REVERBERATION

I really wanna know!

2012-01-23T09:31:00.000+01:00

An open letter from Vebeth This letter is written to inform our friends, fans and all the rest that our collaboration with Mark Openshaw & Outlier Records is officially over. We would like to ask Mark who does no longer see the need to reply emails or pay his debts to have the decency to stop selling Vebeth products on his website and cut all links between the two online and offline. If you'd like to purchase a product, please contact the band directly through email. do NOT buy anything from outlierrecords(.)co(.)uk as they will not send/ship sold products and none of the profit will go to the artists. We'd lastly like to wish Mark a happy life, and hopefully with this exposure added to the one about Natty Brooker by Will Carruthers, his life of scamming is over and a life of honesty and retribution will begin. -Vebeth

THE CULT OF DOM KELLER : EP3

2012-01-22T13:51:00.005+01:00

The world is no more, hail to the kingdom of death and darkness!

After an eventful and sinuous journey in space, The Cult Of Dom Keller has descended to the underworld.

Welcome to hell, “Call Of The Black Mass” is the doorway to the lowest of the inferno where you can hear creatures howling, where ghosts roam so endlessly one can feel and almost touch their spooky lament. The epicenter of madness is bursting with eerie energy. Lethally sharp, murderous guitars keep feeding your brains all the way through. Talk about doom, this is the sound of apocalypse!

Prior to reaching hell, the psychedelic pirates travelled across “dead seas” and bravely fought Poseidon’s wrath until their last breath, then wound up “heavy and dead” in god forsaken otherworldly premises. Like Orpheus crossing The Styx, “Untitled” chills your blood while you wonder what comes next for the cult warriors.

“Ghost Bones” will come and haunt you, providing hallucinations with its layers of guitars that gradually knock you out , the vocals sounding more ethereal than ever, from beyond the grave…

At this point, are you aching because you are dying or feeling frightfully alive? This is how it feels to live your life dead.

"Black Pullet Blues" makes a memorable epilogue as the soundtrack of the end of the world and yet overflows with vital exertion, with sounds so sharp and intoxicating that they get straight to your spine and leave you high on noisedrenaline.

This sees the resurrection of The Cult Of Dom Keller, greater than God and Light and outsmarting Hell and Evil Forces.

Long live The Cult Of black magic!

http://thecultofdomkeller.bandcamp.com/

Interview with LYDIA LUNCH

2011-12-15T17:23:00.004+01:00

The legendary Lydia Lunch appeared in the no wave music scene in the late seventies and was to become an underground myth, collaborating with the likes of Sonic Youth, Rowland S. Howard or Nick Cave. Lunch is one of the epitomes of uncompromising art with her explicit lyrics, far removed from radio-friendly diktat.

She was kind enough to answer a few questions at her last show in Paris at La Blanchisserie.

Lady Godiva: Hello, I’m Juliette, I’m honored.

Lydia Lunch: Hello, I’m Lydia Lunch, I’m pleasured.

LG: What brought you to Europe, Lydia? I know you live in Barcelona. Is it for musical or lifestyle reasons? Difference in crowds and approach to music?

LL: Like you, I’m a nomad. I move around a lot. I can’t support myself in the States. I couldn’t support myself in the States, I don’t know if I ever supported myself in the States and it makes no sense to live in a place that is a police state, as a matter of fact more so than ever, Bush was gonna steal the second election, so that was it, I had to get out and I stayed for as long as I did for two reasons: Hubert Selby to visit him a few times before he died and it was just over, you know. I kept everything that I do there in Europe, because there’s so many different places to approach whether it’s museums, solo shows or exhibitions.

I had an exhibition in a convent, in a monastery in a small town in Spain that was funded for doing hard big ass bold rock!

You know, it would be even harder to do ten shows in America with a rock band, not to mention all the other stuff I do. I do workshops and all of this.

Specifically, Spain drew me because I’ve been going there since 1984 and it’s changed a lot since then. It’s changed a lot in the seven years that I’ve lived there, to me as I left a country going into fascism to one that’s out of fascism for three decades. Of course not the recent elections, time will tell… doesn’t it always? But there’s so much that keeps me in Spain : the architecture, the history of the mania, madness of the persecution and then the history of the art: Goya, Dali and on and on and on, and then the spirit of the people, which is nothing caused by fucking war or poverty or famine, republicanism or fascism.

The spirit is nothing crushed and to me that’s really fascinating because that’s my struggle. It is to rise above.

LG: What do you think has changed the most in the music scene since you first started?

LL: My face!!! (But not my body!!!)

Chuckles!

Look, I’m in the same ghetto as I always was, I mean I consider my career crap walk, a linear crap walk sideways, the low of the low of the underground, I mean the subterranean, the cryptic first of all, even below that.

You know, I’m so in my own trajectory, in my own world, doing what I do at my own pace that whatever goes on is outside. I know what’s going on but does it affect me? No, it annoys me, though. I don’t know, I mean it seems like in a circular, like there’s thieves, there’s liars, there’s good people. There’s people that just keep going, there’s independent people that continue, you just do what you do.

What changes in other rounds of it, so Lady Gaga’s got a new stylist. That’s the most worrying thing to me. Why is a middle aged woman running around on stage pretending they like to fuck everything that moves when they only fuck once in a while, that to me is a very disturbing trend.

I find it repulsive actually, it’s like seventies aerobic costumes pretending you’re doing what we did really in the seventies. Don’t stick it out if you’re not gonna share it, that’s what I said.

LG: I get it.

LL: I actually do, sista. Do you give it?

Chuckles

LG: Do you think it’s harder for a woman in this industry?

LL: In every fucking industry, I think it’s harder for a woman in every walk and aspect of life because it’s harder in every substrata of existence. I mean it’s harder for everyone except for the 1% of the 1%, crypto maniac homicidal rulers that are turning 2011 into 1513 or 1312, feudal times but one part of me of course takes great delight in the folly of men and their foolish need to destroy everything that fucking exists on this planet because one part of me laughs, like the cruel sadist I am, that some man kills and crushes and destroys. Haha, a little puppet!

You just reminded me what I’m here to do: ROCK!!!

Sings: There’s a murderer in the White House.

LG: Do you have a favourite motto?

LL: I’m talking, everyone else will shut up!

No, I have many favourite mottos.

LG: As a writer, is writing a kind of therapy to you? Is it like music? Are all forms of art complementary?

LL: I don’t keep volumes of one-liners because I don’t edit, so I accept to sit down and write, I’m smoking cigarettes, I’m drinking coffee, I’m cleaning every inch of the house. To procrastinate is the writer’s fault because when it’s time to do it, it’s like a vomitorium. I write in chunks but I’m not a trained writer, I write for conversation because I write for the stage. That’s kind of the way my bang works but I don’t sit around, think of lyrics ten minutes, sometimes less but it could take three four pages or three years, then it’s ready, it’s not like exercise where you have to force it.

LG: Of course you can’t force that, you can’t force something that’s soulful.

LL: Hubert Selby told me a great story. His last book took sixteen years to write.

LG: Oh my! It’s like being pregnant for eternity.

LL: He said it was sometimes like a physical block that would not allow it to go in, one book took six months, seven years, two years…

If it’s not ready, I’m not forcing it. You know everything I create is so instinctual and untrained and natural.

LG: That’s exactly what I appreciate about your art. It’s raw and genuine, just truthful, that’s what I like about uncompromising artists. There aren’t a lot of you out there. Rowland was one of the very last ones, the quintessential one. You are still there and I don’t know who’s gonna be there after you…

LL: I know, thank you very much, I really appreciate that. It really means a lot! I know what you’re saying, I know who impacted me and all that but the essence of their soul, I don’t see it anywhere else.

LG: That’s what worries me about the state of art or so-called art nowadays, I mean it’s not really art anymore, a lot of it is fake.

LL: Yeah, bullshit!

LG: Exactly! With all those hipsters who have taken over the world. Free us of those people, they’re everywhere!

LL: You know, I’m proposing and I think it’s going to happen in April or May of 2012, a worshop in Rennes, France, at this place I did Big Sexy Noise two months ago. It’s a place that artists took over and they incorporate and I proposed a women artist workshop for and by women only and it’s called closed catastrophy collaboration. One of my friends who got a spoken word with me and Bebe Hansen, who’s Beck’s mother and another artist who’s a musician but now does interiors, so bring in these artists to play in France, to inspire other women artists, to offer a sense of community.

I’d love to invite you to that, with other inspirational women artists. We have to find each other, we have to talk to each other, we have to come together. It’s kind of why we’re here together. In the past when we didn’t have techonology, we were forced to go to a city, to a different city, to make a community, to make a scene happen.

LG: Who were the people who inspired you, in music, literature or art in general?

LL: Hubert Selby inspired me a lot, all the pain he had to go through for years, the torture of writing a book for so many years and he was unrecognized completely.

LG: Europe loves Americans who are underappreciated back home.

Thank you queen witch! Trust the witch!

UFESAS

2011-12-02T22:47:00.005+01:00

Cover art by Diego Arrighetti.

Ufesas have always been a force, a force pushing foward.
So it wasn’t a surprise to hear their self-titled LP and feel the strength driving you on, and turning you on as well. The pulse, the body always moving and the guts to take the ride.
This was a very much anticipated LP, quite a lot of people were waiting to hear it and so it was a communion of joy among all of us who love this band when it was finally released.
It was recorded at Sondor Studios (Montevideo, Uruguay), one of the most important and traditional studios of Uruguay, where legendary artists such as Eduardo Mateo, Alfredo Zitarrosa, Pappo; and other great bands of our time such as Revolver and HPLE have recorded their art.
With aditional recording at Folie a Deux studios (Canelones, Uruguay); engineered and mixed by Nicolás Demczylo (and let me stop here and say that he might be my favourite contemporary uruguayan engineer), and produced by Ufesas, who wouldn’t give up the DIY spirit even at gun point.
It has guest appearances as well, Arri’s percussion on "Part of the night" and Héctor Barceló (from Ravengers) as the creepy trumpet on the same song. The cover photograph is by Diego Arrighetti, the album design by Federico Bolagno and it was released once more by Droehnhaus Records (Germany).

There’s no doubt this is a much more mature work, the guys have grown, the kids have left home. It’s obvious to us who have been listening from the beginning that things have happened, life has happened and that they’ve managed to come out of it victorious with an album that has gone deeper into the mind sounds and the very concept of feeling the music.
Ufesas is not a band to just listen to, is a band to get lost into, one must let them take you wherever their sound might take you and just let it be, otherwise the journey is dead from the start.
And it’s a much darker sound, much more stoner rock than hard rock, as it was before. But you have a song like “Part of the night” that is completely different, Ufesas sound has the courage that only being certain of your sound can bring. It’s a dark sound, an unafraid sound. These guys are not afraid of the dark.
That song might be the answer to what Ufesas is to me. A never stoping moving force that passes thru different states that grow until it explodes, to not dissapear, but to remain in everything. Ufesas still play their songs as every song should always be played, as if was the last time.
I don’t listen to music just with my ears, I listen to music with my stomach, with my groin, with my sex, with my soul. That being said, I’ll say something to some people that might not understand what it is to really feel part of a sound so much that it heals you. The same people that will never understand my subjective taste and point of view (which will forever remain subjective): fuck you.
Ufesas manda.

+INFO
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THE PSYCHOCANDIES : You Feel The Sun (I Kiss The Floor) EP

2011-11-19T20:27:00.009+01:00

« Like the succulence of pure opium itself »

The Psychocandies set high-flying standards, being named after the legendary Jesus & Mary Chain. Weltering in ice guitars and clenched up with cinematic tension and ellipsis as well as Lynchian lascivious atmosphere, their sound is tantalizing as a forbidden fruit, it is indeed intoxicating as poison and yet delightful as candy, a compelling indulgence to revel in from stem to stern. The band lives up to its stellar name.

This exhilarating charm springs from a clever contrast between sun and darkness, what is revealed and what is concealed, bliss and curse blowing hot and cold and leaving one’s imagination out of control.

"Laura Palmer’s Death" sets the tone as an evil opener, a pandora’s box spreading doom all over. The higher they come, the harder they fall…

Like a mystery ride to an unknown destination, wicked riffs take you to darklands, somewhere at the crossroads of dreamland and mind games. Dig this, French musicians can be hypnotists too! These five songs will insinuate themselves into your mind, as hard as prescription drugs and faster than a shot of bourbon. A mesmeric crash in layers of velvet, scratches with claws, drops of blood, blindfolds and ethylic coma.

Decadent and delectable.

http://thepsychocandies.bandcamp.com/

THE LAURELS : Mesozoic EP

2011-11-11T17:20:00.012+01:00

The new lords of shoegaze are no longer from the UK, they hail straight from Sydney, Australia.

Like their aussie legend peers, the aptly named Laurels sound like no one else, they are masters of their craft : a rollercoaster of luxurious sounds bursting all over the place, shambolically melodic and ablaze with intensity : a protean weapon of choice wall of sound made by four remarkable alchemists : Wilson on drums, Hannan on bass and guitarists and vocalists Cornelius and O' Farrell, who give eargasms of warfare magnitude.

Hail to opulent sensations, an epiphany for the listener, songs that will get you higher than cloud nine with kicks as sharp as an army of knives. The Laurels never take the easy way out, they are sophisticated and yet carry that magical instant touch that gets you compulsively hooked. They are compound of several mantles that are the key to their mojo.

Within a few notes, « Black Cathedral » is able to grab the hell out of you, squeeze you to the core of the music, turn you upside down and fly you to the moon and back.

This definite touch of theirs can be rock solid or pop genius. Either way, it is cheeky and flows at the same time. Somewhere beneath their sovereign guitars and killer edges lie sparkles of Lennon's virtuosity, in the mellowness of « What She Does To Me » or « Run For Cover ».

If « Turn On Your Mind » doesn't blow that mind of yours, you are either deaf, numb or square. It is prodigal magic encapsulated in a tune with feel good dopamines and star powder. Hearing it is believing, believing in professional mindblowers.

« Merry Go Round » makes a perfect fitting sequel to Turn On Your Mind, another sphere of mind expanding visions and feels.

Music that makes you happy and transcends you at the same time.

Soul substance that resonates in your brains and guts.

In a current realm of conformity, The Laurels stand out with phenomenal flair and enrapturing chemistry.

Turn on your mind, spin Mesozoic EP until you can catch the crown jewels live, they are the music makers and they are the dreamers of dreams !

http://www.myspace.com/thelaurels

CEREMONY : Not Tonight EP

2011-11-11T02:35:00.006+01:00

Ladies and gentlemen, get ready for the new Ceremony, coming to you from a place in space.

From walls of sound can emerge the greatest celebration of music, sonic cathedral power galore !

Like a gem of opal with many shimmering reflections, Ceremony holds the miracle illumination.

« Not Tonight » builds a rotation within a ring of dark light, creating a luscious irradiating ignitor.

Drenched in irony as much as in feedback, « Leaves Me Cold » is quintessentially ceremonyish, turning distortion into delight, how noise and chaos extricate awesomeness with drum machine spinal kicks, erosive guitars and supremely suave vocals.

It will leave you aroused and yearning for more bitter sweet earcandy.

« Dreams Stripped Away » is the pinnacle of the party, a rank shoegaze number bound to be a classic. It is your ticket to plush levitation.

Beware of the voices, « Take You Down » is no party-pooper but a very sharp and lucid conclusion to a night of debauchery. It may as well be the end of a playful romance that disappears under the nighttime.

When the ceremony is over, there are no more space processions.

Stay tuned for more profuse cosmic happenings !

THE BLUEBERRIES

2011-09-14T00:44:00.006+02:00

Artwork by La Insoportable Levedad

Music to make you happy.
Music to wake up to and start a better day.
One can see ourselves easily walking the streets of any city listening to The Blueberries and changing any saddened face into a grin, and then a smile.
These guys (and gal) from Montevideo, Uruguay have the upbeat and relaxed rhythm that can make any day better, even when the songs are talking about not correspondent love, the feel is always optimistic, and what’s wrong with that? Nothing at all.
Ernesto Pasarisa (Vox, Guitar), Vicky Álvarez (Bass), Santiago "Saji" Jaureguy (Guitar, chorus), Fede Hell (Drums) are the responsibles of the mentioned optimism.
The band was formed back in 2007 and have been playing since, both in Montevideo and Buenos Aires.
They’ve named bands such as The Velvet Underground, Bob Dylan, The Beatles, The Kinks, The Hives, The Who,The Libertines, The Strokes, The Moldy Peaches, Oasis and Blur as their influences, and one can clearly get an image of any of them when listening to the album, but there’s also a unique and close to home sound that can’t be denied, and that comes from the easygoing life of Montevideo, its warm weather, its warm people, there’s a mix of cold & hot, of up & down. That’s the spice South America adds to MOD rock.

Photo by Ana Ge.

Their first LP was produced by Max Capote, mixed by Juan Branaa and released in December 2010.
Imagine a perfect English gentleman having tea, sitting on his table with the little scones and all the pastry and china. Out of the sudden some raw, beastly, instinctive scream comes out of the guy, that’s The Blueberries, the mixture of what should be but since it’s not enough, evolves and gets better.
The transformation that a South American band can bring to mod rock, and the result it’s not only interesting but necessary if we want out beloved rock and roll to keep on keepin’ on.
After all who could live their whole lives on tea and scones?

+INFO:
THE BLUEBERRIES
FACEBOOK
BANDCAMP

AUTOLUMINESCENT : Rowland S. Howard

2011-08-09T08:32:00.031+02:00

Just under two years after the crown prince of the crying jag's untimely death, this much expected documentary named after one of his songs was shown at Melbourne International Film Festival.

A collaborative work by Richard Lowenstein, Lynn Maree Milburn and Andrew de Groot, the film depicts the Australian musician's career and life in a very honest, unbiased, clever and even humorous way, gathering lots of rare footage and many interviews of Rowland himself and people he was involved with in his musical and private lives.

One does not have to be a die-hard fan of Howard to enjoy the documentary, which is informative and beyond the life and times of a visionary, also puts into perspective the status of an uncompromising artist from down under, given the outcome of The Birthday Party once they settled down in Europe, in Berlin especially, and his trail when he returned to his native land.

Autoluminescent also emphasizes the difficulty of fitting in a band when one wants to write very personal tunes and when someone else gets to sing them, as in the legacy of the song "Shivers", written when Rowland S. Howard was 16.

His contribution to Crime & The City Solution and their appearance in Wim Wenders' Wings of Desire substantiate his massive influence (and real screen presence), an influence also prominent in his work with Nikki Sudden, Lydia Lunch and his band These Immortal Souls, making his mark in each project.

The interviews include a rather magnanimous Nick Cave and portray a man praised by eminent souls from different genres and generations, grand critical appreciation is indeed bestowed on him despite commercial overlook.

This rich documentary will hopefully turn the younger generations on to him.

In the light of the flick, one gets a better grasp of who this character truly was day in, day out, behind closed doors, without glorifying him, his entourage acknowledging his darker side. Some excerpts from his book ETCETERACIDE, read by JP Shilo, take you deeper into the mindset of a creative genius, into his obsessions and vulnerabilities, as a sort of de profundis journal mixed with fiction.

An impressive collection of pictures which you may find yourself marvelling at also adorn the movie.

Long time friends and bandmates Mick Harvey and Genevieve Mc Guckin co-produced Autoluminescent. Harvey recently dedicated Rowland the song "October Boy" off his new album Sketches From The Book Of The Dead, a beautiful, heartfelt and thus utterly moving homage.

The film is worth seeing again and again and anyone who watches it once can somewhat appreciate what a truly unique and innovative guitarist Rowland was, an infinitely inspiring sonic architect gifted beyond belief, with the meanest tone ever, a sound that blows your head off, gets to your inner self and takes you to another world. He played his gutts out and was also a wonderous lyricist, a poet in his own right, who penned quintessential songs of longing. He also comes across as a howling mind with much humor, wit and honesty, a man whose demons (drug abuse) were unfortunately and eventually his undoing.

His death from liver cancer has deprived us of a landmark of contemporary music and of underground culture, beyond music even. A rock dandy, a masterclass of style, a meteor of sound and fury, one of those few artists whose impact is life-changing.

Howard has an indelible grip on his fans' perception of music, which is all one would expect from an artist: blazing one's own radical and unflinching path, propelling you into another dimension, leaving this world different than one found it and leaving a lasting imprint. Henry James once said " We work in the dark, we do what we can, the rest is the madness of art".

Rowland is its living proof, the essence of art incarnated and his spirit lives on with Autoluminescent.

A must-see documentary, "tattooed in a ring round your heart"...

ZAZA: Sacred Geometry

2011-08-03T01:45:00.007+02:00

Danny

Jenny

Dru

Far from the masses, these three souls make a perfect triangle of style and sound.

This mysterious band(e) à part is clearly timeless and cleverly unclassifiable.

Hailing from Brooklyn, these aesthetes have taken inspiration from different genres and spheres, building a voluptuous, both intense and fluid dreamy trademark sound that is uniquely their own, sensual and disarming vocals on layers of velvet guitars and lordly rhythm.

“Burn and Build” is the doorway to the band’s vibrant chemistry and spellbinding aura with its mingled voices, a luscious lust call made of dreamscapes with sharp highlights.

This is a sort of dream pop with substance that may appear minimalist at first but this is a musical signature in its own right and each listen unleashes and crystallizes a different side to their mark with a full variety of refractions.

A first listen will be the key to their domain but it will take more plays to explore those beautiful premises. Whilst doing so, you will irremediably get tangled up in those webs of celestial bliss.

Floating away on a cloud to a heaven for senses, our three characters draw their own musical essence from rich visuals and feels, so intellectually versatile and sophisticated that they come across as refined as a nouvelle vague film.

Taylor and Fraser are the leads in their own screenplay, think about François Truffaut movies where couples make relationships a whole adventure and whose art of living annihilates all kind of routine.

One needs outstanding class to achieve that and without a shadow of a doubt, this band possesses it.

ZAZA's Sacred Geometry is an escape, music to reflect on while stargazing, sounds that are like a guiding star and an antidote against monotony.

A scrumptious soundtrack to passionate nights.

http://www.zazasound.com/

http://zazasound.bandcamp.com/album/sacred-geometry

ANTILOPE

2011-06-21T15:59:00.007+02:00

According to the Native American totems Antelope teaches listening to intuition, can teach you strength and courage in all areas and teaches how to overcome obstacles with a swift and gentle nature.

This and more can be also said about the Santa Lucía based band of 5; Felipe García (guitar), Silvana Noya (voice and tambourine), Sebastián Imoda (guitar), Esteban Polito (bass), and Pablo Cáceres (drums).
There’s such a variety of bands that come from this sacred circle of rock, that we can never get tired of listening to what it brings.
These guys, and gal, have been rocking for the past years and are about to release on its material edition (the partial online release was during 2010) their complete album, which carries the band’s name as title, was recorded on December 2009, and which I’ve been fortunate enough to listen to before its release.

And when we talk about Antilope we certainly have to talk about a sound stampede, for that is precisely what happens in our heads as we let the music sink in.
There’s a rich and not so easy to accomplish mix between psych and blues rock; Sil’s voice adds that extra ingredient of sweetness and guts that completes the whole rhythm ride.

On songs such as “No pasa nada en la ciudad” the psych-blues tension speaks for itself, almost like there was an inside battle between those two genres and they were constantly overcoming one another.

“Estampida” give us an inside look, an internal voyage and we’re suddenly called back to reality by a strong and fierce cry, both deep and at some points almost heart broken.

The guitars and base line are exquisite, both delicate and mad, a balanced equilibrium for a mental journey as can be heard in songs such as “Los crimes del futuro” with mind blowing percussion.

That same sense of overcoming obstacles that the Native Americans referred to Antelopes, are felt here, in every song there’s that feeling of a war that you need to struggle with in order to let the light in.
And these silhouettes of sounds that are drawn into our minds are in constant motion.
I always enjoy music that stimulates my brain, and these guys and gal, certainly do.
The animal, raw, basic instinct element can’t be unnamed for it exists and its very much alive trough-out the whole album, I’ve had the pleasure of experiencing Antilope live and these bad asses can handle it.
So the question that you guys will ask yourselves after listening to the album (the wait will be worth it, believe me) will be no other than: are you listening to your instincts?

THE ASTEROID #4 : Hail To The Clear Figurines

2011-06-14T19:28:00.011+02:00

*Asteroid : any of numerous small celestial bodies that revolve around the sun, with orbits lying chiefly between Mars and Jupiter. Asteroids are thought to be left over from the early formation of the solar system, when planetesimals were scattered after coming under Jupiter’s gravitational influence.*

With its sixth full-length album, the ablaze star that has been gracing us with its presence for nearly a decade keeps the prowess of enlightening us again all the way through, propelling us light years from our mere mortal ordinary world. Like the most precious things and perhaps too incandescent even for our solar system, The Asteroid #4 belongs in an exclusive dimension and galaxy, with the most refined aesthetics and an elegant and thorough sonic architecture that reinvents itself through various experimentations, while maintaining a vital essential beam, a translucent touch that makes the band so recognizable.

Scott Vitt's delectable vocals somehow lay the foundation of the band's lure, a one of a kind sound crafted by goldsmith musicians. The Asteroid #4 can be metaphorically regarded as a huge diamond soaring through outer space, a rare collection of lyrical and romantic tales of life and love.

Their previous effort These Flowers Of Ours was called a treasury of witchcraft and devilry, this new ode to psychedelia outshines it in terms of sophistication and orchestration, coming across more coherent and elaborate than ever.

Surprisingly contemporary , the opener “Wicked Wire” unleashes the rockier side of The Asteroids. Hail To The Clear Figurines marks a new chapter magnified by the wonderously baroque “Wild Opal Eyes”. Penned from a different angle or a vantage point, as mentioned in the song, this tune is a holy fragment of psychedelic anthology, heralding another magnitude and majestic tone, echoed in the title track “Hail To The Clear Figurines” with some more delightful harp.

“Vesta”, the brightest asteroid in our solar system is the next step , merely beaming on the surface and overflowing with magical light as a superpower... its radiations are a blessing. “The Unknown” as well is filled with solar intensity, so rich that it is almost like a vulcano that erupts with fiery guitars.

“In The Interest Of Captain Marbles” makes a picturesque and lively interlude ...the record goes punctually more electric with "Be Yourself By Yourself". The auroral atmosphere prevails, though. "A Sunny Day (One Afternoon)” abounds in longing, as an ode to a lost love and “Carnival” embraces troubadour spirit.

If there is a kingdom in space, the Asteroid #4 is for sure its sovereign and sits enthroned above us. How much further will it take us on its iridescent path? Hail to the Astounding 4, a very underrated band. Their Astral Majesties Request!

http://www.asteroid4.com/

RAVENGERS EP

2011-06-02T21:10:00.007+02:00

Cover design by Ame.

Like many of the bands that come from Canelones, Uruguay, Los Ravengers are soaked with the sounds of psychedelia, experimental and kraut rock and a huge sense of devotion to really enjoying the whole process of making music; music that they make for and among their friends.
Only the “DIY” motto can bring this delicate equilibrium between the search of a sensible sound (with good quality) and the need to please yourself and your friends.

Many bands work on their albums and EP’s with an idea in their minds that a certain crowd will listen to them, or a certain “important” person might be interested in them; and that’s both fine and valid. But there’s nothing sadder than the desperate seek of approval of a label, a net label or whatever; a search that will only pollute the music.
One of the things I love about the enviroment in which uruguayan bands work and make their music is that they do it, firstly and most important, with the idea that their friends are gonna listen to them. They all seek expansion and to make the world listen, but first they want their people to enjoy it, and that is the way things get done, with love.
I don’t own the thruth in life, but I think this happens when you mix great bands and a small place to develop themselves. You get these amazing bands, that in any other big city of the world would call for instant attention, with an amazing sense of modesty; and lately you don’t get that in rock and roll my friends. By no means I’m saying that more “famous” bands doesn’t care for their friend’s opinion, but in Uruguay, you have, give or take, 4 venues to play good rock and roll at (venues for growing independent bands that is), which leaves having your friends as sometimes the only crowd, THAT sense of family couldn’t happen in a bigger city, and as much as we would all love to have more venues to play in Uruguay, we have to pause and admire what NOT having them bring us too.

Photography by Nina Lebowski.

These young folks (Ismael Viñoly on guitar & voices, Héctor Barceló on keyboards & synthesizer, Diego Rodriguez on bass and Leo Garrido on drums) have released last year their first EP produced by Folie á Deux Records, mixed by Federico Bolagno (Ufesas) and recorded at Diego Mercadal’s house (Ufesas). They have delivered us with both a unique and familiar sound. Unique because they’ve taken their very own experiences with music and put them into something new and bold; and familiar because when you hear them it’s almost as your body recognizes the sound by itself, it makes you move without conscience of it, and it’s always good to get disconnected from reason and into music.

There’s a massive connection between Los Ravengers’ music and a mental trip, you can certainly get lost inside the sound coming in waves at you. The EP holds 2 songs, “Communist Dancer” and “Jesus” and it’s a fine glimpse of the attitude these guys have, a musical maze you wanna get lost into. Nothing but a great future can be expected from these guys. Another great uruguayan band that make me proud to be a charrúa.

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They’ll be releasing their first video soon and they’re working on their album.
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SINGAPORE SLING : Never Forever

2011-05-29T16:39:00.010+02:00

« Love me till you’re insane ! »

Albert Camus once said : “Truly fertile Music, the only kind that will move us, that we shall truly appreciate, will be a Music conducive to Dream, which banishes all reason and analysis. One must not wish first to understand and then to feel. Art does not tolerate Reason.”

Singapore Sling substantiates this statement as it created a self inflicted spell, a luscious mind expanding nectar and one revels in drinking the cup down to the last drop, irrationally.

Starting from a feeling of void, drinking the evil potion is like getting to the core of reptilia and primal instincts…

Never Forever may not be as stark and cavernous as the previous records endowed with abrasive guitars but it comes out as more sinuous and even more introspective and hits the nail right on the head with its pungent snapshots of human nature. Human beings, weirdos who excel at hurting themselves in many ways…

The supreme “Tunnel Vision” gets the atmosphere to a whole new level with its rotating motto and its hallucinatory tornado of rhythmics. Guitars flare up magnificently as in a lecture on black magic, with a second part echoed in Poison Ape. It is thus an utterly cinematic and thrilling piece of music with a climax beat that gives you a major adrenaline rush.

Overall this new album feels like a remarkably eventful walk in an English maze at night while being under the influence, with Singapore Sling potion that confers visions and epiphanies.

The title track is the ultimate statement in style on this record, so intoxicating that it gets stuck in your head for days, in a daze. This is your last warning and eerie spirits bluster, you are doomed and a prisoner of the Singapore Sling hypnotists for ever and ever.

Sickeningly good and spooky… The road to hell is paved with good intentions!

Never Forever was released through Outlier Records on May, 13th.

http://www.myspace.com/singaporesling

TWO STEP HORROR Living Room Music

2011-05-13T19:00:00.007+02:00

Mul Iceland Drive

As far removed from its name as could be, Two Step Horror stands closer to immediate bliss, encapsulating sensual celestial sounds, longing fiery dreams that would make a perfect soundtrack for a David Lynch movie.

Being part and parcel of Vebeth, the Icelandic duo bears some idiosyncratic distinctive features, it is indeed pugnacious and eerie but it comes forth as more evanescent and luminous than some of its peeps.

Sprinkled with serpentine magic, the band’s mojo lies in the chemistry between Thordur Grímsson and Anna Margrét Björnsson, seminal sound aesthetes like Elsa and Henrik from The Go Go Darkness or the mighty Goldstars from All In The Golden Afternoon.

Their creative companionship started in the couple’s living room, hence the album title. Long dark winters have induced this hypnotic kaleidoscope of sounds and senses, a proper escape for the listener, a record that takes you far away visually and mentally…

Anna Margrét’s delicious ethereal voice, combined with dazzling guitars, is the doorway to a land of colorful skies, “Ambeth master” provides the giddy and rather precious feeling that you are flying…

“Dusty Strands” goes a notch darker, setting a more enigmatic atmosphere and giving shivers through layers of sweltering guitars that keep you poised and mystified.

“Hrepressed” includes a hint of madness, adding another dimension to the music before “King Bee”’s mellow charm and summery feel.

“Mental Arithmetic” strikes as an exquisite opiate song whose addictive substance flows through your veins until the final note, when you get sedated…

Ranging from sweet daydreaming to narcotic hallucinations, Living Room Music is a

gem of a record that lights up your days and spices up your nights with mystery and flair.

Long live Vebeth!

http://www.myspace.com/thetwostephorror

Living Room Music is available through Outlier Records.

http://www.outlierrecords.co.uk

INTERVIEW WITH SARAH MORRISON

2011-04-17T23:42:00.006+02:00

The Asteroid # 4 by Sarah wizard Morrison

As your work is strongly connected to music, who were the first artists who inspired you musically and visually ?

I was inundated as a child with 1960's and 70's rock n roll and old blues records that my father listened to. We would sit in front of the record player at night with all the lights turned out and listen to his collection. No distractions just the glowing blue lights from his stereo receiver and the occasional crackle and pop of the vinyl. He hated MTV because he thought it ruined the listeners subjective visual interpretation of the particular song they were listening to. He considered it to be the worst thing to happen to music at that time.. so he encouraged me to create my own visuals to the albums we were listening to. And so I got in the habit of closing my physical eyes and using my minds eye to unfold the sights that went with the sounds I was hearing. It was a great method of exploring my imagination. I did it as little girl and I still do it.

What did you get from their style or perspective?

It made me want to live in the English country side and drive a silver Rolls Royce!

Did you experience any life-changing moment through music?

My dad took me to see Pink Floyd when I was 12. I had never been to a concert before... I was completely overwhelmed with the entire experience, the music, the light show, the huge crowd. I had spent a large part of my childhood listening to their records with the only visual reference being the pictures on the albums (this is before the Internet! haha!) and so to finally see them live and with visuals was life changing for me. My dad asked me what I thought after the show and I was speechless, literally. I think we rented Ken Russel's "Tommy" the next day. That was also mind blowing for me as a child, as a matter of fact, it still is! Especially the first half! I was lucky to see it again last Summer in the theater. The sound track has been digitally re-mastered and they screened it in Hollywood close to where I live. Ken Russel was there and there was a Q&A with him after the screening. I was totally blown away seeing it in the theater the way it was meant to be seen and heard. It was like a different film! Amazing!

What kind of music were you into as a teenager and have your tastes radically changed since then?

My musical tastes have stayed the same over the years for the most part, but as an adult I listen to more psychedelic, progressive and folk music than I did growing up. As a pre-teen I was really in love with the Beatles and the Stones. In my early teens I became obsessed with The WHO. From there I explored bands like The Doors, The Kinks, and The Zombies. My mother was a huge Led Zeppelin/Jimi Hendrix fan so before I had my driver's license I would listen to a lot of that when she drove me around. I did have a short lived heavy metal phase which somehow led me back to the 70's where I discovered Black Sabbath, Alice Cooper, 70's punk and GLAM!

Who are your current favorite artists?

Damien Youth, The Asteroid #4, The Dolly Rocker Movement and Spindrift.

When did your interest in photography begin?

I guess it began in High School. I took a photography class and thought it was fun but frustrating too. It was a challenge for me to develop my own negatives and make prints but I grew to love the process. I used to doodle in my notebooks, faces of pretty girls mostly.. I was never talented at drawing though, so it was nice to be able to capture the pretty girls faces with my camera!

What about films? Would you ever consider directing a video or a documentary? Or have you done that already?

Yes, actually I am very interested in making moving pictures. I want to make short films, music videos and documentaries actually! all of the above! I am just venturing into that medium presently in fact.

Have any directors inspired you as much as photographers and music artists? If so, which ones?

YES! Kubrick, Fellini, Ken Russel, Alejandro Jodorowsky, Věra Chytilova, David Lynch, Polanski, Hitchcock to name a few..

Who are your favorite photographers and what have you learned from them?

Tim Walker is probably my favorite current photographer! His use of props, color, imagination and his scaling are incredible!

Is literature also a source of inspiration? It can be.. If so, how? does it stimulate your imagination?

I'm especially inspired by classic fairy tales, science fiction, mythology, and romantic poetry. Stories of mysticism, lost love, altered realities, alternative worlds, outer space, parallel dimensions, and the unknown are themes that inspire me.

What artists would you most like to work with, in fashion, music or art in general and why?

I love collaborating with other artists of all kinds. In fact, I've just started a brand new photographer collective with some friends of mine. We call ourselves Theiamatic Society and currently we number around 21 girls throughout North America, we give ourselves monthly themes and post our photographs on our blog. The purpose was to create an online photographic community, one where we can have fun shooting subject matter that we normally might not have considered shooting. Our next theme is "Crime Scenes"! Making art collectively is often more rewarding for me because it offers a chance to inspire each other. It's so interesting to have 1 theme and see the result of your peers interpretation of that theme.

Have you ever had to shoot in odd or uncomfortable circumstances?

Yes, I recently shot a band in the Pacific Northwest. I was in mud up to my ankles and then it started hailing! Not ideal circumstances. The guys were miserable too.. but the photos came out cool!

On the contrary, do you have some very special memories of a session that was the best ever?

Yes, some of my favorite photos are from the series I took of Damien Youth last Summer. I traveled to a tiny coal mining town in Pennsylvania and stayed at a century old hotel that happens to be haunted, called The Grand Midway Hotel. They have an annual Jack Kerouac Festival each August where artists and musicians gather. Damien was performing at the festival and I had the opportunity to capture him in this decrepit, taxidermy rich haunted hotel in the middle of nowhere.

Is there a specific pattern in your creative process? Is everything set according to the person in focus or do you sort of go with the flow?

It varies. Sometimes I will get very specific pictures in my mind and until I find a way to capture them, they haunt me. I have about a dozen very specific images in my head right now that I need to shoot. Some have been with me for over a year and they will pop into my head at random moments, almost as if they are saying, "Hey! what about me? when do I get to be shot?" Other times I'll have a general idea or concept and the elements needed and I'll just start shooting, spontaneity is best in those instances because I find that the magic can't be forced. Being open minded and fluid is key, sometimes I will ask my crew if there is anything I'm forgetting or missed and they will give suggestions! That's sort of how the shoot I did with Don Bolles (The Germs) went. That shoot was entirely spontaneous!

You have the magical skill of magnifying people, for instance turning a pale model into a kind of Shakespearean character. Is there a message or motto behind that wizard eye of yours?

I just do what I feel, but more than anything I want to make interesting pictures. I'm easily bored and if an image doesn't capture my attention immediately I'm onto the next thing. I figure a lot of people are the same as me. Making an interesting picture is always more important than making a pretty picture. As far as a message or a motto, that's up to the viewer to interpret.

What album covers have you done?

I've shot album covers for many bands and solo artists, nothing that you'll find at Walmart or on the top 40, not yet anyway.

What is your favorite album cover of all time?

I'm a huge fan of Hipgnosis album cover art.Klaus Voormann's cover for The Beatles, "Revolver" is a favorite of mine too.

My last question to finish this interview, do you have a favorite album ever (or a bunch of them). If so, which one(s)?

Oh my goodness, what a question! Well, my favorites are always changing but I can say that a few that remain consistent are, The Zombies "Odyssey & Oracle", The Bee Gees "1st", David Bowie "Hunky Dory" & "The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars", "The Velvet Underground & Nico" (1967) T-REX "Slider", Pink Floyd, "The Piper at the Gates of Dawn", Kevin Ayers, "Joy of a Toy", The Pretty Things, "Parachute", Iggy Pop "Raw Power", Mark Fry "Dreaming With Alice" and I've pretty much worn out my Donovan collection as well... oh, and I mustn't forget Damien Youth's classic psych folk album "Sunfield". I could go on.. but I think that would defeat the purpose of the question!

http://www.sarahmorrisonphotography.com

NIGHT BEATS : H-Bomb EP

2011-03-11T02:34:00.016+01:00

If 13^th Floor Elevators had ever had a side-project with Link Wray, it would have sounded like… Night Beats. This three-piece from Seattle instantly strikes with its genuine dirty sound, an invigorating break from most current polished and soundalike bands. Saying that these creatures’ raw power is enticing is an understatement, it is vital thrill that could wake up the dead with its rolling waves of sharp fuzz guitars, hip shaking tribal beat and rhythmic pulse. Lust crammed in some noisy melodies and slick vocals.

The adequately named self-titled song H-Bomb’s energy feels like a catapult, the premise of a lysergic tidal wave that keeps flowing through your body and mind. These sonic warriors’ wild adventures are set in electric desertland, in the midst of voodoo witchcraft and solar intensity, a much esoteric dimension with infinite boundaries.

All tunes on the EP,“They Came In Through The Window” especially, are endowed with riffs so incisive that they seem possessed with devil spirit. Brain opium for sinners.

Drink your fill of the catalyst potion for some substantial psychedelic incantation!

http://www.myspace.com/thenightbeatswilleatyou

http://www.troubleinmindrecs.com/bands/nightbeats.html

THE CULT OF DOM KELLER : EP 1

2011-02-15T20:10:00.006+01:00

What is the strangest thing that happened to you in outerspace?

Listen to The Cult of Dom Keller EP 1, you will have a special encounter with the space whale, a humongous psychedelic spirit that will devour your spirit and senses, making it an otherwordly experience.

“Intro For The Sun” establishes the path from earthy and peaceful grounds to interstellar spaceland. Out of the blue, “The Goatskin Dream” grabs you entirely with its super-sonic feedback and discordant mental echo, starting an elaborate climax-shaped sound architecture that keeps evolving throughout the EP.

Stark and uncompromising, The Cult of Dom Keller’s riotous guitars cut like the sharpest knife while its lysergic character successively levitates you, rocks and rolls you and blows your head off.

Who knew that Nottingham was the epicenter of European psychedelia?

These fellas live in orbit, far from the ordinary crowd, in a realm of chaos vs osmosis, confusion vs clarity, color mood vs black hole. They sting like an army of bees, letting their sounds spiral on repeat into your mind, in a whirlwind of hallucinogenic mental pictures.

Their songs appear as “rough” inasmuch as they are by no means smooth or radiofriendly, they definitely aren’t the easiest listen for your average listener but once you get hooked by the infamous space whale, their soundscapes are proper mind-expanding eargasm. “Godshaker” itself represents disruptive tantalizing soul revelating shock therapy!

A truly sonic adventure, following in the footsteps of Spacemen 3 and Syd Barrett era Pink Floyd, the only cult worth following in the UK these days.

To be played at maximum volume!

The Cult of Dom Keller is part of the line-up of Austin Psych Fest 4.

ALL IN THE GOLDEN AFTERNOON : Magic Lighthouse On The Infinite Sea

2011-01-21T19:06:00.016+01:00

“All in the golden afternoon

Full leisurely we glide”

In a wonderous colorful universe

Filled with siren chants, eerie spirits and beyond forces

For both our troubadours with much skill

By great soundscapes are magnified

Ah delightful thee!

While Magic Lighthouse On The Infinite Sea shimmers

Our wanderings are picturesque

Advice From A Caterpillar is a lavish rainbow

Of mellow colors and sensations

Symphonies and spirits whisper and caress

30^th and Sanchez will have you under a fairylike incurable spell

And Gulf Coast Highway brings back The Elevators’ Roller Coaster gimmick

Before Up All Night lets its electronic demons run

For A kaleidoscope of technicolor visions and hallucinations

The lordly Goldstars flash forth

In Space and Twilight Zones

With chiaroscuros, climaxes and unexpected twists

In gentle tones and starry nights

There shall not be a dull moment

Throughout this tale of white magic

Whilst the lighthouse magnetizes ships filled with lost souls

Which were endlessly roaming the sea

In fancy Poseidon and sea creatures pursue

The dream vessel moving through the ocean

And pirates’ ghosts howl on the infinite sea

Until they seek shelter in the Goldstars’ hazy melodies and mellifluous vocals

Thus grows the enchanting tale of the magic lighthouse on the infinite sea

Beneath the setting sun, ad vitam aeternam

Hail to All In The Golden Afternoon!

Magic Lighthouse On The Infinite Sea was released on December, 14th 2010

http://www.allinthegoldenafternoon.tumblr.com

http://www.allinthegoldenafternoon.bandcamp.com

FURIES

2010-12-15T19:19:00.004+01:00

FURIES
“Donde se Fabrican las Ciudades”

The Furies were the first band we ever interviewed for the Blog. They were called The Baseball Furies back then. We have always being interested in what they have to offer, and with the coming out of their first LP, what better occasion to get to talk about some things do we need?

First of all let’s declare, with my left hand forming a fist, rising in the air, that I’m a big fan. No embarrassment there, so yes, this will be quite a subjective review. You don’t like those, stop reading. But you know? It was about time this happens, about time that a band wakes up love for music in people again. This is, without a doubt, a band that makes people passionate. It almost feels the same as to supporting your favourite football team, and we all know I’m no footballer. But that is quite a good way to describe it, and I'm sure they'll agree.
The kind of passion that comes from the guts.

Now, this record came out to the light of us all, about a month and a half ago, and was officially released this past December 4th at the Piccolo Theatre. It was produced by the band, recorded and mixed by Norman McLoughlin (Jackson Souvenirs) and supported by Sadness Discos. The art was created by their very own artist and drummer, Juan Cruz Chiappara and designed by Ezequiel Esposito.
This was clearly and mostly, the work of friends. You can see that and feel it not only in the way they each took their time to make it happen, but also in the dedication they gave not only to the music, (and I have to stop for a moment and thank Norman McLoughlin for being such a talented man); but also to the attention given to the Art as well. That way this is not only a record, it’s a piece of combined art. And that’s quite priceless these days.

What to say about the music?
The first time I listened to it, I took these biblical amount of notes so I wouldn't forget how I felt, and now reading them again, that feeling became stronger.
The album holds 11 songs that take you through different states of mind, 11 songs that change the way you perceive reality.
Like a baptism, you begin your journey at the rhythm of a hymn that will follow you through the whole experience. The album is epic, and you can actually feel the collapse of different elements giving life to a new one.
This sound stampede not only feels as if Ennio Morricone was a character of the Martian Chronicles and you were in the presence of a galactic duel on a space western movie; but it also is definitely, Aldous Huxley’s discography.
It’s both erotic and shy, and it makes you rise to a state of such majesty, that is by no means trying to hide what it came to offer, a ride of the mind.
And that voyage is very clear and marked by the beginning and closure of the record, galloping at the end, with the sun coming down, leaving you the taste of the conquest.

Rank: Say Hello to the Angels!
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Bonus:

THE LOVETONES : Lost

2010-12-15T13:03:00.009+01:00

Australia holds some of the best treasures of the kingdom of psychedelia, the precious Lovetones from Sydney are one of them.
Back with their fifth record Lost, Matt Tow and co’s new delivery is a more mature work, poetically melodic as usual and endowed with divine melancholy.

Rich in metaphors and dreamscapes, it reaches a peak of stellar harmony initiated by “City Meets The Stars”. “Chinatown Busride” comes along as one of the finest pieces of storytelling the band has composed, a tale of mystery and unrequited love. Subtle, longing and intellectually stimulating, it may stand as the epitome of their songwriting craft.
Layers of ravishing guitars with the fifth Lovetone Rob Campanella from Brian Jonestown Massacre and The Quarter After and ambrosial vocals featuring the lovely Miranda Lee Richards on “Coming Home” forge the distinctive band’s leitmotive : majestic and timeless golddust.
An enchanting swirl of harpsichord makes the latter tune sound particularly graceful.
As reminiscent of the sixties as these aussies usually are, with their own touch and contemporary seal no less, “This Great Romance” surprisingly reminds of the late genius Elliott Smith, vocal-wise especially. It is no wonder here with the added melancholy and as they share the same level of heartfelt refinement and lyrical poise that strikes a chord.
Likewise but wholeheartedly retro and Lennon style, “Free Yourself” is a moment of pure bliss and awesomeness : so exquisite that it will melt your ears and heart.
There is only one downside to this album, it is one or two songs too short…too much of a good thing is never enough.

The Lovetones keep guiding us on their journey through sound, making a statement with each one of their works with much flair, an inspiring gift that casts them in a league of their own.
Now on their astral trail, they just need to grace the old continent with their presence to enlighten us all.

Lost was released on Planting Seeds Records

http://www.myspace.com/thelovetones

http://www.plantingseedsrecords.com

THE GO GO DARKNESS : Dark Heart

2010-12-11T00:12:00.012+01:00

America had Lee and Nancy

France had Serge and Jane

And now Iceland has Henrik Björnsson and Elsa María Blöndal

The Singapore Sling frontman and his lady accomplice are singing mind game songs, ten tunes that sound like they are playing strip poker in Jack The Ripper’s manor, surrounded with traps, weapons of choice and skeletons in the closet. Spooky and arousing.

Vebeth strikes again, the Icelandic collective aggregates all the local gems.

Edgy and hypnotic like the rest of its peers, The Go Go Darkness emerges as a statement in style and sound. Cram some magnetic chemistry and lust, alcohol and blood, add some ethereal lascivious vocals and you’ll get a pulse of Dark Heart.

The album is an enigma that starts with a compulsive Re-Install My Heart.

Bring on the distortion and haunting voices, the love potion is to be drunk slowly, let it flow through your veins until you hear the pounding of your heart through the song’s beat.

As obscure, aesthetic and intellectually challenging as a David Lynch movie, Dark Heart will make each song a clue in the final riddle, with some progress “Radio Talk” and interludes “Never Again”, the watchword all the way through being longing.

"Soul Dust" will keep you on tenterhooks with its message of torture and its tribal spell :

“You treated me bad, I’m sick of your love, I ain’t never gonna touch you”

Chaos rules in "Two Count Decadence" then the delightful cornerstone "Vox Program Alcohol" lifts up spirits like a bottle of fine wine.

The first chapter of The Go Go Darkness ends with a one of a kind version of Charlie Feather’s “It’s Just That Song”. The riddle thus turns into a tidal wave of melancholy.

“It was a song that reminded me of her, won’t you leave me alone, please”.

Dark Heart is utter stimulating showdown , its mystery and charm revolve around love that exists but just cannot be or does not want to be fulfilled, in a I Love You, Me Either way. Strange love.

To Be Continued…

SINGAPORE SLING : Must Be Destroyed

2010-11-13T14:48:00.013+01:00

The princes of darkness are back after a memorable trip in the heart of doom and sin. Elegantly venomous, Singapore Sling always knows how to paint the daytime black and make the nighttime your closest friend with its lust infused spell.

Must Be Destroyed comes across as somewhat less extreme than the previous record Perversity, Desperation and Death but remains nonetheless astounding in its effect and visuals and gets even more sensual and mysterious. “Noth” is a musical and mental treasure that will hold your breath.

Each track is once again to be heard as a chapter in the history of the band, as a piece of storytelling with psychotic reactions stemming from an ever inspirational theme which is decay.

Surprisingly uplifting, “Summer Times” nails it with is multiple shimmers of onyx, a black diamond tune that turns your usual rainbow into an engrossing starry night. Soundgasmic!

“You Can Never Change Your Heart” is to be remembered as the most up-tempo and electronica friendly The Icelanders have ever composed, an energetic alternative to introspection and brooding.

“Hope” ironically adds a touch of anxiety. What’s bred in the bone will come out in the flesh…

“One More Trip” crystallizes the essence of the Reykjavik band. Edgy and ominous, it sets your soul and senses on fire with its intoxicating and haunting beat. It is the final cut to the tales of drone’n’ black and their hypnotic and one of a kind atmosphere. Henrik sounds as though he was singing from beyond the grave.

Singapore Sling Must Be ADORED, it can be crowned as the most stylish offspring of the genius Jesus & Mary Chain and therefore as a band that gives darkness its mark of prestige.

There is no cure for this disease…

Must Be Destroyed will be on Itunes as of December, 1st and is available through Outlier Records.

THE BLACK RYDER @ Death By Audio

2010-11-09T00:34:00.012+01:00

Anatomy Of A Dream…

Freshly imported from Sydney, Australia, The Black Ryder are now settled in Uncle Sam’s land a year after the release of their staggering debut album Buy The Ticket, Take The Ride.

I was lucky enough to get a snapshot of their scenic route, my most expected show of 2010, while they made a stop to the Big Apple on a day off from their current tour with The Cult.

Seminal duo Aimeé Nash and Scott Von Ryper have three partners in gaze on keys, drums and bass/guitar.

Following in the footsteps of My Bloody Valentine or Slowdive, this is exquisite revival with a peculiar enhanced value : an enrapturing bubble of lascivious voluptuousness bursting with longing and fullness at the same time, a sexual tension that is naturally triggered by the chemistry between Aimeé and Scott and feels as spiritual as it is sensual.

The Ryders have complementary velvet voices that sweep you right away into a fantasy land, letting you fly high in picturesque landscapes, somewhere amidst rainbows and unicorns or land on a desert road in the middle of nowhere. However, these shoegazers also know how to kick it hard with lush layers of fuzz that will give you goosebumps, thus making you skillfully drift between melancholy and enthrallment.

Their songs are endowed with a cinematic feel as their atmospheres convey refreshing freedom. “Sweet Come Down” for instance is so unique and well crafted that it sounds like an instant classic.

With eye-catching stage presence individually and jointly, the Bonnie & Clyde of shoegaze are the loveliest shade of black in space and bring a new realm of energy to the current music scene, a rare and precious item in this reductive industry of cool.

A Must See.

MONO STEREO

2010-10-28T18:27:00.001+02:00

Photography by Werner Nystrand.

Swedish psychedelia with a sound where you can loose yourself into. Recorded by Kramer and released recently in the UK and US Mono Stereo talk with Hattie Carroll about what they've been up to and more important what will come their way!

Hattie: We know two of you are brothers (Jakub and Geggan and then there’s Kjelle and Gunnar), how did you all got together to start Mono Stereo, and more importantly why?

Mono Stereo: Jakub and Geggan were already playing together when Kjelle joined them on guitar. After a while Gunnar also joined and that was really the start of Mono Stereo. We all knew each other already and knew we would get along well, and that we also had a big love for a lot of the same music.

Hattie: What was it that you wanted from music that made you go for it?

Mono Stereo: We just love a big great sound to get lost into. At the same time there were not any good bands playing over here, or very rarely, so that's one good reason. One other thing is when we finish a new song and we all love it. Then we really know why we all love doing this. We all love music.

H.: What is Malmö like? How does the place you live affect your music?
M.S: Malmö is a good place to live in, but we don't believe that this town has inspired us that much, musically speaking.

H.: What non musical things influence you into creating music?
M.S: Our shitty jobs.

H.: You’ve been compared, thru different media, to musicians such as BJM, BRMC, Black Angels, My Bloody Valentine and the like, with what bands would you compare yourselves to? Which ones you could say you look up to or admire?
M.S.: Well we admire all those bands but there is so much more that we all listen to and hopefully you can hear that in our music. We don't wanna sound like another band , just be inspired by them. We don't want to repeat our self either. Maybe in the future we're going to sound like Bach.

Photography by Werner Nystrand.

H.: You’ve released so far 3 Eps ("Space Out", ‘On And On / A Matter Of Confusion’ and recently “Me And My Machine”); how was the process of recording & releasing them?

M.S.: We recorded all the songs for the “Space Out” EP and the “On And On / A Matter Of Confusion” single ourselves on our own equipment. We really like working like that because we can take all the time we need without having to think about anyone else. It was great releasing them too, especially the single which was released on vinyl in the US. “Me And My Machine” was recorded by Kramer, and the B-side to that one was recorded by a friend of ours the same night we wrote it. That one is coming out on November 8th.

H.: Do you produce yourselves entirely? Are there any labels supporting you?
M.S.: The "Space Out" EP came out on the 360 Degree Music label in the UK, and the "On And On" single came out on MPLS in the US, but the new single we're releasing ourselves.

H.: How was the “disappearing into the danish wilderness” with such a great mind like Kramer (Galaxie 500) worked out for you?
M.S.: We went to a summer house in Denmark in the middle of the winter. There was snow everywhere. We realized that recording a whole album in one week can be very tight. It was the first time we had ever done anything like that. Kramer loved our songs and mainly just recorded the ideas that we already had.

H.: I read the LP is gonna be released sometime at the beginning of 2011. What can you let us know so far?
M.S.: It's going to be amazing!!!

H.: You’ll be touring the UK soon. Tell us more about it.
M.S.: We'll do nine gigs in ten days, starting off in Manchester and the last one is in Leeds. We're going to play a couple of new songs too. It's gonna be great!

+INFO:

Mono Stereo Official

U.K Tour Dates:

5th November – Ducie Bridge, Manchester
6th November – Cedar Room, Barnsley
8th November – The Red House, Sheffield
9th November – New Hero, Brighton
10th November – Death Disco, Notting Hill Arts Club, London
11th November – Cut To The Chase (Iceland Airwaves Showcase), Hoxton Bar + Kitchen, London
12th November – The Watershed, Wimbledon, London
13th November – Lennons, Southampton
14th November – Northern Monkey, Leeds

THE THIRD SOUND : S/T

2010-10-26T18:39:00.009+02:00

" Whenever two notes are sounded together loudly, precisely in tune and sustained, the conjunction of resonant waves results in a third note whose pitch geometers and physicists have tried to determine, but so far this question cannot be considered as completely resolved."

Three, a well-known symbol of perfection, a much dowered number that seems to hold the key to another world. : there lays the third sound, a secret society of sound aesthetes, people with peculiar visions and conceptions who aspire to a spiritual epiphany.

The quest symbolically starts at “Heaven’s Gate”. The Third Sound is part and parcel of a thorough Icelandic music collective called Vebeth whose icon is a dark upside down triangle of sight or perception, unlike the 13^th Floor Elevators’ one.

This project includes among others Dead Skeletons, Singapore Sling, The Meek, Blanket Of Death and Go Go Darkness. While its peers sleep at the devil’s door, despite a similar amount of sophistication, The Third Sound comes across as more glimmery and serene, with impulsive outbursts aligned in its imperial guitars.

The Berlin relocated band stands cleverly unclassifiable, some might peg it shoegaze or psychedelic pop but there is something daintier and more esoteric about it that won’t let an astute listener be reductive. There are indeed several layers to the third sound, each one adding a distinct hint of magic.

Harmonious velvet-like vocals will welcome you through a maze inside the sound and you will find your way around if you listen carefully. “Re-Elevation” is your ticket to the core of the perception (see the triangles at the center of the artwork), it is beautifully dynamic and sinuous.

Meanwhile, on your journey to the solar third sound, you will observe sweet melancholy (“Long Way From Home”) until you get even closer to the holy grail with the flaming "J.S.D" and its exhilarating guitar bliss.

Dreamlike and cheeky in chorus, the quiver will lead you to the perfect circle with “Further Down” and its commanding echo.

A stately album that is outstanding and essential for anyone who is looking for sophisticated sound and aesthetics in unison.

The Third Sound is available through Outlier Records.

http://www.myspace.com/thirdsound

http://www.outlierrecords.co.uk

BLACK MOUNTAIN : Wilderness Heart

2010-10-25T16:41:00.006+02:00

“Bloody visions of a world so torn…”

Cinematic and nearly heart-stopping, the sleeve of Black Mountain’s third and latest effort Wilderness Heart instantly exposes the rawness of the band with riffs so fierce that they cut like shark’s jaws. Only the railing puts a stop to the ominous predator and if one looks at the landscape, one sees asphalt, therefore the sight of nature is the only element that brings softness to the whole picture.

This loaded image is rich in diverse content and symbolics, it emphasizes the quintessence of nature and mankind vs animal life. It is the band’s keyboardist Jeremy Schmidt who is in charge of the artwork and it indeed corroborates the philosophy of their music.

Is Wilderness Heart meant to bring out the animal or ecological activist in us?

"The Hair Song" captures with its bona fide feel, making the song your new hippie anthem. It sets a different tone for the album, being less radical in its intensity and more subtle and peaceful in terms of visuals and atmospheres.

"Radiant Hearts" surprises with its minimalist and wholehearted touch, showing the improved vocal skills of Stephen McBean and Amber Webber, their mingled voices are indeed more harmonious and elegant than ever.

Yet it isn’t until the epic "Rollercoaster" that the album reaches a significant level of adrenaline. Smoking hot and orgasmic, this piece of music is high-voltage genius, utter rock royalty that could have been written by Zeppelin themselves and is to be played at maximum volume!

The Vancouver combo excels at old school hard rock and fans of their notorious untamed sound may not get their sufficient fix with this album, however the latter opens new doors and brighter horizons with some dazzling folky tunes such as "Buried By The Blues" and "Way To Gone", amplifying McBean’s versatile songwriting craft. Oddly enough, these mellower tunes may actually let the listener drift further mentally as they are more spiritually and soulfully bestowed.

The self-titled track restates "RollerCoaster" in terms of drastic sensations whilst the last two tracks provide a more subdued impression, this is a mixed record that may come up as a turning point in the band’s career. Their artistic coherence and sensibility will surely lead us to more otherwordly lands.

Wilderness Heart was released on Jagjaguwar on September, 14th.

SPRINGLIZARD

2010-10-13T18:26:00.000+02:00

SPRINGLIZARD
Dreams of the Wolf

Springlizard is a relatively new band and at the same time is not at all.
This duet formed by Jonah Schwartz and Andrés Barlesi (they both play banjo, guitar and mandolin) have been travelling through music for quite some time as both of them also play in Los Alamos and have played in other bands through the past years.
The album “Dreams of the Wolf” (Cuatrero Records, 2009) brought a mouthful of fresh air and introspective thinking to a scene that definitely needed it. It was handmade completely, %100 DIY and though the sacred names of John Hurt, Roy Harper and John Fahey have been thrown at me (and of course I notice the vibe between them and Springlizard), I also felt Jerry Garcia, David Grisman and their Grateful Dawg collaboration. It could be easily defined as bluegrass or folk music, but I like to think things beyond labels and superficial definitions, and by doing so, travel further inside the music.
If you care to listen, and I mean really listen to the record you’ll find that even through the instrumental songs stories are being told; stories that have also travelled, and have inhabited minds of who knows how many people. You can daydream through Springlizard’s music as you would under a fresh summer day or a bicycle ride under the sun with the grass touching your naked feet. And this talks about music that changes you and how you feel, that takes you to places you wanna be, that makes you see faces you no longer see. All in all that bring you enlightenment and yes, a different vision. Someone once told me after one of Springlizard’s concerts “I had visions I haven’t had for quite some time”, and I have to agree.
I find it also truly spiritual music; not in terms of religion, being that a completely different thing, but in terms of holiness and the feeling of a projected fullness, much like when our chests get full of air by a sudden sigh.
So maybe this is music not to be fully understood with our heads but with something else, unfortunately not all of us possess the sensitivity that’s needed to let go and take a step forward into life, but I’ll tell you what, fear not friends, this record is a sure nice way to get you started.

Rank: Say Hello to the Angels!

+INFO

MySpace

Sadness Discos

You can buy the recently edited vinyl at these stores in Buenos Aires: Infinito Punto Rojo, Abraxas and The Hacienda.

THE BLACK ANGELS : Phosphene Dream

2010-09-26T01:38:00.023+02:00

((( Phosphene )))

A visual occurrence characterized by seeing light without having light actually enter into the eye. The optic nerve translates this pressure into various images.

Having descended upon earth to enable us to dig up light in our innermost beings, The Black Angels have brought up enough brightness to make an army go blind with their new psychedelic odyssey.

The enigmatic "Bad Vibrations", though reminiscent of the early trademark drone sound of the band breaches to propel the listener into a new realm of sensations with a sudden change of rhythm and distinct change of tone.

The Velvets’ influence has now given way to the prominence of The Beatles and The Doors circa Sgt. Pepper and Waiting For The Sun.

Thus starts the technicolor dream, an ode to the sixties endowed with numerous subliminal images, blink and you’ll see Syd Barrett’s shadow emerging in "The Hauting At 1300" amidst the Angels’ sinuous stream (see the artwork), reasserting Christian Bland’s lordly flair.

Alex Maas’s singing comes out more versatile and uplifting than previously, the howl has turned into a floating sound, displaying more of his vocal range, along with colorful beams.

The bedazzling "Yellow Elevator # 2" bounces off the walls, spicing up the experience a notch, it is a rollercoaster of groovy sensations with mingled voices that will provide you pure bliss.

"Sunday Afternoon" sees the return of the electric jug that was initially used by The Thirteen Floor Elevators, fellow austinites and psychedelic pioneers, the Angels have also been Roky Erickson’s rhythmic band in the past, their intense version of Rollercoaster is featured in the Sonic Cathedral tribute to the Elevators released this year.

The band is still stuck in Vietnam, crawling up a "River of Blood" prior to one of the highlights of the album, the majestic and spiritual "Entrance Song" with its native American incantation and haunting spirit. Back in esoteric territory, echoed by the self-titled tune and the mindblowing "True Believers"!

Dreams are regarded with great respect in Native American culture, they are seen as a means of obtaining sacred wisdom and guidance for life.

The radiofriendly track "Telephone" is an exception to the rule, it is their means to acquire a larger audience. This may not appeal to early fans of the quintet who favor drone and darker atmospheres, however one must salute a band that does not repeat itself and follows a coherent evolution. While they may lose parts of their audience with this new album, they will definitely reach a new one.

Phosphene Dream may not have the stark imprint of Passover or the flamboyance of Directions To See A Ghost but it is a vibrant ride and "interstellar hyperdrive" ornamented with “tangerine trees and marmalade skies” and also with more profound, mystical and unworldly images and sensations lying beneath, ready to burst out and hit you…

Throughout your sonic dreams, these psychedelic renegades’ spell will keep giving you prophetic visions.

Phosphene Dream was released on Blue Horizon Records on September, 13th 2010.

THE BLUE ANGEL LOUNGE : NARCOTICA

2010-08-24T00:38:00.009+02:00

[Narcotic, ancient greek for « stupor », more commonly used to define plant-derived medicines that put people into a stupor, often taken for pleasure or to reduce pain, extensive use can lead to addiction.]

Moony and intoxicating, Narcotica is a unique substance made of purely addictive material hailing from Germany. Following a promising self-titled and self-produced debut album, The Blue Angel Lounge is back with a mystifying sophomore record delivered in Berlin and partly produced by Anton Newcombe.

Timeless and out of this world, the Blue Angels are a group of knights in shining armour straight out of an epic fairy tale which is romantic and eerie at the same time. All along their new uncanny adventures, the Angels have spirits, wizards and Mother Nature on their side and have to fight off evil power through an eventful journey to the darklands.

Just listen to their princely troubadour sounds, each chord sets a unique tone and a hazy and dreamlike atmosphere that sweeps you right away into an imaginary world where you will cross paths with some colorful characters and creatures. “The son of the ocean” is like a miraculous elixir of ancient white magic made by a thousand fairies.

Miles and years away from the Blue Angel Lounge club in NYC, the psychedelic brotherhood captures hearts with its spellbinbding yarn laced with poetry.

Throughout the expedition, one will also experience some definite incantation, visions and hallucinations leading to a major epiphany. If these moonchildren’s magnetism doesn’t bewitch your senses”, you are most likely void of a true body and soul…

In the epic “Corona”, the Blue Angels seem to be challenged to a duel with the kingdom’s villain, then the staggering “Delete My Ideals” holds a sonic climax in the record and reaches a turning point in the story.

The road remains epic and sinuous till the end, paved with dragons, witches and divine creatures and sprinkled with bitter sweet harmony. At first, “Street & Exile” sounds oddly reminiscent of The Black Angels’ “18 years” but it all changes radically after the intro.

Having reached their final destination, the album's conclusion “I Will Never” gets mystically haunting and keeps you in orbit. If Narcotica was a book, even an old scrawl, you wouldn’t be able to put it down. Dark and introspective and yet enchanting and fairylike, it inhabits grace within one spin or blow of the wand.

Profound and opulent, Narcotica is a stupendous album that will keep resonating in your mind, challenges many older bands and substantiates the singularity of the band. May there be many other adventures and pilgrimages in the future…

Rank: Say Hello To The Angels

Narcotica will be released in Europe on 8MM on October, 25th 2010 and in the US of A on A Records

THE VACANT LOTS : Hypnotized

2010-08-01T13:17:00.006+02:00

Who the hell are The Vacant Lots ?
Vermont’s best thing next to a famous ice-cream make and, more crucially, a combo of music warriors who stand halfway between the county of psychedelia and the untamed lands of old school rock.

Guitarist and vocalist Jared Artaud and his partner in crime Brian MacFadyen have released their third effort Hypnotized, a bunch of dreamy songs embedded with drone.
Accurately named, the record will catch you wander around in space while howling Artaud sings about life, love, hate, destruction and divine intervention…
More contemplative than their previous albums, Hypnotized nonetheless turns out to be more profound in its topics and also more significant in its metaphors. Its visual and sinuous charm will take you far beyond the shores of New England.
If you don’t pay attention to the lyrics content, you may think that the tunes are a tad similar. They actually happen to be a pattern of clever variations with a leitmotive that gradually insinuate themselves inside you.
Those who are fond of unpolished minimalist material will definitely give The Vacant Lots the light of day.
“Love” unleashes an outburst of frenzy in a pretty mellow song, reaching another level of intensity and making the highlights of their tunes unpredictable.
Butch Artaud & Fadyen Kid know the score and shine the most when they let out their raw energy. Just listen to “Man” and its compelling appeal echoed by the final two treasure tracks “When The Lord Comes” and “Revolution”.

Fluctuating between vehemence and daydreaming seems to be the key, let’s stay tuned for the band’s next adventures in sound…

Hypnotized was released on Ancient Hills Music.

THE PSYCHEDELIC SOUNDS OF THE SONIC CATHEDRAL

2010-07-18T15:31:00.006+02:00

Tributes are statements in style and the task of honoring cult bands is definitely not easy.
When one has tasted Dom Perignon, why would they want to try Californian champagne? (No offense to Californians, of course!)
So, what makes a good cover?
Pure originality?
Added richness in sounds?
The ability to recreate the spirit of the band in focus?
In my opinion, all those skills are to be taken into account, along with a form of self-coherence, that is using its own niche and trademark sounds to make it sound “yours” and not “theirs”.
Thirteen bands aimed to follow in the footsteps of psychedelic pionneers the 13th Floor Elevators, a tough but sometimes mesmerizing goal!

Right off the bat, all The Saints kick off the Elevators’ spirit with the romantic tune “Don’t Fall Down”, endowing the latter with a more modern and a poppier feel.

Who better than mighty austinites The Black Angels could have been Roky Erickson’s rhythmic band live?
This is pure psychedelic legacy with Roky the Pygmalion inviting his disciples and honouring them that way. The Angels do a brilliant job, magnifying “Rollercoaster” , each instrument being magnetic like the little bubbles you can hear that are one of the Elevators’ idiosyncracies.
Erickson’s voice is vigorous as ever, tremendous after over four decades. You gotta open up your mind and let everything come through!

Going one notch deeper, A Place To Bury Strangers “Tried To Hide” is phenomenal. More than a version, it’s a hell of a song, noisy and powerful as those brooklynites know how to nail it and also shoegazingly hypnotic with Ackermann’s singing at its peak: sensual, mysterious and shadowy…

Likewise, Dead Meadow transforms “Kingdom Of Heaven” with its trademark distortion. Join the stoner Elevators!

Poetically melodic and glowing, Darker My Love’s craft of “She Lives (In A Time Of Her Own)” is a knock-out. The song is adorned with flashes of magic that let the band’s supersonic groove shimmer and thus lives up to the seemingly untouchable splendor of the original.

Between, why didn’t anyone work on the marvellous Scarlet & Gold? It could have been such an interesting addition to the tribute…

Sarabeth Tucek’s folk effort of “Splash 1” is successful, her voice sounds like a delicate interlude, a genuine moment, as if she was the author of the song.

Meanwhile, the smartly named Lower Heaven seems to have stopped the flames of hell of the Fire Engine to put it a dreamy peace haven…mellow bliss.

“Reverberation” by The Strange Attractors plainly appears as copy and paste. If you’re going to pick a song that’s a psychedelic standard and is as catchy as that one, you ought to make sure that it stands out, right?!
There is no point in listening to a song if the cover is flat out the same as the original (in a far less impressive way), except for the fact that it gets kids to discover older artists through contemporary ones.
On the other hand, while some artists try to be somewhat original, they just fail to get it spot on in regards to the artist they are covering. Le Volume Courbe “I Love The Living You” gets fake at its best and corny at its worst with an annoyingly high pitched whispering voice that reminds of Nouvelle Vague, those bossanova covers. If anything, this cover is almost an offense to the Elevators, no soul, no gutts and no rhythm.

The last tracks on the tribute wind up a little too similar, not in terms of sonic cathedral but in terms of ethereal pop which lacks substance. The penultimate song “Unforced Peace” by Black Acid, is one to remember, though, ambitiously shaped and gradual in its climax.

The batch may be uneven, but as a whole, this rich patchwork of psychedelic sounds is worth listening to, with its creative gems and sparkling radiations by some of the best current bands.
Slip inside this house as you pass by, you’ll compare and discover…
You think you can’t, you wish you could. I know you can, I wish you would.

DAYLIGHT FREQUENCIES : S/T EP

2010-06-28T09:29:00.011+02:00

Daylight Frequencies :

Dopamine, 500 mg per tablet

Directions for use : Use as often as needed

No expiry date!

Made in the United Kingdom, at the Meadow HQ Labs.

This remedy is esoteric and encapsulates lush soundscapes, rainbow effects, hydroponic shrill Syd Barrett guitar style and explosive rhythmics.

Our medication is meant to cure boredom and anxiety. It improves the healthy functioning of the central nervous system.

We must warn you that its unique recipe might trigger side effects such as mild delirium and hallucinations but our tests have proven pleasance, positive radiations, increase in stamina and sex drive.

Within a few seconds after use, your heartbeat will speed up and you will get great adrenaline kicks. Our tested subjects have mentioned that these kicks feel like a cinematic car-chase up in the streets of San Francisco.

Daylight Frequencies have additional therapeutic powers, they are soul revelating, check the color of your aura and you will see a drastic change.

Ladies and gentlemen, we are tripping in space…

INTERVIEW WITH SPINDRIFT

2010-06-20T23:36:00.031+02:00

Paris, June 1st 2010.

Lady Godiva met up with Kirkpatrick Thomas at La Java for an interview and it kinda felt like we were in a saloon. The west is the best!

LG: So, what was your inspiration for making The Legend Of God’s Gun?

KP: Once Upon A Time In The West…

LG: The movie?

KP: Yeah

LG: The visuals of it? The spirit? The whole thing?

KP: The whole thing.

LG: Did you see that movie as a kid and did it have an impact on you?

KP: No, I didn’t see that movie until I left Delaware to move to California!

Check one two, Jack Parsons, come in!

LG: Is that Gram Parsons’s brother?

KP: Naaah, you could say Jack Parsons or John Whiteside Parsons from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, member of California Institute Of Technology. Basically, he grew up experimenting with rockets with the suicide team.

LG : What’s the suicide team?

KP: They were the team that basically developed the jet, the rocket, out of Pasadena, California, right next to Glendale, where I live. They had to go out to the desert to blow things up and had to do all this and they were looked at as weirdos at the time. People who did rockets wanted to go to the moon and were into science-fiction, they couldn’t get funding and created the jet. You would think of magic, black magic and the power of Aleister Crowley.

He created the modern day nuclear missile.

LG: OMG!

KP: Crazy shit!

LG: Back to Once Upon A Time In The West, what was it that struck you about that movie?

KP: The score (by Ennio Morricone), the first twenty minutes of that movie just found it all for me. That whole feel: spooky, desert, not quite at home…

Before that, I was a huge fan of The Doors, if you take, like, someone who is obsessed with The Doors and model the whole band after The Doors, then all of a sudden, being in Delaware : “I gotta get the hell out of here! I’m moving to the west!”.

I’ve been incorporating the western sound into the Doors sound, that’s what happened. And it’s pretty cool, with a more eerie backward sound, like Riders On The Storm.

LG: Which is probably their best tune.

KP: Whenever I write songs, oh yeah, they really nailed it with that…it’s one of the best songs ever! Next to “White Wedding” (a Billy Idol’s song).

LG: Speaking of The Doors, have you seen When You’re Strange? Is it a good documentary?

KP: Yes, there’s really good footage in there which hasn’t really been previously released and it shot actually really well. It almost looks like they made a new movie.

LG: That’s what Ray Manzarek was saying, some people were saying. Who’s this young actor, he looks so much like Jim Morrison and he was like: it’s him!

KP: They shot Highway, An American Pastoral (directed by Jim's pal Paul Ferrara) and then there’s the film they shot, some pieces of it. They never finished it. A lot of rare footage.

As far as starting Spindrift, when Oliver Stone’s movie The Doors came out, I was listening to a lot of different music back then and then the movie came out and that’s when I really got into the psychedelic music.

LG: What stuff were you into back then?

KP: I was more into progressive rock, punk rock, heavy metal…hearing about the Doors and watching that movie changed everything, we were jamming in some band at the time and when we saw that movie, we said: let’s start a new band! Kinda like this, basically.

LG: Is Jim Morrison a kind of “role model “ to you?

KP: No, he is dead. The only difference between me and Jim Morrison is that I’m still alive.

LG: Right! Have you visited his grave in Paris at le Père Lachaise?

KP: No, I gotta go! Maybe I’ll do a few more shots of absynthe.

LG: You know, rumor has it that there’s some weird cult going on there at night.

KP: Oh yeah?

LG: Yeah, the cult of Allan Kardec (who’s regarded as the official founder of spiritism). A guy who supposedly died with a hard on, there’s a statue of him there.

KP: Do people still desecrate his grave?

LG: There was a big controversy in the 90s cos part of his tombstone had been removed and nobody really knew what happened, so they moved his spot in the cemetery and now there’s always a guard watching over his grave now.

KP: Wow, so he’s even got a guard now.

LG: But you know, there was another controversy that his remains had been shipped back to the States cos his family demanded it, but it’s wrong, his remains are still there.

It would be pretty ludicrous to go to his grave if his remains weren’t there anymore, right?!

KP: You know the story! That totally relates to something with Spindrift now, which is that we’ve been writing songs in the room where Gram Parsons died, where he overdosed, in the Joshua Tree Inn. Luke Dawson, our pedalsteel player, is the innkeeper and lived in that room.

No kidding!

So, we got Luke in the band and we’ve been going to the Joshua Tree inn and writing songs there and I swear to god there’s the spookiest thing going on there. There used to be a shooting gallery there, that’s where people injected heroine.

LG: What did he OD on?

KP: It was an overdose of heroin, he died in the room where Luke stays right now and then they revived him, he got back up and walked in the room number 8 and then he never woke up after that. They found his body. The quirky thing is, the story you were saying about the remains is you know the story about Gram Parsons’ death and his body?

LG: I don’t know what happened…

KP: Once they found out he died, his parents (well, his relatives, his parents had passed away) said you have to ship his body back to ...I can’t remember where (Florida). Gram Parsons had told his friends: “If I ever die, I wanna be buried in Joshua Tree, California, in the park.”

So, they’re shipping Gram Parson’s body back to his parents and his friends were like, you can’t do this. His friends (Phil Kaufman at least) go to the aiport, they basically take the limo that has the hearse and they steal the hearse that has his body, drive the hearse all the way back to Joshua Tree and they burn Gram Parsons’ body in the Joshua Tree at this one rock called Cat Rock and the funny thing is, they only got arrested for stealing the car. True story!

LG: Amazing story! Never heard it before!

KP: There’s a movie about it. I’ve never seen it, though.

LG: I love that fact is sometimes so unbelievable that it sounds like fiction.

KP: Well, to do this kind of shit, you gotta be pretty fucked up on drugs. These days, I don’t know… They don’t make them like they used to.

I mean, maybe they make them pretty good in Paris, I don’t know.

LG: No, this city is not very rock’n’roll, not like L.A, Austin or NYC, you know…

KP: What are some bands that are out of Paris?

LG: The best ones in France are not necessarily from Paris, in my opinion. My favorite French band is The Dead Mantra, from Le Mans.

KP: Cool, I’ll check them out.

LG: What bands do you feel the most akin to among current bands?

KP: There’s a pretty cool band called The Night Beats, they’re pretty neat. Crooked Cowboy & The Fresh Water Indians, Gram Rabbit, fucking great! They’re from Joshua Tree. They just put out their fourth record, they have a cult of the royal order or the rabbit and they’re desert space rock kind of stuff and Dan Kerrigan. It’s all really obscure but to me, it really needs to see the light of day.

KP: It’s been a good year for you because you had Appartment Bullshit. A Place To Bury Strangers, we call them apartment bullshit because one day, we were touring with them and we were reading an interview and the abbreviation was APTBS and our guitarist was like: what’s APTBS? Apartment bullshit?!!

You had BJM, BRMC. For us to make it to Europe is a miracle! It’s truly a dream that we had for a long time. We weren’t too sure how it was gonna happen. Black Rebel Motorcycle Club made it happen. They’re great guys, they write great songs. They have a great team, their production, their manager.

LG: What about the Dandies?

KP: The Dandies are awesome!

LG: Here, they are regarded as quite “mainstream”... to me, they are. They’re very radio-friendly.

KP: They write some good songs! Courtney is so good at writing a song. It makes me sick!

LG: Well, you’re not bad either! You’re not on the same page. He writes pop songs. You write cinematic music, there’s a hell of a difference. They both require different skills.

KP: I tried with older versions of Spindrift to do more pop-oriented material and it’s strange, you always kinda find your niche on what fits with you as an artist and sometimes it works with certain titles. You look at Picasso through his different phases of art, you could say: I’d be better at this stage or that stage or Van Gogh when he finally developed his craft, you know what made him the best. Every artist has a certain page.

Courtney writes pop songs very well. Maybe my thing is doing cinema, you know, because my idea of doing cinematic songs is that you can go anywhere with that.

I sing too when I write poetry.

LG: Because you can see the melody in words.

KP: Sometimes, you don’t need to talk about anything. There’s not enough instrumental work these days, sometimes there’s a good time to shut up. Instrumental stuff is the art of melody and the art of creating a song without lyrics.

LG: Yeah, you have to be really good to do without lyrics cos you must be able to squeeze all the metaphors and feelings into pure music.

KP: I mean, look at all the classical work, they’re all instrumental.

I mean, Morricone, you know! The Good, The Bad & the Ugly, the theme.

LG: It’s my dad’s favorite movie.

KP: It’s every dad’s favorite movie, that’s what’s so cool about it. What’s so cool about it, when we tour, when we go to play our music in weird cities, there can be young people or old people and they’ll still like what we do and they’ll say: oh yeah, I remember you in a movie… so it’s all good!

LG: What about your new material? Is there an evolution? Is it the same spirit?

KP: We’re more into genres of cult films like exploitation films, Bollywood, the big difference is that we changed the line up, so we’re writing new songs based on having new members and new instrumentation in the band. Currently, I can’t really say where it’s gonna go but I think it’s gonna go more atmospheric and spooky.

LG: Who’s your favorite director?

KP: Stanley Kubrick and Sergio Leone. I also like a guy called Carl Wieman, a Czech filmmaker who did early animation, he’s amazing! Very far ahead of his time.

LG: If you were to make a soundtrack for anyone, who would you pick, if you had to choose?

KP: It would be good to work with… I’ve already worked with Tarantino. We have a song in the movie Hell Ride. It’s a biker exploitation type movie that was directed by Larry Bishop and produced by Tarantino. They stuck Indian Run in there, which is great because the scene with Indian Run ends with Dennis Hopper. When I heard he died, I was like… the other night, we were in Stockholm and I said, ok, we’re playing Indian Run, the song with Dennis. Pop culture!

Sorry, I’ve had a blank. We’re working with Mike Bruce. He’s the legend of god’s gun. He’s working on his next movie called The Treasure Of The Black Jaguar.

LG: Very catchy name!

KP: We’re also working with a director named JF Williams. He’s like a really famous underground cult film maker.

LG: Finally, do you have a motto?

KP: Usually, we just say we come from the United States.

DINAMITA & LA SWING FACTORY

2010-06-16T21:20:00.002+02:00

Artwork: Esteban Lussich // Photo: Camila Gonzales Jettar

Dinamita & La Swing Factory are an Uruguayan band; and as much as their sound might take you to other further away places of this Earth, their strong and forward attitude brings you back to the southern hemisphere.
They have released a month ago their first LP, both in Uruguay and in Argentina, which is called “Rio Bravo”.
This excellently recorded album, with a very smooth and clean sound, has in its eleven songs a well balanced and sparkling mixture of glam rock, hard rock, a slightly southern rock feel and a bit of funk as well!
And although we can hear reminiscences of T-Rex and BC52’s (those beautiful chorus girls that add not only the feminine touch to the whole album, but one hell of an atittuted as well) just to name a few; this band has a uniqueness captured in the seductive and metamorphic voice of its singer.
The band, which sings songs in both languages, spanish and english, have an up beat tempo in almost every song (I’m excluding “Interzone” which is a very sensual song which starts as a blues and finishes as a hard rock ballad), even when they’re talking about broken hearts and lost lovers, poison and death; and that up beat tempo keeps you up above during the whole ride.
This 5 member band (two girls and three boys) have delivered a very interesting first album which deserves to call your attention and show once more how polifacetic Uruguay can be when it comes to music, one thing is for sure, Uruguay sweats rock and roll!

You can freely download the whole album HERE!

+INFO
Website
MySpace
Facebook

THE FROWNING CLOUDS - Listen Closelier-

2010-06-11T18:59:00.026+02:00

Have any of you (besides antipodeans) heard of Geelong, Victoria in Australia ? Remember that name because a bunch of cheeky kids poetically named The Frowning Clouds have put their town on the map with their groovy retro sounds, making this year sound so 1965.

Don’t get me wrong, this ain’t no rip off, those fellas’ know how is impressive. This is revival endowed with pure wit and magic. Shake your booty, folks, their debut album Listen Closelier kicks ass with its thirteen enchanting tales of love and heartache, bursting with cleverly bold lyrics, wicked cool vocals, snake charming harmonica and tasty riffs that instantly get under your skin.

This may for sure not be original but, boy, those crazy cats’ mojo is astounding. They are Brian Jones and Sky Saxon’s legacy from down under and have thus managed to capture the spirit of the sixties garage and freakbeat better than any of their peers, a spirit filled with the power of nostalgia and with sweet sarcasm that makes them so special.

Listen to this album once, you'll get hooked and will want to hear these lovely mods' stories and adventures over and over again...

“ He’s got a palace and my cave is made of stone,

but I ain’t jealous that I live out on my own

Don’t need no dollar signs, I don’t need a dime,

I got my ways, girl, I’m gonna make you mine.”

("I saw you")

Please Yo’Self, this is exquisite ear candy to overindulge to. Who needs a time machine when 2010 sounds so awesomely yesteryear?

Listen Closelier was released on Off The Hip on March, 8th 2010.

Rank: Stormy High

http://www.myspace.com/thefrowningclouds

HURRICANE HEART ATTACKS

2010-05-27T21:28:00.001+02:00

Sometimes things happen accidentally, and the Hurricane Heart Attacks EP came as an accident to me, and as a surprise as well, a good one that is.
I was going through the site of an excellent photographer I know, Jota Humada, and I found it there, Jota belongs to the band as well. He and his co band member, his brother Charly, with the help of friends Corco and Leo, have created an EP that’s full of longing and light.
And yes we can hear echoes of bands such as Los Alamos, Springlizard, BJM or The Warlocks, just to name a few that have embraced the genre. But this two man band has managed to give an original and personal twist to the psych-folk side of rock and roll.
The two of them play all the instruments we hear in this lovely and lively EP, electric & acoustic guitar, tambourine, keyboards, a drum used in Argentinean traditional folklore music called legüero, bass, & harmonica. And I think that adding a legüero drum has given the sound a mixture of the North American strong hearted folk music, such as we can taste in “The One”, with the plains of our Argentinean deserts and dry climates, also a very strong part of our culture. It brings the sound closer to home.
The rough but sweet voice also adds a mixture of textures that gives the whole sound a picturesque equilibrium.
I have listened to the EP many times now and it has brought something new to my EP listening habit. It feels fresh as the first time, the feeling hasn’t changed and it has stayed. That, I find extremely appealing.
The sound is very open, it has reminisces of nature and its embrace. One has the feeling, after listening to it, that our feet want to go out and start looking for whatever is we want to be close to. And the many direct and not so direct mentions of religion, make the whole sound mysterious and dark as well. It gives me (and this is subjective) the urge to look up, which is good because though I won't find God, I'll come across new things that we sometimes fail to discover as a result of being immerse in our own private holes.
Another Argentinean band that manages to produce itself with great results and something more than good to offer.
Definitely a good time to be in the southern country.
This is good music to fill your chest with air and build roads with your feet.

+INFO

Hurrican Heart Attacks MySpace

Download the EP here!

THE TALLEST MAN ON EARTH : Live @ Le Scopitone, Paris, March, 10th 2010

2010-03-26T11:49:00.020+01:00

“Deep in the dust forgotten gathered
I grow a diamond in my chest
I make reflections as the moon shines on”

("I Won't Be Found" from the album Shallow Grave)

Hailing from Dalarna, Sweden, Kristian Matsson aka The Tallest Man On Earth may not be the "King Of Spain", as he sings, but he’s definitely the prince of folk and a god of songwriting.
I first came across this artist while looking for some covers of Jackson Browne’s song "These Days" on the Internet. Nico’s version had been my favorite so far but Matsson’s instantly blew my mind, his singing being staggering as every inflection conveyed extreme emotions, utter passion, aching and desire.
While the man’s vocals are beautifully and arousingly husky, they can at times sound just like Bob Dylan’s nasal twang, making his singing even more unpredictable and astounding.
One can’t help but think of Dylan when first hearing The Tallest Man On Earth, besides the vocals bit, for his lyrics are also reminiscent of the icon’s songwriting signature. His words are indeed deeply soulful, acrimonious and metaphoric. I used to believe that nobody knew as well as Bob Dylan how to portray mankind and relationships, I was wrong, Kristian Matsson is full-fledged legacy in that matter. As mischievious as Bukowski, lunar as Rimbaud or boundary-free as Kerouac, this howling mind nails every word like an arrow right through the heart.

After obsessing over his albums Shallow Grave and The Wild Hunt and his self-titled EP for weeks, I finally got to see the lad in the flesh in a small but hip venue that also happens to be a bar (Le Scopitone) and while some people were there just to have drinks, true fans definitely shared a special moment with The Tallest Man On Earth .
Although his stage name is ironical, Kristian Matsson has got so much charisma that his mere presence sets the stage (and crowd) on fire. Being every bit the performer, he is able to get to each person there by a single gaze or gesture. A real chameleon, he possesses the bravado of an actor, the delicious melancholy of a troubadour and the verve of a poète maudit.
The thrust of each one of his tunes is increased tenfold by his dazzling aura and vocal prowess live, the man plays his gutts out.

He sings one song from his debut EP “Steal Tomorrow” and random tracks from both albums, among which my favorite “Where Do My Bluebird Fly?” and covers the killer song “These Days” (his own favorite song, he says) as an encore, blowing me away again.
Every song sung on stage sounds even more unique, like a timeless poem, ode or pamphlet that will never sound the same again, even though it will be sung thousands of times. He can be equally funny and over-dramatic with his theatrical soul and every second of his performance is quintessentially hypnotic, which makes him the most gifted and haunting person I have ever got to see on stage, he is indeed grace incarnated. I worship at the altar of “the greatest singer on earth”.

Rank : Say Hello To The Fucking Angels!!!

http://www.myspace.com/thetallestmanonearth

HABLAN POR LA ESPALDA // MACUMBA

2010-02-24T21:15:00.000+01:00

Rock communion, ritual, gathering of forces, spirits that are alive and calling back to every lost soul to focus and concentrate into the sound waves of the inner beat, the inner rhythm, that life force that strikes us foward.
HPLE feels a lot like that, they’re men in a band, but together they feel like a living force pushing us thru to another state of both physical & mental voyage, driving us forward to what’s beyond.

They’ve come a long way, this band of brothers, starting back in 1996, and releasing at the end of 2009 their fourth LP “Macumba” (under Estamos Felices record label) to show the world, themselves and everybody that stand in their way, that Uruguay has it, and has it strong. The mighty forces of rock are alive and kicking in the small country and it’s both a pleasure and a blessing to be alive to see that. This record has blood and sweat all over it and it’s one of the best that will be heard in 2010.

I believe we’re going thru a time of change regarding the under scenes, both Argentinean and Uruguayan. I think bands have left behind that old motto that sung “if it’s under it’s better” and by doing that and riding into battle with their music, they’ve become as under as you can get, the true under that is, not the posse under that we all know and vomit upon. Not giving a shit about the “scene” and just playing fucking great music says a lot more.

HPLE push us with the 13 songs the album holds, to see if we can handle the mood changes, if we’re able to manage being pushed to the limit. From folk “A Luis” (one of the most beautiful songs about frienship and love I’ve heard), going thru the candombe of “Candombe del Temporal” into the hard rock of “Santo No”, HPLE not only prove to be a multifaceted band, they also prove to do it right in every single rhythm and genre.
Guess that’s what happens when what you do, you do it with passion. And that’s a huge word for this band; their shows are a thing to both see and experience, the physicality of all of them on stage is not only contagious but also highly moving.

What is HPLE? Is it psychedelic rock? Is it stoner? Is it folk rock? Do they resemble another band? Which one?
The answer? If you ask me, I don’t know, and I don’t care, it’s about time we stop labeling everything that surrounds us and start wondering what it makes us feel; there’s surely one thing to be said about them though, it’s divine and pure music to cure your soul.
Divine? Yes! Because it comes from another human being’s joy, sadness, suffering, blessing and it was given to us freely, every musician is an uncontrollable gifter, and what better gift than music.
Pure? Yes again! Because it hasn’t been touched by the man with the dark suits, the expensive cars and the fancy cell phones; and because it comes from everywhere, from Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina, Chile, Bolivia, Perú, even México… I dare say these guys have managed to unite Latin America with their sound, Bolivar’s dream came true and I’ll drink to that!

Rank: Say Hello to the Angels!

+INFO:

HPLE on MySpace

THE FLAMING BANSHEES : Satan Is A Farmer

2010-01-28T09:25:00.011+01:00

Could Berlin get any cooler ? Some of the most talented expats have landed there, like Scottish born Iain Ross and Duncan McKnight who almost literally “sailed one thousand seas” from his native California. Both formed The Flaming Banshees, rock'n'roll spirits in gaelic folklore.

Also a founding member of the mighty Virgin Tongues, McKnight’s side project is a refreshing effort, the type of music that brightens your day and gets you singing along in the rain.

Satan Is A Farmer is indeed a six track aphorism with diverse atmospheres that bear a peculiar trademark : they all sound like little poems or tales that have been adapted musically, the Banshees being masters in the art of storytelling.

Captivating vocals make each song more endearing, turning you into a companion or sonic confident of the band, letting you share each second of the boys’ adventures, as if you were reading your roommate’s diary.

These goldsmith pop songs could be the soundtrack to any day with a hint of magic, with the spooky Halloween gem Skeleton Cabaret that is awesomely eerie.

This record will not change your life but it will definitely put a smile on your face (“Rick Was Wright”) or will catch you dreaming away. Start the ride by catching the “Train Back Home” and let these demon spirits spread the love germ.

Rank: Enjoy

http://www.myspace.com/theflamingbanshees

THE CULT OF DOM KELLER : Beyond Burning Skies

2010-01-17T15:58:00.017+01:00

The gates of upper perception have opened up above Nottingham, in a vast space hole made of fire, lust, chaos and madness.

Fallen angels will sing and trick you while you step into that larger than life dimension, somewhere between heaven and hell, in the heart of psychotropia.

Deep down the fire hole emerges the space whale that will eat you alive. You thought you knew all about fuzz? Wait until you’ve heard those lads’ gripping guitar sound.

Visually enlightening and mentally arousing, The Cult Of Dom Keller’s adrenalizing aura is thought-provoking and evocative of sixties spirit and fiction.

You would have a particularly picturesque journey driving across the US of A while listening to these guys.

Once you fall into the triangle, things will never be the same. Rich in hallucinogenic sounds, Dom Keller is able to bring an edge to contemporary psychedelic rock, delivering sounds that are tremendously high in color and are just as fabulously electrifying, making music that is genuinely old school and all theirs at the same time.

If your soul and body don’t pulsate to their flamboyant beat, you might as well be dead!

+INFO:
MySpace

EL TIO MOTORIZADO

2009-12-29T19:26:00.001+01:00

It’s not often found visions of the the inner grounds.
It’s not often found visions of the inner self.
Sometimes they come to us in many different forms, life forms, mechanical ones.
In my case, I’ve found, after many years of searching, some of the happiest visions of the inner me while listening to E.T.M (meaning El Tío Motorizado aka The motorized Uncle).
If one has the time to appreciate and let yourself go inside the sounds, you’ll see that mass loose matter, and things begin to collide into one. Another perception of things begin to appear, and yes, it’s a journey, one that should be taken with the time needed to explore and see what it makes us feel.
We could be travelling through space, or inside a shiny box; like with any music ride it can be whatever we want it to be, but it certainly moves off the ground.
The real ground under our feet that is. It moves us forward.
This entire EP feels like something that came from another sphere of sensations.
Yeah, we can clearly hear influences, some kraut here, some psychedelia there with space rock in the middle; but who isn’t influenced these days? And remember this EP was released in Argentina, five years ago.
You think it sounds a bit too much, don’t you? Yeah I tend to be overreacting sometimes, but give it a listen and find out for yourself, If it doesn’t move the hair on your arms then I’m allowed to say you ain’t feeling much these days my friend.
The first impression is of a huge wave coming and going through the echoes projected in this six unique songs you’ll find on the unique EP (they never recorded another one) called “Viaje a donde te estrellas Vol. 1” under Mandarina Records, back in 2005.
This Argentinean band ended up forming two other great ones down here, La Patrulla Espacial and El Mató a un Policía Motorizado, and they’ve become, E.T.M that is, after some time, quite a mystery, and it can be easily understood why, once you listen to the EP you’re hungry for more. You feel is not fair they’ve only released only one piece of music work. It almost feels as in a near future, those lucky ones who got to be on one of this amazing and sense touching band shows, will be able to say with their faces high, “I saw E.T.M live once, you know?” and many stories will come outta that.
But those are the ways of music, sometimes we understand why, sometimes we don’t and I believe that’s what makes it such an important part of every person’s life, it allows an inner search for what we want in everything. Have you searched for what you want today?

Rank: Say hello to the fucking Angels!

+INFO:

On Mandarina Records

Beaufort County n° 4

2009-11-19T04:54:00.008+01:00

Beaufort County, photographer unknown.

And with all that we hide,we forget to feel free, like those warm embraces that never took place, we'll use again the masks we learnt to hate, and with all that we tell, we lie about the important dreams, since everything is lost and found, there's no bigger deal than hiding under the sun.

You'll always get burnt, baby.
Now times' been stopped, and everything's unclear, the siluettes are fading, the memories hold still, now all their eyes are silent, 'cause there's no love to breath, the last words were unspoken, the dreamer never believed.

I'm holding tight now.
Holding tight to the ground.

+INFO:

Springlizard

SINGAPORE SLING : Perversity, Desperation and Death

2009-10-25T20:05:00.009+01:00

Perversity, Desperation and Death… could one get more ominous ?
The Reykjavik-based sextet pursues its doomed adventures in the land of chaos with this fourth poisonous record, following up on curse, destroyed life and blood.
Pernicious and intoxicating, Singapore Sling get darker than ever and keep on following in the footsteps of their mentors The Jesus and Mary Chain with razor-sharp riffs, complemented by Henrik Björnsson’s arousing vocals.

One might find the Icelanders’ sound too linear at first but if you pay attention and let their "howl" enrapture you, you will notice that each tune is relevant and well-thought of as part of a coherent story revolving around lust and death, the cornerstones of rock’n’roll.
The band’s sexy and deadly charm bears a peculiar visual connotation, the mental picture of lost highways and rotten cities.
Take a ride with the “Godman”, you will wallow deep into hell, with all sorts of torture.
“Song For The Spirit”, a modern and venomous Mary Chain’s “Sidewalking”, is indeed filled with the sound of the devil, with such exhilarating guitars that the latter will set your senses on fire.
As glowing as "Song For The Spirit" is, "Martian Arts" is utterly cold, cynical and ill-fated, providing the dehumanized feel of an all sinful world, scorched to the soul and subject to constant drug and alcohol abuse.
This all comes down to man’s fragile condition and his loneliness. How self-loathing to hear Björnsson sing: “I’d die to be alone!” in “Last Man On Earth”!

Epic and beautifully twisted, the Icelandic rock'n'rollers deliver eleven striking shades of black, just get lost in the fuzz'n'drone darkness and you will catch more reflections everytime you load those demonic guns.

Rank : Stormy High

Perversity, Desperation and Death was released on 8MMMusik on June, 12th 2009.

+INFO

Singapore Sling

On MySpace

THE VANDELLES: Del Black Aloha

2009-10-18T23:11:00.011+02:00

Exotic, steamy and vehement, The Vandelles peg themselves as « stereowave of sound ».
Blessed indeed with a sound that stands out as fierce and bewildering and is nonetheless "tropically cool", the quartet made a name for themselves with their sultry distortions, that trademark noir rock’n’roll.
You would expect these fellas to be from Miami or L.A with that hot sunbeam vibe but those noisy psychedelists are actually from Greenpoint, New York, hence one of the highlights of the prolific and stunning Brooklyn music scene.
Get ready for a tidal wave of raw sensations, the journey is not one to be forgotten!
“Dash’n’Dive” unleashes a tornado of abrasive guitars and dazzling drums while sensual vocals and the retro/surf feel spice up the whole band’s soundscape.
You’ll be flying over dry earth and flood and fighting hell and high water, embracing the evil child of The Jesus and Mary Chain and The Ronettes. Those who are familiar with their remote cousins A Place To Bury Strangers and The Raveonettes will appreciate the band’s primal energy.
Radical and dishevelling, “Bomb The Surf” projects you to a rollercoaster of emotions and gives you all kinds of sonic thrills. The Brooklynites also know how to play it subtle with mellower tunes such as “Chain Walking” or “California killer”.
Lovely Weather wins on both counts with a suave intro, knocking you out with an exploding pace later.
Last but not least, “Bad Volcano” emerges as the most staggering track on the album, just under five minutes of psychotropic, electrifying and incendiary sound. Mystifying!
Take the Del Black Aloha ride, one of the most memorable efforts of 2009. Addictive side-effects guaranteed…
"Die for it, cowboy!"

Del Black Aloha was released in May of 2009.

Rank : Stormy High

+INFO
The Vandelles on MySpace

UFESAS

2009-10-13T21:59:00.004+02:00

Artwork by Mi Babui

Howlin’ guitars, demoniac voice whispers; and a strident and galloping rhythm line set by a fierce drum sound and a strongly played bass.
All in all, it feels like you’re being pushed off a cliff by a thousand horses that run you thru, but instead of falling you get suspended in the air; inside the music.
At times, the feeling might go from intoxicating, wild and dizzy, to relaxing almost Zen like; and in every moment there’s always fire bringing sound to life.
Ufesas play their songs as if it is the last time they are playing them, and that makes them poetically epic.

With the arrival of their second EP “Black Ride” edited as a 7’’ vinyl thru Droehnhaus Records (Germany) they’ve given us a second chance to recognize one of the best bands Latin American true rock has. The EP has two songs, the one that gives the EP a name and “The Destroyer” also available on their 1st EP.
Both songs have a determined force that pushes them forward, they’re not “circular” songs, the movement of the beat and harmony may repeat, but the feeling doesn’t go round, it’s something that shoots up forward.
“The Destroyer” has a strong sensation much like an adrenaline rush; “Black Ride” takes you inside a journey, a sort of ritual passage, from darkness to light, and it’s clearly represented with the acoustic ending of the song.
One thing’s for sure, your body surrenders to the sound, it’s impossible to listen to Ufesas without your body making involuntary movements.

They stood up during 2008 with their self titled 1st EP; using the good old “do it yourself”. They produced and recorded themselves (with the help of Nicolás Demczylo) just to see what would happen; and many things did as they arose from the grounds of Canelones. That same EP has been released in the UK by Skittlebrau Records, and Sadness Discos in Argentina also supports them. They’ve also formed their own label Folie A Deux Records which right now is starting to support promising bands from Canelones such as Sympatheia; they’ve been greatly reviewed by many rock sites and other fellow musicians have shown their camaraderie; they’ve played in Buenos Aires before they even played in their own country, and they have maintained gigs since then.
What started as a group of friends enjoying Joey’s garage, ended up as a strongly built band with much to offer.

There’s no posse here, just overwhelming sound designed to play tricks with your head. There are no gestures, winks or anything like that pointed to get anything from anybody, only what four guys from a small town in Uruguay give on a stage and thru a record; precious minutes of strong felt rock and roll.
And in a moment where rock is battling, refusing to become another fashion and the industry of “cool” (as Lester Bangs would say) is taking over; that’s a lot to give my friends.

Rank: Say Hello to the Angels

+INFO:
Ufesas at MySpace
Mi Babui Visual Artist

THE BROTHERS MOVEMENT

2009-09-22T16:43:00.003+02:00

Photograhy by Karan Clifford

Ireland has a strong brotherhood, one that's standing on the piles of loyalty and true love for music. One that's out there kicking the man's ass without bragging about it. One that's been fastly growing over the last two years into a movement with a renewed point of view.
Danda Paxton, guitar & vocals from TBM gives us some truth!

Hattie Carroll: How long has it been since the Movement started?
Danda Paxton: We started in early 2008 from the ashes of our old band Mainline.

H.T.: What happened there?
D.P.: Just fizzled out, we all took on a new sound and a new direction. We went back to our roots, so to speak!

H.T.: What's behind the name of the band?
D.P.: It’s pretty simple, we just believe in making the best music we can, we are sick of hearing shitty bands all the time, so we have taken it upon ourselves to start The Brothers Movement to show the world what good music is! What our music is that of THE BROTHERS MOVEMENT!

H.T.: "BLIND" was a big step forward for you guys, how was the process of writing and recording it?
D.P.: I was just sitting at home still pretty depressed by how we let our past managers fuck us over and how silly we felt looking back on it, so I just picked up my guitar and “Blind” came from that.

H.T.: You've played with bands you admire, tell us what did that bring to the band?
D.P.: When you play with great bands you just up your game, it’s always a pleasure to open for bands you love and respect, and when they show you love it’s a great compliment, I know we will do the same in the future.

H.T.: Tell us more about the new video for "Blind"?
D.P.: Well it’s kinda old now but it speaks for itself really!

H.T.: You recently toured North America, how was that for you guys? Is the music business finally opening up for indie bands or do you feel it's more of a battle you've won on your own?
D.P.: It was great to get to the States to tour, we love it over there and every time we have been there we have had a blast. As far as the music business opening up for indie bands I’m not sure, it’s always been a battle for us as I’m sure it is for every band that have no funding and go at it alone. One thing I’ve noticed over the last few years is that there is so much good music that goes under the radar, and people don’t get to hear it because the fat cats don’t see it selling shit loads of records! But maybe that’s the beauty of finding an amazing band that no one has ever heard of!

H.T.: I know you guys are adding the final touches to the LP, how was the whole process? Where was it recorded?
D.P.: The album is now complete and is coming out pretty soon, we are releasing "Standing still" on the 19th of October and the album will follow shortly after that, we can’t wait to get it out there for people to hear, its been a long time in the making!

H.T.: About the LP artwork for "BLIND", did you work with other visual artists or did you design it yourselves?
D.P.: In the end we found it very hard to get what we wanted, I mean we had some great people do some great stuff for us (that's you Nad, ha ha!) but we couldn't get something to fit what we needed, so in the end we just came up with it ourselves, we are really happy with the outcome it looks great!

H.T.: Which bands would you most like to play with that you haven't yet and why?
D.P.: To be honest I think we have played with everyone that we have wanted to! We really have supported some great bands: Doves, Sonic Youth, Jesus and Mary Chain, Dandy Warhols, BRMC, Primal Scream… it was great to play with these, but there is always that thing of "always the bridesmaid and never the bride" kinda feeling we get from supporting bands all the time! Ha ha!

H.T.: What are your views on the underground scene in Ireland and what part does TBM play there?
D.P.: Put it this way: it’s very small over here! It’s like a pack of dogs fighting for scraps! I do think there are a lot of great bands over here and feel it’s a bit neglected.

H.T.: We all know that the music business most of the times, if not all, doesn't support true artists. What do you think should be done? How could we revolutionize it?
D.P.: I just think bands need to take more control!!!!

H.T.: What's ahead for TBM?
D.P.: Well the single is due out on the 19th of October and the album will follow in November sometime. And we will be heading out on the road to tour it, we are really excited as it’s our debut album and are really proud of it!!!!!

+INFO:
TBM on MySpace
TBM on Facebook

Los Alamos

2009-09-11T17:50:00.002+02:00

The fine art of Vengeance aka El Fino Arte de la Venganza (2008, thru Cuatrero Records) is the title of Los Alamos’ latest album and in many other ways a whole declaration on its own.
After recording No se menciona la soga en casa del ahorcado (2005, also thru Cuatrero Records) and a cover EP Emboscada (2006, thru ¡Maldita Sea !) this Argentinean band has done it again. Or maybe we should say this “international” band, since one of them, Jonah (voice, mandolin and harmonica), is North American and Peter (one of the lead singers and acoustic guitar player) currently lives in France; no minor detail if we take in account all influences and inspirations travelling gives you.
The album was produced and edited in their usual recording studio Quark, in Argentina. It was all done by the band themselves, who are self-taught in those matters. It was later mixed by Don C. Tyler at his studio, Precision Mastering, in Los Angeles (USA) where David Lynch's movies Mulholland Drive and Heat and Heraserhead where also mixed.
This record holds the key to the equilibrium in music and it’s so far, one of the best this ears of mine had the pleasure of listening to this year.
It accomplishes something that, not knowing if it was the band’s wish or not, is very clear: the creation of a visual piece.
As we listen to the 13 songs we get inside a certain movement, like being on an old train wondering the ways of the world. Many faces appear as we stop from station to station, from song to song; and as those faces and moments go by they complete us little by little.
That imaginative train ride thru the songs not only gives us visual images of different people, moments, feelings, but it also appears as if that train would master the echoes of time, taking us back and forward thru it.
One thing is for sure, there’s movement, and when there’s movement there’s life. And that’s one thing to say about the songs, they’re all very much alive.
So where’s the vengeance one would think? What is it after all?
Vengeance is passion; whether it’s a good thing or not. It’s having felt, having being hurt, being human. And passion is exactly what’s in every song, every piece of music is played from the soul, delivered completely without any veil between the ones playing it and the ones listening to it.
And it’s that balance between being worn and new that makes Los Alamos’ latest album the best by the band so far, it’s in those melodic blues/folk tones that we clearly feel the combustion of a band that take it all in and give even more.
It’s hard to find a band that can take over a stage completely. You have 6 guys playing 8 different instruments singing in spanish/english and making you feel that there’s absolutely no difference, music unites everything.
And though you can hear the echoes of Robert Johnson, The Band, The Grateful Dead and even Bob Dylan; Los Alamos have mastered the fine art of originality in the only way it can be mastered, by putting your guts on a silver plate and serving it to music.

+INFO
Los Alamos on MySpace

Sadness Discos

Rank: Say Hello to the Angels

VELLOCETS

2009-08-18T20:26:00.004+02:00

Photo by Camila Montenegro

A visceral rock is born. Calling back the 70’s sound, they take us to the Uruguayan under which struggles to get outta the well fearing nothing. Rodrigo Gils (Bass) and Nicolás Taparauskas (Guitar) take us for a ride!

Hattie Carroll: Let’s start at the beginning, when was the band born?
Rodrigo Gils: Around the middle of 2005, we all came from other bands, we all needed a change.
Nicolás Taparauskas: Exactly.

H.C.: Did the other bands you came from belong to other genres, different from Vellocets?
R. G.: It was more Punk Rock before Vellocets, and we all felt like getting into another sounds, less structured ones.
N. T.: It came naturally; we didn’t have to push it.
R. G.: Though we were always interested in that sort of spirit, the way Punk Rock transmit its emotions, direct and to your chest, but in another musical format.

H.C.: Was that influential when you decided to create Vellocets sound? Coming from other genres of Rock?
R. G.: Yes, of course, because even if we extended ourselves a lot more musically, I think the way we transmit it remains.
N. T.: Although we don’t show it too straight forward.
R. G.: Exactly, it’s not like a manifest or a posture.

H.C.: Maybe it’s a matter of attitude? The way you guys handle your shows. I’m talking about that energy Punk Rock has on stage, which remains from the old days of your other bands.
R. G.: Yeah, some, but not in terms of speed, it’s more in terms of canalizing emotions. We aren’t a Punk band though, the music we make isn’t Punk, not that there’s anything wrong with Punk, it’s just that what we do exceeds it.
N. T.: Being raw.
R. G.: We don’t think how we are on stage, it’s not that strategic (laughs).

H.C.: Anyone that listens to the record can clearly see that you guys aren’t Punk, I hope (laughs). And what about the formation of the band? Was it always the same or has it changad along the way?
N. T.: Vellocets started with four of us, Federico, Damián, Rodrigo and me. After we recorded the album Hernán joined us.

H.C.: So Hernán didn’t take part in the recording of this LP? Did Nicolás record all the guitars himself?
R. G.: Yeah, he didn’t record this album with us. But the entrance of Hernán brought to the band the possibility of opening ourselves more, Nicolás recorded them all and Hernán took it from there.

H.C.: Did Hernán come from another band too?
R. G.: No, I don’t think Hernán was in any band at that time, and one of the great things about him is that he never tried to emulate Nicolás guitar playing, he did his own reading of everything.
N. T.: He enriched everything.
R. G.: Yeah, and we could all liberate ourselves more when he joined us, especially Nicolás, from having to carry the songs in his playing all the time. Because even if the compositions are freer now they’re still songs, and Nicolás being the only guitar, he had to handle them all.
N. T.: Yeah, it was like carrying a “target” sign on my chest (laughs).

H.C.: Now that you guys mention it, how is the process of writing songs in Vellocets? How does that happen between you?
R. G.: It’s always something that we do together. We’re not one of those bands in which one being the writer writes and the others play, there’s nothing wrong with that, but we don’t work that way. Generally somebody brings a riff and we all work on it and it never stays the same, it changes of course.
N. T.: Most of the time things come up at rehearsals. Or someone brings a little piece that’s been worked on and we take it from there.

H.C.: And regarding the lyrics?
R. G.: Lyrics so far have been Damián’s ground, but because it went that way. It’s always the last part of the process but we don’t forget what it is, the lyrics of a song. In my case I don’t like lyrics which are excessively literary. I think we all want to contribute into that, not because it’s needed but because we’re very invasive (laughs).

H.C.: Tell me more about the album; where was it recorded? Did you have the back up of any label?
N. T.: Good old “DIY”. There wasn’t any backup, it all came from ourselves. It was a great experience really. I felt I was doing something for real. We recorded it at Arizona Studios; I think they’re called Arizona Road Studios now. It was great to get to the studio with all the songs and all but the helping hand of Fede Langwagen was huge.
R. G.: Yeah we had backup, from our families who gave us their money (laughs). I told my mother there was assured hits on it, almost like buying Coke Cola stocks shares (laughs). And yes, there was a perfect kind of climate at the recording, I’ve never felt anything like it before, I can’t compare it to any other experience. It was a lot of hard work, without leaving out the spontaneous feeling of the moment; I think you can feel that, we got to the studio like excited teenagers at a disco (laughs).

H.C.: Was Federico Langwagen your sound engineer?
R. G.: Yes, he also helped us with the whole production and gave us words of encouragement when we needed them.

H.C.: You’ve got some Saint Mothers there huh? And making the album must have almost felt like becoming a mother! (Laughs)
N. T.: Yeah!
R. G.: Yeah, but easier to leave if you don’t like how it turns out (laughs).

H.C.: And what about it’s distribution did you also do that by yourselves?
R. G.: That was the most frustrating part of it all. We recorded the album at the end of 2006 and edited it at the beginning of 2008.
N. T.: We edited it thru Perro Andaluz, a local label.
R. G.: It’s a small label, without any profit, with limited distribution meaning we weren’t too exposed, but they gave us a hand and that helped a lot, without asking for anything in return.

H.C.: What about the editing of the album in the US?
R. G.: That was thru an American guy, Ron, who reviewed the album for a North American Blog. He is the owner of a label up there, Zodiac Killer Records and he was happy with the band. I think they find it exotic to find bands like us down here; we’re like a tasty dish to the tourists (laughs).
N. T.: Ron is a very cool guy who liked the band that’s all.

H.C.: When will it be released in the US then?
N. T.: We don’t have an exact date yet, because Ron is on the road.

H.C.: You guys mentioned that there was an almost 3 year breech between the recording and the releasing of the album, is there new material for a second album?
R. G.: Yeah, that is what the band is working on right now, all of our energy is centered in the second album. We’re exploring a lot, processing influences that are more diverse. It’s going to be an album that’s going to keep the visceral spirit, but it’s going to be far more explorative.
N. T.: With Hernán the musical spectrum of the band got wider, we are more relaxed each on our own instrument, so the material coming from that is far more interesting. Besides we all share common tastes but we also listen to different things. We hope to record it early next year and to have a faster edition!

Photo by Camila Montenegro

H.C.: Talking about influences, how do you guys handle that? Many bands often don’t like to talk about influences because they’re afraid to get attached to a genre or dislike being called “they sound like…” and therefore “lose” originality, what’s it like for you?
R. G.: I think, and this is my opinion, that even if on the surface the band might remind you of another one, it’s not that tangible. More than bands I’d like to name styles. We feel close to the 70’s and the psychedelia that left its taste from the 60’s, as well as the pre-punk era of the early 70’s. But we also are people that were born 30 years after, therefore those influences are processed individually and then as a group. We’re not away from new sounds either. The thing is not to put yourself under any manifest when you are in front of a music piece. We’re not interested in emulating a time or a genre, but to be personal. Music as any other art, is never independent, it nurtures from everything. We’re not interested in ideological pamphlets or literary works, those are important, but it’s not who we are.
N. T.: I mean influences are always there, but we try to give it our touch to make it our own so it doesn’t end up being a copy of a copy of a copy. We work that a lot when we’re working on details and adjustments of a song.

H.C.: So which 6 words would define Vellocets? Without thinking!
R. G.: Visceral, climax, irreverent.
N. T.: Energetic, domineering, and unique.

H.C.: Cool. Tell more about Montevideo’s “under scene” if you believe there’s any.
R. G.: There’s no under scene here. “Under” here means being inside a dark well which nobody looks at but everybody pees in. Here either you’re in the media crème or you’re inside the well. It’s a marketing matter too, everything is small here, very few people. The “under” will never work here. I’m not interested in that sense of “under”.
N. T.: Oh don’t paint the picture like that or I’m going to end up in Argentina! But yeah, there are only a few places to play and very few people that care.

H.C.: So how do we fix that? What part does Vellocets play in that?
R. G.: To be completely honest, we’re not the best defenders of the under scene, we’re interested in independence of course, but we’re also interested in being able to show what we do. And you can’t fix it here.

H.C.: And do you think that comes from having a small playing circuit in Montevideo or is it an ideal of the band?
R. G.: You don’t have to care about it, which is different. The ideal of the band is doing what we like; it doesn’t go any further than that. I’m not interested in that sense of “under”. Because being “under” here almost has a sense of occultism, nobody knows you, nobody gives you a chance, and you’re out of everything.
N. T.: Mmmmmhhh I don’t think I have an idea formed about it. I mean, it’s “under”, 7 feet underground.

H.C.: How does it work having such a big Rock Mecca like Buenos Aires so near? Is it helpful or not?
R. G.: I’m sure it’s helpful to some, it’s not yet to us, it’s not bad either, we’re a bit isolated from Buenos Aires for now.

H.C.: But how’s the vision of Buenos Aires to the musician from Montevideo?
R. G.: I don’t think the vision changes a lot. Without a doubt it’s an interesting place because of the expansive possibilities it gives you. And besides it’s always tempting to show what you do to people that doesn’t know you, you get there as an outsider, and that’s good, it motivates you to think that it doesn’t end here.
N. T.: To me it's great simply because I haven’t played there yet!

H.C.: It’s interesting to talk about this, because here in Buenos Aires, there are some musicians who complain about the “under scene” saying it doesn’t exist, but I’ve been here in Montevideo and for example, the amount of places to play is completely different, I think it’s important to talk about it ‘cause it opens your mind a bit.
N. T.: If we’re talking “under” here, what are we talking about? Two or three places to play? And only one of them has good sound. You got Bluzz, Decibelios and BJ.
R. G.: To those who complain about Buenos Aires “under” I invite them a weekend here (laughs). You see? That’s the “under” here, you came and spent a weekend and you saw everything! But hey! We know how things are; we’re not crying babies; that’s not going to slow us down.

H.C.: That’s the spirit! Getting back on track with the questions: you guys have a “moving” member, Fede, who also plays drums in Guachass, how do you guys handle that in terms of organization?
R. G.: Since he started playing with Guachass his agenda is a lot busier, but honestly it hasn’t affected us at all. We organize things well, and to be honest he gets a lot more around with Guachass than with us (laughs).
N. T.: We always try to have gigs and rehearsals dates as separated as possible.

H.C.: And talking about other Uruguayan bands, who do you guys feel close to?
R. G.: I tend to get closer in personal terms more than musically. So personally I feel close to Revolver, Oro, Culpables; we have a great relationship with those guys. But musically I find it hard to relate, not because we’re unique or anything, but because I feel every band is so personal here, that none seems to be like the other, and that’s something to stand out since we’re all friends, we all grew up together.
N. T.: Yeah, we feel close to the heavy blues guys, Revolver, Oro and with Guachass too, we have known each other for years. That’s the interesting thing about here, it’s not like there are 300 bands that sound all the same. You've got each band doing it its way.

H.C.: So maybe after all there is an “under”, what lacks is a structure, but the spirit of reflecting something personal and new thru different art forms exists. After all “under” is supposed to be that, the spirit of expressing something, whether it has a structure or not.
R. G.: Yeah but I think that goes far beyond the concept of “under”. That should be a posture before life. It’s totally human. Call it “under” or spoon.

H.C.: So aside from making music, do you express yourselves thru other art forms?
R. G.: Hmmm I’m a filmmaker. We’re about to film a movie next year. It’s a project I have with some friends.
N. T.: Hmmm, I draw, but since I’m not that good I never say it (laughs).

H.C.: So if Vellocets had to be the soundtrack of a movie, which movie would that be?
N. T.: Ummm a Terry Gilliam film, I’d like that!
R. G.: Umm that’s a tough one, more than the soundtrack of a movie, it would be the soundtrack of an idea if “expressing without any bonding” was a movie.

H.C.: Maybe a surreal one?
R. G.: Yeah I like Buñuel. Though taking part on a Lynch one would be great. Or a Coen movie, Von Trier would be nice, but no, I love what he does, but he would be mean to us and we don’t like to be mistreated (laughs).
N. T.: I’d like a western.

H.C.: With whom would you like to play that you haven’t? Dead or alive…
N. T.: I can’t lie about it, Hendrix!
R. G.: Lysergic Beatles or the older Stones. I’d like to play with QOTSA; they have the capacity of talking about freedom and being visceral at the same time. Or Nick Cave… it would be fun to play with Daniel Johnston too.
N. T.: I like QOTSA a lot, but I wouldn’t get mad if I had to play with the Fuzztones.

H.C.: Some bands! And changing subject, what about the artwork of your album, who did it?
R. G.: Nicolás designed it along with a friend called Marcel Salord who draws illustrations.
N. T.: At the beginning someone else was going to do it, but I started working on it and showing the guys the results to know what they thought about it. After everything was finished a friend helped me digitalizing everything, because the artwork is all handmade. Craftsmen %100.
R. G.: Hippie Nick (laughs).

H.C.: Ok guys, after being 2 hours under my siege, I’ll let you ask me the last question.
R. G.: If we were to play in Buenos Aires, would you go see us? Would you tell your friends to go? Why? And I’m taking notes!!
N. T.: And did you enjoy our company?
H.C.: Yes, I enjoyed your company very much, and yes, if you come to Buenos Aires (and let’s hope that happens soon) I’d give you shelter, I’d give you beer and I’d go to your show with a crazy troupe because I believe in Rock and Roll.

Photo by Camila Montenegro

+INFO

VELLOCETS on Facebook
VELLOCETS on MySpace
CAMILA MONTENEGRO PHOTOGRAPHER

THE BLUE ANGEL LOUNGE : Self Titled

2009-08-10T13:35:00.001+02:00

In 1965, Nico played her first shows at The Blue Angel Lounge, a NYC club. So, The Blue Angel Lounge, formed in Hagen in 2004, is named after and pays tribute to its famous fellow countrywoman.

A psychedelic band, this German quintet stands out from its peers in terms of form as their lunar and nebulous atmosphere evokes the dark romanticism of Cursed Poets. The blue angels' dreamlike dimension stems from its mysterious, disenchanted and penetrating singing, a ghostlike voice whose lament haunts you and gives you goosebumps.
But what do these lost souls talk about? About loneliness, pain, addiction, death and about love, of course.
Slowly but surely, "Looming Solid Massive Steamer" darkens the horizon and brings up precious rough edges, which are like little levitating stars, before the tambourine in "Ashes Round The Skull" electrifies and keeps boosting us.
If Nico was The Black Angels' 'godmother', who are second cousins of the Hagen combo, the German icon is for sure the mentor of the quintet who dedicates her the track "Desertshore", a vibrant tribute whose beauty is icy and poisonous.
Besides the recurring ghost of Nico, one can catch a glimpse of the shadows of The Velvet Underground, Spacemen 3 and also Joy Division in the Blue Angel Lounge firmament, hence one finds himself torn between narcotic dream (Orange in Green, A Hundred Years In Love) and biting disillusion (In Cold Water, The God), the whole thing being endowed with an elegant lyricism.
"I fear the devil in me" seems to be those tormented troubadours' motto. A exhilirating and spellbinding fragrance rises from these ten tunes, a scent that each listen makes even more delectable and hypnotic.
I bet that these German princes' "black sun" will keep blinding us over and over again...

DIETRICH

2009-07-31T18:22:00.004+02:00

Photo by Hernán Corera

Walls of sound.
Walls of sound and images, details flickering before your eyes, different smells, different points of view, an explosion of light sound, a journey thru your head and beyond.
That is Dietrich, and much more.
Hakinen and Frisco tell us all about it.

Hattie Carroll: The first time I heard about you was during 2008. When was Dietrich born? How old is it?
Dietrich: We don't know where it comes from or how old is it. We are receptors of energy that inhabit the Universe. Energies older than men. Dietrich is the imperfect decodification of these energies into music and other arts.

H.T.: When I read the band's name, the first thing that came into my mind was Marlene Dietrich. Why did you choose to call yourselves that way?
D.: Because Dietrich is dead in the woods and it's not coming back.

H.T.: Since you begun, have there been changes? Or was the formation of the band as it is now?
D.: There were fomation changes but always around the creators and producers Haniken and Frisco. Now the band is formed by Hakinen, Frisco, Orca and Makinwa.

H.T.: You guys name a lot of bands that are an influence to you, bands such as Joy Division, Interpol, Nine Inch Nails, Sigur Ros among others, which Latin American bands do you guys identify with and why?
D.: With Sumo and Patricio Rey, because they were amphibians.

H.T.: You also name many visual artists, and when listening to Dietrich one gets hit by a strong sense of cinematography; like a different visual story in every song. If Dietrich had to be the Soundtrack of a movie, which would it be?
D.: Any Michael Mann movie.

H.T.: The design and photography of Dietrich are exellent and they reflect Dietrich's world perfectly. Do you work with other artists outside the band or you take that into your own hands?
D.: The photography, film and literature that exists in Dietrich is created by Dietrich.

H.T.: At the shows I've seen live you ususally change instruments and with that and the low lights, the band gets completely mixed, making you realize that you really don't know who's playing what. Does this have to do with what you seek to transmit (I personally feel a unique sound full of details that strikes you from everywhere). Is it deliberate or is it something that just happens?
D.: We believe in the imprefections of one self, making us unique and unrepeatable. This concept we apply when we play our instruments and songs. Thru that, we can transmit the sensations that the primitive energies produce, and that we feel and liberate when playing live, thru different ways of playing that nobody could repeat, even when they are technically imperfect and limited.

H.T.: And if you had to define your shows in 3 words, which ones would those be?
D.: Intense, primitive and danceable.

H.T.: How do you define Dietrich's sound?
D.: Diffuse.

H.T.: How is the process of composing music?
D.: A song is composed and produced by Hakinen and Frisco, and then is shared and finished with Orca and Makinwa.

H.T.: The songs you have recorded; do they belong to any EP?. Were those songs recorded independently or do you have the backup of a label?
D.: The songs you can hear at our MySpace were recorded independently and live at our rehearsals, they don't belong to any EP in particular.

H.T.: Any news on an upcoming LP in the near future?
D.: We would like to honour our songs thru an official recording that would belong to the DIETRICH TRILOGY (HELSINKI - INTERLAKEN-TANGER) before this year finishes.

H.T.: What do you think of the underground scene in Buenos Aires? Does it exist? What part does Dietrich play in it?
D.: It exists, but it's fragmented. We don't know what part we play in it, time will tell.

H.T.: You guys have a lot to do with "70 Seconds before Knock Out", can you tell us more about it?
D.: "70 Seconds" is an idea that was born from the Dietrich concept to justify our early performances. With time the concept mutated and gained independence from the band becoming something bigger.
At the beggining of 2009 together with Juan Irbalucia from POMMEZ and SADNESS DISCOS, we organized "70 Seconds before Knock Out" that was a multi-disciplinary event that puts the viewer at the centre of the action.
Two bands (lit with LEDS and placed opposite to each other) and a screen surrounding the viewer create the experience.
In September 2009, we will have the 2nd "70 Seconds before Knock Out" and instead of having The Baseball Furies, Mujercitas Terror, Serial and Colonia de Siervos who played at the 1st event; we will have Humo del Cairo, Hacia dos Veranos, Fiesta Animal, Kirlian, Dietrich and Pommez; and we will also add a 3rd stage where Borrador, Carmen Baliero, Proyecto Gomez, Tulus and Los Palos Borrachos will be playing.
All of this plus visual artists, photographers, short movies, lighting and atmosphere artists. Every September's thursday at Castorera (AV. Cordoba 6237), 23:30hs.

H.T.: What will the future bring to Dietrich?
D.: The same that it will bring to everybody, the unknown and uncertain, the absolute.

+INFO:
Dietrich at MySpace
Dietrich at Facebook
70 Segundos antes del Knock Out

THE AU PAIRS

2009-07-27T11:25:00.005+02:00

Birmingham, 1979, post-punk is Britain’s new "opium for the masses". Out of the blue, a band of outsiders came along and kicked ass with its catchy sounds, sarcastic lyrics and tight rhythm section (Jane Munro on bass and Pete Hammond on drums.)
This was the time when girls in bands started speaking out and, boy, they had a lot on their minds!

The Au Pairs were fronted by riot grrrl Lesley Woods, a lesbian and feminist, hence her bias led the band to be one of the very first ones that celebrated sexuality from a woman’s point of view.
Miss Woods and fellow guitarist and vocalist Paul Foad took a dry look at gender relations and were not ones to mince words. Their music was in your face but smartly bold and ironic, therefore their debut album Playing With A Different Sex is regarded as a post-punk classic and was compared to Delta 5, Gang Of Four and The Slits.
If you want to get the picture, listen to malign “Come Again” at maximum volume, you’ll want to start a riot, you will blow the place apart and will have a blast!
The second album Sense & Sensuality did not get as much recognition as it was more jazz, blues and funk oriented and the band finally split up in 1983 after a live album.
Both Lesley and Jane Munro quit making music, cheeky Lesley is now a lawyer but Paul and Pete remain active musicians.
Although this band was short lived, its aura and sounds are still vivid and very relevant. The Scottish band Sons & Daughters is one of its modern expressions.
For anyone who's feisty or a rebel at heart...

ALBERTA CROSS : The Thief & The Heartbreaker

2009-07-27T11:10:00.004+02:00

Who would have thought that the land of britpop could harvest the best vintage of americana since...Neil Young and The Crazy Horse?
Swede Peter Ericson Stakee and his bandmate Terry Wolfers, an east Londoner, indeed composed their debut EP in the British capital prior to settling down on the New Continent, in Brooklyn, headquarters of the cream of the crop.
If you have never travelled across untamed America, The Thief & The Heartbreaker will invite you to a memorable road trip all along route 66 , a journey during which Ericson Stakee will unburden his soul and tell you all about his heartache (with no mawkishness whatsoever), his bedazzling singing being a pure nectar of sweet melancholy that will quickly become your companion in "misfortune".
Alberta Cross's magic lies in its bitter-sweet character, a disenchanted voice mingled with lush guitar layers and bright vocal harmonies, timeless and genuine stardust that instantly turns into gold.
While awaiting these troubadours' debut album, these seven delightful songs will lay hold of your spirits and if you are lucky enough to see them live, they will shoot more arrows right through your heart.

Rank : Say Hello To The Angels
The Thief & The Heartbreaker was released on Ark Recordings on April, 2nd 2007 and was re-released on October, 14th 2008.

THE MEEK

2009-07-21T17:04:00.019+02:00

Photo by Jeff Forney

Ironically named, The Meek seems to be hailing straight from hell with its evil and nefarious soundscapes.
“You” perfectly epitomizes the quartet’s compulsive aura and its trademark wall of sound with hallucinogenic distortions. The Californians’ sound is compelling : oppressive and yet surprisingly feminine with Amy Lee’s sultry and mesmerizing vocals, the four-piece thus builds a sonic cathedral of evil reverb and striking fuzzy guitars and brings out a chiaroscuro of emotions, a blazing inferno that casts dark spells and arouses you with its raw, droning and haunting visuals.
While the band seems to be caught in a cave, its ethereal highlights foresee a guiding light that keeps you wandering in an astounding maze, a fever dream that will blow you away over and over again…
Have The Meek crossed Arthur Rimbaud’s path somewhere along the ride? This could have been the poison he mentioned in “Night In Hell” from A Season In Hell:
“I have just swallowed a terrific mouthful of poison. - Blessed, blessed, blessed the advice I was given! - My guts are on fire.”
Get a taste of that exquisite poison, The Meek is calling you!

The Meek on MySpace

FELA KUTI

2009-07-21T17:02:00.002+02:00

The first time I heard Fela Kuti I couldn’t believe my ears.
I felt ashamed.
Ashamed of not knowing who he was, where he came from, what he sung about. Then I started reading about him. Yes he IS the father of Afro Beat, which is essentially a fusion of jazz, funk, psychedelic rock, and traditional West African chants and rhythms. He was Nigerian, and was a multi instrumentalist, a civil rights activist, he released over 47 albums, and he supported socialism.
But aside from all that it was what he produced in me, what he made me feel, physically, my body responded to him.

I come from a dark skinned father and a light skinned mother. I was born in a country where drums, Africa and the Negro culture gave the whole country its heart beat. Without it, Uruguay doesn’t breath. My country invented Candombe, we white folks are lubolos (white people appearing as black people at Carnivals, wanting to be black, feeling themselves black). Uruguay actually has a pure African descendant population of %6.3 and coming from a small country its saying a lot, Brazil has only %6 pure black population (data from 2000) and is a much, much larger country.
I grew up in a neighborhood where we white, were the minority, I wanted to be black when I was 4 and played with my friends.
I now live in Buenos Aires, and if someone asks me what it lacks I could instantly point out 2 things, a beach on its capital city and black people.
Down here, we had racist issues, not as much as in the North Continent of our beloved America, but we did have them. Black people and Indians fighting the Libertarian and Civil wars on the front line, so they would die first than the white people. Shame on those who claimed to be “libertarian” and acted that way.

I felt ashamed, I’ve always felt a bit ashamed about my skin, my light skin, always felt anger and rage every time an injustice was thrown onto the black people, so beautiful to me, so talented, with such life in them that all their problems would go away. I’ve always been fascinated by their power to transform death into life.
Black people singing in the cotton fields.
Black people dancing to the stars in Africa.
Black people fighting apartheid with open hands and closed fists.
Black people, with such black power.

Yes, I’m going to make a racist stand here.
No, I didn't believe, in my heart, that we were equal, I’ve never had.
I had always felt black people were better, more talented. They sung better, they danced better, their skin was more beautiful, their bodies better built, they were better at sports, better in music.
Simply better. I strongly believe that one of the reasons for racism to exist is envy.

Then I heard Fela Kuti and something inside of me changed, completely, I felt no color, just beat, rhythm, sound, blood in my veins, warmth in my skin, I was alive, experiencing music completely.
I was black and white; I was in Buenos Aires and in Africa.

He brought everything together for me.
I could never talk about Fela Kuti without talking about what I felt about my skin, because it’s the largest organ of my body and he made me realize I had one.
Music has no shape, no color. Music chooses you; you never choose music, not really. Music can take you places you’ve never been to, I believe that he thought that way; he made us all into one huge African heart beat.

After all, men comes from Africa. The heart of the world is Africa.
Black Africa. Black Power.

+INFO:
Fela Kuti

LA PATRULLA ESPACIAL: Todos los Ocasos

2009-07-21T17:00:00.003+02:00

La Patrulla Espacial put the B in the Blues of Buenos Aires. With a perfect mix of Hard Rock and blue notes they’ve called all of our attention back at the Tango country.
Their shows are a well packed conglomerate of lysergic sounds, psychedelic textures, the strong and fierce sound of blues and a mass of bodies influenced by them that move as one, a sort of a sea made out of dancing bodies.
A celebration of Rock, a ritual.

These guys, from La Plata (Buenos Aires), have been around for at least four years, releasing their first EP thru Mandarina Records in 2006 “Boogie en la Luna” (which later would be released as a 7’’ vinyl thru “Discos de la Flor Solar”, an independent label from Spain); and in 2008 (also thru Mandarina) their second EP “Boogie del Humo”.
In the same year, they released their first LP called “Todos los Ocasos”, 12 songs and 35 minutes of pure rock and lysergic blues, as they like to call it. The truth is, this album is one of the best I’ve heard so far this year. They bring back the ghosts of Pappo's Blues, La Cofradia de la Flor Solar, Billy Bond y La Pesada del Rock and Roll, Pescado Rabioso, (just to name some) with an originality, respect and color that you can taste with your mind.

“Todos los ocasos” holds 12 songs produced and recorded by the band themselves. 12 songs that you can freely download from Mandarina’s site, as well as the other 2 EP’s by the band. 12 songs that redeem Argentinean rock. 12 songs that together build a universe of sound that makes sense altogether but separately have a uniqueness and personality of its own, a whole milky way with its 12 planets. They truly honor their name.

*La Patrulla Espacial in English would be Space Patrol.

Rank: Say Hello to the Angels

+INFO:
La Patrulla Espcial on Facebook
La Patrulla Espcial on MySpace
Mandarina Records

SWEET JANE

2009-07-13T19:20:00.000+02:00

Photo from Johnny Savage's Collection

Sweet Jane. One of Ireland's finest bands. Hardworking, honest and strong-hearted. I met these fellas about a year and a half ago, and one and a half year ago later, what needed to change has changed, they're bigger, they're greater, and they're still around, rockin'.
And what's important remains, they're still the same people I talked with (and kept on talking) thru these years.
From Danda's multitalented hands, thru kicking ass with Glasvegas, until loving Spinerette, the Sweet table is set, and Lydia Des Dolles spreads some truth.
Sweet people, Sweet Jane.

Hattie Carroll: So why "SWEET JANE"?
Lydia Des Dolles: It was Danda Really who gave our band that name - I think from a combination of things really, those two words have a load of different meanings in different cultures and of course yknow Lou Reed had that hit - and its a great song, when we started out the two of us recording onto a little 10-track Sweet Jane was a perfect name for what kind of music we were going to start making.

H.C: You know, I first heard from you guys back at the beggining of 2008, since when have you been around?
L.D.D: We started recording together in early 2007, it was quiet soon after that when we got the full band together.

H.C: And the formation wasn't like it is now, right?
L.D.D: No, we had a few line - up changes at the beginning, we had people who joined and really didnt give a shit about playing music just enjoyed the lifestyle being in a band brought, so for the sake of your band you've got to keep playing with passionate people.

H.C: I know you guys share members with The Brothers Movement, how do you work that out?
L.D.D: We only share one member with them, that's Danda. It works perfectly, they have their band, and Sweet Jane is myself and Danda - it's two completly diffrent bands, and we just do what we do there's no great secret to making it work.

H.C: So far you guys have opened for bands such as Glasvegas, BRMC, APTBS, and others of course, don't mean to put you in an uncomfortable situation, but which show was the most important for SWEET JANE's history?
L.D.D: I'm not sure, with APTBS & BRMC those guys are good friends so it was like more of a fun time, getting to hang with friends whereas I guess for the band it would be Glasvegas - I mean that was important for us because the people who enjoy their music seemed to really dig our sound and embrace us with open arms, it opened alot of doors for us - and for that we will be forever grateful to them & their management - their the only band that we've all been like ''we wanna do a full tour with those guys'', they are super great people & super talented.

H.C: "Blackboots/ Blackhearts" is one hell of an EP, how was the whole process of writting and recording it?
L.D.D: Y'know its really weird when I think back on the recording of that EP - we pretty much recorded that when we started the band and we've done alot since then, in such a short space of time too, but we recorded in our studio, we got our engineer to bring his studio and set it up in ours, so it was quiet a natural enviroment, we had Ryan Van Kriedt from the Asteroid No.4 mix it for us in Philadelphia, which was incredible because he is so talented!

H.C: So when will we be able to have an LP in our hands?
L.D.D: It's coming, I mean we have the songs its just a matter of taking the time out to go record. We've pretty much toured for the last year non stop - and you just cant make a record in the middle of touring but it will definetly see a release date for early next year. And we're looking at September for recording.

H.C: Yeah. You play live a lot, are you guys signed or work with any label; or you take that with your own hands?
L.D.D: We released 'Blackboots & Blackhearts' through Dead Flower Records, which is an independant label that were involved with perfect for us because we have full control on all aspects of our releases, and RMG distributed its digital release.

H.C: So how would you say the underground scene is in Dublin?
L.D.D: It's changed dramatically in the last couple of years, the amount of amazing bands over here right now is incredible - its great for getting everyone to be more creative and competitive in a healthy way.

H.C: Who would you say your inspirations are?
L.D.D: Y'know i always struggle with this question, for many years when I was younger it was female musicians like almost every 12 year old girl wanting to be in a band, now because thats what I do I tend to get more inspired by the simpler things in life like art and people.

H.C: And when inspiration comes and you guys write, you do it together, or each has their own way?
L.D.D: When we started, Danda basically done everything, he would bring me into the studio and say ok 'you sing here and here' in a weird Phil Spector-esque type way, but now things are different, I've gotten better on guitar and can get a melody on piano accross to him, so then we can re-arrange and complete it that way, or he'll come to the studio with something on guitar & we'll work a melody out that way, but I mean I still cant take any credit for the music side, he plays every instrument on our songs, I think this band is a little bit of a challenge for him in the sense that with anything he's done in the past he's done the 'you play this and this' and it never changed so he finds it a bit weird having to consult someone else y'know [laughs].

H.C: What are the pros and cons of having such a big city as London so close?
L.D.D: Good question I've never been asked that before. I think London in general is an amazing place for any band to play, I mean it's the capital but it really is the core of the music scene, you just cant play there and not become an oppurtunist y'know, I love playing London because we have so many friends over there. The cons I guess are like anything, the money aspect, for us it's not as easy as hopping on a plane, you've got to bring the bus, which means getting a ferry to Wales, and having to drive from Wales to London & y'know that's a whole day of driving before your show.

H.C: Any plans for a tour soon?
L.D.D: Not for a while, we've had a heavy year on the road so I think its time to just concentrate on this record but it always depends y'know, we probably wont do our own tour for a while but you never know what other bands will ask you to come on the road with them. We have the most unpredictable life ever so these questions are hard to answer [laughs].

H.C: What bands have you been listening to lately?
L.D.D: Fuck, there's a lot - Royal Trux, Darker My Love, Glasvegas, Down, The Kills, Pj Harvey, Elbow, The Coral, Talulah Does The Hula, Elvis, Howling Bells, Black Sabbath, The Beach Boys, 2 Many DJ's, Aphrodite's Child, The Smiths, Curtis Mayfield, and Brody Dalle's new band Spinerette.

H.C: So many great ones. So what's ahead for SWEET JANE?
L.D.D: A little of the same and alot of new, were at the start of it all right now so I think we just want to keep working hard and making some great records - actually I wouldn't mind a touring with Spinnerette I'm listening to them right now and loving those songs.

Released by Dead Flower Records Sweet Jane 'Blackboots Blackhearts' is a one shot music video part of the 'Beauty of the Beast Collection' . Directed by Russell Lee Ford and Produced by British Getaway Films

+INFO:
Sweet Jane on MySpace
Sweet Jane on Facebook

THE REVELLIONS : Self Titled

2009-07-11T12:16:00.012+02:00

Dublin, its Guinness, its writers and... its (garage) rock!
After the crowning of the Urges last year, the Emerald Isle discloses its hottest gem with The Revellions, a quintet of partners in crime who are fond of the sixties and whose self-titled debut album is a statement in style and a tribute to old-school psychedelic garage : a flood of fuzz guitars and devilish atmospheres.
Despite glaring influences, especially The Chocolate Watchband and the Nuggets, these Dubliners display an assertive character and a personal touch. Welcome to the Revellions home, the land of cheeky humor, chaos and psychotropia!
The Irish gang seems to live permanent confrontations and other epic chases (the surf effect, blatant on "Groundswell"), thirty minutes of wild adventures for a short but incredibly intense record.
Besides James Lister's sharp guitar sounds, outrageous Ali Moore, a sweet-looking singer whose howl is staggering, makes you thrill straightaway and keeps knocking you out through vocals.
Their pace is quite furious but the tunes are polished and brilliantly produced, "Ain't No Fool" gets you hooked instantly, then the odd ghost-trainlike "Not The Attraction" and radical "Walking Away" give you goosebumps.
The royal organ of Thomas D'Arcy, a vivacious Brian Jones lookalike, perfects the Revellions sound and endows it with a more subtle and elegant dimension, particularly on the striking "Have It All" , the end of which is amazingly orchestrated and steals the show.
Beyond the vintage sixties sound, the rowdy quintet also pays pays tribute to the Cramps in its music and audacity. By the way, Ali Moore reminds of a gentler and less exhibitionist Lux Interior.
You will easily get trapped by this enthralling world that is as visual as musical, a kind of sixties style pulp-fiction (not the movie, the comics) with merciless gimmicks, hoodlums, endearing bad boys and pin ups, a story in which heroes have kidnapped you but you do no want to be set free. Stockholm syndrome?
Yes, the Revellions are mischievous, daring and bad-ass...you've got to have more of their verve, they are "one of a kind"!

The Revellions was released on Dirty Water Records on December, 8th 2008.
Rank: Stormy High

The Revellions on myspace : http://www.myspace.com/therevellions

THE NORTH COUNTRY

2009-07-05T20:06:00.008+02:00

photo by unknown artist

When you find yourself at the crossroads of Joy and Division, you instantly think about Ian Curtis but if you look at the sky at dusk right there, you may hear that howlin’ wind Uncle Bob sang about.
“If you’re going to the north country fair , where the winds hit heavy on the borderline, remember me to one who lives there, she once was a true love of mine…”

There are no directions home and you must let your free will pick between brightness, which is comfort and convenience and darkness that stands for challenge and adventure.
The Secret Machines’ atmospheric sounds will guide you through this unwritten path, surrounding you with a dreamlike haze, you’ll be no longer looking for that former love of yours but this poetic landscape will bring out lots of memories and will take you to a magical land that will keep reverberating in your mind.

How much is one split second, that is how long it will take you to make a decision between joy and division, going to affect your journey while you are at the border of the north country?
Would you rather indulge in melancholy or experience to the full? Let the howlin' wind carry you away…

THE WARLOCKS : The Mirror Explodes

2009-07-04T08:51:00.005+02:00

"Destroy & Rebuild", such is the legendary Warlocks' motto, survivors of the decay of Heavy Deavy Skull Lover. Still racked by narcotic demons, our favorite Californians got rid of the skeletons in the closet but now reside in a house haunted by their own images.
With The Mirror Explodes, Bobby Hecksher & co plunge into a dreamlike voluptuous melancholy, inspired in the first place by a very sensual "Red Camera", a contemplative record, breaking with a cavernous previous album.

They redefine their wall of sound here, leaving out their noisiest effects to devote themselves to a shoegaze with hints of fuzz'n'drone, both syrupy and vampiric...
"Midnight Sun" and "Slowly Disappearing", reminiscent of the city of angels' blazing sun blow hot prior to blowing cold with "There Is A Formula To Your Despair".
Being less extreme, the atmosphere of the album leaves a strange feeling of restraint at first, repressed sensations bursting in lavish guitar layers, each play revealing a different glow.
The Warlocks concocted their most delectable elixir with staggering "Standing Between The Lovers Of Hell", the fiery and lasting imprint of a love curse where lies the very substance of the band: lust and frustration, fear and torture, chaos and fullness.
One stands between delicacy and neurosis with "You Make Me Wait", followed by a less inspired "Frequency Meltdown" and the disillusioned grace of "Static Eyes" has the last word.
If Heavy Deavy Skull Lover was to the Warlocks what White Light, White Heat is to The Velvets, then The Mirror Explodes can be regarded as the New-Yorkers' self-titled (without Nico).

Skillfully uncluttered, sensory and magnetic, less radical than Rise and Fall or incisive than Surgery, more accessible than Heavy Deavy and more refined than Phoenix, The Mirror Explodes possesses a unique identity in the band's career and thus appears as a turning point. The psychedelic sorcerers have at least a thousand and one sonic tricks up their book of magic spells...

The Mirror Explodes was released on Tee Pee Records on May, 19th.

Rank : Say Hello To The Angels

THE FLYING BURRITO BROS

2009-07-03T02:14:00.000+02:00

Fight fire with Fire

Legend tells us that the Phoenix is a mythical bird with a colorful plumage and a tail of gold and scarlet. It has a 500 to 1,000 year life-cycle, near the end of which it builds itself a nest of myrrh twigs that then ignites; both nest and bird burn fiercely and are reduced to ashes, from which a new, young phoenix or phoenix egg arises, reborn anew to live again.

Country.
Rock.
Legacy.
Legend.

All of these words apply to talk about one of the most influential bands of the 60’s.
The Flying Burrito Bros are what Unenlagia is to Paleontology, and using an “almost” bird from ancient times is completely accurate. Why? Because before we learn to fly, we got to learn to walk, and these animals taught us that.
Same happened with The FBB back in the 60’s; their music is the link between two great genres, Country & Rock, and by linking them together they accomplished more than they actually realized.

You see, Country and Rock were, and can still be, two very closed forms of music, inside the Country family there were only a few who dared to step into Rock, and when they did Ma’, Pa’ and the Country Music Industry weren’t happy about it; and when a Rocker went Country (it has happened) he or she got stoned for it.

Then in the 60’s, these guys come and give everybody a huge middle finger with their first record The Gilded Palace of Sin (1969), I mean c’mon, isn’t that a Rock and Roll album name or what? And what we had there was “good old farmers meet LSD” and it worked out GREAT.

Giving the atmosphere of those years, it was to be expected that as if came natural to them to mix different points of view, it was natural that their statement was going to be someone else’s too. Let’s thank the Lord for that, Amen!

Their formation varied and I must name Mister Ingram Cecil Connor III, or Gram Parsons to us all, a modern man like few in our time, and like the modern man he was, he took life by its horns and gave us all beautiful music to live to.

Not many people know about The FBB, or to say it better, they are not named as much as they should, we’re talking about the band that Bob Dylan and The Rolling Stones looked up to, the band that shared members with The Byrds and The International Submarine Band.

Maybe like with ancient stories, they need to be passed on from person to person, like a marvelous secret that needs to be taken care of.
What’s true is that after you experience listening to them one gets the impression that we understand it all, finally.

I got the story from a dear friend, now I’m passing it to you.
Keep it alive, like the phoenix and Gram, always burning, always living, and forever young.

PINK FLOYD AT UFO

2009-06-27T14:17:00.034+02:00

1966, most psychedelic year ever, in the heart of swinging London, the UFO crowd is most likely unaware that they are a part of musical and cultural history, losing their grip on reality in these ultimate underground headquarters.
As the Floyd starts playing arpeggios, people get carried away, whirling to colorful, lysergic and cathartic vibes, getting either dizzy or wild under the influence of alcohol and all kinds of drugs, their bodies get sweaty and pulsate to intense dissonant sounds and to a growing wall of sound, visions get blurry and double outlines reflect all around.
Where the heck is Syd? Is that Roger?
Lush riffs get under people’s skins while psychotropic light effects wrap their senses, until music gets larger than life, an omnipotent dimension where supreme rhythm rules and takes people to a higher ground, where music is the meaning of everything and where time and place tend to disappear.
The crowd is just faced with raw emotion, electrifying sensations and soundgasms, people’s spirits wander in reptilia while distortions reach their climax, instincts surrender and bodies and minds are split off, time is on hold all the way through when people go to orbit.
Cosmic, chemical, organic, outrageous and mindblowing at once, that’s what is called an experience…

THE BLUE ANGEL LOUNGE : Interview

2009-06-27T13:31:00.011+02:00

Interview by Lady Godiva, with Dennis Melster aka Mel, one of the two founding members of The Blue Angel Lounge.

L.G: Your band pays tribute to Nico. You even named one of your songs after an album of hers and dedicated your own album to her.
Can you tell us about her as an inspiration on your work and what she means to you as a muse or icon?

Mel : Nico is not really an icon or muse for us. She is a powerful but silent artist and we got more and more in touch with her music after we found our own sound. So it was clear that we pay tribute to her in someway even though we did not really talk about it. We are also planning to record a cover of one of her songs and maybe we will do it on our next gig.

LG : What other major influences do you have musicwise, besides the "obvious" Velvets or Spacemen 3?

Mel : I would say that The Velvet Undergound was one of our first loves which inspired us to do music and The Brian Jonestown Massacre gave us the confidence to do whatever we like. I remember that I had - and still have - the same overwhelming feeling with both bands. There are so many bands and artists more like Galaxy 500, Joy Division, Mazzy Star, Radiohead, Spacemen 3 (Spectrum, Spiritulized) Yo La Tengo, Bedhead, Elliott Smith (newer), Psychic Ills, The Black Angels, Carbonic, Sparkling Fountains Of Magic Reality, Woven Bones, TheLightShines etc....

LG : The band started with just Nils O. and Dennis Melster and now you are a four piece. Do you agree on a certain dynamic to compose and write songs? Is it random or do does everyone contribute "equally"?

Mel : Nils and I wrote and recorded almost everything on the album ourselves. A few exceptions, like a drum, vocal or guitar part have been recorded with other friends. Now, with our new bassist, we have more than just a new live - member, he contributes with many good ideas so there is a certain dynamic. Mostly Nils comes up with a chord idea or something and then we start to "jam" with all our instruments. Or we decide to record a new song to have a more spontaneous creation process.

LG : Your lyrics are very dark, tormented and romantic. What kind of poets/ authors do you like? Is fiction / poetry as big an influence as music?

Mel : I don't think that Nils - who is writing the lyrics - is influenced by any specific poet/author. He reflects almost everything that surrounds him like love, conflicts, weather, trees, movies, love, history, madness, death, love, memories and maybe there are some books in between

LG : In most psychedelic bands, one can feel the sun musicwise but your sounds are much colder and more "northern". Is it on purpose?
Your music somehow reminded me of german expressionism inasmuch as it alludes to madness, pessimistic and anguished visions? Do you agree with that?

Mel : No, it's coincidence. We are not trying to be dark and cold although we are attracted to it. I always was interested in mysterious and cryptical characters and their art like Ian Curtis, Edward Munch, Nietzsche and some german expressionists. I can see the connection that you meant but I think we have another motivation.

LG : Hence, your music could make a good soundtrack to "underground" directors like Jim Jarmush or Gus Van Sant? Would you be interested in doing that? If so, what directors would you like to work with?

Mel : We always wanted to make a movie with our music but we never found the time. A few days ago we edited some scenes for a screening while we are playing and maybe we put a scene from Gus Van Sant's "Paranoid Park" in it. We love a lot of directors like David Lynch, Phillipe Garrell, R.W. Fassbinder and Kubrick for example. In fact that many of the mentioned directors are unfortunately already dead, we would like to work with David Lynch.

LG : What do you think of the current german music scene? Do you recommend any bands?
Mel : No scene, no bands.

LG : Being self-produced, how do you manage to get tour dates? Did you get a fan base by word of mouth?

Mel : We are a bit lazy in that regard because and due to the fact that members of the band are changing regularly it is hard to plan gigs a long time in advance. If someone is interested in our music he is contacting us via e-mail and we decide if we can do it. We are not a tour band, we try to sort out to have every gig a special one.

LG : . Are you gonna tour in germany and abroad? What bands would you like to perform with/open for?
I would love to see you support The Black Angels, you'd be the perfect opening act!

Mel : Indeed, supporting The Black Angels would be great also for us. We had contact with Christian already a while ago discussing about playing the next europe tour together. But i think we will have to wait till they release their third record.

LG : The artwork of your abum is very nice. Who did it? Do any of you major in art or graphic design?

Mel :A good friend of us did it. He also plays and sings in a band (Otisoptic) i think that the band is not existing anymore but he is doing his own stuff at the moment. I'm really looking foward to it. Robin (bass) and I were on the same school for graphic design. It's great to have people around who have a good sense for art.

LG : I heard a couple of new songs which are brilliant. Do you have a whole bunch of new tunes on the side? If so, are they similar in tone to the album?

Mel : Yeah, we already recorded a couple of new songs and we have bunch of ideas in the back of our head. The tone is slightly different but with the same mood. We hope to release the album around fall this year.

THE DOLLY ROCKER MOVEMENT : Our Days Mind The Tyme

2009-06-27T11:01:00.025+02:00

This year welcomes the delightful return of The Dolly Rocker Movement who are alive and kicking in Sydney, breeding ground of the southern hemisphere.
Their psychedelic majesties left the mod machine to start a new journey through time that is utterly flamboyant and soulful.
Sitting at the round table of the kingdom of psychedelia, these bohemian knights undertake the quest for the holy flower power grail with swirling organs, dainty riffs, ambrosial vocals and florid kaleidoscope sceneries.

From the offhand way of catchy opener “The Only One” to the softness of “The Ecstasy Once Told”, Dandy Lyon and fellow Dolly Rockers get exquisitely melodic and groovier than ever, embracing the full spirit of the sixties, with the occasional shadow of Syd Barrett, Dandy being a spitting image of the Pink Floyd icon…
Our Days Mind The Tyme indeed exudes euphoria, elegance and freedom as there are no visual or cultural boundaries.
Alternately royally baroque (“A Sound For Two”), mellow and delicate with the great contribution of hippie princess Jules Ferrari (“Coffin Love” and “Enjoy A Paranoia”) or fiercely garage sounding (“My Heavenly Way”, “Memory Layne” and highlight “Borne With Gills” with stunning drums), this record is the band’s best album to date and the doorway to glowing utopia, a land of milk and honey, of eternal sunshine and mutual love.

Let these swinging Australians work their technicolor magic, they’ll hit you with a flower! This record is “sold for sinners”, dreamers and anyone who wishes they had lived in the sixties or wants to escape reality… Prodigious and timeless!

Our Days Mind The Tyme was released on Off The Hip on March, 18th.

Rank : Stormy High