| Artist |
My Sleeping Karma |
| Album Title: |
Atma |
| Album Cover: |
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| Primary Genre |
Rock: Progressive Rock |
| Format |
CD |
| Released |
07/29/2022 |
| Label |
Napalm Records |
| Catalog No |
NPR900DGS |
| Bar Code No |
8 40588 16655 8 |
| Packaging |
Cardboard 3 Panel Gatefold |
| Tracks |
| 1.
|
Maya Shakti (9:13)
|
| 2.
|
Prema (7:55)
|
| 3.
|
Mukti (6:43)
|
| 4.
|
Avatara (9:37)
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| 5.
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Pralaya (6:57)
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| 6.
|
Ananda (8:17)
|
|
| Date Acquired |
08/12/2022 |
| Personal Rating |
 |
| Acquired from |
Band's Website |
| Purchase Price |
23.58 |
Web Links |
All Music Guide Entry:
Discogs entry:
MusicBrainz entry: |
Notes |
Notes:
Issued in a three-panel fold out cardboard sleeve with a 12 page booklet.
© + ℗ 2022 Napalm Records Handels GmbH
Made in Germany
Credits:
Artwork, Layout – Sebastian Jerke
Bass – Matte
Booking, Management – www.soundofliberation.com
Drums – Steffen
Guitar – Seppi
Keyboards [Soundboard] – Norman
Mastered By – Andreas Balaskas
Companies, etc.:
Mastered At – Masterlab
Phonographic Copyright ℗ – Napalm Records Handels GmbH
Copyright © – Napalm Records Handels GmbH
Barcode and other Identifiers:
Barcode (Text): 8 40588 16655 8
Label Code: LC 11368
Rights Society: Austro Mechana
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Analyzed Folder: My Sleeping Karma - Atma_dr.txt
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DR Peak RMS Filename
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DR7 -0.50 dB -9.01 dB 01 - Maya Shakti.aif
DR6 -0.50 dB -8.89 dB 02 - Prema.aif
DR6 -0.50 dB -8.78 dB 03 - Mukti.aif
DR6 -0.50 dB -8.81 dB 04 - Avatara.aif
DR6 -0.50 dB -8.58 dB 05 - Pralaya.aif
DR7 -0.50 dB -8.90 dB 06 - Ananda.aif
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Number of Files: 6
Official DR Value: DR6
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|
|
| Reviews |
With a career spanning nearly 20 years and five highly-acclaimed records under their belt, MY SLEEPING KARMA’s thoughtful, emotive and artful approach to instrumental psych rock has marked them out as one of the most respected bands in the scene. Returning after a five-year absence with their latest album Atma, the band have evolved once again as the members process a string of unfortunate events and trauma to create their most cathartically sombre record to date. With poignant melodies, crushing heaviness and intricate, atmospheric soundscapes, the German quartet once again welcome you into their world with their hypnotic brand of instrumental ashy rock.
Atma is an album that carries a significant amount of emotional weight, and this is evident from the construction of the songs and variety of melancholic emotions contained within them. As with many bands over the last few years, the pandemic left some deep, scarring wounds on MY SLEEPING KARMA. As the band fought back from the brink of collapse, it was believed that this record would never see the light of day, but now Atma will show listeners a deeper, darker and more emotional side to the band. The years have definitely left their mark as the band capture the zeitgeist of the times and leave little to no room for hope, strength and love. As they stare at the grim and ugly aspects of our fragile and vulnerable existence, it is clear that MY SLEEPING KARMA have something to get off of their chest.
With each song closer to ten minutes it is fair to say that this marks the beginning of a long healing process as the band explore their emotions through mesmerising heaviness, liquid melodies and imposing atmospherics. Continuing their long running theme of Indian imagery, there is a meditative quality to Atma which allows you to get lost in your thoughts for a while as you wrap yourself in this cathartic blanket and search your soul. It is very easy to get lost in the band’s majestic textural layers and ever shifting dynamics, providing vulnerable beauty in the dark realms of pain and tragedy. Despite the apparent lack of space for strength, there is an indomitable tale of survival at play here, as these four best friends overcome incredible strife to bring the world another lavish and ornate psych rock album. MY SLEEPING KARMA have constructed artful songs with crystalline introductions and bittersweet melodies that stir a deep part of your emotional consciousness, going beyond the limitations and confines that instrumental music usually has.
As the album unfolds it is clear to see that this isn’t just another MY SLEEPING KARMA record. Whilst the songs still shine in the band’s distinctive fashion, there is a more subdued and sombre atmosphere surrounding the album, almost a polar opposite of the band’s previous release Moksha. Opening up the record with Maya Shakti, you are quickly introduced to this more solemn perspective as a lonely synth floats above a haunting melody decorated with delay and reverb. As with much of the album, dynamics shift quickly, and this fluidity is key to the album’s evolution as it progresses as trippy melodies give way to gravity strength riffs that bring you crashing down to earth.
Prema is a more traditional sounding instrumental track with an interesting flute like synth melody that sounds like a ghost passing through the ether. Mukti brings a retro gaming style vibe in its quieter sections as arp passages tune in to a dark digital world, which could possibly be interpreted as the decline of human interaction as we fixate ourselves more rigidly on our screens. Avatara sits more on the back beat, bringing in off beat grooves to the continually evolving and adaptive melodies that transcend the album. Lead firmly by a solid bass section, this song feels the most atmospheric on the album. Album closer Ananda is an emotional rollercoaster of sombre space rock and epic doom riff passages, as lofty synths fly over chaotic tremolo sections. This is the final emotional burst for the band in what has been a tough journey. This final cathartic supernova eventually fades out with melancholic synths.
The very dark hand of tragedy and trauma have created Atma, but it also brings about the return of an instrumental psych rock legend. MY SLEEPING KARMA express with grace and dignity a range of complex emotions that many of us would be too scared to challenge. This inherent darkness brings its own light with it, and how the strength and insight gained from a frantic fight for survival will inevitably change us no matter what, and there is some hope in that.
Rating: 8/10
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| Cover 1 |
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| Cover 2 |
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| Cover 3 |
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| Cover 4 |
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| Cover 5 |
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| Cover 6 |
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| Cover 7 |
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| Cover 8 |
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| Cover 9 |
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