понеділок, 24 січня 2011 р.

The Orange Alabaster Mushroom - Space and Time: A Compendium of the Orange Alabaster Mushroom (2001)


The Orange Alabaster Mushroom are:

Greg "Grog" Watson - vocals, guitar, organ
Gord Mylks - guitar, vocals
Mark "Fuzzy" Fraser - drums
Ryan Bol - organ, vocals, guitar
Andy Shurvell - bass

Influences: The Pink Floyd, Syd Barrett, Pretty Things, Soft Boys, Robyn Hitchcock, Electric Prunes, Byrds, Chocolate Watch Band, Dukes of Stratosphear, Kaleidoscope, Move, Tomorrow, 13th Floor Elevators, Love, Monkees, Rolling Stones, Them, July, Kinks, Zombies, Smoke, Status Quo, Bee Gees, Beatles, Donovan

It's hard to believe this acid psychedelic pop (very much Barrett-like, only noisier) was recorded in 90s in Canada, not in late 60's Great Britain. Though there are quite a few people in the band, as you can see above, many sources still list The Orange Alabaster Mushroom as Greg Watson's one-man band. "Space and Time" is a collection of songs, recorded between 1991 and 1998. Production is rather lo-fi, which only suits this kind of music. Enjoy!

пʼятницю, 21 січня 2011 р.

Mona de bo - Nekavējies, Šīs ir Spēles Ar Tevi (2010)

Mona de bo are:
Edgars Eihmanis (drums) and Edgars Rubenis (guitar)

with help of:
Anete Stuce - organ
Dāvis Burmeisters - guitar
Kaspars Majors - trombone
Raitis Rozentāls - french horn
Paulis Grīnhofs - organ
Stanislavs Judins - double bass.

...all hailing from Riga, Latvia. They started with garage rock in 2005, but changed their direction distinctly since the release of their first album in 2008. Nekavējies, Šīs ir Spēles Ar Tevi (Don’t Hesitate, You’re Already Part of It), their second full-length, dwells deep into drone fields, with heavy psychedelic overtones. I'm talking drone rock now, meaning there are still shapes of rock music, not the pure drone stream of sound. In fact, sometimes I'm close to saying it's just really slow rock (maybe post-, like on video below), then (nearing the end of the album) late-Earth similarity occurs to me, though these guys are heavier. Anyway, I suggest you give this stuff a try.

вівторок, 18 січня 2011 р.

Hills - Hills (2009, 2010)


Hills are the three-piece psych/kraut/space-rock band from Gothenburg, Sweden, formed around 2006-2007. They released their self-titled LP album in 2009 on Intergalactic Tactics Records (300 copies). In 2010, it was reissued on CD through Sulatron Records with rearranged song listing and two bonus tracks.

I love Swedish music, they're fantastically potent in every genre from sad indie rock to kraut jams. In fact, the latter are what Hills are about, though the range of their sound stretches from trippy space-scapes one moment to menacing and dark krautrock (think German Oak maybe) the other, while bright piano passages and flute sounds bring even more variety. Not even slightly boring, this album is definitely a worthy listen for all who value experimental side of psychedelic music.

суботу, 8 січня 2011 р.

Blaak Heat Shujaa - Blaak Heat Shujaa (2010)


Nice 8-hour sleep restored some of my writing enthusiasm, but now I feel like writing about the album that didn't make it into my top-25.

Meet the three guys who come from 'the city of high fashion and through-the-roof beer prices' (which, I was told, is located somewhere in France) to play some rather uncliched and very trippy desert rock. The band name like 'Blaak Heat Shujaa' must've taken something heavy to come up with anyway. Then again, I was told 'shujaa' means warrior-hero with magic skills in some African language. Get told lots of stuff, not all of it fun (for instance, that they were initially called 'Black Light Black Heat' after VU song, then decided to shorten it to 'Black Heat', at which point they got sued by some 70's funk band, and then went artful). So these lads decided that playing desert rock when you never saw a real desert in your life is kind of shitty idea, so they traveled to California and Uganda before getting started with their album. Which was, btw, recorded in California desert and produced by Scott Reeder himself.



пʼятницю, 7 січня 2011 р.

Best albums of 2010

Without any ado, here are the best 25 records of 2010 imo.

25. Broken Water – Whet // noise-pop, noise rock, psychedelic
24. Asteroid – II // retro-hard, psychedelic rock
23. iLiKETRAiNS – He Who Saw The Deep // indie rock, post-rock
22. Mondo Drag – New Rituals // psychedelic rock, blues rock
21. Guerre Froide – Abrutir Les Masses // new wave, electronic
20. Pink Turns Blue – Storm // post-punk, gothic rock
19. Kvelertak – Kvelertak // some fucking metal
18. Current 93 – Baalstorm, Sing Omega // dark folk
17. Grinderman – Grinderman 2 // garage rock
16. Sleepy Sun – Fever // psychedelic rock, folk
15. Утро – Утро // post-punk
14. Blessure Grave – Judged By Twelve, Carried By Six // post-punk, gothic rock, lo-fi
13. Stoned Jesus – First Communion // stoner doom, retro-hard, psychedelic
12. Moon Duo – Escape (EP) // psychedelic rock, garage rock
11. Electric Moon – Lunatics // krautrock, psychedelic rock
10. The National – High Violet // indie rock
9. Kula Shaker – Pilgrim's Progress // britpop, folk, psychedelic
8. Black Rebel Motorcycle Club – Beat The Devil's Tattoo // mainstream garage rock
7. Rome – Nos Chants Perdus // dark folk, singer-songwriter
6. Family Band – Miller Path // country, singer-songwriter
5. Black Mountain – Wilderness Heart // retro-hard, psychedelic, progressive
4. Playfellow – Carnival Off // post-rock, indie rock, progressive
3. U.S. Christmas – Run Thick In The Night // space rock, singer-songwriter
2. The Dead Brothers – The 5th Sin-phonie // dark country, folk, blues
1. Trophy Scars – Darkness, Oh Hell (EP) // indie rock, jazz rock, post-hardcore

I feel kind of guilty posting them just like that, without any reviews, but it took me long enough composing all these charts (done them all the way down to 100, just don't think anyone's dying to know my 86th favourite album of the year). Not mentioning the constant updating the 'what i listened' and 'what i have to listen' lists all year long... Hell, I'm sick of this, why am I doing it every year? And why have I ALREADY got new lists for 2011?!

Anyway, this stuff (the records, I mean) is worth talking about, so I do think some reviews will follow. For now, that's all I've got to say. And don't be such nerds as me.

середу, 5 січня 2011 р.

Earth - Angels of Darkness, Demons of Light 1 (2011)


'Angels of Darkness, Demons of Light 1' by Earth is the first album leaked in 2011 that I really enjoyed. It's in the more or less same vein as 'The Bees Made Honey in the Lion's Skull', but more gentle, and it has some western, desert spirit. Definitely worth a listen

np: Rome - Nos Chants Perdus (2010). Charmingly dark singer-songwriter album.