Review: The Whims of the Great Magnet - Good Vibes & High Tides

It was only by chance a few years back that I came across The Whims of the Great Magnet’s first CD, The Purple & Yellow album. A stripped back collection of songs put together by Sungrazer’s Sander Haagman, that, although musically quite a way from his previous band, his own unique style was sprinkled all over it. Sungrazer was a band that I was fortunate to see live a couple of times and even to this day their records are never too far away from being played. There was always a slight hope of the band coming back together but after the sad passing of Rutger Smeets, the songs will stay where they are and live on through many more people who will hopefully discover them again.

A couple of months back the bands facebook account hinted of some recording activity that quickly turned in to what I am listening to now; Good Vibes & High Tides. A collection of 10 Songs composed by Sander on guitar/base and Iwan Wijnen on drums.

This time they’ve plugged in and brought together 40+ minutes of warm fuzzy psych that feels loose, easy and takes you away to a sun drenched beach scattered with people sat jamming out whilst other are surfing waves. It’s a place you will want return again and again, so kick back and listen…..

Lose My Head rolls straight in with a warm fuzzy summer evening riff that keeps jabbing at you in a good way. There’s a laid back “loose” vibe to it that fits perfectly with Sander’s vocals which pulls together “the jam” into a song. Straight away you can feel that as a group of musicians, the band have plugged in this time and want to produce something magical. The basslines are strong and the drums have a “kick back and doin’ its thing” 70’s feel to them. 

Here to Party pulls you in straight away with its soft psychedelic mood. Again it has that laid back tone with a “sat on the beach” head nodding chorus with Sander harmonising with his guitars, summoning that magic that Sungrazer always had. The final minute has the guitar start to wander off in that Euro psych style, but only for a few seconds.

Guess it’s Time takes you back towards the 90’s alt rock scene as the guitar strums into a big wall of fuzz before it softens into something more emotive by the way the guitar jangles, the bass stops, then everything kicks in again. The chorus is warm, friendly and familiar to anyone who still listens to online 90’s grunge radio, with its unique nod to that time with their own unique touch. It almost has a film soundtrack vibe to it.

The title track Good Vibes & High Tides sums up exactly how this song feels and how you could place it any of the “Endless Summers” era surf videos. The strumming of the fuzzy sun drenched guitar conjures up the hair blowing in the wind feeling whilst driving the coastline looking out at the waves. The structure of the song is quite simple but really effective with its lo-fi mix of the drums and guitar. The sound and feel of it is something nobody else has mastered for a long time in the way it feels like it hangs together really loosely but eases a vibe that is really unique. If they haven’t already made a video full of Californian tube riders, then somebody should as it would be the perfect compliment. Oh and half way through the track it builds up to a minute of big soaring mountainous guitars that would belong on any of the Sungrazer records.

Hay is a 40 second interlude that would have fitted well on the end of any early Sub Pop singles.

Oew is probably my favourite track that magically manages to get you to nod your head and tap your foot at the same time. The riff strums its way up and down in the way Sonic Youth or Pavement did back in the 90’s and they make it sound and feel so easy. The song stops and starts with the vocal harmonies that only Sander can do with the word Oew. It’s the millisecond sound of nothing between the fuzz that makes this something special and what always had Sungrazer stand apart from most other bands. If this was released 25 years ago, College Radio would have been blasting the airwaves with Oew.

Simple starts straight off with some slide guitar work, feeling a little country but also very personal in the way the words are sung and the way the music paints a reflective picture. The chorus kicks in harder though with a Dinosaur Jr vibe to it.

Battling to be my favourite track and definitely my favourite chorus is Cocaine & Yoga. Starting with a drumbeat and bassline that hails from deep in Seattle and there’s a little Kurt Cobain in the vocals, it doesn’t take long before the riff of the chorus opens up and hooks you in. It really is a special moment on the record. Sungrazer had an extraordinary ability to write awesome riffs that sounded like they are played backwards and this is no exception. The bass keeps the song driving along before the song drifts away and returns with a way more psychedelic trippy acoustic vibe.

Wei Wu Wijen is super laid back with a pure desert feel to it. What could be born out of a blues club, the track slowly and quietly creeps along and you can feel every note played and every cymbal tapped. A good reference point would be early Brant Bjork records.

To finish the album off, Roerloze Bewegar clocks in at nearly 12 minutes and feels like a song that Sungrazer could have included on their split record with The Machine. This time round the guitar strumming is a bit more metallic and the bass thunders along harder as everything comes together to produce a song that has purpose as it drives off towards the horizon. The vocals drift along and fit over everything with such ease. The riffs begin to bend away and dive back in as for the next few minutes the song elevates itself high into the sky. At about the 7 minute mark everything stops as though the listener has reached that far away place and the next few minutes become more and more minimal as the guitar slowly drifts away peacefully into the light. 

I didn’t know what to expect from Good Vibes & High Tides but it goes beyond any expectation I had. With the laid back psych vibe and sun drenched lo-fi guitars it ticks many boxes for me, but add this to all the little nods to 90’s alt-rock and grunge and Sub Pop throughout and I’m holding a record that should be in everyone’s top 10 albums of 2019.

It’s also good to see that these songs will be getting played live as they have just booked a record release show. Let’s hope it leads to many more.

You can order the 180g black vinyl direct for 15 Euros + Postage from: thewhimsofthegreatmagnet@gmail.com or check it out at:

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Review: Swan Valley Heights – The Heavy Seed

It had been a couple of years since I had picked up Swan Valley Height’s first record, and seeing that they had struck a deal with Fuzzorama Records, you knew something special was in the works.

The Heavy Seed kicks off the album and when you see the opening track is over 13 minutes, you know only good things will happen. It starts from a distance and floats in and out with a trippy vibe, conjuring the outdoor feeling under the night sky. The drumming has an organic feel as though it is being played out by hand and the bassline roles in and out ala Yawning Man. Three minutes in the fuzz laden guitars really open up as the songs main riff picks you up and kicks you right out there. The big rolling sound of the song has that European heavy psych feel to it and how it is written. As it moves on, you witness some big crisp pedal action as the odd solo dives in and we hit Elder territory, not in a clone like way but in the way the song structure speeds up then slows down before pulling in some huge post metal riffs. It’s quite a journey that ends up finishing with big fuzzy stoner rock riffs as it closes.

Vaporizer Woman comes in more melodic with an uplifting feel to it. The percussion drives everything along with some more intricate near acoustic guitar work before the fuzz pedal kicks in with a monster of a riff. Some vocals again make me think of Sungrazer whilst the song build and builds to lots of cymbals and some killer guitar work that take you “out there” and beyond.

Take a Swim in God’s Washing Machine is a more metallic complex 8 minutes. It starts of space like and trippy, like your drifting through the clouds and towards the night sky. The cymbals role in and out alongside some intricate drum work and a rolling bassline. From an almost dreamlike state with the drifting vocals, the song bursts out to some big fuzzy riffs that are meant to be played live and loud. I like the way it switched back and forth with the intensity before they pull out a grungy riff from nowhere, turn the vocals a little more haunting, then off they stomp.

My First Knife Fight is three minutes of riff after riff. Think The Machine with the fuzz pedal turned up. Its big, abrasive, the bassline thunders throughout, the cymbals keep crashing and like I said, its riff after riff.

Finishing off with the 10+ minute epic Teeth & Waves, I’m back off into a psychedelic dreamland amongst the clouds for the first few minutes prior to the guitars kicking in with that emotive soaring guitar style that takes you on an atmospheric rollercoaster of a ride. It feels like a really good song that has been “jammed out” even more live as the band are “feeling it” as the song develops and takes on a life of its own.

Overall, this is a really good record. The band have taken their time in developing their sound and the song writing ability shines through. Germany (and Europe) has produced a lot of good heavy psych and stoner bands over the last few years and Swan Valley Heights are right up there with the best. My only disappointment is that I didn’t get to witness their debut UK show supporting Truckfighters last month, but hopefully they’ll be back soon.

Another good looking package put together by Fuzzorama Records with some cool colored vinyl editions.

Website - Bandcamp - Fuzzorama Records 

Review: All Them Witches – 1x1

A new singe from All Them Witches wasn’t on anyone’s radar, but as its Halloween, anything can happen, and it certainly does here. 1x1 is the heaviest five minutes the Nashville three-piece have put out in some time.

A repetitive riff twists and turns into something darker before everything explodes into life with the haunting vocal harmonies of Charles Michael Parks Jr’s vocals rooted deeply within. The sound is a heavy groove with a raw fuzzy edge that sounds huge. After seeing them play The Roundhouse in London last year, the three-piece managed to create something that was delicate one minute but was huge the next and manage to fill the huge venue perfectly. Here, 1x1 feels like this could do exactly that. The next five minutes is pure musical magic. The vocals that are also harmonised with guitarist Ben McLeod and drummer Robby Staebler creating melodies that are almost a mantra chant in parts. It’s a dark song and if you look up the lyrics, there is definitely something wicked and sinister about them.

As far as I know there is no album imminent and this song is something of a teaser for their European support run with Ghost, which I am sure they will gain a few new fans from.

All Them Witches like to change, evolve and never sound familiar for very long, which is part of their magic. You know what to do next.

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Review: The Cosmic Dead - Scottish Space Race

I remember when I first heard The Cosmic Dead around 2013 when Inner Sanctum was released and how I couldn’t believe that Scotland’s finest had escaped my radar, blowing my mind with what they were doing. Fast forward to 2014 when they headlined the Black Heart at Desertfest on a Saturday night and it seemed like a life changing moment in music for me. I don’t know if it was the sonics of what they did that night or just the festival atmosphere and how the place had a complete psych out that night, but since then I have been completely hooked.

Scottish Space Race had been in the making for a while with a couple of new members and the magic touch of John McBain, whose history of music and mastering speaks for itself. 

Portal is big and bold and spends the first six minutes bringing together psychedelic sounds, drones and deep space riffs from the four corners of the galaxy, before the drums slip into a rhythm that makes the “mantra chanting” sound doomy, dark and huge. A very unique sounding lap-steel scrapes itself all over the beat of the song, pulling you deeper and deeper into the chaos, then its freak-out time. Guitars, riffs, wah-wah, 100mph non-stop craziness that doesn’t let up for several minutes. As Portal hurtles back towards Earth, the drums and cymbals take control, but even after the first track, you are absolutely flawed! 

Ursa Major is the albums laid back trippy 17+ minute track that floats in from an inter-cosmic space like domain. The bassline strings everything along in an almost hypnotic repetition of itself and gives the space for the drums to keep building in the background quietly whilst guitars give you that space like vibe, the vibe though being a complex movement of a million stars before the guitar walks off into a dimension of its own. Everything begins to build and speed up and all the connections are made toa point where the song takes off like a spaceship hurtling into the beyond on a mission that only The Cosmic Dead are capable of. The space like vibe turns to a Hawkwindesq crescendo and every member uses their instrument too go off into the unknown. Itsa real driving psych affair that you cannot sit still to whilst listening. It’s as though Colour Haze crashed into The Greatful Dead.

The next 12 minutes though have a completely different feel to them as the band draw many fine punk and hardcore influences into what they’re doing and pummel you with the Scottish Space Race. After a few minutes of big heavy psych that turns into something like Hawkwind on speed impersonating Oi Polloi. In unison, every instrument almost grinds along with chanting, singing and lyrics that would make any Scotsman proud. I have found myself chanting the line "can you dig it?" too myself over and over for the last two weeks. The layers of this song are quite incredible. It’s loud, abrasive and possibly not a song you would think The Cosmic Dead would write but it fits perfectly on the album. As the song roars towards the last couple of minutes you can feel the freak-out coming with more and more cosmic keyboards and this will be a live one that literally pulls the venue down into itself.

The Grizzard finishes off the album with another 24 minute epic. Big doomy riffs ala Sleep with lots of cymbals kick everything off and continue along a mantra-like path of heaviness. It slowly feels like its speeding up with more and more drums and cymbals eager to get in on the action, before everything lets loose around the 4 minute mark. The noise is chaotic with a keyboard riff that drops in and out that reminds me of the writing style of 90’s Florida or Sweden Death Metal. If you know what I mean ala Morbid Angel or Entombed, that keyboard makes sense. After this the song just goes off in a direction that takes the guitar work to the beyond. Its fast, manic and a journey through a trip that only The Cosmic Dead could have. This is the finale of the Scottish space race that comes hurtling back towards Earth, probably ending up somewhere in the River Clyde. At this point you think it’s over but off we go again with more vocals, chanting like screams that blend deeply into the psych of the song as the layers get bigger and thicker again before The Grizzard doubles then triples in speed to an absolute manic rage, before imploding on itself to a close.

Scottish Space Race is a little different to their previous albums but this is by far their most “out there” cosmic trips into the beyond. Between the band and the label Riot Season Records, the whole package, layout and vinyl colours make this a raging piece of Scottish magic.

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HRH Stoner Vs Doom Festival Videos

Video footage of Gonga, Psychlona, Black Rainbows and Orange Goblin from the HRH Stoner Vs Doom Festival in Sheffield. Rock out.....

Review: Sons of Alpha Centauri - Buried Memories

After taking over ten years to write and release 2018’s Continuum, finding out that they had twinned the release with another 6 tracks the following year, in the form of Buried Memories, was more than a welcome surprise. If you had asked me how they would do this, getting Justin K. Broadrick (Godflesh, Jesu, etc.) to remix the same song 3 times and have James Plotkin (Khanate, Jodis etc.) mix 3 other tracks, is a million miles away to what I would have expected. With this I had no idea what to expect and dived straight into the abrasive darkness…..

The Justin K. Broadrick mix of Hitman starts with a pulsing heart beat like vibe as the track strums its way forward and evolves with the guitars filling out, giving you that sense of driving through the night. Not the driving into the desert feel but more like driving the length of the UK in the dark in the rain kind of feel. Instrumentally it has a buzzing electric vibe to it that plays so well against the keyboard that winds along behind everything, giving it a real feel of it being played live right before you. At this point Hitman kicks into gear and pulls you in to its beat for a couple of minutes before the keyboards take over with a load of reverb, taking you into a darker more psychedelic place that you feel yourself slipping in and out of before a big dark old school Sabbath riff kicks in and I defy anyone not to move their head from here onwards.

The Jesu remix is a slower darker affair. The basslines are really brought into the forefront as every strum has a thundering grinding sound that shakes the speakers. The keyboards and organs combine to give you the floating sensation that falls somewhere between the dark and the light. The industrial sound that appears then disappears has the feeling of big robotic machines crossing the land before something that feels like a ball of dark energy that is fighting to implode or explode. It’s near impossible to explain what this feeling of sound is doing but there is a real dark magical feel to it. At times you forget that it is the same song but this mix really pulls something from beyond the track itself and lets the basic structure take on a complete new life of its own as it rises up into the clouds.

The third mix of Hitmen by JK Flesh stars off with a warmer softer feel as though the track has lifted itself above the clouds and is floating away above the light. The beat feels a lot cleaner and electronic as it folds into itself with a feeling of ambience. The mix then pulls the guitars and drums back in to give you a feeling of orbiting the earth and the cosmic like mix of the tone begins to pick up pace as though you are speeding towards Earth. Finishing off with the repetition of a riff that sounds like an alarm or a warning, the track leaves you wondering if you ever made it through the atmosphere.

James Plotkin starts his trio of mixes with the track Warhero which builds and creeps along with a definite SOAC feel to it before it spreads itself into something wider, making you appreciate the noise between the sounds. With some eerie keyboards floating around the noisier breaks held together with some huge reverberating bass lines, Warhero flits between a huge stomping gloomy monster and something that feels like an alien lifeform trying to reach you.

Remembrance is a short low end dark couple of minutes that hangs around like a metallic beast that has hold of you. Possibly a soundtrack to a nightmare of some sorts.

The remix of SS Montgomery has James Plotkin really casting his wizardry over a track by making it come alive in an almost magnetic way, with each instrument thrusting its way into your eardrums. The song stomps along in electronic form with a dark space like feel that pulls the buzz of the guitars towards the thumping bass and the harsh crashing of cymbals. It’s something that has to be played loud through your headphones whilst sat in the darkness.

The 6 tracks are quite an experience and sometimes a long way from what Continuum was, but I really enjoyed what I heard, and it really works well as the antidote. The band seem to be constantly evolving and having seen their last couple of live performances, they have a real magic spark that hooks you in and keeps you in their mesmerizing dream. Hopefully the live video below, from the Black Heart in London, shows you something of this.

Buried Memories has been released through the following labels in a variety of beautifully put together packages.

Website - Facebook - Bandcamp - YouTube - H42 Records - Robustfellow - Solid 7 Tapes  

Review: Jesus The Snake – Black Acid, Pink Rain

I have no recollection how Portugal’s Jesus The Snake came to my attention as I had never heard their earlier material but I am stoked that we have now crossed paths. My first thoughts that come to mind are the laid back vibes of a hot sunny day somewhere out in the fields of Portugal and that infamous Pink Floyd video in Pompeii.

They have a rich fuzzy sound that melts away to a classic 70’s sprawl backed up with a lot of keyboards and each track is around 10 minutes long which is just how I like it.

The first track Karma opens slowly and drifts in with each instrument floating along together. The keyboards start and there’s a 70’s proggy jazz feel to it as it builds and builds until it stops, then starts again and begins to walk along giving you that feeling of looking out the car window whilst driving out into the desert. Then the guitar kicks in with a really raw fuzzy sound and duals with the keyboards for a few minutes for your aural pleasure. Then everything drops off and the band show their ability to create that sound that fits in with the near silence which I can imagine really holds the audience when played live. Following that I’m treated to a build-up of fuzz and keyboards that really takes you out there.

Floyds I starts with 4 minutes of rolling waves of 70’s prog and makes me think of a certain Pink Floyd track (you can decide which one) with some awesome guitar work. You can almost feel that warm sunshine setting at dusk with every chord played. Then the bass and keyboards do their bit to build the song up that has a jazzy feel to it but I can definitely feel some surf rock in there as the guitar goes off again. At 6 minutes the driving fuzzy guitars kick again and backed with the keyboards they really start to do their thing. I also have to mention that the guitars manage a few times to do that deep fuzzy “do do do do” sound ala Colour Haze (you must know what I mean).

Floyds II starts with a slow Sunday morning “kick back and relax” vibe. The drums have a jazzy feel to them, the bassline really pulls everything together, the keyboards in the background are always just there and the guitar slowly walks away at its own pace. After this the song really enhances how good the band are as musicians and manage to do their Pink Floyd thing but with their own twist on it. As it draws to a close it gets heavier and heavier showing that they’re not afraid to rock out.

Duna is a slow winding song that has a deep sound to it and a slight jazzy feel as it drifts about (think those soaring videos over the mountains, lakes and beaches) before an awesome riff drops in, then out, then it’s back again. This time everything has a slightly darker feel to how the song is composed, but you really do feel that deep fuzzy sound again. Now unlike the other tracks, Duna gets more mellow as it goes on and the keyboard work towards the end feels like lounge music from an American city in the mid 70’s, which fits perfectly with the vibe.

Black Acid, Pink Rain kicks straight in and the percussion really drives the song with a much faster pace before the fuzzy end of the guitar opens up with the keyboards before the guitar goes walking off sky high again to counteract the pounding bassline. Then that deep silence thing happens again and the band manage to create that up close and personal with the instrument feel which illustrated how well this has been recorded in the studio.

I know that I have talked about the guitars taking you out there before dropping back in with the fuzz and how good the keyboards are, but I have to mention how well the drums and bass just keep this thing going throughout.

If you have bought the CD of Black Acid, Pink Rain then you will have every song except Karma as the recording is too long for the CD but the digital version has everything. I have read that a vinyl version is coming in the future which is good as this recording deserves its place on record as I’m sure the crackle of the needle will only add to the magic. 

If you haven’t already checked this out, I cannot urge you enough to buy it. It has that 70’s feel with a lot of Pink Floyd influences mixed with the sleepy drifting feel of My Sleeping Karma and Sungrazer mixed with the heavier fuzzy feel of a band like The Samsara Blues Experiment.

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