Mooch: Stations of the Sun

Promo CD-R

Here’s a new Mooch album written, recorded, arranged, mixed & mastered by Steve Palmer in 2011-2013. On Stations of the Sun Steve has gone pretty soft and atmospheric taking in lots of (modern) classical music elements and (sadly) loosing most of his psychedelic influences. So this is definitely not space rock, psych rock, kraut rock, ambient, experimental or any kind of rock music, but beautiful, often quite melancholic and melodic music that might be entertaining during the chilly Autumn/Winter days and nights. Lyrically, Steve’s music is still very much inspired by paganism, nature and the seasons. Steve has two wonderful singers to help him out, Beck Sian and Shelagh Teahan, and especially the later one sounds very classically trained. The female singers (Beck in particular) and the classical elements definitely bring to mind the band Renaissance, which is not a bad thing I guess. Steve plays all the instruments by himself (with the imaginary Erich Z. Schlagzeugh on drums and percussion that were actually programmed by Steve as usual…). The album has eleven tracks that are all quite short (2:41 to 5:15 minutes to be exact). “Come A-Maying” is a bit more upbeat track with more programmed drums and even some of the old psych vibes. There are a couple of folk oriented tracks with acoustic guitar which is good. “Fred Barleycorn” is whimsical, 60’s oriented baroque pop and also has vocals by Steve. Most of the tracks are still very peaceful and mostly have just keyboard orchestration and vocals. Quite a different album by Mooch but I still like it.

 

http://moochmusic.wordpress.com/

The Grand Astoria: Punkadelia Supreme

Flower Punk/Setalight Records (674/lc3356)

This St. Petersburg based stoner/metal/grunge/indie/punk whatever band seems to be on tour all the time, but sometimes they also find time to go into a studio. Their sound gets more and more varied with every release, and this new album sounds more progressive but at the same time this is also rather accessible and even mainstream stuff to a certain degree. Kamille plays some killer guitar solos, and he has 13 guys to help him out, like Jaire from Octopus Syng playing sitar on the great “Space orchid vs Massive Drumkit” that was already released on vinyl by Fruits de Mer/Regal Crabomophone earlier this year.

 

The album starts off with the short, folk/country styled “Welcome to the Club”, and then it’s time for the very energetic, even hyper-active “Slave of Two Masters” that has lots of different parts that only the Russians would ever put together. Its eight and a half minutes are a bit too much for me, to be frankly. “I Know” is a more peaceful, beautiful track that I do like. The title track “Punkadelia Supreme” has a nice, little mystical vibe at first before it starts to kick as seriously. Later on it gets rather weird and psychedelic. Kamille’s vocals are much more successful on album than live. “Street Credit” is stoner rock with pop melodies and Iron Maiden styled guitar solo part. My favourite track is “Space Orchid vs Massive Drumkit” that begins as mystical, Eastern-tingled folk and then goes into space rock territories. Great! “Dropping Aitches” reminds me of some grunge bands or even Faith No More which is not good… I don’t really like “Feels Like Home” either, but the sometimes bluesy, longer instrumental “To Cross the Rubicon” is a lot better and also includes some atmospheric parts to cool you down. “King Has Left the Building” even has some funky vibes, not my cup of tea really. “Visualize” is quite progressive with its heavy riffs, and starts to rock tightly in the middle. The longest track on the CD is the 13:40 long, dark “Score” that has some nice spacey synth sounds and lots of different moods. A very nice track! Then there’s just the short, peaceful outro “Intermission” and 77 minutes are gone. This album needs some time but you will probably find it rewarding after that. Try it out!

 

www.facebook.com/TheGrandAstoria

 

Vibravoid: Distortions (Deluxe Remastered 2CD-set)

Stoned Karma Records (SK003CD)

This new, remastered deluxe 2 CD edition of Vibravoid’s 2009 album Distortions will hit the streets in November along with a new 2LP edition. I don’t have the LP yet, but the CD is phenomenal… These acid heads from Düsseldorf have put the whole album back together from the original sources using analogue equipment from 1973 and the results are stunning and the sound richer and fuller than before. The tracks are in totally different running order and there is loads of bonus material (150 minutes in total). Whoa!

The new version starts off with the mid-tempo, 60’s oriented “Random Generated Future” and that’s a perfect way to launch the listener into psych rock heaven. “Eye Shaking King” is maybe the best Amon Düül II cover I have ever heard. Loving the vocal effects… One of the highlights for me is the next, previously totally unreleased studio outtake “Leave It All Behind” since I really like this hypnotic, mesmerizing track! The Spacemen 3 influenced “Save My Soul” chills everything out for over eight minutes with its mellow mood, Mellotrons etc. The original opening cut “Christmas on Earth” rocks hard and in a raw, punky, garage way, and then it’s time for the over 19-minute Can cover “Mother Sky” that the band also often plays live up to this day. Excellent! “Save My Soul (Reprise)” cools things down again in a blissful way. We don’t get the experimental “Mother Cubehead's Daily Black Out” that was the bonus track on the original CD, but the band dives into stuff from the very rare and sought-after Kraut Rock Sensation E.P. on Fruits de Mer that had four covers of classic kraut rock on it. We get unreleased, extended versions of “Ruckzuck” (Kraftwerk) and “Rauchkraut” (Mashantra) and I like them a lot! The rest of the bonus material on the first CD is very welcome as well, since this is the first CD appearance of “Trip to Tripolis”, the two experimental pieces “Chosmochaos” and “Within a “Cosmos” are totally out-there and it’s also nice to hear a couple of demo versions of “Random Generated Future”.

The second CD begins with some historical material from the time before the band became Vibravoid. Most of these eight songs are the best tracks from the Turned on Acid album previously releases in 2003, but two are different versions. There are also some cover songs like “Anxious Colours” by Painted Faces and the Pink Floyd classic “Astronomy Domine”. Very interesting, but the sound quality is not as good as on CD 1. The rest of the CD is filled with six live tracks recorded in Bari in 2010. “Christmas on Earth” and “Vivid Vision” have been previously released on the B-side of You keep on Falling 7”, but “Oscillations” (a great Silver Apples cover), “Black and White”, “Ballspeaker” and “Your Mind Is at Ease” are previously unreleased versions. Especially the last two, long tracks are really good since the band has lots of room to improvise and blow our minds which they do really well! The sound quality is very good as well, so just let yourself go into deep space… The CD comes with a cool 12-page booklet that unfortunately has some mistakes but what can you expect from space heads like this. A very welcome addition to the Vibravoid catalogue and I can’t wait to see the 2LP that might even have some different material on it.

www.stonedkarma.com/vibravoid

The Liverpool International Festival of Psychedelia, 27-28 Sept 2013, Camp and Furnace & Blade Factory

The complete running order

Me and my friend Harri (who took the pictures) made a trip to the Liverpool Psych Fest and it sure was worth all the traveling from Finland. Next time it might be a good idea to fly to Manchester or directly to Liverpool if possible instead of landing to Gatwick Airport near London... But everything went smoothly, anyway. Neither one of us had previously visited Liverpool and there were so many of our favourite bands playing so we were quite excited about this festival...




Clean, green countryside during the train journey

We are on our way now

We met Sean and Michael at the hotel and after a few drinks, nice chatting etc. headed to the festival. Camp and Furnace & Blade Factory was located in an old warehouse in the industrial part of the city, but still a walking distance away from the center. Everything was set up really nicely and you were in awe when you entered the place through very friendly and understanding security guys. There were lots of psychedelic projections and lights and it looked fantastic.

Carlton Melton

Stage

On Friday, there were so many great bands playing on the three separate venues that there was no way we could see everything we wanted. Some of the highlights included Moon Duo (who had a real drummer now!), Carlton Melton (they really blew our minds...), The Oscillation, Psychic Ills, The Holy Drug Couple and The Cosmic Dead (the guitar was too low though). Too bad that Eat Lights; Become Lights played so late that we just couldn't stay awake anymore after being awake for over 20 hours and started walking towards the hotel after 1 AM. The party still kept going until 4 with more bands and cool dj's though!

The Cosmic Dead

Camp

Probe Records

After a few hours of sleep and a healthy, fatty English breakfast we wanted to go to some record stores. We had some bad luck since most of them were out of business or not open that day, but finally we found the recently relocated Probe Records, who have been pushing psych rock to the people since 1971. And as you can see from the pic, it didn't let us down! Then some sightseeing and back to the hotel for some beer and Salmiakki Koskenkorva, a Finnish salty licorice booze that won some new fans...

Liverpool Radio Tower

This time we decided to take a taxi to the venue to see some of the first band on Saturday called Alien Ballroom who were on at 14:15. Then we listened to some very interesting stories about psychedelics at the Musings in Drone that was taking place at the smallest venue on the right called Blade Factory.

The Anglo-Finnish Psychedelic Club

Lola Colt

One of the biggest nice surprises on that day was Lola Colt who played at 16:30. Very sexy music... The best bands that we saw on Saturday still were The Lucid Dream, The Wands, Jacco Gardner, Fuzz, White Manna and Mugstar. We also watched and heard little bits and pieces of other acts and none of them were bad. What a line-up! And just look at the pictures and you will realize how amazing it all looked.

The Lucid Dream

White Manna

To the installation

There were two quite interesting and trippy little spaces at this festival. One was the Sonic Boom X Heretic audiovisual installation in the Gallery, where people could go and chill out or freak out, depending on their mental state. There were mind-blowing optic art on the walls that really looked fantastic with the lively lights and pumping UV accompanied by a spacey, ambient soundtrack by no other than Mr. Sonic Boom! Needles to say, Harri and I went there many times... This was an unique chance to experience this, and many people really seemed to enjoy the installation.

The other one was the small trailer inside the lovely Furnace venue that had psychedelic short films on a TV screen non-stop. There was only room for like four people at the time but it was very nice. When the bands played, the caravan also resonated very much and it made the experience even more intense! This was set up by the Shindig magazine.

Michael in front of the trailer

The audience was a nice mix of people in between 20 and 75 years from all over the planet. Everybody was relaxed and happy and nobody too drunk and we didn't see any problems at all. The staff was also friendly and there were some great beers and ciders at a good price and the food was a lot better than expected (thanks for the lovely chilli and pizza!). Even the weather was great and it felt like summer during the day time.

The record and merchandise section was quite small but I was glad that I could concentrate more on the bands and the vibe which was so great. I'm just happy I was able to score the festival specials, the festival's own 7" and the 12" released on the excellent Trouble in Mind label from the US who were rather well presented at this festival.

Mr. Cool

I've got no idea how many people there were but probably 1000 to 1500. At times it was pretty crowded, but you could always get through and it was relatively easy to get a close look of your favourite band. Apparently the festival wasn't sold-out but was still a great success so we can expect it to return next year. Hurray!

We missed Clinic and lots of other action on Saturday night too, but were really happy on Sunday morning that we did since we had a long way home ahead of us. Train from Liverpool to Euston in London (too bad that the Banger Brothers weren't selling us their exceptional sausages...), then the underground to Victoria and another train to Gatwick. Our flight arrived at the Helsinki-Vantaa airport around midnight and two very happy and satisfied gentlemen were back home. Thank you Liverpool Psych Fest, thank you friends, thank you UK, we love you all. Would love to dj there some day.

www.liverpoolpsychfest.com

Dreadlock Tales: Gravity Equals Love

GanjaTree Records (GTRCD005)

Dreadlock Tales is an electronic, down-tempo, psychedelic, ambient, spacey and Hinduism-inspired dub project by Kimmo Tyni who also plays guitar and sings in a Finnish stoner doom band Albinö Rhino. This album (the first one I have heard) also includes guest musicians and samples. The CD includes six long tracks in 50 minutes.

 

The album starts off with the simple, hypnotic and soothing “Shiva Shambho Dub” that would be the perfect soundtrack to initiation into some strange, Eastern-tingled cult. Things get more electronic in “Gravity Equals Love” (feat. Mikael Ukura & Meir Ron) that has some nice, cosmic male spoken word on it. Groovy, atmospheric and deep stuff. The instrumental “Saraswati” features Dj Chandrananda, and could almost be 90’s Astralasia (very cool, spacey ambient, by the way!). The ultra-hypnotic, trancey “Nataraja” has a faster beat and also rhythmic delay guitar work which possibly makes this the album’s highlight for me. “Maiden of Death” has a rather different vibe since it has two female singers (Kardemimmit) singing in traditional Carelian/Finnish style. The very Indian sounding, wonderful “Hari ॐ” has a more acoustic feel, but the programmed drums, synthesizers and bass are still there. The track also features Surya Devi and Tree of Dub. I like the female chanting and the general laid-back vibe of this piece. Gravity Equals Love makes a very enjoyable listen if you want to leave the material world behind for a while and just relax in the spiritual reality. Suitable for not-quite straight edge Hare Krishnas and other cosmic travelers.

 

www.facebook.com/dreadlocktales

 

 

Samsara Blues Experiment: Live at Rockpalast

Electric Magic Records (EMCD.03)

This is the first live release by this German heavy blues and stoner/psych rock band that features Terraplane guitarist and singer Christian Peters and three other guys from the Berlin underground circles. They’ve also got a couple of studio albums and some EP’s out. This live album that was recorded at Harmonie, Bonn, on October 24 2013 and released on April the 25th this year really rocks and has eight live cuts with great sound. The album ends with an acoustic studio version of the opening track “Singata Mystic Queen” that must be one of their oldest songs. This is heavy shit with lots of fuzz/distortion and dual guitar riffing plus soaring solos. The band uses for example sitar, acoustic guitars and synthesizers in the studio, but this is pure heavy, stoned rock’n’roll & blues. Some of the tracks are more adventurous and psychedelic, like the wonderful “For the Lost Souls”. They play most of the songs from the debut album and three tracks from the 2011 album Revelation & Mystery. Christian has a powerful voice too, so this really is a strong live album that kicks ass and is limited to just 500 copies on CD. Check out the whole gig below!

 

www.samsarabluesexperiment.com

 

 

Dj Astro's Hotlist

Carlton Melton: Always Even
Jacco Gardner: The End of August 7"
Morgan Delt: Barbarian Kings 7"
Various Artists: Trouble in Mind Presents: Liverpool 2013
Fuzz: S/T
Spids Nøgenhat: Kommer Med Fred (promo)
Night Beats: S/T
Mmoss: Only Children
Verma: Coltan
Kandodo: K20