If one person reading this — just one person — who has never heard Hypnos 69 checks out this record, then I feel like I will have done a good thing today. Of course, that that person will have his or her mind and/or ass blown to smithereens by The Intrigue of Perception goes without saying. It’s Hypnos 69. The Belgian heavy proggers never ceased to amaze — until, of course, they did — and while I just as easily could’ve posted the album that followed this one, 2006’s The Eclectic Measure, with its brilliantly twisting title-track, or snuck in another posting for their to-date swansong, 2010’s Legacy (review here), but I have special attachment to this 2004 outing, as it was my first exposure to the band. It is their third album behind 2001’s Timeline Traveler (also reissued in 2006) and 2003’s Promise of a New Moon, as well as their first for Elektrohasch Schallplatten, and as we currently live in an era where heavy bands are trying to out-prog each other, it seems only fair to present a record like this one, which already dominated the sphere more than a decade ago.

To wit, the opening trio. The memorable winding lines of “The Endless Void.” The ultra-cool lounge stoner of “Good Sinner/Bad Saint” — and that hook! The build and sprawl of “Third Nature.” Oh yeah, and then they go space rock on “Twisting the Knife.” The Intrigue of Perception has more scope in its first three (four, five…) songs than most bands have in their career, and they only continue to expand the palette from there, ranging far into Floydian heavy on “Islands in the Sun,” exploring ambient spaces in “The Next Level” and meditating melodically on “A Castle in the Sky” while introducing and fleshing out the instrumental line that, for me at least, defines the record and the impulses the band would continue to follow on their subsequent offerings, somewhere between jammy heavy psych and delicately woven classic prog. Oh yeah, and then the watery electric and acoustic guitar of “Absent Friends” sets the bed for a sweet, emotionally resonant and still lush finish. Seriously, one person, and this site will have done its job for today. I can take the rest of the afternoon off.

Three was a point at which I was in touch with guitarist/vocalist Steve Houtmeyers — I think it might’ve been through MySpace — but as I recall, the conversations mostly consisted of me nerding out about his band being awesome. The band was him, drummer Dave Houtmeyers, bassist Tom Vanlaer and saxophonist Steven Marx, and they remain criminally underrated. Hard to imagine that if Hypnos 69 came back and put out a record of any strike, whether that’s the sprawl/depth of Legacy or something more kin to their early work, that they couldn’t spend the rest of their days delighting crowds of hundreds and thousands at various Euro festivals, but I’ve heard no such murmurings of a reunion or return to activity. Dave Houtmeyers and Tom Vanlaer are currently two-thirds of the Diest trio Hidden Trails, and there was some talk of Steve Houtmeyers joining Californian desert jammers Ten East with Gary Arce from Yawning Man, Scott Reeder, Greg Ginn and I think whoever else happened to be around that day, but I don’t know if anything came of it. Either way, Hypnos 69 have a Bandcamp up and do for my soul what a good night’s sleep is said to do for the human brain, so please, consider digging in heartily recommended.

If you do, I hope you enjoy.

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Feels a little weird to have not closed out the week last Friday while I was out at Borderland Fuzz Fiesta 2016 in Arizona. So, uh, how was your week? Mine was… well… yeah. I don’t know, to be honest with you. Part of me feels like I haven’t yet recovered from that trip — no sleep on a redeye from Phoenix to Boston on Sunday night into Monday morning is not the way to start a productive work week — but then another part of me is like fuck that, you’re a miserable bastard anyway whether you’re tired or not, and that part of me is a total dick but he’s got a pretty valid point. Been a rough couple months. Work, personal shit. I don’t know how anything is going to shake out at this point, but I know it was really good for me to get out for a couple days, see good bands play good music, hang out with cool people and be out of my own narcissistic headspace for a minute or two. I wish it was something I could do more often. Sometimes these days just feel like I’m putting in time and I don’t even know why. Not the site, but you know, everything else. Music still sounds good. Still have my wife.

So yeah, was a bit of a comedown early this week, immediate headfirst dive into work bullshit followed by what, more. I don’t know. Doesn’t matter. I got some cool records sent to me over the last few days and that’s what I’d rather think about as this Hypnos 69 winds down. You have to redirect yourself sometimes, put your head where you want it to be.

I’m traveling for work starting on Sunday, which should be interesting. Headed down to Atlanta for something called Pittcon. I don’t know, but I’m going. The reason I say it should be interesting is because I already have a bunch of stuff slated for the week, including a Mancub video premiere on Monday, and tracks for The Golden Grass and Grifter on Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively. Not sure when I’m gonna get any of that done, but I will. It’ll happen. It worked out when I was in San Francisco and I still had time to go record shopping. Atlanta will sort itself out.

Also have gotten a couple interviews in the can this week. Hope to have one posted with Jay Fortin from Scissorfight before the end of next week, so keep an eye out. Dude had some cool stuff to say about that reunion, which kicks off with a hometown show in New Hampshire later this month that I’m hoping to attend though am a little terrified at the prospect. They’ve got a weekender in July with Gozu and Backwoods Payback as well and I dropped Gozu a line this week and basically invited myself along for the trip. Only New York and Philly, but still. Sounds like fun to me.

I’ll keep you in the loop on that and everything else as we get there. Also going to have another band announced for The Obelisk All-Dayer this month, coming out from the West Coast to play. That’s all the hint you’re getting from me for now.

Thanks for reading, please have a great and safe weekend, and please check out the forum and radio stream.

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