LEK, Giant World Knowledge Bliss Control

Giant World Knowledge Bliss Control opens with a spoken-word and guitar noise piece called “Quixotic,” which sets up the story of a man who may be a legend in his own mind. Like Don Quixote, Gregory Padrusch (aka “LEK”) is a psychedelic-idealist who seems to be trapped in his own world. And it’s a mad one.

With song titles like “Demons,” “Elephants Parade,” and “Grandma’s Chickens,” you never know what’ll come next from this character. Moving from spoken-word pieces to shoegazer jams and ending the last half of the CD with acoustic guitar, GWKBC is a mixing pot of one man’s thoughts and I’m not sure what else. It’s kind of hard to take seriously at times. When tracks of a psychedelic bent like “Fuzzworld” and acoustic ballad “Olivia” drift into “Chiliman,” you’ll see what I mean. “Chiliman” is song about hanging out in Bangkok and getting high on some hot-ass chili with some faraway friends.

Which sounds like fun, really, but after a bowl of Bangkok chili, everyone might want to stay as far away as possible. Together with a few friendly musicians and a Guru (see the liner notes), LEK is not afraid to tell us the details of his multicolored universe. You can’t condemn a man for that.

Searching, traveling, loving, and flirting with distortion, LEK might not know where he’s going, but he writes these songs to remember where he’s been. The last track, “Post Travellin’ Blues,” gives us a little insight on his quest and how serious he’s not. Mixing journal recordings made on his travels over an acoustic guitar, LEK adds the voices of characters he’s met along to end this chapter. I’m sure there’s more to come.
After a listen to LEK’s Giant World Knowledge Bliss Control, you might end up as confused as he is. Or maybe you’ll want to find an Odyssey of your own. Just stay away from the chili. Cue the “Piano Interlude”!