Hear This

Like any mood-altering substance that may be hazardous to your health, the Legendary Pink Dots require a certain leap of faith for a successful experience. Listeners must trust that Edward Ka-Spel's parade of freaky noise will send them somewhere over the rainbow instead of stranding them in the existential gutter on the way there. With his latest release, the three-CD Chemical Playschool Volumes 11, 12 & 13, Ka-Spel puts this premise to the ultimate test.

Details

Friday, Nov. 15, at 9 p.m.

Tickets are $15-17

522-0333

www.slims-sf.com

Slim's, 333 11th St. (at Folsom), S.F.

Related Content

• Grateful Dead Fans Rejoice: Phil Lesh Expands Terrapin Crossroads
  November 13, 2012
• The 7 Most Iconic Bay Area Band Logos
  May 24, 2013
• Wine Clubs Are the Coffin Nails of Rock 'n' Roll
  November 29, 2011
• Jerry Garcia 70th Birthday Tribute Includes Huge Guest Roster, Will Be Streamed Online
  July 23, 2012
• Mascara and oOoOO: Show Preview
  September 5, 2012

More About

• Edward Ka-Spel
• Syd Barrett
• The Grateful Dead
• Skinny Puppy
• Pink Floyd

The box set's individual discs -- Excess, Where the Hell????, and I Can See Clearly Now (I Think)-- are basically nonstop soundtracks, with no digital time codes separating tracks such as "Furtherfurtherfurtherfurtherfurther" and "OK, It's Betsy the Bumblebee." Without being able to simply access specific songs, the listener must submit to a full hour of LPD overload in order to reap maximum benefits. In an attention-deficit world, this is no small demand on even the staunchest fan.

But after dozens of Pink Dots recordings (and plenty of solo albums) since he began making music in 1980, Ka-Spel has proved himself a trustworthy designated driver with a clearly defined, hyperwired vision. He brings the finesse and sophistication of classical avant-garde composition to an alien mix of psychedelic pop (reminiscent of Syd Barrett-era Pink Floyd), trippy '60s jams (à la the Grateful Dead), mind-melting industrial thump (think Skinny Puppy), and synth-deep rave grooves designed for astral projection. If you put your faith in the transformative power of LPD, Ka-Spel will steer you out of both mind and body.