Kikagaku Moyo

Last year was a banner year for live recordings (check out the list of favorites here) and it’s good to see that the folks over at Reverberation Appreciation Society are starting things off right this year as well. While the label has been releasing some great live sets in their Levitation Sessions series of lockdown live performances — roping in everyone from Osees to Ringo Deathstar and Frankie & The Witchfingers — now they’re beginning a new LP series of bands captured live at their Levitation festivals over the years. While there are a few meccas for live psych each year, it’s pretty safe to say that Levitation boasts one of the most stacked lineages of lineups over its tenure. The first entry in the series pairs up two monumental performances from Kikagaku Moyo, with the A-side capturing the band’s debut at the festival back in 2014 and the flip representing their return in 2019.

In 2014 the band was hardly on the US map, just beginning to release some US versions of their LPs through Beyond Beyond is Beyond before Guruguru Brain would become more of household name. They don’t waste any time introducing themselves with a blistering jam before tearing into inspired versions of songs from Forest of Lost Children and their eponymous LP. The b-side / 2019 performance culls entirely from Masana Temples so, sadly there’s no live burndowns from House In The Tall Grass here, but the live takes on Masana favorites “Dripping Sun,” “Gatherings” and a final cooldown into a luxurious “Nazo Nazo” are certainly worth the wax they’re pressed in. Sadly, the colored vinyl versions are now spent, and I’m not entirely certain if a standard black edition is on the way. Hoping a few of you picked this up when I first discussed it in November. Digital edition will give you a way to experience the sets as well, so however you get into it, this is peak Kikagaku Moyo that needs to be heard. Keep your heads up for the second entry from Black Angels as well in March.

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