Interview: Astrodome

One of Portugal’s finest heavy psych export’s Astrodome have been quiet of late. Hopefully it’s a sign that the instrumentalists are hidden away some place, jamming out new music. Let’s find out…..

Q. So how is the Covid-19 lockdown and social isolation working for Astrodome and you as individuals? What restrictions are holding you back right now?

It's been a tough time for everybody. As a band, we had to stop jamming and rehearsing like we normally do and started adopting some other ways of being productive. We also had a show cancelled in our hometown that we were really excited about, since the last time we played there was quite some time ago! As individuals, since we are not full time musicians, we try to work from home as much as we can.

Q. Astrodome have been quiet over the last few months. Does this mean that you are in the studio or in the writing process for album number three?

That's right, we are mostly focused on the writing process of the next album, for this album we decided to not rush things and take our time, maybe for a next year release, we hope...

Q. How do the 4 members go about writing songs? Do you all come to the table with ideas or do you just jam it out for hours, feel the flow and let the music write itself?

We don't have a particular way of writing songs. In the beginning, we definitely used a lot the classic "jam and let's see what happens" formula, but that way of making music can sometimes lead to monotony and repetition, and we are trying to not fall in the mistake of releasing the same album over and over again. As we get more maturity and responsibility as a band, we think it's important to start adopting some other ways of thinking and composing, so, it's not impossible that if someone brings an awesome and fully structured song to the rehearsal or if the drummer creates a cool guitar riff, it won't end up being an Astrodome song! There's no rules...

Q. Do you have “Jam Room” so that you can get the right vibe when recording?

We do have a rehearsing space or if you wanna call it, a jam room. It doesn't have the most inspiring vibe ever since it's located in a basement but it gets the job done... we guess! (haha)

Q. It has been well documented with the mess your previous record label left you with at the release point for Astrodome II. Did you ever get all the legal stuff sorted? And on a better note, do you think we will ever see the record available to buy as it deserves a proper release. 

Oh man! That still haunt us to this day! We have sorted most of the stuff, except for the streaming platforms like Spotify and Apple Music, we still couldn't get control over that unfortunately. We also still get contacted by people who are not aware of the problem and think that we scammed them. Nightmare...

About the record, we would like to release a new edition of it and the previous one also, maybe at the same time we release of our third album? Maybe sooner? Let's see!

Q. Can you tell us a bit about the cool artwork for “II”?

We started working with talented artist Clara Pessanha on the cover artwork, discussing references for illustration style even before finishing the album. In a certain way at some point the music, artwork and the concept of the album were mutually developed, and they're deeply related with each other.

It represents something like how our perspective on things changes as we move through space and time. We see a mirage of the Sun, which we forget as we get into the landscape. As we move forward, we realize the Sun is there and it is real, so we celebrate it. On the back cover it turns out that, although it is there, the Sun doesn’t hold itself as we thought, and there is a titan raising it. It has to do with subjects of curiosity and illusion, scepticism, belief, devotion, ending with deception, the final surprise revealing that the truth is different from everything we thought before. This is related to what happens throughout the music, like its tonality, or root note changes.

Q. “II” was released, like the first album, on cassette. You must be a fan of the format and enjoy seeing it make a small comeback?

Actually, those releases were just something that happened naturally. We have a friend, Jonas that had just started a small label and booking agency called Ya Ya Yeah! and he wanted to start releasing some bands that he likes on cassette, so he just asked if we wanted to be the first band and "test the waters". We guess that tape and analogue stuff is one of those "fetishes" that every band must have, and a cassette is an awesome piece of memorabilia you can get from a band, so it was a cool thing to do!

Q. Have other labels approached you to re-release “II” or release a new record?

When we announced all those problems with our ex-label, we got contacted by a couple of labels who shared their interest in working with us but none of them actually said something definitive, we also didn't want to rush things and end up being in a bad situation again so we decided to let the things cool down for a while and think about all the possibilities sometime later when we have our next album... 

Q. Can you ever see Astrodome having vocals on a new track or a song that has a verse/chorus verse/chorus structure to it?

We can't say we don’t see that as a possibility. We try to impose ourselves less and less on what we can or should do, and we let things evolve in ways that are not necessarily the same as what we've done so far. We work on every new track based on an idea that is being built, and the structure develops accordingly. Someday an idea may justify having vocals, or having verse / chorus verse / chorus structure, or both. We don't have anything against that kind of structure.

Q. I haven’t had the pleasure of experiencing Astrodome in the live setting yet, what would I expect from one of your shows?

We think our live shows are a completely different thing from our studio albums, at least we try to make it that way and honestly that is the exciting part of seeing a live concert from a band that you like. When we have the right conditions, we try to set up a mood that makes it more like an experience rather than a musical concert, we use lights, drones and sound effects for an uninterrupted show. Hope we can meet you at one of our concerts in the future! 

Q. Once the world starts to get back to normal, will Astrodome be hitting the road again to tour?

Unfortunately we are not full time musicians so we have to carefully manage our time between our jobs, making music, playing live and taking care of the band’s "office" side. Playing live and doing a good show requires a lot of practice and planning and we agreed that while working on the new album, we would play less shows and that's what we are trying to do. We are really focused on making a good album. We might still play here and there but we don't think we will hit the road very soon for another big tour.

Q. With festivals like Sonic Blast hosting some awesome line-ups over the last few years, the psych/stoner music scene in Portugal looks to be getting bigger. What other Portuguese bands should we all be checking out?

Sonic Blast is our favorite festival to play and to be as a fan, and it definitely helped the "scene" getting stronger and we even risk to say that it influenced many new bands being created! About the bands suggestion, it's going to be hard to list them all because there's a lot of amazing stuff happening in the heavy and psych scene, and we are friends with almost everyone! We recommend the "classic" ones like Black Bombaim, 10000 Russos, Solar Corona, Stone Dead, Kilimanjaro, Big Red Panda, Black Wizards, and some of the newer stuff like Jesus the Snake, Fuzzil… There's a lot happening and we could stay here for days listing them all, and that's great!

Bandcamp – Facebook – Instagram  

Review: Electric Moon – Mind Explosion & Theory of Mind Reissues

Electric Moon have a treasure trove of recorded masterpieces from over the years, with many of them being released on limited vinyl and CD runs that are never available for long, so it’s good to see that some are starting to come back in to print again. Komet Lulu’s label Worst Bassist Records inaugural release was a re-issue of Cellar Overdose, and amongst a few other quality releases, she has now repressed Mind Explosion and Theory of Mind on vinyl. Two cosmic trips out into the unknown reaches of the universe that no matter how many times I listen to them, never sound the same twice.

You may already have the originals, or have read reviews from when they originally came out, but I thought, even after many previous listens, I’d put on the headphones and write a bit about the experience again, provided by the three cosmonauts, Dave “Sula Bassana” Schmidt, Komet Lulu and Marcus Schnitzler.

Mind Explosion was recorded in Feldkirch, Austria in September 2013, and kicks off with Trip to the Moon which slowly begins to build with a percussion mixed with space like effects, elevating you above the atmosphere and out in to the cold night sky. The repetition of the drums gets louder and louder and the cymbals crash at a more furious pace and the effects start twisting at you as the soaring guitars interject themselves into the mix and place you in that cosmic nod state and hold you there for several more minutes. I’m guessing that at around the 13 minute mark is when they have reached the moon as the track levels off and all three instruments play together with a more reflective vibe to them before the underlying hypnotic beat falls back into place for your return to Earth, that starts heavy and abrasive before concluding atmospherically into the night.

Kaleidoscopepeephole feels like several soundscapes layered over one another, like the constant repetitive change of a kaleidoscope. Like a 22 minute cosmic jam, they create a sound that has been captured perfectly in the live setting. Throughout, it twist and turns from a more laid back vibe to a near freak out at times to that heavy space like psych that all three members have more than mastered.

As The Picture takes off you can pick out the noises of the audience in the background that gives you that proper “at a gig” feel to the recording. Musically this feels like the heaviest of the 4 tracks, like a big epic space rock jam that doesn’t let up for the full 17 minutes. The ever present hypnotic and sometimes drone like percussion drives it at pace, with a whirlwind of guitar effects fed into the mix so that you know this is Electric Moon.

Title track Mind Explosion starts with a lot more keyboard effects which feel more mind-warp and robotic that the usual sounds of outer space. They slide nicely into the rhythm of the track that feels slightly different to the rest as the guitar loses its big intensity and has more of a raw early Pink Floyd and definitely a lot more trippy. Like any good album though, the last 5 minutes build everything to a huge crescendo with all instruments blazing before that final comedown, something the band are so good at writing and performing.

Theory of Mind was recorded at the Kosmodrom in Heidelberg, Germany in February 2014, with Hypnotika starting distant and dreamlike, almost as though you are floating through a place beyond the stars. The keyboard effects and synth noises have an almost sinister feel to them as though something is approaching from the heavens, not knowing if it is good or evil. The bassline starts to take hold of you and the rolling of drums and crashing of cymbals intensifies with the soaring space rock guitar lines pull everything from left to right, then back again in an almost “at sea” swaying motion. As the trip continues I still get the feeling that however heavy and psychedelic it feels, the atmosphere created has a more dangerous “edge of your seat” serious feel to it. I don’t remember feeling this last time a listened to it, but that’s the magic of what Electric Moon can do to you.

The track Theory of Mind is something rather special. It starts slowly with a warm inviting feel to it with some almost hypnotic wah-wah guitar. I’m sure I read a review when it first came out saying they could picture hippies dancing in a field near Glastonbury at this point, and yes, I can see what they meant. As the flow of the track takes off and the guitar takes you up there to some place special, you can see and feel the warm colours melt into each other, time and time again. The bass and drum work is inch perfect as they hold you as you walk the warm psychedelic path into the summer’s night. At around 12 minutes the bass really kicks in and the freak out explodes as wave after wave of soaring guitars push you aside before one last final sonic blast.

A slightly shorter version of The Picture (mentioned earlier) has a more abrasive and sonic feel to it this time round, and fits right into the vibe of the record due to the huge expansiveness of its sound.

Aerosoul finishes everything off with a more atmospheric vibe to the trip. The sparse opening teases you with distant keyboards and effects as though you are alone on a distant planet a long way from Earth. Behind the guitars and feedback, both drums and bass create another drone like soundscape that keeps your head nodding in time. There’s a lot more feedback used as the track moves on to create more sonic effects to compliment the overall feel of Aerosoul and its near trance like state.

It’s always a pleasure writing about Electric Moon as like I have said previously, no matter how many times I listen to their numerous recordings, nothing ever sounds the same twice. I would be hard pressed to pick a favourite between these two records, so you’ll have to make sure you own them both to decide.

Both the band and label have done another special job in re-releasing both albums and Lulu’s brilliant artwork on both truly carries the vibe of each record. If you want them, then don’t hang around as both are on limited run with cover matching colored vinyl.

Luckily between Worst Bassist Records and Sulatron Records, there should be more Electric Moon on the horizon soon.

Worst Bassist Records – Electric Moon

Hetouht – "Planet B" Review and Interview

Hot on the heels of the Kinetic EP earlier this year, Hetouht appear with two new tracks already.

XXXX starts big and fuzzy then kicks in to thick driving stoner rock. Its upbeat and the guitar drives all over before it soars in and out and never really lets up for the next 3 minutes. For two members they make one of hell of a fuzzy racket that could be the soundtrack here to a good desert car chase.

Planet B kicks off with a killer guitar riff with a darker side to it that pulls you away into the big fuzzy planes populated by the likes of Dozer and Lowrider. Lots of big drum work, crashing cymbals and wah-wah guitars. The song sounds huge as it rolls through a big open space before the ongoing riff builds and builds to massive proportions. The back end of the track starts to drift in a few different directions, which can only mean an even more pic jammed version of it live. They’ve even complimented this awesome track with a promo video.

Following on from this, the band where kind enough to answer a few questions about life at the moment.....

Q. So how is lockdown and social isolation working for Hetouht and the people of Belgium? Have you had to spend time in complete isolation?

We have been isolated for 6 weeks until today and we should get some news soon. It means that we can’t play together or see each other since the quarantine. We have kept in contact through social media as well and try to make this particular situation is easy as possible with all the changes in our habits and freedom.

Q. For anyone who is unaware of Hetout, can you tell us a bit about how the band have evolved from the beginning?

A few years ago we played in different bands in the same rehearsal rooms place and heard, with interest, each other’s playing through the doors. Shortly after we played with the same band "Molk" (Sludge/Stoner). After one of our rehearsals, we decided that we wanted to play more jamming and try something else. We were immediately amazed to see how fast and creative we were together and we decided to try and to start with a new band. So, from the beginning we recorded everything, rehearsals and shows, we bought everything to be able to record good decent quality demos with the great help of our sound engineer Gabriel Hanquet (Opack Records) who has followed us since the beginning.

Q. You have just dropped a new two track single “Planet B”, tell us about both songs and the journey you took to release it?

Well actually, as usual we recorded a full session before the quarantine, and only kept these two songs because they were more effective. We always try to play something different. So, we just had to wait for Gabriel to mix and master the songs. In the meantime, as we are locked in quarantine, we still wanted to share it and made the video as a bit of fun. To go with the story, we remember that late on that evening, “XXXX” seems to be lost and not saved on the PC and during the breaks we had listened to, among others, Mos Generator (Shadowlands album and Isaak split), Desert Sessions (Vol 5/6), Lowrider (Refraction) and discovered Holy Monitor (II). 

Q. And tell us about the official “Planet B” video?

Considering the situation, we wanted to shoot something a bit funny, with what we realised we had available. With our taste, we thought of something that reminded us of Red Fang or Black Flag music videos, the kind of videos we like. But in fact, this is what we do when we write our songs in the studio! Have a beer, a smoke, and as time passes between the recording and the final mix we usually forget a bit what we played. So the video sort of puts us in the same place as our fans. 

Q. What’s the song writing process for Hetouht? Do you plan songs or do you just create from your improvised jams?

It's always been improvised jams since the beginning. The important thing to know about us is that we are very influenced by everything around us. When we play in our rehearsal room sometimes we just plug in the amps. Sometimes we play for 5 hours straight or sometimes we only play for 2 hours because we're not in the mood but that doesn’t happen very often. For example if we are alone in the warehouse where we practice, it's easier to dive into ourselves and what we do without having some cover bands playing near us. When playing gigs, it's a bit different but basically anything happens and will influence our show.

Q. Hetouht has a unique way of releasing music. Sometimes it’s an EP or a single on Bandcamp then next it’s new songs or a jam on YouTube. Do you plan how and when you release new music, or does it just evolve and you want to get it out to people before you’re on to the next idea?

Our main idea is to try to record everything we play, because after playing this or that, it could be doomed to be played only once. We take time to reflect on our selections and it also depends on the situation at the time, like how we are living at the moment or any recording problems. With these kind of things, so we just go with the flow.

Q. Do you see the next few releases being singles and EP’s or is there another full length album in the making? 

We would love to make a full length album definitely, so yeah, maybe we'll think about releasing one in 2020, but in the meantime we'll keep it this way and we'll see where it take us. We have got a lot of ideas for the next record.

Q. Are there any plans to release new or previous material physically, on vinyl, CD or cassette? 

That is something we talk about a lot, we really need some physical products, and to find a way to finance them and make good quality interesting products and a decent quantity of them. About the cassettes, we had a few of them made which was really fun, made out of real beer cans, we probably should do that again. This quarantine and isolation has given us the motivation to get back on track and to go further, so stay in touch and watch out.

Q. Tell us about the Hetouht live experience and what people can expect?

Every show is different, if we play for 30 minutes or 2 hours, people can expect some good fun on stage with both heavy riffs and the quiet parts trying to put peoples and ourselves into an another state of mind and push all of us through to introspection in a special kind of way. We also often use projections, incense and other things that touch the crowd’s senses.

Q. Finally, what’s next for Hetouht? What does the rest of 2020 hold for the band?

It really depends on the current situation, about shows, and the rest, but the goal is to keep going further. All we know is that when the nearest possible time comes, we will have good new music for people, some merchandise for the fans and we will keep improvising for all of this. Thanks again.

YouTube – Bandcamp - Facebook 

Incoming: New All Souls songs/video

The thing I like about LA-based rockers All Souls is that however I try to describe them to someone, I just can’t. They have a unique way of mixing 90 Alt Rock with 80’s Post Punk whilst adding all their own twists and turns from their respective bands (Totimoshi, Fatso Jetson and Black Elk) and in the live environment they really know how to rock out.

After the success of their debut self-titled album and a string of high profile touring, they have a new upcoming album Songs for the End of the World, that should be out soon. Right now, there probably couldn’t be a more aptly titled record.

As a warm up for this they have released two new songs, You Just Can’t Win and Death Becomes Us. One’s a bit moody and the other is a real rocker. Check them out, keep an eye out for the new record and if you get the chance to see them live, make sure you go. Below is also some footage I took from their UK tour a couple of years back.




Facebook - Instagram - Bandcamp - YouTube 

Review: Moontoy - s/t

Polish instrumentalists Moontoy return with their first official release containing five new tracks that span well over 40 minutes, which is always a good thing. Recorded at the end of 2019 it appeared on bandcamp and immediately sparked lots of interest on Facebook groups due to their long laid back spacey jams.

The drum work at the beginning of Mega Chrabaszcz shows straight away that the 3 piece know their instruments and as the guitar meanders through the night sky interlocking with the percussion, you can almost feel the laid back warmth of the desert. The drums have a jazz swing feel to them and take the song towards the distance and almost silence before it brings you back in and the songs most memorable riff hooks you in and repeats itself again and again, and all three members really let go and rock out. Then almost instantly they take you back into the wilderness to near silence. As a reference point, think Yawning Man.

B.C.O is slow, more psychedelic and dreamy and takes you up passed the stars and out into the cosmos, reminding me of some of the slower/quieter times of Sungrazer. Again, the drums and bass float in complete harmony as the guitar work takes you on a warm instrumental journey that could be endless in time. I will be playing this again and again. 

There is more of an atmosphere building in Kosimazaki which make me think of Colour Haze with how the track is structured. Whether recorded in a studio or in a live setting, all three members show a real awareness of each other and how their music keeps evolving.

Swinder has a lot more distortion in the guitar sound at the beginning and it feels more like a song that vocals would fit with, but not for long as we are off into jam territory again before the structure of the song builds and builds back up and evolves into soaring guitars and lots of cymbals crashing. 

You can immerse yourself in the atmospheric warmth of final track, Miedzygaz. Probably the most laid back song on the album, it picks you up and as you close your eyes you’re drifting away into another dimension in time, before everything concludes with a final rock out.

Overall, Moontoy really do shine here with their psychedelic instrumental jams that travel between the desert and the stars, and I’m really looking forward to seeing what other trips they will be taking us on in the future.

The band have released the album digitally and Galactic SmokeHouse have just pressed a run on CD digipack.

Bandcamp - Facebook - Galactic SmokeHouse 

Review: Gorm – Elysium

It only seems like a few months since I reviewed their first record, yet Gorm are back already with their latest offering Elysium. Split into Part I and Part II both running at 12+ minutes each, the German 3 piece are progressing nicely and refining their heavy psych craft into some aural magic.

Elysium Part I doesn’t take long to kick in as the song begins to build like the launch into space Gorm are about to take you on. Guitars dive in and out and create big atmospheric soundscapes that build layer upon layer as the journey into the cosmos unfolds.

To make musical comparisons, the obvious are Elder, Rotor and My Sleeping Karma, but Gorm are forging their own path throughout the planetary systems. With this style of instrumental rock, bands can either travel into the desert or the night sky and Gorm sit well up within the comets and the nebulas.

Elysium Part II feels more of an upbeat track that has its interstellar course already set. There’s lots of rolling drum beats and crashing of cymbals before the song takes a different course and the bassline ramps up (ala Pink Floyd) and the guitars float in and out as you feel the gradual descent back towards land. 

With the endless cancellation of shows right now due to Covid-19, we are just going to have to wait a little longer to witness the whole of Elysium being played live.

After several listens to this already, I have no doubt that they will have their own “Dead Roots Stirring” epic in the making soon, hopefully in the next record.

The digital version is already out there to consume on all the usual platforms and the two vinyl versions (White/Blue Smash and Blue Translucent) which look rather special, will be available any day now.

Also, if you didn't manage to see their livestream session on Saturday night, I have included it here as it was rather good!


 
Bandcamp - YouTube - Facebook - Instagram 

Review: The Fizz Fuzz – Palmyra

After years of playing in bands such as Hermano and Orquestra del Desierto, Dandy Brown released his first solo album Scattered Days in 2018, a collection of songs covered in blues and desert rock with a twist of Southern California. I must still play this album once a week as it sounds as fresh today as when the songs were written and I still think someone needs to give it the magic vinyl re-release treatment.

So, role on a couple of years and Dandy is back with a collaboration of songs with Dawn Brown (nee Rich), now his wife, under the title The Fizz Fuzz.

Hereby roles in like a classic 70’s convertible heading out into the heat of the Californian desert. With that laid back grooving guitar riff that Dandy is so good at writing mixed with Dawn’s more intricate guitar work and solo’s that really elevate the first four minutes of the album. If I didn’t already know this was to be the single/video to promote the album, I would have picked it straight out as the warm fuzzy classic to get people’s heads nodding.

Collapse continues with the fuzzy guitars and slowly drifts through the warm night sky with a more trippy psychedelic feel to it. Both guitars soar in and out, and if you close your eyes you can picture the oil mixed with coloured water effect as you’re taken out to that place and beyond. Like in Hereby, you instantly know Dandy’s vocals as they are so distinctive on their own and when harmonised here sound so good.

If Dark Horse II sounds familiar, that’s because it was original recorded as a Hermano track. It still has that raw dark feel to it, which would sit well on a film soundtrack with its acoustic strum that holds the verse’s together. You can make the comparisons with John Garcia’s vocals, but the vocal harmonies with Dawn over the chorus really tops the track off. Everything about the song has you thinking dark grey filmography work.

Following on in the same slow meandering mood is Shame. Starting off with just vocals and distant guitars, Shame builds into a slow moody affair with a simple but affective guitar line that goes up then down over the chorus and vocal harmonies. Then just as you think you know the lay of the song, both guitars kick the saloon doors open and let rip in style for 90 seconds, before Shame slowly drifts off into the night.

Conditional Love flips a totally different switch with a lighter, cleaner, uplifting sound with Dawn taking vocal duties. It sounds positive and paints a picture of new beginnings. Midway through there’s a really good lighter psych solo that strums along nicely.

I’m really digging Dawn’s vocal whaling throughout Dear Old that has that desert sound and mixes well over Dandy’s voice. The track has that warm fuzzy feel again but this time the guitars feel a lot more powerful and the leading riff really hooks you in and hold’s everything together and is, again, a real head nodder.

The album closes with Loose Lips and its big soaring guitar work then the dreamy drifting psychedelic Sunkissed.

I hope I am already preaching to the converted, but if not Palmyra stands up as a really good album that has that desert sound to it, but is a variation that is unique to what Dandy and Dawn are doing. They have managed to mix that gritty “Sons of Anarchy” biker soundtrack feel with a warm red fuzzy sunshine element to it which to me at least, has that Southern California big open road feel. The stand out bright red album artwork (produced by Dawn) may have contributed to this feeling.

The Fizz Fuzz also features performances from David Angstrom (Hermano/Luna Sol), Steve Earl (Afghan Whigs), Mike Callahan (Hermano/Earshot), Alice Albertazzi and Gianfranco Romanelli (Alice Tambourine Lover) and Mark Engel (Orquesta del Desierto).

Palmyra is being released on CD and digitally in Europe by Taxi Driver Records and Slush Fund Recordings Worldwide. Hopefully a vinyl version will be coming in the future as it more than deserves it.


Website - Facebook - Instagram - Sonicbids