The Mandrake Memorial
Puzzle

Staying in America, guys, let's continue to recover the glorious remnants of that splendid and brief season that was the star-spangled psychedelia, and so we cannot help but come across a splendid group like the Mandrake Memorial from Philadelphia, creators of three interesting works. The one we are most interested in now is their third and more mature and ambitious "Puzzle" from 1970, which survived with authoritative and convincing inspiration in an acid season almost concluded. A beautiful album with variable mood moments and complex atmospheres, which for its year of birth and the long musical gestation due to the previous unripe and less refined "Same" and "Medium", can be considered as a rare and happy example of Yankee psych-prog.

The work ranges from pure psychedelia (never diluted in genres so dear to tradition), explicated by a narrative extension that dictates its evolutionary lines until it borders on a sublime proto-Christian rock, à la Circus Maximus, which is a constitutive element of the American musical identity. In fact, totally disregarding the typical stylistic features of tradition, the Mandrake Memorial ex"Novae Police" from New York first, evolve towards a type of open musical discourse, reaching at some moments, peaks of enchanting lyricism and mystical verticality through choruses, often inserted. The arrangements always pertinent, enriching the sound, complete the sense of each track, to produce dimensionality, a space where sound events that go beyond consolidated styles take place. In practice, the instruments surpass their referentiality to serve a nobler project, that of "representation", and this is where, in my opinion, the essence of prog lies. We don't have much biographical information about "our" group, however, we know that the hypnotically suave singing belongs to bassist Randy Monaco, and that the sound is supported by two guitarists, Craig Anderson (12-string acoustic) and Michael Kac (also voice and keyboards).

The album opens with the mysterious and naive organ of "Earthfriend Prelude", which insinuates a nascent dawn of instrumental folk with initiatory naturalistic fragrances, preparing the entrance to the lascivious singing of "Earthfriend", accompanied by the "British" guitar of Michael Kac. The short ballad "Just a Blur (version 1)" leads to "Hidding" and to "Just a Blur (version 2)", a triptych with drowsy and acid cadence. With "Tadpole" the rhythm becomes more sustained, but when the classical opening guitar of "Kirie" opens the space to the choral apotheosis of Christian mysticism supported by exultant violins, mnemonic references condense into images of glorious elevation. At the end of the first side, the lulling "Ocean's Daughter", a slow waltz with flute suspense in the distance à la Sea Train, takes us towards more earthly shores. The second side opens with "Volcano Prelude", a martial march that leads into a sort of small "Carmina Burana" with a totally "space" finale of Barrettian memory. "Volcano" showcases the more Brit side of the Mandrake Memorial, especially in the use of the guitar with measured distortion, typical of the early period, which marks the times to then flow into a magmatic chaotic finale; "Whisper Play" is a collage of monadic chants accompanied by vitalistic sound interferences of different natures, thus entering into the instrumental Pink Floyd-like psycho-suite "Bucket of Air", drumming and electric guitar that disintegrates at the entrance of the organ towards progressive effectual mutations, leading straight to the white chants of ecclesiastical cloister of "Children's Prayer" overwhelmed by sharp intersections of atonal wind sections and shrill noise. The title track "Puzzle" is a rock ballad anything but predictable in Brit-Townshend guitar style, the long trip-prog concludes on the piano notes of "Just a Blur (version 3)" accompanying Randy Monaco's brief vocal farewell, which in a few moments summarizes all the peculiarity of the Mandrake Memorial.

In conclusion, let's say that "Puzzle" is an album of the highest musical quality, with complex and refined arrangements, which should not be missing from the shelves of any self-respecting psychedelia aficionado. If it is not, I highly recommend adding it!