Chicago cosmic explorers Spiral Galaxy return with Spiral Galaxy II, an ecstatic, deep-space voyage of pulsating drift by flutist Sara Gossett and Plastic Crimewave on guitar/keys/machines. Expanding on the terrain mapped out by their acclaimed 2020 debut, the duo push further into a world where flute, raagini, guitar, drone, and an old school drum machine merge into long-form galactic excursions that feel both meticulously crafted and gloriously untethered.
SG II was aided by the guiding hand of Windy City weirdo-visionary Bobby Conn, who contributed textural treatments and overdubs, vintage percussive devices, and spoken-word passages that all deepen the album's ritualistic atmosphere, placing Spiral Galaxy somewhere between kosmische music, astral folk, and grooving minimalism.
The album also draws in a wider circle of collaborators, including Conn's violinist/partner Julie Pomerleau (Monica BouBou) and musicians whose contributions grew organically from years of shared stages and sonic communion. Avant improvisers Drazek Fuscaldo (Mako Sica), alchemical folksters Jen Powers and Matt Rolin, synth-lord Jimmy Lacy (SiP), and motorik country deity Lawrence Peters all make guest appearances.
These performers truly became part of the album's collective spirit, adding new dimensions to Spiral Galaxy's evolving sound. Pieces like "Axos IV" developed over years of live performance, while "E' Glynner" transmuted in the studio, revealing new colours and possibilities with every devotional layer. What emerges is pure head music that balances the earthly and the celestial. Eastern resonances, soaring flute lines, shimmering guitars, ticking electronics, and expansive drones, create an auditory world that is simultaneously rooted and interstellar.
Spiral Galaxy II is an invitation to surrender to the drift, scoring twilight hours, altered states, and open horizons--where repetition and devotional sonics merge into a propulsive groove that barely holds reality together. Step into the orbit. Just don't expect to come back unchanged.
FFO: Popul Vuh, AshRa, Cluster, Gila, La Dusseldorf, Terry Riley, Faust…
