is about – skilfully co-ordinated noise that is so intricately put together it’s almost impossible to discern what’s coming from where, who whose and even your own name if you play it loud enough. Its an aural odyssey that’s not for the faint hearted but encourages you to delve deeper. ‘Meio Com Meio Sem’ slows things down a notch allowing each part to glisten in its own glory, it’s the type of track where when played live the whole crowd would be swaying along contentedly whilst they collect themselves. After that reprieve we are enchanted with ‘Tuarengue Fever’ which like its name hints at, creates a heat that builds through repetition and owes more than a passing nod to the krautrock greats. Concluding ‘Space Race (Breaking the Atmosphere)’ like its name suggests takes slices of space rock, fuzzes them up a bit and then spits them back out superiorly sonically altered; another one that can be used to transport the listener wherever they want to go depending on scene and setting.
Records like this are very hard to describe, as they need to be felt and experienced not just heard. Turn the lights down, the volume up and drift away to this one whilst dreaming of being in a sweaty festival stage with all your mates.
