Alien Grays and Limpid Days: Rolling Stoner/Psych/Retro/Space Rock Thread 2017

Oh man that Pigs⁷ sounds good.

Has Here Lies Man been discussed? Obviously we're living in a post-Goat world now. Guitarist is a dude from Antibalas.

http://hereliesman.bandcamp.com/album/here-lies-man

And there's another song on Youtube worth checking out, "That Much Closer to Nothing."

nice

This is absolutely not from 2017, but thought it might be of interest here.

From the description on Youtube:

"The earliest known case of musicians recording while under the effect of LSD from Los Angeles 1966. A pioneering aural kaleidoscope of shifting moods and complex atmospheres unlike anything done before and hardly since. Recorded at a time when psychedelic music did not yet exist as a genre. “LSD Underground 12” should rank as one of the greatest psychedelic music discoveries of the past 20 years. A pioneering acidhead sound unlike anything that came before it and hardly anything since...

Before there was psychedelic music, there was LSD Underground 12. Recorded under mysterious circumstances in Los Angeles in the Summer of 1966, this mind-blowing musical journey represents the earliest known case of musicians recording while under the effect of LSD. The result is a pioneering aural kaleidoscope of shifting moods and complex atmospheres unlike anything done before and hardly since. Recorded at a time when psychedelic music did not yet exist as a genre, it is not surprising that the music flows freely across genres, from eerie Middle Eastern desert moods and nocturnal west-coast jazz grooves into full-blown acid-rock guitar soloing, while the hallucinogenic tension is sustained and released through outbursts of piercing Avant Garde, Fluxic chaos and minimalist stasis. Sold briefly via mail-order, the 1966 record was only rumored to exist until Lysergia's recent research verified its existence. In view of its pioneering historical status and outstanding musical quality, "LSD Underground 12" should rank as one of the greatest psychedelic music discoveries of the past 20 years. A pioneering acidhead sound unlike anything that came before it and hardly anything since... a musical riddle rising from the psychedelic catacombs.

‘LSD Underground 12’ is a vinyl LP collection of rare lysergic tracks that were recorded in Los Angeles during the summer of 1966. A Precursor to the psychedelic movement, ‘LSD Underground 12’ documents the earliest case of music being recorded by people under the kaleidoscopic effect of LSD, and it’s predictably mind-bending. It's ventured deeper into obscurity since its brief initial release, but with the help of Lysergia’s extensive research, it is now getting the deluxe treatment it deserves. With its pioneering historical status, ‘LSD Underground 12’ s a must-have for any psychedelia fanatic."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iz5zZPWHqKg

I would compare it to very early Kraftwerk / Organisation and The White Noise, but with some guitars with heavy reverb there in the mix too. Very hard to verify anything about it, it may be a hoax, but it's interesting nonetheless.

Trailer for the new Elder album Reflections of a Floating World (out in June)

https://youtu.be/YZ-UhptGOa8

Last year but... why isn't everyone talking about these weirdos?

http://thenetherlands1.bandcamp.com/album/audubon

Sounds like early Shudder To Think playing doom. Super weird vocals, bass replaced with seethingly distorted synthbass.

Thanks to Ned for getting this started. Psyched to see a release date for Elder. Something to look forward to.

I think if at least one person would have mentioned Audubon, more would have done so, it's awesome.

It is. I need more mutated stoner/doom, I think.

Friday was a pretty big day for releases:

Spidergawd - IV: Norwegian hard rock/heavy psych with connections to Motorpsycho. The vinyl (w/ CD) package is pricey, so I just bought the FLAC from 7digital.
John Hoyles - Night Flight: Former guitarist for Witchcraft and Troubled Horse, currently in Spiders, this one is a bit different, more like British post-pub power pop circa 1976-78, including a Larry Wallis (Pink Fairies) cover from when he was house producer at Stiff records.
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - Flying Microtonal Banana: Aussie garage psych freakster bros supposedly have four more albums coming this year. Bring 'em!
Eat Lights Become Lights - Nature Reserve: New electro kosmische from UK group, check out if you like Moon Duo.
Sundays & Cybele - Chaos & Systems: Japanese psych prog and space rock.
All Them Witches - Sleeping Through The War: Quickly evolving from their jammy heavy blues psych roots into unknown territory.
Shadow Band - Wilderness Of Love: Debut album of folky psych noir.
My Sleeping Karma - Mela Ananda - Live: Nice live set from Austrian heavy psych explorers
Kingnomad - Mapping The Inner Void: Swedish stoner/psych/doom.

I sampled a couple of those and the one I really like is Sundays & Cybele. Nice mellow psych stuff.

Yes, excellent band for sure. The newest wave of Japanese psych has been top notch.

Anything you would recommend? I'm enjoying Kikagaku Moyo too. Not sure what else is part of the newest wave.

They're the cream of the crop for sure -- basically explore anything in their label family trees/bands they play with. Some of the newer players involved with the Silence have separate acts too.

Digging the John Hoyles record. Definitely only fits in this thread under the "Retro" heading, but I love that transitional pub/punk sound.

new ELDER!

i think i said it over in the metal thread but i'll say it any time i can: the show i saw of theirs last fall was absolutely fucking JAW-DROPPING...

basically explore anything in their label family trees/bands they play with.

Thanks for this. I am finding some very interesting stuff on Guruguru Brain. The motorik band Minami Deutsch is especially great.

I heard this today through the Active Listener blog. It's really great. Gentle Swedish psych with lovely vocal harmonies and a beautiful warm sound.

The Greek Theatre - Broken Circle
https://thegreektheatre1.bandcamp.com/album/broken-circle

New Kikagaku Moyo EP announced:

https://gurugurubrain.bandcamp.com/album/stone-garden

That first track "In a Coil" is pretty cool.

Coming soon:

Troubled Horse - Revolution On Repeat (Rise Above) Mar 31
Dead Sea Apes - Sixth Side Of The Pentagon (Sky Lantern/Cardinal Fuzz) Apr 3
https://skylanternrecords.bandcamp.com/album/sixth-side-of-the-pentagon
10,000 Russos - Distress Distress (Fuzz Club) Apr 7
Ecstatic Vision - Raw Rock Fury (Relapse) Apr 7
https://ecstaticvision.bandcamp.com/album/raw-rock-fury
Royal Thunder - Wick (Spinefarm) Apr 7
Elkhorn - The Black River (Debacle) Apr 14
The Janitors - Horn Ur Marken (Sky Lantern/Cardinal Fuzz) Apr 24
https://skylanternrecords.bandcamp.com/album/horn-ur-marken
Mt. Mountain - Dust (Sky Lantern/Cardinal Fuzz) Apr 24
https://skylanternrecords.bandcamp.com/album/dust

Was going to post about Mt. Mountain -- went ahead and got their entire discography. (It's quite cheap on Bandcamp!)

https://mtmountain.bandcamp.com/

Coming not-so-soon:

UFOMAMMUT ANNOUNCE NEW ALBUM "8" INCOMING SEPTEMBER 22ND VIA NEUROT

It's been noted above, but the new All Them Witches is beyond great.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mTl_Pn6OqWw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=58BsI4PC1Lg

I forgot to mention this but ST 37 just put out a best of. You can buy it on bandcamp.

https://st37.bandcamp.com/album/fuck-you-you-rule-st-37s-greatest-hits

Yup, great stuff -- handy way to get to know their work.

ILM's 2017 Rolling Psych Rock Thread Spotify Playlist

http://fastnbulbous.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/2017-heavy-rock-rundown.jpg

http://fastnbulbous.com/heavy-rock-rundown-2017/

Quick note that English guitar guy Mike Vest, of Haikai No Ku and a slew of other projects, has made something like 51 albums available for the equivalent of $30:

https://visualvolume-mikevest.bandcamp.com/

If you need a starting point, try this album:

https://visualvolume-mikevest.bandcamp.com/album/superior-venus

Both the full long cuts there give you an idea of what's up -- loud, great, heavy as hell psych/drone hooks. And you can buy the full discography from there.

Meanwhile, metal/drone crossover here but Northumbria are quite good, and I interviewed/wrote about 'em

https://noisey.vice.com/en_us/article/northumbria-translate-the-harshness-of-the-canadian-arctic-into-instrumental-bliss

yo this last track here https://eiderdownrecords.bandcamp.com/album/somesurprises-serious-dreams

that is some serious "Cos You Got Green Hair" shit

oh wow i just happened to find out this is coming out tomorrow, and also just realized tomorrow is 4/20: https://follakzoid.bandcamp.com/album/london-sessions

Listening to a stream of the Elder album, LuRVE...

Not enough people checking out this single by Brussels group Phoenician Drive AFAICT.

https://phoeniciandrive.bandcamp.com/album/two-coins

That's pretty cool stuff.

Just found out that Monster Magnet's Superjudge, Dopes to Infinity, Powertrip and God Says No were all reissued last year as 2CD sets full of B-sides, live tracks, BBC sessions, etc. I immediately bought all four on eBay for under $50, with free shipping. I haven't thought about MM in a while, but Wyndorf is one of American rock's most underrated lyricists, and those albums (Superjudge and Dopes in particular) are all-time.

Damn, I'll have to keep an eye out for those.

They're UK imports on Spinefarm.

After being a fan of Wo Fat for over a decade, they are finally playing Chicago tomorrow.

Some albums from my second quarter rundown:

Amplifier – Trippin’ With Dr. Faustus (Rockosmos)
Amplifier are a Manchester psych prog band formed in 2002 who flew under my radar until over a decade into their career, after their fourth album, Echo Street (2013). I went back to the sprawling double The Octopus (2011), and then had to get everything, including the underrated The Astronaut Dismantles HAL EP (2015). They revisit that kind of ambition on their sixth album, which loosely adheres to a story that updates Faust for the 21st century. The Devil makes an appearance as “Big Daddy” as does the Egyptian god of the dead, “Anubis.” True to the tradition started by The Who, the narrative is a bit of a mess (rainbow machines! supernovas!), but makes for some damn fun rock ‘n’ roll lyrics. Amplifier are a little hard to pin down, because their influences are all over the place, ranging from classic stuff like The Who, Pink Floyd, Sabbath, some 90s grunge, Porcupine Tree, Muse, and Crack The Sky era Mastodon. While this might negatively affect the band’s marketability, it makes for each listening session feel like a treasure hunt, with every listen a chance to unearth some gold. An early standout for me is “Horse,” on which Sel Balamir layers his voice into a Yes-like harmony over a cascading guitar riff, accented by a floor-shaking bass lick. While the sounds and textures are as diverse as ever, including guest vocalist Beth Zeppelin on “Big Daddy,” acoustic guitars on “Anubis,” and banjo on “Old Blue Eyes,” which escalates into a massive wall of squalling feedback. The album is overall the band’s heaviest since their debut, which they waste no time announcing on the slamming opener “Rainbow Machine.” Whacky concepts, space freakouts, big fat riffs and thunderous low-end bass tones, what more can one want? On second thought, shouldn’t Amplifier be ruling the earth, occasionally plopping down on stadiums and festivals to snack on the adoration of millions?

Avatarium – Hurricanes And Halos (Nuclear Blast)
When Leif Edling (Candlemass) formed this supergroup with members of Soen, Evergrey, Tiamat and Jupiter Society, they could be grouped with occult psych noir bands inspired by The Devil’s Blood, but with a foot still anchored in doom. Since then their roots of dug deeper into seventies prog and hard rock. On their third full-length, only one song, “A Kiss (From The End Of The World)” really deals with much doom. The first two numbers are hook-laden rockers featuring Jennie-Ann Smith’s soaring vocals. “Into the Fire / Into the Storm” has a Deep Purple/Rainbow vibe thanks to the Hammond organ. The opening guitar riff on “The Starless Sleep” sounds remarkably like an inverted version of Troubled Horse’s “One Step Closer To My Grave,” complete with guitar tone. It quickly morphs into a psychedelic stadium rocker with a catchy chorus. “Road To Jerusalem” mixes acoustic guitars with Middle Eastern melodies. While this is not an uncommon theme ever since Led Zeppelin III, the band is successful at fleshing it out into one of the more interesting songs with some epic storytelling and progressive textures. The sprawling “Medusa Child” gets a little creepy with the use of children’s voices in early choruses and a ghostly bridge in the middle. The second half is all instrumental, moving perhaps a bit too languidly, but close listening can gain more appreciation for the intricate guitar jams. “The Sky At The Bottom Of The Sea” is a standout, with frenetic keyboards that mix a prog pop arrangement with a couple nastier, distorted garage psych guitar solos. The smoky blues noir torch ballad “When Breath Turns To Air” showcases Smith’s vocal abilities in full bloom. The album closes with the experimental instrumental soundscapes of the title track. It feels like it should be a segue in the middle of a longer album, but this is all we get. Not that we didn’t get plenty. At just under 45 minutes, it’s not super short, just enough to leave one wanting more rather than exhausted.

Circle – Terminal (Southern Lord)
Formed in 1991, this band from Pori, Finland can be hard to figure out. From a cursory glimpse at their massive (52 albums and counting) catalog, they seem to be pretty serious avant rock experimentalists. And while they do have an adventurous, diverse palate that ranges from trance-inducing but speedy Kosmische and psychedelic rock and prog, they also wear ridiculous spandex outfits on stage with antics that result in simulated severed limbs. They have also toyed with 80s era heavy metal and moonlight as AOR rockers Falcon. and NWOBHM in Pharaoh Overlord and Aktor with Chris “Professor” Black (Dawnbringer, High Spirits) on vocals. But despite their humor, their music is no joke. Terminal is a particularly heavy trip, kicked off by the longest track, thirteen minute “Rakkauta Al Dente” which features vocalist/keyboardist Mika Rättö at his most feral and unfettered before settling into a scintillating psych prog instrumental groove that gets nearly ethereal with acoustic strumming and bells. Near the end the vocals and distortion return to close it out. The title track is a driving space rocker that outdoes Hawkwind at their own specialty. “Saxo” also features a fairly simple, repetitive riff, augmented with an eerie wordless vocal chorus, as if some mad monks were calling upon the apocalypse. “Imperiumi” and “Kill City” (Judas Priest meet Stooges) are both loud, intense rockers, and the album ends with another highlight, the driving “Sick Child,” a menacing slice of psych rock. It’s really, really hard to say which is Circle’s best album, but you could do far worse than starting with Terminal.

Galley Beggar – Heathen Hymns (Rise Above)
When Lee Dorian signed this fairly traditional folk band to his label, he must have heard something special brewing. They already had an album, Reformation House (2010) that established they were following in the footsteps of Fairport Convention, Steeleye Span and Pentangle, but live shows may have indicated a tendency to explore their progressive psych tendencies more along the lines of Trees. Their third albums sees this vision in fruition, with plenty of haunting, dark vibes that start to drift into the psych noir territory of labelmates Blood Ceremony. For example, “Four Birds” features some foreboding, throbbing bass and some menacingly trippy psych guitar lines.

Beastmaker – Inside The Skull (Rise Above)
On my flight last year to Roadburn Festival, I listened to tracks from a bunch of bands playing at the festival I wasn’t familiar with. To be honest, Beastmaker were fairly low on my list, as the recently released Lusus Naturae (2016) hit the Sabbath and Uncle Acid buttons, but did not wow me with standout songs. I’m glad I caught their set, however, as they certainly have talent, bringing to mind the loose, garagey doom of the defunct Green & Wood, and rising stars Magic Circle. The promise was fulfilled just over a year later with their second album, which is much more satisfying. The sound is still ragged, but they manage to graduate from just riffs and occult atmospherics to some real tunes. It keeps growing on me, like flesh-eating bacteria.

Dope Smoker – Legalize It (Dope Smoker) | Bandcamp
The Janitors – Horn Ur Marken (Sky Lantern/Cardinal Fuzz) | Bandcamp
10 000 Russos – Distress Distress (Fuzz Club) | Bandcamp
Oxbow – The Thin Black Duke (Hydra Head) | Bandcamp
All Them Witches – Sleeping Through The War (New West) | Bandcamp
Krokofant – Krokofant II (Rune Grammofon) | Bandcamp
Siena Root – A Dream Of Lasting Peace (Made In Germany)
Kill West – Gush (Stolen Body) | Bandcamp
Doublestone – Devil’s Own/Djaevlens Egn (Doublestone) | Bandcamp
Medusa1975 – Rising From The Ashes (Medusa1975) | Bandcamp
The Wicked Ones – The Wicked Ones (Wicked Ones) | Bandcamp
Devil's Witches – Velvet Magic (Devil’s Witches) | Bandcamp
The Gluts – Estasi (Fuzz Club) | Bandcamp
Samsara Blues Experiment – One With The Universe (Electric Magic/World In Sound) | Bandcamp
Nuvem Leopardo – Quintesséncia (Nuvem Leopardo) | Bandcamp

I think that Circle is the best thing they've done in a while. but then again I haven't really followed them obsessively.

https://doomcharts.com/2017/07/10/junedoom/

http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Big_Blood/The_Daughters_Union/3_Thank_You_For_The_Path

Put this in the stoner songs thread, but I think it deserves one here, I'm diggin it. Psych music in the subgenre "stared at the sun for too long."

More garage psych from Melbourne's The Murlocs is out today!

https://themurlocs.bandcamp.com/album/old-locomotive

Brant Bjork has a live album, Europe '16, coming out 9/22 on Napalm.

I reviewed a record that some people here might find a thing or two to like... Austin all-female trio whose drummer played with Roky Erickson...

Suspirians - Ti Bon Ange (Super Secret Records)
Bandcamp / Spotify

In Voodoo belief, the soul is made of two parts. The ti bon ange, literally “little good angel,” is the part of the soul that contains the individual qualities of a person. The Suspirians’ sophomore release lives up to that title by showcasing how distinct individual influences can merge into one coherent, and at times, stunningly good album. (The Agit Reader)

That drummer is Lisa Cameron! ie the longtime drummer for ST 37!

spotify playlist is updated for the half year mark

ILM's Rolling Psych Rock Thread 2017 Spotify Playlist

I flippin love Nocturne and Moonwave off that Suspirians album, can't wait to fully absorb.

Postpunky squall of Fortune Spider, proto-metal (into more squall of Black Holes). This is def an accessible favorite of mine right now.

I highly recommend Comets ov Cupid

https://cometsovcupid.bandcamp.com/album/scythian-ep

Like I did last year, here's an overall list.

1. Motorpsycho – The Tower (Rune Grammafon)
2. Elder – Reflections Of A Floating World (Armagedden)
3. Jess And The Ancient Ones – The Horse And Other Weird Tales (Svart)
4. The Dials – That Was The Future (Gear Discs)
5. Amplifier – Trippin' With Dr. Faustus (Rockosmos)
6. Colour Haze – In Her Garden (Elektrohasch)
7. Causa Sui – Vibraciones Doradas (El Paraiso)
8. Avatarium – Hurricanes And Halos (Nuclear Blast)
9. Telekinetic Yeti – Abominable (Sump Pump)
10. Taiga Woods – Taiga Woods (Taiga Woods)
11. Spectral Haze – Turning Electric (Totem Cat)
12. Mythic Sunship – Land Between Rivers (El Paraiso)
13. Wand – Plum (Drag City)
14. Red Mountains – Slow Wander (All Good Clean)
15. The Devil And The Almighty Blues – II (Blues For The Red Sun)
16. Sekel – Sekel (Fuzz Club) 15-Dec
17. Circle – Terminal (Southern Lord)
18. Ty Segall – Ty Segall (Drag City)
19. All Them Witches – Sleeping Through The War (New West)
20. Papir – V (Stickman)
21. Ruby The Hatchet – Planetary Space Child (Tee Pee)
22. Plastic Crimewave Syndicate – Thunderbolt Of Flaming Wisdom (Cardinal Fuzz)
23. Agusa – Agusa (Laser's Edge)
24. Dope Smoker – Legalize It (Dope Smoker)
25. Blues Funeral – Awakening (Blues Funeral)
26. Zong – Zong (Praying Mantis/Cardinal Fuzz)
27. Moths & Locusts – Intro/Outro (Cardinal Fuzz)
28. Moon Duo – Occult Architecture Vol. 1 & 2 (Sacred Bones)
29. The Murlocs – Old Locomotive (Flightless)
30. The Janitors – Horn Ur Marken (Sky Lantern/Cardinal Fuzz)
31. Oh Sees – Orc (Castle Face)
32. Electric Eye – From The Poisonous Tree (Jansen)
33. Mind Meld – Mind Meld (Permanent)
34. Sundays & Cybele – Chaos & Systems (Beyond Beyond Beyond)
35. Helicon – Helicon (Fuzz Club)
36. The Band Whose Name Is A Symbol – Cosmic Curios (Weird Beard)
37. Spaceslug – Time Travel Dilemma (BSFD)
38. Kairon; IRSE! – Ruination (Svart)
39. Wucan – Reap The Storm (Hansel & Gretel)
40. The Necromancers – Servants Of The Salem Girl (Ripple)
41. Youngblood Supercult – The Great American Death Rattle (Youngblood Supercult)
42. Lento – Fourth (ConSouling)
43. Earthling Society – Zen Bastard (Drone Rock)
44. The Fallen Leaves – What We've All Been Waiting For (Parliament)
45. 10 000 Russos – Distress Distress (Fuzz Club)
46. Earthling Society – Ascent To Godhead (Riot Season)
47. The Spacelords – Water Planet (Tonzonen)
48. The Sonic Shamen – Tribute To Lemmy (Space Rock Productions)
49. Dead Quiet – Grand Rites (Artoffact)
50. Siena Root – A Dream Of Lasting Peace (Made In Germany)
51. Kill West – Gush (Stolen Body)
52. New Candys – Bleeding Magenta (Fuzz Club)
53. Doublestone – Devil's Own/Djaevlens Egn (Doublestone)
54. Medusa1975 – Rising From The Ashes (Medusa1975)
55. Devil Electric – Devil Electric (Kozmik Artifactz)
56. Himmellegeme – Myth Of Earth (Karisma)
57. Kungens Män – Dag & Natt (Kungens Ljud & Bild )
58. Electric Moon – Stardust Rituals (Sulatron)
59. Blown Out – Superior Venus (Riot Season)
60. Papernut Cambridge – Mellotron Phase: Volume 1 (Gare Du Nord)
61. The Wicked Ones – The Wicked Ones (Wicked Ones)
62. Pretty Lightning – The Rhythm Of Ooze (Fuzz Club)
63. L'Ira Del Baccano – Paradox Hourglass (Subsound)
64. Ecstatic Vision – Raw Rock Fury (Relapse)
65. Devil's Witches – Velvet Magic (Devil's Witches)
66. Motherslug – The Electric Dunes Of Titan (Motherslug)
67. Sonic Jesus – Grace (Fuzz Club)
68. King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard – Flying Microtonal Banana (ATO)
69. Ulrika Spacek – Modern English Decoration (Tough Love)
70. Samsara Blues Experiment – One With The Universe (Electric Magic/World In Sound)
71. Snowy Dunes – Atlantis (HeaviSike)
72. Saturn – Beyond Spectra (Rise Above)
73. The Quartet Of Woah! – The Quartet Of Woah! (Raging Planet)
74. Dead Sea Apes – Sixth Side Of The Pentagon (Sky Lantern/Cardinal Fuzz)
75. Pontiak – Dialectic Of Ignorance (Thrill Jockey)
76. High Priestess – Demo (High Priestess)
77. Wolvespirit – Blue Eyes (Spirit Stone)
78. The Black Wizards – What The Fuzz! (Raging Planet)
79. Sun Blood Stories – It Runs Around The Room With Us (Sun Blood Stories)
80. Atavismo – Inerte (Temple Of Torturous)
81. Nuvem Leopardo – Quintesséncia (Nuvem Leopardo)
82. Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs – Feed The Rats (Rocket)
83. Mt. Mountain – Dust (Sky Lantern/Cardinal Fuzz)
84. Mangoo – The Heat (Small Stone)
85. Spacelord – Spacelord (Spacelord)
86. Endless Boogie – Vibe Killer (No Quarter)
87. Howling Giant – Black Hole Space Wizard: Part 2 (Howling Giant)
88. Spaceslug – Mountains & Reminiscence EP (BSFD)
89. Demon Head – Thunder On The Fields (The Sign)
90. Dool – Here Now, Here Then (Prophecy)
91. Fogbound – Fogbound (John Colby Sect)
92. John Hoyles – Night Flight (Crusher)
93. Acid Baby Jesus – Lilac Days (Fuzz Club)
94. Hair Of The Dog – This World Turns (Kozmik Artifactz)
95. Biblical – The City That Always Sleeps (New Damage)
96. Kabbalah – Spectral Ascent (Twin Earth)
97. Dead Heavens – Whatever Witch You Are (Dine Alone)
98. Alastor – Black Magic (Twin Earth)
99. Greenbeard – Lödarödböl (Sailor)
100. Dream Machine – The Illusion (Castle Face)

Brilliant stuff as always, thanks a lot mane!

I feel pretty guilty for neglecting this thread all year...I finally found some p cool space-rock and psych, but am almost loath to offer it up halfway thru December

That Fogbound album is easily in my Top 3, jousting for the top spot with Black Angel Death Song. In fact, yeah, it's my favorite, whether or not it's objectively "best".

I was stoked when the Fogbound came out, not sure why it dropped so far, other than that there's another 100 albums I could list that are really good too.

Please do post your favorites, we want to hear!

The AD highlighted The Feelies too, perhaps tides are turning. Or not. Also cool that they liked Elkhorn, Chris Forsyth, Gunn Truscinski Duo, Bitchin Bajas, Circuit Des Yeux, Brooklyn Raga Massive, Joshua Abrams & Natural Information Society . . . there's a good bit in common with my lists. Except that I do not think LCD S a "phenomenal record" and there are many better psych and post-punk options than OCS, The Myrrors and Omni.

http://fastnbulbous.com/lucky-17/#breakdown

Sorry that was meant for the list thread. I vented a negative opinion about one album and suddenly my lists are chopped liver there ;)

Haha I posted a lot of them on the metal noms thread. I'll draw something up later...

Slugs, wizards, witches, royal ruby devil eye blues 'n' more slugs oh my, it's the Stoner Hive countdown! It's been going the past week, so I'll just pick up with the latest:

http://stonerhive.blogspot.com/

http://https%3A//1.bp.blogspot.com/-ApqmwdS6jYA/WjoQc_PvBTI/AAAAAAAALUk/ziX2v8Y3e8QyhfbTggx7vsYdIzbn2JXmgCLcBGAs/s320/13-Untitled-1.jpg
We jump another ten points from The Obsessed on Number 14 to get to the dangerous Number 13. Which features a space rock adventure extraordinair! Madman Tony Maim already wrote about them earlier this year. “They launch their rocket from Poland and bravely explore the outer limits of known space and beyond with fuzz boxes on full power. Jamming riffs collide with psych rock and explode with stoner/doom songs that get the head nodding while taking you on trip into your mind.” And ofcourse, these crazies also found their way unto the Doom Charts. Back in February they made it to the Number One spot. And Steve Howe from the awesome Outlaws Of The Sun said it right there: “It is a magnificent album. What more can be said, apart from, you need this album.” And that's it, so travel back to the beginning of this year and buy this album when it comes out. You already know what will happen later on! (They release another damn fine five-track called Mountains & Reminiscence the same year!)

13. Spaceslug – Time Travel Dilemma

14. The Obsessed – Sacred
15. Electric Wizard – Wizard Bloody Wizard
16. The Flying Eyes – Burning Of The Season
17. Purple Hill Witch – Celestial Cemetry
18. Motherslug – The Electric Dunes Of Titan
19. Ruby The Hatchet – Planetary Space Child
20. Royal Thunder – Wick
20. Radio Moscow – New Beginnings
20. The Devil And The Almighty Blues – II

Exactly one point above Spaceslug's Time Travel Dilemma album that occupied the Number 13 spot we find a massive quartet carrying a casket filled with intense progressive doom metal. They reached Number 4 of the Stoner HiVe Top 20 Countdown with their 2014 album. And this year we find them on Number 12. The four freaks are still doom, definitely doom, but have let their love for prog and hardrock shine through ever more. With more space and even better vocals the album masks itself as an instant pleaser. But in truth, it takes a while to grasp every composition completely. It is a grower; and it will probably even age better than many of the albums released this year. It's got all the heaviness you need and so many layers to be discovered it might take another year to really let it all sink in. But we are not inconsiderate or heartless and can therefor truly understand its current spot on the Countdown... Check out the casket full of riffs!

12. Pallbearer – Heartless

http://stonerhive.blogspot.nl/2017/12/number-12.html

Heartless seems to be doing really well in these lists but I thought it was a drop-off from their first two. Or maybe I've had my fill of Pallbearer rn. Or both.

Understandable, I have had conflicting opinions about Pallbearer. I've seen them live four times, and left their set early three of those times, because they bored me silly. Not a very dynamic, exciting live band. However I like all three albums. Even though the latest is a little slower, less rock 'n' doom, and toys with some prog in ways that take a while to digest, it remained in my top 20 because I think it's kind of gorgeous. But it's offers a very specific listening experience that not everyone is looking for.

http://stonerhive.blogspot.com/2017/12/number-11.html

And once again we only jump one measly point from Pallbearer and their Heartless album on Number 12 to reach Number 11. We almost enter the Top 10 of the Top 20 countdown. And I am sure we all agree that every album we passed so far could just as easily have ended up a bit higher and that we are already missing certain albums. Thinking, they must surely have ended up in the Top 10 in that case. Well, this album missed entering the Top 10 by almost twenty points. But nobody missed out on enjoying the hell out of it this year! Released early 2017 it ticks all the right boxes in the absolute right way. It is fuzzy, it is groovy, it is psychy and it is spacey! Riff heavy rock that bounces and pounces as it rides the cosmic highway with such an amazing flow it not just aims for the awesome; but skips many steps to reach legendary proportions. And the only reason they probably did not end up higher, is because their righteous strangeness lasts half an hour... Only half an hour and then the awesome ride is over... And we all could use more and more! Shit, we all want more and more! More! More!

11. Mothership – High Strangeness

As we enter the Top 10, we jump almost twenty points this time around. We leave Mothership breathing dust and croaking an ugly cough on Number 11 as we prepare to join this crazy cult! They came out left field and took everyone by surprise. Sure, we enjoyed the hell out of that 2016 album. But I guess nobody expected something this insanely good! Themselves included, so it seems. They must have known they created something wild and wonderful, but they were not prepared for the enormous amount of love to be shown for the album. They galloped high and mighty across the Doom Charts and stayed there for a few months. And rightfully so, for it is a total ripper! As Bucky Brown (from the Ripple Effect) already stated on the Doom Charts: “As expected, the new album is a total ripper. The blues are as heavy as ever, the psych factor overflowing with dusty fuzz, vocals grizzling with dreamy rigor, and mountains of riffs that rattle the stage like a wild mustang bucking through the Americana spirit world.” Right on! Ride on!

10. Youngblood Supercult - The Great American Death Rattle

We're going to jump five points now. From Youngblood Supercult on Number 10 to reach the first one digit position of the Stoner HiVe Top 20 Countdown of 2017. On Number 9 we find an album that fell off many times as the votes came in for the Countdown. And then on that final day they suddenly picked up steam and passed all those bands that already were featured. It seems it is another album that you either love or hate. We all love the band. There is no doubt about that. But this album did get some harsher critique as their earlier ones. Back in 2010 their album made it to the Number 10 spot. And this 2017 one was already loved by yours truly back when it came out. “It is the result of endless hours of jamming, jamming and jamming after the former bassist left the group. The three of them had to find out where it would lead them and what the new chemistry would be. Well, they’ve gone psycho on the use of analog synths, keyboards and wild effects, while still retaining focus on the fact that even though everything is jam-based, a song has to be written, an adventure has to be taken and a journey has to reach its goal. And you will feel this during the course of every track. Which seem less worldly, a bit heavier and heftier in every aspect, yet every bit as spiritual as their earlier releases. It is yet another exploration one has to join in on. It has the markings of a true quest, the search of something pure and honest.” And it will leave you feeling at one...

9. Samsara Blues Experiment - One With The Universe

The following band is the final band that sort of fell of the Top 20 during the voting process. It is featured eight points above Samsara Blue Experiment, which we found on Number 9. But, Number 8 lies before us and it deserves every bit of attention. And of course this band has made the Top 20 Countdown before. Back in 2010 they reached Third place with their album entitled III. Released back in June, the nine tracks maneuver expertly through all the stoner trucking and desert fuzzing we love so dearly. It is a classic take on modern rock and the other way around. With every record they release the move ever forward towards a more progressive view of the grungy landscape that lays beneath them. Turning their sights on Hammond organs and other musical possibilities. They are slowly turning into real stoner rock aces. Top Gun fighters that know how to make their huge and beastly sound, sound even more animalistic and massive. And this is thanks, paradoxically enough, to their technical prowess and their righteous instinctive feel when to show power or when to pull back on the throttle and let the machine move itself... Ride the sky and feel the groove!

8. Sasquatch – Maneuvers

These are a couple late releases that worked their way into mah brain.

Swedish Death Candy – Swedish Death Candy (Hassle)
Sweet-toothed London psych stoners erupt
Understanding the impact of a good name, Swedish Death Candy actually hail from London, but that should have nothing to do with their debut album’s exhilarating blitzkrieg of stoner doom riffage and snaking flights mixed with transcendent vocal harmonies. They cut a stellar dash and boast influences as diverse as Black Sabbath, The Beatles and Can. Lead single Last Dream and Living Your Life Away bend trusty riffs to their own devices, with Hendrix-style dual guitar and soaring chorale, all doused in spangled widescreen production. Broken Engrams is a scorching example of how they can suddenly turn an express train Motörhead rampage (with motorik undertow) on its heel and lurch into slow-mo log todger heave before flicking a switch and going off again. After an initial three-song bombardment, Avalanche sees Perry reliving his experience of being rescued in the Alps with a crystalline guitar blizzard, while Liquorice, Pt II & III is a sequel to 2016’s debut EP track about a nutter becoming the sun and destroying the planet, switching between wah-wah funk and Blue Cheer bombast. There are some interesting things going on here.

Serpent Power – Electric Looneyland (Skeleton Key)
https://www.loudandquiet.com/reviews/serpent-power-electric-looneyland/
Pairing the mottled, neo-psychedelic talents of Ian Skelly of the Coral and Paul Molloy of The Zutons (and The Coral), Serpent Power is a project that “takes it cues from no-one, and is powered only by the twisted wheels of their own imagination.” A bold assertion and no mistake, but two years on from the duo’s 2015 eponymous debut, the lysergic-dappled, technicolor horror of ‘Electric Looneyland’ goes some distance to uphold such a claim.

While at a conceptual level their tongue is firmly lodged in cheek (the pair have said the record stemmed from “stumbling across a skip of mysterious keyboards, seemingly beamed in from a distant solar system”) the music stands on its own merits. From lead single and opening gambit ‘Golden Dawn’ – an ambitious traipse of fuzzed-out glam swagger – to the Motorik groove, Haight-Ashbury haze and interstellar Hawkwindian cosmosis of ‘Black Angel Rider’, ‘Electric Looneyland’ brims their joint knack for marrying snaking, dark melodies with slick, CSNY-leaning harmonies and an overarching tenor of cavalcading menace.

And while this brand of lysergic-dappled rock could very easily slot onto, say, the roster of L.A.’s Castle Face, there’s a distinctly British strain woven throughout this album, not least on the infernal Northern soul of ‘Witching Hour’. In a realm often steeped in mimicry, Skelly and Molloy have excavated some wonderful and genuinely progressive new territory.

That was the heavy Sasquatch lumbering around on Number 8. The seven spots that follow were on the Stoner HiVe Top 20 Countdown list from the moment the voting started. Changing positions, almost falling off, but never completely. That some of these albums ended up this high as they did, was a bit of surprise to me. But not for this one. Not to me! For this one, was one of my personal favorites from the moment I heard it. It transported me back to the time driving around Norway for a certain article about cars and the Molde Jazz festival. That was helluva lot of fun! But driving the Atlantic Road with this album on would have been so much better! It shines in all its psychedelic goodness and moves into a slightly darker realm, in regards to their earlier release, without ever becoming oppressive. It actually sounds extremely wide with all the wonderful vistas they evoke. And with so much room for all the instruments and voice to excel, it leaves you breathless. And that is exactly what they do best, that wonderful translation of the sensation of a massive open expanse into heavy psychedelic rock and making it weave through your head and heart. It is a leisurely majestic, yet urgent trek across a mountains terrain which moves the soul and inspires the spirit at every turn...

7. Red Mountains – Slow Wander

Five points above Red Mountains; which we found on Number 7 we find an album which was released in the first weeks of this horrible year of our Lord 2017. Doom. Metal. Vintage. Seventies. They are all key words here. The six tracks are all doom soaked, sonic wickedness, extremely heavy and completely drenched with a bloody haze. It's a Polish quartet that uses everything classic to produce something that sounds evil, occult and mystical without ever really occupying any of those words totally. For, there is no slaughtering of innocent children here or maidens let to an altar to be sacrificed. No, the mesmerizing and hallucinatory tracks make you envision lizards living inside celestial bodies or filthy priests dancing silly dances. And yes, it will make you ache for even more of that good dope... For dope it is! Really dope!

6. Dopelord - Children of the Haze

Almost ten points above Dopelord we find two bands! Yes, we passed through the haze on Number 6 to reach two albums provided by two bands who impressed the hell out of all you out there. One instrumental mini-LP that is the culmination of the two works that came before this luscious end of the trilogy. Heavy and loud, yet also peaceful and quiet. This record vibrates on a completely different plane. Its psychedelic nature and krautrock elements surf high on the cosmic highway of fuzz and leave the listener longing for even more jams. And in comes the German trio with a highly different style of heaviness. Their seventies inspired stoner will have you stomping and humping in no time. Psychedelic blues and hard rock trucking! Darker then this albums predecessors the three manage to experiment within their own carved out reality, expanding borders, conquering foreign territories and long forgotten wastelands. Ten tracks that are as tough as they are rough! Yes, surf high on golden vibrations or get as wild as these times call for! On Number 5 we rock out to...

5. Causa Sui – Vibraciones Doradas
5. Kadavar – Rough Times

question.

5. Amplifier – Trippin' With Dr. Faustus (Rockosmos)

i love this bands debut, but have never felt the urge to delve further.
is this album as good as their debut ?
the cover art along put me off.

I think they are far better now than on their debut. But I guess that depends on if you enjoy a little prog in yer stoner psych or not.

http://theobelisk.net/obelisk/2017/12/28/top-30-of-2017/

umm .. no mention on that link ?

It's unrelated. If you need convincing to listen to Amplifier I guess read my review? http://fastnbulbous.com/second-quarter-rundown-2017/

I feel funny posting this, but I did not pay him to say that ;)

--

We're almost entering the Top 3. But first we jump six points from Kadavar and Causa Sui on Number 5 to reach the fourth position. To be completely honest, I had not expected this album (or Number 3) to reach this position. There is no denying they're both damn good albums. But for some reason the feedback had not been that loud when these albums came out. But hey, this band is awesome, dammit! These cats found their way unto the Number 11 spot of the Stoner HiVe Top 20 Countdown back in 2012. And we cannot deny that this record contains 75 minutes of pure unadulterated bliss. More jazzy than its predecessors the album does what the band does best, bring hypnotic jams that are sure to make you dream of that one wild summer of love once again or even fall in love all over again. Or as Tony van Dorston wrote on his insanely amazing Fast N Bulbous: “For the most part, Koglek sticks to what he does best, expansive, jammy psychedelic rock with serpentine guitar lines and sweet, fuzzy tones. The sound seems to have a more up-front live feel, as you can almost imagine the wind sweeping in from the Tyrrhennian Sea onto the sandy hills in Sardinia, Koglek’s favorite place to play via Duna Jam.” Aah yes, wind swept love, strolling together through a luscious field of flowers and burying your head...

4. Colour Haze - In Her Garden

Okay. We all know the deal by now and we can probably all predict two of the three albums that will surely follow. And here's the lowdown. The Top 2 are miles away from the album occupying the Number 3 spot. Twenty points above Colour Haze on Number 4 we find a band I had personally not expected this high. Yes, Numbers 4 and 3 definitely amazed me with the amount of votes they received. Not because I am not completely infatuated with these records, but because (as said before) the feedback was a little less loud when the records were released. But then again, they made the Stoner HiVe Top 20 Countdown before. Twice in one year even! Back in 2012, they occupied Number 18 & Number 15! And this year, the Italian cosmic doom metal trio delivered another stunning piece of technical sludge, stoner and psychedelic massiveness. Getting more spacey by the minute the albums turns into a sweltering fog and a hypnotic haze quickly. And its definitely not a sleep inducing haze, for the rhythmic kicks and tempo shifts will have you on edge the entire time. Edgy, another word that definitely comes to mind when listening to this album. And by the time the third track rumbles through; you're lost in the heavy swirl and preparing to drown in the immense suction of every riff and groove. Euphoria looms as the eight tracks progress through the entire gamut of grinding riffs and heavenly psychedelics. The Bronze Medal of The Stoner HiVe Top 20 Countdown of 2017 goes to...

3. Ufomammut – 8

I like these choices! For years, Colour Haze/Ufomammut/Motorpsycho have been my chupacabra trio of bands I've been into for 10 to 15 years, but never got to see live, until Ufomammut finally did their first U.S. tour two years ago. Still haven't seen the others, but I've listened more to their deep catalogs than most any other band.

Well they did it. Album #5 just under the wire!

https://kinggizzard.bandcamp.com/album/gumboot-soup

nice! i've been waiting for that. and good call on the ufomammut

sweet dude

Psych Lovers Top 10:

https://psychinsightmusic.com/2017/12/18/psych-lovers-top-ten-albums-of-2017/

1. The Cosmic Dead – Psych Is Dead
2. The Myrrors – Hasta La Victoria
3. Lamagaia – Lamagaia
4. Earthling Society – Zen Bastard
5. Blown Out – Superior Venus
6. The Band Whose Name Is A Symbol – Cosmic Curios
7. The Band Whose Name Is A Symbol – Elevator
8. Dead Sea Apes – Sixth Side If The Pentagon
9. Kungens Män – Dag & Natt
=10. Electric Moon – Stardust Rituals
=10. Here Lies Man - Here Lies Man

That Lamagaia album is p cool

We seriously jump almost a cool hundred points from Ufomammut's 8 album on Number 3 to reach the album that receives The Silver Medal for ending up on the Number 2 spot of the Stoner HiVe Top 20 Countdown of 2017. Can you guess which? Of course you can, everybody could. And after this everyone will know which album ended up on the Number One spot. But let's not get ahead of ourselves. For this tasty slab of heaviness deserves every bit of attention. There is no denying the fact they reigned supreme on the Doom Charts for a few months. And their 2014 album ended up on Number 14 of that year's Top 20 Countdown. This one takes all the goodness of that album and the one that came after to new heights. This is Doom of a higher plane. A universe of slow psychedelics and meticulous metal repetition. The sludgy atmosphere surrounding the entire record is perhaps what's most addictive about this band. It's thick, juicy and drenching in its grandiose epicness. Oh, yes, we have to go overboard with the accolades and superlatives again. More leads, even more groove and riffs that immediately nestle themselves in every fiber of your being. They sound large, they sound huge and they seem to get better and better with every album they release. They give themselves no rest and there is no rust to the sonic onslaught that is their thundering signature... The Silver Medal goes to...

2. Monolord – Rust

We have arrived at the Number One spot. The Gold Medal. The Stoner HiVe Top 20 Countdown that started on December 13th ends today, on the First of January of 2018. We jump another seventy points from Monolord and their amazing Rust album on Number Two to reach the top position. An album by a band that has made the Number One position every year they released an album. (Well, since 2011) So, they must be doing something absolutely right for all you lovely freaks out there. You gals and guys voted this album to be the best one released this year. As you did back in 2011 and in 2015. Well. There is no need to beat around the bush here, we all know what is coming. The Boston trio released another thrilling album that kept us spinning the record until the needle ran through the groove. Their mixture of psychedelic rock, heavy stoner and epic metal has you soaring through all the marvelous dreams they evoke. The progressive nature of the music they create has them searching for new boundaries every time again. Hence, guest spots were filled during the making of this album and the trio became a quartet or even a quintet. Adding extra guitar, keys and pedal steel to the sound, and adding vibrancy and lushness to a sound that already seemed to have everything. It is riff-awesome, tasty melodic, soulful and catchy metal. But above all, the tectonic tension arcs that we know this band to deliver have evolved into something other worldly. It seems to reflect something completely different and perhaps upside down. So yes, there can be only, and now, right before everyone around the globe has celebrating the coming of 2018 we present to you the Number One Spot, The Gold Medal according to all the lovely freaks that voted... Here it is...

1. Elder - Reflections of a Floating World

https://doomcharts.com/2018/01/02/doom-charts-for-december-2017/

Reflections... is a great album, it's what I wish Mastdodn sounded like nowadays. Loses a bit of steam towards the end imo but it's pretty epic.

Boris didn't even make your top 100, fastnbulbous? That's harsh, Dear has some truly great moments.

Don't worry, Boris was in my overall top 100, which outranks most of the list I included here. I just didn't put them in the psych list.

Oh, I didn't realize there were multiple lists, my bad. Carry on!

This Melbourne band has a new album out next week, and entire catalog is available for name yr price: https://thecitradels.bandcamp.com/album/god-bless

So for the new thread I was thinking "Into the void we have to travel" from Hawkwind's "Space Is Deep," but maybe someone else has something better?

Space is dark, it is so endless
When you're lost it's so relentless
It is so big, it is so small
Why does man try to act so tall
Is this the reason, deep in our minds?

It does not feel, it does not die
Space is neither truth nor lie
Into the void we have to travel
To find the clue which will unravel
Is this the reason, deep in our minds?
The secret…

I just lurk this thread but I like it. Might I offer this Amon Duul II lyric, "Give me a lamp, it's going to be weird."

I need a job in Melbourne.

Is that a title suggestion? I like the "...it's going to be weird." Anyone else? Ned?

Maybe “as the planets re-align”

no, not a title suggestion. just lots of great bands in Melbourne.

Another thread title suggestion, this one a Linda Perhacs lyric, "I'm spacing out, I'm seeing silence between leaves." Maybe just the second part?

I pulled the trigger:

Give Me a Lamp, It's Going to Be Weird: Rolling Stoner/Psych/Retro/Space Rock Thread 2018