One look at that cover art and I know I was going to pick this title up. Horizonte is the sole album from German fusion band PSI, released in the heyday of the explosion of jazz rock in Germany in the mid to late 70s. Tight, complex rhythms with a lead focus on keyboards and guitars, the album hits a broad, sunny tone throughout most of its seven tracks, never getting overly dark or serious. That’s not to say the music isn’t serious: this is fusion, after all, and everyone takes their job seriously. But like the Web Web I reviewed the other day, for my ears it’s effervescent, clean and clean and leaving soon after arriving.

But that album art, huh? This brings back so many memories of walking around record stores as a kid, finding those incredibly cool album covers and using them as the yardstick as to what you’d spend your allowance on. The illustration by Helmut Wenske gives off waves of 80s metal vibes, but the compositions – mainly from keyboardist Matthias Frey – stick firmly to jazz rock. When the band stretches out on the eight and a half minute “Breikopf” it really comes together and works for me in a way the shorter, more in your face songs simply can’t. Much as I appreciate the fun and rock of opener “Under der Schürze liege die Würze” at a breezy 2:33, giving some air and space allows Frey, guitarist Volkmar Zimmermann, and saxophonist Wilfried Kunkler to settle into a groove with the rhythm section and really begin to explore.

There’s a lot of solid music to be found on this one-and-done effort, and part of the joy of collecting physical media for me is finding these obscure gems and seeing what shines behind the rough. I’m not at the stage to say PSI and Horizonte is essential listening, but if you’re a fan of that particular blend of jazz rock, prog, and fusion (still trying to figure out the difference in my head between “jazz rock” and “fusion”) this is worth seeking out.