I keep saying it more and more and records like this back me
up, and I will say it again, Australia must have a perfect alignment of the
stars, the earth and the moon, as the amount of awesome psychedelic music
coming from down under at the moment is mind blowing.
So here we have Sonic Dhoom, a new two track single from
Melbourne’s The Black Heart Death Cult. I guess this is a taste of what to
expect from their second album Sonic Mantras that will be released later this
year.
Side A’s song Sonic Dhoom is big, glowing and melts away the
deeper you feel yourself being pulled into the next four minutes of finally
crafted 60’s psychedelia. Whilst floating in a trippy dreamlike state, the
wonderful sitar work throughout elevates you to a Middle Eastern time within
another time guided by the trance inducing vocal lines. Definitely a song to
lie back and lose yourself in.
It’s Getting Heavy on the reverse slowly lifts you with its
mix of keyboards that drift in, pick you up and elevate you with a song that
sounds heavenly. By heavenly I mean with its choir like vocals through the
chorus, making the listener imagine bright white skies and some sort of bright
light in the distance that is beckoning you towards it. I can imagine this
being their antidote to a previous 20 minute jam they have just fuzzed out
live.
Salty Dog Records released a run of 150 blue/yellow splatter
7”’s that look stunning, but as quick as they appeared, they disappeared. If
you keep a look out there may be another press. Bandcamp is your saviour
though, so you know where to go and what to do.
Sonic Mantras should hopefully be released later this year
on Kozmic Artifacts.
Ever since I started buying records split releases have
always been something of novelty that gives you the feeling that they are rare and
collectable in some way. In the cast of most of them, they’re not, but ever
since the first split 7” that I possessed, the coming together of different
styles and ideas adds to the magic and mystic of what you hold in your hands.
Fast forward over 25 years and the two separately produced
pieces of photocopied artwork has long been replaced with full sleeve artwork
that encompasses the whole feeling of the record, with Six.D.Six supplying the
bands and the label with an illustration that stretched through space and time.
Released by Australian based label Psychedelic Salad
Records, they have brought together fellow countrymen Comacozer, a band who I
have been a big fan of for quite some time, and Mexico's Vinnum Sabbathi, a
band who I have known about but have for one reason or another never crossed
paths with before, so here we go off in to the unknown.
If I had the chance to put music on one side of a 12” record
then my method of delivery would be just one long song, and that’s exactly what
Comacozer have done with their single 19 minute track Sun of Hyperion. Quoting
the press release, Sun of Hyperion is journey that continues on from their
debut track Helios Hyperion, written and recorded in 2014. A regular feature of
their live shows, Sun of Hyperion was recorded at the same time as their last
album Mydriasis.
The track starts slow and distant, buried somewhere in the
realms of deep space. The guitar is slight and meanders through the dark paths,
backed with space like samples and voices talking about taking trips on LSD and
never coming back. From here the guitar line the song keeps returning to over the next 19 minutes, starts. Building and building, the bass, then the drums enter the picture as
the keyboards pull you in and out the atmospheres of the different moons and
worlds this trip is taking you too. Sounding uniquely like Comacozer, I can also
hear the atmospheric build up’s that Electric Moon are oh so good at creating.
There is vast sound to the recording and that the guitar
lines keeps repeating itself almost hypnotically and you know it is taking you
to a place deep within the outer reaches, then at around ten minutes
everything turns up several notches as though the journey is crashing through a
meteor shower or the remnants of an exploding star.
From here onwards Sun of Hyperion soars through the night
sky as the guitars take you up and beyond, and as the journey concludes through
more cosmic turbulence, the 19 minutes could have really been 19 million light
years.
Like I said earlier, this is the first time I have properly
connected with the sounds of Vinnum Sabbathi, and I wasn’t disappointed.
Reading in to the story here, the tracks HEX IV and HEX V are the latest tracks
contribution to the bands HEX series, from the Base 16 or hexadecimal numeral
system, with a goal of writing 16 songs in total to contribute to split
collaborations, like the one we have here. Now that is quite some plan, which
will really show their talent in expanding the musical boundaries, which the band
look to definitely have, shown by the recording here being done in one take.
HEX IV: Cassini’s Last Breath starts slowly and interacts
with the space travel communications between base and satellite, which I’m
guessing is taken from real life recordings. As the raw feeling of the guitars
play out in a Sleep like way, it doesn’t take long before their space travel slowly
picks up some speed and sounds HUGE. Big riffs and cymbals that are recorded to
tape this well really are something special. After the communication talk
mentions about being proud of an amazing accomplishment, the bass line kicks in
like Geezer Butler would, and the spacewalk drifts off into the dark realms of
the cosmos.
HEX V: X-15 Research Project starts with early space travel
text spoken over a slow bass line, then drum beat, then a big stomping riff
that will have all of your head’s nodding in time. Over the 9+ minutes here you
have a massive sounding beast of a slow mix of something between stoner rock
and doom metal that sounds as though it is being played live right in front of
you, it’s that good.
With both songs being the first time I have taken a trip on
space cruiser Vinnum Sabbathi to their corner of deep space, I’m hooked and will
be going back in time to visit the rest of the HEX.
The split 12” records is a format that more and more labels
seem to be putting out at the moment and this one stands up with the best of
them. Both bands are thousands of miles apart and have contrasting styles, but
both versions of instrumental “heavy” really do complement each other and fans
from each band will have no problem diggin’ what’s on the other side of the
record.
Psychedelic Salad Records have done a fine job in putting
out a couple of different colored versions which can be ordered from their
website.
Australia’s The Black Armada have barely been together a
year and have already been dishing out their big groove driven stoner rock
supporting the likes of John Garcia & The Band of Gold, Earthless and 1000
Mods. It looked as though music was to be put to tape until the departure of
their vocalist a few months back and the current situation around the world has
obviously adjusted their plans a bit. I have no doubt through, that after
watching their latest live recordings, good things will be coming out The Gold
Coast soon. Back to the song on hand, a twist of fate saw them cross
paths and play with a certain Nick Oliveri as he toured Australia last year and
a musical friendship was formed, which turned into the track we have here, Up
and Down Under.
Starting with a few formidable punk rock chords backed with
Nick’s in your face vocals, the riffs kick in early and don’t let up for the
next three minutes. Switching between Christian Tryhorn’s big “hit the pedal” driving
guitar grooves and the more melodic guitar work entwined with the driving
basslines. Up and Down Under tells the tale of Jekyll and Hide which is very
fitting for the two musical styles coming together so well, and hearing Nick
scream the words is oh so him. Everything is held together with some big drum
work from Liam Burgan and the production/mix only makes it sound bigger. I also
have to mention how Nick’s voice seems to be getting stronger with every new
recording he does lately.
Head over to Bandcampto get yourself a digital copy for the
collection.
Once every few years the axis of the Earth rotates at
exactly the right degree, the planets align, something magical is conjured up
in the Californian desert and the Earthlings? appear.
Dave Catching, Pete Stahl, Molly McGuire, Adam Maples,
Matthias Schneeberger and Julian Goldwhite take you out into the night and sit
you round a small fire that slowly burns away as you lie back and watch the
millions and millions of stars that cross the night sky and blow your mind. So here we have it, new Earthlings? material.....
The Clapper slowly glides in from the distance as every
instrument entwines to create what is the riff that sticks in your head for the
rest of the day. The bass slowly reverberates, joined with the ever so slight
drum beat and deep space like keyboards before the guitars pick their way in
sync with Pete’s ever so distinctive vocals that are as warm as they are
powerful.
The guitars kick in for the first time with the keyboards
and The Clapper sounds huge, as though a burst of light has flared up and
turned the darkness in to a deep shade of purple or orange. The harmonies of
Pete and Molly and maybe more starts here and becomes more and more haunting as
well as mystical as the song evolves. As the song quietens off again, an
atmosphere is created where you feel you can almost reach out and touch it.
As they tell you to “listen closely you can hear it
disappear” you can feel everything and everyone vanish into that moment in
time, the dust catches the wind and the moment has passed.
On side B, Off My Nut starts with a load of voice samples
which makes me think of the last time I saw Pete/Dave perform as Earthlings? in
Manchester. From there onwards the next couple of minutes turn into the band
doing their own unique twist on something between a Wild West and Folk Rock
good time song. Again, the harmonies flow and the endless little samples fall
into place.
Hopefully there is more to come after this 7” as I can hands
down say that The Clapper is one of the best songs Earthlings? have written and
released. It is also housed in some cool Bad Otis artwork.
Released via Last Hurrah Records, the limited 500 run is
split between 5 desert related colours.
It has been exactly a year since Sageness released Akme on
Vinyl, and has evolved in to an album that has received some great reviews
across the music scene (see review). Even though it was only their second
official release, something just clicked in a recording studio in Spain,
producing some musical magic. After speaking with guitarist David, he kindly
answered a few questions about the band.
Q1. So how did the whole Covid-19 lockdown and social
isolation work for Sageness and you as individuals? Like here in the UK, it
looked as though you were all under some heavy restrictions a few weeks ago.
As you say in our country, the government made some very
heavy restrictions, we were locked up at home for 3 months, only going out to
buy basic things. As for the band, imagine…
I took advantage of writing new songs and riffs and
recording some new ideas. Aitor, the new bassist learnt the Akme album and some
songs from the first album, and Fran the drummer, he managed to get hold of a
digital drum set, so as not to rust and be able to start with some ideas that I
sent him.
Q2. Can you explain the meaning behind the name Sageness?
It was Koke's idea, our first bassist. At first when he said
it I thought it was a kind of weed, ha ha, but it means something related to
wisdom, but with common sense. Exactly the trait of utilizing knowledge and
experience with common sense and insight. And we like it how it sounded.
Q3. I remember reading an interview with you guys a while
back and one of you said “music does not need words to tell” which is a good
statement. As the band evolves, do you still feel the same way?
Personally, yes. I remember when I was younger and I did not
understand the lyrics to songs, but they transmitted many feelings and emotions
to me. But of course the voice is an instrument and I value good lyrics a lot
too. After listening to a lot of music, I am left with the experiences that
instrumental music gives you, due to its sound and complexity of structures, it
makes me immerse myself in to it more and somehow travel. I highly value the different
sounds and vibrations.
Q4. The tracks on Akme have quite a unique sound in the way
that you can make songs that shouldn’t sound heavy, actually sound heavy (but
not in a metal way), and other parts sound as though they have been played on
almost antique equipment. Has it taken some time to refine your sound and
style?
Thanks Martin, I really like that perception you have. Not
having a singer, you have to take more care of the song and have to expand the
sound spectrum. Personally it has taken me time to find a sound and I have been
trying various pedals until I feel comfortable. The effect you refer to may be
a pedal that imitates that analogue tape effect touch, or may even be a thing
of the mix and the master, because Marco Lima from Herzcontrol did an
incredible job, just like our friend Nacho when recording us. We are very happy
with the result!
Q5. How do you all 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?
I usually go with ideas from home, and at then when together
we start shaping it. But we like jamming a lot to see where the song can go, in
fact we record those jams and tried to extract the best of them.
Q6. Do you have “Jam Room” so that you can get the right
vibe when recording?
We really only have one room and what we record is with
mobile phones or with a single microphone. But the room is cosy, and we have a
fridge there!
Q7. Can you ever see Sageness having vocals on a track? Or
writing a verse/chorus/verse kind of song?
Hmmmm… I think not, but who knows. I see more the
possibility of a verse/chorus/verse structure with a bit of something.
Q8. Have you started writing and demoing material for your
next release?
Yes, and we are excited about it! But we want to work the
tracks without haste, and we are doing that right now by sending each other
demos.
Q9. Can you tell us a bit about the artwork for Akme?
Diogo Soares did a great job, with the artwork we loved it
at first sight. It has many elements that we think fit with our music: the door,
the desert, the space, we see it as a kind of portal. I think Diogo called it
"The Healers" and that also fits us well.
Q10. Have you had a chance to get out into Europe to play
live? It doesn’t look as though live music will happen much in 2020 with the
ongoing worldwide pandemic, but I can see 2021 being the year of the gig and
festival. What would I expect from seeing Sageness play live?
This year is going to be difficult, apart from everything
that is happening in the World, Fran is still 800 km away, and is coming to
visit for a few days. Maybe some concerts near our hometown. Our goal right now
is to create another album. We really want to try and play a few concerts in a
row soon.
Q11. What the last 3 records you have listened to?
The last ones I have purchased are Kryptograf, Heavy Trip
and the last album from Slift. Awesome bands!
Q12. What does the rest of 2020 hold for Sageness? Anything
else to add?
We will continue working on the new songs remotely, and if I
have the time I would like to record a song on my own. It's not a big deal, but
it's our turn right now, but we're excited about the new ideas.
We are trying to edit our first album on vinyl. Many people
asked us if we can press it and we believe that we can do it with some help.
Stay Tuned. Cheers from Spain and Stay Safe.
A big thanks goes to David for sitting down to answer these
questions. Keep an eye out on their social media as their debut self-titled
album looks to be getting the vinyl treatment soon, followed by new material
which should be arriving not to far after that.
It must have been five years ago when I took a punt on
buying the LiVE! FULL Tilt Boogie cassette after hearing a track online. The
tape arrived in its killer packaging with stickers and patches and the
recording from Kingston NY back in 2014 totally blew me away.
Fast forward beyond a couple of “end of year top 10” albums
in Geezer and Psychoriffadelia, the New York State 3-piece returned last year
with the more spaced out psychedelic blues EP Spiral Fires, setting the scene
for what Pat Harrington (Guitar/Vocals), Richie Touseull (Bass) and Steve
Markota (Drums/Percussion) were putting together for what we have here.
Dig is a word that I recon Pat Harrington says at least 20
times per day and it kicks straight in with a huge rolling riff, backed up with
some sweet cowbell. As you’re asked “can you dig it?” it’s already obvious how
good the albums production is, as it feels huge. The main hook of the song is
based around a couple of big groovy riffs that have that fuzzy edge, and again
that cowbell appears and there’s no way you can sit still to this. With a brief
interlude, the song slows down a bit, feeling like you’re off out into the
swamps and you get the first taste of the bluesy solo guitars that walk away in
style and take you out there, before that riff roles back in and you walk with that
swagger again.
Atlas Electra starts with a slow riff with a massive groove
to it and I can see why people are giving comparisons of 70’s rock here. The
song in many ways feels like the more laid back Geezer with a psychedelic touch
to it, and that riff wraps itself around you and slowly grows as it takes
control. As Atlas Electra slows down in parts, the production has a real up
close and personal feel to it, as though you are right there in the studio with
Geezer. Again, the solo work, laid back blues and slide guitar pull you in
before Pat’s solo elevates everything higher and higher.
Dead Soul Scroll is a real moody affair with a dark trippy
atmosphere that sometimes strips it so far back that it feels like Pat is
having some sort of spiritual awakening. The final 90 seconds feel like he has
been reborn as when the riff kicks in, the whole band let loose and rock out.
Awake rocks like a classic rock 70’s jam with its slow
groove that tells you a story on the way to the last couple of minutes when the
guitar solo takes over with epic proportions and you can feel your hair in the
wind as you cruise on into the night.
Title track Groovy is something else. In my younger years
when I first discovered Kiss, their unique way of strutting their stuff made a
real impression on me, and the first time I heard Groovy it took me right back
there. The riff is warm and fuzzy but has real purpose as you can almost see
them strutting down 42nd street, cool as you like and not giving a fuck what
you think. From drums to bass to the vocals, everything here just screams
Groovy. The chorus with some keyboards and organ in the mix, will be in your
head all day. When Kiss first appeared and did their thing on the streets of
New York, there was a raw touch of magic, and Geezer have found it here.
The opening riff for Drowning on Empty is downright sleazy
in the vein of ZZ Top or Mountain and just rocks after that. Throw in some
Hammond organ and big 70’s solos and your set.
Now if you want to lie back and feel the night sky as you
take a trip to the unknown, then Slide Mountain is your jam. A slow and winding
journey into desert territory, the guitar glides in and out and soars towards
the stars in the night sky. Sit back, close your eyes, open your mind, and this
trippy five minutes of bluesy psychedelic magic is quite a ride.
Black Owl concludes the album with a huge near ten minute
jam. Starting off with a big stoner groove with a southern twist that almost
drifts into doom metal territory, Black Owl stomps around like a hurricane
moving slowly across the land. Sounding more in the territory of some of their
earlier work, I am definitely getting the sounds of Saint Vitus or Spirit
Caravan here. As the song stretches out, the instrumental trip through its second
half is another hazy trip, seeing all three members musically on top of their
game.
What more can I say? Every time you think Geezer have hit
their heights, they come back with something even better. With Groovy they pay homage
to the best of 70’s rock and fuse it into the bluesy swagger they have more
than already perfected. I could sit here and write line after line about how
cool the record is, but you really have to go out and experience it for
yourself.
Add to the listening the awesome artwork that shines like a
backlight and you have an album that you’ll keep going back to for a long time
to come.
Released on Heavy Psych Sounds, you know that there is a
variety of cool versions to purchase. Dig!
German label H42 Records thought up the idea of releasing a
2-band split single for the Desertfest a few years back and already they are up
to volume 6. Like previous years, it’s a limited run on vinyl and they’re not
around for long. What makes this one even more unique is the fact that the
festival fell victim to the Covid-19 pandemic and never actually happened.
Like previous years singles, I have no real idea how they
pick the bands and neither of them were actually playing the festival this
year, but when you mention the bands Avon and Waxy, you cannot but think of the
Californian desert.
Avon’s track Men of Medan starts with a catchy hook of a
riff that keeps returning throughout the next 3 minutes. They have that stoner
rock vibe to the songs but their twist on it has a stripped back feeling as
though it’s been jammed out there and then. The now 5-piece have the ability to
write a song in the classic rock style, backed up with some cool vocal
harmonies and when they throw in some guitar solo work, its top draw stuff. Let’s
hope the follow up to Dave’s Dungeon isn’t too far away
Flip the record and you have a new song from Waxy, “It’s No
Mistake”. Waxy manage to give off a laid back vibe whilst still having that
more dangerous punk edge to them. The vocals have a certain harmony to them that
is distinctly Californian desert and they flow nicely with what I can best
describe as garage rock mixed with very early Queen of the Stone Age. Waxy have
worked and played alongside many of the legends of the desert, and you can feel
all these influences mixed with their own unique twist. They released their 5th
album, Better on Forgetting, last year and it didn’t get the push or recognition
it deserved, so make sure you also get looking for that too.
Again, H42 Records have produced a cool looking package that follows
on again with Alexander von Weiding’s killer artwork. The press included 150
red Waxy edition, 150 gold Avon edition and 25 test presses on black. Get to it
as I doubt they will be available for long.
