There are many modern bands that reviewers and fans alike refer to as being “kosmische” or some form of continuation of the whole Krautrock ethos and aesthetics, yet few rarely actually live up to those mythic reputations. However, with their latest LP, Elsewhere, Agnes Martian certainly deserves those descriptions and more.

The album began as a bunch of synth jams, which were then expanded upon with pulsing drums and improvised layers of astral saxophone leads, cosmic guitar, hypnotic spoken-word vocals and violin. The resulting mix of sounds and styles produced both spacey meditative soundscapes and interstellar prog-adelic rock journeys, complete with dueling celestial guitar and sax solos, much like on the concluding epic, “The Observer,” which feels like a Todd Rundgren-produced Hawkwind instrumental.

Every fan of noodly kosmische synth records from the 70s, modern space rock and dubby library music records absolutely NEEDS to listen to this album over and over. There is so much to hook into here for collectors of psychedelic-minded and esoteric music, I wish I could distribute it to each and every one of them.

-KH