Vespero- Shum-Shir (Vespero Music VMS002)

Vespero are a very prolific mostly instrumental Russian band from Moscow.  This is the bands 18^th CD or CD-R since 2004, plus some EPs as well.  The basic album features 5 tracks. The LP version of this was released last year on Tonzonen Records. This CD version also has 4 additional live tracks, including 2 from this album. The title track starts things off and this one reminds me a lot of early Korai Öröm with the percussive nature, mid section drum solo with sampled vocal but the lead instrument here is the violin in the first section and then a nice long guitar solo after the drum solo. Excellent track. Isadore’s Dance is a nicely flowing track with great melodic sections and some fantastic bass playing. Gaya’s Dance starts with some deep bass and synths as it slowly builds up and he drums kick in. The pace is pretty fast with an e-bow like guitar taking the lead section followed by a long violin solo with some cool effects. A bit like ROVO now…  Gulli’s Dance also reminds me of ROVO, especially the excellent violin playing. I love the way the bass guitar is mixed on this track. Actually, the sound production is really good overall.  Hapi ends the record (there is still the bonus material!).  This is a beautiful and more relaxed and floating track with some nice samples. Great way to end this mostly uptempo album. Great stuff..

http://facebook.com/vesperomusic

http://vespero.ru

Zuma Birds- Contact Light (Nooirax Producciones, Delia Records NOAX-136)

Zuma Birds are a new trio from Madrid Spain lead by guitarist and vocalist, Shakin’ Dave. The bands main inspiration are the great bands of the 60’s and 70s like Neil Young, Grateful Dead, Allman Brothers, etc..  but try to give it their own new twist. Dave has a very special tenor voice. Easy Rider starts things off with a guitar riff that might have been on a ZZTOP record from 1972. It is a happy track with some great guitar work. Deadhead Suzie is a fun track that tells a fun story. I guess you can guess what it is about??? This track features some piano and pedal steel as well. Nice track.  A Town with no Name is one of my faves on the record, a longer 8min track, with a great guitar solo. Some very nice drum and bass on this one as well. Let me follow you Down slows things down a bit. King of the Mountain has a nice subtle organ and a really nice guitar line (a bit like Outlaws or something). This one really rocks out at the end. Great track. Drifter is a beautiful slow track to start but then takes a very different turn around 2 ½ mins, where they have a bit of a psychedelic freakout for a min or so and then into a nice guitar solo break. The Midnight Train is another happy rock and roll number with a nice harmony guitar part at the end and some nice double tracked solos. The album ends with She’s got Stars in her Eyes and it has a bit of a country western movie soundtrack vibe to it and some great guitar work. Hear the song below.

If you liked the last Gin Lady record, Electric Earth, you will also dig this record as well. Just classic rock, done very well with great songs, nice vocals (a bit special) and some fantastic guitar parts and solos.  Good job guys.

http://zumabirds.bandcamp.com

SonicAtomic- Vibes Addiction (Psyka Records)

SonicAtomic hail from Italy. The band is all instrumental and feature a lot saxophone on many of their tracks.  Cranio starts things off with a drum and bass groove with some spoken words before the sax solo starts and then the guitar riff kicks. Pretty groovy stuff. They also mix in some noise  and right at the end the guitar briefly gets quite heavy. Sonicatomic starts with some synth sounds before the bass groove, phased out guitar lead the way. This track has some spoken word like vocals. The guitar cuts in bursts here and there. The bass line has a cool effect on it and reminds me of Another one bites the Dust by Queen, a bit. Interesting song. Kragle is a bit more spacey with some gliss guitar or something like it, then some sax,  bit of vocal as well. Wish the sax also had some effects on it sometimes. Ampere Generator is a very cool track with some strange effects, a sampled female voice and spoken word as well.  Cool bass on this track. Faith starts off side B, with a another bass and drum driven groove, some vocals with effects on them and some spacey stuff going on, just after the sax kicks in the guitar gets quite heavy but soon is gone. Titania has a distant sample before the instruments slowly start to dominate the sound and a killer bass line starts. This is a very spacey and short track. Negroski Megahertz starts with an oscillator and is another trippy track. I really like the sax on this one and it grows to be one of the most intense tracks. Quasar ends this quite special album and is one of the more high energy songs. The band has quite a unique sound and I could see how live they could take these tracks into really interesting places.

                         

https://sonicatomicband.bandcamp.com/releases

https://psyka.bandcamp.com/

https://psyka-records.com/de/

THE INFINITE TRIP- TRIPS VOLUME 1 (Clostridium Records CR UÄ-CoProd1)

The Infinite Trip is a UK based psychedelic group.  This CD (70 mins) features tracks taken from the bands last two records (All Aboard The Mothership and Brain Blossom). The duo (Peter and Jules) have made 8 records. All the trackson the album are between 7:40 and 9 mins long. Enigma Vibration starts things off with synths and drums and pretty dreamy state. The spoken word like vocal reminds me of Sky Saxon. Quite a dark vibe musically but a nice guitar solo at the end complimented by some spacey keyboards. Who is it, starts with a funky wah guitar and some nice drumming, just wish the thing really grooved. I still dig the song though. Children of Infinity starts with a guitar riff inspired by Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun. Some nice keyboard playing on this track. The Mothership is next and features some nice guitar playing and I loved the spacey more electronic stuff with lots of delays in the mid section. The Illustrated Man has a cool synth that sounds like the one on Welcome to the Machine to start things off but it is a quite dark song, very relaxed and spacey with a lot of vocals. Brain Blossom has a quite long guitar solo. I really miss a good bass line to groove with the drums on a lot of the tracks.  Tomorrows World is a great track and one of my faves with a very nice guitar solo. Quarters of the Moon meanders a bit and is more vocal and guitar oriented. The bass line is more clearly made present on this track as well. Freedom above all finished off your Infinite Trip…

I really enjoyed a lot of the music and tracks on this record but am not a big fan of the vocals, although he tells some really cool stories. The drums have a big open sound production that dominates the sound production at times but also works very well a lot of the times.  Overall, this is a great introduction to this very cool UK duo music project.

http://theinfinitetrip.co.uk

Warrior Soul- Back on the Lash (Cargo Records LW052-2)

Warrior Soul were an amazing band in the 90s and I really love their first 4 records and then it all sort of went strange and Kory’s voice changed quite radically. I guess from a combination of screaming, smoking and drinking and living the rock and roll lifestyle, just a bit too hard.  Warrior Soul is still alive and rocking but little of the vibe that made them really special is really left. Kory still writes some pretty political lyrics on a few tracks American Idol and I get Fucked Up but the rest of the tracks are about drinking too much, doing drugs and getting into trouble.  Kory lives the life, he is no fake but do people really need another record of the same old stories put to some high energy rock and roll?? This is the first studio album since 2012 under the name Warrior Soul. Kory has been active though, released 4 albums under his own name (2003, 2011, 2014, 2015).  Overall, I did not find it that interesting of an album. Crank it up if you just want to rock out with Kory.

https://www.facebook.com/warriorsoulofficial