Review: Blackwater Holylight sacrifice their latest EP 'If You Only Knew' to the Suicide Squeeze gods, providing an intermezzo of cosmos and sludge. A chthonic dark psych explosion if we've ever heard one, we hear metal, shoegaze, and psychedelia culminate to an iconoclastic crunch point, as strange auraic statues of Cthulhu shatter before our eyes, evoking the god beast in actuality, not just representation. Lead track 'Wandering Lost' hears the band tear up constellate skies, as producer Sonni DiPerri shapes the track's many shifting structural tides, evoking the many emotional turmoils and stretching-thins of life; Sunny Faris (vocals, guitar, bass) further emphasises its point, that is, to embrace the inequitable unknown.
Review: The latest addition to Echo Edits keeps the funk coming courtesy of Break Character who delivers two powerful tracks that are indicative of his unique approach, names to enhance each edit with extra layers of FX and beats. 'Cosmic Freaks' takes a 60s go-go rock groove and infuses it with Moog and Space Echo effects while paying homage to the psychedelic club sounds of Pierre Henry and JJ Perrey. 'Cherie Boca' then transports you in an instant to the funky samba rhythms of 70s Brazil with an extended edit and added beats to guide dancers from the favela to the beach. Two distinct styles, perfect for different vibes.
Review: Straop yourself in and prepare for a cosmic trip on psyched out cosmic polyrhythms with kosmische overtones at the hands of newcomer Glass Beams. This debut on Research Record is a stunning one from the enigmatic producer but will have you googling t find out as much as you can while you get lost in the sliding bass and transcendent synthwork. It's tinged with a certain retro charm and 70s prog magic but also feels decidedly new and fresh. Masterful.
Review: Turkish artist Peki Momes wowed listeners last autumn with her debut 45, 'Goc Mevsimi', and she now returns with yet another double-sider single promising such captivations of the cochlea once more. Here she brings a fresh spin on the classic Marcos Valle tune 'Estrelar' with 'Yildiz'; retaining the original's vibrant energy, her new Turkish-langauge rendition dreams of the stars, sun, and moon. 'Bahar', on the flip, offers a psychic disco anthem at the moon's noon, with its distinctive chorused, peak-vibrato high Rhodes helping transmute a theme of political strife into a tranquil midnight fandango.
Review: 'Behind The Green Door' understands the power of lunging rhythms. A one-man-band by some estimations - the 'group' has just a single permanent member, Danny "Lee Blackwell" Rajan Billingsley, with the founder, drummer James Traeger, only involved intermittently. And this isn't the only norm defied. Psychedelic garage rock for some, to us it's a kind of hypnotic, swampy, choral thing with shades of rhythm and blues and soul. With plenty of encouragement to chant. In 2023, Night Beats dropped a sixth studio album, Rajan, and then promptly ran back into the same ether that's been obscuring them from many views since 2009. Still, if you caught a glimpse then, or rather an earshot, and took the brave decision to follow, here's where we've wound up - and it sounds awesome.
Review: Spanish Ethio-jazzers Pyramid Blue return with their latest 45 rpm rotunda on Discos Martos. Another one signalling the best of this rather recherche band's evolving sonics, they here team up with with Habiba Chaouf, a talented Arab singer deeply rooted in Spain's flamenco scene. Habiba's mesmerising vocals bring a rich layer to the A-side, where identifiably Arab melodies intertwine seamlessly with deep Afro-funk rhythms. 'Amal' means "hope" in Arabic, suggesting themes of longing, uncertainty, and soul-search. The B-side's 'La Esperanza', meanwhile, adds a touch of 70s film soundtrack bombast, combined with a whispered mid-record rap.
Review: Rain Parade's recent EP Last Stop On The Underground marks their notable return to the music scene, coinciding with the release of their first album in nearly forty years, Last Rays of a Dying Sun. Original members Matt Piucci and Steven Roback, who have been collaborating since 1981, continue their legacy of neo-psychedelic rock with this fresh material. The band, co-founded by the Roback brothers and Piucci, made a significant impact in the 1980s Paisley Underground scene with their debut album Emergency Third Rail Power Trip, widely regarded as a classic. Following David Roback's departure, the band's EP Explosions In The Glass Palace in 1984 maintained their high acclaim and has only grown in reputation over time. Reflecting on the creation of the new EP, Sid Griffin of The Long Ryders mentioned their recent tour with the Third Mind, which inspired Rain Parade to produce new material for their European audience. The EP features three new songs, including the title track, which incorporates elements from an older unfinished piece, and a leftover track from their latest album, creating a cohesive four-song collection. The recording process, guided by Jim Hill in familiar Oakland studios, was efficient, showcasing Rain Parade's ability to craft captivating music swiftly.
Review: The imagination of the Munster label runs unabashed, as the late 1960s French cabaret star Rita and Chilean band Aguaturbia are heard to "team up" on this wonderful 7" slither of eroticism. Both visited their respective localities in the late 60s and early 70s, with Aguaturbia especially concluding an extensive tour across Europe with an incensing performative finale in France. They also happened to each name one of their own best songs 'Erotica'. Though they never met or really formally collaborated, this new record indulges the fantasy of what it may have been like to work together, had their shoulders been hit with golden arrows. An imaginary sexploitation film soundtrack, Rita's 'Erotica' rises to the hyperventilated brim, her delighted cries building to shaky, sighing contractions, while Aguaturbia's does remarkably similar with a brasher, dust-storming fuzz-guitar melee set to fainter but still audible groans.
Review: Dynamite Cuts lives up to its name once more by unearthing a deep funk treasure here, and they do the right thing and serve it up for the first time ever on its own 7". Sound Investment's 'Funky Skunk' is a raw and rhythm-heavy rarity previously confined to album-only status. It's bursting with tight grooves, gritty breaks and irresistible energy and is a dream for DJs, collectors and crate-diggers. On the B-side, 'Dirty Man' keeps the heat alive by delivering more deep-fried funk goodness. Both cuts showcase the band's raw musicianship and groove-driven spirit. Authentic funk vibes don't come much better than this.
Review: Sun Atlas is a mysterious ensemble whose origins remain elusive. Listening to their music, you wonder whether they could have been based in Los Angeles, New York, Marrakesh or somewhere else entirely. Their only tangible existence is found on this 45, but it's a brilliant one which showcases their irresistible sound. Afrobeat, ethiojazz, surf, cinematic soul, crime jazz and funk and hip-hop breaks all colour these tunes as Sun Atlas create a razor-sharp, genre-defying mix that speaks volumes without saying much. Their music is full of drama and tension, narrative and diverse rhythms and it all adds up to an enigmatic vibe. This release proves that sometimes, the sound itself is all that matters.
Review: So much for a psychedelic lifestyle - we're talking music rather than intoxicants, obviously - proving bad for productivity. Tucson, Arizona's Trees Speak have managed to record three albums in the space of a year for Soul Jazz and been praised as creating a "Dark Side of the Moon for the 21st century" in their most recent, Timeforms. Hot the heels of that success comes a limited (to a super select 150 copies), hand stamped 7" containing two even newer productions, with 'Wave Healer' proving a swampy, glorious mess of echoing, ring modulated voices and vintage synth soaring pinned down by a Broadcast-style organ and Mo Tucker-esque floor tom thump. 'Psychic State' meanwhile, on the flip, goes hither and zither with a slower and more off kilter beats and controls set for the heart of the echo again. This is most definitely what the fuss is all about.
Review: Stockholm-based multi-instrumentalist and composer Art Longo impresses here with Echowah Island, a new album sure to wind its way into your affections. It was crafted over years in his home studio and is "psychotropical pop" drawing deep inspiration from late 80s music and dub. The album's lush soundscape evokes orange sunsets and ocean breezes and is layered with spring reverb, space echo and wah-wah effects that smooth out the edges as the steady pulse of vintage drum machines moves things on down low. A standout feature is Claudio Jonas, whose ethereal vocals recall classic French femme fatale singers of the 60s. Her poetic, kaleidoscopic lyrics add to a nostalgic dream world that gently bends reality and makes his both escapist and thought-provoking.
Review: Ash Ra Tempel's 1973 album Starring Rosi, led by innovative guitarist Manuel Gottsching, showcases a more accessible sound compared to their earlier cosmic explorations. Rosi Muller, Gottsching's then-girlfriend, contributes spoken word passages, adding a unique texture to several tracks. The album opens with 'Laughter Loving', a cheerful, wah-wah guitar-driven track with hints of country-rock and droning synths. 'Day-Dream' features a stoned, two-chord acoustic sequence, paired with gentle lead guitar and dreamy vocals. Instrumental track 'Schizo' offers a detached, spacey atmosphere, while 'Cosmic Tango' delivers a funky groove, reminiscent of Gong's space-whisper style. The nearly nine-minute 'Interplay of Forces' starts in a psychedelic, space-rock vein before evolving into a guitar and drum-heavy jam. The album closes with 'Bring Me Up', a bluesy, funky track that spotlights Gottsching's masterful guitar work. The album's reissue on 180-gram coloured vinyl further highlights its timeless, genre-blending appeal.
Review: Ash Ra Tempel's fifth and - in most ways of judging it - final album was really also a swan song for the late, great Manuel Gottsching. Recoded at Studio Dierks, in the small, picturesque and windmill-happy German village of Stommeln by none other than Scorpions studio chief Dieter Dierks, there's a lot happening on Starring Rosi. And all of it really pretty damn good. It's funk, it's epic. It's moody, it's upbeat. It's steeped in an air of Krautrock and space rock, yet also wouldn't sound out of place providing the slap bass and guitar licks for a 1970s movie trailer. Simply put, it's Ash Ra Tempel, from the cosmic warmup and gradual build go 'Laughter Loving', through the folk-ish serenity of 'The Fairy Dance' and warbling, warped cacophonies on 'Schizo'.
Review: Byron Bay 60s-psych revivalists Babe Rainbow are the first band to be signed to King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard's newly created p(doom) Records. When they announced this album at the end of 2024, with the release of single 'Like Cleopatra', it was the label's inauguration. The mystery in all of this, though, is how one earth does King Gizzard find the time to run a label when they release album as quickly as Mo Salah scores goals? Anyways, they clearly have a great ear as they've done the right thing in putting out this album of psychedelic acid pop, with its lysergic jams 80s synth-funk workouts. For all its nostalgia, there are parallels to more modern neo-psych bands that are really appealing, too. 'Aquarium Cowgirl' could have been a great release for the now disbanded London-based band Childhood, thanks to the reverb-y transcendental falsetto and floaty layers of dreamy guitar. Ultimately, this is a great, uplifting mood antidote to all the post-punk and shoegaze that's cornering the market at the moment.
Review: Andy Bell is a blessed man: he had none other than Neu!'s Michael Rother supply guitar parts to the opening cut 'I'm In Love' (a cover of The Passions' post-punk classic). Moreover, One Love's Dot Allison is guest vocalist and supplies ethereal tones to the breathtaking song. It opens the gate beautifully for the heady collection of entirely new material that follows. It's an album that navigates Stone Roses grooves and Arthur Russell style experimental textures and works just as well for close listening as it does moodily-lit dancefloors. The Ride guitarist is on the form of his life here and you could do far worse than letting this wash all over you.
Review: We get it - there's a lot of music released everyday and it can feel overwhelming to sort the wheat from the chaff. There's no doubt, however, that Ride guitarist Andy Bell has delivered the goods here. His latest solo effort is helped by some influential collaborators. Proto-shoegaze cut 'I'm In Love...' features none other than One Dove's Dot Allison and Neu!'s Michael Rother. It's a beautiful reworking of The Passions' 1981 hit, certain to strike a chord with those who love the dreamier side of shoegaze. Bell has mixed and produced this record himself and proves himself to be a tireless conduit for beautiful ideas and sounds. Long may he keep producing music this good.
Review: Following a few years spent focusing on his ambient, drone and instrumental shoegaze focused GLOK project, former Ride man Andy Bell has finally got round to recording a new album of songs. Titled Sonic Cathedral, the album is undeniably nostalgic in tone, not only reacalling the jangly and sonically dense days of shoegaze and jangly indie-pop, but also the funkier and more intoxicated indie-dance records of that period (think Weatherall productions and remixes of the period, the Stone Roses and - whisper it quietly - Candy Flip). It's a bold and hugely enjoyable blend, with Bell sashaying between the tactile, Spiritualized-ish 'The Notes You Never Hear', the krautrock-goes-funky flex of 'Space Station Mantra', the Beck-esque 'Music Concrete' and the Tony Allen/Afrobeat-influenced 'Apple Green UFO'.
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