Culto Al Qondor ‎– Tannhauser Tor

Worst Bassist Records ‎(WORST_LP4)

This is the third LP by Peruvian space/psych/drone rock band Culto Al Qondor, The guys in the band have also been known to make music in such great units as La Ira de Dios, 3AM and Serpentina Satelite. I love all of those! The two previous C. A. Q. albums have been more rock oriented while this new one is pure psychedelic, blizzed out drone. It was recorded live with a cellphone at Drone Bar in July 2019 and includes just guitars, bass, drones & effects, no drums. Don't be scared about the recording method, since the sound quality is still great. A full-blown rock gig might have been too loud to record with a phone but here the sound does not get distorted or anything. Actually, the vibe is just perfect for this kind of experimental, droney sound exploration!

There are only one track on each side, "Part 1" and "Part 2", apparently one long instrumental jam was just edited to two pieces for this limited vinyl issue. The music is very hypnotic and dreamy, not too noisy or heavy to close your eyes and enjoy the ride inside the cosmos. This is not ROCK in the strict sense but very spacey and psychedelic. This is a very tranquil, pleasant journey and I really enjoy it. All the music seems to be improvised on the spot but works really well. The LP is released on transparent green vinyl and limited to 500 copies. There are also 10 test pressings, I've got number 1! Warmly recommended for lovers of spacey drone music.

www.facebook.com/cultoalqondor

Sula Bassana - CV Sessions

Digital download

Here's another great psychedelic musician that has used the time off gigging to make some cool new music at home... I bet all my readers are familiar with Sula Bassana (Dave) from Germany. He's been around for decades and always comes up with some exciting stuff in what ever project he partakes in. The CV Sessions name has a clever double meaning: of course it refers to COVID-19 epidemic but also to voltage controlled analogue synth gear that he has used making this album. There is also some  guitars, bass, keyboards and what ever but the main emphasis is on small analogue synths and drum machines.

The nine-minute "A Nice Constellation of the Planets" starts off the album being one of my favourites. Very hypnotic and deep stuff, makes your head feel dizzy and kaleidoscopic! "wtf?" is lighter but still psychedelic and pretty weird. "Wollschweber" has some cool electic guitar and keyboards as well and it's a beautiful, slow and melancholic piece. Wonderful! The next, dark piece "What is Reality?" has heavy guitar and and a sort of depressive vibe. "Ruins of Civilisation" is also a bit of a downer but a good one... Reminds me of some of the Electric Moon stuff, sort of groovy beat and nice electonics. Some excellent electric guitar work on this one as well! Then we get some acoustic guitar on "Foggy Forest", some Pink Floyd vibe on this one. Very nice! "Tick Attacks!" is weird electronica again but also has some bass etc. The rather ambient and pretty "Little Birdy" ends the album in tranquile moods. Superb! All in all, this is great release although a bit depressive as a whole but who can blame him if you see where this world is going to. Music is our best, safest and most enjoyable escape so let's use that!

www.facebook.com/sulabassana

Doctors of Space - Covid Sessions

Digital download

Doctors of Space is a new project featuring Dr Space from Øresund Space Collective/Black Moon Circle on synths and Dr Martin Weaver (ex-Wicked Lady/Dark) on bass and guitars. Both also do some drum programming. They have released one very limited 7" before. They have been very productive during the COVID-19 lockdown since they have produced three digital releases in this time. This is the first of the trio put out on April the 23th. All the music is improvised, experimental and very spacey and psychedelic although pretty minimal and simple.

Covid Sessions includes six long tracks. The very hypnotic "Apollo Groove" starts the journey into inner space. Just one synth track and a couple of guitar tracks is all that is needed, as far as I can say. Very nice and ambient! "Hold My Beer" is a cool, bluesy space boogie with programmed drums, bass, excellent acoustic guitar work and spacey synths. As you might have guessed, "From the Depths of the Universe" is more cosmic stuff again... Some beat, killer lead guitar, modular madness and that's about it I guess. "Viral Usurper" is the longest track at over 12 minutes. It is the most atmospheric and closer no normal music, even with some Pink Floyd vibes I would say. Sort of dark vibe, though. The last piece "Afro Ghost Ritual 47" is the most rhythic one actually pretty groovy, but still weird and experimental. I like this one a lot! My download also inlcuded one more track called "Funkee Caca" but I don't see that on their Bandcamp site now. Extra track maybe? A bit different for sure... Check this out!

doctorsofspace.bandcamp.com

Dean Allen Foyd vs Sherpa – Psychedelic Battles - Volume Six

VE Recordings (VELP029)

This is the sixth volume of the split album series Psychedelic Battles on Italian VE Recordings label. Previously we have had some ear candy by bands like The Luck of Eden Hall, Sendelica and The Spacelords, among others. Unfortunately the latest one with A.M.T. and Lee Van Cleef had some quality issues and some copies had bumps on the end of the A.M.T. side. Luckily VE now uses different vinyl plant with better quality so no problems!

It's been six years since we heard anything from Sweden's retro psych rockers Dean Allen Foyd so it was about time get some new music by them. I really liked the 60s inspired debut and Road to Atlas 12" as well, but never somehow got the previous release, the Sunshine Song 7" released in 2014. The four songs here are pretty similar in style to their older stuff so if you liked that you will enjoy these as well. First we get two shorter, pop oriented songs and then the band stretch out some more on the longer ones. I especially like "The Shining" that has a cool  60s (13th Floor Elevators even) psych vibe and long, progressive jam section. "My Bloody Walls" is a rather minimal acoustic song that doesn't not do that much for me.

On the B-side of this limited sky blue vinyl we've got two long tracks by Sherpa. This is a rather new band who have two albums out on the excellent Sulatron Records. You can read my review of the debut over here. So occult Italian psych music is the name of the game. "Look To La Luna" is beautiful, tranquil and dreamy piece that gets heavy in the middle. Very impressive! "Moon's Biology Portrait" is rather minimal and experimental stuff with a strong occult vibe. Not bad but not that interesting either. You need to be 100% focused for this I guess. All in all, a very good album by these two great bands, I can't say which one won the battle this time!

www.facebook.com/deanallenfoydmusic

www.facebook.com/sherpa.ita

Astral Visions Mixcloud Show #94 now online!

Astral Visions #94 now online at Mixloud! Check out the cool sounds of Astral Magic, Black Rainbows, Anthroprophh, Vibravoid, Sei Still, Electric Moon, LDMR, Sarkh, Hexvessel, Circulus, Tuhosieni, Juice Oh Yeah, Kayleth, Slift, Doctors of Space, Acid Mothers Temple featuring Geoff Leigh, Theodor Bastard, The Lounge Bar Orchestra, Curious Collector, Sula Bassana, Autotelia and Aural Hallucinations.

www.mixcloud.com/AstralVisions/astral-visions-094

Sarkh - Kaskade

Worst Bassist Records

Okay, some more new instrumental German post-rock on Worst Bassist Records. This time it comes spiced with black metal/drone/stoner influences. Sarkh is a trio from Westerfald, Germany who have a black metal background that still shows. They easily shift from beautiful soundscapes into brutal, heavy blasting within a track. Just guitar, bass and drums but the production is very professional and they have used a good deal of effects to make a rather full and varied sound.

The opener "Ackerland" starts off as a cool, cold drone and then we'll get some dark, heavy riffing. This will go down with the post-metal fans for sure. "Wildis" has clean, pretty stuff as well as heavy riffs with double kick drum blasting. Very tight playing. "Muttererde" is peaceful for the two first two-and-a-half-minutes and then gets heavy. It grows into blast beat by the end... "Saat" has a very cool clean guitar riff at first. Again, at times the going gets intense and heavy, I like this tune. "Derpholz" is mostly heavier going but has a nice soft spot in the middle. On "Morast" & the great "Kaskade" slow and easy & heavy & intense stuff varies again. The album is finished with the shorter "Irrlicht" that is the only track NOT to have heavy, metal influenced stuff at all. I sort of wish there would have bene more tracks like this, but it feels good to get some fresh breath at last. These guys are great musicians and the production is top-notch but this is not really an album I would play that often since it's maybe a bit too intense for an old hippie like me. I do like some of the vibes though!

www.facebook.com/SarkhWorship

LDMR ‎– Silva

Worst Bassist Records ‎(WBR LP 003)

Okay, I'm trying to little by little do all the reviews I have forgotten this Spring/Summer... So here we go! LDMR is an instrumental German post-rock band and Silva is their second album. The fact that they are on Electric Moon's Lulu's Worst Bassist Records means that they must be pretty good. Lulu apparently has a soft spot for post-rock in addition to psych/space rock and why the hell not. LDMR do have a bit punky attitude to their music so it's not always your avarage emotional post-rock thing.

The long "Sequoia" starts off the album and I like it. Just guitars, bass and drums, sometimes rather heavy, sometimes beautiful and touching. "Euphyllia" is next and the first three minutes are more tranquil altogether but then the track grows and sort of explodes. The last minute is very quiet and peaceful. Then we have the rather interesting "Salix" that has some more progressive stuff at times. It's the shortest piece at just under six minutes. "Fraxinus" starts off slowly and grows later on like is so common in this style. It stays rather slow though. "Fagus" is the album's long piece starting with some sound of rain and thunder. Very atmospheric stuff. Then things get more agressive and louder, the punk roots showing a bit. Some more peaceful passages in the middle, just like you would have expected. This is not exacty my favourite kind of music (meaning: not really psychedelic) but I still like this album. Check it out if you are into instrumental post-rock with a bit rawer touch!

www.facebook.com/ldmrmusic