Rolling Psych/Drone/Freak Thread 2013

And what's doing your head in this year?

Well, this may not light anyone's fire, but it is really cool. The main guy in Neptune created a feedback organ. See a demo here:

http://vimeo.com/56724115

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NbfjxIRMSV0
Only listened to the record once so far but it moves from sixties to eighties to kraut-y influences. They have me pegged.

Or VU via the eighties or whatever. It sounds kind of generic, I guess, but it's my genre.

super psyched for Ensemble Pearl -- Atsuo, William Herzog, Michio Kurihara and Stephen O'Malley, out in March.

like this spacin' song -- you got a link for them?

Nah. They went to my buddy's show in Philly and gave him an lp, he gave me the download card.
Here it is at their distro.

Now that I see it is a dude from Birds of Maya it all makes a lot more sense.

Hah I wonder if pressure from the Stones prompted the "new artwork?"

http://www.unseenworlds.net/uw09/

The reissue of Laurie Spiegel's THE EXPANDING UNIVERSE which you should go listen to if you haven't. Or even if you have.

I suppose since I released HIGH ORBITAL last year, I shouldn't talk about it this year, right?

Also two gigs of early moog stuff snagged off the interwebs. Some of it very good, much of it mind-bendingly not good. Still sifting.

This local-to-me modular synth album is very pleasant: http://www.factmag.com/2013/01/30/stream-a-wonderful-album-of-synth-experiments-from-cambridge-outsider-nochexxx/

Austin, anyone?

http://www.austinpsychfest.com/2013-festival/lineup/

uggghhhhh I so want to. Need to figure out if it's possible...

That's a big no can do, Ghostrider. No matter how badly I want to go.

Yeah, same here. It would be a treat, but the timing/money isn't there for it.

Does look cool, but no way in hell I can make any festival work these days that doesn't happen within a couple of hours of my house.

black angels song as promo for daytona 500 on fox was kinda weird

On a different slant, this came out in 2012 but I am just hearing it now. High Aura'd's "Sanguine Futures" on Bathetic is really lovely, yet heavy and immersive at the same time. A lot of it is guitar-based, but also some tapes and loops thrown in:

http://highaurad.bandcamp.com/

Bathetic seems like a really interesting label, releasing everything from straight up drone to Angel Olsen.

I got to see Austin psych rockers Holy Wave last night and they were amazing!
This vid is from last year but captures the magic damn well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5o9R0bbFd-M

Blatant promotion hopefully of use: This thread's participants may find the new issue of Arthur — just back from the printer, shipping now, five bucks plus s & h — of interest for its Byron Coley cover feature on Matt Valentine. 11,000 words of footnoted Q & A. Sidebar guide to MV moments by Dan Ireton. Lotsa rare photos. Cover painting of MV & EE by Arik Roper. Etc etc. More info here

Nice interview in the Village Voice with Billy Gibbons on the Moving Sidewalks reunion:

http://www.villagevoice.com/2013-03-27/music/billy-gibbons-s-moving-sidewalks-are-back-in-a-flash/full

Anyone going to the show in NYC on Saturday?

TG Olson's BLOOD MERIDIAN FOR ELECTRIC DRONE GUITAR is pretty great if you dig that sort of thing: http://acrosstundras.bandcamp.com/album/the-complete-blood-meridian-for-electric-drone-guitar

BARN OWL, on the approach to the release of their new album ‘V‘, which will hit the streets on the 15th April 2013 via Thrill Jockey, have released the music video for the track ‘Void Redux‘ which can be streamed below. http://vimeo.com/62467229

BARN OWL has always specialized in devotional darkness, pushing desert rock into previously unexplored, murky territories. ‘V‘ marks a shift in approach for the duo of Jon Porras and Evan Caminiti. The pair augmented their arsenal of guitars and effects with an array of electronics, vastly expanding the album’s sounds and textures. Special attention was given to implied rhythms nestled within dense slow building environments, giving album a rhythmic presence, albeit one that is buried beneath intricate layers. Theirs is a ghostly rhythm, almost beyond reach.

For years, the duo experimented with the idea of doom dub and in some ways have finally realized that vision. In addition to dub, ‘V‘ is informed by musique concrete, library music, and minimal techno. The opener ‘Void Redux’ begins with a spectral synthesizer coming in and out of focus, tracing a skeletal melodic line that is gradually enveloped by deep bass tones and flecks of static hiss. As the song progresses, the band creates a subtle rhythmic interplay between a drum machine and the decay of a delayed guitar, harkening back to the Black Ark. A significant evolution in the way BARN OWL construct their music is exemplified by the track ‘The Opulent Decline’. Originally a 30-minute improvisation, the final, 17-minute track was composed though editing and augmentation. Throughout the album the timbres and textures of each piece are constantly mutating, fluctuating with an anxious restlessness. For example, on the track ‘The Long Shadow‘ the guitars chime forebodingly before melting into a blur of organ. Porras explains, “It was our goal to harness the fluidity and unpredictability of improvisation within considered arrangements. Special care was taken to convey the ever-changing flow through each piece, a continually shifting set of colors and textures and atmospheres.” Stasis is not an option.

Ooooh that sounds promising! I already liked them but I predict liking them even more.

I went the other way after playing the video. I'm sure I'll check out the record but "Void Redux" is the worst thing I've heard from them.

Ok - I gave it a chance. I dunno, it starts out promising/kinda horror soundtracky but then it seems like it could use a steadier/heavier anchor. I like the sound (especially the voice parts), but the whole thing flutters around a bit much for me -- maybe I dnw anxious restlessness, got plenty of that on my own. now, if the next song builds on that vocal part at the end of this one and so on, we may have a winner. that would mean that this was just the introduction. i guess i like it.

hard to choose "best" or "worst" barn owl -- i have pretty much the same reaction to every single song by them iirc?

I like 'em, then again, I think I've had some utterly rapturous experiences to them live so...

They are really good live. Speaking of drone, the new Lawrence English record on Important Lonely Women's Club is a corker IMO if you like English's stuff and you wanna go DEEP MINIMAL. Blurb alert:

New minimalist composition from Lawrence English composed and recorded over the month of July in 2011 - whilst nursing his newly arrived daughter between the hours of 11pm and 4am. Recorded entirely with an elka 30 organ and given a gentle toasting through LPE's analog mastering set up.

I like to put it on late night for meditation and reading.

Wolf People were sounding pretty good on 6Music last night, anyone heard their new one?

new Sungod is sounding freaking amazing this morning:

http://holodeckrecords.bandcamp.com/album/contackt-hd011

Had an acquaintance link to that Sungod record recently, it is a good listen. One of the better mixes of guitars and synths/keyboards that I have heard in a while. Definitely some early David Gilmour action as well. Gonna listen again right now ...

yeah there is def some mid period Floyd influence there, but theres a lot more going on as well; "Comrade Voyager" sounds like a strange combination of Oneida, Hawkwind, and early 80s ABBA, at least until a minute from the end, when it switches gears and becomes a groovy Rick Wakeman Moog jam...

Yeah, definitely some interesting gear shifting going on with some of the songs, they tend to keep the tracks moving without it getting too proggy.

Very intrigued, will have to check it out after lunch.

Awww man, track posted on Orcutt's site from the upcoming Orcutt/Corsano album. As soon as you hear Corsano come in you know it's just gonna take off, and boy does it (for me at least). Definitely excited for this record. By the way, it's Orcutt electric, at least on this song and I imagine the whole record, but who knows?

http://palilalia.com/post/47540194290/pal-011-chris-corsano-bill-orcutt-lp-the-raw

Just getting to Sungod and this has my name all over it.

when it switches gears and becomes a groovy Rick Wakeman Moog jam

this is why i love bands like this! just when you think you know what you're getting, whoa there are some super loud repetitive chuggy guitars or whatever and then you forget how quiet things were just a few minutes ago. and it actually goes somewhere, doesn't just skillfully but aimlessly noodle. i like the first and second songs together for that reason. hell, i kinda forgot i liked this band, but as it turns out, i do and i did not know they had a new one.
i also like the cover.

http://images.emusic.com/music/images/album/139/755/13975581/600x600.jpg

Wow LL thats great to hear!!,

This is definitely hitting the spot today. Opening guitar solo is really great imo:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBTq8SH1SGE&feature=youtu.be

Crap, thought some info would post. Above clip is Residual Echoes, which in this instance was the touring Colin L Orchestra band "as" Residual Echoes and vice versa.

Also really enjoying this Loren Connors & Thurston Moore set. Nice write-up in Dusted Magazine, and I agree with them that Thurston turns out to be a good foil for Loren's playing. Have checked out a few collabs of his and didn't find them that compelling (prefer Loren solo for the most part), but yeah, this is sounding great to me today:

http://vimeo.com/45832258

I love the mmmr album from years back, will check this out!

I've never heard that mmmr record, looks interesting for sure. I like the duo format for improv, I think it can get into some really interesting territory, and I think Thurston and Loren here do a great job of taking advantage of the freedom whilst complementing each other at the same time.

yeahhh, that connors/moore thing is tasty.

Lots of reasons the Hopscotch Festival looks great this year, but I just learned that Merzbow is the "improviser in residence", which essentially means that he could show up at any gig and be onstage. Last year it was Chris Corsano. Great idea for a festival, really wish I could go.

dunno if this belongs here, but former ga'an vocalist is doing neat things with her voice here
http://fielded.bandcamp.com/album/white-death-7

or as my local paper put it without a hint of hyperbole

One listen to "White Death," the title track of her new seven-inch on Sophomore Lounge Records, ought to be enough for anyone with a working prefrontal cortex and the capacity to feel.

it's not particularly freaky imo but i don't know where else to put minimalist vocal music.

I'm excited about the upcoming album from Oakland-based raga/drone duo Date Palms:

http://thrilljockey.com/thrill/Date-Palms/The-Dusted-Sessions
https://soundcloud.com/thrilljockey/date-palms-yuba-reprise

their last one, Honey Devash, was mighty tasty.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BDnlztE9Yog

^ new master musicians of bukkake, can i get a 'fuck yes'?

RAWWWWWWK

http://dubditchpicnic.bandcamp.com/album/spectral-laundromat

Saw Residual Echoes in Charlottesville recently, and man it really cooked. Hadn't been 100% sold on recorded stuff I've heard, songs didn't fully connect with me, but this set was full on great, the songs were cool and the instrumental parts/jams were pretty focussed and definitely rocking. Some real highs. Here's the same line-up in Europe, where they are on tour right now:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0uM_eSr152U&feature=youtu.be

thank god for the rolling psych/drone and rolling noise threads.

this was only one of two shirtless drummers i saw today!
this is recommended viewing for anyone who is interested in germany in the 70s etc

oops https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSGWFX84NkQ

Hah hah. La Lechera, that Residual Echoes clip has some psych rock flute in it, which I think you are fond of, right?

Went to see Carlton Melton last night, not 100% into them cos I don't always feel the *songs* they play, sometimes the compositions are a bit boring, but the *way* that they play them is often pretty staggering, they sound HUGE. The drummer really smashes his kit, I don't think I've seen a drummer play quite so hard before.

Main reason I went was to catch White Manna who put out an excellent debut last year and are just about to release the follow-up. Great band, songs are kind of reminiscent of the Elevators but played with incendiary Stooges-style guitar riffing and Hawkwind-ish space effects instead of the jug. Really good!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOv74VaFReI

I do like flute!!

White Manna was rad but for some weird reason the Aqua Nebula Oscillator album from last year stole a lot of its thunder, for me. Both are great albums tho.

Guess I better check them out then!

Saw Mainliner last night who were volcanic in their intensity. Heavy jams and white hot noise freakouts where the music was sent hurtling backwards through space. Awesome singer/bass player, think they're from Bo Ningen who I haven't really got round to listening to yet for some reason. BTW I still wish someone would make me a Pete Frame-style 3' x 4' Japanese psych family tree.

i really need to spend more time here

Extremely happy to share news of the rerelease of Abunai's Universal Mind Decoder, which I wrote the liner notes for:

http://www.krautedmind.com/product_info.php?products_id=911

http://abunai.bandcamp.com/album/universal-mind-decoder-deluxe-edition

this is very groovy, ned, thanks! never head of these guys.

Great folks, lucky to have caught them at various Terrastocks over time.

Fantastic band. Saw Brendan a few weeks ago & he never mentioned this was happening. Without wishing to appear rude, slightly surprised there was a demand for it, but hopefully some more people will catch on to it this time round.

Posted this on another thread, but definitely relevant here as well. NYC Taper just posted the Tom Carter set from Hopscotch, and while I tuned in live I was totally blown away, one of my favorite things I've heard this year. Looking forward to checking it again:

http://www.nyctaper.com/2013/10/tom-carter-september-6-2013-three-lobed-wxdu-day-show-kings-raleigh-nc-flacmp3streaming/

^totally gorgeous

listening to the new Food Pyramid album, Ecstasy and Refreshment. not bad.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=amHhnSntlWo

While waiting for that FULL Tom Carter set to download (just listened to one song streaming so far) I checked out this upcoming Spectre Folk song, and damn if it isn't pretty great. Lots of guitar, and a pretty surprising line-up to me at least (I knew he had some of these folks lined up, but not all of them) of Nolan, Peter Meehan, Aaron Mullan, Mark Ibold, and Steve Shelley:

https://soundcloud.com/#new-images/spectre-folk-the-mothership

Been loving this new track from Albuquerque band YOU.

https://youband.bandcamp.com/album/green-suite

They're touring throughout October and November for anyone whose interested.

Posted this on another thread, but definitely relevant here as well. NYC Taper just posted the Tom Carter set from Hopscotch, and while I tuned in live I was totally blown away, one of my favorite things I've heard this year.

oooooh, thank you for sharing this. lovely. perfect for the fall weather.

Yeah, that Tom Carter set is so good. Apparently he plays some stuff that will be on a forthcoming Three Lobed record, which has me pretty excited for the record.

not exactly smashing the drone canon but p. cool:

Total Life - Radiator (side A): http://youtu.be/VrRNsr6RP0k

food pyramid used to be from mpls but think they/he isn't anymore

Comets Ov Cupid:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-zZnEMnLfbc

I heard of the band on Fbook thru Ed Ackerson (Polara, BNLX, 27 Various) who said that they were still Mpls.

speaking of which, new Brute Heart on their bandcamp is p decent-ish psych/soundtrack music, I dont know the whole deal but I think it was scored to the Cabinet of Dr. Caligari

I was just reading thru rolling time travel and it looks like Lamp had been posting about F Pyramid like 8 months ago...

this band doesn't sound nearly as freaky as i expected them to based on what i read about them, but i like their sound even if it's all a little smooth for me
the youtube's instrumental intro part is a little more stretched out so i think maybe i like the music more than the vocals, but i bet lots of people would like the vocals better than i do
anyway, wasn't sure where to put this so i put it here
http://middayveil.bandcamp.com/album/the-current
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AkHV2Cl3yzk

i've played that one Food Pyramid song on my radio show like 6 times but never heard any of the rest of the record. is it all like that-ish? all as good? i love that track.

speaking of which, new Brute Heart on their bandcamp is p decent-ish psych/soundtrack music, I dont know the whole deal but I think it was scored to the Cabinet of Dr. Caligari

yeah it is! they did it live in a park where they showed the movie and they played along but i couldnt go :(

That wouldve been cool

xp :alpine, um it's p hazy & shoegazey, rhough not quite the solid chunk of drone that Dexedream is, my there are some electronic influences as well. Probably my next favorite track is The High Life, which has an Afrobeat vibe to it

This is really making my day so far. Not really psych, but the players are all vets of some great stuff over the years. Members of Pelt, Michael Morley, and Part Wild Horses Mane On Both Sides jamming on a gamelan. It's recorded pretty well, so you get some great heavy bass tones amidst all of the usual gamelan loveliness:

http://www.imposemagazine.com/bytes/pelt-part-wild-gate-side-b

Bumping this so folks don't sleep on it. This is just a beautiful recording, so many tones on tones ....

Really nice afternoon vibes.

Yeah, I have listened to it about 7 or 8 times in the last two days, all in the afternoon pretty much.

WFMU just sent out a link to this pre-Comets On Fire psych blowout group Tonal Shrine. Haven't even seen who besides Chasny was in it, but some nice heavy out guitar stylings (as expected):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=B8Qd6GAEyKs

checking out the pelt part wild gate thing!
that tonal shrine thing is cool -- the comets on fire dude's label is doing some very nice stuff relevant to this thread - http://www.silvercurrentrecords.com

Yeah, I am going to go down that Silver Current rabbit hole at some point, but not quite yet.

I love that Pelt Part Wild Gate recording, hope I can get a copy of it at some point. It's gonna sell out for sure.

yeah i haven't dug too much into the silver current stuff, but i really like the idea of it -- more bands should do stuff like that, limited runs of radio sessions, live "bootlegs" etc.

Yeah man, live is where it is at for so many bands/musicians (for many of the ones I love at least). When their best live sets get documented it is really exciting.

Three Lobed just posted this as a way to announce that physical copies were almost sold out, and I am listening for the first time. A couple tracks in and I am resoundingly digging it: Tom Carter & Bardo Pond jamming circa 2003:

http://threelobed.bandcamp.com/album/4-23-03

They recorded it at the Bardo space, not live, so it is a clear studio recording.

Heavily into this. I gotta get more Tom Carter-related records.

yeah, I love that one. have gone back to it many times over the years.

The Austin Psych Fest is excited to announce its initial lineup for its 2014 installment, which spans five decades and six continents. The seventh annual festival will be held May 2 - 4, 2014, returning to Carson Creek Ranch, a scenic 58-acre ranch on the banks of the Colorado River, located just minutes from downtown Austin, TX.

The initial line up for the festival is below.

PRIMAL SCREAM (UK)
LOOP (UK)
THE BLACK ANGELS (US)
THE ZOMBIES (UK)
OF MONTREAL (US)
THE HORRORS (UK)
BLACK LIPS (US)
AVEY TARE'S SLASHER FLICKS (US)
LIARS (US)
UNKNOWN MORTAL ORCHESTRA (US)
MONO (JP)
TOBACCO (US)
DEAD MEADOW (US)
ONEOHTRIX POINT NEVER (US)
MOON DUO (US)
TOY (UK)
WOODS (US)
LA FEMME (FR)
JACCO GARDNER (DK)
EARTHLESS (US)
ZOMBIE ZOMBIE (FR)
ACID MOTHERS TEMPLE (JP)
KADAVAR (DE)
SHANNON & THE CLAMS (US)
THE GOLDEN DAWN (US)
YAMANTAKA // SONIC TITAN (CA)
BARN OWL (US)
TERAKAFT (ML)
WHITE HILLS (US)
DESTRUCTION UNIT (US)
QUILT (US)
JOEL GION & THE PRIMARY COLORS (US)
GAP DREAM (US)
KING GIZZARD & THE WIZARD LIZARD (AU)
BOOGARINS (BR)
LORELLE MEETS THE OBSOLETE (MX)
AQUA NEBULA OSCILLATOR (FR)
THE OSCILLATION (UK)
STEVE GUNN (US)
CIRCUIT DES YEUX (US)
THE YOUNG (US)
FANTASMES (PR)
KIKAGAKU MOYO (JAP)

(I don't't feel qualified to start a Rolling 2014 edition.)

Yeah, you. (We still have a few weeks of madness here...)

coworker totally geeked over golden dawn, recounted history of austin psych. i now have some of there stuff to check.

it's a little fussy sounding but i like the jacco gardner lp i have.

thiers

Is there a rolling ambient/drone/electronic thread or does that get lumped in with this thread every year?

there's also the time travel thread, which exists outside of genre boundaries (and time)

To be fair there will be a 2014 edition and that show will probably be mentioned in it.

this was such an insane set. so loud. i didn't know video footage existed until now. a storm of bunny majik. i'm in the back on the floor drinking.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xHysF7IA4KI