Category: Psych Rock

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: Dinowalrus Returns to Pair Trippy, Psychedelic Visuals with Their Manchester-Channeling Sound

You may have become familiar with Brooklyn-based psych rock act Dinowalrus, an act that I’ve written a bit about quite a bit over the past few months. Currently comprised of frontman and guitarist Pete Feigenbaum, who has spent some time as a touring guitarist in Titus Andronicus; Max Tucker; Meaghan Omega; Dan Peskin; and John Atkinson, who joins the band as a touring member, the members of the Brooklyn-based band have developed a growing national and international profile for a sound and aesthetic that draws from post-punk, krautrock, shoegaze, synth pop and psych rock as you’ll hear off “Tides,” the first single off the band’s recently released full-length effort FAIRWEATHER. Sonically speaking, the song sounds as though the band had been listening to Join The Dots-era Toy, Primal Scream and the Manchester sound as the band pairs shimmering and undulating synths with a driving, motorik-like groove, guitar chords played through delay and other effect pedal and Feigenbaum’s plaintively cooed vocals.

The recently released video for the song is appropriately psychedelic and begins with Feigenbaum tripping on hallucinogens in a forest, when he stumbles upon four strangers, his bandmates in a variety of situations, and they unite on a singular purpose based on the fact that each of the members of this crew have a portion of a larger piece of art scrawled on their arms. And while in a cemetery, they encounter a guitar pick, which may have mystical powers. Trippy, indeed.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

Comprised of founding  members Kos Island, Greece-born, Athens, Greece-based Angelos Krallis (vocals, guitar, lute, tsambouna, and udu), Evangelos Aslanides (drums, percussion, djembe, darbuka and bendir) and Pantelis Karasevdas (drums, percussion, congas, djembe) and a rotating cast of friends and collaborations, Chickn is a Athens, Greece-based indie act, whose work has largely been influenced by Eastern Mediterranean music, psych rock, prog rock and jazz fusion. And since their formation in 2012, the band has developed a reputation for free flowing improvisation and a constantly morphing lineup that fits their particular needs at the time.

The band’s self-titled debut was written over the course of 2014-2014 in Athens and Valencia and was recorded from July 2015 to October 2015 at Sonic Playground Studio and at Iraklis Vlachakis’ Athens home, where it was co-produced by Chickn and Nikos Triantafyllou before being mastered by Alan Douches at New York’s West Side Studios. And interestingly enough, the album’s first single “Aleppo/Jam” will remind some listeners of Animals-era Pink Floyd, Drakkar Nowhere, Rush and several others as a persistent bass line is paired with shimmering synths, swirling electronics, a buzzing guitar solo and an anthemic hook — all while drawing from jazz fusion, sci fi and psych rock in a trippy yet loose arrangement that manages to emphasize some exceptional musicianship.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: The Dark Psychedelic Sounds and Visuals of Chocolat’s “Ah Ouin”

The band’s third and forthcoming effort, Rencontrer Looloo is slated for a November 11, 2016 release through Beyond Beyond Is Beyond Records and while being the band’s second post-hiatus album, it also has the band experimenting with their songwriting approach and sound as the band’s material is heavily modal-leaning while possessing elements of skronking experimental jazz, surf metal and psych rock as you’ll hear on the menacing and trippy yet strangely radio-friendly new single “Ah Ouin.”

Directed by Jonathan Robert, who also designed the album’s artwork, the recently released animated video for “Ah Ouin,” according to the band was inspired by 60s psychedelic cartoons and sci-fi cartoons of the 70s and 80s. As the members of the band mention “It’s like a meeting between Yellow Submarine and sci-fi comic book Heavy Metal — and in fact, it employs the same bright yet darkly surreal imagery.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

Comprised of Terry Sowers (vocals, guitar), Jeremy Bringetto (bass), Rachel Hoelm (keys, vocals) and Rex Shelverton (guitar), San Francisco-based indie rock quartet Light Fantastic specialize in a jangling and shimmering psych rock that sounds as though it could have been written and recorded in 1965 as you’ll hear on “To The Center,” the latest single off the band’s highly-anticipated, soon-to-be released full-length debut, Out of View; however, just underneath the placid surface is a moody and bittersweet wistful nostalgia and the recognition that life is ultimately about constant change – i.e., the relationships that come and go, the passing of time, etc.

As the band’s Terry Sowers explained to the folks at Impose, “This one was about my recover — mostly from a previous relationship, but I also realized it was about all the change around me and this feeling I get every year around this time so we had tentatively called it ‘September’. While I had worked out most of the lyrics, I read about the significance of the fall equinox, and the symbolism was profound. It’s a very pagan sort of ritual. Despite that I had wanted to write a light-hearted ode to summer kind of record similar to our EP, the overall vibe of Out of View turned out a little darker than planned.”

 

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: Introducing the Scuzzy Yet Breezy Sounds and Menacing Visuals of Scully’s “No Sense”

Engineered by Ben Greenberg and mastered by A Place to Bury Strangers’ and Death by Audio founder Oliver Ackerman, the Brooklyn-based trio’s latest effort No Sense reveals a band that has expanded upon their sound — bridging Riot GRRL, grunge and indie rock; in fact, the EP’s latest single, EP title track “No Sense” may be breezy but just underneath there’s a dirt, scumminess, discomfort and unease under the placid surface. It subtly evokes the sensation being trapped in a packed train car without air conditioning, the rank smell of baking garbage in the summer sun, of getting pushed and shoved to and fro without any control and so on.

The recently released and menacing music video was self-produced and directed by the band and features the band’s members broodingly sitting on the sort of wicker chair almost every black grandmother would have had in her house from about 1978-1986 or so. (How do I know this? My maternal grandmother had a chair exactly like it!) It’s split with footage of the band intently playing and performing the song and a series of sequences that suggest that a murder has taken place — or will be taking place.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

Although they’re known as a mysterious and masked collective hailing from the tiny and extremely remote Northern Swedish village of Korpilombolo, over the past couple of years, the members of  GOAT have become an internationally recognized act, as well as JOVM mainstays for an aesthetic, stage presentation and sound that draws from their tiny village’s unusual and lengthy history practicing voodoo, a tradition that according to an old Swedish legend can be traced back unabated to sometime before the Crusades. Now, if you’ve been frequenting this site over the course of the past couple of years, the members of the Swedish collective signed to renowned indie label Sub Pop Records, who released the act’s sophomore full-length effort, Commune and a couple of 7 inches to widespread critical acclaim internationally.

Earlier this year, I wrote about “I Sing In Silence” off the “I Sing In Silence”/”The Snake of Addis Ababa” 7 inch that Sub Pop released a few months ago. That single revealed that the mysterious Swedish collective was relentlessly and continually expanding upon and experimenting with their sound — going completely acoustic as a gorgeous and fluttering flute line is paired with a shuffling and elastic guitar line, gently propulsive drumming and chanted vocals in a song that sounded as though it were indebted to early prog rock — in particular think of Yes’ “Roundabout“–  and psych rock as the song possessed a trippy, mind-altering vibe.

Building on the growing attention they’ve received internationally, GOAT will be releasing their highly-anticipated third, full-length effort Requiem on October 7, 2016. And from the album’s first single “Try My Robe,” the band continues on a similar path to the singles they’ve released earlier this year, as the song reveals an acoustic, psych folk sound that at times seems influenced by African and Middle Eastern music — and as a result that particular single possessed a mind-bending and mesmerizingly hypnotic quality. The album’s latest single “Union of Mind and Soul,” is based around a looping flute line, layers of jangling and propulsive bass and guitar chords, a buzzing and trippy guitar solo and howled lyrics focused on opening one’s mind towards greater understanding of themselves and the universe. And while sonically drawing from 60s folk and psych rock, the song may arguably be the most urgent song they’ve released to date.

 

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: The Psychedelic Imagery for Toy’s “I’m Still Believing”

As you’ll hear on “I’m Still Believing,” Clear Shot’s second and latest single, the band’s sound has began to lean more towards lush, guitar pop territory as layers of shimmering and jangling acoustic guitar chords (with gentle amounts of reverb) are paired with soaring synths, an anthemic hook and Tom Dougall’s introspective lyrics, all while nodding at Nick Drakeand Wish You Were Here-era Pink Floyd.

The recently released music video employs a pretty basic concept of having the extremely British looking band performing the song in a variety of strobe lights and Super 8-like filters, sequences of the individual band members broodingly hanging out, brief bursts of animation and Japanese commercials and it gives the entire proceeding a trippy vibe reminiscent of Pink Floyd’s The Wall but with a playful air.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

 

With the release of their 2012 self-titled debut and its follow-up 2013’s Join The Dots, London, UK-based shoegaze/indie rock quintet TOY — comprised of Tom Dougall (vocals, guitar), Dominic O’Dair (guitar), Maxim Barron (bass,   vocals), Max Claps (synths, modulations) and Charlie Salvidge (drums, vocals) — have developed a reputation as being one of the UK’s best alt rock/indie rock acts, as well as being on the forefront of a contemporary shoegaze resurgence.

The British quintet’s forthcoming and highly-anticipated, third, full-length effort Clear Shot is slated for an October 28, 2016 release through Heavenly Recordings, and the material reportedly draws from an esoteric blend of influences including Radiophonic Workshop, Comus, the film scores of Bernard Herrmann, John Barry, Ennio Morricone, COUM, Acid House, The Incredible String Band, The Langley Schools Project, The Wicker Man soundtrack and Rob Young’s Electric Eden, a book about the development of folk music in the U.K. And as you’ll hear on “I’m Still Believing,” Clear Shot‘s second and latest single, the band’s sound has began to lean more towards lush, guitar pop territory as layers of shimmering and jangling acoustic guitar chords (with gentle amounts of reverb) are paired with soaring synths, an anthemic hook and Tom Dougall’s introspective lyrics, all while nodding at Nick Drake and Wish You Were Here-era Pink Floyd.

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