Chicago’s psychedelic five-piece Verma is pressing their outstanding 2012 tape Coltan to vinyl for a release on June 4th by the fine folks at Trouble In Mind. The long form improvisations on this record were recorded as the soundtrack for VICE Magazine’s ‘Guide To The Congo’ web mini-series, and was first put out as a limited edition cassette release by Notes and Bolts. The album is named for Columbite-Tantalite, a vital metallic ore used in the manufacture of tantalum capacitors, and the mining of which is causing great social and economic damage to the Congo. Across four tracks, Verma expertly build their soundscapes from organically evolving drones that can alternately radiate like hot sun or blow in-and-out like naturally moving weather patterns. The opener, “Tantalite“, is a good example, building it’s sun baked ambience from buzzing, raga-like drones, as a violin unwinds it’s heady melody. Percussion is soon added, underpinning the sonics with subtle dramatics, before an effects-laced guitar gets stoned on it’s reverberating drones. The feeling here is of sitting high above a valley in rapturous abandon watching sun mirages refract, but loose yourself in meditation, and you might miss as “Tantalite” passes from twilight into the more nocturnal, but similarly themed journey, that is “Nobium”. For those of you living in Chicago, I’ve added two of Verma’s June dates, so don’t miss them below!
Verma Live:
Jun 03 The Burlington Chicago, IL
Jun 26 The Empty Bottle Chicago, IL
