SPACE COSSACKS/HYPNOMEN
From The Shadows Of The
Evil Empire [Split 7" EP] (MuSick Recordings)
Reviewed by DJ Johnson

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This one's been in the review stack for ages and ages, down in a dark corner, flat and inconspicuous among the many not-so-flat and conspicuous CDs. In short: oops! Missed out on several months of wearing the wax down from over-listening to one of the greatest little seven inch EPs I've ever encountered. The Space Cossacks (Washington D.C.) and Hypnomen (Helsinki, Finland) present two sides of the MuSick instrumental empire. The Cossacks, led by guitarist extraordinare Ivan Pongracic, are the kings of classic, melodic, beautiful instrumental surf, and their two songs here, "Escape From Gulag 17" and "Metsakukkia," offer up the proof. The melodies reach deep into your mind and lodge there, to pop up in thought at unexpected moments. Turn the record over and you've got a dual meaning for flipside: Helsinki's Hypnomen, while capable of haunting melodies, weave a web of power and mystery with "Holotna" and "Comrade, The Squealer," a pair of tunes penned by guitarist Pekka Laine. Like the startling dream you can't quite describe, the Hypnomen sound is too surreal and fogbound to define in simple terms. These two bands may be on opposite ends of the style spectrum, but against all odds their music turns out to be two great tastes that taste great together.

© 2000 - DJ Johnson