Posted in Questionnaire on June 6th, 2023 by JJ Koczan
The Obelisk Questionnaire is a series of open questions intended to give the answerer an opportunity to explore these ideas and stories from their life as deeply as they choose. Answers can be short or long, and that reveals something in itself, but the most important factor is honesty.
Based on the Proust Questionnaire, the goal over time is to show a diverse range of perspectives as those who take part bring their own points of view to answering the same questions. To see all The Obelisk Questionnaire posts, click here.
Thank you for reading and thanks to all who participate.
The Obelisk Questionnaire: Davide Chiari of The Lancasters
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How do you define what you do and how did you come to do it?
I am a producer who loves analog recording machines and their detailed and textured sound. This has become my job in 2014. The Lancasters’s idea came to me in 2018 before every band’s records but it definitely was the wet dream I’ve always been trying to bring to reality: the band which produces everything on tape making sessions in which the band itself produces during rehearsals.
Describe your first musical memory.
Me stealing my sister’s guitar – which she wasn’t playing at all – and trying to play it looking for weird but pleasant tunings.
Describe your best musical memory to date.
It was when I played for the first time facing a 2000 people audience in 2018.
When was a time when a firmly held belief was tested?
Definitely when I recorded the first time on tape and it seemed to work fine.
Where do you feel artistic progression leads?
It brings people to become either dumb or rich in new fictitious worlds you made come true by tunes you’ve been generating.
How do you define success?
I think of success everyday depicting it as the step you feel you made towards the right direction. To myself it is never definitive, you always must keep your thoughts focused on your actions, you confirm the shape of your art step by step, it is like the build-up of your inner self.
What is something you have seen that you wish you hadn’t?
WhatsApp tags and groups, Smartphones held above head for the entire concert, Right wing winning elections everywhere due to people’s fears.
Describe something you haven’t created yet that you’d like to create.
My dream is to build my own studio mixing desk.
What do you believe is the most essential function of art?
It is to become a vector of information through time, space and matter to express what nothing than a human’s conscience needs to share, like an example of either fantasy or reality protraction.
Something non-musical that you’re looking forward to?
I wish to build my country house farming and carving and cutting wood to make furniture, and of course my own branded mixing desk’s flanks and tops.
Here we go day four of the Quarterly Review. I would love to tell you it’s been easy-breezy this week. That is not the case. My kid is sick, my wife is tired of my bullshit, and neither of them is as fed up with me as I am. Nonetheless, we persist. Some day, maybe, we’ll sit down and talk about why. Today let’s keep it light, hmm?
And of course by “light” I mean very, very heavy. There’s some of that in the batch of 10 releases for today, and a lot of rock to go along, so yes, another day in the QR. I hope you find something you dig. I snuck in a surprise or two.
Quarterly Review #31-40:
Dorthia Cottrell, Death Folk Country
Crafted for texture, Death Folk Country finds Windhand vocalist Dorthia Cottrell exploring sounds that would be minimal if not for the lushness of the melodies placed over them. Her first solo offering since 2015 runs 11 tracks and feels substantial at a manageable 42 minutes as delivered through Relapse Records. The death comes slow and soft, the folk is brooding and almost resistant in its Americana traditionalism, and the country is vast and atmospheric, and all three are present in a release that’s probably going to be called ethereal because of layering or vocal reverb but in fact is terrestrial like dry dirt. The seven-minute “Family Annihilator” is nigh on choral, and e-bow or some such droner element fills out the reaches of “Hell in My Water,” expanding on the expectation of arrangement depth set up by the chimes and swells that back “Harvester” after the album’s intro. That impulse makes Death Folk Country kin to some of earlier Wovenhand — thinking Blush Music or Consider the Birds; yes, I acknowledge the moniker similarity between Windhand and Wovenhand and stand by the point as regards ambience — and a more immersive listen than it would otherwise be, imagining future breadth to be captured as part of the claims made in the now. Do I need to say that I hope it’s not 2031 before she does a third record?
It’s been a quick — read: not quick — five years since Italian heavy rockers Fvzz Popvli released their second album, Magna Fvzz (review here), through Heavy Psych Sounds. Aptly titled, III is the third installment, and it’s got all the burner soloing, garage looseness and, yes, the fvzz one would hope, digging into a bit of pop-grunge on “The Last Piece of Shame,” setting a jammy expectation in the “Intro” mirrored in “Outro” with percussion, and cool-kid grooving on “Monnoratzo,” laced with hand-percussion and a bassline so thick it got made fun of in school and never lived down the trauma (a tragedy, but it rules just the same). “Post Shit” throws elbows of noise all through your favorite glassware, “20 Cent Blues” slogs out its march true to the name and “Tied” is brash even compared to what’s around it. Only hiccup so far as I can tell is “Kvng Fvzz,” which starts with a Charlie Chan-kind of guitar line and sees the vocals adopt a faux Chinese accent that’s well beyond the bounds of what one might consider ‘ill-advised.’ Cool record otherwise, but that is a significant misstep to make on a third LP.
San Diegan riffslingers Formula 400 come roaring back with their sophomore long-player, Divination, following three (long) years behind 2020’s Heathens (review here), bringing in new drummer Lou Voutiritsas for a first appearance alongside guitarist/vocalists Dan Frick and Ian Holloway and bassist Kip Page. With a clearer, fuller recording, the solos shine through, the gruff vocals are well-positioned in the mix (not buried, not overbearing), and even as they make plays for the anthemic in “Kickstands Up,” “Rise From the Fallen” and closer “In Memoriam,” the lack of pretense is one of the elements most fortunately carried over from the debut. “Rise From the Fallen” is the only cut among the nine to top five minutes, and it fills its time with largesse-minded riffing and a hook born out of ’90s burl that’s a good distance from the shenanigans of opener “Whiskey Bent” or the righteous shove of the title-track. They’re among the best of the Ripple Music bands not yet actually signed to the label, with an underscored C.O.C. influence in “Divination” and the calmer “Bottomfeeder,” while “In Memoriam” filters ’80s metal epics through ’70s heavy and ’20s tonal weight and makes the math add up. Pretty dudely, but so it goes with dudes, and dudes are gonna be pretty excited about it, dude.
Each of the two intended sides of Abanamat‘s self-titled debut saves its longest song for its respective ending, with “Voidgazer” (8:25) capping side A and “Night Walk” (9:07) working a linear build from silence all the way up to round out side B and the album as a whole. Mostly instrumental save for those two longer pieces, the German four-piece recorded live with Richard Behrens at Big Snuff and in addition to diving back into the beginnings of the band in opener “Djinn,” they offer coherent but exploratory, almost-Uncle–Acidic-in-its-languidity fuzz on “Thunderbolt of Flaming Wisdom,” growing near-prog in their urgency with it on the penultimate “Amdest” but never losing the abiding mellow spirit that manifests out of the ether as “Night Walk” rounds out the album with synth and keys and guitar in a jazzy for-a-walk meander as the band make their way into a fuller realization of classic prog elements, enhanced by a return of the vocals after five minutes in. They’re there just about through the end, and fit well, but it demonstrates that Abanamat even on their debut have multiple avenues in which they might work and makes their potential that much greater, since it’s a conscious choice to include singing on a song or not rather than just a matter of no one being able to sing. The way they set it up here would get stale after a couple more records, but one hopes they continue to develop both aspects of their sonic persona, as any need to choose between them is imaginary.
Led by nine-string bassist Frédérick “ChaotH” Filiatrault (ex-Unexpect), Montreal four-piece Vvon Dogma I are a progressive metal whirlwind, melodic in the spirit of post-return Cynic but no less informed by death metal, djent, rock, electronic music and beyond, the 10-song/45-minute self-released debut, The Kvlt of Glitch confidently establishes its methodology in “The Void” at the outset and proceeds through a succession marked by hairpin turns, stretches of heavy groove like the chorus of “Triangles and Crosses” contrasted by furious runs, dance techno on “One Eye,” melody not at all forgotten in the face of all the changes in rhythm, meter, the intermittently massive tones, and so on. Yes, the bass features as it inevitably would, but with the precision drumming of Kevin Alexander, Yoan MP‘s backflipping guitar and the synth and strings (at the end) of Blaise Borboën (also credited with production), a sound takes shape that feels like it could have been years in the making. Mind you I don’t know that it was or wasn’t, but Vvon Dogma I lead the listener through the lumbering mathematics of “Lithium Blue,” a cover of Radiohead‘s “2+2=5” and the grand finale “The Great Maze” with a sense of mastery that’s almost unheard of on what’s a first record even from experienced players. I don’t know where it fits and I like that about it, and in those moments where I’m so overwhelmed that I feel like my brain is on fire, this seems to answer that.
Two sprawling slow-burners populate the self-titled debut from UK three-piece Orme. Delivered through Trepanation Recordings as a two-song 2LP, Orme deep-dives into ambient psych, doom, drone and more besides in “Nazarene” (41:58) and “Onward to Sarnath” (53:47), and obviously each one is an album unto itself. Guitarist/vocalist Tom Clements, bassist Jimmy Long (also didgeridoo) and drummer Luke Thelin — who’s also listed as contributing ‘silence,’ which is probably a joke, but open space actually plays a pretty large role in the impression Orme make — make their way into a distortion-drone-backed roller jam on “Nazarene,” some spoken vocals from Clements along the way that come earlier and more proclamatory in “Onward to Sarnath” to preface the instrumental already-gone out-there-ness as well as throat singing and other vocalizations that mark the rest of the first half-hour-plus, a heavy psych jam taking hold to close out around 46 minutes with a return of distortion and narrative after, like an old-style hidden track. It’s fairly raw, but the gravitational singularity of Orme‘s two forays into the dark are ritualistic without being cartoonishly cult, and feel as much about their experience playing as the listener’s hearing. In that way, it is a thing to be shared.
The UK-based experimentalist psych collaboration between Fred Laird (Earthling Society) and Mike Vest (Bong, et al) yields a third long-player as The Gateless Gate finds the duo branching out in the spirit of their 2021 self-titled and last year’s Pancosmology (review here) with instrumentalist flow and a three-dimensional sound bolstered by the various delays, organ, synth, and so on. Atop an emergent backbeat from Laird, “Twilight Chorus” (16:13) runs a linear trajectory bound toward the interstellar in an organic jam that comes apart before 12 minutes in and gives over to church organ and sampled chants soon to be countermanded by howls of guitar and distortion. Takest thou that. The B-side, “Sound of Desolation” (19:55), sets forth with a synthy wash that gives over to viol drone courtesy of Martin Ash, a gong hit marking the shift into a longform psych jam with a highlight bassline and an extended journey into hypnotics with choral keys (maybe?) arriving in the second half as the guitar begins to space out, fuzz soloing floating over a drone layer, the harder-hit drums having departed save for some residual backward/forward cymbal hits in the slow comedown. The world’s never going to be on their level, but Laird and Vest are warriors of the cosmos, and as their work to-date has shown, they have bigger fish to fry than are found on planet earth.
What a show to preserve. Heavy Petal Music, while frustrating in that it’s new Rainbows Are Free and not a follow-up to 2019’s Head Pains, but as the Norman, Oklahoma, six-piece’s first outing through Ripple Music, the eight-song/43-minute live LP captures their first public performance in the post-pandemic era, and the catharsis is palpable in “Come” and “Electricity on Wax” early on and holds even as they delve into the proggier “Shapeshifter” later on, the force of their delivery consistent as they draw on material from across their three studio LPs unremitting even as their dynamic ranges between a piano-peppered bluesy swing and push-boogie like “Cadillac” and the weighted nod of “Sonic Demon” later on. The performance was at the 2021 Summer Breeze Music Festival in their hometown (not to be confused with the metal fest in Germany) and by the time they get down to the kickdrum surge backing the fuzzy twists of “Crystal Ball” — which doesn’t appear on any of their regular albums — the allegiance to Monster Magnet is unavoidable despite the fact that Rainbows Are Free have their own modus in terms of arrangements and the balance between space, psych, garage and heavy rock in their sound. Given Ripple‘s distribution, Heavy Petal Music will probably be some listeners’ first excursion with Rainbows Are Free. Somehow I have to imagine the band would be cool with that.
It’s the marriage of complexity and heft, of melody and nod, that make Slowenya‘s “Angel Raised Wolves” so effective. Moving at a comfortable tempo on the drums of Timo Niskala, the song marks out a presence with tonal depth as well as a sense of space in the vocals of guitarist/synthesist Jan Trygg. They break near the midpoint of the 6:39 piece and reemerge with a harder run through the chorus, bassist Tapani Levanto stepping in with backing vocals before a roar at 4:55 precedes the turn back to the original hook, reinforcing the notion that there’s been a plan at work the whole time. An early glimpse at the Finnish psych-doom trio’s next long-player, “Angel Raised Wolves” comes paired with the shorter “Horizontal Loops,” which drops its chugging riff at the start as though well aware of the resultant thud. A tense verse opens to a chorus pretty and reverbed enough to remind of Fear Factory‘s earlier work before diving into shouts and somehow-heavier density. Growls, or some other kind of noise — I’m honestly not sure — surfaces and departs as the nod builds to an an aggressive head, but again, they turn back to where they came from, ending with the initial riff the crater from which you can still see right over there. The message is plain: keep an ear out for that record. So yes, do that.
Let’s start with what’s obvious and say that Elkhorn‘s four-song On the Whole Universe in All Directions, which is executed entirely on vibraphone, acoustic 12-string guitar, and drums and other percussion, is not going to be for everybody. The New York duo of Drew Gardner (said vibraphone and drums) and Jesse Sheppard (said 12-string) bring a particularly jazzy flavor to “North,” “South,” “East” and “West,” but there are shades of exploratory Americana in “South” that follow the bouncing notes of the opener, and “East” dares to hint at sitar with cymbal wash behind and rhythmic contrast in the vibraphone, a meditative feel resulting that “West” continues over its 12 minutes, somewhat ironically more of a raga than “East” despite being where the sun sets. Cymbal taps and rhythmic strums and that strike of the vibraphone — Elkhorn seem to give each note a chance to stand before following it with the next, but the 39-minute offering is never actually still or unipolar, instead proving evocative as it trades between shorter and longer songs to a duly gentle finish. Gardner formerly handled guitar, and I don’t know if this is a one-off, but as an experiment, it succeeds in bridging stylistic divides in a way that almost feels like showing off. Admirably so.
Posted in Questionnaire on March 14th, 2023 by JJ Koczan
The Obelisk Questionnaire is a series of open questions intended to give the answerer an opportunity to explore these ideas and stories from their life as deeply as they choose. Answers can be short or long, and that reveals something in itself, but the most important factor is honesty.
Based on the Proust Questionnaire, the goal over time is to show a diverse range of perspectives as those who take part bring their own points of view to answering the same questions. To see all The Obelisk Questionnaire posts, click here.
Thank you for reading and thanks to all who participate.
The Obelisk Questionnaire: Giorgio Natangeli of Fvzz Popvli
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How do you define what you do and how did you come to do it?
We do what elevates us the most, possibly the best thing we are able to do after breathing. Music is the life we have chosen. There is a moment when you are a kid, Music speaks to you in a certain way, and at some point you feel like your paths connect and bond strongly. Once it has happened, there’s no going back, it’s a life-long relationship.
Describe your first musical memory.
When I was a young kid, well before learning to play any instrument, on weekend mornings, my parents would put up some CDs on the stereo with their favorite music (classical, Italian songwriters, classic rock). It was such a joy to wake up listening to that kind of music, and to this day, those are the sounds of my childhood, and the foundation of my music culture.
Describe your best musical memory to date.
My first European tour with FVZZ POPVLI, back in 2017. It has been my first experience playing outside my country and was unbelievable. The amount of joy bringing your music to other people from different countries is a life changing experience. Coming back to Rome felt like the end of a beautiful dream.
When was a time when a firmly held belief was tested?
Being a musician, I’ve learnt that you should never hold a belief so firmly it incapacitates you to enjoy what’s around. Music, to me, is about being surprised, amazed by something you could never have expected. Being open and ready to be caught “off-guard” makes music and other artistic experiences so enjoyable and cathartic.
Where do you feel artistic progression leads?
To us, Art is both a language, and a craft. For an artist, making a living out of his/her ability to communicate with others is a primary need to fulfill. Over time, every experience lived by an artist will help him/her refine his/her craft, giving a powerful tool to achieve this goal.
How do you define success?
Success is being able to convey your message to the highest number of people. Art is a statement, so do not expect everyone to agree with you, but be honest to yourself and be the first to believe in what you do. It has nothing to do with money.
What is something you have seen that you wish you hadn’t?
Hate, Racism, Xenophobia, Homophobia, short-minded people seeing others as enemies and not as brothers or sisters.
Describe something you haven’t created yet that you’d like to create.
Maybe our next record hehe.
What do you believe is the most essential function of art?
Conveying a message. It is a powerful ability and can be (and definitely has been in the past) misused or abused. Art by itself isn’t good, nor evil, but the context in which it is used is critical. Using Art just to control people, to produce violence, to anesthetize minds, to make money, all of this is a crime. Art is a product of the artist and his/her will to communicate with the world, and cannot be turned against humanity itself.
Something non-musical that you’re looking forward to?
Friendship, seen as true relations between people, of all countries, all ethnicities. The way a human being is able to connect to others, is what makes us what we are, unique, wise, free.
Posted in Whathaveyou on September 2nd, 2022 by JJ Koczan
In late 2019, with fervent momentum on their side following two initial full-lengths and a swath of live activity, Roman heavy rockers Fvzz Popvli announced they were leaving Heavy Psych Sounds and signing to Retro Vox Records for their next, third album. At the time, guitarist/vocalist Francesco “Pootchie” Pucci had this to say:
“After 2 albums, 10 European tours, 50.000km and more than 200 shows in 11 EU countries… We must say STOP! Now it’s time to rest and have a bit of time for ourselves… But the best thing is that a new adventure is coming, we gonna enter in the studio for our 3rd album in the end of January! We are very excited to announce our new label for this release: RETROVOX RECORDS an Italian based Rock’n’roll label, Bye Heavy Psych Sounds, thanks for all you did! More news soon! “
Well, it’s entirely possible that that album was done by the end of January 2020, but as I recall, Italy was a roiling shitshow of covid spread and lockdown mandates. They had a live album out last year, and started playing again as much as possible in June 2021, but as to the record, could be done, could not be started yet. I’d be interested to find out which, if either, the case may be.
But if they’re getting back to it for real, Fvzz Popvli‘s upcoming run will take up much of the band’s October and is probably a good way to do it. If they have other things to sort out in the wake of two of the shittiest years in the century-plus since the first audio was ever recorded for playback, well, they’re hardly alone in that.
From the ol’ PR wire:
FVZZ POPVLI will be finally back in Europe for a 15 gigs tour in October! Retrovox Records & MMV Booking are glad to announce this tour, which will cross four countries: Italy, Austria, Germany, and Switzerland. Take a look at the following gigs list, on five of those we will have the pleasure to share the stage with CANNABINEROS from Berlin. Fellas stay tuned, this will be just an appetizer for what will come further!
06.10.2022 – I – Castelnuovo D’asola – Bolther’s Secret Show 07.10.2022 – Ch – Kreuzlingen – Horst Klub 08.10.2022 – Ch – Basel – Renee’ 09.10.2022 – Ch – La-Chaux-De-Fonds – Bikini Test 11.10.2022 – D – Bielefeld – Potemkin Bar 12.10.2022 – D – Finsterwalde – L86* 13.10.2022 – D – Dresden – Chemiefabrik* 14.10.2022 – D – Potsdam – Archiv* 15.10.2022 – D – Hamburg – Bar 227* 16.10.2022 – D – Tba 19.10.2022 – D – Trier – Lucky’s Luke 20.10.2022 – D – Mannheim – Juha Schonau 21.10.2022 – D – Rosenheim – Asta 22.10.2022 – a – Kufstein – Vibes 23.10.2022 – I – San Zenone Degli Ezzelini – Punky Reggae *shows with Cannabineros
FVZZ POPVLI ARE: FRANCESCO “POOTCHIE” PUCCI – Guitar and Voice (BEESUS, The Wisdoom) DATIO PALATIO – Bass (The Anthony’s Vinyls) George – Drums
Posted in Whathaveyou on January 8th, 2021 by JJ Koczan
I’ll spare you — this time — the diatribe about how crucial live albums have become in a time when live music itself feels like a thing of the past. Rome’s Fvzz Popvli traveled to Hamburg, Germany, in Sept. 2019 to support their 2018 second album, Magna Fvzz (review here), and the show was recorded. I’m sure when it happened they didn’t think much about it. There’s video as well, and you can see the set opener “Stamps are For… Smile” at the bottom of this post. The lesson here? If you’re in a band, document as much as you can. Recording sessions, rehearsals, demos, live shows, everything. Get as much as you can, because you never know when you’re going to want it.
Maybe never. Or maybe some crazy weird shit will happen all over the world and instead of releasing your third album and touring the whole year like you planned, you’ll be stuck at home in a quarantine situation. Bottom line is I bet Pootchie and company are pretty happy those cameras showed up to MS Stubnitz.
Release date is Jan. 29. Here’s PR wire info:
FVZZ POPVLI PROUDLY PRESENT: LIVE IN HAMBURG!
Fvzz Popvli are proud to announce the release for their first live album ever!
The world covid crisis unfortunately forced us to reschedule our 3rd album for an unknown date. We took the decision to release our first live album in a moment where live concerts aren’t possible, just to remind all of you how much live music is the fuel for our beloved scene.
Live in Hamburg: Eight killer tracks of our live concert produced by Desert Hazard Crew and recorded inside a fishing boat named MS Stubnitz, a legendary venue docked in the Nord Elbe river in Hamburg (D)! This live album will be a digital release exclusive for Bandcamp, coming out Friday the 29th of January 2021.
TRACK LIST Stamps Are For… Smile Hashish Mastvrbation White Fish Napoleon Lost In Time Shamother Rvmpeltvm
In the meantime enjoy the first “Live in Hamburg” video of Stamps Are For… Smile the second track of our first album “Fvzz Dei”.
Posted in Reviews on March 27th, 2020 by JJ Koczan
I’m not saying I backloaded the Quarterly Review or anything — because I didn’t — but maybe subconsciously I wanted to throw in a few releases here I had a pretty good idea I was gonna dig beforehand. Pretty much all of them, as it turned out. Not a thing I regret happening, though, again, neither was it something I did purposefully. Anyone see A Serious Man? In this instance, I’m happy to “accept the mystery” and move on.
Before we dive into the last day, of course I want to say thank you for reading if you have been. If you’ve followed along all week or this is the only post you’ve seen or you’re just here because I tagged your band in the post on Thee Facebooks, whatever it is, it is appreciated. Thank you. Especially given the global pandemic, your time and attention is highly valued.
Quarterly Review #41-50:
Ocean Chief, Den Tredje Dagen
The first Ocean Chief record in six years is nothing if not weighted enough to make up for anything like lost time. Also the long-running Swedish outfit’s debut on Argonauta Records, Den Tredje Dagen on CD/DL runs five songs and 59 minutes, and though it’s not without a sense of melody either instrumentally or vocally — certainly its guitars have plenty enough to evoke a sense of mournfulness at least — its primary impact still stems from the sheer heft of its tonality, and its tracks are of the sort that a given reviewer might be tempted to call “slabs.” They land accordingly, the longest of them positioned as the centerpiece “Dömd” seething with slower-Celtic Frost anxiety and the utter nastiness of its intent spread across 15-plus minutes of let-me-just-go-ahead-and-crush-that-for-you where “that” is everything and “no” isn’t taken for an answer. There’s respite in closer “Den Sista Resan” and the CD-bonus “Dimension 5,” but even these maintain an atmospheric severity consistent with what precedes them. One way or another, it is all fucking destroyed.
Come ye historians and classic heavy rockers. Come, reap what Rise Above Relics has sown. Though it’s hard sometimes not to think of the Rise Above Records imprint as label-honcho Lee Dorrian (ex-Cathedral, current With the Dead) picking out highlights from his own record collection — which is the stuff of legend — neither is that in any way a problem. Barnabus, who hailed and apparently on occasion still hail from the West Midlands in the UK, issued the Beginning to Unwind in 1972 as part of an original run that ended the next year. So it goes. Past its 10-minute jammy opener/longest track (immediate points) “America,” the new issue of Beginning to Unwind includes the LP, demos, live tracks, and no doubt assorted other odds and ends as well from Barnabus‘ brief time together. Songs like “The War Drags On” and “Resolute” are the stuff of ’70s-riff daydreams, while “Don’t Cry for Me My Lady” digs into proto-prog without losing its psych-folk inflection. I’m told the CD comes with a 44-page booklet, which only furthers the true archival standard of the release.
To those for whom Helen Money is a familiar entity, the arrival of a new full-length release will no doubt only be greeted with joy. The ongoing project of experimental cellist Alison Chesley, though the work itself — issued through Thrill Jockey as a welcome follow-up to 2016’s Become Zero (review here) — is hardly joyful. Coping with the universality of grief and notions of grieving-together with family, Chesley brings forth minimalism and electronics-inclusive stylstic reach in kind across the pulsating “Nemesis,” the periodic distortion of her core instrument jarring when it hits. She takes on a harp for “Coppe” and the effect is cinematic in a way that seems to find answer on the later “One Year One Ring,” after which follows the has-drums “Marrow,” but wherever Chesley goes on Atomic‘s 47 minutes, the overlay of mourning is never far off.
Belfast dual-guitar sludge five-piece Elder Druid return with seven tracks/39 minutes of ready punishment on their second album, Golgotha, answering the anger of 2017’s Carmina Satanae with densely-packed tones and grooves topped with near-universal harsh vocals (closer “Archmage” is the exception). What they’re playing doesn’t require an overdose of invention, with their focus is so much on hammering their riffs home, and certainly the interwoven leads of the title-track present some vision of intricacy for those who might demand it while also being punched in the face, and the transitional “Sentinel,” which follows,” brings some more doomly vibes ahead of “Vincere Vel Mori,” which revives the nod, “Dreadnought” has keys as well as a drum solo, and the penultimate “Paegan Dawn of Anubis” brings in an arrangement of backing vocals, so neither are they void of variety. At the feedback-soaked end of “Archmage,” Golgotha comes across genuine in its aggression and more sure of their approach than they were even just a couple years ago.
I know the whole world seems like it’s in chaos right now — mostly because it is — but go ahead and quote me on this: a band does not come along in 2020 and put out a record like Lost Orbiter and not get picked up by some label if they choose to be. Among 2020’s most promising debuts, it is progressive without pretense, tonally rich and melodically engaging, marked out by a poise of songcraft that speaks to forward potential whether it’s in the coursing leads of “Drake’s Equation” or the final slowdown/speedup of “Trappist-1” that smoothly shifts into the sample at the start of closer “Dead Space.” Mindcrawler‘s first album — self-recorded, no less — is modern cosmic-heavy brought to bear in a way that strikes such a balance between the grounded and the psychedelic that it should not be ignored, even in the massively crowded international underground from which they’re emerging. And the key point there is they are emerging, and that as thoughtfully composed as the six tracks/29 minutes of Lost Orbiter are, they only represent the beginning stages of what Mindcrawler might accomplish. If there is justice left, someone will release it on vinyl.
Michigan doom-death five-piece Temple of Void have pushed steadily toward the latter end of that equation over their now-three full-lengths, and though The World That Was (their second offering through Shadow Kingdom) is still prone to its slower tempos and is includes the classical-guitar interlude “A Single Obulus,” that stands right before “Leave the Light Behind,” which is most certainly death metal. Not arguing with it, as to do so would surely only invite punishment. The extremity only adds to the character of Temple of Void‘s work overall, and as “Casket of Shame” seems to be at war with itself, so too is it seemingly at war with whatever manner of flesh its working so diligently to separate from the bone. Across a still-brief 37 minutes, The World That Was — which caps with its most-excellently-decayed nine-minute title-track — harnesses and realizes this grim vision, and Temple of Void declare in no uncertain terms that no matter how they might choose to tip the scale on the balance of their sound, they are its master.
Lunar Swamp have spawned as a blusier-directed offshoot of Italian doomers Bretus of which vocalist Mark Wolf, guitarist/bassist Machen and drummer S.M. Ghoul are members, and sure enough, their debut single “Shamanic Owl,” fosters this approach. As the band aren’t strangers to each other, it isn’t such a surprise that they’d be able to decide on a sound and make it happen their first time out but the seven-minute roller — also the leadoff their first EP, UnderMudBlues, which is due on CD in June — also finds time to work in a nod to the central riff of Sleep‘s “Dragonaut” along with its pointed worship of Black Sabbath, so neither do they seems strictly adherent to a blues foundation, despite the slide guitar that works its way in at the finish. How the rest of the EP might play out need not be a mystery — it’s out digitally now — but as far as an introduction goes, “Shamanic Owl” will find welcome among those seeking comfort in the genre-familiar.
The nine-track/42-minute second LP, II, from Milano post-this-or-that five-piece Huge Molasses Tank Explodes certainly finds the band earning bonus points based on their moniker alone, but more than that, it is a work of reach and intricacy alike, finding the moment where New Wave emerged from out of krautrock’s fascination with synthesizer music and bring to that a psychedelic shimmer that is too vintage-feeling to be anything other than modern. It is laid back enough in its overarching affect that “The Run” feels dreamy, most especially in its guitar lines, but never is it entirely at rest, and both the centerpiece “No One” and the later “So Much to Lose” help continue the momentum that “The Run” manages so fluidly to build in a manner one might liken to space rock were the implication of strict adherence to stylistic guidelines so implicit in that categorization. They present this nuance with a natural-seeming sense of craft and in “High or Low,” a fuzzy tone that feels like only a welcome windfall. Those who can get their head around it should seek to do so, and kudos to Huge Molasses Tank Explodes for being more than just a clever name.
Set to release through Heavy Psych Sounds on the same day as the new album from his main outfit The Sonic Dawn, The Black Spider/Det Kollective Selvmord is the debut solo album from Copenhagen-based singer-songwriter and guitarist Emile Bureau, who has adopted his first name as his moniker of choice. Fair enough for the naturalism and intended intimacy of the 11-track/39-minute outing, which indeed splits itself between portions in English and in Danish, sounding likewise able to bring together sweet melodies in both. Edges of distortion in “Bundlos” and some percussion in the second half’s title-track give a semblance of arrangement to the LP, but at the core is Emile himself, his vocals and guitar, and that’s clearly the purpose behind it. Where The Sonic Dawn often boast a celebratory feel, The Black Spider/Det Kollective Selvmord is almost entirely subdued, and its expressive sensibility comes through regardless of language.
Sonic restlessness! “Fire Dome” begins with a riffy rush, “Forever Zero” vibes out on low end and classic swing, the title-track feels like an Endless Boogie jam got lost in the solar system, “Celestial Tunnel” is all-thrust until it isn’t at all, “Blind Faith” is an acoustic interlude, and “Dark Matter” is a punk song. Because god damn, of course it is. It is little short of a miracle Saturno Grooves make their second album, Cosmic Echoes as remarkably cohesive as it is, yet through it all they hold fast to class and purpose alike, and from its spacious outset to its bursting finish, there isn’t a minute of Cosmic Echoes that feels like happenstance, even though they’re obviously following one impulse after the next in terms of style. Heavy (mostly) instrumentalism that works actively not to be contained. Out among the echoes, Saturno Grooves might just be finding their own wavelength.
Posted in Whathaveyou on December 6th, 2019 by JJ Koczan
As Rome’s Fvzz Popvli round out what was a pretty successful year supporting their 2018 album, Magna Fvzz (review here) — most recently on a Fall tour produced by Heavy Psych Sounds — they’re announcing a new label home for what will be their third full-length. Pootchie Popvli & Co. will take their fuzzly — or is that fvzzly? — ways to Retro Vox Records, based out of Parma, in Italy, after taking a bit of time to catch their breath after touring and what was a pretty whirlwind couple of initial years for the band. I think their records were sleepers compared to some of Heavy Psych Sounds‘ higher profile releases, but they both delivered, the second even more than the first. No matter which outlet has its stamp on there, the third one will be something to look forward to, whenever it will happen along.
Retro Vox — who have worked in the past with countrymen Gorilla Pulp, Caronte, Whiskey Ritual, Da Captain Trips and others — and Pootchie both offered comment on the alliance:
Fvzz Popvli sign with Retro Vox Records!!!
Pootchie of Fvzz Popvli on the signing:
“After 2 albums, 10 European tours, 50.000km and more than 200 shows in 11 EU countries… We must say STOP! Now it’s time to rest and have a bit of time for ourselves… But the best thing is that a new adventure is coming, we gonna enter in the studio for our 3rd album in the end of January! We are very excited to announce our new label for this release: RETROVOX RECORDS an Italian based Rock’n’roll label, Bye Heavy Psych Sounds, thanks for all you did! More news soon! “
Carlo Izzo, A&R Retro Vox Records on the signing:
“I met Mr. Pootchie at Duna Jam years ago and soon was a blast. We had a lot of fun. Even if the band was under licence with another label I always try to help ’em with booking and with suggestions on production. That’s why I think this is a sort of natural transition.”
FVZZ POPVLI ARE: FRANCESCO “POOTCHIE” PUCCI – Guitar and Voice (BEESUS,The Wisdoom) DATIO PALATIO – Bass (The Anthony’s Vinyls) George – Drums
