Posted in Whathaveyou on August 22nd, 2023 by JJ Koczan
It’s been half a decade since their last record, but on what it seems would be the occasion of their performing at Durango Sessions in Belgium, Californian desert rockers Avon — who have more in common with Josiah than Kyuss sound-wise (not a complaint) but are lumped into the latter’s expansive family tree by virtue of drummer Alfredo Hernandez having played in that ultra-seminal outfit toward the end of their tenure, including on their final studio album, …And the Circus Leaves Town, which is a pretty nice line to have on your resumé if you’re looking to get people to show up.
And certainly Avon will be doing that as they return to English and European shores for a quick stint of tour dates around that aforementioned sessions recording, with shows in Germany, Belgium and the UK besides, and if you’ve forgotten how catchy “Red Barn” is, the stream of Dave’s Dungeon (review here) can be found below, courtesy of Heavy Psych Sounds, which handled the original release.
Be informed:
Tour dates! Keep your eyes peeled for the events!
28.11 Louisiana Bristol UK 29.11 Old Ham Tree Holt UK 30.11 The Anvil Bournemouth UK 01.12 The Dragonffli Pontypool UK 02.12 Frog and Fiddle Cheltenham UK 03.12 The Talbot Inn Calne UK 05.12 Durango Sessions Paal BE 06.12 DE Nachtwacht Tielt BE 08.12 Rare Guitar Münster DE 09.12 Cafe de Stam Paal BE
AVON is heavy rock trio formed in California by Alfredo Hernández (former Kyuss, QOTSA), James Childs (Airbus, Little Villains) and Charles Pasarell (Waxy). Their heavy desert rock is psychedelic, raw, melodic and meaningful. Their musical bond comes from years of playing in their respective bands often together in California’s desert cities, Los Angeles and on many European tours.
AVON are: James Childs – Vocals/Guitar Charles Pasarell – Bass Alfredo Hernandez – Drums
Posted in Whathaveyou on May 18th, 2023 by JJ Koczan
I don’t feel the need to even really say anything here. The lineup speaks for itself. And those who go to this year’s RippleFest Texas will also speak of it, for years, probably in a similar way people now talk about having been at this or that Emissions From the Monolith when that was going on in Ohio. The stuff of legend, in other words. Yeah, you can put on a fest and try to make it cool and fun, or you can do something like this and make it the highlight of everybody who attends’ year.
Kudos to Lick of My Spoon Productions and Ripple Music on a job well done. This will be something special. Bands have been leaked out one at a time at intermittent daily intervals, but the final lineup is out as of today, and it’s stunning. A blend of generations, a reach from on end of the country to the other, and a swath of the heavy underground all rallied in one place for a few days, pre- and after-parties included. Fucking a. If you’re attending, count yourself lucky.
As seen on socials:
Here it is! The full lineup for RippleFest Texas #3! This will be one for the ages with a stacked lineup and lots of special treats in between. Get your tickets now!
Amazing art by @1horsetown
* playing the Pre-Party + playing the Afterparty
King Buffalo, Acid King, Brant Bjork Trio, Sasquatch, Wo-Fat, Fatso Jetson, Mondo Generator, Unida, The Well+, The Atomic Bitchwax, Telekinetic Yeti*, Duel, Forming the Void, Hippie Death Cult, High Desert Queen*, Avon, War Cloud, Rubber Snake Charmers, Spirit Mother+, Kind, Nick Oliveri, Thunder Horse, Royal Sons+, Restless Spirit*, (Big) Pig, Fostermother, Dead Feathers+, Rainbows Are Free, Warlung*, Sun Voyager, Red Mesa, Dunes, Tia Carrera+, Mr. Plow, The Heroine*, Michael Rudolph Cummings, The Absurd+, GoodEye*, Red Beard Wall, God Damn Good Time Band+
Plus a “Legends of the Desert and Friends” jam session to close out Saturday night!
And as always, the visuals by The Mad Alchemist Liquid Light Show
All-Access passes are SOLD OUT! All we have left are 2 Day Passes and Pre/Afterparty tickets available. Many more bands to be announced! Get your tickets now before the full lineup is revealed and the ticket price goes up!
This is the part of each Quarterly Review when I begin to question my life choices. Otherwise known as ‘the beginning.’ I still haven’t decided if this is going to be a five-dayer or a six-dayer, but one way or another, between now and whenever it ends, at least 50 records will be reviewed in batches of 10 per day. It’s completely insane. Completely. Every three months or so I remind myself of this by doing it again, and every time it ends up being worth the insanity. I’ve no doubt that will be the case here as well, but looking across the next five days at placeholders where reviews need to be, well, yeah. It’s pretty insane.
So let’s go.
Quarterly Review #1-10:
Avon, Dave’s Dungeon
Dave’s Dungeon is the second full-length from Californian desert rockers Avon, and with it they make their debut on Heavy Psych Sounds. Peppered with varied songwriting across alternately garage rocking cuts like “Yello,” “On Fire” and “Red Barn” (video premiere here), languid psychedelic excursions in “Space Native” and the subtly proggy “Hero with a Gun,” and the classic desert crunch of “Dungeon Dave,” “Mace Face” and “Terraformations,” the three-piece of vocalist/guitarist James Childs, bassist Charles Pasarell (also Waxy) and drummer Alfredo Hernández (ex-Kyuss, Yawning Man, etc.) have no doubt garnered attention due to the participation of the latter, but all three manage to leave their mark across the 10 tracks, particularly Childs. His English-accented vocals become a defining element in “Hero with a Gun” and “Yello,” and whether fast or slow, the rhythm section offers air-tight accompaniment. Straightforward in their approach but not without some flourish, Avon bring their own touch to the classic desert style and offer memorable songs in the process. Nobody loses.
Issued to coincide with an initial string of Fall 2017 European shows, the aptly-titled Tour EP serves as the debut offering from The Discussion, and its five tracks mark the return of guitarist/vocalist Laura Pleasants, not heard from since the end of her prior outfit, Kylesa. With “A Gesture/Other Side,” Pleasants and company commune with post-rock and atmospheric stretch, where “Like Rain” and “Surf Jesus” channel New Wave and Blondie pop with an underlying heft of low end to add presence. Through it all, Pleasants’ vocals prove a patient and melodic element, and as “Before We’re Gone” brings in a moody krautrock sensibility and finale “Cuts Like a Knife” engages louder and more forward riffing in its final minute payoff, the message that The Discussion has only begun comes through loud and clear. Tour EP sounds like the beginning stages of a larger process of experimentation and creative growth, and one hopes it proves to be precisely that.
Modern heavy rock groove meets classic metal guitar on Alms’ Demo Vol. 1, which, as it turns out, is more of a sampler than an actual demo, comprised as it is of two rough mixes from the band’s forthcoming debut album. The result of this mesh on “The Offering” and “Dead Water” is somewhere between Uncle Acid swing and Iron Maiden twin lead work, and the five-piece do well immediately to own the combination and make it cohesive sonically. Traditional doom play more of a role in “Dead Water,” and the keys of vocalist Jess Kamen – joined by guitarist/vocalist Bob Sweeney, guitarist Danny McDonald, bassist Andrew Harris and drummer Derrick Hans – and while I don’t know what label it is that’s going to pick them up (I’d believe anyone from Ripple to Shadow Kingdom to Season of Mist, depending on how much they want to tour), but if these two songs are anything to go by, they’ll be lucky to get them.
Collaborating between Ohio and New Jersey, Vessel of Light brings together vocalist Nathan Opposition of Ancient VVisdom and guitarist Dan Lorenzo of Hades. Their self-titled five-tracker EP (on Argonauta) melds bluesy metallic riffing with tales of murder and drugs on cuts like “Dead Flesh and Bones” (video premiere here) and its eponymous closer, which emphasizes a hook based around the lines, “LSD has got a hold on me/I wanna show you all the things that I’ve seen.” It goes like that. For Lorenzo, parts recall the groove he brought to short-lived heavy rock outfit The Cursed, but with Opposition’s lyrics and the periodic delving into harsher vocals, there’s a moodier and more aggressive edge to the songs that helps define the personality of the duo as a band. How often they’ll work together remains to be seen, they make a murderous introduction with this EP and there’s plenty of fodder here for further exploration should they get there.
German trio Enojado was founded by guitarist/vocalist Stephan Kieserling circa 2002, and though he’s been through numerous lineups since, with bassist/vocalist Thomas Schnaube and drummer Till Junker, he’s put together the band’s first release since their 2014 The Chain is Loose LP was issued by Setalight. At under half an hour and six tracks plus an intro, late 2017’s Mist and Thunder offers solid heavy rock songwriting with a straightforward approach bordering on the metallic in its tone but never quite departing a heavy rock context in rhythm, even in the starts and stops of “Notorious.” The obvious standout in heft is the seven-minute “Coma,” which seems to add weight to everything around it, from “The Truth About Gold” earlier to “I Saw the Sun,” which follows, and the finale in “Queen of Heaven,” which brings a quick payoff to the release and leaves a residual echo and drone/guitar minimalism for its last two minutes. Less derivative than it at first seems, Mist and Thunder might take multiple rounds to sink in, but proves worth the effort of a dedicated listen.
It’s kind of rare for a band to sound like they’re making fun of their own music as they play it, and yet, “Lost Planet Airmen” from Mother Mars’ fourth full-length, On Lunar Highlands, does precisely that. The Aussie trio led by multi-instrumentalists Frank (drums, synth, Clavinet) and Paul (guitar, bass, synth, banjo-mandolin, keys) Attard – who also produced together – and featuring the bluesy stylings of vocalist Dave Schembri, did not make the 11-tracker a minor undertaking. Rather, at 69 minutes, it pushes through stoner boogie on “Thought it Best to Cut You Loose” and still has room for heady jams on extended pieces like “The Stalwarts of Stalwart Castle” (9:31), “Woodhollow Green” (12:55) and the penultimate title-track (8:35), which leads to the far-out banjo shenanigans of closer “The Heavy Hand of the Destroyer.” Needless to say, madness ensues. Interludes like “Bean Stalkin’” and “Bean Stalkin’ Again” and the experimental “The Working Mind of the Creator” add anything-can-happen flair, and the weirder On Lunar Highlands gets, the more it satisfies. It gets very, very weird.
Two decades after their founding in 1997, Stockholm’s Southfork returned late last year with their first album since 2001’s Straight Ahead, the seven-track Through a Dark Lens, which itself is nearly five years in the making. Opening with its longest cut (immediate points) in the 7:59 “Already Gone,” the bass-heavy approach the band takes is indeed emblematic of an era now easily thought of as classic, but one could hardly call it dated for that. Rather, tracks like “Into the Deep” and “Tomb of the Mirror Men” flow easily from one to the next and the record reveals in the strut of “Seventosix” and the answer-back closer “Nowhere Gone” just why someone might put almost half a decade of effort into realizing it. Whether you remember Southfork’s original run or not, Through a Dark Lens offers immersive tone and songwriting and as Southfork have already followed it up with what seems to be a compilation release, it may signal a return to fuller activity on their part.
Production by Kent Stump (Wo Fat). Mastering by John McBain (ex-Monster Magnet). Released through Nasoni Records. Sure enough, the second album from Texas heavy psych rockers Gypsy Sun Revival, Journey Outside of Time, wants nothing for the quality of its associations and with the Hendrixian guitar work of Will Weise and the bluesy classic frontman approach of vocalist Mario Rodriguez, they earn that pedigree through and through. Tyler Gene Davis’ contributions on organ only further the ‘70s vibes on “To the Sky” before Weise takes a wah-soaked solo backed by Lee Ryan on bass and drummer Ben H., and the later two-part “Pisces” combines with closer “Departure” to create a thrilling jammed-out side B that takes the more structured craft of “Indigo” and catchy opener “Cadillac to Mexico” earlier and pulls them through an interdimensional haze that only does more to evoke the album’s title. Between Journey Outside of Time and Gypsy Sun Revival’s 2016 self-titled debut (review here), one is left wondering how long we’ll be able to think of them as a well-kept secret of Texas’ fertile heavy underground.
There’s a commercial sense of clarity to Valhalla Lights’ My Gracious Highway, which seems to have been originally issued by the band in 2016 but is being given a renewed international push. It’s a crisp 13-track/45-minute long-player, marked by solid songcraft and the forward performance of vocalist Ange Saul, who takes the place of departed original singer Phoebe Black, who passed away in 2015 just prior to guitarist George Christie, bassist Brent “Badger” Crysell and drummer Deon Driver – all formerly of heavy rockers FORT – entered the studio to record their debut release. Songs veer toward Queens of the Stone Age-style groove on “Hammer the Witch” and closer “Punk,” and there’s enough variety of mood between the brooding “Beautiful,” showcase centerpiece “The One” and “Darker Side of Love” and the all-go rockers “Rise Above,” “Crucify” and “Someday” to carry the listener through smoothly with an abiding sense of professionalism. Will be too clean for some listeners, but is largely inarguable in its execution.
Located in the northwest of Poland, the acronymic four-piece L.o.W. debut with the Bones EP, which hurls forth three extended works of extreme sludge led into by an atmospheric intro. The band – the lineup of vocalist Adam, guitarist Marek, drummer Witold and bassist Micha? belong to the post-Primitive Man sphere of viciousness, but “Tear Me Open” offers some respite in its closing moments, pulling back on the massive plunder and switching from guttural growls to spoken vocals. With just a touch of Electric Wizard swirl, “Almost Like God’s,” renews the onslaught, offering a break in its middle from the Eyehategod-style sway while saving its most brutal growl for last, and at just under 10 minutes long, the title-track rounds out Bones with bass and drums unfolding a progression soon topped by guitar noise that lets the listener know they’ve just entered another level of punishment. There are moments of impulse toward stonerism that show themselves in Marek’s guitar work, but the primary mission onBones seems to be assault, and the band has no problem living up to that intent.
Much of the hullabaloo surrounding the release of Avon‘s Heavy Psych Sounds debut and second full-length overall, Dave’s Dungeon, has been about the trio’s connections to Californian desert rock. And fair enough. That’s Alfredo Frickin’ Hernandez they’ve got playing drums back there, whose pedigree not only includes stints in Kyuss and Queens of the Stone Age but also Yawning Man and Brant Bjork‘s Ché trio as well. So, you know, fair enough as regards desert cred, even before you get to bassist Charles Pasarell having been in Waxy. They could pretty much play anything and an entire contingency of their audience would tag it as desert rock — and that’s not something the band necessarily shies away from.
To wit, the track “Red Barn” is about a venue in Palm Desert, CA, and album tracks like “On Fire,” “Mace Face” and even the semi-title-track “Dungeon Dave” hit that mark stylistically as well. But there’s a dichotomy in what Avon do stylistically that comes in no small part from UK expat guitarist/vocalist James Childs, who isn’t without a desert CV of his own, including time in Vic du Monte’s Persona Non Grata with Hernandez, but who nonetheless brings a classic psych rock sensibility to “Hero with a Gun” and “Space Native,” while delving into garage rock vibing on “P51.” It’s true that from opener “Yello” through the finale of the six-minute “Was ist Los?,” Avon have their hook-driven, desert rocking impulses present and accounted for, but that’s hardly all that’s going on with Dave’s Dungeon, and it’s that sense of variety that ultimately distinguishes the album from the slew of Kyuss-family-tree groups looking to establish them in the supposedly lifeless span of a landscape that at least for the last two decades has only gotten increasingly crowded.
So what happens at the Red Barn — the cartoon video does the facade of the place justice if the pictures I found online — that’s worth writing a song about? Well, there’s a pool tournament, live music of course, booze being served, and it looks like the usual round of bar/venue this-and-that. What makes the place special? Honestly, I don’t know, as I’ve never been fortunate enough to go there, but it looks like a pretty hip spot — there’s somebody named JJ quoted on the site; it’s not me — and bands have written songs for decades about rooms that hold special memories, so I bet if you asked the members of Avon what it is in particular that inspired “Red Barn,” they might have an answer for you. Let’s try it:
Hey Avon, why “Red Barn?”
We’ll see if they answer and if they do, I’ll update the post. In the meantime, enjoy the video below, which is also a pretty good time.
Dig it:
Avon, “Red Barn” official video premiere
Avon Desert Rock launch into 2018 with a new LP called “Dave’s Dungeon’ and present a fun stop coarse animation video for Red Barn using sketches from tour to piece together a story from the California Desert scene and its key venues during the mid 2000s.
AVON is heavy rock trio formed in California by Alfredo Hernández (former Kyuss, QOTSA), James Childs (Airbus, Little Villains) and Charles Pasarell (Waxy). Their heavy desert rock is psychedelic, raw, melodic and meaningful. Their musical bond comes from years of playing in their respective bands often together in California’s desert cities, Los Angeles and on many European tours.
AVON are: James Childs – Vocals/Guitar Charles Pasarell – Bass Alfredo Hernandez – Drums
Posted in Podcasts on February 26th, 2018 by JJ Koczan
I recognize that saying so is the cliché equivalent to writing a song with the same bassline as ‘N.I.B.,’ but if this was December and not February and the year was about to end in a couple weeks’ time, would you really be able to complain about any lack of fantastic releases? It’s been two months and before the next one is out we will have seen and heard new offerings from Corrosion of Conformity, Monster Magnet, Earthless, Fu Manchu and literally hundreds of others. It’s been as awesome as it’s been impossible to keep up with.
This new podcast follows the same model as the last one, vis-a-vis using Spotify as the medium of conveyance. You can see the playlist in the player below, and you may accordingly wonder why I’ve bothered to type it out underneath as well. It’s because streaming sites disappear even quicker than they rise to dominance, and I’m not saying The Obelisk is going to outlast Spotify or anything, but just in case, I like to keep my own records. I appreciate the indulgence on your part.
Awesome mix this time around. No real theme other than it’s new stuff I’ve been listening to a lot and digging. I very much hope you enjoy it as well. 21 tracks. About two and a half hours long.
Thanks for listening and reading:
Track details:
Artist, Track, Album, Runtime
Earthless, “Black Heaven” from Black Heaven, 8:45
Sundrifter, “Targeted” from Visitations, 4:45
Psilocibina, “Acid Jam” from LSD / Acid Jam, 7:08
Blackwater Holylight, “Sunrise” from Blackwater Holylight, 4:51
Fu Manchu, “Clone of the Universe” from Clone of the Universe, 2:57
Green Lung, “Free the Witch” from Free the Witch, 5:55
Monster Magnet, “Mindfucker” from Mindfucker, 4:59
All Souls, “Never Know” from All Souls, 5:59
Red Lama, “Perfect Strangers” from Motions, 6:47
Blackwülf, “Sinister Sides” from Sinister Sides, 4:53
Fuzz Lord, “Worlds Collide” from Fuzz Lord, 6:58
Corrosion of Conformity, “Forgive Me” from No Cross No Crown, 4:06
Apostle of Solitude, “Ruination Be Thy Name” from From Gold to Ash, 6:37
Avon, “Space Native” from Dave’s Dungeon, 4:42
Psychic Lemon, “Exit to the Death Lane” from Frequency Rhythm Distortion Delay, 8:32
The Dry Mouths, “Catalonian Cream” from When the Water Smells of Sweat, 4:34
Insect Ark, “Windless” from Marrow Hymns, 8:38
Naxatras, “You Won’t Be Left Alone” from III, 11:17
Mythic Sunship, “Into Oblivion” from Upheaval, 13:56
King Buffalo, “Repeater” from Repeater, 13:40
Hound the Wolves, “Masquerade” from Camera Obscura, 13:10
Posted in Whathaveyou on February 7th, 2018 by JJ Koczan
You gotta watch out for these. They’re sneaky. Label samplers can be tricky in general — sometimes it’s nothing but rehashed tracks from years ago with one or two new songs from a band somebody’s trying to push, but with Heavy Psych Sounds, their annual sampler series has been a way of sneaking new tracks out for first public showcases. Last year, new Black Rainbows showed up, and sure enough they appear here as well, and there also seems to be some new stuff from The Freeks included, which as far as I’m concerned is reason enough on its own to chase the thing down. Also Tons will have a track on there ahead of their album release in April, and new Killer Boogie, so yeah, plenty to grab onto, and even the stuff that’s already out — Mother Engine, Fvzz Popvli, The Lords of Altamont, Nick Oliveri — is all still current, and righteous. That “Kyuss Dies” song is hilarious.
Full tracklisting follows here, courtesy of the PR wire:
As every Year, my little dear, what we have here is: HPS074 ***HEAVY PSYCH SOUNDS SAMPLER VOL.3***
We’re so proud to announce the new Sampler, is the third year we are going to release this, and tracklist look awesome!
You will find it in your HPS boxes when you will purchase from the site, or at some good festival in Europe for free at the merch table, or on tour with HPS bands…
RELEASE DATE: 16th MARCH 2018
PRESALE: 8th FEBRUARY 2018
Enjoy the tracklist!
Avon – Red Barn Black Rainbows – High To Hell Deadsmoke – Emperor Of Shame Fvzz Popvli – Lost In Time High Reeper – Die Slow House Of Broken Promises – Toranado Killer Boogie – Atomic Race Monsternaut – Landslide Mother Engine – Tokamak Nebula – Between Time Nick Oliveri (Kyuss Lives) – Kyuss Dies The Freeks – American Lighning The Lords Of Altamont – Going Downtown Tons – 99 Weed Balloons Turn Me On Dead Man – Vimana Wedge – Lucid
Posted in Features on December 22nd, 2017 by JJ Koczan
Please note: This post is not culled in any way from the Year-End Poll, which is ongoing. If you haven’t yet contributed your favorites of 2017 to that, please do.
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This is the hardest list to put together, no question. Don’t get me wrong, I put way too much thought into all of them, but this one is damn near impossible to keep up with. Every digital single, every demo, every EP, every 7″, 10″ one-sided 12″, whatever it is. There’s just too much. I’m not going to claim to have heard everything. Hell, that’s what the comments are for. Let me know what I missed. Invariably, something.
So while the headers might look similar, assuming I can ever remember which fonts I use from one to the next, this list has a much different personality than, say, the one that went up earlier this week with the top 20 debuts of 2017. Not that I heard everyone’s first record either, but we’re talking relative ratios here. The bottom line is please just understand I’ve done my best to hear as much as possible. I’m only one person, and there are only so many hours in the day. Eventually your brain turns into riffy mush.
With that caveat out of the way, I’m happy to present the following roundup of some of what I thought were 2017’s best short releases. That’s EPs, singles, demos, splits — pretty much anything that wasn’t a full-length album, and maybe one or two things that were right on the border of being one. As between genres, the lines are blurry these days. That’s part of what makes it fun.
Okay, enough dawdling. Here we go:
The Obelisk Presents: The Top 20 Short Releases of 2017
1. Lo-Pan, In Tensions
2. Godhunter, Codex Narco
3. Year of the Cobra, Burn Your Dead
4. Shroud Eater, Three Curses
5. Stubb, Burning Moon
6. Canyon, Canyon
7. Solace, Bird of Ill Omen
8. Kings Destroy, None More
9. Tarpit Boogie, Couldn’t Handle… The Heavy Jam
10. Supersonic Blues, Supersonic Blues Theme
11. Come to Grief, The Worst of Times EP
12. Rope Trick, Red Tape
13. Eternal Black, Live at WFMU
14. IAH, IAH
15. Bong Wish, Bong Wish EP
16. Rattlesnake, Outlaw Boogie Demo
17. Hollow Leg, Murder
18. Mars Red Sky, Myramyd
19. Avon, Six Wheeled Action Man Tank 7″
20. Wretch, Bastards Born
Honorable Mention
Across Tundras, Blood for the Sun / Hearts for the Rain
The Discussion, Tour EP
Fungus Hill, Creatures
Switchblade Jesus & Fuzz Evil, The Second Coming of Heavy – Chapter Seven
The Grand Astoria, The Fuzz of Destiny
Test Meat, Demo
Blood Mist, Blood Mist
Sweat Lodge, Tokens for Hell
Dautha, Den Foerste
Scuzzy Yeti, Scuzzy Yeti
Howling Giant, Black Hole Space Wizard Part 2
Decasia, The Lord is Gone
Bible of the Devil/Leeches of Lore, Split 7″
I can’t imagine I won’t add a name or two or five to this section over the next few days as I think of other things and people remind me of stuff and so on, so keep an eye out, but the point is there’s way more than just what made the top 20. That Across Tundras single would probably be on the list proper just on principle, but I heard it like a week ago and it doesn’t seem fair. Speaking of unfair, The Discussion, Howling Giant, The Grand Astoria and the Bible of the Devil/Leeches of Lore split all deserve numbered placement easily. I might have to make this a top 30 in 2018, just to assuage my own guilt at not being able to include everything I want to include. For now though, yeah, this is just the tip of the doomberg.
Notes
To be totally honest with you, that Lo-Pan EP came out Jan. 13 and pretty much had the year wrapped up in my head from that point on. It was going to be hard for anything to top In Tensions, and the Godhunter swansong EP came close for the sense of stylistic adventurousness it wrought alone, and ditto that for Year of the Cobra’s bold aesthetic expansions on Burn Your Dead and Shroud Eater’s droning Three Cvrses, but every time I heard Jeff Martin singing “Pathfinder,” I knew it was Lo-Pan’s year and all doubt left my mind. Of course, for the Ohio four-piece, In Tensions is something of a one-off with the departure already of guitarist Adrian Zambrano, but I still have high hopes for their next record. It would be hard not to.
The top five is rounded out by Stubb’s extended jam/single “Burning Moon,” which was a spacey delight and new ground for them to cover. The self-titled debut EP from Philly psych rockers Canyon, which they’ve already followed up, is next. I haven’t had the chance to hear the new one yet, but Canyon hit a sweet spot of psychedelia and heavy garage that made me look forward to how they might develop, so I’ll get there sooner or later. Solace’s return was nothing to balk at with their cassingle “Bird of Ill Omen” and the Sabbath cover with which they paired it, and though Kings Destroy weirded out suitably on the 14-minute single-song EP None More, I hear even greater departures are in store with their impending fourth LP, currently in progress.
A couple former bandmates of mine feature in Tarpit Boogie in guitarist George Pierro and bassist John Eager, and both are top dudes to be sure, but even if we didn’t have that history, it would be hard to ignore the tonal statement they made on their Couldn’t Handle… The Heavy Jam EP. If you didn’t hear it, go chase it down on Bandcamp. Speaking of statements, Supersonic Blues’ Supersonic Blues Theme 7″ was a hell of an opening salvo of classic boogie that I considered to be one of the most potential-laden offerings of the year. Really. Such warmth to their sound, but still brimming with energy in the most encouraging of ways. Another one that has to be heard to be believed.
The dudes are hardly newcomers, but Grief offshoot Come to Grief sounded pretty fresh — and raw — on their The Worst of Times EP, and the Massachusetts extremists check in right ahead of fellow New Englangers Rope Trick, who are an offshoot themselves of drone experimentalists Queen Elephantine. Red Tape was a demo in the demo tradition, and pretty formative sounding, but seemed to give them plenty of ground on which to develop their aesthetic going forward, and I wouldn’t ask more of it than that.
Eternal Black gave a much-appreciated preview of their Bleed the Days debut long-player with Live at WFMU and earned bonus points for recording it at my favorite radio station, while Argentine trio IAH probably went under a lot of people’s radar with their self-titled EP but sent a fervent reminder that that country’s heavy scene is as vibrant as ever. Boston-based psych/indie folk outfit Bong Wish were just the right combination of strange, melodic and acid-washed to keep me coming back to their self-titled EP on Beyond Beyond is Beyond, and as Adam Kriney of The Golden Grass debuted his new project Rattlesnake with the Outlaw Boogie demo, the consistency of his songcraft continued to deliver a classic feel. Another one to watch out for going into the New Year.
I wasn’t sure if it was fair to include Hollow Leg’s Murder or not since it wound up getting paired with a special release of their latest album, but figured screw it, dudes do good work and no one’s likely to yell about their inclusion here. If you want to quibble, shoot me a comment and quibble away. Mars Red Sky only released Myramyd on vinyl — no CD, no digital — and I never got one, but heard a private stream at one point and dug that enough to include them here anyway. They remain perennial favorites.
Avon, who have a new record out early in 2018 on Heavy Psych Sounds, delivered one of the year’s catchiest tracks with the “Six Wheeled Action Man Tank” single. I feel like I’ve had that song stuck in my head for the last two months, mostly because I have. And Wretch may or may not be defunct at this point — I saw word that drummer Chris Gordon was leaving the band but post that seems to have disappeared now, so the situation may be in flux — but their three-songer Bastards Born EP was a welcome arrival either way. They round out the top 20 because, well, doom. Would be awesome to get another LP out of them, but we’ll see I guess.
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One hopes that nothing too egregious was left off, but one again, if there’s something you feel like should be here that isn’t, please consider the invitation to leave a comment open and let me know about it. Hell, you know what? Give me your favorites either way, whether you agree with this list or not. It’s list season, do it up. I know there’s the Year-End Poll going, and you should definitely contribute to that if you haven’t, but what was your favorite EP of the year? The top five? Top 10? I’m genuinely curious. Let’s talk about it.
Whether you have a pick or not (and I hope you do), thanks as always for reading. May the assault of short releases continue unabated in 2018 and beyond.
Posted in Whathaveyou on November 16th, 2017 by JJ Koczan
Oh, the radness. Sheer desert radness. If you want a sonic touchstone for Avon‘s Heavy Psych Sounds debut and second album overall, Dave’s Dungeon, I might at least on first impression point you to the bouncing desert jangle of Fatso Jetson‘s work in the ’90s when it comes to opener “Yello” or the rush of the sub-three-minute “Red Barn,” but that doesn’t at all account for the flute-laden acoustic psych of “Hero with a Gun,” the hypnotic repetitions of “Space Native” (are those sampled seagulls I hear?) or the classic ’60s element that James Childs‘ British-accented vocals brings to the material overall.
I’m still making my way through the record as I write this, and it’s not out until Feb. 23, so there’s plenty of time for a proper review to take shape, but by way of an early heads up, I’m digging the hell out of it so far, the songwriting and performance is top notch and this one has the chance to be a real gem. So keep an eye out. Preorders start tomorrow.
The PR wire brings cover art and some more background on the tracks. Dig it:
Desert rock trio AVON share details about second album “Dave’s Dungeon” to be released on Heavy Psych Sounds!
California-based heavy rock trio AVON (with ex-Kyuss and Queens of the Stone Age drummer Alfredo Hernandez) unveil all details about their upcoming sophomore album on HPS Records in February 2018.
AVON is heavy rock trio formed in California by Alfredo Hernández (former Kyuss, QOTSA), James Childs (Airbus, Little Villains) and Charles Pasarell (Waxy). Their heavy desert rock is psychedelic, raw, melodic and meaningful. Their musical bond comes from years of playing in their respective bands often together in California’s desert cities, Los Angeles and on many European tours.
Recorded in Los Angeles and produced by James Childs, “Dave’s Dungeon” boldly follows debut LP “Mad Marco”, and showcases the band’s evolution towards more rawness, defiance and certainly packing a punch. The group is on fire! “Yello” kicks off the album clearly showing the band’s roots in punk rock delivered with an “in your face” clarity. Meanwhile, “Terraformations settles you into a machine-like “robot rock” ride, telling stories of human conquest and immediately providing the listener with classic Hernandez drumming and Childs’ distinctive guitar style, bound with solid bass riffing from Pasarell. Next in line is a more in-your-face yet personal punk track about gigging at the “Red Barn”, a famous venue in the Californian desert. “Hero with a Gun” shows the band’s talent for dreamy instrumentation, melody and production, conjuring thoughts of California on the big screen.
“Mace Face” is a pure heavy rock Avon standard that will delightfully punch its way through your heart! Side two explodes with “P51”, killer Maiden-style shredding and harmonics giving a frenzied picture of the classic American fighter aircraft. Kicking back in the desert with “Space Native” and realizing how big and lost one can feel, only to snap right back to reality with “On Fire”, agreeing to disagree in a nod to some schoolboy led heroes. “Dungeon Dave” obviously refers to the album title, and represents a very special, almost utopic place for the band when they were on tour in Europe. The album comes to a close with just three words: “Was ist Los?”, performed with their unmistakeable space rock style that will surely be a classic Avon mantra, simply meaning – what is wrong?
“Dave’s Dungeon” will be issued on LTD Solid Yellow vinyl, Black vinyl, CD and digital formats. Vinyl and CD pre-orders will be available from November 17th on Heavy Psych Sounds website.
AVON New album “Dave’s Dungeon” Out February 23rd on Heavy Psych Sounds Pre-orders start November 17th HERE
TRACK LISTING: 1. Yello 2. Terraformations 3. Red barn 4. Hero With A Gun 5. Mace Face 6. P51 7. Space Native 8. On Fire 9. Dungeon Dave 10. Was Ist Los?
AVON are: James Childs – Vocals/Guitar Charles Pasarell – Bass Alfredo Hernandez – Drums
