Tag: psych rock

Currently comprised of primary members Tres Warren (vocals, guitar) and Elizabeth Hart (bass) along with a rotating cast of collaborators and friends, New York-based psych rock act Psychic Ills have developed a reputation over the past decade for following wherever their muses takes them. Interestingly, the band’s forthcoming and highly-anticipated fifth full-length effort Inner Journey Out stems from the culmination of three years of playing shows, touring, writing and recording — and reportedly, the album finds the band expanding upon the sound and aesthetic that first caught the attention of the blogosphere as the album’s material possesses elements of country, blues, gospel and jazz. In fact, whereas the previous records found Warren overdubbing himself to create a blown-out, widescreen sound, Inner Journey Out focuses on Warren and Hart’s collaborations with an array of highly-accomplished guests including Mazzy Star’s Hope Sandoval, touring keyboardist Brent Cordero, Chris Millstein, Endless Boogie’s Harry Druzd, The Entrance Band’s Derek James, Charles Burst and a host of friends and associates, who also provide pedal steel guitar, horns, strings and backing vocals. Thematically speaking, the new album explores the interior and exterior and the pathway between the two — and as you’ll hear on the album’s latest single “Baby,” the album’s sound manages to be much more intimate and plaintive, while drawing from The Rolling Stones Gimme Shelter” and Pink Floyd’s The Great Gig in the Sky” but with a subtle yet gorgeous country twang underneath the moody psychdelia.

At the core of the song is a narrator, who has spent a long time seeking love and recognizing that he’s stumbled upon the love he’s always needed while quietly suggesting that when we love others and share ourselves with others, that we find our true, essential selves. And as a result, the sentiment gives the song a quiet contemplative nature.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Comprised of Nik Rayne, Grant Beyschau, Cody Schwartz, Connor Gallaher and Miguel Urbina, the Tucson, AZ-based quintet The Myrrors have been releasing material under a rather dark and mysterious cloak — and that shouldn’t be terribly surprising as their sound is equally dark and mysterious. Now, if you’ve been frequenting this site over the past year or so, you may recall that I wrote about “Dome House Music,” a single off Arena Negra that reminded me of The Black AngelsDirections to See a Ghost and the Silber Records roster as “Dome House Music” slowly built up into a trance-like groove with blasts of saxophone floating and darting through the mix of a song that sounds as though it could inspire a shamanic ritual.

The Tucson, AZ-based quintet’s forthcoming album Entranced Earth is slated for a May 27 release through renowned psych rock label Beyond Beyond Is Beyond Records, and the album’s latest single “No Clear Light” will further cement the quintet’s reputation for crafting dark and moody psych rock as the band pairs shimmering guitar chords with plaintively moaned vocals, warm bursts of flute and feedback. And while arguably being one of the most hauntingly and eerily beautiful songs they’ve released, it’s also the darkest one they’ve released to date; in fact, the song sounds as though it should be part of the soundtrack of a psychological thriller about a mass murderer; you should be able to picture the murderer as he’s stalking his innocent victims . ..

 

 

In 1967 While the States and the rest of the Western world was in the height of “Flower Power,” “The Age of Aquarius,” and people were out protesting against the Vietnam War and for civil rights for people of people of color, women and the LGBTQ community, Nigeria had descended into a brutal and bloody civil war. Interestingly, the rock scene that developed during three years of bloodshed and destruction helped heal and unite the country, propagate a brand new ideal of the “modern” Nigerian and eventually helped propel Fela Kuti to international stardom.

Earlier this year, Now-Again Records released volume one of a two volume compilation Wake Up You!: The Rise and Fall of Nigerian Rock. A companion book featured research from renowned musicologist Uchenna Ikonne and an incredible array of never-seen photos that will tell the stories of some of Nigeria’s long-forgotten but best rock bands — bands that specialized in a sound that meshed funk, psych rock and rock in a way that was unique and particularly Nigerian, while being remarkably familiar to Western ears. Volume 1’s first single Ify Jerry Krusade’s “Everybody Likes Something Good,” sounded deeply indebted to James BrownJefferson AirplaneBooker T and the MGs and others as heavily wah-wah pedaled guitar, soaring organ chords, sinuous and throbbing bass lines, layers of percussion were paired with call and response vocals in a way that seemed to nod towards Fela Kuti’s earliest releases. Volume 2’s first single Waves’ “Wake You Up” is a shaggy, garage rock and psych rock jam that sounds as though it drew from early Rolling Stones, The Who, The Animals and others while managing sounding as though it were the forebear of Pazy and the Black Hippies psychedelic take on Afrobeat and funk.

 

Over the past few months, starting around the end of last year, you may recall coming across a couple of posts about Liverpool-based shoegaze quintet The Vryll Society. Comprised of Michael Ellis, Ryan Ellis, Lewis McGuinness, Lloyd Shearer, and Benjamin Robinson, the band was discovered by Alan Willis, the late founder of Deltasonic Records, who noticed potential in the band and guided the quintet through their development as a band and as songwriters. Over the course of the following year, the British shoegaze quintet locked themselves away in their rehearsal space, where they jammed and began writing material that was inspired by FunkadelicAphrodite’s Child, krautrock and classic shoegaze.

Coshh,” the second single off the band’s debut EP Pangea had the Liverpool-based quintet pairing a tight, motorik groove consisting of a wobbling bass line and propulsive four-on-the-floor-like drumming, shimmering guitar chords played through layers of reverb and effects pedals, atmospheric electronics, falsetto vocals, anthemic hooks and a cosmic sheen. “Self-Realization,Pangea‘s third single further cemented the quintet’s growing reputation for shimmering and anthemic shoegaze in an expansive and sprawling song that nodded at  The Verve, as the song structurally twisted, turned and bent at weird and unpredictable angles — with guitar work that also subtly nodded at Nick McCabe’s expansive and expressive sound.

Interestingly, “La Jette,” The Vryll Society’s latest single is a dreamier and ethereal single that hints at the contemporary obsession with the sound of 60s psych rock that sounds as though it draws from the likes of Elephant Stone, Sleepy Sun and others; in other words, shimmering and jangling guitar chords, ethereal vocals and a strutting bass line are paired together in the Liverpool-based quintet’s trippiest, most subdued  and most introspective song to date.

 

 

Comprised of Diego Garcia (vocals, guitar), Alejandro de Lucas (bass) and Daniel “Larry” Balboa (drums), Madrid, Spain-based trio The Parrots quickly became an DIY underground sensation with the release of a demo, which was released without much promotion and little fanfare; in fact, the video for “I Did Something Wrong” off their Aden Arabie EP initially received over 15,000 YouTube hits — and caught the attention of music bloggers across Europe and the rest of the world for a sound that drew from old school, garage rock and psych  rock but with a loose, boozy feel. And unsurprisingly, the band’s sound compares favorably to the likes of Thee Oh Sees,  Black Lips, Raccoon Fighter, High Waisted, White Mystery and others.

Last year, NME named the Spanish trio as one of SXSW‘s “buzziest bands” and since then the members of The Parrots have been incredibly busy — they’ve released a critically applauded EP Weed for The Parrots, have toured relentlessly and played an incredible 14 shows at this year’s SXSW (in which they were later signed by renowned indie label Heavenly Recordings). Building on the growing buzz, the trio will be releasing their latest single “Let’s Do It Again.”

Recorded at Paco Loco Studios in El Puerto de Santa Maria in Cadiz, Southern Spain, The Parrots’ latest single is reportedly inspired by the members of the band drinking beers and Horchata, eating Moroccan delicacies and feelings of deep friendship and loyalty and as a result the song possesses a shuffling, intoxicated feel of elation and adventure — the sort that would come about when you’ve drunkenly stumbled along a new best friend. Sonically, the song will further cement the Spanish trio’s growing reputation for raw and shaggy garage rock as Garcia’s passionate howls are paired with a shuffling and jangling garage rock chords, propulsive drumming and a throbbing bass line, and in some way the song sounds as though it could have easily been released in 1962 or so.

 

 

According to an old Swedish legend, a traveling witch doctor and her disciples were led to Korpilombolo, a tiny and extremely remote Northern Swedish village by a Sami traveller. The reasons why that Sami traveller may have decided to lead the witch doctor to a remote, Northern Swedish village has been lost to history — these things happen after all — but strangely enough, within Korpilombolo, the practice of voodoo quickly became common and continued unabated and fairly unnoticed for several centuries. During the time of the Crusaders, the Catholic Church had discovered that heretical and non-Christian practices were occurring in the tiny and remote Northern Swedish village, and a small band of Crusaders were sent to burn the villagers out and the village down. Whoever survived returned when it was safe, rebuilt their village and have since continued to practice voodoo.

Reportedly, the rather mysterious and masked collective GOAT hails from Korpilombolo — and a great deal of their work thematically and aesthetically draws influence from voodoo, spirit conjuring, psychedelia and other practices. And although little is generally known about the collective, they quickly built up a national profile across Sweden. In a series of coincidences that could only seem to happen in the age of the Internet, the band 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 critical acclaim internationally. Last year, the collective’s “It’s Time For Fun”/”Relax” 7 inch was written while  in their native Sweden but recorded in the Americas —   A side single “It’s Time For Fun” recorded here in NYC, while B side single “Relax” was recorded in Sao Paulo — and had the act expanding and experimenting with their sound through the use of synths and drum programming that pushed their sound towards a trippy world music-leaning post-punk similar to Talking Heads.

The Northern Swedish collective’s forthcoming “I Sing In Silence”/”The Snake of Addis Ababa” 7 inch is slated for a May 27 release through Sub Pop Records and their latest effort  reveals that the act is continually expanding upon and experimenting with their sound — this time 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 as you’ll hear on the A side single “I Sing In Silence.” And interestingly enough, the single strikes me as sounding as though it’s heavily indebted to early prog rock — in particular think of Yes’Roundabout“–  and psych rock as “I Sing In Silence” possesses a similar trippy and expansive vibe.

 

With the release of their debut full-length effort, Teeth, Brooklyn-based indie rock quartet The Loom — comprised of John Fanning (guitar, vocals), Lis Rubard (French horn, trumpet, keys, vocals), John Mosloskie (bass, vocals) and Mike Rasimas (drums) — saw a rapidly growing national and international profile as the album was critically praised by the likes of The New York Times, who called the band the “Next Big Thing,” Paste, who named the band “Best of What’s Next,” WXPN, who named them a “World Cafe Next” band, as well as breathless praise from Daytrotter and New Yorker. And as a result, the Brooklyn-based quartet toured extensively across North America — in particular across the US and Canada — and they’ve made tour stops as far away as Poland.

Produced by Kevin McMahon, best known for his work with Titus Andronicus and Real Estate and recorded at Marcata Recording, the Brooklyn-based quartet’s long-awaited sophomore release Here In The Deadlights is slated for release next month and thematically speaking revolve around deeply personal experience — Fanning’s world up-ending split from his longtime partner and best friend of 14 years, followed by the difficult period of rebuilding one’s own life. And reportedly, the forthcoming effort is a radical sonic departure as the material has the band taking on a much more krautrock and psych rock-leaning sound, complete with layers of organs, feedback heavy guitars and ethereal horns all run through delay and other effects pedals as you’ll hear on the moody and buzzing “Fire Makes,” a song that sonically reminds me a little bit of My Jerusalem‘s Preachers — but with a tense sense of menace.

The Brooklyn-based quartet will be on tour throughout April, and it starts with a record release show on April 22, 2016 at Union Pool. Check out tour dates below.

Tour Dates
 
4/22 – Brooklyn, NY – Union Pool
4/23 – Beacon, NY – The Howland Cultural Center
4/24 – Albany, NY – The Low Beat
4/25 – Boston, MA – Out of the Blue Too Gallery
4/26 – Philadelphia, PA – Kung Fu Necktie
4/27 – Washington, DC – Velvet Lounge
4/28 – Louisville, KY – TBD
4/29 – Indianapolis, IN – The Melody Inn
4/30 – Chicago, IL – Schubas (w/ Cross Record)

Comprised of Leslie Sisson (vocals, guitar), best known as a member of The Wooden Birds, Matt Pond PA, Western Keys, Black Lipstick, Black Forest Fire, Tanworth-in-Arden, and Aero Wave, collaborations with The American Analog Set, Windsor for the Derby, Rhythm of Black Lines, RIDE‘s Mark GardenerDan Mangan, John Wesley Coleman, Snowden, and Broken Social Scene, as well as a solo artist; Rozie Castoe (bass); and Karen Skloss (drums), a member of Black Forest Fire,  the Austin, TX-based dream pop trio Moving Panoramas can trace their origins to when Sisson had returned to home to Texas to be closer to the members of her previous full-time band The Wooden Birds and her family. Sisson took on a job teaching music at School of Rock where she met Castoe, who was in an ’80s show that Sisson directed. And while this was going on Sisson was subbing on bass in Black Forest Fire with Skloss, who was a longtime friend and former graduate film school student. When each individual member’s various projects broke up, the trio of Sisson, Castoe and Skloss decided to form a band together, based on their mutual love of shoegaze.

The trio has been praised by the likes of NPRTom Tom MagazineAustin Chronicle and others, and as a result they’ve seen a rapidly growing local and national profile for their full-length album One, which possesses a sound that’s indebted to 4AD Records, 90s alt rock and classic shoegaze; in fact, the album’s first single and album title track “One” sounds as though it could have been recording and released in the 80s as the band pairs shimmering guitar chords, a tight groove, propulsive drumming and anthemic hooks with gorgeous harmonies with Sisson’s gorgeous crooning. To my ears the song reminds me quite a bit of The Sundays, The Go-Gos and even contemporary acts like Seapony. The album’s second single “Radar” is a shimmering and slow-burning ballad that employs the use of a gorgeous harmony, and sonically speaking the song sounds as though it draws from 120 Minutes MTV-era alt rock but with a subtly modern sheen. In some way, both songs evoke road trips — the sense of endless possibility and adventure; the regrets and mistakes you’re leaving behind; and the road and horizon rushing past your window . . .

Moving Panoramas will be on a rather extensive tour throughout the Spring which includes several SXSW sets and two NYC area dates. Check out tour dates below.

SXSW SHOWS:
March 13th @ Spider House (Main Patio Stage) – 2908 Fruth St at 9PM
March 13th @ The Volstead – 1500 E 6th St at 1AM
March 14th @ Boat Show on Lady Bird Lake – 208 Barton Springs Rd – 3:30PM
March 15th @  The Sidewinder (Inside Stage) – 715 Red River at 12AM
March 16th @ Hotel Vegas (Patio Stage) – 1500 E 6th St at 2PM
March 16th @ Scratch House (Backyard Stage) – 617 E 7th St at 11PM
March 17th @ El Sapo Cantina – 1900 Manor Rd at 3PM
March 18th @ Maggie Mae’s – 323 E 6th St at 12:45PM
March 18th @ Guacamole Showdown – COLLiDE on Rainey at 3PM
March 18th @ Hotel Vegas Annex – 1504 E 6th St at 6:30PM
March 19th @ Street Legal Guitars (Storefront Stage) – 2200 E 7th St at 3 PM
March 19th @ TOMS Austin – 1401 South Congress at 5PM

Tour Dates:

03/23 – Dallas, TX – Crown & Harp
03/24 – Tulsa, OK – The Vanguard
03/25 – Springfield, MO – Outlands
03/26 – Kansas City, MO – Replay Lounge
03/27 – Lincoln, NB – Duffy’s
03/28 – Rock Island, IL – Rozz-Tox
03/29 – Madison, WI – Mickey’s
03/30 – Chicago, IL – Tonic Room
03/31 – Milwaukee, WI – Cactus Club
04/01 – Fort Wayne, IN – The Tiger Room
04/02 – Grand Rapids, MI – Pyramid Scheme
04/04 – Toronto, ON – Silver Dollar
04/05 – Montreal, QC – L’Escogriffe
04/06 – Boston, MA – O’Brien’s Pub
04/07 – New York, NY – Pianos
04/08 – Brooklyn, NY – Union Hall
04/09 – Asbury Park, NJ – The Saint
04/10 – Richmond, VA – Strange Matter
04/11 – Asheville, NC – The Mothlight
04/13 – Athens, GA – Georgia Theatre Roof
04/14 – Atlanta, GA – 529
04/15 – Nashville, TN – TBA
04/21 – Austin, TX – The Scoot Inn – w/ Brass Bed
05/13 – Austin, TX – Barracuda
05/14 – Marfa, TX – Lost Horse
05/15 – Phoenix, AZ – Rhythm Room
05/16 – Los Angeles, CA – TBA
05/18 – San Francisco, CA – DNA Lounge
05/20 – Portland, OR – Kelly’s Olympian
05/21 – Seattle, WA – The Black Lodge
05/22 – Missoula, MO – TBA
05/24 – Denver, CO – Bluebird Theater *
05/25 – Kansas City, MO – Crossroads *
05/28 – Dallas, TX – Granada Theater *
05/29 – Houston, TX – White Oak Music Hall **

* w/ Nada Surf
** w/ Nada Surf, Flaming Lips, Roky Erickson, Lucero, Title Fight, Diiv

If you’ve been frequenting JOVM over the past year or so, you may have come across a post on Tucson, AZ-based psych rock quintet of The Myrrors. Comprised of Nik Rayne, Grant Beyschau, Cody Schwartz, Connor Gallaher and Miguel Urbina, the members of the Tucson-based psych rock quintet have a long-held reputation for crafting dark, mysterious and drone-based psych rock that sounds as though it draws from The Black Angels‘ Directions to See a Ghost and the Silber Records catalog — and with the release of the quintet’s sophomore effort Arena Negra, the band rose to national prominence.

However, the band’s forthcoming third, full-length effort Entranced Earth is reportedly a radical change of sonic direction and songwriting approach as the material is much more subtle and ethereal as the band uses arrangements based around six and twelve string guitars, harmonium, tables, alto sax and bulbul tarang. In fact, Entranced Earth’s first single (and album title track) “Entranced Earth” is an instrumental composition that will further cement the quintet’s reputation for trippy and psychedelic-leaning drone; however, the song’s arrangement is comprised of gently undulating guitar and bass chords, background saxophone and flute notes coming in and out of the ether and it’s all propelled forward by persistent and rolling drumming that seem to keep the song from floating away.

 

Leeds, UK-based psych rock/shoegaze quartet Chaika have developed a national profile across the UK for an incredibly anthemic, arena rock-friendly version of shoegaze that sounds as though it’s indebted to Oasis, Kasabian and The Verve. And as you’ll hear on the band’s latest single “Quietness,” they eschew familiar and recognizable songwriting structures: the song is divided into three clear sections loosely held together by feedback and effects laden guitar chords paired with a propulsive motorik-like groove with the first section being an anthemic and urgent with slashing guitar chords and punchy vocals that ends with an explosive burst of cacophonous feedback that fades into a slow-burning and swaggering, bluesy psychedelic section propelled forward by four-on-the-floor drumming.

Interestingly, as the band explains in press notes, the song was written as a rumination on the creative process and was written in two sleepless night. The first section of the song focuses on creative inertia and writer’s block as fractured and unfinished thoughts are repeated and revised and repeated  to exceeding frustration and desperation. In fact, the song’s narrator seems to about ready to give up with the whole thing — until the second section section which deals with the sudden and overwhelming breakthrough in which as the band says “time bends for reality to warp and become illusion.” In any case, the song manages to evoke the frustration and joy of the creative process in a way that’s uncanny and familiar — and with power chords and feedback.

 

 

 

 

Comprised of Ellie English, Sade Sanchez and Irita Pai, Los Angeles, CA-based trio L.A. Witch have developed a reputation local for a garage rock-based sound that draws from the likes of The Pleasure Seekers, The Sonics, The Black Angels, The Brian Jonestown Massacre and others. “Drive Your Car,” off the trio’s “Drive Your Car” 7 inch single will further cement the their reputation in specializing in grungy, old-timey garage and psych  rock as layers of chugging and jangling guitar chords played through tons of reverb and delay pedal, paired with a propulsive rhythm and Sanchez’s sneering vocals in song that possess a murderous and malicious intent.

If you’re out in the West Coast or Southwest, you can catch L.A. Witch live. Check out tour dates below.

TOUR DATES
03.11 – San Diego Art Institute – San Diego, CA
03.12 – Firecreek – Flagstaff, AZ
03.13 – Highlife Tavern – Tucson, AZ
03.14 – Exit 19 Music Festival – El Paso, TX
03.15 – Hot Burrito Boat Show Boogie – SXSW
03.15 – Desert Daze x NRMAL @ Hotel Vegas – SXSW
03.16 – She Shreds @ Hotel Vegas – SXSW
03.17 – Levitation Showcase @ Hotel Vegas – SXSW
03.18 – Spillover Fest @ Club Dada – Dallas, TX
03.19 – Entheo Sound @ The Shed – SXSW
03.20 – Burger Hangover @ Paper Tiger – San Antonio, TX
03.22 – House: The Venue – Albuquerque, NM
03.23 – Mesa Brewing – Taos, NM
03.24 – Time Out Lounge – Tempe, AZ
03.25 – Beauty Bar – Las Vegas, NV

New Video: The Trippy and Introspective Visuals for The Veldt’s “Sanctified”

Last month, I wrote two rather lengthy posts on the pioneering Raleigh, NC/NYC-based shoegaze quintet The Veldt. Currently comprised of founding members and identical twin brothers Daniel Chavis (vocals, guitar) and Danny Chavis (guitar) along with […]

Montreal, QC-based psych rock trio Elephant Stone — comprised of Rishi Dihr (lead vocals, sitar, bass), Jean-Gabriel Lambert (drums, backing vocals), and Miles Dupire (drums, backing vocals) — have developed a national profile across their native Canada and Stateside for a vintage psych rock sound reminiscent of The Beatles, The Kinks and severals as the Canadian trio’s earliest material paired elements of Eastern instrumentation — mainly, the sitar — with Western songwriting, arrangements and instrumentation. And rather unsurprisingly, over the past few years the Montreal-based trio have also become a JOVM mainstay artist.

With the 2014 release of Elephant Stone’s third full-length effort, The Three Poisons, the Canadian trio went through a major and rather decided change of songwriting approach and sonic direction in which sitar was pushed back to the background — and when it was employed, it was seemingly used to add additional texture and color. Since then, the Canadian trio have released a batch of singles including “The Devil’s Shelter,” which was released at the end of last year. That single, which featured a guest spot from The Black Angels‘ Alex Maas was yet another example of the trio experimenting with their sound as tense, undulating synths, shimmering sitar and guitar chords and a driving motorik-like rhythm were paired with Dihr’s and Mass’ alternating vocals to create an ominous and murky sound that channeled The Black Angels “Don’t Play With Guns.”

Early last month, the trio released “Where I’m Going” a single that continued the band’s most recent sonic experimentations while suggesting that the band may have been listening to Evil Heat-era Primal Scream — in particular, I think of “Autobahn 66” and “Detroit”  as Dihr’s ethereal cooing is paired with shimmering guitar chords, a tight and propulsive, motorik groove, four-on-the-floor drumming and layers of shimmering and undulating synths in what may arguably be the most dance-floor ready songs that they’ve released to date. “Andromeda,” the band’s latest single sounds like a return to the vintage psych rock sound that first caught the blogosphere’s attention as shimmering guitar chords and a propulsive and driving rhythm are paired with Dihr’s plaintive cooing about the nature of the universe; however, swirling synths and a brief burst of tribal drumming manage to reveal a band that’s relentlessly experimenting and attempting new ways to expand upon their sound while retaining familiar elements.

The band will be on tour throughout March, and it includes an NYC date. Check out the tour dates below.

 

ELEPHANT STONE TOUR DATES
03/10 Toronto ON – Sneaky Dee’s (Tickets)
03/11  Indianapolis IN – Joyful Noise (Tickets)
03/12  Little Rock AR – Vino’s (Tickets)
03/14  Austin TX – SXSW
03/18  Memphis TN – Hi-Tone (Tickets)
03/19  Cincinnati OH – MOTR (Info)
03/20  Brooklyn NY – Baby’s All Right (Tickets)
04/14  Montreal QC – La Sala Rossa (Tickets)