Annexus Quam
Osmose

THE REVIEW

Quam 

Lawyer|adv.|adv.  

Quam : that (adv.)

Quam : how much (adv.)

Annexus 

Noun m. IV decl.|n. m. IV décl.|n. m. IV decl.

Variants: adnexus

Annexus : connection, bond.

To unite, mix, amalgamate.

This "imperative," already implicit in the Latin-derived name, of the Annexus Quam, a formidable ensemble of musicians (a septet), devoted to so-called "collective improvisation", creators of a shifting, multicolored sound blend with peculiar "dark" tones.

"Osmose" (1970).

An album essentially devoid of immediate "musical" comparisons.

The cosmic sound, Kosmiche Musik, the very early Pink Floyd, psychedelia, minimalism, blues hues, deeply embedded in distinctly "free jazz" structures with dark atmospheres and a characteristic "aboulic" pace interrupted by sudden and piercing percussive incursions.

All this we can perceive, recognize in "Osmose".

Ephemeral "episodes" with a lively and bright sound ("Osmose II") alternate with expanded compositions remarkably "dramatic" where, in addition to the aforementioned percussions, tribal and filled with experimentalism, among the numerous wind instruments, trumpet and trombone stand out, along with the constant presence of nebulous organ layers ("Osmose I"; "Osmose III") and "mournful" vocalizations à la Magma that make listening to this unsettling album even more anxiety-inducing.

Remarkable is the fourth and final track ("Osmose IV"), a sort of "suite" with its eighteen minutes, paradigm and epitome of the entire album, characterized by a distinctly "cosmic" sound and acid-lysergic flavors, a "cocktail" of different musical styles and cultures.

"Osmose",

a truly admirable album, a MUST for any music enthusiast, both "kraut" and not.