Review

One nice thing about doing this column on my own is that I don't have to be as worried about "conflicts" as I was at Bandcamp Daily. I can write about anyone I want here as long as I tell you what's up, and that even includes a release to which I contributed words on the very page from which you can purchase it. I've known Scott Verrastro and his rotating collective Kohoutek for a long time – shared stages with them, hung out with them, written about their music, and probably more. So I'm biased as hell, but I met them all through music, not before it, and I liked what I heard before I liked who I met. Anyway, disclaimer over: Akvoturo is a new and great step in the Kohoutek journey, especially the opener "Pluvobaro," which starts like a subterranean gamelan party, then melts perfectly into the familiar Kohoutek psych-out of "Innundo." I could keep describing from there, but I'd rather you just listen to find out the what/whens, and tell you instead that Akvoturo has the shape of a jam but the atmosphere of a massive storm cloud with a mountain pushing through it, so big and heavy throughout that you'll need to keep your eyes closed while it stretches your ears.