Tuesday, February 1, 2022

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/