Bernice

Good parts of Bernice play it relatively straight, which is saying something for a group as multi-faceted as Kaleidoscope. The electric guitar is high up in the mix, the songs are tighter, and leader David Lindley apparently decided he was more interested in playing R&B than the complex web of psychedelia, country, folk, rock, raga, and drone that was their stock in trade up to now. But Bernice gets a bit of a rough run from many. Sure, it’s not as expansive as the first three Kaleidoscope albums, but it trades that in for a tautness that’s quite charming; some of the songs are beautifully constructed, still; it only really falls apart towards the end, with the lacklustre ten-minute closer, “New Blue Ooze” (and even then, you can quietly marvel at the group’s playing, if that’s your thing). Hear the first three albums before this one, but don’t discount it.