Fribyttedrømme- Labyrintens Farver (Tabu Records)

Fribyttedrømme are young new Danish band and this is their debut album. They had previously released a 7” on the Copenhagen based, Leviation Record label. I have seen the band live 3-4 times now and they are really amazing live so I was curious to see how these songs translated in the studio.  All the songs are sung in Danish. The side A starts off with De Konstuerde, which is a slow spacey track with a really nice vocal. Lau has a quite unique and cool voice. Some have compared him to the Danish singer, Stig Jørgensen. An interesting keyboard line compliments the simple guitar line. Later a more heavy fuzzed out guitar solo appears but it is slow and spacey. Kosmonauten is an uptempo rocker that really gets the crowd going live. It also has a repeated line that is easy for the Danish crowd to sing, about putting on your psychedelic glasses on! Ørken closes the side and is a slower, stoney spacey number with some cool fuzz guitar and bluesy vibe. Side B starts with Himmellegemer, which has a very groovy bass line that drives the track as it slowly picks up tempo. Nice use of the organ on this track as it comes in and out to compliment the catchy vocal parts. Fem er det Magiske Nummer is the most psychedelic track on the record and reminds me the most of Spids Nøgenhat. It is pretty hypnotic and traced out. And has a long spaced out mid section. Kviksand is the last track on the record and is more laid back and features some nice keyboards and slide guitar.  I have to say, this is an excellent album and one of the best Danish records I have heard this year. No doubt!

https://www.facebook.com/fribytterdroemme

Frozen Planet 1969- Lost Traveller Chronicles Volume Two (Pepper Shaker Records PPRSKR004)

Frozen Planet is a trio from Australia and this is their 2^nd release. The Long Journey Home starts things off with some intense drum bass and guitar work outs.  Actually, each track is a jammed out number with a lot of cool guitar solos and use of effects. Silver Lined Cloud Lounge is a really short 1 and half min track and more relaxed. Drifting Gengly Backwards……. Has a very cool effect on the guitar that makes this one really spaced out. No Sight is another short piece of a jam that gets abruptly cut off and goes into Distant Star Island which remind me a bit of Earthless.  Corvus to Centaurus has a more of a repeated theme to the guitar playing and less lead laying. Aerial Burial features some really spaced out delay guitar that remind me a bit of Flying but UFO. Contact with Control Tower 7/Where the Brains are Bigger ends the CD with a moody, sometimes hard rocking and other wise slow and spacey guitar work out. If you like spacey instrumental guitar driven tracks, you will dig this one.

https://peppershakerrecords.bandcamp.com/

https://www.facebook.com/peppershakerrecords

James Leg- Below the Belt (Alive Records)

I had never heard of this crazy American singer before. This music is really down and dirty, and nasty blues with some gospel thrown in for good measure and most songs have a raw organ as the main instrument. Only 4 out of the 10 tracks feature guitar, with the main feature being James gritty voice, and heavy organ with some tracks with drums, trumpet, bass, saw, harmonica, violin, trombone.. a wide variety of instruments.  Dirty South starts things off and is a nsyt sounding garagy organ driven blues track, while Casa de Fuego has this trumpet that gives it a special Mexican feeling. This one reminds me of Mojo Nixon  and has a really fun party feel to it with the harmonica leading the way and a chorus of backing singers in the Baptist church tradition! Drink it Away is probably an autobiographical track, and you guessed it, about drinking too much. James plays the Fender Rhodes on this track. (“The cops are all bastards, they won’t leave me alone….”). October 3^rd is very much like Tom Waits with stand up bass, drums, organ, voice and a little trombone. Glass Jaw is a very rough, nasty rockin’ blues track with really cool organ. I can’t stop thinkin’ about IT has a really ugly guitar riff and raw vocal. A Forest has a really groovy bass line and James plays a nice organ over the top of this totally different song and one of the longest with a nice solo. Disappearing is one of the only tracks that sounds really happy and cheerful. What More, ends this short record with a full band and including a melancholy French horn!  A really cool and diverse record. I more down and dirty version of Tom Waits meets something nasty…..  must be a cool live band..

http://www.aliverecords.com

Kanoi- Buru Haze (Clostridium Records CR016)

This is the 2^nd album by Kanoi from Austria.  It is primarily the brainchild of Benjamin Kant Schieder. It comes in two different versions, a black vinyl and a die hard purple vinyl with a digipack CD-R and a ten page colour booklet with all the lyrics and some nice words. A very cool package.  Some of this album was recorded live. The CD starts off with Naceo II, a 8 min long track that just gets more and more spacey. The band go for a pretty raw, low if psych sound.  Buru Haze is a really slow, stoney track with some cool guitar. IT sorts of drifts into the next track called the Golden Country which is a slow growing droney piece with a very spacey synth. Windchild is a beautiful floating ballad with a slowly drifting synth and acoustic guitar. Later in the track an additional lead electric guitar is added. Song of Distance starts straight off with a guitar solo and then fades down into a more mellow floating section with some nice laid back singing and playing. Side B starts off with By the Sunrise, an acoustic track with the sound of birds and running water as the accompaniment.  Quokka sounds like it was a jam but it is quite short and still has that spacey drifting synth in the background, like on many of the tracks. It fades out and into the last long track called A new Beginning and the Sprawling Sky. A heavy guitar riff opens the track but this goes direct into an acoustic guitar and lead organ that takes the lead for a bit as the guitar solo slowly builds up before the vocals kick in.  Benjamin takes a long guitar solo in the middle and then the main theme returns, then in fades down and comes back with a long drawn out solo til the end of the record. Pretty nice music with a psychedelic spacey touch….   Fans of Lamp of the Universe will like this.

http://kanoi.bandcamp.com

http://clostridiumrecords.de

Tir na Nog- The Dark Dance (Tir na Nog Records TNN 002)

I had actually never heard this band before having only heard their name.  I have to say this album is really excellent and has a nice diversity as well as sense of humor! You in Yellow start things off. All instruments are generally played by Sonny and Leo and this includes acoustic guitars, keyboards, violin, etc.. This is a beautiful track but a bit sad feeling.  I have known Love is a happier track with an interesting xylophone sounding accompaniment. The Angelus features a deeper 2^nd voice and this one reminds me a bit of Comus. I pick up Birds at Funerals shows the band also likes to have some fun as well. Ricochet is a great track and has a a longer instrumental section than all the others and is inspired by a trip to Morocco, perhaps?? This is also a new single on the Fruits de Mer label. Andria sounds like a late 60s David Crosby song or something.. Sympathetic Love features Garvan Gallagher on bass and is another happy song. Time is Gone is an other very beautiful track. The album ends with the instrumental title track, The Dark Dance.  A very enjoyable album. Perfect for a Sunday afternoon in the garden!

http://tirnanog-progfolk.com