Biography
Sweden's Spacious Mind emerged from north of the Arctic Circle with a spaced-out acid rock sound. The project began in 1991 as an electronic duo that placed one track on a Swedish compilation of extremely restricted circulation before expanding into a full ensemble. Anders Sundbom departed while keyboardist Jens Unosson brought in guitarists Henrik Oja and Thomas Brännström along with percussionist David Johansson. Their first album, Cosmic Minds at Play, appeared on the Swedish imprint Garageland in 1993. Largely instrumental, the record comprised four lengthy pieces, the last of which was further split into four separate movements. Although its conceptual scale echoed the prog excess associated with Yes and ELP, the actual sound aligned more closely with Pink Floyd's Saucer Full of Secrets period, early Hawkwind, and Krautrock acts such as Amon Duul II and Ash Ra Temple. Organic Mind Solution, the follow-up, surfaced on the same Garageland label the next year and adhered to a comparable approach, albeit with a modest increase in English-language vocals and an expanded range of instruments. In 1995 Gates of Dawn issued the vinyl-only, U.S.-exclusive Sleepy Eyes and Butterflies, a double-LP collection that combined two tracks from the debut with three newly recorded pieces. Spacious Mind returned to Garageland for 1996's Sailing the Seagoat, an album that shifted toward psych-folk through greater reliance on acoustic instruments and tighter song forms. During this period Unosson launched the side project Holy River Family Band alongside guitarist Arne Jonasson and flautist/percussionist Mathias Barder. After several Spacious Mind members relocated, Holy River became Unosson's primary focus, though the original group persisted in recording. The vinyl-only Garden of a Well Fed Head, limited to 600 copies, came out on Lone Starfighter in 1998. Mind of a Brother, released the following year on Delerium, explored aggressive heavy-psych terrain. By then Spacious Mind personnel were also participating in the related outfits Caldron, Gracious Pond, and Heed.
Albums
