108 Results for : psychedelia
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Tisheh O Risheh: Funk, Psychedelia and Pop from the Iranian Pre-Revolution Generation
No description.- Shop: odax
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End of the Sun
Forget stoner rock, Old Mine Universe have tapped into a new primal psychedelia that sounds like Blue Cheer, Mountain, and Phish in heaven sent power chord collision.- Shop: odax
- Price: 23.79 EUR excl. shipping
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Chatelaine Saloon
Listen up, cowboy: Former leader of the band Taconite Haven. One solo CD, Chatelaine Saloon from 2004...there is a new recording rumblin' 'neath the floorboards at Underwood Studios. It'll creep out of the darkness in mid-2007. There may be some shows, but till then, it's just a late night rumor. The falcon has recorded and produced albums for Big Ditch Road, Martin Devaney, Bob McCreedy, Tom Feldmann, Hojas Rojas, Inwood Radio, House of Mercy Band and many more. The folowing is a review of the most recent record: Mark Thomas Stockert Chatelaine Saloon Eclectone Records (2004) I always tell people that if they're reading an album review and the writer goes on and on about the packaging, that's a pretty good sign that either he/she hasn't really given the release a proper listen or that they did and it was so bad, offensive, or just plain boring that the CD jacket was the only thing about it worth mentioning. In the case of Mark Stockert's latest, Chatelaine Saloon, neither of those options hold true. Yeah, the CD IS in one of the sweetest packages I've ever come across, either on an indie or a major release, a triple-gatefold with groovy, velvety material covering the outer skin, but for once a label (in this case, Martin Devaney's relatively new outfit, Eclectone) has actually put as much effort and TLC into an album's look as the artist did it's feel. And believe me, this record is chock fulla FEEL. Singer/songwriter/guitarist Stockert surrounded himself with a whole passel of expert musicians, vocalists, and fellow songcrafters for Chatelaine Saloon, an album that holds the rare distinction of containing music that's so timeless, so universal, so wholly AMERICAN, that, despite the fact that much of it is played on or through electric instruments, it could easily be stripped down to it's bare, acoustic essentials and make just as much of an emotional and psychic impact were it to be performed live at an 1874 frontier saloon, a Depression-era porch pickin' party, a backwater 1950's revivalist tent, or a hip modern folk club. Kicking off with the dreamy, rolling licks of 'Cowboy Song,' (Not a cover of the Thin Lizzy rocker, but astute pop music fans will notice that several of Stockert's song titles recall classic hits of the past, including 'He Don't Love You,' 'Oh Daddy,' 'Wild Thing,' and 'Hush,' but you can rest assured that the tunes on this album are all originals) a melancholy hopin' song with jagged guitar riffs and simple but drop-dead-gorgeous lines like, 'I wonder if I'll ever be married to a girl with bright, shiny eyes/And I wonder if I'll ever be married to sunshine and blue skies...' Stockert immediately establishes himself as both a musician and a wordsmith who's working the same dark, mysterious artistic soil as ex-Son Volt frontman Jay Farrar, Will Oldham, and Jayhawks co-founder Mark Olson. 'He Don't Love You' (yes, I keep wanting to add, '...like I love you, if he did, he wouldn't break your heart...' too, but that's NOT this song, dammit!) has a loping, cow-poke groove and features happy-blue honky-tonk piano and lines that reference that instrument as well: 'White Cadillac, long saloon/Drives you back from my mind too soon/But like a nine-fingered whorehouse honky-tonk piano player without a knack...he don't love you the way I do/But I won't love you if you don't want me to...' Stockert sometimes sings in a deep, lonely voice, sometimes in a tragic, near-whisper-though his utterances are always clear and concise-and on first listen, these songs seem almost too understated to grab you by either the heart or the balls. But take my word for it, after your second listen, you'll be hooked. 'Oh Daddy' oozes out on grainy slide guitar, weird bell sounds, and a dire banjo/guitar line, a hypnotic road trip song for some slightly off-kilter traveling salesman with scotch on his breath, a statue of Jesus, and (to paraphrase Jon Dee Graham) a small dark spot in his trunk that just won't go away. 'Light Me Up' unfolds over a minor electronic maelstrom and a half-drunk/half-holy chorus of partners-in-crime, then jumps the rails to morph into a catchy, keyboard-driven cow-pop nugget that'd sound equally at home between 'Dark End Of The Street' and Mark Eitzel's 'Fresh Screwdriver' on a mix CD. Superb songwriting, an easy-going, kinetic relationship between the players, and honest, no-bullshit production make this album a sure bet for a lot of local year-end Best Of 2004 lists-and recent positive reviews in such esteemed publications as No Depression hint that this whole project might be a lot bigger than either Stockert or Devaney could've hoped for. 'Chicky Boom,' my personal fave from this collection (and that's a tough call, because I really do like every song on here), kinda drips outta your speakers at first, like the last couple of reluctant drops from a morning-after bottle of whiskey, Stockert talk-singing the first lines in that weary, devil-may-care-but-I'm-not-sure-I-do-anymore tone of his. And just when you think you're gonna sink back down into the depths (not that you mind sinking, by this point) the tentative pickin', weeping steel guitar, and choppy drum beats coalesce into another beautiful, bibulous half-waltz and Stockert's voice picks up like Deputy Festus on the old Gunsmoke T.V. show after Miss Kitty'd pour him a closing time shot on the house: 'Chicky-chicky boom, yeah!' 'Devil' finds Stockert and his 'House Of Strange Sounds' players (a take-off on the handle of his pals, The House Of Mercy Band, the line-up includes Dave Downey, Jim Hauf, Dave Schultz, Jimmy Peterson, Peter J. Sands, Brian Fessler, Brian O'Neil, Eric Luoma, Steve Murray, Adam Wortman, Darin Wald, Alicia Corbett, and Kevin Pinck) trotting out a Creek Dippers-esque ramble about personal demons and searching for a place (inside?) where 'the devil's got no hold on you...' 'Wild Thing' features more stump-preacher banjo, strange, disembodied voices, and that rollicking honky-tonk piano. And it's got about as much in common musically with The Troggs' nugget by the same name as Ton Loc's wacky hit did. But then again, this record's not about '60s psychedelia, fuzzed out garage guitars, faux rap, lifted samples, fashion, or funky cold Medina. It's about capturing a FEEL, like I said before. And that's exactly what it does. Lots of feelings, to be accurate. Like Jessco, The Dancing Hillbilly and The Dashboard Saviors once said, it's about love, sorrow, hatred, madness ... and anything else that might be boiling just beneath that shiny surface you allow the rest of the world to see. You might not find any answers here (Stockert's clearly still searching himself), but if you're not touched by the raw humanity and the genuine passion running through Chatelaine Saloon, you probably never knew the questions in the first place. The final track, 'Hush,' moans it's way deep down into your ears with sad slide guitar, wispy acoustic pickin', and Stockert's cracked, broken voice summoning up the ghosts of Hank Williams, Nick Drake, and The Scud Mountain Boys simultaneously, literally putting the proverbial cherry on top of this batch of well-crafted, heartfelt, spiritual tracks. And although the album (or it's author and players) never can seem to make up it's/their mind(s) about whether this is a beer-soaked, bleary-eyed Saturday night drinkin' record or a 'damn-I-can't-believe-I-did-that-shit' Sunday morning confessional, by the time you've reached the end your soul makes that decision for you. The cool thing? It's different every time. Try it yourself- and whether you end up with the perfect soundtrack for creating future regrets or one to live them out with, there's no doubt you'll dig the music along the way. Available in all your finer local mom-n-pop record shops. Chicky Chicky Boom!!- Shop: odax
- Price: 25.46 EUR excl. shipping
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Get Things
The Ism is the brainchild of two AR artists, Jesse Bridges and Charlie Griggs. Their debut album, 'Get Things', is an ambitious album that covers much ground, equal parts concept album and art record, it weaves influences from genres as disparate as punk, psychedelia, new wave, and garage rock into a listening experience that is everything but dull. The band's name came from a desire to comment on society's '-ism's', and the songs on 'Get Things' do so justly. Tracks such as 'Kommander' and 'Moral Compass' make concise statements on war and religion, while 'Too Late to Die Young' and the album's title track 'Get Things' convey the group's disillusionment with ideals based on status and materialism that pervade the masses today. Even the 'lighter' fare on the album, such as 'Hot Jacket' and 'C'mon!' deliver commentaries that subtly make themselves heard to the listener, without overshadowing the spontaneous fun of the songs.- Shop: odax
- Price: 25.12 EUR excl. shipping
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Every Beast a Brother
Here it is. Pop-Psychedelia reborn. Re-imagined. Revitalized. A rogue's gallery of characters inhabiting compelling, well crafted songs. Is that the Beatles I hear, or maybe the Creation no it's the Stones or maybe some lost Nuggets from a distant past? But It's too modern, too original a take on the form. What is it? It is what it is (to quote the band). It's the Last Gasp Players Ensemble (and Rotary Hall Band) and you are about to be under the influence. Slip in those earbuds and take a trip down 'Licorice Hollow'. Are you ready? The Players are. Need a little magic for the drive? Slide in the CD and visit 'Mr. Micheal's MIracle Store'. Careful, you may never want to leave. Come back down to earth and let 'Wind' take you where it will. Every Beast a Brother will take you places. Enjoy the journey.- Shop: odax
- Price: 23.65 EUR excl. shipping
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Everybody Here
For The Hotwalls's 2009 release, Everybody Here, the band took the shimmering, power pop of their 2007 debut, deconstructed it's more striking elements, and added a little soul, punk, and psychedelia, making for a highly dynamic and compelling work of art. From the album's mini-epic opener "Conquer Din" and the unforgiving one-two punch of "Love & Sense" and "Embodied," to the mocking waltz of the title-track and the aching beauty of "Sarabot," the band's remarkable development over the last two years is evident. Owing much to the addition of Nathan Lélandais-Miller on bass, with his rich sense of tone and counter-melody, and Jarrod Champion's multi-instrumental verve on drums, keys, and harmonies, The Hotwalls boast a brilliant sonic palette as they've become a bona fide collective. Gabriel Doman weaves his angular yet agile guitar work, from delicate restraint to near-abandon, with Ryan Milligan's versatile tenor, vividly animating the album's themes of love, loss, urgency, and purpose. Everybody Here could veer off at any moment, such is a fear worth loving. The keen production and mixing sensibilities of Eric Hoegemeyer further ensured that Everybody Here delivers an aural experience worthy of repeated returns. Additional contributions were graciously made by Ben Moore, Erik Maluchnik, and Marie Lélandais-Miller. - Detroit's Finest Records, 2009.- Shop: odax
- Price: 20.41 EUR excl. shipping
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Better Than Jesus
From a review: Here's another new Italian progrock formation, it's the five piece band Fungus that was founded in 2002. In 2004 they released the EP Careful and now, six years later, Fungus presents their debut album with the slightly provocative title Better Than Jesus. The music is a wonderful trip to the era between the late Sixties and early Seventies, I notice obvious hints of Pink Floyd and The Doors (especially because of the Jim Morrison-like vocals in several tracks). The Hammond organ freaks will be delighted, most of the 8 tracks contain cascades of Hammond organ, often in strong interplay with the powerful and fiery guitar work. The most captivating element in Fungus their sound is the combination of pure rock and psychedelia and the intense, pretty emotional moments. This adds a special flavor like the sensitive electric guitar with organ in the excellent first composition Share Your Suicide, the dreamy acoustic guitar with warm vocals and piano in Hang On Your Lips and the twanging acoustic guitar, beautiful piano play and romantic vocals in Eternal Mind (it reminds me a little bit of The Crystal Ship by The Doors). Good musical ideas can also be found in Logical Fish (a strongly build-up synthesizer solo) and the instrumental Spammology (swinging with funky bass and delicate interplay between guitar, organ and piano). My first musical encounter with Fungus their music turned out to be a very pleasant one, what an exciting musical time travel! Erik Neuteboom.- Shop: odax
- Price: 18.86 EUR excl. shipping
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This Is My America
If you considered their debut "Worthless Lesson" album a slap upside the head, you better duck. Route .44's sophomore release is a haymaker. The album, called "This is My America," can be likened to Russell Crowe's first big line in "Gladiator"... "Unleash Hell" or Gerard Butler's, as Leonidas in "300"... "Prepare for Glory."Yeah, "...My America" has just that kind of ferocity. The current lineup of Route .44 came together just under five years ago, with stand up bassist and production guru Eric D. joining in '05. In 2007, they earned a Motif Music Award for Breakthru Band of the Year. In 2008, they were dubbed Alt-Rock Band of the Year by local music junkies. Here at Motif, Roots music columnist John Fuzek first noticed Route .44 as an upstart roots outfit throwing together crazy elements of various genres into a richly-saturated oblique tour-de-force. The debut work, "Worthless Lessons," leaned mainly on the bands roots foundation, coming across as much gospel as roots-rock at times. Despite the fact that band leader and lyricist Ian Lacombe peppered the album with hard-edged lyrics in songs such as "Addiction" and "Worthless Lessons." The sound, vocals, and arrangements are an acquired taste, to some degree. You're not likely to catch Route .44 on mainstream Clear Channel stations like WHJY, or corporate alt-rock such as WBRU. There's an oblique power and beauty, admittedly not for everyone. "This is My America" demonstrates a clear maturation into more forceful songwriting and an uncompromising social critique noticeably absent in this time of war and crisis. "Music has always been a mirror of the times. This album is a continuance of that tradition," songwriter Ian Lacombe says. "I have always been a fan of music with a conscience from Anarcho-punk bands like Crass and Conflict to Woody Guthrie and Country Joe and the Fish. "I think we are living in a time when we need more social commentary in music. I don't think people really want to be spoonfed the latest Britney Spears song about how difficult her comeback has been... I mean,do we really give a f&%$k about that." One of the more pertinent and in- your face tracks, 'My America,' indicts American apathy, political deceit and the dark cruelty harbored by human souls. Referencing the album's title, 'My America' could double for Johnny Depp's big "Sweeney Todd" number. A blend of breathless harlequin and burning disdain, Lacombe continues his raw wordsmith excellence. 'My America' would be like Jim Morrison joining Disturbed and bringing his poetic psychedelia on a Warped Tour. Vocalists Jess Powers and Teri Pimley conflate an angelic foil to Lacombe's demons. But with the new Route .44, halos tarnish fast in an anti-harmony of vice: Take my money, give me pain. Put me out on that train. Again, the way you use me. I thought I was forgiven, but I cannot stop my sinning... I dream of a catastrophe, already in the making. In which we are like insects, tryin' to build a hive. Like drones we all operate without the ability to think for ourselves 'till the day we die. And our queens will just make more of us, as we succumb to thoughts of lust... perpetuate our existence to further make us slide. This is my, this is my America. This is myAmerica. "As far as the darker imagery in the lyrics goes, I think that's simply a sign of the times," Lacombe says. "The world is getting darker, wars are raging, our economy is shrinking, and resources are disappearing. "In a nutshell, the world shapes the music I present, and personally, happiness isn't really inspiring to me. I don't write love songs because I'm not inspired by love." Throughout the 10-track "My America" disc, Route .44 threads themes of sin, vice, betrayal and fury. The new material has more edge than the 8-member band's "Worthless Lesson" release. "My America" comes across dirty, sexy, and lust filled, merging more heavy rock, jazz and blues elements than before. Sax men Matt Swanton and Paul Choquette shine, as does Pimley's lonesome viola work, and Eric D. (upright bass), Jud Lisiecka (percussion), and Rob Champagne (drums) lay the groundwork for vocals to soar, mingle and fall to Earth. On perhaps the most musically brazen track, 'Trinity,' blaring horns, driving bass and percussion are challenged by the lofty vocals of Powers and Pimley, and contrasted by Lacombe guttural mixing of the parables about Hindu God Vishnu and the first testing of a nuclear weapon. The test, like the song, is called Trinity. Site director for the Trinity test, J. Robert Oppenheimer, later said that a line from the Hindu scripture the "Bhagavad-Gita" came to mind: "I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds." Lacombe uses the line repeatedly. "When I was about 19, I really got into researching the development of the Atomic Bomb," Lacombe says. "I was always enthralled with Oppenheimer. He was an incredibly compassionate man, and a brilliant scientist, whom I think was devastated by his own creation." At the time, nuclear test director Kenneth Bainbridge reportedly said to Oppenheimer, "Now we are all sons of bitches." Pithy Americans! But 'Stimulus Response' lays claim to the most lyrically fierce song on "My America." Down, down, down. This place burns to the ground. Desperately, we pursue our happiness like rats in the street. When our backs are broken and our knuckles raw, we work from our knees. Hope is what we feed ourselves at night. Have some, it'll make everything alright. In poverty we're spoonfed the scraps of a Bourgeois roast. A loaf of bread to feed five thousand, while the CEO's toast. We can rise up. We can greet them with a storm. Or lay down and accept what is the norm. 'Stimulus' operates as an unabashed political revolutionary call, devoid of any real hope that a response will follow. Lacombe's lyrical tact points to the obvious... we're all screwed. So stand up, or take it like a beat dog and just roll over. There's plenty more solid music on"America," including steamy 'Lonely Together,' with a sultry jazz-based groove courtesy of Eric D. "This is My America" makes the blood rush fast and hot, makes you smile at the thought of sin and lust. Jim Vickers - Motif Magazine - April 09.- Shop: odax
- Price: 20.41 EUR excl. shipping
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Vibrational Osmosis
Since 2007, Wah-Wah Exit Wound has been playing progressive psychedelic music. Dave Webb (Girth, Asva), Warren Pease, and Bowie McLean form the power trio that reminds listeners how and why the simple lineup of guitar / bass / drums has ruled the world since the 60s. Drawing equally from King Crimson, Yes, Rush, and other classic prog bands, fusion greats Return to Forever and Tony Williams Lifetime, and the epic force of Neil Young with Crazy Horse, WWEW can easily blow the roof off a club, then stop on a dime to caress the audience back into the womb....before doing it all again. Originally formed by old friends Jared Nelson (no longer with the band) and Dave Webb, WWEW has steadily evolved. After recruiting Andy Pease on drums and Bowie McLean on bass the quartet hit the road and did a small west coast tour in spring '07. When they returned, the seeds of Earth is a Cannon of Love had been laid. The 2nd half of 2007 was spent hunkered down in Seattle, playing local shows and recording their debut. Huge walls of guitar, tender ballads, and breakneck time and feel changes...this record never fails to remain an interesting listen, but is balanced by the sensibilities of the songwriting team. Repeated listens will reveal layers of sonic landscapes and prove that the great rock record is not a thing of the past. This is progressive psychedelia at it's best. 2008 and 2009 have been busy years for Wah Wah. They've completed and toured in support of Vibrational Osmosis, a record that is close to all their hearts and can be seen as a massive step forward in character, insanity, and song-craft. The entire album could be described as more pure, the songs are more emotionally rich and honest, the technical aspects of the band have been captured as never before. In addition, the band's personality shines through on this record. There is an overall joy here, always buried in ominous layers of psychedelia. Quotes: 'Wah Wah Exit Wound is an emerging force to be reckoned with. It's a three-piece so taught and in sync with each other that the music is able to take over your ears, flowing with a soothing complexity that's so natural that those not so fond of prog-rock may not even notice, but those who are will fully appreciate the precision the band shows off. The bass and drum grooves provide a deep landscape for the shredding guitar to fly over and scream in cold blood it's truths of the world. The rushing walls of sound, a variety of genres mixed into the progressive style, are heavier and truer than their influences...All in all, if you want to see a powerful, confident, exciting, technically gifted band...than you've got an obvious choice.' --Teddy Dutton, LPM Voice, August 2009 '...songs...so serpentine and knotty, they must have taken 10-hour rehearsal days to master them. Seriously. These labyrinthine pieces sound great...while they're happening (thankfully, they aren't fooling about the wah-wah part of their moniker), but they're very hard to retain in your brain afterward. They dissipate like passages from a book written in a language you only half understand. But during them, it's like riding a roller coaster in a forest full of pine trees. Compliment.' --Dave Segal, The Stranger LineOut, 7/10/09 'After seeing WWEW a couple of times and listening to this CD this stuff is really pretty damn good! Kind of different than anything I can name, other than this weird Seattle loose-posse of like-minded players who have managed to mix all these styles into longform tracks that go fucking everywhere, but where it's going are sounds I can dig and not pretentious noise or drone cop-out bullshit so many others tend to get caught up in---you guys actually write shit and can execute it. It's very bizarre that Seattle has several units of such progresso pychedelics out there ahead of the fuckin game. It deserves a vinyl release to give it the psychological edge it deserves to create a timeless document.' --Alan Bishop (Sun City Girls, Sublime Frequencies), April 2008 'The quartet's monster guitars, attack-drums, and dramatic tempo changes are mysteriously heavy, darkly psychedelic, and you can actually hear how long the bass player's hair is. The result gratifies audience and musician alike in long, rock-operatic songs like 'Failed Spiraling Majesty.'' -- San Francisco Weekly, 2007.- Shop: odax
- Price: 22.11 EUR excl. shipping
