Eddie Brnabic And The Cosmic Fellowship: Subtle Realms

Previously associated with Beggar's Ball, amongst other artists, through his multi-instrumental skills and production expertise, Eddie Brnabic swam out into solo waters with his Beatitude album in 2010, before teaming up with The Cosmic Fellowship. Subtle Realms, which is a short full length album, is their debut together and a convincing little hotchpotch of ideas and vintage styles it is too. Whether firmly planted in the retro guitar led feel of everything from Blues and Space Rock to early Stoner and Jazz Fusion, it's always clear that Brnabic and TCF love music which was initially forged in the 60s and 70s and want to deliver their own faithful take on those ideals.

Touches of Hawkwind, splashes of Hendrix, a shout of MC5 and dashes of, amongst many other vintage acts, Cream, all scurry about this instrumental effort to good effect and while there's little, if anything, added here that hasn't been heard countless times before, the argument that re-doing something well does no one any harm stand true. Although it does also beg the question would you actually pull this out of your collection or dial it up digitally, ahead of the long term leaders of these packs...? Still, if acts like Blues Pills can raise the furore around them that they have lately, then it's hard to suggest that the groove of "Still...Tripping Through Time", short shuffling grind of "Moongroove", or mid-paced colossus of "Riff Mountain" don't deserve the same level of attention.

Brnabic, a Canadian native residing in L.A., is an engaging, talented guitarist who delivers some truly memorable solos and his riffs are indeed mountainous, however he shares the limelight well; the keyboard work of Dario Lapoma being one of the real true strengths of Subtle Realms. However it is the way in which the pair and indeed, drummer Steven Rubio and bassist Gregos Majda come together, which impresses most.

Hardly a radical statement, or one to set them out from the crowd, but what Eddie Brnabic And The Cosmic Fellowship have created with Subtle Realms, is an album which does exactly what it set out to and does it well.

Track Listing
1. Voice Of The Spirits
2. Transcendental Wine
3. Throne Of Saturn
4. Still...Tripping Through Time
5. Pearl
6. Moongroove
7. Waves
8. Riff Mountain
9. Death & Resurrection
10. Jam (bonus track)

Added: January 25th 2014
Reviewer: Steven Reid
Score:
Related Link: Eddie Brnabic on ReverbNation
Hits: 1812
Language: english

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