Orange Sunshine, Love = Acid Space = Hell (2003)

Talk about a few records dying for reissue. Not that Netherlands-based acid rockers Orange Sunshine haven’t kept up pressings for their three studio full-lengths, 2001’s Homo Erectus, 2003’s Love = Acid Space = Hell and 2006’s Bullseye of Being, through their own Motorwolf imprint, but I’m talking about wide-distro, color-LP, all that do-it-up nonsense that sells out on preorders before anyone’s heard a note. Can’t say the band wouldn’t deserve such fare. As it happens, 2016 marks 15 years since their debut came out, and they’ve been steadily kicking ass all the while, proffering dangerous groove and garage-derived heavy in the spirit of the free-swinging classics. My prevailing memory of them may always be seeing them at Roadburn 2010 (review here) and bearing witness to a set that featured not one, not two, but three Blue Cheer covers. That’s the kind of band Orange Sunshine are. They’re the kind of band who might cover Blue Cheer three times if they feel like doing so.

As an ethos, it’s hard to argue, and whether it’s the harmonica-topped shuffle of “I’m a Man” or the megafuzzed interlude “Population III” — presumably a sequel to the 1969 album from Blue Cheer guitarist Randy Holden, Population II (discussed here) — and subsequent 15-minute closer “Hey Mama,” they live it all over Love = Acid Space = Hell. That finale is a jam worthy of Cactus, which is not praise I deliver lightly, and it comes only after Orange Sunshine have scorched their way through “Ain’t No Way” (which nods at Thin Lizzy‘s “Boys are back in Town”), the freaked-out “H-Theme” and the proto-punk “Wham Bam Thank You Ma’am,” making the vast, vast majority of the retro-stylized heavy rock that’s come out of Europe in the last decade sound positively safe by comparison in terms of songwriting and production. Kids wanna sound like the first Witchcraft record. They should wanna sound like Orange Sunshine.

The last few years have been quiet in terms of studio outings, but in 2013, Who Can You Trust? Records issued a tape called Burnout at Roadburn, and Lay Bare Recordings followed that up in 2014 with Live at Freak Valley (review here), so Orange Sunshine — the power trio of drummer/vocalist Guy Tavares, guitarist Arthur van Berkel and bassist Mehdi Rouchiche — haven’t been completely absent, though any major-scale touring or studio work seems to be on hold as van Berkel has battled Crohn’s Disease. Still, their records, the two live outings and a couple other odds and ends singles are all available for downloading/streaming on Bandcamp, so there’s plenty to dig into either way, whether or not more shows up eventually.

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A snow day today has been much needed and much appreciated. In addition to being able to sneak in a couple extra posts about new Causa Sui and Heavy Psych Sounds stuff, it’s just been good not to have to drive to work and to be able to sit on the couch with The Patient Mrs. with our laptops and the dog, hang out and still be reasonably productive. We’re not supposed to get a foot even, so shoveling shouldn’t be too terrible when the time comes.

I didn’t get that Borderland Fuzz Fiesta mixtape up this week. Should be able to make that happen next Wednesday, so keep an eye out for it. I’ll start putting it together this weekend. Also next week, reviews of Spidergawd and hopefully Rotor, a track premiere from Talmud Beach on Tuesday and videos from The Vintage Caravan and Merlin, along with whatever else should happen into my purview between now and then. Heard a cool demo this week by Brooklyn newcomers River Cult that I’d like to write about. Might be time to resurrect On the Radar since I can’t seem to find time to do a proper post of radio adds. We’ll see.

I hope you have a great and safe weekend, whether you’re snowed in or not. If you need me, I’ll be in my pajamas as much as humanly possible, rounding out the third season of Star Trek (yup again; my greatest fear is that the new series due in 2017 will be a gritty reboot of The Next Generation) and trying not to spend money. See you back here Monday if I can actually go that long without posting something.

The Obelisk Forum

The Obelisk Radio

Netherlands-based progressive instrumentalists Monomyth will head out on a UK tour in February to support their second album, Further. Their 2013 self-titled debut (review here) was a psych-prog joy to behold, and though I cried a little bit when I heard the Den Haag outfit had a second one and I didn’t get a copy to review — inner-tears, like any clown — they’ve nonetheless got a cause worth heralding. Seems like they’re doing so in style as well, with a lightshow and their own audio engineer and so on, giving a full experience to the shows, a couple of which have yet to be confirmed.

The tour is presented by Buried in Smoke, who announced it thusly:

Monomyth (NL) UK Tour

Buried in Smoke are proud to present: MONOMYTH (NL) (Suburban Records)

Monomyth is a journey in sound, a psychedelic space/kraut rock journey designed to transport their audience to another state of being…

Hailing from the Hague in The Netherlands, the intention was for Monomyth to be an instrumental rock band. The members also wanted to present their music as a total experience, a collective statement from five very diverse people which include a producer, a sound technician, a monitor mixer, a lighting engineer, a DJ and a sonologist.

MONOMYTH will drag you inside their cosmic playground. Enter an arena where there is no more time or space, simply the vacuum in which communication is operated on a higher level. You can enter in two ways . . . simply by closing your eyes and letting the instrumental music transport you, or with eyes wide open as you descend into the mind staggering light show.

Tour dates:

Thurs 19th Feb – The Moon Club, Cardiff
Fri 20th Feb – Tbc, Oxford
Sat 21st Feb – The Anvil, Bournemouth
Sun 22nd Feb – tbc
Mon 23rd Feb – The Macbeth, London
Tues 24th Feb – The Compass, Chester
Wed 25th Feb – Alfie Birds, Birmingham
Thurs 26th Feb – Bannermans, Edinburgh
Fri 27th Feb – tbc

http://www.monomyththeband.com/
https://www.facebook.com/events/653292731450210/

Monomyth, Further (2014)

Years from now, when some unfortunate soul is putting together a comprehensive history of European heavy psychedelia, Dutch power trio Orange Sunshine will be one of a select few acts complicating the narrative. Similar to the manner in which their chief point of influence, Blue Cheer (who were also named after a kind of acid), forces those who’d look beyond the simplistic “Black Sabbath invented heavy metal” to broaden their horizons, so too does Orange Sunshine show that not all Euro-retro grooving began with Norrsken in Sweden or On Trial in Denmark. Orange Sunshine got their start kicking around Den Haag circa 1999, and released their debut, Homo Erectus, in 2001, following it up with Love = Acid, Space = Hell two years later, both albums released through Motorwolf Records with reissue through Leaf Hound. The three-piece of drummer/vocalist Guy Tavares, guitarist Arthur van Berkel and bassist Mehdi Rouchiche issued their third outing, Bullseye of Being, via the same labels in 2006/2007, but have produced little studio material since — just a couple singles.

In late 2013, Who Can You Trust? pressed a tape of their 2007 set from Roadburn (they also played in 2010), and just last month, Lay Bare Recordings followed suit with a vinyl of Orange Sunshine recorded at last year’s Freak Valley festival in Germany. The aptly-titled Live at Freak Valley 2013 is presented, even digitally, on two sides, and captures Orange Sunshine‘s ’60s loyalist heavy garage psych groove with a marked flow and thorough looseness. Each side tops a little over 20 minutes but meets a fuzz quota for probably twice that, Tavares‘ vocals cutting through in soulful, bluesy madman shouts. Rouchiche carries a lot of the weight on bass, holding together jams that seem to send van Berkel on solo explorations, but as a whole, the three-piece wind up as tight as one might hope for a dynamic act who’ve been at it for roughly a decade and a half, despite the swing in the songs themselves. Side A includes the opening jam that was their warmup before their time actually started, takes on All Saved Freak Band‘s “All Across the Nation,” and The 31 Flavors‘ “Distortions of Darkness,” and side B boasts Lincoln Street Exit‘s “Straight Shootin’ Man,” Sam and Dave‘s “I Thank You” (co-written by Isaac Hayes)  “Rock Me Baby” — which Blue Cheer also did — and the Rolling Stones‘ “Gimme Shelter.” The latter closes out in jammed fashion, and each is given Orange Sunshine‘s own stamp and stomp along the way, fitting smoothly with the original “Did You Tell the Woman?,” which to-date hasn’t been included on an Orange Sunshine LP.

The vinyl version of the album is just about gone (Lay Bare sold their yellow-platter version, the band has some regular copies left), but Orange Sunshine have made it available digitally through their Bandcamp, and while it’s not a new studio offering and the fact that it’s at least almost entirely covers doesn’t make me think a new one is on the way anytime soon, it still sounds like a psychedelic garage freakout and I wouldn’t ask more of it than that. Check out Live at Freak Valley 2013 now as part of the 24/7 stream on The Obelisk Radio or sample its two sides on the player below and see what you’ve been missing by not tuning in and dropping out:

Orange Sunshine, Live at Freak Valley 2013 (2014)

Orange Sunshine on Thee Facebooks

Live at Freak Valley vinyl from Orange Sunshine

Lay Bare Recordings

One week from today, on Sept. 16, Dutch progressive heavy rockers Monomyth will release their self-titled debut LP on Burning World Records. The album (review here) is rife with patient builds, playing off synth and programming textures from Peter van der Meer and Tjerk Stoop while the alternately ambient and crunch-riffing guitars of Thomas van den Reydt run wild over the steady foundations of bassist Selwyn Slop and drummer Sander Evers. Melody is constant, the mood is progressive and contemplative, but celebratory, and whether they’re rooted in a plotted-seeming jam or spacing out into parts unknown, Monomyth retain their sense of control across the span of the album’s five extended tracks without sacrificing a feeling of vitality or ever losing sight of their overall purpose. It’s an impressive debut.

Evers‘ tenure in 35007, who worked off some of the same ideas but ultimately in a much different way — still instrumental heavy prog, but theirs was more rooted specifically in stoner rock than the new Den Haag five-piece comes off as being — should lend the band notoriety to anyone who may have heard that act. A sort of dog-whistle for the familiar. But Monomyth are quick to show a personality of their own, and ultimately come out having more in common with the smooth productions of My Sleeping Karma than Evers‘ prior outfit, and opening cut “Vanderwaalskrachten” goes a long way in showing why. A slow, atmospheric start leads to a gradual build not comprised of predictable changes from measure to measure but of an overarching progression — more the tide coming in than a dam being breached — and though there’s a moment when it “takes off,” it does so naturally, giving up none of the fluidity established earlier on as it continues to solidify around a potent, engaging groove.

And don’t be fooled, because when you think “Vanderwaalskrachten” — its Dutch name referring to the bonds between electrons and what attracts one charge to another, positive and negative — has hit its peak, that’s still yet to come. Keys step to the fore in jazz fusion style but a cacophony of hits and wailing leads ensues, and Monomyth cap the 11:41 track with circumstance enough to make the beginning of their first record among its most righteous highlights.

With thanks to the band and Burning World Records, I have the pleasure today of featuring “Vanderwaalskrachten” for streaming ahead of the release next week. Please check it out on the player below and enjoy:

[mp3player width=480 height=150 config=fmp_jw_widget_config.xml playlist=monomyth.xml]

Monomyth‘s Monomyth is due out Sept. 16, 2013 on Burning World Records. More info at the links below:

Although at its most expansive, Monomyth‘s Monomyth ranges well into a cosmos of Krautrock-infused progadelia, there isn’t one moment of the album that feels like happenstance. Rather, the den Haag instrumental five-piece put an immediate sense of purpose into their Burning World Records self-titled debut — which is bound as well to grab extra attention owing to the involvement of drummer Sander Evers, formerly of Dutch heavy psych groundbreakers 35007 — and each of the five extended cuts on the 57-minute outing offers a complete individual journey while also flowing directly one to the next, so that the whole of the album is built up around these at times breathtakingly cohesive parts. The exception to that rule of flow is the 17-minute closer, “Huygens,” which comes on following silence at the end of the penultimate “Loch Ness,” but even that seems to have been a conscious decision on the part of the band — Evers on drums, Selwyn Slop on bass, Thomas van den Reydt on guitar, Peter van der Meer on keys and Tjerk Stoop credited with “synthesis and processing” in the album’s liner, which I assume means laptop — and certainly “Huygens” doesn’t detract from the overall liquidity of Monomyth for its slow fade in from the aforementioned silence, only adding to it a grand payoff patiently built toward that justifies the song’s position as the finale without losing sight of the progressive vibe. One could spend a lifetime immersed in the heavy prog spectrum of the early and mid ’70s, and I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that one or more of the members of Monomyth has, but in truly progressive form, the production here is modern-sounding to its very core. Modern-sounding, but not over-produced, it’s worth pointing out, and Monomyth walk just as careful a line in their presentation of their self-titled as they do in the intricate sense of composition and technicality that rests at the core of “Vanderwaalskrachten” (11:26), “Vile Vortices” (8:28), “The Groom Lake Engine” (10:06), “Loch Ness” (10:24) and “Huygens” (17:04) — all the titles coming together to blend into a theme of something unknown, scientific and otherworldly.

Whichever came first, those titles or the songs themselves, the pieces are clearly meant to be taken in a complete listen with how each feeds into the one following. Still, there doesn’t seem to be a narrative at work across them, or at least not in the sense of “Jack runs here, Jack goes there.” “Vanderwaalskrachten” begins with sparse guitar and synth hum, setting up a swirl and lushness of sound that will prove almost constant but for a few purposeful moments of minimalism. Setting a patient tone, the drums kick in around two minutes in with the bass and the dynamic at the core of Monomyth‘s Monomyth is established; the rhythm section holds pieces together so that the guitar, keys and other elements are free to explore, which they do, again, not without a pervasive sense of purpose. The initial impression is similar in its smoothness and moody underpinnings to Germany’s My Sleeping Karma, but as “Vanderwaalskrachten” — named for the attractions between molecules and intermolecular forces — hits a pre-midpoint peak of heavy guitar riffing later to reemerge as a kind of instrumental chorus, it’s that much clearer that the band haven’t yet played their entire hand. A solo follows topping space rock pulsations and carries into a quiet bridge marked out by some funky organ work, only to find that chorus return again late in the track, giving all the more an impression of structure. Actually, “Vanderwaalskrachten” winds up rather traditional at its heart, just presented in a much different form than a phrase like “verse/chorus structure” might conjure in the mind of the listener. Likewise careful not to get underway too quickly, “Vile Vortices” — aka the Devil’s Graveyards; the Bermuda Triangle, Indus Valley, Algerian Megaliths, et. al. — unfolds to Floydian leads punctuated by xylophone-sounding percussion given flourish by jazzy keys before bass and organ introduce the crux of the build, Evers holding steady on drums behind. Those leads return, but structurally, “Vile Vortices” is different from its predecessor, more linear, and after five minutes in, it breaks to introduce a heavier riff that acts as the foundation for the build over the remainder of the track, which rounds out with a drone leading right into “The Groom Lake Engine,” the  centerpiece of Monomyth.

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12:05AM: City Hotel, Tilburg, The Netherlands: You know, before the day started (and by day, I mean the show, which started at 4PM), I didn’t think it was too ambitious a plan to review all of the Afterburner special post-Roadburn event in one sitting. “Nah, I can handle it,” I said with confidence that only my first shots of caffeine since last Wednesday could have given me. “No problem.”

Well, the thing is that Afterburner, while not quite as intense to witness as Roadburn itself because it only runs on two, not four, stages at the 013, is still a great deal of show. Even in this allegedly more laid-back setting of just the Green Room and the Bat Cave, I found myself unable to see absolutely everything, leaving me once again to pick my battles. This is not a complaint. I want to make that perfectly clear. It’s like trying to choose what to see at the Met in New York. Pretty much whatever direction you head in, you’re gonna see some cool shit, but to do it all in one day can’t be done.

In other words, bear with me. This could be a while.

Jex Thoth opened in the Green Room at 4PM. For a nifty comparison, I’ll put their opening slot today in contrast with Death Row‘s yesterday in the main hall. You know those Windows 7 commercials where they take the already exceptionally good-looking people and they all start talking about how they thought of Windows 7, and then it cuts to a dream sequence of even more cartoonish exceptionally good-looking people? That’s like the jump from Death Row, who already ruled, to Jex Thoth, who were good at what they were doing, but a little silly at the same time.

I don’t know. I didn’t get into the set. The music was cool, I guess, but nothing really mind-boggling, and I just have a hard time taking some cult-ish rock seriously. I seemed to be the only one.

When they were done, Orange Sunshine‘s late-’60s obsessed garage psychedelic rock was a refreshing change of pace and a nod to the stoner rock purist set, who surely appreciated the lack of posturing. I know I did. I had to chuckle though at how much one of their riffs reminded me of Blue Cheer‘s version of “The Hunter,” but I’d soon learn just how honestly they come by it, since after an extended heavy jam on The Rolling Stones‘ “Gimme Shelter,” drummer/vocalist/Euro-Chong lookalike Guy Tavares shouted out their set to the memory of Dickie Peterson, then they closed with “Summertime Blues” and “Rock Me Baby,” in that order. There’s a word for that, and that word is “charm.”

And I’ll pause here for a quick side note. Nachtmystium played this fest. Where else in the world are you going to have the opportunity to see Nachtmystium and Orange Sunshine in the same building? These kinds of things only exist at Roadburn.

Church of Misery continued their assault on common decency with their set, playing mostly the same stuff as Friday when they were on the main stage, but killing nonetheless for the smaller capacity venue that is the Green Room. Hell, I’m relatively certain Walter could have had Church of Misery play the same songs every four days in a different room and people would have migrated from one stage to the other to see them again. It’s not a chance that comes up every day, and watching guitarist Tom Sutton do his stoner rock softshoe while vocalist Yoshiakki Negishi pretends to shoot people in the crowd — well shucks, my eyes get all misty just thinking about it.

Having seen them three times now over the last two years (all Roadburn performances), I can say they haven’t yet put out a studio record that captures just how heavy they actually are in a live setting. Houses of the Unholy came close, but the sheer volume they wield might be too powerful for modern recording technology. In this way, they are truly ahead of their time. As for their riffs, I think we all know they fall under the heading, “born too late,” which is just fine.

It was almost cruel to have to witness them do it, but Sweden‘s Graveyard followed in a sonic twist that came on like a big break between Church of Misery and Eyehategod. No complaints, it’s just not really my thing at this point. But hey, if you like skinny Swedish dudes with expensive equipment, vintage t-shirts and tight flannels, ’70s mustaches and hair looking like something off an Allman Brothers album cover, playing the rock and roll their dads probably listened to, then have I got a band for you.

To be fair, they were incredibly tight across the board, and the Green Room was so crowded that for most of the set, the only vantage point I had was through the doorway. It’s like there was a sign outside saying, “Must Be this Cool to Enter” with a line drawn under some guy with bellbottoms’ ‘stache as a measure. I’m nowhere near that cool, so I got some falafel and waited for Eyehategod. Things could have been worse.

I never fail to be surprised that I’m not the world’s biggest Eyehategod fan. According to my records, I own all of theirs (which isn’t saying much since they haven’t put out a full-length in a decade), but if you were to ask me to name six Eyehategod songs, I don’t think I could do it. Well, maybe six, but probably not 10. And I’ve dug it every time I’ve seen them, tonight included. They were fucking great, but in terms of what I listen to on a given afternoon, I’ll rarely reach for Eyehategod while sitting on the porch and sipping a beer.

A fun note; when bassist Gary Mader broke a string, vocalist Mike Williams, guitarist Brian Patton and drummer Joe LaCaze did a quick couple songs under the moniker of their “side-project,” Fuckmouth, and I managed to catch it on video, which you can see below.

Williams was good and fucked up tonight. When he came out on stage, I said to myself, “This looks like a guy who’s going to fall over at some point during his set,” and sure enough — toward the end, to his credit — he went backwards into LaCaze‘s drums. Where was Jimmy Bower in all this? Over up front on stage right, mostly in the dark, playing to the crowd. Kicking ass like he will.

Eyehategod was a good note to end Roadburn on. A slow, rung out, feedbacked note that seemed to last even after the amps were shut off. But being the greedy son of a bitch I am, I wanted to see what Dutch locals The Machine were doing in the Bat Cave, so I meandered in the middle of Eyehategod‘s set into the other room, only to find the young trio jamming out heavy Colour Haze style with vocalist/guitarist David Eering throwing in some “Stone Free” and not sounding like a complete jackass while doing it, which is nothing short of an astonishing feat for so junior and so caucasian a player.

Jamming is apparently their thing, but they do it well, and have two records out already with a third written and are looking for a label. I can’t imagine one of the sundry European heavy rock labels wouldn’t be interested given the opportunity. I know I would.

But alas, I only caught their last two songs — both jams — and they were done, so I went back to the Green Room to close out the night and the fest with Eyehategod. They slammed their way through an astonishing amount of material, and I’m pretty sure I heard Williams at one point start singing Pantera‘s “I’m Broken,” though it could have just been a coincidence of cadence. In any case, good times, and when it was done, I split out on the quick (no afterparties for my unfriendly ass) and came back here to write about it, stopping only for some pommes frites along the way.

This review is long enough, so I’ll save any grand reflections on Roadburn for another time under the consideration that even the most interested of Obelisk attendees has failed to make it this far (I don’t take it personally). My plan for tomorrow is to get up, be out of here by 11AM checkout and head — where else? — to Schiphol airport in Amsterdam to see when and if I can reschedule my flight. The Patient Mrs. says it might not be until next weekend, but I need to go in-person anyway since British Airways‘ sundry hotlines and website have proven useless in this volcanic clusterfuck. I expect to spend a good deal of time waiting on line only to find out nothing, but these are the things we have to do, aren’t they? That’s a small price to pay for the weekend I just had.

And I’ll tell you something else: If I am stuck in Europe for another week, you bet your ass I’m getting my francophile self to Paris tout de suite. I’m pretty sure I’d be the first displaced American ever to do that. Ever. In the history of the world. Ever.

Until then…