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

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

this is my fave drift supergroup. clark and wednesday from Pigeons, Anthony Pasquarosa, and P.G. Six. set adrift....bring your own air mattress.

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

great day yesterday in new salem. opened at noon with weeping bong band and ended at midnight with sunburned hand of the man. so much great stuff. p.g. solo and willie lane and ryley walker and lots more in a big old church meetinghouse with light show/projections. great sound too.

some shows are just in the right space at the right time...

https://scontent.fbed1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/20953853_1881065871919868_6502277254903300785_n.jpg?oh=f2465c9ecd6aa10a1387449cb4ba4953&oe=5A1B96F1

8 is Ufomammut’s 8th album, comprised of 8 tracks that flow into each other without interruption. This flow can also be seen when you tip 8 horizontally, thus it morphs into the leniscate from algebraic geometry – ∞ – a plane curve that meets at central point – or more commonly known as the infinity symbol. A continuous stream of movement reflective of the uninterrupted nature of the album but also the continued togetherness of the essential elements of the band – Urlo, Poia and Vita – since the beginning of the band’s history in 1999. ∞ tipped vertically sees us return to the number 8.

It must be stressed there is no singular pronunciation of the title, 8 is to be spoken in every language e.g. “eight” in Engish, “otto” in Italian, “acht” in German, huit in french and so on. 8 is a continuous flux of music, a singular entity, which can be defined in micro measurements by its 8 satellite songs. Each track expands upon the preceding song, unfolding into an exceedingly dense and malevolent journey, resulting in this being Ufomammut’s most extreme venture yet, with no permittance for breathing space in the 48 minutes. ∞8∞

https://ufomammut.bandcamp.com/album/8-2

I think the excellent new Motorpsycho album should also be mentioned here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDYII20YbXQ

Indeed! I guess I forgot to post my review a couple weeks ago. I was posting in the Motorpsycho thread. I've been inspired to obsessively revisit their whole catalog.

http://fastnbulbous.com/motorpsycho-the-tower/

Also out today is With The Dead. I didn't warm up very quickly to the first album, as I wasn't quite into Lee Dorrian's tuneless vocals. However live at Roadburn last year they were the perfect amount of nasty.

With The Dead – Love From With The Dead (Rise Above)

Also coming:
Monolord – Rust (RidingEasy) 29-Sep | Bandcamp
Spirit Adrift – Curse Of Conception (20 Buck Spin) 6-Oct
Bell Witch – Mirror Reaper (Profound Lore) 20-Oct
Electric Wizard – Wizard Bloody Wizard (Spinefarm) 10-Nov

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZzHLbZ81oso

This is a nice one

No discussion of the recent Pontiak album, Dialectic of Ignorance in here yet? They've heavied up their sound with a kind of Om-ish, stonery rhythmic thing blending with their normal more psych-rock sound. It's really good.

will listen

Sounds neat. I think I ended up sleeping on the last Pontiak album...

i appreciate carpet_kaiser's Doug Tuttle mention, as Doug is on an incredible roll ... each of his last three albums are just endlessly lovely + top 10 of their given year-worthy, and he deserves every ear/break he can get

he also has this new album out w/ dude from Herbcraft:
https://lajoietuttle.bandcamp.com/album/american-primate

I gave the pontiak a chance but I'd rather just listen to elder. ymmv obv

I re-listened to the Pontiak. Not bad, but realistically will barely scrape into my top 200.

I really love the Spirit Adrift - http://fastnbulbous.com/spirit-adrift-curse-of-conception/

Oh well I tried.

I like it a lot, seems like a hybrid of styles I haven't heard a lot and I really like the vocals. Any recommendations for similar stuff?

I empathize. You imagine a particular sound, texture or guitar tone and a band comes along and nails it, and you wonder why everyone else isn't as excited about it. I'll have to listen more to think of some compatible comparisons. Perhaps a few track by Oneida?

The Dials - That Was The Future
UK garage psych band, were pretty ordinary before, but this is a big step forward. On Spotify today.

I'd posted these on the prog thread:

The Quartet Of Woah! - Second album from Portuguese band, graduated from stoner rock to psych prog.
https://thequartetofwoah.bandcamp.com/album/the-quartet-of-woah

Himmellegeme - Myth Of Earth - On Karisma label with Wobbler and Tusmørke. Smooth, Norwegian Floydian psych prog.
https://himmellegeme.bandcamp.com/releases

Appreciate your recommendations fast

While I enjoy pretty much everything by Uncle Acid & the Deadbeats, I think Vol 1 (2010) is still their second best album. It's been remastered and officially released by Rise Above last week, highly recommended!

My Dials review - http://fastnbulbous.com/the-dials-that-was-the-future/

Causa Sui - Vibraciones Doradas
Part three of their Freedom Fuzz trilogy, lovin it. Also checking out other interesting entries on the El Paraiso label, Black Cube Marriage, Astral TV and Videodrones.
http://elparaisorecords.com/releases/causa-sui-vibraciones-doradas

Fast you are #daman
Will check out pronto
What do you make of this gizzard thing? Worth a download?

Sure, I mean it's free! It's fun and worth a listen for sure. They've stretched themselves a bit thin in this attempt at five albums in a calendar year, but it sure hasn't hurt their following, which is bigger and more devout than ever, with people getting lizard tattoos. I gotta respect that they are this prolific while also touring North America several times in recent years. But they're hardly the only band that can churn out psych jams and work hard. For example, look at Earthling Society. Including The Sonic Shaman tribute to Lemmy, they've also put four albums out this year that are arguably much more impressive. The most recent is Crooked Under Moonlight, which for some reason isn't available on Bandcamp yet, but it's out there. I also think of Ice Dragon, though they've slowed down, hopefully with an exciting project in the works.

https://earthlingsociety.bandcamp.com/

More space rock jams:

Papir - V (Stickman)
https://papir.bandcamp.com/album/v

Spaceslug - Time Travel Dilemma (BSFD)
https://spaceslug.bandcamp.com/album/time-travel-dilemma

10 000 Russos - Distress Distress (Fuzz Club)
https://fuzzclub.bandcamp.com/album/distress-distress

Moths & Locusts - Intro/Outro (Cardinal Fuzz)
https://cful.bandcamp.com/album/moths-locusts-intro-outro

Kairon; IRSE! - Ruination (Svart)
https://kaironirse.bandcamp.com/album/ruination

The Space Lords - Water Planet (Tonzonen)
https://thespacelords1.bandcamp.com/album/water-planet

Mythic Sunship - Land Between Rivers (El Paraiso)
http://www.elparaisorecords.com/releases/mythic-sunship-land-between-rivers-preorder

Samsara Blues Experiment - One With The Universe (Electric Magic/World In Sound)
https://samsarabluesexperiment.bandcamp.com/album/one-with-the-universe

Atavismo - Inerte (Temple Of Torturous)
https://templeoftorturous.bandcamp.com/album/inerte

Kal-El - Astrodoomeda (Argonauta)
http://www.argonautarecords.com/shop/music-/214-kal-el-astrodoomeda-cd.html

The Infinite Trip - Brain Blossom
https://theinfinitetrip.bandcamp.com/album/brain-blossom

The Sonic Shamen - Tribute To Lemmy (Members of Litmus, Earthling Society, ØSC and Red Elektra)
https://thesonicshamen.bandcamp.com/album/tribute-to-lemmy

Zong - Zong (Praying Mantis/Cardinal Fuzz)
https://prayingmantis.bandcamp.com/album/zong-st-lp-2017

The Band Whose Name Is A Symbol - Cosmic Curios (Weird Beard)
https://thebandwhosenameisasymbol.bandcamp.com/album/cosmic-curios-remixed-mastered-weird-beard-2017-version

PERHAPS - V (Riot Season)
https://riotseasonrecords.bandcamp.com/album/v

Plastic Crimewave Syndicate - Thunderbolt Of Flaming Wisdom (Cardinal Fuzz)
https://cful.bandcamp.com/album/plastic-crimewave-syndicate-thunderbolt-of-flaming-wisdom

Oh man, what a list. How do you find the time

Nothing new going on here but that's just fine with me:

http://purplehillwitch.bandcamp.com/album/celestial-cemetery

Love that band. Norway is killing it with stoner/doom/prog/psych this year. The bassplayer Andreas Schafferer (aka Dôômdögg) also has a space rock band called Spectral Haze which just released a new album Friday:

Spectral Haze - Turning Electric (Totem Cat)
https://www.stickman-records.com/shop/spectral-haze-turning-electric/
http://www.invisibleoranges.com/spectral-haze-turning-electric/

Checking out a track from that now, it's great! Thanks. That guitar sound is so filthy.

Yep, they seem to take the Hawkwind/Amon Düül II template and rough it up with the nastier tones via the Stooges and charred space garbage. Plus colorful personas!

Spectral Haze is:
Spacewülff – Interstellar Howls/Geetarrrgh
Sönik Slöth – Supercosmic overdrive pedalinfused guitarvoid
Döômdögg – Dronemachinated AUM
Cëlestïal Cöbra – Conjurer of souls through ritual drums

Occasional appearances:
Elêctrïc Stårlïng – Space wizard beckoning astral animal guardians, manipulating aether
Pòwêr Pänthêr – Percussive boddhisattva, aspect of the conjuring ritual drums

New releases today.

Jess And The Ancient Ones - The Horse And Other Weird Tales (Svart) - Finnish psych/prog noir. Probably will make my top 13.
https://jessandtheancientones.bandcamp.com/album/the-horse-and-other-weird-tales

Hard Action - Hot Wired Beat (Svart) - I overlooked them previously because of their boring name, but I love how they sound Australian along the vein of Radio Birdmen, The New Christs and Hell City Glamours. Garage pre-punk that rocks hard with good hooks.

Lento - Fourth (ConSouling) - Italian instrumental space sludge who once shared a split LP with Ufomammut.
https://lento.bandcamp.com/album/fourth

Radar Men From The Moon - Subversive III: De Spelende Mens (Fuzz Club) - Instrumental space rock/jam/noise from Netherlands, name yr price.
https://radarmenfromthemoon.bandcamp.com/album/subversive-iii-de-spelende-mens

Been following the year-end list rollouts of course, and listening to a lot of stuff. It's pretty dispiriting out there. As far as music from this thread, unless you're associated with the indie psych axis of power (Segall/Dwyer's Castle Face) like King Gizzard and the LW, you don't exist. Nobody is listening to anything here with just a couple exceptions like Elder and Ufomammut. I listen to all their precious IDM/EBM/avant pop/folktronica/elegiac jazz/slowcore/sound art b.s. (and like a few things), but it seems fewer and fewer people go outside of their pet subgenres and comfort zones anymore. It's incredibly lame.

I dunno, maybe the problem is that there really is no longer any sort of glossy publication or mainstream site that focuses on this stuff anymore. But I feel like some of my other favorite genres like post-punk and afrobeat are pretty well represented, considering how much fewer releases there are compared to this VAST bucket.

https://hardaction.bandcamp.com/album/hot-wired-beat

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