E-Musikgruppe Lux Ohr: Spiralo

Svart Records (SVR 2869

E-Musikgruppe Lux Ohr from Turku, Finland, is your perfect Time Machine to the cosmic and ambient electronic music of old-time Berlin-school masters like Klaus Schulze and Tangerine Dream.  This is their second studio album on Svart Records and before that they have released one live album.  Live performances seem to be very important for this great band and also Spiralo first began as an improvised live set they played at their concerts during the late 2011 and early 2012. Lux Ohr then decided to re-create the set and release it as their second studio album. Like Kometenbahn (2013) Spiralo is only out on limited vinyl edition (300 x black and 200 x transparent red).

If you are  fan of experimental, adventurous & spacey ambient music played with analogue and digital synthesizers, sequencers, drum machines, organ, keyboards & a little bit of atmospheric guitar, you will love this stuff. Your personal trip to the moon and beyond is guaranteed when you put a copy of this album on your turntable, turn the lights off and just chill out to the music. The album includes just one instrumental track "Spirallo", that is decided in equal parts on sides one and two. Side one is full of very hypnotic and also psychedelic synth/sequencer etc. moods, and I can only hear some gentle guitar after about ten minutes. The track cools down for the last three minutes or so, and you can hear the guitar more clearly. Excellent! The space journey continues on side two, first in a pretty minimal and experimental way. Slowly some beat comes through and we speed through the galaxies with lasers blazing. This part also has some superb e-bow guitar by Kimi, great! What a great album, just go to their Bandcamp site and listen for yourself!

soundcloud.com/e-musikgruppe-lux-ohr

Playlist @ Bar Loose, Helsinki, 26.6.2014 (Octopus Syng, Rambamalam, Debbie Fox)

Dj Astro playlist:

Brayan: Cool Kids Vibrate with the Universe
The Luck of Eden Hall/Victoria: Dandy Horse
The Black Angels: Diamond Eyes
Giobia: Electric Light
Vespero: Anpeilen!
Lumerians: Dogon Genesis
Dead Skeletons: Dead Comet
Temples: Mesmerise
Tame Impala: Apocalypse Dreams
Vibravoid: Colour Your Mind
Jacco Gardner: Chameleon
Moon Duo: I Can See
Superfjord: Love Supreme
The Oscillation: No Place to Go
Tuber: Sex and Depression
The Raveonettes: Sinking with the Sun
Papir: I
Vibravoid: Listen, Can't You Hear
Camera: Ausland
Eat Lights Become Lights: La Kraut III
Roky Erickson: Two Headed Dog
Rättö ja Lehtisalo: Valonnopeus
Baby Woodrose: Nothing Is Real
Me and My Kites: Back When I Came
Temples: Colours to Life
Telstar Sound Drone: Feel It

Astral Visions Radio show #52 online now!

Astral Visions Radio show #52 online now! Listen or download.

[Track 1: 0:00-4:51] Verma - "Sunrunner" (from Sunrunner)
[Track 2: 4:51-12:31] Superfjord - "The Chandrasekhar Limit" (from It Is Dark, But I Have This Jewel)
[Track 3: 12:31-18:08] Dead Skeletons - "Om Vajra Sattva Hung" (from Dead Comet EP)
[Track 4: 18:08-18:55] Tor-Peders - "Islossning i C-moll" (from Brev fran Ederstorp)
[Track 5: 18:55-24:35] Brayan - "Cool Kids Vibrate With the Universe" (from S/T EP)
[Track 6: 24:35-36:30] Captain Heroin - "Magellan" (from Inhuman)
[Track 7: 36:30-41:31] Craig Padilla - "Challenge Deep (Edit)" (from forthcoming album Sonar)
[Track 8: 41:31-51:09] E-Musikgruppe Lux Ohr - "Spiralo 2 (Edit)" (from Spiralo)
[Track 9: 51:09-56:29] The Oscillation - "All You Want To Be" (from Cable Street Sessions 12")
[Track 10: 56:29-1:02:33] Naam - "Thickening Web" (from V/A: 4 Bands Split)
[Track 11: 1:02:33-1:09:23] Black Rainbows - "Minor Monster Galaxy Message" (from V/A: 4 Bands Split)
[Track 12: 1:09:23-1:15:48] Piramide di Sangue - "Reggio Galassia" (from Sette)
[Track 13: 1:15:48-1:25:29] Kosmischer Laufer - "Morgenrote" (from forthcoming album Volume Two)
[Track 14: 1:25:29-1:31:38] Jay Tausig - "Higher Altitudes" (from Capricorn - Top of the Mountain)
[Track 15: 1:31:38-1:42:55] Seven That Spells - "Burning Blood (Edit)" (from The Death and Resurrection of Krautrock: IO)
[Track 16: 1:42:55-1:56:16] Electric Moon - "Outside (Edit)" (from forthcoming album Innside Outside)
[Track 17: 1:56:16-2:04:24] Siinai - "Shopping Trance" (from Supermarket) 

Get it from over here:

aural-innovations.com/radio/astral.html

Census of Hallucinations: The Nine

Stone Premonitions (SPCD 076)

 

Released this spring, The Nine is the latest album by Census of Hallucinations, an English band that has been around for around 15 years now I believe. The band is led by the couple Tim Jones and Terri~B, who also run the Stone Premonitions label. They have been sending me some great stuff to review for years and I’m grateful for that… The new album features superb lead guitar work by John Simms (Clear Blue Light), a veteran in the progressive/hard rock universe. Other musicians are Kevin Hodge (acoustic guitar), Maxine Marten (backing vocals), Mark Dunn (bass) and Paddi (drums and percussion).

The Nine includes nine new songs. The album starts off with a pretty laid-back, soulful and deep style with “Signature”, “The Emperor” and “Delivering the Goods”. There’s a lot of acoustic guitar, and Tom’s intense vocals somehow have even more message and meaning than before. Especially the third song has a strange, a bit ghostly vibe. On the shorter “All about Harry” the band gets a bit more positive and even funny, but the vibe still is rather strange. “Cold as Trout” sounds a bit like 70s Pink Floyd with the mellow beat, acoustic guitar, soaring electric lead guitar and relaxed male vocals and female backing vocals. The rather experimental, spacey and weird “Timelessness” includes an interesting narration. “The Crunch” is a mid-tempo pop/rock piece about numbers ending with a very psychedelic and spacey manner… The theme continues with the pretty weird and spiritual “A Most Remarkable Number” and the final chapter “The Truth Inverted” completes the otherworldly, strange feel of the album in a great way. No hard space rocking this time, since the whole album is rather slow and relaxed, but the weirdness and interesting message keeps you awake and alert… It all sounds amazing too!

aural-innovations.com/stonepremonitions/bands/coh

Listen to “A Most Remarkable Number”.

Hawkwind to play at H2Ö Festival in Turku, Finland!

Hawkwind, A Monstruous Psychedelic Bubble, Kuusumun Profeetta, Kemialliset Ystävät, Nightsatan, Pharaoh Overlord, Seremonia, Siinai & lots of other cool acts, who can complain?!?!

This festival in Turku, Finland, will take place on 18.-19.7.2014 and I'm very happy happy that after the sad news of Gong not playing due to Daevid Allen's nick surgery it is the legendary space rock masters Hawkwind who will take their place!

Here's the link to the festival (in Finnish):

www.h2ofestival.fi/2014

and here in English:

www.h2ofestival.fi/2014/in-english

Buy your tickets:

www.tiketti.fi

March 13: Our Love Becomes a Funeral Pyre

Svart Records (SVR264)

 

March 13 is an experimental avant-garde noise project by Sami Albert Hynninen (Reverend Bizarre, Orne, Opium Warlords etc.). I have to make clear right away that this is not my kind of music, so I’m definitely the right person to review the album but let’s give it a try. This is the tenth-anniversary release of the band’s first EP recorded in 2004 (but only released in 2008 on CD in Chile!) along with three new songs from 2010 and 2013. It’s all pure ghostly, screaming vocals, extremely distorted guitar etc. feedback and who knows what else kind of noise and filth. The two long EP tracks (“Our Love Becomes a Funeral Pyre”, “No Love Lost” ) also feature Vesa Karppinen from Fall of the Idols. The second one of these is more ambient and a bit more listenable to my ears, but the first one is just too much… On “Claustophilic Love of the Warm Dark Places Where the Masters of War Make Their Home” you can even hear what Sami is talking, and the track even has a riff, but an extremely distorted one. “The Love That Dare not Speak Its Name” has high-pitched sound and extremely distorted noise and later on some (in)human voice. Very experimental stuff… The long (9:37) “Love Under Will” starts off in a bit more tranquil manner but gets more noisy on its way. This is still rather bearable even for me, but not exactly a pleasant experience. The album is limited to just 315 copies on black vinyl and comes with a 4 page insert.

svartrecords.com

The Legendary Flower Punk: The Great Acid Folk Swindle

Flower Punk Records (FPR 004)

 

This is the second official CD by The Legendary Flower Punk founded by Kamille Sharapodivov, the singer/guitarist/leader of Russian stoner/metal/rock band The Great Astoria. This is a project where Kamille can try out his more experimental, spacey, psychedelic, folky etc. ideas. The first proper CD release was maybe even a bit too experimental for my taste, but this one sounds very, very good. I really like the artwork as well. The Legendary Flower Punk is now a duo and also performs live featuring Kamille and Danila Danilov, who both play a huge array of different instruments like acoustic and electric guitars, percussion, synths, melodica, flutes, keyboards, electronic effects, kazoo and kalimba. There are also a couple of guests on one track each on this CD.

“Initiation” lets us know what the deal is: mystical acoustic guitars and psychedelic space noises plus some tribal percussion and wordless voice. “Morning Dew” is a beautiful acid folk piece with some late 60s/early 70s vibes, and the same goes for “Centralia”. There are also some more modern elements closer to experimental late 90s/early 00s forest folk movement. “The Overloaded Ark” has also electric guitar and rather Spanish styled acoustic guitar and African sounding percussion etc. It’s a weird mix. The rather minimal and repetitive “Planet Waves” is one of my favourites and has nice guitar and piano sounds plus eerie electronics. “Tuva Sunshine” has folky acoustic guitar, sort of throat singing and primitive flutes. “Life Is a Miracle” is more on the classic acid folk vein and I like it very much. This is the longest track on the CD at 8:53 and also quite psychedelic, uplifting stuff. Great! “One More Fripp Nightmare” is a short experimental folk number with weird guitar patterns etc. The final track “Celestial” is another highlight for me. Lovely, hypnotic guitars, ethnic flutes, spacey electronics and wordless human voice create a really otherworldly atmosphere and this is a great way to finish this CD. Warmly recommended!

thelegendaryflowerpunk.bandcamp.com

Eric Johnson’s Action Figures: S/T

SlowBurn Records

 

This is the first solo album by ex-Black Sun Ensemble member and SlowBurn Records founder, Tucson, Arizona-based multi-instrumentalist Eric Johnson. Other bands that he’s been involved include Sun Zoom Spark and Bread and Circus. On this self-produced CD that was released in late 2013 Eric is playing singing everything by himself, so hats off. This album sounds rather good, I must add.

The CD starts off with some hypnotic sequences at the beginning of “Soul Retrieval”, and soon the mid-tempo psych rocking begins. There are some rather mind-expanding elements here and this sure is one of the best tracks on the disc. “The Space Between” is a bit more “normal and mainstream” but still pretty good stuff. Then it’s time for a beautiful, peaceful and emotional ballad, and “Night Se Journey” also includes great acoustic guitar and airy keyboards. At times I’m somehow remotely reminded of “While My Guitar Gently Sweeps”… “Orange Made Word” is a nice instrumental with some post-punk/New Wave vibe, and “Inside Outside” a shorter rock ’n’ roll piece. “Closer” is a mid-tempo guitar rock number spiced with cool synthesizer stuff to give it a little Magazine touch. “Season of Circles” is another ballad and has a very melancholic mood. Great! “The Party Is Over” has some excellent fuzz solo guitar and is a pretty nice rock number in the vein of the Stones. “Barrett’s Blues” is the song that reminds me of Black Sun Ensemble the most. It’s the Eastern scale and slow, weird heaviness, I think. Also the instrumental “The Device” has pretty heavy fuzz guitar and great solos. After that blast it’s good to chill out with two softer songs (“Black Queen” and “Carry Me Around”). Also the last track “Demonstration” has a nice, even folky long acoustic intro, but it starts to rock in the classic late 60s/early 70s style in a while. I get some The Byrds vibes, but also The Rolling Stones etc. A great song too! Check out this CD and be sure to give it some time, you might like it very much.

www.slowburnrecords.net

Evil Bear Boris: Das Ist Boris

Self-released EP

 

Evil Bear Boris is a new Russian band featuring several same members as post rock group I Will Kill Chita. The music is quite different, though, but still mostly instrumental for some reason. I don’t really know how to describe their music, but it’s some kind of rock music with quite a lot of energy and also strings and horns. They use terms as bearcore or symphopunk on their Bandcamp site… But this is not really that dangerous or hard core, more like easy listening. This EP includes three tracks. “Fight Club” sounds sort of like 80s detective series soundtracks (especially the keyboards and horns), but there’s a bit heavier guitar buried in the mix as well. “Evil Bear Boris” has some of the same vibe, but this is a bit funkier and more progressive affair and I also get some video game vibes. Think of Kiveskives from Finland. It also has some weird/funny vocals, but I’m not really that amused. The last track “Geheimnisse Des Dritten Reichs” is much more serious and darker music and closer to their mother band IWKC. This is closer to my mind-set, I guess. Not bad, actually.

evilbearboris.bandcamp.com

I Will Kill Chita: Before We Disappear

R.A.I.G. (IWKC03)

 

I Will Kill Chita is a new instrumental progressive post rock band from Moscow, Russia, and this is their second album. The line-up and instrumentation on this CD is pretty vast including drums, percussion, noise, keyboards, guitars, electronics, cello, bass, violin, viola, French horn, tuba, trombone and trumpet. The beautiful, emotional, melodic, mostly peaceful and melancholic music has elements of neo-classic music and art rock, but I’m mostly reminded of post rock bands. This is not that deep, raw, and powerful stuff than GSY!BE or the off-shoots, but rocks a bit in a while too without getting really heavy or oppressive. There are seven tracks on the CD that all are pretty good and interesting. “Hard Times” and “Young Heroes” are the long pieces, the rest are within the normal song length. The playing and production works very well, although I don’t really find anything totally special or spectacular on this disc. Having said that, I’m still sure most post rock fanatics will really like this stuff and I also find IWKC rather pleasant and soothing.

 

www.iwkc.ru

Sentient: Live at the Real Music Club Brighton

4 Zero Records (FZ014)

 

This is a 75-minute CD/download release of a live gig by entirely improvisational jazzy psych/kraut/afro/groove rock band Sentient. This trio features Here & Now/Planet Gong etc. members Steffe Sharpstrings on guitar and vocals and Steve Cassidy on drums plus Gary Subassa (Karmanix, Mecca, Dave Howards Singers) on bass. This is their debut album recorded at their debut gig in 2012 and does not include any overdubs so you get the stuff as fresh as possible.

There are five long jams on the CD. “Awaken” starts off with some wonderful glissando guitar and the mood is very tranquil and spacey. Slowly the band get moving faster and the playing gets more energetic and we also get some great solo guitar work. “On the Other Side” is another almost twenty-minute-long jam that begins in a lazy, jazzy mode but gets more intensive sounding something like Gong or The Ozrics. Later on we also get some dub vibes with some vocals as well. Great stuff! “Everything Makes a Difference” is the shortest track at 7:04 and this is very emotional, laid-back and quite minimal stuff also including some vocals. I’m sure the Here & Now fans will recognize the main riff of “Nearer” but there’s also plenty of spacey jamming involved. Very Gong/Steve Hillage styled going with psychedelic effects and I’m enjoying this very much! Also “A Is for Anarchy” uses old Here & Now riff as a starting point and there are lots of spacey sound effects in the background. Another highlight for me! If you are a fan of Here & Now and/or like psychedelic, innovative, improvisational and rhythmically advanced music with some anarchy thrown in check this band out!

www.4zerorecords.co.uk

Jakob Skøtt: Amor Fati

El Paraiso Records (EPR016LP)

 

Amor Fati is the second solo album by Causa Sui drummer and visual artist Jakob Skøtt. While Causa Sui’s music is usually more like heavy psychedelic/stoner rock, Jakob’s solo debut Doppler was focused on sequencers and synthesizer drones. The fully instrumental Amor Fati still has lots of synths and sequencers, but it also features bombastic, groovy and funky drums and is much more energetic and powerful. It’s a sort of combination of early 70s cosmic music and modern day technology and I love it!

“Mantis in Lace” is one of the most Tangerine Dream sounding tracks but still has a character of its own and the drums get pretty wild along with the hypnotic bass synth pattern. “Synthemesc” sounds a bit more modern and is more synth oriented. The pretty long “Araucaria Fire” is one of my favourites and has s cool, Latino styled percussive groove, bass synths, groovy organ sounds and lots of freaky noises. Excellent! Another groovy number and highlight is “Eastman Oyster” that also has more melody. On “Omega Oscillator” things get more cosmic and spacey in the Berlin School style and I like it a lot. No drums or percussion on this one. The title track “Amor Fati” has some free jazz elements thrown in and is rather psychedelic and a bit chaotic with all the freaky stuff it has. “Earth of No Horizon” is a rather ambient, New Age styled synthesizer piece to chill out to. A very nice way to end this great album! Warmly recommended.

www.elparaisorecords.com/artists/jakob_skott

The Don Darlings: S/T

Alleycat Records (ALC048)

 

OK, nothing very psychedelic/spacey or even heavy on this dics, but I’ve still been asked to review it so here it comes. The Don Darlings is a melancholic rock/pop/country band from Sweden. Their music definitely has echoes of Nick Cave, Tom Waits or even Leonard Cohen or Johnny Cash. Dark Southern Americana, they call it. Somehow Berlin was emotionally a very suitable town to record this album that was mixed by Don Alsterberg (Graveyard, Junip).

There are ten original songs on the CD. They include slow, soulful and very melancholic tracks like the opener “Resurrection” that also features violin, “Moonshine Baby” and the last track “Let the River Run”, melodic country rock pieces like “Provide Me with Angel”, “Away from Me”, a bit more energetic and even rather fast, catchy songs like “If You Can Be Good”, “Transcendental Noise”, “Right Side of Murder”, Julius the Misanthrope”. The playing and instrumentation, singing and production are all excellent, and the songs are pretty good in this genre I guess. I’m just not such a big fan of this kind of music. Having said that, if you like the dark side of alternative country music of the musical vibes in movies by Sergio Leone or Quentin Tarantino you will probably enjoy this album. Give it a try!

http://www.thedondarlings.com

Vibravoid: Minddrugs (Deluxe Re-mastered 2CD Set)

Stoned Karma Recordds (SK004CD)

Minddrugs, originally released on Sulatron-Records in 2011, was the fifth actual studio album by Vibravoid, Germany’s number one psychedelic acid rock band. The band leader Christian “Dr.” Kerch has not been 100% happy with the sound quality of their old albums and this is the third one to get a thorough remix/remaster and reissue procedure. It’s great since the original albums have been sold-out for a long time and it’s also great to get loads of unreleased and ultra rare bonus material with the new editions. This 2CD-version begins with the original album that only has better sound quality, so I’ll just start with my original review from 2011…

”Seefeel” is wonderful psych pop and proves that the good doctor can also make a bit more melodic, catchy tunes. The lush Mellotron layers add their heavenly dose to the tremolo-soaked, pulsating mass of guitars and the groovy beat reminds us of the 60s and modern psychedelia at the same time. This is amazing and heavy stuff! The going just gets better when the album’s hardest hitting killer track “What You Want” blasts out of the speakers. The main riff is somewhere in between “Lucifer Sam” and “Magic Potion” and this number rocks tightly and hypnotically and doesn’t show any mercy to the poor brain cells. The heavier stoner/space rock chorus sounds like Farflung and there is a lengthy, psychedelic jam section in there as well. It’s nice that this one also has some backing vocals. We’ve got heavy and unbelievably amazing boosting for over 12 minutes! “Do It Alright” has a nice tom beat and gives some space to breathe for a while and I really like this one too. The last minute is just hallucinatory space sounds. “You Keep on Falling” was previously released on a Greek single but now we get an almost 9-minute-long version. This monotonic acid boogie is somewhere in the Spacemen 3 and Loop territory and pretty heavy and mind-blowing stuff! The under three-minute “Lost Intensity” is a bit experimental, more small-scale instrumental where the organ gets more room that usually. On their What Colour Is Pink? Vibravoid already released a great version of Floyd’s ”Set The Controls for The Heart of The Sun” classic but now we have the pleasure and honor to hear a close to 23-minute-long version of this track! This is a real trip and the best version that I have heard since the original. The organ sounds really good and there is also some stylophone, for example. The vocals are mixed in a very psychedelic way and this piece blissfully melts down reality in other ways too.

The first two bonus tracks on the first CD are two Pink Floyd covers from Vibravoid’s very sought-after Floyd cover EP on Fruits de Mer: “Let There Be More Light” and “Saucerful of Secrets”. I’m sure many fans who have not been able to buy this holy grail of a 7” will be very happy… I just love these versions and they sound super crispy and psychedelic on this release! Then we’ve got the shorter and a bit different single version of “You Keep on Falling” and finally an unreleased, alternative and much shorter (6:29) version of “What You Want”. Great!

The second CD starts off with some stuff recorded for radio sessions. Tracks 1-5 originate from Kozmic Ken Experience Radio Session UK, January 2014 and have been previously available on Ken’s internet radio program at Aural Innovations. The band performs excellent, powerful renditions of “Save My Soul”, “Magic Mirror” (Aphrodites Child), “Gravitation Zero”, “Colour Your Mind” (Turnaround) and “The Golden Escalator” and I’m loving every second of it. It’s amazing how strong and trippy the band sounds with just three guys playing. Next we’ve got six tracks from Piotre Benton Radio Session, Italy, February 2014. The sound quality might be a little inferior but still excellent. “Poupee de Cire” is energetic chanson pop like it should, then their pretty and deep original “Seefeel”, another version of “Magic Mirror”, old favourite “Playing with Beuys”, great rendition of “Incense and Peppermints” by Strawberry Alarm Clock and finally a fast, highly hypnotic and trippy version of Can’s “Mother Sky”. The last two instrumental studio tracks “Black Light Mushrooms” and “Vibraphased” were originally released on the limited Triptamine EP Vol. 4. I don’t have the limited 2LP version of this great reissue yet, but it has a few tracks less and comes in a special blue splatter vinyl…

www.stonedkarma.com/vibravoid

Opium Warlords: Taste My Sword of Understanding

Svart Records (SVR265)

 

This is the third album by Sami Albert Hynninen’s (Reverend Bizarre, The Puritan, Orne, Tähtiportti etc. etc.) experimental and esoteric doom/drone/sludge band Opium Warlords. It might be a little easier to digest than Live at Colonia Dignidad or We Meditate Under the Pussy in the Sky but definitely not Easy Listening stuff… But much more accessible and not nearly as avant-garde as Sami’s other project March 15. On this album Sami is accompanied by Laura Länsimäki and Erkki Virta, and this sure is pure, raw, deep and heavy shit.

The album starts off with the slow instrumental “The Sadness of Vultures” that just has some sparse, low-tuned, distorted bass and a little bit of experimental noise in the background. The mood is extremely gloomy right from the beginning and it won’t get any lighter I promise… “The Land Beyond the Pole” is a bit more song-oriented piece since it has a slow (programmed?) drum beat as well. The 12:13-long “The Self-Made Man” is very doomy and desolate and has great, melodic but strong vocals by Mr. Hynninen. This is probably the song that sounds most like Reverend Bizarre and it’s also my favourite on the album. Slow, powerful, dark and heavy stuff! It even has a guitar solos and starts to rock out more later on. Epic doom metal! “The God in Ruins” is musically a gentler, peaceful track, although the vocals are very raw, harsh and bare and extremely sad and gloomy. Another long one at 9:42. Then it’s time for “The Solar Burial” that has emotional bass playing and low-pitched, mantra-like vocals and later on also some guitar and cymbals. It gets really heavy around the five-minute-marker, so beware… The longest piece on the album is the excellent “Mount Meru” and it’s an epic, slow and heavy doom metal track that only Albert can conjure up from the abyss. The faster part in the middle meven sort of reminds me of Witchfinder General, brilliant! Another highlight for sure. Next we get to chill out for a while during the pastoral beginning of “This Place Has Been Passed”, but after three minutes things get heavy and disturbing again… “Manisolas from Misandria” is a great, shorter doom metal instrumental with some experimental sounds as well. “In Melencholy Moonless Acheron” Sami delivers some spoken-word like as well as melodic vocals and I love it. This is a rather minimal and emotional song and a great way to end the album. Taste My Sword of Understanding is available on vinyl and CD and highly recommended for all the fans of Sami Albert Hynninen and heavy, doomy music in general!

www.facebook.com/OpiumWarlords

 

Heroin in Tahiti: Peplum 7"

Yerevan Tapes (YER007)

 

Here’s a new 7” single by the Italian experimental occult psychedelia band Heroin in Tahiti. I really liked their Death Surf album that was released on Boring Machines in 2012 and this new limited release sounds very cool as well. On side A we’ve got the title track “Peplum” and it’s an electronic, hypnotic, droney and atmospheric number. The surf guitar gives a bit Italo-Western vibe to the instrumental track. Very nice! “Alo” on the flip side sounds pretty esoteric and weird. It has a dark mood, keyboards, surf guitar and rather minimal electronic beats and some whispered, creepy vocals. I like this one as well. Get this single if you enjoy dark, electronic and experimental ambient/drone music with surf overtones!

heroinintahiti.tumblr.com

Seven That Spells: The Death and Resurrection of Krautrock: IO

Sulatron-Records (ST 1404-2)

 

This is the second part in The Death and Resurrection of Krautrock Trilogy by Croatian progressive heavy psych/kraut/space rock band Seven That Spells. The band started out more like a stoner rock band all those years ago, but soon changed their style inspired by Acid Mothers Temple and others. The band-leader Niko Potocnjak (guitar) is the only constant member since the beginning and this CD/LP also features Nikola Babic on drums and Jeremy White on bass and vocals as well as guests Albin Julius on synths, Hammond and kazoo and Nikola Urosevic on throat singing.

The album begins with the fast and furious “In II” that has lots of energy and great, technical playing by the trio. Towards the end the instrumental gets more psychedelic and moodier. The long (18:28) “Io” starts off with some great, ethnic sounding harmony vocals, that are playing an important part later on as well. This is a slower, soft of folky track with excellent, hypnotic and ancient kind of vibe. After a very tranquil, ambient part in the middle things get more energetic but the Eastern ethnic vibe is maintained even during the great lead guitar work and rather progressive parts. What a great journey! “One” is just a short experimental piano piece. “Burning Blood” is the second longer track of the album at over 14 minutes in length. This might be my favourite and also has hypnotic, mantra-like harmony vocals and throat singing to a great effect. I’ve got no idea in what language the vocals are on the album but they sound very cool. The track has a pretty mystical and dark vibe and gets pretty fast and chaotic later on. The AMT influences are again quite apparent but so what since this really works! The last piece “Out II” is another majestic, repetitive and hypnotic piece that ends with some echoed human voice and synthesizer. The CD is out now and the LP version soon too so why don’t you get yourself a copy since this sounds really great!

 www.7thatspells.com

Beyond-O-Matic: Revelations at the Borders Between

Trail Records (TR-014)

 

Beyond-O-Matic is an Austin, Texas based “improvisationally birthed, bombastically enhanced, emotionally charged space-prog stadium rock” band formed in 1995. This CD released last year is their first CD since 2010 and includes first new recordings since 2002, so it’s a sort of reform thing I guess. The main theme on the album are the different phases between live and death including human relations and altered states of consciousness. Phew, pretty deep stuff!

The CD begins with a 80s Pink Floyd/Peter Gabriel styled “In the C”. “Tick Tock Rock” is a shorter, more experimental and minimal track, and "Wish" a full-blown, long and slow mind-journey with some more Pink Floyd vibe but heavier guitar. The great, high-pitched vocals are a mix between Phil Collins and Ian Gillan. Before the ten-minute-marker the track gets instrumental, livelier and more progressive. I like it! On another long (12:56) and slow track “In Two Os” the singer sounds even more like Ian Gillan on Born Again and I’m not complaining. Even the track has some dark Black Sabbath vibes although it’s more psychedelic. “Turn, Switch, Trust” starts off peacefully with some airy synth stuff and this is slow, tranquil, dreamy, melancholic and beautiful piece. Fans of early Porcupine Tree or the like will love this. “But the Love” is another slow, dreamy, heady and spacey song that also has some flute and melodica. Very deep, hypnotic and evocative stuff. The longest (15:52) track “Out the C” ends the CD in even deeper and more emotional mode, although the track speeds up at some point before fading out softly in the end. Worth checking out if you are not afraid of some heavy, deep issues and emotions!

www.beyondomatic.com

Kev Ellis: Space Cadet

Self-released CD / download

 

Kev Ellis used to be the singer and harmonica player of a late 80s / early 90s UK psych blues/festival band Dr. Brown that also featured the late Huw Lloyd-Langton (Hawkwind) on their last EP release. Since then Kev has been active in various kinds of music styles like blues, dub, ambient, electronic and space rock. Space Cadet is his first solo album since only now had the technology advanced enough so that he could record the music he heard in his mind by himself. The drums have been programmed, but still sound pretty good. This is a limited edition of just 100 CD copies and already sold-out so the album is now only available as a download.

The first song “Guiding Light” is the only one to feature another musician: Grunty Macnaughton plays some guitar on it. It’s a long, hypnotic and atmospheric mid-tempo space trip with heavy guitar, lots of synths and some Kev’s trade mark blues harmonica thrown in for good measure. The bit lighter and more melodic “Celebrate the Day” reminds me of late 70s Hawkwind or Hawklords and I just love the vibe. There’s also some flute on this one. “Resting Heart” has a mellow, earthly dub mood including bird-song and nice synth melodies. At under two-minutes, “Super Cosmic Space Age Baby” is the shortest track on the CD and rocks out in a punk/post-punk/New Wave style. The harmonica gives its own special bonus kick. “Emerald Eye” is a melancholic, beautiful piece with some cosmic sound effects. Then it’s time for some heavy space boogie with “Sunrise Pagan Bop”. Excellent stuff! Looking through my mind’s eye I can clearly see this been played live at the Stonehenge Free Festival during Summer Solstice… The mellow and airy instrumental “Time Reflection” is more ambient in nature including acoustic guitar, keyboards and synths. The groovy space rock number “Ancient Flight” is one of my favourites, very addictive and catchy. The album ends with the long and glorious “Morning Raga” that has elements of Gong, ambient electronica and Indian music. A very nice way to finish this marvelous album! Kev’s singing is still just perfect, and he has done a great job in all aspects.

www.facebook.com/kevellismusic
 

La Piramide di Sangue: Sette

Sound of Cobra / Boring Machines (BM053)

 

This is the second LP by Torino based septet (two guitars, two basses, one clarinet, one synth, several effects, drums and percussions) La Piramide di Sangue. I fell in love with their first album Tebe that had a mysterious, psychedelic, unique and somehow occult vibe, and Sette continues similar paths with its seven instrumentals. The melodies (especially on clarinet) give the band a bit Eastern folk music mood, but this is often labelled as psychedelic kraut rock. It is hypnotic, otherworldly and psychedelic for sure, but to me closer to ethnic world music than classic kraut rock or kosmische music. Anyway, what really matters is that the music these guys play is really good and has a twist of its own!

“Baciati dall'Acido” starts off the LP in a rather laid-back, magical mode. There some more exploding, rhythmic stuff later on. “Jetem” is a rather heavy, dark and repetitive track that also has some more progressive and experimental elements. “Non e´ mia e´ di Dio” has a nice, energetic groove that somehow reminds me of Lumerians. There are also some spacey effects to add that feel. The end part is slower and dreamier stuff. Then it’s time for the mid-tempo piece called “Aperti alle Sette” that has some cool drum/percussion patterns. One of my favourites is “Reggio Galassia” that has a heavy, monotonic guitar riff that reminds me of Circle. It also has similarities with the more aggressive works of Black Sun Ensemble. “Esoterica Porta Palazzo” is a cool, Eastern-tingled track that brings to mind images of snake charmers or magicians. The over eight-minute long “La Guerra non Finira´” ends the album in a pleasant, mystical and hypnotic way. Very nice! Just get this limited LP before it’s gone.

facebook.com/lapiramide.disangue

The Cosmic Dead Summer European tour 2014

One of my new favourites The Cosmic Dead from Glasgow are heading for an European tour this week! It's a 30 show tour starting June 4th and ending July 15th, in which they hit around 9 countries in total, with a few festivals along the way, including Eindhoven Psych Lab and Paris Psych Fest!


𝟯𝟬.𝟬𝟱 - (UK) 𝘎𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘨𝘰𝘸 - The 13th Note *
𝟬𝟰.𝟬𝟲 - (UK) 𝘊𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧 - Full Moon
𝟬𝟱.𝟬𝟲 - (UK) 𝘉𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘰𝘯 - Campbell Road Music Studio...
𝟬𝟲.𝟬𝟲 - (FR) 𝘙𝘰𝘶𝘦𝘯 - Le 3 Pièces Muzik'Club
𝟬𝟳.𝟬𝟲 - (NL) 𝘌𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘩𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘯 - De Effenaar (Eindhoven Psych Lab)
𝟭𝟬.𝟬𝟲 - (DE) 𝘉𝘦𝘳𝘭𝘪𝘯 - Jägerklause Berlin *
𝟭𝟭.𝟬𝟲 - (AU) 𝘝𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘯𝘢 - Fluc_Wanne
𝟭𝟮.𝟬𝟲 - (IT) 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘢 𝘥𝘪 𝘙𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘯𝘢 - Hana-Bi *
𝟭𝟯.𝟬𝟲 - (IT) 𝘝𝘦𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘢 - Cascina Degli Angli
𝟭𝟰.𝟬𝟲 - (IT) 𝘔𝘪𝘭𝘢𝘯 - Cox 18 *
𝟮𝟬.𝟬𝟲 - (IT) 𝘊𝘢𝘨𝘭𝘪𝘢𝘳𝘪 - CuevaRock Live
𝟮𝟰.𝟬𝟲 - (IT) 𝘗𝘦𝘳𝘶𝘨𝘪𝘢 - Parco Sant'angelo
𝟮𝟱.𝟬𝟲 - (IT) 𝘚𝘢𝘷𝘰𝘯𝘢 - Raindogs House
𝟮𝟲.𝟬𝟲 - (CH) 𝘚𝘵 𝘎𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘯 - Rümpeltum
𝟮𝟳.𝟬𝟲 - (DE) 𝘞ü𝘳𝘻𝘣𝘶𝘳𝘨 - Cairo
𝟮𝟴.𝟬𝟲 - (BE) 𝘈𝘯𝘵𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘱 - Het Bos
𝟮𝟵.𝟬𝟲 - (NL) 𝘈𝘮𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘥𝘢𝘮 - OCCII
𝟯𝟬.𝟬𝟲 - (BE) 𝘓𝘪𝘦𝘨𝘦 - L'Escalier Café
𝟬𝟭.𝟬𝟳 - (BE) 𝘈𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘵 - Flesh and Bones skatepark *
𝟬𝟮.𝟬𝟳 - (FR) 𝘉𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘶𝘹 - Heretic Club
𝟬𝟯.𝟬𝟳 - (FR) 𝘛𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘦 - Le Dynamo Café
𝟬𝟰.𝟬𝟳 - (FR) 𝘗𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘴 - La Machine du Moulin Rouge (Paris Psych Fest)
𝟬𝟱.𝟬𝟳 - (NL) 𝘏𝘢𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘦𝘮 - Patronaat Haarlem
𝟬𝟳.𝟬𝟳 - (CH) 𝘡ü𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘩 - BOSCHbar
𝟬𝟵.𝟬𝟳 - (CZ) 𝘗𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘶𝘦 - Klub 007 Strahov
𝟭𝟬.𝟬𝟳 - (DE) 𝘌𝘳𝘧𝘶𝘳𝘵 - Stoned from the Underground - Festival
𝟭𝟭.𝟬𝟳 - (DE) 𝘒𝘰𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘻 - Circus Maximus
𝟭𝟮.𝟬𝟳 - (UK) 𝘓𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘰𝘯 - Corsica Studios
𝟭𝟯.𝟬𝟳 - (UK) 𝘉𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘭 - The Exchange
𝟭𝟰.𝟬𝟳 - (UK) 𝘓𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘴 - Brudenell Social Club
𝟭𝟱.𝟬𝟳 - (UK) 𝘔𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳 - Soup Kitchen
𝟮𝟬.𝟬𝟳 - (UK) 𝘋𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘦 - Non-Zero's (Rock the Tay 2014)

* = Shows with Black Bombaim

Hotlist

Hawkwind: Co-Pilots Of Spaceship Earth (Unofficial)
Vibravoid: Minddrugs (Remastered)
Crystal Thoughts: Kaleidoscopid Drop
Crystal Thoughts: Toxic Phenomena In Kosmic Fields
Crystal Thoughts: White Spidert 7"
Kummitus: Kahdet kasvot
Loop: Heaven's End
Farflung: The Raven That Ate the Moon
Acid Mothers Temple & The Meltin Paraiso UFO: Astrorgasm From The Inner Space
Naam/Black Rainbows/The Flying Eyes/White Hills: 4-Bands Split Vol. 1                                  

Totem Psych Fest in Italy

Heavy Psych Sounds present the TOTEM PSYCH FEST.

This exclusive festival is located one hour north east of Rome, in the small village of Roccasinibalda. It takes place in the courtyard, gardens and underground cellar of a large, scorpion-shaped castle dating back to the 10th century.

About 25 bands – ranging from heavy-psychedelic to space rock, sludge doom, stoner, acid-rock, hard-blues and one-man bands – will be playing live.

Given the capacity of the location, tickets are very limited: but it is possible to purchase a three-day pass or single day tickets. Along the castle there will be shows, food stands and many other events. There will also be free camping – over the next week a list of all the hotels and holiday-farms located close to the castle will be published on the website.

The headliners will be announced one by one starting Wednesday, March 26, following which we will announce the rest of the line up. So watch this space!!! More alerts will follow.

NIK TURNER SPACE GIPSY (EX Hawkwind)
BLUES PILLS
ZU
BALLETTO DI BRONZO
UFOMAMMUT
CHURCH OF MISERY
BLACK RAINBOWS
LENTO
OJM
OVO
MORKOBOT
TONS
SONIC JESUS
ISAAK
SMALL JACKETS
GIOBIA
IN ZAIRE
THE BLUES AGAINST YOUTH
DA CAPTAIN TRIPS
APE SKULL
THE WISDOOM
SPOOKY MAN
VOID GENERATOR
L'IRA DEL BACCANO

Slip Inside This Club Vol. 3: Naam (US) & Warp Transmission!

 

Our Slip Inside This Club returns to Bar Loose in Helsinki on Friday the 26th of September when heavy & psychedelic space rockers Naam (US) play their first show in Finland ever. They will be supported by new psych band from Tampere called Warp Transmission, who released their first 7" some time ago.

 

www.facebook.com/events/564698303642979/

 

www.facebook.com/KingdomOfNaam

 

www.facebook.com/WarpTransmission

 

www.facebook.com/slipinsidethisclub