Silver Apples were a late 60s New York-based electronic group whose influence reached further and wider than their record sales, and produced two brilliant albums of electro-pop that still sound futuristic and thrilling fifty years later. Original member Dan Taylor passed away in 2005 and sadly, Simeon Coxe passed away in 2020 while working on this project with the legendary Japanese guitarist Makoto Kawabata, who is mostly known for his manic psychedelic shredding in bands like Acid Mothers Temple, Mainliner, Musica Transonic, and countless other face-melting projects. This unholy union starts off with “Dragonfly’s First Flight,” a hypnotic mash-up of electronics and deep guitar drones for fifteen minutes of zoned out bliss. Both musicians freak up the jams for “Abduction of the Guilty” and it’s perhaps the most familiar sounding piece on the record for people well versed in Acid Mothers discography. “Mirage” is a spoken word piece set to some ambient electronics, and the record’s finale “Future Reminiscence” sounds like Silver Apples in the 21st Century. The interplay between the two great musicians is brilliant throughout the record and while I’m not sure if there will be future releases by Coxe that were in process prior to his passing, Mirage is a great tribute to the legend and should appeal to long-time fans or recent Silver Apples converts.

Important Records