Into the Sky - Before the Storm 7"

Kosmic Noise Records (KNR001)

Into the Sky is a new indie/kraut rock band from  from Münster, Germany and this 7" is their first release. This is not exactly what I consider to be krautrock but still very nice, atmospheric, modern sounding instrumental post-rock stuff with some hypnotic elements. On the A side "The Storm" rocks out in a mellow, mid-tempo manner. I'm reminded of some of the big post-rock bands like Explosions in the Sky, Mogwai or maybe Maserati. I really like the vibe of this tune! On the flip side we've got the slower. even more post-rock styled "Before" that has beautiful melodies and moods. Towards the end the track gets more intense and heavier, great! This is very promising debut release by Into the Sky, let's wait and see what they can do on a full-length where they will have more time to expand their sonic palette. The single is available as a limited to 50 clear and 100 white vinyl and standard black vinyl. Check it out!

www.facebook.com/intothesky.krautrock 

 

Dj Astro's playlist @ Alakulttuuritalo, Helsinki, 18.11.2017 (Black Lizard, Tombstoned)

It was a long, wonderful night! This is pretty much what I played (I probably forgot a few tunes):

Fifty Foot Hose - Red the Sign Post
Kraftwerk - Autobahn
13th Floor Elevators - Slip Inside This House
Goat - Goat Fuzz
The Who - I Can See for Miles
Hawkwind - Motorhead
Dead Skeletons - Om Mani Peme Hung
Jimi Hendrix - Purple Haze
Uriah Heep - Easy Living
Kikagaku Moyo - Green Sugar
The Chemistry Set - Legend of a Mind
Saturnia - Most Beautiful
Aphrodite's Child - Magic Mirror
The Illusion - Did You See Her Eyes
Kula Shaker - Tattva
Minami Deutsch - Futsu Ni Ikirenai
Octopus Syng - Reverberating Garden No. 7
Jefferson Airplane - Somebody to Love
The Rolling Stones - Child of the Moon
Lumerians - Dogon Genesis
Polska Radio One - The Fractalized Sky
Kingston Wall - I Feel Love
Dungen - Panda
Temples - Colours to Life
Cream - Sunshine of Your Love
The Rolling Stones - Jumpin' Jack Flash
Superfjord - A Love Supreme
Aphrodite's Child - The Four Horsemen
Ultimate Spinach - Fifth Horseman of the Apocalypse
Roky Erickson - Two Headed Dog
The Third Bardo - I'm Five Years Ahead of My Time
The Open Mind - Magic Potion
Wooden Shjips - I Hear Vibrations
Hawkwind - Hassan I Sabbah
Baby Woodrose - Right to Get High
The Beatles - Tomorrow Never Knows
Love - Andmoreagain
Porcupine Tree - Sentimental
Strange Flowers - Of Green and of Milk

Dark Bottle - Five Euro Pizza, Dark Bottle / New York Wannabes - Split 7"

Independent Records ‎(IR43979)

Okay, this must be the funniest and also one of the weirdest vinyl albums I've ever received for a review... The LP cover is designed to look like a pizza box and the picture disc has pictures of both sides of a standard Finnish five euro pizza! Dark Bottle is a band from Tampere playing an eccentric mix of folk, rock, county, rockabilly, kraut, psych and even doom! Most of the seven songs are written by the lead singer, five-string banjo and resonator guitar player Donald Lupo and tell about the funny things you see and experience in Finland as a foreigner... You really have to be a Finn or at least have lived here for some time to fully understand the hilarious lyrics on tracks like "Ballad of the Five Euro Pizza", "Perusulkomaalainen Blues" & "Bad Brownie #14"... The music is mostly rather up-beat and would go down well live with some beer & whiskey (and maybe pizza...).

What's most interesting for me is that in addition to the funny, energetic folk rock the band  also has a deeper, melancholic and even psychedelic vibes. The first sign of this is the A side's seven minute closer "Nothing Ever Happens on the Highway" that gets rather heavy towards the end. Also the otherwise pretty country rock oriented "I Only Wanted a Home" has a psychy, heavy middle part. The highlight for me still is the eight-minute rendition of the traditional "Pretty Polly". It gets rather hypnotic, mind-expanding and rocking at some point bringing to mind Circle even! Very nice. It would be interesting to see these guys live one of these days.

  I also received a 7" split EP by Dark Bottle and German band New York Wannabes. It includes two songs by both at 33 1/3 rpm. Dark Bottle's "Road Dust" is a fast folk/punk/pop tune that makes your adrenaline levels rise. "Way Down the Old Plank Road" is an old traditional American folk song about (not) drinking (anymore) and it's another fast blast to get you buying another pint or two. The two-piece New Your Wannabes are a bit more trashy garage rock psycho blues group from Frankfurt. For this little split recording they offer two tracks: "Dear Father" and "Out in the Desert". Just guitar, drums and vocals with no fancy overdubs. Pure and simple, but not exactly my cup of tee. Not bad, though.

www.facebook.com/darkbottletampere

www.facebook.com/newyorkwannabes

Dj Astro's playlist @ Kuudes Linja, 14.11.2017 (Moon Duo etc.)

Wow, what a great night! It was the third time I saw Moon Duo and they totally blew my mind! Loved the lightshow... I had never seen the support bands Ghost World or U.F.Ojala before, but they both had their great moments.

Anyway, here's what I played:

Dungen - Panda
Kikagaku Moyo - Green Sugar
Cranium Pie - Mothership
Saturnia - Most Beautiful
Baby Woodrose - No Other Girl
Groop - Kosmic Sound
Minami Deutch - Futsu Ni Ikirenai
Pete Bassman - Poison Butterfy
King Black Acid - Caterpillar Blood
Jacco Gardner - Find Yourself
Temples - Colours to Life
Black Lizard - Love Is a Lie
Goat - Goat Fuzz
Dead Skeletons - Om Mani Peme Hung
Kingston Wall - I Feel Love
Cloudland Canyon - Radioaktivität
The Chemistry Set - Legend of a Mind
Lumerians - Burning Mirrors
Polska Radio One - The Fractalized Sky
Morgan Delt - Barbarian Kings
Superfjord - A Love Supreme
Octopus Syng - Flaming
Magic Bus - Eight Miles High
Liquid Visions - Overstellar Interdrive
The Moffs - Another Day in the Sun
Sun Dial - Fireball
Spacemen 3 - That's Just Fine

Hotlist November!

These are the hottest things that have been spinning in Astral Zone HQ lately:

Nik Turner ‎- Life In Space
Hawklords - Six
Balduin ‎– Bohemian Garden
Electric Orange - EOXXV 3LP BOX 
The Fellowship of Hallucinatory Voyagers - This Is No Wilderness
White Hills ‎– Putting On The Pressure / Pull Back The Bolt 7"
Vespero - Shum-Shir
Acid Mothers Temple & The Melting Paraiso U.F.O. – Those Who Came Never Before
Kaleidoscope – Tangerine Dream (50-years Birthday reissue with bonus 7")
Plastic Crimewave Syndicate - Thunderbolt Of Flaming Wisdom

  
 

Vespero - Shum-Shir

Tonzonen Records (TON30)


Vespero is a great instrumental prog/space/psych/kraut rock band from Russia. I've been a fan since their first official CD album Rito put out ten years ago by RAIG. I have not even heard the couple latest releases since they are only out on CD (and I don't buy CD's or have received them as promos) but it feels so good to get a vinyl release by them again! Shum-Shir is the second part of Abyssinian Tales.

The first, long title track track is a groovy hybrid of Ozric Tentacles and Korai Öröm with a lot of originality as well. Very spacey, bubbling and danceable, also including nice violin. There is also a great part with tons of African sounding percussion, space sounds and speech samples. Excellent opener and probably my favourite track! The second track "Isidore's Dance" is even more up-beat after its Gong sounding intro and makes you want to dance in trance. Superb! There are also some more progressive phases in the middle. Hidria Spacefolk fans will love it. This band really knows how to make uplifting space music.

On side two we've got three tracks. The first one "Gaya's Dance" is another fast Ozrics styled number with great solos and hypnotic vibe. Oh how much I want to experience Vespero alive! "Gulli's Dance" goes into more experimental and electronic direction but is also very enjoyable and psychedelic. Superb playing by all once again. The last number "Hapi" is a bit more laid-back and electronic and a nice way to come down after all the high-energy ethnic space partying. All in all, I got to say that this is perhaps the best album by Vespero that I have heard and also highlights of 2017. Be sure to get the beautifull vinyl that is limited to 500 copies!

www.facebook.com/Vesperomusic

Å - Ånyo

Self-released (ÅLP002)

Swedish experimental prog/psych rock band Å (it means stream in Swedish if you were wondering) have returned after three years with their second album. Like the first, same titled LP in 2014 this is a highly limited (200 copies only), self-released effort. The band is Joel Öhlund (vocals, guitar/bass guitar), Milovan Fredriksson (guitar/bass guitar, backup vocals) and Erik Wallin (drums) with a couple of guests on flute and synthesizer. The music differs from heavy, hard-rocking psych to more pop-like stuff and traditional folk rock. The lyrics are in Swedish.

The album starts off with the hard-hitting and progressive "En Orm" that brings to mind King Crimson a bit. Nice! "Satan på Gatan" sounds at first a bit like Nuclear Nightclub era Wigwam or Dungen and later on things get very mystical and psychedelic during the long jam part. I like the guitar tone and playing in here! "Uti Vår Hage" is a traditional Swedish tune and has a cool, melancholic vibe. Brings to mind early 70s progressive folk rock bands from Sweden. "Följer Du Med Mig?" is the albums longest track at 12:22 and tight and heavy, progressive rock pounding. There are also more atmospheric, even jazzy soft parts in the middle. Great playing on this one again, and I also really like the vocals. Some spacey synth sounds in there as well. The album is finished with the slowly starting instrumental "Rustem" that is another traditional and gets rather intense and progressive later on. These guys can play and have a lot of great ideas so check them out!

www.facebook.com/swedishstream

Special occult psych set by Dj Astro @ Dark Buddha Rising / Sum of R show at Kuudes Linja, Helsinki, on 25.11.2017!

Dj Astro is going to play a special occult psych set with music from the 60s to today at the Dark Buddha Rising / Sum of R show at Kuudes Linja, Helsinki, on 25.11.2017!

Blow your mind to the dark side...

www.facebook.com/events/478522815880291

Astral Visions #76 now online @ Mixcloud!

Check out my brand-new Mixloud show at:

www.mixcloud.com/AstralVisions/astral-visions-76

Tracklist

• 1 Legend of a Mind (from Lovely Cup of Tea EP) by Chemistry Set
• 2 Like A Setting Sun (from The Volga Sturgeon Face EP) by Nathan Hall & The Sinister Locals
• 3 Quasar (from Passage to Agartha) by Hotel Wrecking City Traders
• 4 In A Sad Red Dusk (from Gehenna EP) by Helicon
• 5 Reflections in the Minds Eye (edit, from Hallucinations Inside The Oracle) by Øresund Space Collective
• 6 Every Christian Lion Hearted Man Will Show You (from Always Here EP) by Stay
• 7 Heavens Kate (from Sleep Safari) by Nick Nicely
• 8 Future To The Ancients (from Thunderbolt of Flaming Wisdom ) by Plastic Crimewave Sound
• 9 Sun Death (edit, from Bunker Sessions) by Strobe
• 10 Europe (from Sykli) by Siinai
• 11 Häxan (Version) (from Häxan (Versions by Prins Thomas)) by Dungen
• 12 Continuum (edit, from EOXXV) by Electric Orange
• 13 Keep Us In Space (edit, from Cosmic Ground III) by Cosmic Ground
• 14 Epiohyte(Requiem For Mika) (from I) by Kaukolampi 

Dj Astro spinning vinyl at a vinyl sell/buy/swap happening this Saturday!

Since my good friend Dj IVA Karhu has better things to do, I will cover for him this Saturday at Elmun Baari, Helsinki, from noon to 16.00.

Bring your own vinyl and sell or swap them with other vinyl fanatics, have beer or two and listen to great music!

www.facebook.com/events/283701208796964