fit & limo

fit & limo - astralis (september gurls, 2007)

New studies on strange folk conducted by the Franconian institute of applied psychedelic sciences have resulted in a fine album entitled Astralis. 18 new refined psychedelic folk songs, which remind of Fit & Limo's mid-90ies releases, but also include progressive/wyrd/mystic folk elements of their more recent work. British folk of traditional and late 60ies/early 70ies style is combined with 60ies US flower power harmonies/West Coast acid rock and Fit & Limo's own special brand of Kraut/space folk playfulness. Influences of Incredible String Band and Pearls Before Swine are more distinct again; Beau Brummels, Beatles, Witthüser & Westrup come to mind, as well. Included are three excellent versions of British traditional songs based on recordings by Shirley & Dolly Collins ("The moon shines bright", "Down in yon forest", "The snow it melts the soonest") and a cover of Alex Campbell's "Been on the road so long".

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This might be the most, -slightly romantic-, dreamy release of Fit & Limo, multiple arranged, in cloudy organic movements, with a misty attention attached to the effect of arrangements. Like always they use a lot of instruments of which sitar, mellotron, and soft fuzz guitars found most of my attention amongst other elements of the layers. On just a few tracks I am taken slightly to Elly & Rikkert’s “Parzival”. On a few other tracks it seems like some songs were inspired from medieval or comparable, old songs. The 18 songs are compiled with a convincing consistency; they give me a slightly stoned and take-me-way effect.

'Astralis' es de primeras un disco bonito y en que todas las voces son en inglés. El influjo de un psych-folk enrarecido desaparece al poco de comenzar la escucha con 'The Lovers', las melodías se pasean más desnudas que de costumbre y a mí no me deja de sorprender como los de Bavaria en cada disco, y son unos cuantos, se sumergen en una misma dirección pero con distintos destinos, esta vez me recuerda a sus primeros viajes, se escucha un raga pero de ensoñadora inspiración. Quizá haya algo de romananticismo sugerido por las 3 maravillosas versiones de Shirley Collins. Fit & Limo es uno de esos grupos con los que coincido plenamente en lo que hacen, como con Ghost, a pesar de que no me emocionan tanto, todo me parece digno de escuchar, pero sí algo creo que es cierto, es que alguna que otra vez son capaces de codearse con Emtidi, Carol of Harvest, Flute & Voice... u otros de los inalcanzables del space-folk alemán, sólo ellos, porque en realidad son los únicos herederos.

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