Forced Exposure # 9 - Winter '86
DIMENTIA 13 - (-)
"...Alternating between stunning Barrett likenesses and rising guitar
soaked streaks that approach Crystallized Movements' territory (like 'Lysergic
Mental Vibrations'), Dimentia 13 have make a great LP that you should know
about." ...Jimmy Johnson
Bucketfull of Brains (UK) Issue # 14, January 1986
DIMENTIA 13 - (-)
"Syd Barrett acolytes from Ohio! This tasty goblet of swirling, bubbling
psych slips down a treat. The heavily acid etched instrumental 'Lysergic
Mental Vibrations' is an excellent contrast to the more whimsical joys of
the opening 'We Are' and the aquatic lunacy of 'I Am A Whale.' Over on side
two, 'Last In Line' is a pretty flawless Chocolate Watchband respray job
while 'Colors' employs backwards tape jiggery-pokery as an eerie voice creeps
in and out of the mix having escaped from somewhere you probably don't want
to know about. 'Psilocybin Spot' fulfills the same role as side one's 'Lysergic...'
and is as effective. Finally, 'The Lizard' is an acoustic based trip into
the mynd of the vocalist who is driven to bizarre flights of fantasy by
a brief, and unexpected, FX bombardment. Sensibly, and probably to avoid
the unwanted attentions of like minded space cadets, the band members remain
anonymous and the murky photo on the sleeve adds to the mystery of this
wickedly warped caboodle of crazed vignettes." ...Jon Storey
Sounds column, # 19
DIMENTIA 13: (Midnight). Can they really be from America? Dimentia 13's
stunning debut recalls the British psychedelia of Soft Boys, Kevin Ayers,
Syd Barrett, and early Soft Machine. While the lead vocals might be hard
for some garage punks to grasp, the effort it takes to get into them is
certainly worth it. Dimentia 13 have a lot to offer and, hopefully they'll
be able to release a lot more vinyl in the coming years." ...Charles
P.Lamey
Option March/April 1986
Let's see... black-light record cover, wobbly writing on the back, song
titles like "Lysergic Mental Vibrations" and "Psilocybin
Spot", inspirational credits that include Syd Barrett and Strawberry
Alarm Clock, lyrics like 'The walls begin to melt/The room is turning blue."
Fuzz-wah guitar and vox organ. Can you guess where these guys' heads are
at? Next time you're on a good trip, it'd be well worth your while to go
to your nearest head shop and have this put on the turntable for you. -
Randy Greif
Musical Express/Sounds May 1986
One column review of LP. Unable to state content, being that it's in German.
Hartbeat (German Magazine) April 1986
"Well, it took me quite a while to decipher the band's name on the
cover and if it hadn't been for the small print on the jacket saying (c)
1985 DEMENTIA 13, I perhaps wouldn't have been able to read it all. But
who cares anyway? Dimentia 13 state a long list of influences from the Fuzztones
to the Chocolate Watchband, they write neat little tunes like 'Lysergic
Mental Vibrations' 'Colors,' or 'Psilocybin Spot', they use backward tapes,
fuzz, echo and assorted effects ... the aim is clear: psychedelic music
for mind and body, yet they never achieve what they aim at with me. It's
too obvious, too electric let's say: too electronic! They might strive for
a new dimention in sound, the new psychedelic experience, but I've been
left without the vibrations. They might go down as the discovery of the
year, the new sound, the absolute experience, the brainwashing, but I've
been full of ignorance since I have been taking my first breath. Gee! I
like that little instrumental 'Psilocybin Spot' quite a bit though, however
the SHOX LUMANIA over/undertones are still there." ...Hans Jurgen Klitsch
THE RANGER- University of Wisconsin-Parkside- February 5, 1987
DEMENTIA 13 IS A SATISFYING SOUND-
Put on your marshmellow overcoat and ride the chocolate subway to Dementia
13.
Dementia 13 is a land inhabited by fuzztone guitar, colorful lyrics, and
heavy echo. Although steeped in sixties psychedelia, Dementia 13 also carries
the fresh eighties punch and sensibility. Unfortunately, some of that punch
is lost due to the lack of production. However, this is compensated for
by the fact that Dementia 13 has integrity.
This album is not a rip off of a classic sound, but rather an effective
interpretation of that sound. There is something on this record for those
who enjoy the acoustic as well as material that will satisfy those listeners
who groove on feedback and backward tape loops.
Dementia 13 provides what can only be described as an excellent musical
backdrop to situations that closely resemble an acid flashback.--Bernie
Doll
THE BOB- MAY/JUNE 1987-Issue 30
DIMENTIA 13- MIRROR MIND:
Roger Corman finished a cheapie horror-flick once and still had a week's
rent left on the castle, so he turned it over to a kid assistant named Francis
Ford Coppola and young Frank made his first feature, a nifty little fright
flick called DIMENTIA 13. So much for the history lesson. The band of that
name emerges from their low-budget lair (do castles have garages?) with
10 psycho-delic toons that aren't nearly as stupid or cliched as their titles
("Roolz is a Rule", "Psychedelic Mushroom Cloud Explosion").
In fact, this sounds quite okay, even if this particular paisley-covered
bandwagon left town about two years ago.---JIM TESTA
The Ward Report- May 28, 1987-
DIMENTIA 13- MIRROR MIND-
by Kevin Berger and Terry Santa-
KB: Bad psychedelia.
TS: That's redundant. "Can you hear the walls melting?" Yeah,
and everything else as well. Not only are these guys wise enough not to
have a lyric sheet, you can't read anything on the jacket-- a giant step
forward.
KB: But listen: "Electric colors are coming into view." As musicians,
these guys make The Seeds seem like John McLaughlin.
TS: Drums are used to UNDUE any beat that might accidentally occur.
KB: Who buys these Midnight Records?
TS: People above the Arctic Circle in Sweden. Actually, the French.
KB: Sitars, droopy Donovan voices.
TS: This is some worthy shit.
FORCED EXPOSURE #12- Summer 1987-
DIMENTIA 13- MIRROR MIND-
...yah, this can edge into the same lukewarm cloud-muff "lyricality"
that much revo-sack wallows in, but its tendency to do so is thoroughly
un-jumbo. My fave parts are those where the band jumps for the Barrett-Ring
with both upper 'n' lower jaws FLEXED AND READY, but the snipes into straight
post- (pre?) bubble AM-style psych are highly winning too. Indeed this is
a worthy followup to their tres het debut. They've added a touch of Wynn-damage
to the vocal tubes, some post-linear ball-tension to the gtr wuh and come
out winning. Jumping between arch style-moves, this will melt yr spoon easy.---BYRON
ROCKERILLA- JUNE '87 (ITALY)-
DIMENTIA 13- MIRROR MIND-
(An Italian review of the album-- paired with Outta Place's "Outta
Too". Bands mentioned in the article include: the Raunch Hands, the
Morlocks, the Fuzztones, the Nomads, and the Sonics. It speaks of the "varieta
di idee" and the instrumental, "Bug Soup".-- by CLAUDIO SORGE)
BUSCADERO- JUNE '87 (ITALY)
DIMENTIA 13- MIRROR MIND-
(An Italian review of the album mentioning J.D. Martignon, Midnight, the
Undertakers, the Cavemen, the Wind, the Tryfles, Paid Vacation, Outta Place,
the Fuzztones, Plan 9, and Absolute Grey. It compares DIMENTIA 13 to Syd
Barrett.-- by PAOLO CARU)
DIMENTIA 13 - MIRROR MIND
OPTION - Sept 1987
A mix of various styles that made the sixties swing are available for perusal
on this second D - 13 disc. Most of this is more than palatable for those
who dug the cheesier aspects of psychedelia (all of us, I hope.) Cheap sitars
and twisted baroque pomp make a few appearances here, and any LP cover notes
that dare to thank the Fugs should more than definitely be looked into.
If you're looking for it (six-oh psych division) it's probably here. --CHRIS
STIGLIANO
DIMENTIA 13 - MIRROR MIND
RUTA 66 - DEC 1987
(FULL COLUMN REVIEW OF THE LP, COMPARING THEM TO BARRETT AND KALEIDESCOPE.)
DIMENTIA 13- 4 YEARS MYSTERY TO BE REVEALED SOON!
Here are excerpts from main feature article in Freakbeat #6 by Richard Allen.
Way back in the incense-fogged, swirling yesterdays of 1985 Dimentia 13
unveiled their first album, which was released on the ever alternative Midnight
records label of New York, USA. The music, a fusion of Garage, Acid Rock
and lonesome acoustic folk (with a touch of the psychotically surreal),
appealed to lysergic fans all and sundry. Dimentia 13's debut record still
sounds as fresh today as the day it was born . . . [and has] found its day-glo
niche in the halls of psychedelia. However the identity of the band remained
a complete mystery, the only clue being the name of the producer, Brad Warner
and the engineer Scot Goodman. Midnight were certainly not giving the game
away and in 1987, two years later, a second LP appeared in an amazing mirror
sleeve. The LP was, appropriately, called "Mirror Mind" and depicted
on its silver jacket was a many eyed brain holding a looking glass and a
one eyed spider made of fingers! The music was equally bizarre. Highlights
of side one include "Mesmerized," with its pulsing keyboard motif,
and the haunting "Mushroom Season" that has an almost otherworldly
atmosphere permeated with strange, delicate sitar, harpsichord, tabla and
church organ-like sounds. On side two we find the brooding punk of "Psychedelic
Mushroom Cloud Explosion" and "She's Alright," sandwiched
either side of the almost folk-rock "20 Years Before My Time"
The best cut here, however, is "Naked Truth" which closes the
LP. Beautiful backwards guitar lines fly around a gently meandering acoustic
guitar pattern that is in turn ushered onward by tabla beats. More exquisite
lyrics evoke dreamy images "Opening backwards someone must have come
that way long ago . . . how many ways do I have to tell the story of the
naked truth that I beheld." The creator of these records certainly
means business, as far as mind expanding is concerned.
But . . . who is, was, or will be Dimentia 13? That is the question and
that is the mystery that FREAKBEAT herein now reveals to third eyes everywhere
. . . read FREAKBEAT #6 for the incredible revelation!
Also a previously unreleased Dimentia 13 track will be on the FB#6 flexi
disc.
DIMENTIA 13- DISTURB THE AIR-3rd LP produced by Glenn Rehse of Plasticland-Out
Now! Only:$6.99