With all due respect to Mr. Niño, this is the kind of record you can play in the background and barely notice. But a couple highlights on the album will earn your alert and eager attention in the guise of updated 60s psychedelic experimentation.

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This English duo has taken a genre called “Library Music,” a term used for the music that was licensed to British television shows like Benny Hill and Monty Python (and, later, “The Ren and Stimpy Show”), and brought it into the modern era … As the tracks progress, some become psychedelic jams, as with “Clocks,” which could easily demonstrate the plight of the experimenting teen in an after-school special. Perhaps to prove its Englishness, the album contains a slew of numbers called “Biscuit.”

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The juxtaposition between the cobblestone of the old country and the winding of Mulholland Drive creates a viable soundtrack for any cinematic experience, including the following suggestions: a pleasant wake ‘n’ bake sesh, a great day of surfing (in slow motion), driving through a snowstorm, or coming down off acid during twilight.

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My friend Witchbeam has always made me aware of obscure psychedelic music. He listens to some weird shit, man. He also plays in a noise band. He’s got this power of being able to translate this genre to a mere mortal’s ear. It’s not for everyone, but I totally get it. My memories are peppered with screaming guitar jam sessions, long hair, the Dalai Lama, the mysticism of psychedelic movies and the mainstream media’s portrayal of that lifestyle. Ya Ho Wha 13 taps right into that place.

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The first track “Found Art” as well as “Theme from Big Business II” have so many changes and breakdowns, they’re worthy of psychiatric evaluation. Kasai’s synth is subdued throughout, and translates beautifully with Phil Ek’s production. Ek is the guy who produced the Shins and Fleet Foxes, and presents the rumble of Big Business in the most lush and layered ways. Mind the Drift is bound to serve long-time fans in an epic way, while roping in a new few with a fondness for mathematical rock.

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