Right from the opening track, “Flustrated,” it’s clear Dali’s Llama are having fun with their latest offering, Howl Do You Do? (released through their own Dali’s Llama Records). Maybe after eight records of straight up desert rock, the Zach Huskey-led Palm Springs, California, outfit decided it was time to try something else – and who could blame them for that? They’ve been kicking out fuzzy jams with such regularity that the routine was bound to wear them down, so a turn to garage rock and horror punk is probably just what the band needed to shake things up. A lot of their bluesy core is still in tact, but if all you know of Dali’s Llama is what they’ve done the last several years – records like Sweet Sludge, Full on Dunes and Raw is Real – Howl Do You Do? is bound to be something of a surprise.

The organ features heavily on songs like “She’s My Halloween” and “Flash Flood, Flash Flood,” played by Mikael Jacobson, who joins Zach, bassist Erica Huskey, guitarist Joe Dillon and drummer Craig Brown (all of whom also contribute backing vocals), but I tend to return more to the piano-laced sounds of the title track, which has a more blues-driven feel to it than the camp spookiness of the horror punk material. Just a personal preference. Huskey’s songwriting, probably the central driving force within Dali’s Llama, is strong as ever, though it should be noted the structures of the songs haven’t really changed so much from the band’s last couple full-lengths, just the genre play. It’s like Dali’s Llama have put on a costume – a Halloween costume, appropriately enough. Underneath, they’re still who they are, but they’re playing the part of a garage horror punk band for an album. Howl Do You Do? was probably a lot of fun to make.

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I think when the smoke clears over the next decade or so, we’re going to see a lot of bands come down the line who cite Colour Haze as an influence. The German heavy psych trio have left an indelible mark on underground rock over the course of their 15-plus years together, and though they’ve all but disavowed their earliest works — albums like 1995’s Chopping Machine, 1998’s Seven and the 2000’s CO2 are all out of print and quite rare (though 1999’s Periscope was reissued on guitarist/vocalist Stefan Koglek‘s Elektrohasch Schallplatten imprint in 2003) — their latter-day material has made for incredible depth of listening and the strength of their playing continues to reach new heights.

So where to start? First, let it be said that the entire available discography is exceptional. 2008’s All was my favorite album of that year, and 2003’s Los Sounds de Krauts is nothing short of miraculous. You might think it strange then that I’m going with 2006’s Tempel as my pick for newcomers.

It’s a question of exclusion. On 2001’s Ewige Blumekraft, Koglek, bassist Philip Rasthofer and drummer Manfred Merwald were still getting a feel for their sound. Los Sounds de Krauts, as I’ve said, is great, but it’s a double-CD, and might be too much to handle in terms of giving new listeners a full appreciation of what the band can do. Tempel‘s predecessor, the 2004 self-titled, is close, but the tracks aren’t as memorable.

And as for All, the only reason I didn’t pick that is because the album is better experienced if you’re already familiar with what the band has done before. It might be the best Colour Haze record to date (and I do include last year’s Burg Herzberg Live release in that), but you won’t know that unless you hear the others first — and especially hearing Tempel first, then going to All, I think that’s the best way to grasp how special Colour Haze really is. You get to hear the chemistry between Rasthofer, Merwald and Koglek and come to understand it’s really not all about the riffs, but about each instrument and how they play off each other. Perhaps even more important then where you get started is that you get started. Here’s Tempel opener “Aquamaria” to speed your way. Enjoy.

For the life of me, I don’t know how Boris manages to stay so prolific. For example, within the next two weeks, the core unit of the band will be playing shows not only as themselves (concluding a US/Canada tour), but also as collaborative outfits with the likes of SunnO))) and Ian Astbury of The Cult. We should all be blessed with such a work ethic. I can barely take out the garbage without feeling like the world owes me an ice cream sandwich.

The PR wire has the specifics as to how Boris continues to make us all look bad:

As Boris wrap up their latest month-long North American tour with two California shows this week, they’re also prepare to join forces with several allies for their upcoming live work with Altar and BXI performances scheduled in New York.

First up, Altar (comprised of SunnO))) and Boris as one group) will perform at the All Tomorrow’s Parties Festival in Monticello, New York alongside Sleep, Iggy & The Stooges, Sonic Youth and countless more in a massive outdoor space. Two days later Altar will make another appearance, this time alongside the first official performance of BXI (Boris and Ian Astbury of The Cult), which will all go down at the Brooklyn Masonic Temple, which has been unarguably dubbed “the loudest room in NYC,” and presented by All Tomorrow’s Parties and The Blackened Music Series.

The debut release from BXI is a four-song self-titled EP, which was released by Southern Lord on Aug. 17. The EP is quickly surprising fans of both The Cult and Boris, as well as journalists across the globe, and has listeners taking this new collaboration quite seriously, making this official first concert together an exceptionally special performance for the unit.

Live Performances:
Boris
8/26/2010 Great American Music Hall – San Francisco, CA w/ Red Sparowes, Helms Alee
8/27/2010 El Rey – Los Angeles, CA w/ Red Sparowes, Helms Alee
8/28/2010 The Glass House – Pomona, CA w/ Red Sparowes, Helms Alee
Altar
9/05/2010 ATP Fest – Monticello, NY w/ Sleep, The Stooges, Sonic Youth, more
Altar and BXI
9/07/2010 Brooklyn Masonic Temple – Brooklyn, NY w/ Jesse Sykes and the Sweet Hereafter

Los Angeles-based double-guitar five-piece Night Horse treat classic rock like it’s a pretty lady. They take it out do a nice dinner, they hold the door, they pick up the tab, maybe they go to a show afterwards, and all the while they’re perfectly charming. Of course, sweet love is later made, and the end result is the band’s second album for Tee Pee Records, Perdition Hymns, which is 11 tracks of high-grade rock and roll genetics that, listening through, I’m honestly surprised didn’t come out on Small Stone. Where Tee Pee has mostly diverted into the heavy psych realm — bands like Quest for Fire, Naam, Earthless, etc. – Night Horse seem more suited to accompany the likes of Sasquatch, the recently-reviewed Red Giant, Gozu and perhaps most of all Sun Gods in Exile, whose 2009 album Black Light, White Lines, was equally shy about showing off its riff and solo prowess. And by that I mean not at all.

But there’s a Tee Pee connection in that Night Horse guitarist Justin Maranga also plays in Ancestors, so there you go, mystery solved. And honestly, after hearing the kind of blues-driven ‘70s jams Night Horse traffic in, I can’t imagine not wanting to put out a record like Perdition Hymns, no matter what sound you’re trying to associate your label with. Songs like the powerful opening trio of “Confess to Me,” “Angel Eyes” and “Rollin’ On” provide the kind of rock wallop you’d usually expect from an older bunch of dudes, but Night Horse’s love for what they do is evident. You can hear it in the playing of Maranga and fellow six-stringer Greg Buensuceso, in the straight-ahead rhythms of bassist Nick D’Itri and drummer Jamie Miller, and in the vocals of Sam James Velde, whose performance was also a highlight on Night Horse’s debut, The Dark Won’t Hide You, but is perhaps even stronger on Perdition Hymns, standing up with no trouble to the considerable instrumental competition provided by the band behind him.

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Just last week, I posted Night Horse tour dates and made my complaint known that the band wasn’t going to be coming out to the East Coast. Lo and behold, last night I check the PR wire and what’s there but a new batch of shows for guitarist Justin Maranga‘s other band, the heavy-psych awesomeness known as Ancestors, and they’re not coming east either! What is it, man? Do I smell?

The answer to that question, inevitably, is yes. While I go track down some deodorant to reapply, check out these Ancestors dates with new Tee Pee labelmates, The Fucking Wrath:

Ancestors and The Fucking Wrath will embark on a string of West Coast tour dates in late October. The Fucking Wrath recently signed with Tee Pee Records and will be releasing the EP Terra Fire on October 19. Ancestors are supporting their 2009 critically acclaimed sophomore album Of Sound Mind.

Ancestors/The Fucking Wrath tour dates:
10/20 Zahn Zillas, Ventura, CA
10/21 Hemlock Tavern, San Francisco, CA
10/22 East End, Portland, OR
10/23 Comet Tavern, Seattle, WA
10/25 Jambalaya, Arcata, CA
10/26 Nick’s Night Club, Chico, CA
10/27 Jose’s Mexican Bar & Grill, Monterey, CA

Four years have passed since Place of Skulls released The Black is Never Far, their third album, which was in many ways the culmination of a tumult that brought the band many changes, highs and lows. Guitarist/vocalist Victor Griffin — best known for his work in Pentagram contributing to the Maryland/D.C. doom legacy, though he actually lives in Knoxville, Tennessee these days – has always been at the helm, and that remains true as he brings together the original Place of Skulls trio for their new album, As a Dog Returns. Drummer Tim Tomaselli and bassist/vocalist Lee Abney have both been back in the band for a couple of years, replacing the likes of Pete Campbell (Sixty Watt Shaman) and Dennis Cornelius (ex-Revelation), but As a Dog Returns marks the first studio output the trio has released since Southern Lord put out Nailed in 2001.

And for those who haven’t heard Place of Skulls since then, or for those who perhaps are stuck on 2003’s epic With Vision — on which Griffin united with Scott “Wino” Weinrich (The Obsessed, Saint Vitus, etc.) to release one of the finest traditional doom albums of its decade – you should know a lot has changed. Of course, Griffin is still a master riffer. He has been since the days of Death Row, but sound-wise, Place of Skulls is a much different band than they were nine, seven or even four years ago. In 2010, their sound is still rooted in doom, but as the lead songwriter, Griffin doesn’t shy away from balladry either. The third track on As a Dog Returns, “Though He Slay Me,” is essentially a power ballad about Jesus, and the follow-up, the “Planet Caravan”-esque “Psalm,” isn’t far off that either, at least for the first two and a half minutes. It shouldn’t be much of a surprise that after a career touching five decades (Death Row formed in 1979) Griffin’s songwriting should have matured, but the doom on As a Dog Returns isn’t miserable, isn’t downtrodden. It seems to rise up to its challenges. It has hope.

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Clearly Northampton, Massachusetts, doom bringers Black Pyramid just didn’t learn their lesson after last time, because here they are again, debuting “The Cloud of Unknowing” from their new single Stormbringer (on Hydrophonic). The other track on the release, “Stormbringer,” is up on the band’s MySpace page, but this one’s all ours and all the sweeter for it. Stream it by pressing play below:

The Cloud of Unknowing

Vocalist/guitarist Andy Beresky gives some background on the song:

“We had ‘Stormbringer’ done, and were working on the B-side. I had a bunch of riffs worked out, and it was a matter of getting them all to flow together. That’s really what we were going for, a song that didn’t really have a typical set structure, but just flowed from one part to the next, almost like a meditation. So the title, and the lyrics, they refer to a book on Western meditation, that takes an almost more Eastern approach to it.

“Obviously, it’s our own take on it, I took the religious aspects out and made it more about personal reflection and how we deal with the growing darkness and doubt within our lives, so that we may eventually overcome the concepts of good and evil altogether. Musically, I think it’s also ambitious, but because it retains that flowing, meditative nature throughout, it draws you inside the cloud, and once you’re there, totally obscured by it, everything somehow becomes clearer.”

Anyone out there who wants to make a Craigslist post looking for bandmates, the tribalist doom outfit Amarwexu (whose name means “small-poxed Satan”) kindly submit this tutorial as to how you do it:

Amarwexu: Collective musical troupe dedicated to preserving the memory of the many courageous acts of derring-do committed in the name of Imperialism seeks the following:
GUITARS
DRUMS/PERCUSSION – for our full drum line
TRUMPET/BUGLE/HORN PLAYER
BAGPIPES/TIN WHISTLE
ACCORDION/KEYBOARDS
VOCALISTS

A healthy interest in World History would be helpful to this project. A fanatical devotion to our limited aims is mandatory. Band meets roughly once a month for 3-4 hrs in Watchung.

And dig the range of influences. It goes from Crass and Swans to Penance and Rudimentary Peni. I’ve only seen one practice video, but as a fan of that which falls under the heading “crazy shit,” I feel compelled to share. It’s even better knowing this stuff is happening in my home state. Where else but Jersey?

[…Video removed by request…]