This Melbourne instrumental prog-rock trio say they are “vibing” off the avant-garde kosmische of Popol Vuh or Tangerine Dream but it is early Pink Floyd that comes irreversibly to mind for me – specifically 1972 rock documentary, Pink Floyd: Live At Pompeii. That’s because Krakatau’s opening track, Riddells Creek, is recorded and filmed live, outdoors, to an audience of nobody, captured in a worthy video crafted by chief songwriter James Tom.
With just three tracks totalling 36 minutes, this record exemplifies the merits of journey over destination. Track two is an immersive tape loop experiment while the last track – also recorded outdoors – is a 15-minute epic dominated by organ drones and synth, its best aspect not how reverently it apes antiquated 70s sounds but that its soaring spears and swirls of synth occasionally reach for, and find, a genuinely emotional response.
[rating: 4]
