Santana – Borboletta. 1974. Do you ever look at your shelf of music and see a CD and say “you know, the next time I hear that album I bet I’ll like it more than I did before?” Well, I bought this CD sometimes in the 1980s (and had the LP prior to that even) and doubt I’ve heard it twice since then. Foreshadowing aside, yea I dug it big time. This was released at the tail end of his fusion phase, but there’s still plenty of that sound prevalent throughout. Sure, he’s introducing a slicker, more radio friendly sound here. But it’s not too bad on the whole – in fact some of the melodies are addictive. I think to properly enjoy this album, it’s best to hear “Welcome” first, rather than “Lotus” or even further apart, the first three albums.

One Shot – Ewaz Vader. 2006. Like the Academy Awards when it comes time to nominate the Oscars, Gnosis also has a bias towards certain types of art. And in this context One Shot is definitely “Academy friendly.” Gnosis likes either a) the avant progressive school, mixed with a little chamber or original RIO movement (Cuneiform label adds points), or b) we like vicious and complex instrumental fusion. If you can put a Zeuhl spin on it, or even better, possess a Zeuhl heritage, then you win the “best of the year” award. So it’s easy to see why “Ewaz Vader” is running away with the 2006 title. It’s a can’t miss release with the throbbing bass action expected of Zeuhl music, pulverizing drums and dual guitar / keyboard soloists. The first few bars had me thinking this might go into the stratosphere ratings wise. But, like the name implies, One Shot is not the type of band to lock into a groove and edit later for more impact. So there’s a tendency to run a little long in different places. One Shot are no doubt an A-list group and they’re likely to be appreciated by everyone, thus their place at the top. But for individual self-actualization, I’m not sure they have the right stuff for the next layer.

Naikaku – Shell. 2006. And just like One Shot represents a “Gnosis friendly” sound, Naikaku fits squarely in the “AshraTom friendly” zone. An aggressive and complex instrumental rock with the lead instruments being shared by heavy guitar (not metal) and a contrasting flute. I was reminded of the obscure US group Atavism of Twilight, a sound that disappeared practically before it started. It’s more complicated than Argentina’s Tanger, but not too far off the mark. Kenso is another reference, but Naikaku aren’t as symphonic. A new A-list group, and now I would like to hear their more obscure debut.