Lost Stoned Pandas- Dark side of the NooM

I really loved their debut double album.  This one took me a few listens to really get into it.  It is three tracks with the title track being a 19min one. Plus there is a 6mins edit dub version of the title track which strangely, starts the album off and is pretty psychedelic!  Gives you a taste for the full 19min version.  Interregnum is a pretty relaxed track with some nice bouncy bass and simple groove over which the synths, guitar, violin float and drift and transport you. Gradually, a more uptempo rhythm kicks in. A beautiful track. Luna Sunrise is more chilled and floating, almost new age like ambient stuff. Lush.. with layed back acoustic guitars, spacey synths, violin…   And finally, the 19min track. Starts with some bass and violin and slowly the others join in and off we go but it takes awhile. Just when you thought the track had died of ended, a new path takes over.  Quite a lovely track but you have to be patient..  Cool band..The vinyls are due to arrive around March 15th.. 

https://sendelica.bandcamp.com/album/dark-side-of-the-noom 

Fuzz Sagrado- A New Dimension (Self Released)

Christian (Samsara Blues Experiment) moved to Brazil a few years ago but he has not left the music scene. He says active creating this new one man project called Fuzz Sagrado. This is his first full length under this name after a couple of EPs. The sound is not a big and powerful (especially the drum and bass sound) as SBE but the mixes are good.. Anyway, it is about the songs and here, they shine and some have that SBE vibe while others are just Christian rocking out. The opening track is a solid rocker with nice vocals. A lot of riffing and no real guitar solo on this one until the track slows down and he mixes in some synth wind as well and keyboards for the beautiful mid section. Lunik IX features some acoustic guitar and layered vocals and a more spoken word approach to start.  A lush synth kicks in as the mood changes on this sort of darker number. Really nice track with the acoustic intro and outro..  Baby Bee starts with some nice guitar and bass and emotional singing (probably about his wife!).  In her Garden is a mid paced melodic rocker. He is really passionate and happy on this track. The mid section slows down (like a lot of SBE songs) with some keyboards to change the atmosphere.  A very nice guitar solo. The guy can for sure still play!!! Lovely…  The Mushroom Part is another acoustic track but this one features a mid paced drumming and bass guitar as well.  Love the way the synth sequence sneaks on for a few moments here and there. Further starts slowly with some hand drums and synthesizers but a dark mysterious vibe. This probably has the longest guitar solo and some nice use of effects and synths. He also throws in some other more psychedelic elements at the end as well. Tropical Rain starts with some storm and then a mid paced drum and melodic guitar line. Need for Simplicity ends this very nice and diverse album. This one is instrumental with nice acoustic guitar and synthesizers. Crashing Cascade ends this great album and one that has the most SBE vibe (like on the last record they made).  Seems Christian has worked out a deal to get this released on vinyl and CD, cool… 

https://electricmagic.bandcamp.com/album/a-new-dimension

The Hobbit House Collective Double 7” (Fruits de mer Records winkle45)

Doing a cover of Led Zeppelin is always a bold and daring mood but some bands manage to do ok. Crystal Jacqueline take on Battle of Evermore and it is pretty stripped down to just mandolin, vocals and percussion to start and then a bit later some keyboards and then the band kicks in. I really like the way the vocals are very centred and then they split the harmony vocal into the sides. Very effective…  Instead of a guitar solo they have violin jam! Enjoyed this a lot…. Honey Pot take on Ramble On, also in a quite unique version.  The addition of the synth and some longer delays on some of the vocal parts and the way they slow it down. Love the ethnic style drumming once the main bridge kicks in… Super good.   

 The other 7” features Icarus Peel´s Acid Reign doing a take of the Chain by Fleetwood Mac in a very interesting and jammed out version.  The final track by the Locker Room Cowboys appears to be an Icarus Peel track!  It is an uptempo guitar driven track with a bit of a funky rhythm and some dashes of organ here and there!  Cool stuff. 

http://fruitsdemerrecords.com 

Organik- Morte Momento (Self Released)

Organik is a cool Danish band. I was proud that we could release their first record on Space Rock Productions… Sadly, the delays in making vinyls and the pandemic really fucked the label over and we have not had any money to release anything except what we had promised in 2021 and core acts… Anyway, the guys have really been adventurous on this record that features 7 tracks. 

Inside starts things off slowly and melodic but then just get super heavy, post rock like riffing but more heavy. Flatline starts with a heavy riff and has a lot of rhythm changes but it gets nice and spaced out with some synths in the middle of the track and a really spacey guitar.. Very cool.. Great dynamics.. Impersonate has a funky wah guitar and is interspersed with a brutal riff. A bit later it mellows out with some keyboards and spaciness. A longer guitar solo in the middle but a good mix of light and heavy..  The Eternal Boy and Paper Cut take the next 20mins. Eternal Boy features a female singer and piano but then we transition to like brutal death metal, which totally takes you by surprise!!! Powerful emotional stuff.. Paper Cut is something totally different and I really like that and the guitar sound is quite unique.. What a great contrasting song to the previous but it still is heavy as it gets going.. I love the end section the best though.. Unsettled starts with a nice melodic guitar and then a really jazzy funky vibe with piano some nice guitar playing. Calm takes us back to the heavy doomy stuff. 

It is a very interesting record that mixes a lot of styles from Psych rock to jazzy to Death metal like stuff. Great Danish band…

https://organikrock.bandcamp.com/  

Led Zeppelin- On Track- Every Album, Every Song by Steve Pilkington (SonicBond Publishing)

I was happy and surprised to receive this book in the mail for review but I was wondering what more can one write about Led Zeppelin??? I have read quite a number of the books and appreciate the genius that the band was… Anyway, I have to say that Steve has done an absolutely brilliant job of making this a very engaging book and discussing a lot of details about the songs and lyrics that I had not read (or remember reading) in other books.  Each chapter starts with a bit of history of what was going on with the band leading up to the album that is to be discussed. Then the artwork is discussed in a lot of detail and here I also learned quite a bit of trivia! 

One thing that is amazing and discussed in a fair and balanced way, is the fact that Led Zeppelin stole a lot of material from older (or not so old in the case of Dazed and Confused) and did not properly credit the artists… It seems virtually all of these were sorted out and the original artists were later added to the song credits…  NO one could get away with that today!!! 

There were not that many Led Zeppelin albums in the end but this is a great book. He also discuss the DVDs and other archive materials (BBC sessions). I also liked the last section about concert milestones. This was really interesting..  Great job Steve.. Cool book…

http://sonicbondpublishing.com 

Gin Lady- Camping with Bohdi (Bilocation Records ARTIFACT128)

My wife and I have really grown to love this band and it nice that the last few years they drop a new record every 2 years. Electric Earth for me was the bands peak and the last one, Tall Sun Crooked Moon, took a while for it to grow on me and I have to say the same with the new one.  The first listen, I was actually a little disappointed and thought the songs were a bit too much like we heard before (and they are in many ways) and not so inspired. The main difference with this album though is that Niklas Ålund is no longer in the band, so they are no a four piece and they used a different studio in Stockholm but the same producers.  Anyway, the album starts off with Underground and the core Gin Lady sound is intact after some backwards guitar and noodling about as they build up the tempo and a good groove starts to develop. Johnny's voice is so distinct and the music makes you happy. I am guessing he is also playing the keyboards on this album? Not sure.  For Everyone sounds like at 12 string guitar to start and some familiar melodies and arrangements are found interspersed in this track, which does not offer much new.  Haven't seen you Lately has a bit harder riff and a bit more uptempo. Fields of Joy (see fan made video below) starts slow and then this sort of Allman Brothers inspired dual guitars and organ kicks in before they kick into what is sort of their strummed signature sound. That ends side A of the LP. I love your Babe starts off side B and features the organ prominently and has a very much Rolling Stones like riff and feel to start. Not my fave song. Solider On also has this US southern rock feel with the harmony guitars and just a slow stoned groove. One of my fave songs on the record. Freedom Rider is makes you smile with a bit of piano action although not that strong mixed in to the song. Very southern rock for sure!  Celebration Blues is a footstopping little number!!!  Only happy songs from these guys! We are Free Now is the closer and sounds much like what proceeded it.  

Very well recorded, played and produced but I think the band should work with different producers to push them to try out more new different avenues in their music as most of these tracks come across as really derivative the last two records with the same types of backing vocals, instrumentation, lyrical arrangements, etc.. I love the band but I would like to see some progression, take some chances rather than just recreating variations of the same songs they have written in the past.  Despite the critic, I still enjoy the record a lot.. 

http://ginlady.bandcamp.com

Buffalo- Volcanic Rock Revisited Live (Ripple)

I was quite looking forward to this and have heard the album at least 100x. I love this album and hold it to a very high standard. Dave Tice still has quite a good voice but damn, he is just mixed way too loud to really enjoy this. The guitar sounds like he is in the other room sometimes and that is very annoying. It actually sounds like this is an audience recording (a very good one despite the low guitar).  The band delivers the songs with a nice passion and plays the songs very faithfully.  If the guitar was more in your face like on the album, I would have enjoyed this a lot more that is for sure.  If you are fan, it is worth checking out but I don´t think it is worth the money to buy the vinyl as you would always go back to the original, which is far far superior.  Check out the stream…. One of the greatest bands from Australia, for sure…

Ripple Music Europe

Super Sonic Blues- It´s Heavy (Who can you Trust)

Super Sonic Blues is a young trio from Holland, who I have been lucky enough to see 3x at Roadburn festival and always cool gigs. This record has been a long time in coming so I was quite looking forward to it.. I have to say, that when the needle hit the vinyl, I though there was some dirt or hair on the needle as it sounds pretty terrible so I cleaned the record and the needle and it sounds the same, so that must mean this is what they wanted the record to sound like…  Everything is just pushed to the sound of distortion so all the songs have too much the same dynamic and messed up sound. I think this might have been a decent recording and could have sounded way better had Guy (Orange Sunshine)  had not got his hand on it and tried to turn it into Orange Sunshine!!  Anyway, the band lay down 7 really cool songs.  If you want to hear a really good sounding recording of the band and most of these songs, check out the you tube show below….

http://supersonicblues.bandcamp.com

It was the Elf- Ancestors (Raging Planet AS/RP337)

So cool to find a great band like this that lives only 30mins away!  I have been friends with Vascko for a while now but due to Covid, we have not managed to meet but the band has sent me their CD now. I did not know it was on the Raging Planet label. They had sent me a batch of CDs a few years ago that I reviewed for the blog. Anyway, Ancestors features 8 tracks in about 50mins. The opening track, Nature´s Son, starts with a very long quiet intro that slowly comes to life with 2 different guitar lines as the drums and bass slowly build. At just about 5mins, the opening jam is done and the real song starts. It is a slow stoney number. The vocals have some effects on it that gives it a special sound. Actually the sound production is quite special in its sound. At 7:30, the pace picks up a bit and the intensity is lifted a notch as the riff is a bit harder and the singing more intense. A bit later there is a nice sort of bluesy guitar solo that really lifts the track.  Black Caravan is next and a bit more doomy but a few minutes in a really cool guitar riff kicks in and then the guitar solos section their is some nice spacey effects added as they space out a bit until the end. Snake Charmer is like a real blues number to start but then it gets more intense with a more heavy riff and vocal intensity.  Nice change of pace.  The Return of the Bear is heads down kick ass stoner rock and a real groover but quite different at the end and sort of drifts into the next track Sea of Fog (a spacey intro to the next track)/Dolmen with its slow spacey start and then a more doomy track starts. The vocal is a bit more spoken at times in this slow grower, that slowly gets more intense and the riff a bit meaner and then it evolves into a stoner rock song, with a nice headbanging groove but they have good dynamics this band and so it slows down and then grows again with some intense guitar lines. Rain is next and starts a bit spaced out with just some guitar sounds and vocals and maybe some field recordings from the mountains??… Cool singing and then the track really takes off with another great stoner rock groove. Sun is the last track... 

The band have really good dynamics and while it is the stoner rock genre, they are really good to mix stuff up and not just belt out the same 3-4min groover each time.. Great record.. 

https://itwastheelf1.bandcamp.com/ 

Farflung- 25,000 Feet (Sulatron Records )

1995.. seems like a long time ago but a new group was formed out of the California band, Pressurehed and this was it! A lot of similarities for sure between the two but this recording has never been rereleased or put out on vinyl until now!  It features 40mins of high energy punky psychedelic space rock, with some instrumental, and some with vocals. There is also a short unreleased track on the limited vinyl. No information if it is from the same era or not but we should assume this.  Rumor has it that the band completed a new record in 2021 and this will be released on Sulatron in 2022!! Yeah!!!

Really cool album. 

http://sulatron.com 

http://farflung.bandcamp.com 

The Fishheads- Pleasant Valley Sunday 7” (Fruits de Mer Records crustacean 95)

Got this just about the time that Michael Nesmith had died. Quite sad news for many people as the Monkess were a part of a lot of our younger years, be it their through their LPs or TV shows!   Anyway, this a great version and you can´t not resist to smile as this is happy music!!!  Get up and Dance….

The B- side is a cover of another great and classic song, Let´s get Together!!  So who made these versions, well, it is a lot of folks from what I call the Fruits deMer Family! Anton Barbeau, Crystal Jacqueline, Icraus Peel, John Chinn, Paul Chousner, Holly Bowler and put together by Swordfish (Astralasia).. Nice release..

http://fruitsdemerrecords.com 

Rush- A Farewell to Kings Deluxe Box Set

I hate to say, I am a huge fan of these box sets but damn, they cost too much in general but I was able to get this one for cheap cause there is some noise on 2 of the LP sides.  Anyway, this has been my 2nd favorite RUSH album and when I heard the Steven Wilson had done the 5.1 surround sound mix, I had to get it, one day..  The packaging is really nice with a replica 1977 Tour program, a ring, a print, turntable mat, and this triple LP and 3CD/DVD set.. 

Anyway, it was amazing to hear this in 5.1.  In the liner notes Steven writes that for some parts he needed to maintain the main three tracks pretty close to the original to get the feel and sound of the original and it is mainly the drums that he uses in the surround sound.  The tracks like Xanadu there is a of tubular bells, synths, etc. that made the track sound just incredible, like you would image it could, surrounding you with sound. Also Cygnas X1 is totally incredible, the spacey intro and other parts. Just amazing. The other songs sound great as well and the visuals are sparse but really cool with slight animations.. Good for the really stoned people!  The three videos they made, which are basically them playing live in a studio were cool to see as well. I don't think I had ever seen any of them. 

The live recording that comes from this tour is superb quality and while most (all but 4 songs) have been released before, not with this sonic quality and care.  It is the same tour as the All the worlds a Stage so the set list is pretty close.  A quite cool box...

Top 25 for 2021

This was a very difficult year to decide on what my favourites were and a lot of great stuff came out in November and December (Black Label Society, Gin Lady, White Manna, Eldovar, etc..)..  Anyway, for sure Saturnia was the album that I played the most this year as well as Samsara Blues Experiment (but that was released in 2020!). The rest of the order could change each week...  The Winner was Saturnia! 

1. SATURNIA- STRANDED IN THE GREEN

I think this is the best Saturnia record Luis has made. Such great songs and the sound on the vinyl is amazing. Parabéns!! Congrats.

2. BLACKBERRY SMOKE- YOU HEAR GEORGIA

My wife and I love Blackberry Smoke and while they keep getting a bit more and more mainstream and soft and not rockin´ as much, Charlie keeps writing fucking great songs that after a while you just get hooked on. Having Warren Haynes and a collaboration with Ricky Medlocke on one of the albums best songs, Scarecrow, I loved it..

3. Zach Oakley- Badlands

This is a record that has been long in the making and I recorded some synths on an early version of the opening track, Freedom Rock. Anyway, Zack, really has a winner here with such a great variety of songs and styles. I have played this one a lot. Great great record..

4. MONSTER MAGNET- A BETTER DYSTOPIA

What can I say?? Monster fucking Magnet rocks!  I would have preferred a new studio album but this sort of us is in a way as they really have taken a wide range of cool mostly 70s tracks and made them their own.  We were Born to Go Baby.. played this a lot…  Cool stuff..

5. Sendelica – And Man Created God

This album is my fave of all the Sendelica albums I have heard (probably heard half of their output).  Just love the flow and subject matter, being an atheist.  Fantastic album. Pity I did not manage to get a copy of the album. 

6. ASTRAL MAGIC- VISIONS OF INFINITY

My good friend, Santtu asked me to collaborate and mix this record for him and so I have heard this a lot and it is just a classic space rock record and having my musical partner, Martin, playing most of the guitar was a bonus.  It will be a space rock classic one day.. Great great album..

7. Motorpsycho- Kings of Oblivion

You are never quite sure what you are going to get these days and for sure I did not like this album as much as the last one due to the shorter songs but damn there is a lot of cool music and they keep pushing themselves.  One of the best live bands on the planet these days…

8. DELVING- HIRSCHBRUNNEN

Nick from Elder put out his first solo album and he sent me the CD.  What an awesome album and very impressive playing since he played virtually all the instruments.  I was not very fond of the more mainstream sound of the last Elder record and it was a bit too much vocal heavy but this is all instrumental and just super songs..  Heard it a lot of times..

9. HEAR THE CAPTAIN SPEAK, THE CAPTAIN IS DEAD- FLUX CAPACITOR

This band is flying the space rock flag high over in Spain and really made a cool album for their 2nd one.  I really enjoyed this one as well…

10. Sula Bassana- Loop Station Drones 

Dave also put out the CV sessions this year but this was the music that really grabbed me. I jsut got intranced and he play really cool and spacey, heavy, light, all sides of the types of music I dig.. Just awesome..

11. AGUSA- EN ANNAN VARLD

IT has been a long wait for a new studio album from Agusa and a lot of members have come and gone and now only Mikkel remains from the first line up of the band. Anyway, this could very well be the best album the band has made!!! Two just awesome album side prog tracks. They have stepped back a bit from the folky riffs that were repeated a bit too much and take a breath of fresh air and made a great record..

12. KANAAN- EARHTBOUND

This album really blew me away as I had not expected the band to get so heavy but after a few listens, I really got sucked into the sound and vibe a lot. Cool playing.. 

13. MNGLT- PURE 

I had never heard of this guy before but we listened to this CD quite a bit when we got it. A lot of great songs. 

14. SUPERFJORD- FOR THE MOMENT VOL 1

This is a live album series by the Finnish band, Superfjord. I have some of their other stuff but this live album is so good. Great tracks and jams and sound…  Look forward to more volumes of this series!!

15. Gov´t Mule- Heavy Load Blues 

Any year Gov´t Mule releases a record it is likely to be in the top. While this album is about half cover songs, it has such a great sound and vibe to it.  I have loved this band since I saw them the first time in 1994 with my friend Carl..  Still love em today..

16. CLUTCH- THE WEATHERMAKER VAULT SERIES VOL 1

While this mostly cover the songs, the band also belt out a few of their faves live in the studio.  I love some of their cover versions, especially Fortunate Son by CCR. Cool record!

17. IRON MAIDEN- SENJUTSU 

This was totally unexpected. I have been a fan of IM since I first heard them in 1980 and was lucky to see them every tour in the 80s.  While I don´t listen to much metal these days I have a soft spot for these guys. I have to say this is an awesome record, even if the band fail to innovate or progress much. Great art, lyrics and playing with in the rigid template they have created for themselves.  We loved it.

18. Temple Fang- Fang Temple

This one really caught me by surprise. While the physical album is not out until April 2022, they released the digital files. It is 4 long tracks and pretty spacey and cool vibe. I expected something a bit more hard rocking but they stay in the zone with some great music.. Cool Dutch band..

19. KOMBYNAT ROBOTRON- -270° C

I have a soft spot for these guys and when I first got this I played it a lot.  True to the Kraut feelings of the early 70s but done their own way… Wish there were not so many small releases in such limited amounts as you miss out on so much of their music, when the demand is way bigger than numbers releases. Does not make any sense to me?? 

20 Oresund Space Collective- Relaxing in the Himalayas

I don´t usually include any of my bands and projects but this CD, I am really happy with the long jam and the cool artwork and we had so many positive responses from the fans about it…  

21. 10000 Russos- Superinteria 

22. Black Label Society- Doom Inc

23. GIOBIA/THE COSMIC DEAD- THE INTERGALACTIC CONNECTION LP (2021)

24. Gin Lady- Camping with Bohdi 

25. It was the Elf- Ancestors

Unconditional Love- Foreseeable Future (Root Rock Records RRR008)

This album is a solo album by Love Forsberg, the amazing drummer in Siena Root.  He is joined by other current and former members (KG Westman, Sam Riffer, Erik, Stian, Ann-Karin, Tobias Hanson).. The LP features 7 tracks and here is what Love had to say about:

“The theme of this album is the beat of the speech. Well-articulated, historically groundbreaking, political speeches that has a beat. The beat is developed into a groove with heavy drums. It is an analogue production from Root Rock Records own studio, featuring musicians from the group Siena Root and others. This album is a presentation of world-changing words in a new context, a piece of music that will appeal to an audience that never encounter these speeches. The philosophical range of the speeches is very broad, but all of them with a positive view on mankind. These words carry an important historical perspective and a view into the future”. 

The album features speeches by S. Allende (1972), G. Thunberg (2019), J. F. Kennedy (1963), M. L. King (1964), N. R. Mandela (1990), O. Palme (1972), Greta and F. D. Roosevelt (1944), capturing 75 years of recent history. 

The opening track, the spoken words are not in English but Spanish. It starts with some bells (xylophone?), and Rhodes like piano before the drums kick in.  The track is lead by the drums and keyboards primarily but later you really get the groove of the bass as well. Vocals are mixed in perfectly on this short  2.15 track.  I just love this next track, it is so groovy with great organ, bass and drums and then Greta, telling us about the environment.. The horns are a great touch on this track as well. Awesome track.  JFK is next and the track has a darker bass feel and some of the xylophone are also mixed in to create a melody on this one. Martin Luther King gives a great speech and the music has this sort of jazzy vibe to it.  Love the bass playing..  Mandela brings in a rock and roll tune and the first to feature some prominent guitar. Interesting how the spoken word is mixed in, quite different than on the other tracks. The Swedish PM, Olaf Palme is next and I had no idea what he is talking about but something about women! This one is quite jazzy and organ lead.  Greta is back with a dark drone synth, heavy drums and a dark theme! The album ends with Franklin D. Roosevelt and is a mainly synth, bass and drums track..  Really cool and original album.  Pressed in 500 copies.. All analog!! Buy it…. and remember it is all about the BEAT! 

But it here!
Root Rock Records

Haiku Funeral- Drown their moons in Blood (Aesthetic Death Records)

I have really liked a lot of the work of this duo. William based in France and Dimitar  based in Bulgaria make this dark psychedelic industrial music.. Quite frightening sometimes. I own all their releases and this is the first new material since 2019.  The song titles are intense as well like the opening number, The Universe murders Itself!!  Starts very eerie with drony flowing synths and mysterious sounds before the industrial percussion change the mood completely.  It gets even darker when the vocals come in. Feels like torture chamber music….  The head of the Innocent One starts with some church bells, big drums, a sitar strum… the darkness begins.. The vocal is very dark and the choir mixed with the eastern instrument, reminds me a bit of BONG.  Cherny Shamni is very mystical at the beginning and again with some sitar and some different kinds of drums but the mysterious evil side is still lurking about.. The Earth Burns and Burns starts with some thunder and dark synth drones and bass drones followed by some guitar (or could be bass?) but keeping the vibe dark. The vocal is evil. Later on there is some very interesting drums percussion, with these crushing sounds combined with the vocal choirs, creates a very cool atmosphere. Split the Swollen Dark continues the dark themes from the abyss.. The vocal is pretty clean and spoken on this track to start with and with the occasional delay or effect. A slow rumble rather than rhythm gurgles in the abyss as more strange sounds give an eerie feeling and would want to make some people run….. To Illuminate starts with some effected bass, industrial noises, wind, and a repeated theme of sorts. Dark stuff. Drown their Moons in Blood has some cool bass with some real melodies playing under it is a more tribal drum echoing away in the cavern.  A bit more minimalist this track and a different vibe to the rest of the album. It slowly gets swallowed in darkness though.  Hell of an album.. Do not listen to alone in the dark…

Here is how the bio describes the album (I only read this after writing the review): 

“Serpentine fretless bass drowning in dreamy analogue pads and textures poisoned by cyber-shamanic industrial percussion. Pulsing trance-like drone spiced with the venomous voluptuousness of the sitar. Otherworldly chants erupt from furious meditations. Poems from the Void. To imagine a spatiotemporal accompaniment of “Drown Their Moons In Blood” think of a universe where Shiva roams fire-drenched post-apocalyptic planetscapes on a cataclysmic acid trip… a journey through black holes of Luciferian consciousness expansion.”

http://haikufuneral.bandcamp.com