This is stunning ... but we were warned! Last year’s Sand Pebbles debut EP was a heavy duty waxing in every sense of the word (including the vinyl itself), dense, throbbing and immensely psychedelic. The promise is now delivered (and more). ‘Eastern Terrace’ opens with the mp3 ‘hit’ ‘My Sensation’ which is so infectious and seemingly familiar that when I first heard it I was convinced it was a cover-version of Prince! Slow, sweet falsetto and funky, the hooks really infiltrate the psyche and the whole pygtrack tribe are currently singing it.

The second track definitely is a cover, Mr Droolian Cope’s wonderfully wild-eyed and evocative ‘Out of my mind on dope and speed’, and a rip-roaring uncluttered take it is too. ‘Moving too fast’ is essentially in three parts, beginning with more of Andrew Tanner’s high-range vocals and another classy hook before the piece almost slows to a standstill with Ben Michael X’s guitars flanged and gently chiming in serene stereo sound (bass player Christmas Hollow refers to this as "the wigged out Zabriskie Point middle section") with a final slight return of the original riff.

‘One time at sundown’ is a brief teaser for The Pebbles’ hypnotic magnum opus ‘The Sundowner’ while ‘The Big V’ is a lengthy lazy instrumental with crystal clear sound and a ‘69 Pink Floyd / Ummagumma sparseness, drummer Piet Collins delighted to the opportunity for a "prog spaz out" with his mallets!. ‘Dirty’ is a simple yet complex song co-written by Tasmanian Tor Fredheim which has undergone numerous changes in the band’s repertoire over the years, here it has a definite Neil Young feel in both emotion and guitar sound.

A "mono-esque" version of ‘The Sundowner’ (the first nine minutes of a 25 minute jam commissioned as the theme of a Film Festival) appeared as one side of the band’s 33 rpm EP. The stereo mix of the same excerpt appears on ‘Eastern Terrace’ and it really shines. All the instruments (including Piet on harpsichord and guest appearances by Murray Jamieson who co-wrote the piece on Nord Synth and Beck Zack on mellotron) play their part in the hypnotic psychedelic patterns which ebb and flow like desert sands throughout this wonderful piece.

The freeflowing spirit of ‘The Sundowner’ also permeates ‘Charmed’, another 8 minute plus instrumental (which apparently began as a Yo La Tengo inspired experiment) but this time with a Velvet Underground vibe, especially the no-frills Mo Tucker-style drumming and cut and paste spoken word excerpts. Tor Fredheim (aka Bobby Tripp) makes a final guest appearance on fuzzed-up 12 string Rickenbacker and Ben’s solo is a "monosyllabic" effort in a song which he states includes his "fav playing of all time" inspired by a friend’s speech at a funeral. The album ends with "The Director’s Cut" of "Moving Too Fast", Andrew’s sad vocals backed only by Clare Moore’s atmospheric string arrangement.

Actually, if you’re quick enough off the mark that’s not quite the end of "Eastern Terrace". Initial copies come with a bonus CD with 30 minutes of live material including ‘Noah’s Ark’ and ‘Hey, let me in’ (the other songs from the original EP), and further versions of ‘My Sensation’, ‘Dirty’ (darker and more foreboding) and Copey’s ‘Out of My Mind’ (less edgy, more tripsy).

In his liner notes to "Eastern Terrace" Ben Michael X comments that this time they "concentrated more on parts and sounds than before. Next time it’ll be a rock monster of improv freakness". We’re holding you to that Ben, OK?

- Colin Hill