FREI SEIN (IMPORT) | VINYL RECORD (LP)

Universe by Ear, "It could have started with a knock on the door, a letter on the table or some blood on the floor" - That's the opening line of the second self-titled album from The Universe by Ear. And indeed: There is an endless array of ways to open an album, that follows up upon a critically appraised debut (2017). The Universe by Ear chose a hidden escape route and start off with a psychedelia-fuled garage-rocker: "Been Here Before" of course is a misleading title for that opener, since the powertrio ventures into newland. But of course The Universe by Ear also remain true to what they do best, which is the instrumental freefall through des musical cosmos they call psychedelic brain blues. But since a conscious and constant trespassing can in itself be limiting, Grünenfelder, Bürgin and Strittmatter dish out a poppy hook ("Temperamental Apathy") a badass shouter ("Bad Boy Boogie) and a two faced cinematic Wild-West-Soundtrack ("Sand And Dust). It goes without saying that mathematics ("Lessons From An Ordinary World"), grooveriffs ("Euphoria"), some krautrock ("Follow The Echo") and stoner ("Loudest Gorilla in the Cage") also find their spaces. The bands thumbprint - three freewheeling instrumentalists and just as many voices - remains distinctive. In "Where All Sheep Are Black" you will re-encounter a wall of guitars and the superimposed vocals, that also made the debut-album stand out. The listener will also be happy to find out that The Universe by Ear remain true to their game on the second album, which like it's predecessor comes without a name, but give their ideas more room to breathe. The next knock on the door is bound to come soon enough.