Exposé Online banner

Margin — Psychedelic Teatime
(Madvedge Records CD 1401, 2014, CD)

by Henry Schneider, 2014-10-29:

Psychedelic Teatime Cover art From the opening strains of this disc you could almost swear that Psychedelic Teatime is a newly discovered Pink Floyd artifact from the past. But this German trio Margin has produced a new pre-DSOTM Pink Floyd album without being Pink Floyd. Make no mistake, this is not a cover band, nor is Psychedelic Teatime a tribute album. The 24 minute opening track “A Mysterious Cup of Tea,” in five parts, is a mixture of instrumentals and vocals much in the style of Meddle. The intro immediately made me think of “Echoes” and the music is a perfect aural interpretation of the cover art. There are even some jazzy influences along the lines of “San Tropez.” In Part 2 there is the lyric phrase “a saucerful of secrets” that lends a new meaning to the words. Eerie Richard Wright style Hammond organ phrases appear from time to time, and the great guitar work is similar, but not the same as Dave Gilmour. After this long piece, the music abruptly changes to an upbeat, non-Floydian pop-psych song “Psychedelic Underground – The Short Trip.” A much longer, stronger, and progressive reworking of the song closes the disc. In between is the outstanding “Landscapes of the Sun” that begins with a vibraphone and acoustic guitar and builds to a beautiful and trippy psych jam paying homage to “A Saucerful of Secrets.” The other track is “Last Exit to Pluto” that starts slow and ethereal, much like something you would hear in a David Lynch movie. Over its 11 minutes it builds to an aggressive Floydian climax. This is an excellent release and I hope to hear much more from Margin in the future.

by Peter Thelen, 2014-10-22:

With the sprawling, five-part “A Mysterious Cup of Tea” that opens the disc, clocking in just shy of 24 minutes, it becomes pretty clear that Margin’s biggest influence is post-Barrett, pre-DSOTM Floyd, in a big way. This sidelong cut nicks the sound palette of the back side of Atom Heart Mother or Meddle without any shame, even recalling Roger Waters’ vocals to a degree, adding some additional stylistic variation in the guitar solos and bass riffage that might remind of same period Caravan. So who is Margin, anyway? From the album credits, it almost seems like the Berlin based project is pretty much the work of one Lutz Meinert, responsible for all the compositions, arrangements, and production, with a little help from Carola Meinert (backing vocals on two tracks) and Arne Spekat (acoustic guitar on two cuts); everything else on the album, plus the lead vocals is Lutz. Things shift gears a bit after that lengthy opener, and “Psychedelic Underground” (presented here twice, once in a succinct 3:36 version, and again as a nearly 11 minute version as the album closer) provides a bit of a lift into a more upbeat space-rock realm, and “Landscapes on the Sky” is probably the high point of the entire disc, launching with a muted vibraphone sound, following up with an interesting acoustic guitar rhythm and excellent vocal harmonies, all with a main melody that will surely find a place in the listener’s memory. The remaining track, “Last Exit to Pluto,” is a very lengthy and spacy instrumental that fits somewhere between all the rest of what’s here: a little More Floyd, a little bit early Tangerine Dream, with some rock outbursts to add color and power to the proceedings. All taken though, with Margin we are definitely caught in that late-sixties / early-seventies proto space rock place. Enjoy!

Filed under: New releases , 2014 releases

Related artist(s): Margin

More info

Latest news

2019-01-31
Keyboardist Ingo Bischof R.I.P. – Keyboard player Ingo Bischof, best known as the longtime keyboard player of German band Kraan, passed away on January 29th, 2019. Bischof was born January 2, 1951 in Berlin-Kreuzberg and joined Kraan in 1975. » Read more

2019-01-11
Jazz Composer Mark Lomax, II Releases Epic 12CD Set – In addition to being a fine jazz drummer, Dr. Mark Lomax, II is a composer in residence at Ohio State University, where he has been very busy on the compositional front. The year 2019 is the 400th anniversary of the arrival of the first ship bringing African slaves to North America, and in commemoration of this, Lomax has produced 400: An Afrikan Epic, a 12 volume set of CDs featuring a variety of different musical ensembles. » Read more

2019-01-02
Chicago-Based Surabhi Ensemble Tours the World in January – Surabhi Ensemble was formed more than a decade ago in Chicago with the aim of bringing together musicians from varying traditions to make music. Saraswathi Ranganathan, who plays veena, assembled a cast that includes Arabic oud, Spanish guitar, and percussion from Africa and India. This month, the group will be sharing their sounds with concert-goers in Southeast Asia, Europe, and Africa. » Read more

2018-12-23
Seaprog Festival Seeks Donations – Seaprog is a small festival in Seattle that highlights creative music from many genres with artists from around the world. It's also a US non-profit organization. They're seeking donations to help keep the ball rolling. Starting in 2013, the organization has been growing, and has featured such artists as Free Salamander Exhibit, Jack o' the Clock, Nik Turner, Cabezas de Cera, Miriodor, Thinking Plague, and many more. » Read more

2018-11-16
The Seventeenth Dream of Dr Sardonicus Festival Tickets Now Available – Fruits de Mer Records and their merry crew of psychedelic explorers are getting set to present the next The Seventeenth Dream of Dr. Sardonicus Festival. The dates are set for August 2-4, 2019 at The Cellar Bar in Cardigan, Wales. They've also announced that the legendary Groundhogs will top the bill. » Read more

More news

Previously in Exposé...

David Cross - Closer Than Skin – Ex-King Crimson violinist David Cross is back again with a confident follow-up to his acclaimed Exiles CD. Cross and writing partner, bassist Mick Paul, continue to refine their band’s musical...  (2006) » Read more

Museo Rosenbach - Rare, Unreleased & Live '72 – Museo Rosenbach's Zarathustra is one of the greatest symphonic/classical rock works of all time and has yet to be surpassed in the genre. These two titles are posthumous releases of live and demo...  (1996) » Read more

Mar de Robles - Mar de Robles (MdR) – This Chilean four- or five-piece (depending on where you look in the booklet) was a pleasant surprise. A rhythm section of fretless bass and subtle drum kit, along with congas and other assorted...  (2004) » Read more

Andrew Booker - Ahead – Booker does it all himself on this new release of well-rounded progressive rock. Apart from a guest guitarist on the last track, Booker is the only musician credited; he ably handles guitar, keyboard,...  (1997) » Read more

Amaia Zubiria / Pascal Gaigne - Zineman – This is a serene, sometimes melancholy album of predominantly instrumental pieces. Pascal Gaigne alternates between piano, accordion, synth, and some brief acoustic guitar. He is joined on various...  (1997) » Read more

Random review

Listen & discover

"FloriDada" Is Such a Silly Place

More recommendations
The Seventeenth Dream of Dr. Sardonicus Festival 2019

Print issues