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El Kapitan Retroscape: Atmospheric Rock Instrumentals for a New Age Marc One Music 2004 www.elkapitan.nu

Thanks to the digital age, the two musicians behind El Kapitan, Kirk Bartholomew and Mark Soucy, can add the necessary fill to their own fine chops, and create the types of sounds to which they claim on the album’s title. The all-instrumental starts ambitiously enough, a cover of Pink Floyd’s space-rock masterpiece, Breathe, from Dark Side of the Moon. Once El Kapitan pulls this one off, playing it with an homage-like ear, close to the vest but with a just enough twist, listeners with such inclinations are in for the full ride.

With Kirk on the guitars and Mark on the keyboards, the duo alternates between Lasarium-esque pieces and space-like funk, often with an eye (or ear) for the “new age” espoused in the album’s title. While it might seem a most welcome listen to older rock fans upon first listen, El Kapitan’s Retroscape is recommended to anyone with an appreciation of fine instrumental musicianship, particularly those looking to go on a jazzy space-rock odyssey.

Favorite Track: Track 7, Trail of Tears

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