So this is the fourth Dr Space's Alien Planet Trip album with Hasse Horrigmoe on bass and effects. Dr Space plays synthesizers, Hammond, Mellotron and modular synths. There are only four instrumental trcaks, one of which is the over 30-minute title track. Apart from the last piece the music was improvised and recorded live in studio in 2023 by the duo. Purple Rose Powder is a very peaceful, meditative and minimal album. Experimental? Sure, especially the first track "Draptomaniac". Spacey? Yeah, that too. I don't think Ive heard anything exactly like this by anyone else. The CD comes in digisleeve as usual and is limited to just 100 copies.
Okay, a few words about the next releases, then! All these will be out on the next Bandcamp Friday 6.12.2024.
Wizard's Euphoria is a brand-new album that we have been working on with Dr. Space (Scott Heller), Jonathan Segel and Shane Beck. The music varies from electronic and hypnotic atmospheres to more rocking stuff. Some great songs in there! 100 copies on digipack CD and digital download.
Mental Collapse Harness My Whispering Words Agents of Entropy Abyss of the Soulless Deranged Memories Wizard's Euphoria Voice of the Sleeping Sitar This Fluid Motion Lead Me to The Sky Shaman's Lullaby
Echoes form a Star Cluster is done together with Shane Beck. It has new versions of some tracks that have previously beenw released on Shane's solo albums but most are totally exclusive to this release. Some really trippy and hypnotic stuff on this one! Just 50 copies on home-made CD-R, 70 min of music.
Echoes from a Star Cluster Voice of the Cephalopod This Reflection When Planets Copulate Psychedelic Butterfly This Sphere of Magic Exploding Sun Invoking Persecution Pondering Below the Mist Alluring Slow Jam This Bleeding Sunset Whispering Eyelids Shadow Garden
Eternal Flashback / Exploding Flowers split CD-R is a factory-made disc including these two Astral Magic related project albums that have previously only been available on digital download. Both albums have just one, almost 40-minute long piece! 75 copies made.
This new CD (limited to 100 copies) includes four long tracks recorded at dufferent times in 2023. Scott plays lots of different synthesizers on his own with some occasional singing bowls etc. All tracks are completely improvised and are very repetative and hypnotic.
"Life Is Hell" was recorded after a very depressing day in Fabruary 2023, and it has a pretty desperate, monotonic vibe to it. There is also some spoken word in it, not easy to figure out what he's saying, though. "Smile and Rotate" starts off in a very minimal way. It grows a little bit with weird synth sounds and light percussive sounds as well. Okay, I'm startung to disappear already! The title track "Music To Disappear To!" comes next and it's a weird one for sure. Minimal, spacey ambient. The last piece "Frozen Hypothalamus Pie" is even more minimal and peceful. This is great stuff to chill out to, just close your eyes and disappear into it.
Doctors of Space have released a new, massive double CD since my previous review of their Adventures in the Deep Seas of Sound disc in September. Unlike last time, this albun was recorded all live in studio at once without overdubs. In addition to the standard duo of Dr Space (Hammond, Mellotron, analog, modular and digital synths) and Dr Weaver (guitar, drum programming) we also have the frequent Øresund Space Collective etc. collaborator Hasse Horrigmoe (Tangled Edge) on bass guitar which is always great and adds some more grooviness to the great sounding recordings.
The first CD has just two long trcaks. "Wisdom of Clowns" is very atmospheric and tranquil (no drums), while the closer to 40-minute-long "Needs of the One" sees the good doctors returning to space rocking realms in a very successful way. Great! Excellent guitar playing by Martin in there and Scott keeps things spacey and psychedelic all the way. The second disc starts off with the little dub-oriented "Mystic Challenger". "Ascari" is a beautiful, acoustic guitar-driven piece and "Dance Floor Hit (for Freaky Creatures)" a bit funky, sort of funny number that ends the album in a hypnotic and repetative way. The album has a great mix and mastering so sounds really good too! Get it while you can, only 100 copies made which seems to be the standard these days.
They Never Made It Volume 2 claims to be a compilation of lost early 70s psych tracks. Actually it's a tongue-in-cheek album by Finnish guitarist/singer/songwriter Timo Pääkkö, who the most educated music fans remember from his bands like Kinsky, Penniless People of Bulgaria, The Electric Crayon Set, Love Messengers etc. He also run a record label called Soundhawk Records, that released one Octopus Syng album, for example.
This is a vinyl-only release, and limited to just 100 copies (plus a few promo copies, I suspect, since I was lucky to get one). The album is releaaed on the UK label Psychotron like the Volume 1 in the series and comes in hand-painted cover with clued info sheet on back and on coloured vinyl with white labels.There's even an insert with fake histories for all the imaginery bands involved. A real private-press feel!
So how about the music? Well, I've been a fan of Timo's songs, vocals and especially guitar work (reminds me of Nick Saloman a bit...) since The Electric Crayon Set times, so of course I like it. Some of the songs COULD be written in the late 60s/early 70s, but of course the sound and especially the use of programmed drums reveal that this is actually a modern production. There are seven tracks on the album. "Don't Vent All Your Frustration On Me, Girl" by an imaginary artist Peter Timothy Willful opens the album in an energetic but melodic mod style. Nice! "Bearded Jack" (by Concentration Storage Five...) has a fuzzy guitars, organ and a cool 60s psych vibe and is one of my favourites. Based on a poem by Wilfred Owen, "Strange Meeting" is another highlight with a spacey and hypnotic, Amon Düül II-like atmosphere. I'm impressed! I only wish that The Bavarian Illuminati would have been a real band somewhere in time and space... The side A is finished with an instrumental called "Chase Around Sirius" by Intergalactic Guitars Unlimited (!). This one has a groovy late 70s/early 80s space funk rock vibe and Timo plays some killer lead guitar.
The B side is started with "UAP" by The Devilment (how did he come up with these band names?). Again Timo's love for UK mod music shows clearly. Next, The N-Sults offer a cool cosmic piece called "Magic Is Found Within", I really like this one. The album is then finished with the 12-plus-minute guitar/mellotron freak-out "All My Bullies". The "artist" name probably is the best: Thymothys Yn Unig! This track has a groovy, folky and bluesy, almost Led Zeppelin styled groove and also some vocals. All in all a very enjoyable album and the vinyl sounds great. Timo even went to UK to play a solo album release gig at the Psychotron Records's store and I heard it was a success! It seems the only way to hear this whole album is to buy a copy so please be fast. Timo might have one of two left but at least Psychotron seems to still stock it.
Out of the blue, my personal Facebook and Instagram accounts as well as Astral Magic (and all other...) accounts were deleted. I have no way of getting them back, so goodbye evil Meta Universe.
Well, more time for real life and making music, even if not so many people will hear about it anymore!
Since my main marketing tool is gone now, let's try this... Get all four albums on either of these pics for 30€ plus postage. Email me at astralzoneblog @ gmail . com
You can also contact me through the Astral Magic Bandcamp site:
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