Maserati, Pyramid Of The Sun

US, 2010.

"Knowing what Maserati have been through during Pyramid of the Sun's creation makes it hard to consider the album on its musical merits alone. A year ago, they lost drummer Gerard Fuchs in an elevator-shaft accident. They were already working on Pyramid, and that gives the resulting LP a double shot of gravitas as one of Fuchs's final recordings and also a tribute to him."


Playlist:

1. Who Can Find the Beast?
2. Pyramid of the Sun
3. We Got the System to Fight the System
4. They'll No More Suffer From Hunger
5. Ruins
6. They'll No More Suffer From Thirst
7. Oaxaca
8. Bye M’Friend, Goodbye

Link.

more...

Wildbirds & Peacedrums, Rivers

Sweden, 2010

Rivers is the latest album by this overwhelming duo, which comprises their last 2 EPs, Retina & Iris. Language is leaving me.


Playlist:

1. Bleed Like There Was No Other Flood
2. Tiny Boles In This World
3. Under Land and Over Sea
4. Fight For Me
5. Peeling Off the Layers
6. The Wave
7. The Drop
8. The Course
9. The Lake
10. The Well

Link.

more...

Es, Kesämaan Lapset

Finland, 2009.

Es (Sami Sänpäkkilä) is the founder of the Finnish underground record label, Fonal Records. His music explains pretty much what most of Fonal Records’ music is about: experimenting with sounds, bound together by free-folk ambient and occasional huge drones.

Playlist:

1. Ennen oli huonommin
2. Kesä ja hymyilevät huulet
3. Säteet sun sielusta
4. Kesämaan lapset
5. Haamut sun sydämestä

Link.

more...

Woodsman, Collages

US, 2009.

Another gem found in soundweave.

"From the green forests of Denver comes the debut album from Woodsman, an instrumental quartet with roots in nature, post-rock of the mid-‘90s Tortoise/Cerberus Shoal/A Minor Forest variety, and a sense of epic grandeur that ties the whole thing together. Killer from nose to nuts, with 19-minute monster “Mothershift” taking top honors; it reminds us that one ton of feathers is just as crushing as one ton of lead, if properly positioned."

Buy it here.

Playlist:

1. Bow and Arrow
2. Dikembe Mutombo
3. Shutterlag
4. Spirit Stone
5. Sunglass
6. It's Mossy
7. Mothershift

Link.

more...

Wooden Shjips, Dos

US, 2009.

Wooden Shjips is a vital and refreshingly inspired quartet from San Francisco playing loud rock ‘n’ roll in a style heavily influenced by the experimentalism of psychedelia, classical minimalism and garage rock excess.

Playlist:

1. Motorbike
2. For So Long
3. Down By The Sea
4. Aquarian Time
5. Fallin'

Link.

more...

Espers, III

US, 2009.

Espers is a neo-psychedelic folk band from Philadelphia. Their music is reminiscent of late-sixties british folk such as that of Fairport Convention, Pentangle and The Incredible String Band as well as many contemporary folk acts such as Six Organs of Admittance, Marissa Nadler and Nick Castro and as such their work is often lumped in with the so-called new weird america movement or naturalismo as Devendra Banhart preferred to coin it in 2006.

"With new album III just released, Espers have continued to stretch the folk genre. There aren’t many bands who can blend the atmosphere of early Black Sabbath with finger picked acoustic guitars, and electronic flourishes, but this is the swirling domain that Espers so fittingly occupy."

Playlist:

1. I Can't See Clear
2. The Road of Golden Dust
3. Caroline
4. The Pearl
5. That Which Darkly Thrives
6. Sightings
7. Meridian
8. Another Moon Song
9. Colony
10. Trollslända

Link.

more...

Beyond The Wizard's Sleeve, Ark 1

England, 2008.

Psychedelic/avant-garde/electronic/krautrock, all into one. This is one album you cannot miss.

"A serious slice of esoteric, eclectic freakbeat weirdness. Re-edited nuggets, long lost exotic psychedelia and krauty, disco beats are all mangled into previously unheard shapes."

Playlist:

1. Before We Start, If?
2. Get Ready To Fly
3. Dig It
4. Electric Bananas
5. Aglarsa Anam Aglar
6. Sunday Morning Sun-g
7. Don't Cry Girl
8. I Swim Around
9. Bubble Burst
10. Path Though The Forest
11. Light Years
12. Red Tuesday
13. Winter In June
14. Midas Reversed

Link.

more...

Yeasayer, Odd Blood

U.S., 2010

The pronounciation of the band name kind of sums up what I know of them; something like yay-sayer. On a different note note, what I've heard of this album has left me well surprised. I don't know if I should go with their 'Enya with bounce' description or my own Tool of Electro-pop just because it was my foremost impression. Still, coming from a quite common kind of ensemble and the companies they share, I still found it an interesting listen for a change.


Playlist:

1. The Children
2. Ambling Alp
3. Madder Red
4. I Remember
5. O.N.E.
6. Love Me Girl
7. Rome
8. Strange Reunions
9. Mondegreen
10. Grizelda

Link.

more...

Wildbirds & Peacedrums, The Snake

Sweden, 2009.

Wildbirds & Peacedrums are an experimental two piece hailing from Sweden consisting of singer Mariam Wallentin and drummer Andreas Werliin. Their "instruments" consist of Mariam's powerful vocals and Andreas' unorthodox percussion/drumming, resulting in a powerful, innovative sound. Their music is a hybrid of folk, blues and psychedelic.

Playlist:

1. Island
2. There Is No Light
3. Chain Of Steel
4. So Soft So Pink
5. Places
6. Great Lines
7. Today/Tomorrow
8. Liar Lion
9. Who Ho Ho Ho
10. My Heart

Link.

more...

Woburn House, Monstrous Manoeuvres In The Mushroom Maze

Germany, 2009.

Woburn House are a three-piece sludge/progressive/psychedelic metal band hailing from Bonn, Germany.

"Beautifully crafted, adventurous and inspiring - this unique band are always tough to pin down. Levitating between the bliss of the finest European avantgarde metal, epic song structures and earthy, organic post-rock tones, "Monstrous Manoeuvres In The Mushroom Maze" unfurls layer upon layer of beautifully textured melody that is driven by a bass drift that reminds us of classic early Lungfish in parts too. And all wrapped up in beautiful artwork painted by Toby Driver of Kayo Dot and mastered by the sound genius of Tom Kvålsvoll (Strype Audio)."

Playlist:

1. Omega
2. Oil
3. Globus
4. Transmitter
5. Transformer

Link.

more...

Ga'an, Self-titled

US, 2009.

I first discovered this obscure experimental Chicago-based band on soundweave a few months back. While I'm not quite sure whether the band is still active, this self-titled cassette shows an interesting combination of psychedelic prog and very dark atmospherics.

Playlist:

1. Chasmaeon
2. Vultures of The Horn 2
3. I of Infinite Forms
4. I of Infinite Forms 2
5. Servant Eye
6. Vultures of The Horn

Link.

more...

Guizado, Punx

Brazil, 2008.

Very interesting experimental eletronica/jazz/rock/psychedelic/avant-garde ensemble from São Paulo, Brazil.

Playlist:

1. Vermelho
2. Miragem
3. Maya
4. Areias
5. Rinkisha
6. Coloridos
7. Der Golem
8. Órbitas
9. Sagitariu's Dream
10. Afroka
11. Zonzo

Link.

more...

Ghost, Hypnotic Underworld

Japan, 2004

Don't know why I hadn't posted this earlier. A great album, – trippy and hovering, multicoloured – so a wonderful listen.
Ghost are a peculiar and dynamic ensemble that make up for good (& sometimes experimental) music, born of the early interest for psychedelic rock – such as Pink Floyd or Taj Mahal Travellers — of Kyoto's Masaki Batoh.


Playlist:

1. Hypnotic Underworld: God Took A Picture Of His Illness On This Ground
2. Hypnotic Underworld: Escaped and Lost Down In Medina
3. Hypnotic Underworld: Aramaic Barbarous Dawn
4. Hypnotic Underworld: Leave The World!
5. Hazy Paradise
6. Kiseichukan Nite
7. Piper
8. Ganagmanag
9. Feed
10. Holy High
11. Dominoes/Celebration For The Gray Days


Link.

more...

Sula Bassana, The Night

Germany, 2009.

Sula Bassana is the alias for the talented musician Dave Schmidt. Being master of several instruments he's able to retrospect to a lot of collaborations composing and performing his music. The Night is his latest work, an amazing fusion of spacy, trippy, psychedelic and Krautrock inspired prog.

Playlist:

1. In Space
2. Lost In Space
3. The Night
4. Meteorritt
5. Kosmokrator

Link.

more...

OM, God is Good

US, 2009

Composed by the rhythm section of mythical Sleep, and recorded by Steve Albini, OM produce tibetan chanting-inspired drone metal.


Playlist:

01 Thebes
02 Meditation Is the Practice of Death
03 Cremation Ghat I
04 Cremation Ghat II

Link.

more...

Radaid, Self-titled

Mexico, 2002.

Radaid is a musical group from Guadalajara, Mexico, which brings together pre-Hispanic sounds, world music, psychedelic rock and contemporary electronic elements, using both modern and traditional instrumentation.

Playlist:

1. La Tokpa
2. Radarush!
3. So Sweet
4. I Contemplando II La Divina Soledad III En Tus Ojos
5. Hijos Del Sol
6. La Danza De Las Walquirias
7. La Gitana
8. Radaid I
9. Mahabharata

Link.

more...

Can, Tago Mago

Germany, 1971

And we got a voyager. This release explored most of the trippiness that made up for the elements of psychedelic rock of the era.
Overcranked, sung in japanese mid-record, even tape backmasking features in it; no wonder Bowie had his Berlin years – and you still will find yourself tapping your foot to it.
Get to know what kind of weird water ran on their taps.


Playlist:

1. Paper House
2. Mushroom
3. Oh Yeah
4. Halleluhwah
5. Aumgn
6. Peking O
7. Bring Me Coffee or Tea


Link.

more...

Strangers Family Band, Self-titled EP

US, 2009.

"With an intelligent blend of psychedelic rock music that can be appreciated by psychonauts and the sober alike, Strangers Family Band create timeless music to be enjoyed by all with an open mind."

Playlist:

1. Enochian
2. Girl I've Been Taken
3. Wooden Hands
4. No One Sees Her
5. Strange Transmission
6. Tangerine
7. Beware the Autumn People

Link.

more...

Shogun Kunitoki, Vinonaamakasio

Finland, 2009.

"A timeless kaleidoscope of sounds culled from five decades of electronic music, psychedelia and minimalism."

Playlist:

1. Vinonaamakasio
2. Mulberg
3. Riddarholmen
4. Fuzzabeth Crackleby
5. Holvikirkko
6. Corda
7. Svileto
8. Ratalintu
9. Nebulus

Link.

more...

Kashiwa Daisuke, 5 Dec.

Japan, 2009

**Updated Link**

Composer and guitarist of post-rock band yodaka in 2001. Being inspired by the band’s psychedelic sound due to a post-rock approach, and by Maurizio Bianchi, he started a solo project in 2004.

"In this album, Daisuke makes yet another step into a new horizon. The artist’s signature melody with its flowing, oriental taste hides behind the shadows to be replaced by tearing voice samples and noisy and metallic guitar sounds thrashing almost violently on top of colorful uplifting beats such as break core, down tempo, bleep techno, and drum n’ bass. In contrast to the aggressive sounds of the first half, the second part of the album starting with the 6th track, “Silver Moon” guides audiences to a minimal world created through electronic sounds and the piano. As a whole, the album portrays a brilliant contrast of sound. The melody of this album does not impose sentimentalism or nostalgia onto its listeners but rather, it takes them on a journey into rhythm from beginning to end. Even amidst the violent and excessive elements, there is always a composed eye seeing into the passion that lies beneath, there is a self-disciplined, strict interpretation of the world, a sublime and metallic texture."

This post is about the electronic version of Post-Rock music, it's highly recommended to give it a shot.


Playlist:
1. Red Moon
2. Requiem
3. Bogus Music
4. Taurus Prelude
5. Black Lie, White Lie
6. Silver Moon
7. Broken Device
8. About Moonlight
9. Aqua Regia
10. Beautiful Sunday

Link.

more...