McLuhan
Anomaly

Chicago, 1971. A dark band of young musicians records a little gem of progressive rock. A work balancing jazz rock, experimentation, avant-garde, and Canterbury-style psychedelia.

Just over 30 minutes and the foundations of a perfectly balanced, original, inspired, never banal sound brimming with personality appear incredibly well-defined. Only four pieces, but extremely effective, solid, mature, built with enviable craft and a sense of rhythm.

The start with “The Monster Bride” is commanding, a short suite of just 10 minutes that showcases everything these guys are capable of producing, alternating moments of great lyricism, breath-taking tempo changes, and blasts of orchestral jazz rock that echo the “Grand Wazoo”.

The following “Spiders (In Neal's Basement)” is a true miracle of balance, freshness, and personality. The slight change of tone that seems to signal at the start, with a lighter and more agile sound, masterfully prepares the ground for new spectacular variations, improvisations, and compelling moments dominated by wind instruments and voice. All in a piece of just 6 minutes. Not bad as an introductory card for a handful of illustrious unknowns.

The next piece “Witches Theme and Dance” only increases the surprise regarding our ability to vary tones and timbres, this time more rock-oriented, while still maintaining an underlying chameleonic flair. King Crimson, Yes, Genesis, Pink Floyd, Jethro Tull, and Gentle Giant echo repeatedly, in a perfectly linear and logical balance. McLuhan manages to navigate this feat without ever limiting themselves to disjointed or overly adventurous flights of fancy in the name of relentless experimentation, instead managing to show a sharp sense of measure, truly difficult to find in a debuting band.

The album closes with “A Brief Message From Your Local Media”, another piece masterfully structured and played with great confidence. A gentle, subdued beginning, almost modest in tone, dominates for about half of the piece, once again proving, if there was any need, that our band can master a wide variety of registers. After a slightly surreal spoken interval, the piece completely transforms, erupting into a fiery moment of orchestral jazz with drums, horns, xylophone, and voices prominently featured, in a spectacular crescendo that closes the album in the most grandiose, elegant, and logical way possible.

Why this work did not have a sequel and why this group remained almost unknown even to the most ardent worshippers of 70s progressive rock will remain some of the most inexplicable enigmas to me.