Lansing-Dreiden - The Incomplete Triangle
by Mark Hensch

Every time I feel like I have found the strangest band in music history, along comes another group that challenges that notion and totally ups the ante in terms of a weirdness factor.  Lansing-Dreiden have raised the bar so high I personally think it might be awhile before I find another band to take their place.  First of all, this "band" isn't even really a band; it is a company that makes "progressive art" in various forms ranging from paintings, to movie stills, to music.  Each of these products have some diamond-in-the-rough type theme that each viewer, listener, or whatever else must decide for themselves.  The various themes alluded to by each product may or may not be related to one another, and there is a sense of almost eerie disquiet one comes to associate with the strangeness of this band/company/whatever it is.

The music group assembled by the company, and operating under its name, Lansing-Dreiden (henceforth referred to as "LD") is not a failed venture in progressive artistics; they play a style of psychedelic and trancy rock that is as unique as the company policy they represent through musical art.  The band's 2003 release The Incomplete Triangle, now re-released for the general populace, is a goofy little gem loaded with sharp and fuzzy dream pop rock that will soothe you and shock you at various twists and turns.

"Metal on a Gun" kicks things off with some soft, space wave type riffs then fade in-and-out before the dreamy almost Latinesque hymn vocals of the band's lead singer drift swiftly in before bursting with a creative and danceable distorted quasi-funk riff.  Nice driving psyche riffs litter this song and make it a nice intro to what LD is.  "The Eternal Life" is one of the album's strongest tracks; gatling gun drum beats go over some serious 70's like guitar radio riffs and a barely insane incoherent solo in the middle dropped my jaw past my rib cage in shock the first time I heard it.  "An Uncut Diamond" is a strange and fuzzy garage rocker worthy jam sprinkled here and there with lush and swirling keyboard effects.  "The Advancing Flags" gallops in with twinkling keys over a driving guitar part that lets its magic slowly overtake you. The body of the song itself is a woolly guitar beat and trancy vocals with vortex swirls on that good old keyboard in the back.  

"The Missing Message" is a mostly sad song played out in quieter vocals and ethereal, stroked guitar riffs.  This beautiful tune exudes melancholy, sadness, grace, and power, all at once.  "A Silent Agreement" glitters in with celestial keyboards and wailing space effects on guitar, not to mention a gentle flair of drums.  This awesome mellow song is madly soothing and/or peaceful.  Great music to sit to underneath the stars, and it has a surprising keyboard interlude that will blow some minds.  "Laid in Stone" is a soft and gentle little dream pop ditty that for whatever reason sounds a tad sinister to my ears.  "An Effect of Night" sails in with clean piano keys, and cosmic bass lines that trail like the tails of comets.  This song must be based on one's love of the night hours; it invokes images of silvery stars in the mind's eye.  "Glass Corridor" has a danceable bass line with matching drums and guitar and some almost techno-worthy beats.  "I.C.U." taps itself into existence with some serious 80's music beats that are so dead-on I find it almost laughable.  "Disenchanted" floats downward into the eardrums with some misty guitars and another set of techno-beats.  "Desert Lights" is a keyboard laden song that sounds a tad bit sad at some points to me.  The keys echo like mad, and the band's trancy vocals don't waver here as they haven't for all of the aforementioned song set.

 This CD is truly unique and in a league of its own.  I often felt like I was traveling forward from the late 1960's to the early 1990's on this album.  As the songs progressed, they seemed to become influenced by more and more recent brands of psychedelic and trance rock music.  Beyond that, this is great dream pop, and I don't often like this hippie malarkey.    It�s relaxing, Zen, and fresh.  My only real complaint is the fact the vocals might run the risk of becoming tiring to people's ears, but the music itself is so full and lush that it has a life entirely its own and should thrive by itself.  This is the kind of odd music a really good techno/dream pop side project band would make if they went back to the 60's and got insanely tripped out on Mr. Toad's mind expanding drugs.  I have a feeling I missed a lot more to this album (it already seems worthy of many spins) and it might earn itself a higher rating next time around. 
 

Lansing-Dreiden - The Incomplete Triangle
Label: Lansing-Dreiden
Rating: 
 

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