The Acid Mothers Temple is a massive collective of musicians from Japan not unlike the Polyphonic Spree.  Where the Spree was more happy psychedelic music, the Acid Mothers Temple is more trippy psychedelic music.  When they say collective, they mean mean it too.  There are groups within this group that have performed live and released albums.  The most prolific groupling is the Melting Praiso U.F.O. This one features collective founder and guitarist Kawabata Makoto.  These guys have been doing eastern freak outs since 1995.

The Acid Mothers Temple & the Melting Praiso U.F.O. is perfect background/meditating music.  Most songs start out slow, quiet, and brooding but it builds up to some clashes and thrashes.  The ebb and flows take over in the midst of  the 50+ minute jams.  It’s a roller coaster ride but it left me calm and focused.  If you can stomach the random yelps and clangs sprinkled through these sets, check them out.  Hopefully they will crank out an epic set at SXSW this year.  In the meantime, check out one of their smaller jams in “Ange Mécanique De Saturne” from their album “Univers Zen Ou de Zero a Zero.”

[audio:http://146.190.132.255/audio/Acid_Mothers_Temple_-_Ange_Mecanique_De_Saturne.mp3]