Schubmodul to Release Lost in Kelp Forest Feb. 23
German mostly-instrumentalists Schubmodul will release their second record, Lost in Kelp Forest, next month through Tonzonen. As discussed by the PR wire below, the album blends spoken word narrative on a couple tracks with the band’s prior-established sans-vocal ethic. There’s no music yet, but 2022’s Modul I, operated similarly, with opening track “Andromeda” bringing call-radio speech with a steady chug amid Colour Hazey warmth meeting with Elderian melodic shimmer in the later laying of lead guitar. Spoken word over instrumentals is the kind of thing that can very quickly make or break a record, and while I’d prefer to hear the new LP in its entirety before I go anywhere near “make or break” — or at all — it’s not hard to dig where the band are coming from.
Preorders aren’t up yet, but they will be on the 14th, so it’s not such a wait. And the album’s out in like six weeks, so if late Feb. feels far off, welcome to the future.
The PR wire has it like this:
Psychedelic/ Stoner Rockers SCHUBMODUL Announce New Album Lost In Kelp Forest on Tonzonen Records
After the self-released debut album Modul I (2022) album nr. 2 will be released almost exactly after two years on February 23rd, 2024 on Tonzonen Records.
Lost In Kelp Forest is a concept album that doesn’t take place in the vastness of space like its predecessor, but rather in an underwater world. The six mainly instrumental pieces are accompanied by narrator voices, which reveal a coherent fictional story on a dense atmospheric carpet of sound. The voices were professionally recorded by Alma Chomel from France and Shane Wilson from the USA.
As a foundation, the triumvirate, formed by a classic line-up of guitar, bass and drums, thunders a mix of space, stoner and progressive rock onto the stage, which is occasionally supplemented by synthesizers, sound and voice samples. Dreamy, atmospheric passages combined with colossal riffs will often lead to an epic melodic zenith of voluminous, warm sounds, over which gentle to fast guitar solos are released.
The compositions use a large modal palette and versatile harmonies that are intended to continually surprise the listener and at the same time follow a driving, natural and catchy rhythm. Lost In Kelp Forest has a very high level of attention to detail and should remain exciting even after repeated listening.
The band’s inspiration for this album was genre-typical greats like Elder, King Buffalo, more progressive bands like Dream Theaterand elements from Hans Zimmer’s film music. The idea using a spoken word on top of the music was inspired by the albums Eyes Like The Sky and Murderer Of The Universe by King Gizzard & Lizard Wizard. Lost In Kelp Forest was recorded in August 2023 in the legendary Tonmeisterei in Oldenburg, Germany. The entire album was recorded in just six long days. The band was housed in the studio for the entire recording process, which created a unique atmosphere during the recording process. The first tracks (Emerald Maze and Silent Echoes) were written shortly after the release of the first album in spring 2022 and set the basic mood of the album. The remaining pieces were completed by summer 2023.
Pre-Sale starts on January 14th. Stay tuned.
Tracklist
1. Voyage
2. Emerald Maze
3. Renegade One
4. Silent Echoes
5. Ascension
6. Revelations
https://instagram.com/schubmodul
https://facebook.com/Schubmodul
https://schubmodul.bandcamp.com
https://open.spotify.com/intl-de/artist/1u62KEB6O6vjuxKaNgYHoX?si=WGDmYz8hRO-uYSF5eBvfYw&nd=1&dlsi=f6fcc2854fd64e2b
