Posted in Whathaveyou on December 26th, 2018 by JJ Koczan
Conan make an early play for 2019 tour poster of the year with their 8-bit action that immediately sends the mind reeling with video game possibilities. Imagine an Altered Beast-style Conan game where you become The Sentinel and have to fight the Agoniser on your way to dominating the infinite. Or something. I don’t know. Battle axes would be involved and it would be sweet. I’d break out my USB Super Nintendo-knockoff controller for that. All the way.
Note that the Conan tour set for the earlier part of 2019 wraps up at SXSW. I would expect more plans for Austin to emerge — or not to emerge, if they’re secret plans as sometimes it goes with SXSW — between now and March. It’s been over a decade since I’ve been down that way, but at least the last time I was there, bands rarely showed up, played one gig, and split. Especially those who traveled some distance for it. If you’re going to SXSW, keep an eye out, is all I’m saying.
And of course, Conan have a DIY UK tour set for January as well that The Obelisk is co-presenting with Jon Davis‘ own Blackskull Services, and that’s more than nifty, so as they continue to support 2018’s Existential Void Guardian (review here), I don’t for one second imagine this will be the last tour they announce for the New Year — especially with a new album announced for release sometime in the next 12 months.
Shows are presented by Nanotear:
**NEW ALBUM COMING IN 2019** Merry Xmas to all of you. Thanks for an awesome 2018, and here is to a great 2019. January 2019 is an important month for us because we start working on a follow up to Existential Void Guardian. SLAY EVERYONE.
We are delighted to work with Nanotear once more. Behold our US tour dates for Feb and March 2019.
ALL HAIL VOLT THROWER
02.21 Denver CO Hi-Dive 02.22 Salt Lake City UT Soundwell 02.23 Bozeman MT Zebra Lounge 02.25 Edmonton AB Temple 02.26 Calgary AB Palomino 02.28 Vancouver BC Astoria 03.01 Seattle WA Substation* 03.02 Portland OR High Water Mark* 03.03 Eugene OR Old Nick’s 03.04 Sacramento CA Blue Lamp* 03.05 San Francisco CA Parkside* 03.07 Los Angeles CA Catch One* 03.08 San Diego CA Brick by Brick* 03.09 Phoenix AZ Pub Rock 03.10 Albuquerque NM Sister Bar 03.13 El Paso TX Rockhouse 03.15 Austin SXSW Lost Well
Lineup: Jon Davis – vocals, guitar (2006-present) Chris Fielding – bass (2013-present) Johnny King – drums (2017-present)
Posted in Bootleg Theater on December 26th, 2018 by JJ Koczan
German progressive psychedelic rockers Carpet issued their fourth album, the most excellently titled About Rooms and Elephants, in October. A single LP running six tracks and 42 minutes, it’s the Augsburg outfit’s quick-turnaround follow-up to 2017’s Secret Box (review here), and it finds them digging further into exploratory stylizations, saving room for exciting arrangement shifts and turns into space rocking and controlled psych-out jams. The first sharp pivot occurs about two minutes into opener “Selene,” and it’s by no means the last. Serene as some of their melodies and smooth as their overarching affect might be, About Rooms and Elephants is not just an album trying to melt your brain. Instead, it needs you to use it in order to keep up with what the band is doing. It is a record that requires an active listen, and which earns one from its very first moments.
“Selene,” which has a new live-recorded video that you can see below — flugelhorn and all — builds to a driving progressive wash à la peak-era Porcupine Tree before splitting off again into jazzy roll en route to a returning verse and its drift-away finish, but again, that’s just the start of the record. “Full Moon Tune” has a prog-shuffle that sacrifices neither one for the other, and “Spanish Pets” careens into an intricate rhythm of acoustic guitar, piano and drums, topped all the while by a vocal melody that seems to assure everything is under control. And so it is as all paths seem to align in the second half of the song toward a somewhat understated apex that fits with the quieter beginning movement. I’ve said this before talking about the band’s work, but it bears repeating just how classy they are. In their arrangements, Carpet are as tasteful as they are deep-running, and listening to the little bit of guitar thunder behind the beginning of “Bitter Lake” and the swirl of keyboard that emerges beneath the vocals and deceptively quick-moving drums, the poise with which the band executes the song is nearly as consuming as the motion itself, and the weighted bounce that emerges from there — a waltz, of course — only underscores the point.
With an extended fade for a finish, “Bitter Lake” pulls double-duty in setting up the 14-minute stretch of “June 19th,” which is not only a remarkably patient and graceful linear build, gorgeously arranged in working from silence up through spacious horns and eventual guitar, bass, drums and keys, but also a lead-in for the melodic wash of closer “Souvenir” after it, which might be an afterthought but for the fact that, unlike the preceding extended cut, “Souvenir” has vocals, so it’s the band’s final statement of About Rooms and Elephants. With a foundation of acoustic guitar and a strong current of mellotron filling out its sound, it summarizes the presence and fluidity of the album well while leaning toward the psychedelic breadth Carpet seem able to conjure at will. It is no less of an accomplishment than anything before it, and accordingly much more than the epilogue one might expect. As one should by then figure, they end in likewise polished fashion, with delicate synth winding its way out as the last element to go, only inviting a return to the soothing open of “Selene” back on side A. Flip the platter. Problem solved.
In a foggy room with a steadily panning camera and bars of light at eye-level, “Selene” offers no less flow in the live clip than on the record, and as Carpet approach a decade since their debut, 2009’s The Eye is the Heart Mirror, they conjure their most vivid images yet of pastoral warmth and thoughtful peace.
Please enjoy:
Carpet, “Selene” official live video
Carpet performing ”Selene“ from the album ”About Rooms and Elephants“ live at Zenith, Munich.
Video by Monacoframe.
Recorded at Zenith, Munich on November 6, 2018.
Jakob Mader: drums. Martin Lehmann: trumpet, flugelhorn. Hubert Steiner: bass. Maximilian Stephan: guitar, vocals. Maximilian Wörle: percussion, vocals. Sigmund Perner: rhodes, synth.
DoP: Michael Baumberger 1st AC: Max Rödl Grip #1: David Wilkinson Grip #2: Richard Lee Rogge Lighting: Antonia Zettl, Kai Metzner
Recording engineer: Maximilian Wörle Mixing: Maximilian Wörle, Maximilian Stephan
Posted in Whathaveyou on December 26th, 2018 by JJ Koczan
So, uh, in addition to the kickass poster art — which so good that I’m happy to look at it twice with the banner above and the vertical poster below, Desertfest Berlin 2019 pretty much rules as regards lineup as well. Granted, you could put “ham sandwich” on a card under Fu Manchu and Om, and I’d pass on the sandwich but still call that a really good show, but Wovenhand, All Them Witches, Witch, Colour Haze, Kikagaku Moyo, Naxatras, Earthless, on and on. I mean, come on. This is serious business. I know it’s the holidays and people are kind of checked out, but just look at this fucking thing. Plus, you know, the art.
Their latest announcement is duly celebratory:
FU MANCHU ++ THE DEVIL AND THE ALMIGHTY BLUES ++ ZIG ZAGS ++ SWEDISH DEATH CANDY confirmed for DESERTFEST BERLIN 2019!!!
HoHoHo dear desert festers! Perfect in time for Xmas, we would like to make a very special gift, and are more than proud to reveal 4 more bands for Desertfest Berlin 2019. And holy moly, it still feels like a dream but it’s getting real! Since our very first edition, we wanted them to play our stage, 8 years later it finally happens: Fu Manchu are going to play live at our beloved DESERTFEST BERLIN!!!
Since their inception, FU MANCHU has built itself a fanatical army of loyal enthusiasts all drawn to the group’s guitar-driven sound and carefree lyrics centered on old muscle cars, choppers, vans, skateboarding and science fiction. Over their impressing career, FU MANCHU has released 12 albums and has performed to sold out audiences all over the world. 2019 sees desert rock legends Scott Hill, Brad Davis, Bob Balch and Scott Reeder embarking on new adventures, with EXCLUSIVE SHOWS ONLY at DESERTFEST BERLIN + LONDON! “Germany is one of our favorite places to play and the crowds are always amazing. We’re stoked to be coming back to Berlin as part of Desertfest!” the band comments. And so are we to welcome FU MANCHU in 2019!!!
The Devil And The Almighty Blues will be armed with vintage Gibson guitars and tube amplifiers to take over DESERTFEST BERLIN! The Norwegian quintet’s blues- based rock is so heavy without becoming metal, slow without being doom, bluesy without being straight up and boring. Please welcome THE DEVIL AND THE ALMIGHTY live at the ARENA BERLIN, when they will also unleash upon us a brand new album in the Spring of 2019!
Grab your pack of Zig Zags desert rockers, as we will bring you the Los Angeles- based sci-fi power trio live on stage! With their scuzzy fusion of punk, metal and stoner sounds, these guys will deliver the ultimate soundtrack to get high on their sounds. Be prepared for a rad and insane live set!
Tunes as thick and heavily layered, powerful and melodic at the same time, Swedish Death Candy are rounding up today’s special Christmas announcement! Following their formation in 2014 and thundering live shows later, the four-piece psych band quickly began to grab attention from rock fans all over the globe. For a good reason: The variety within the band’s individual backgrounds, skill sets and influences has led the band to be truly unique – and one that is vital for today’s current scene.
Friends, we hope you are as much excited about this very special Christmas present as we are. But that’s not all, DAY TICKETS + FIRST SPLIT OF LINE-UP for each day are also now available and to plan your trip to Desertfest Berlin 2019: www.desertfest-tickets.de
The DESERTFEST-crew would like to wish all desert rockers, friends & families a peaceful Christmas and a heavy happy New Year. Stay safe, enjoy the festive season and we will see us all again soon at the capitol of the almighty riffs: DESERTFEST BERLIN 2019!
Posted in Whathaveyou on December 24th, 2018 by JJ Koczan
Argonauta Records just don’t quit. The Italian label, for at least the last two years, probably longer at this point, has had a steady stream of pickups every couple of weeks and they just don’t stop. How many bands are even on this label now? It’s gotta be north of 50. The latest — although I say that and there’s probably another announcement waiting in my inbox from the PR wire — are Danish heavy rockers Redwolves, who’ll release their debut album through the label in March. That record, Future Becomes Past, would seem to be somewhat self-aware in its title, as there’s definitely a classic edge to their sound, or at least their was as of the four-piece’s 2016 outing, the Walking RoadsEP. Of course, they could be talking about any number of things with the name of the album, up to and including the rise of populism in Northern Europe, but either way, the title fits.
And as always, the trusty PR wire brings the release announcement and details:
Heavy Psych Rockers REDWOLVES Reveal Album Details!
Debut Coming Out March 2019 With Argonauta Records!
Copenhagen based Heavy Psych Rockers REDWOLVES, who just recently announced the signing with powerhouse label Argonauta Records, have revealed the first details about their upcoming debut album! Titled ‘Future Becomes Past’, the band’s first full-length will be seeing the light of day on March 15th 2019.
After the release of their 2016-EP ‘Walking Roads’, a feisty show of REDWOLVES’ particular approach to modern sounding hard hitting Rock n’ Roll – fittingly rounded off by frontman Rasmus Cundell’s intelligent lyrics and distinctive vocals – the Danish quartet already left a first stamp in nowadays rock scene. “This is Rock’n’Roll the way it has to be!” Argonauta’s CEO Gero Lucisano confirms. “While I have listened to the songs of this awesome band the first time, I immediately thought of a modern attitude that sounds so fresh and with no compromise. What you will get here? An exciting group with their roots in Deep Purple and Thin Lizzy sonorities, paying homage to the always killer Scandinavian scene such as the Hellacopters. You have been warned!”
REDWOLVES formed in 2012 and found a musical community in their common affinity for the classic heavy rock and the 00’s new wave of Scandinavian rock. The band’s upcoming album will be a noticeable further development of REDWOLVES’ expression which through the records’ eight songs unfolds itself in a songwriting carrying catchy melodies, energetic and virtuoso musicianship and a modern and analogue attentive production by Jacob Bredahl (Riverhead, LLNN, Rising a.o.).
The band describes their music as “modern classic heavy rock” or at other times “future rock”. Both terms appropriately describes how heavy Rock n’ Roll effortlessly can remain relevant, as long as the classic virtues and a good dose of edge and innovation keep being present. REDWOLVES’ first full-length is a complex record, that shows several aspects of REDWOLVES’ talent for writing songs with both directness, catchy hooklines, dynamics and experimentation. This record will be party, light and joy, but equally despair, darkness and depression – and with good reason….
When REDWOLVES had started off the songwriting for their debut, a brutal incident occurred which was to be determining for the album. On New Years Eve 16/17, singer Rasmus Cundell was the subject of a violent attack which carved its deep traces, both personally and within the band. The event caused a delay of the creative process but at the same time, the band became an important catalyst for pulling through. The lyrics were written after the attack which therefore naturally constitutes the thematic subject matter of the album. On a personal level, the violence spawned a spiral of depressive and fearful thoughts but also on a more general level, the incident initiated a contemplation in regards to the possibilities of agency in a world that appears hostile and destructive.
Even though many of the songs origin from this depressive state, one still senses a path towards the light in the music, and it is this adamant hope that the record will remind you of. As the good sides of life can put depression, hopelessness and contingency into perspective, the negation of life can also put perspective on joy and light: “Especially because we all will perish soon, we must insist on living, partying, loving and not to be conquered by darkness, hate and destruction.” The band explains. “And thus, we must necessarily seek to journey out of the dark again.”
Today REDWOLVES have unveiled the album cover art and tracklist for their ‘Future Becomes Past’:
The tracklist reads as follows: 1. Plutocracy 2. Rigid Generation 3. The Abyss 4. Fenris 5. The Pioneer 6. Voyagers 7. Farthest From Heaven 8. Temple Of Dreams
Coming as CD and Digital Download on March 15th 2019, the album pre-sale will soon start on Argonauta Records, with many more news and first album tunes to follow!
Posted in Whathaveyou on December 24th, 2018 by JJ Koczan
Between September and November, Samsara Blues Experiment toured on four continents, playing in North and South America, Europe, and Australia and New Zealand. And, you know, they had a couple weeks between each run, but still, holy crap. Were their frequent flier miles expiring or something? Most people don’t get on four continents in a lifetime — they did it in a season. Madness.
As per their social medias, they’re taking a bit of time for the holidays and to work on new material. Their recent setlists have featured a couple new songs, so I guess progress has begun on a follow-up to One with the Universe (review here), which came out in 2017. Does that mean it’ll be out next year? Write in winter, record in spring, promote in summer, release in fall, maybe? It’s possible. If they’re in a hurry and the songs are far enough along, they could feasibly have it out by summer, and Samsara Blues Experiment certainly seem to be in a hurry these days, though I wouldn’t necessarily count on that to translate to songwriting.
Perhaps, then, their newly-announced Spring 2019 tour with Swiss mostly-instrumental stalwarts Monkey3 is a way to tighten up new songs before they enter the studio? Anything’s possible I guess. That would give them until the end of March to catch their breath and get material together. I don’t know. However the scheduling works out — how did this post become an appointment calendar? — the next Samsara Blues Experiment should be one to look forward to, and I plan on doing exactly that.
Here are those dates, courtesy of Sound of Liberation:
Folks, we are more than happy to announce, that Samsara Blues Experiment & monkey3 are going to share the van in March / April 2019! What a heavy trippin’ package! We can’t wait for spring!
Posted in Bootleg Theater on December 21st, 2018 by JJ Koczan
At the time Greek heavy rockers 1000mods released their debut album, it would’ve been difficult to understand what it was working to engage. Listen to songs like “7 Flies” or “El Rollito” and “Set You Free.” Listen to “Alice in Navy” and “Johny’s.” Then listen again. Then listen to the five crucial longer pieces: opener “Road to Burn,” “Vidage,” “Track Me,” and the closing duo of “Abell 1835” and the title-cut. Then listen again. On its surface, Super Van Vacation (review here) is a kickass rock record. But as we move inexorably nearer to the end of this decade, I can’t help but think of the impact this record has had.
Super Van Vacation was issued as 10 songs and an overwhelming 65 minutes by Kozmik Artifactz and CTS Productions, and its influences speak for themselves — a strong dose of Kyuss and Fu Manchu, a little bit of Colour Haze thrown into the start of “Track Me,” some earlier Dozer and Lowrider to go around — but more than seven years on from its release, think about the generation of heavy rock that’s come forward. This decade has seen an entirely new league of bands from around Europe and the world at large. It has been a generational shift, fostered in no small part by social media (and yes, I include Bandcamp in that), and as the genre has found a new audience, that audience has proven more receptive to acts from just about everywhere. Not that Greece doesn’t have a history of heavy rock and roll — there’s been Greek psych for as long as there’s been psych, and plenty of Greek metal and rock as well — and Greece has one of the strongest histories of folk music to be found anywhere in Europe. But in thinking specifically about heavy rock, about international desert rock, especially at the start of this decade, Greece could hardly hold a candle to, say, Sweden, or Germany, or the UK when it came to the overall vibrancy of its riff-loving underground. 1000mods seem to have represented a moment of change taking place.
What I mean to say is that Super Van Vacation worked on different terms than a lot of what was happening at the time, and by manifesting inspiration from acts abroad, it entered a conversation that was immediately international in its scope. This wouldn’t have mattered if the quality of the material was lacking, but digging into “Vidage” or “Abell 1835” or the ultra-groove of “El Rollito” — which seems to have been titled for precisely what its rhythm was doing vis a vis roll; it’s more than the little one its name might suggest — 1000mods showed that not only was this new generation happening at that moment, but that it was capable of introducing the burgeoning audience for heavy rock with a grade of craft worthy of what had come before it. Almost inevitably, then, bassist/vocalist Dani G., guitarists Giannis S.and George T., and drummer Labros G. became torchbearers of the Greek underground, which over the next few years would undergo a renaissance of its own, and they’ve lived up to that position with touring and subsequent releases. I won’t say they put Greece on the heavy rock map, because nobody’s ever “first” at anything if you dig deep enough and it would just be too convenient a narrative, but they were the right band from the right place at the right time, and that in itself is a significant accomplishment, before you even get down to hearing any of the songs.
Furthering this multinational engagement was the fact that Super Van Vacation was recorded by Billy Anderson, whose legacy as a producer is unmatched in heavy with a CV that includes classic records for Sleep, Neurosis, Acid King and the Melvins, among many, many others. Given the geographical disparity — Anderson on the US West Coast, 1000mods in Chiliomodi, about an hour and a half (depending on traffic) west of Athens — the choice could only have been purposeful, and that too speaks to a conscious decision on the band’s part to broaden their reach. Super Van Vacation wasn’t just about being Chiliomodi’s own Truckfighters. It was about bringing 1000mods to the attention of an multinational heavy underground that, as it turned out, was ready and waiting to receive them. Right record, right time. The fact that they tour their asses off in the years following didn’t hurt them either, certainly. But a Greek band with an American producer and a German label pressing their debut album as a 2LP? This is not a group of minor ambition, and Super Van Vacation realized their goals of positioning them as more than just a local or national act while also showing their potential staying power on that grander stage.
Again, this wouldn’t have been possible at all if the songs weren’t there. But thinking about its double-vinyl structure now, the way it functioned so that sides A, B and C all feature a track north of eight minutes long — “Road to Burn,” “Vidage” and “Track Me,” respectively — and the way the album culminated with “Abell 1835” and “Super Van Vacation,” it’s all the more masterful a construction. I won’t take away from the tightness of the songwriting on the shorter tracks and particularly in the album’s earlier going with “7 Flies,” “El Rollito” and “Set You Free,” but with the longer tracks spaced out as they were, 1000mods were never too far from offering their listeners a real chance at immersion into what they were doing, and they had the tonal depth, the hooks and, in reserve, the spaciousness to make sure they got there. It was almost deceptively multifaceted.
Having already by then toured through Europe and the UK, 1000mods released their second long-player, Vultures (review here), in 2014 and followed that with Repeated Exposure To… (review here) in 2016, the latter through their own label, Ouga Booga and the Mighty Oug Recordings — a name that, while cumbersome, speaks to their taking what’s been done before and making it their own; the reference being to Kyuss “Supa Scoopa and Mighty Scoop” — which also oversaw a reissue of Super Van Vacation that same year. The debut was also previously reissued on vinyl through CTS in 2014, and has sold through multiple pressings. Rightfully so, frankly, as clearly it’s a record to which time has been kind and for which the context has only become richer over the course of the years since it first arrived.
1000mods toured ridiculously hard for Repeated Exposure To…, but if one takes a every-two-or-three-years pace for them and new material, they’d be due for a full-length sometime probably later in 2019. We’ll see if we get there, but either way, it’s worth considering how far they’ve come since their start in 2006 and how much they’ve contributed to the sphere of modern European heavy rock. Seems to be plenty at this point, and there’s no indication they’re stopping anytime soon.
As always, I hope you enjoy.
Thanks for reading.
—
I was pleased with the response to the Top 30 of 2018 list that went up yesterday, which if I’m honest is probably a first. Usually I break my ass putting those things together — keeping track of records in a list all year, fretting for weeks about the order, spending days on the actual writing and the inevitably adjusting the list even after it’s published — and then the first thing I see is someone being like, “Hey you stupid bastard you didn’t include Band X.” I got one comment about a lack of Latin American releases included. Okay. And people have picked out individual things that didn’t get make it for one reason or another — some of which I’ve added to honorable mentions — but by and large the tone has been civil. That’s all I could really ask.
But that’s been nice. So thank you for that.
Next week is Xmas. I’ve been dreading it, honestly. The Patient Mrs., The Pecan and I will spend Xmas Eve here in MA, watching Die Hard and Die Hard 2 at home in our traditional Xmas Eve fashion. Then Xmas Day we head south to Connecticut for family dinner, and then the next day it’s on to New Jersey, where we’ll stay the remainder of winter break until her Spring semester starts — I guess that’s three-plus weeks until about Jan. 17 or so. I’m trying to set up getting a tattoo in that time — it’ll be my first — and beyond that, looking forward to being back there, but I feel like Xmas is the hurdle I have to jump to make it happen. Least favorite holiday? Maybe. There’s some stiff competition there.
For whatever it’s worth, I hope you make the most of yours and enjoy it as much as possible.
Because of holiday and travel, posts will be somewhat sporadic, but I’m hoping to get at least something up every day except perhaps Xmas Day itself since I anticipate being busy with Pecan whatnot and travel. I’ve got a bunch of news catchup happening Monday, and nothing slated for Tuesday, though I’m sure something will come along, but Wednesday is the next review. It’s Horehound. Next week reviews are Horehound, T.G. Olson and Øresund Space Collective. Happy Xmas to me.
But yeah, I hope the holiday anxiety isn’t too much for you as it will invariably consume the entirety of my being pretty much from now until early January.
I have some other writing to do this weekend — a bio for a vinyl release, an update to the PostWax liner notes that I turned in last weekend — so I’ll be around. If we don’t talk before, though, have a good holiday and get through it the best you can. Tell your family you love them. That’s what matters. And if you can, listen to some decent music. The rest is extraneous bullshit.
Gonna punch out for a bit as I expect The Pecan up momentarily. Quick plug that if you haven’t yet, please add your list to the Year-End Poll, and if you can’t remember what came out this year, there are more than 100 records talked about in my own list, so that might be a place to start.
Thanks again for reading and have a great and safe weekend. Forum, radio and merch.
Posted in Whathaveyou on December 21st, 2018 by JJ Koczan
Marked by a frenetic shuffle and a still-weighted tonality that’s nonetheless put to celebratory purposes, We Here Now‘s debut album, The Chikipunk Years, clocks in at all of 21 minutes long, but considering its three members live in three different countries — Peru, Brazil and, uh, kind of everywhere — that seems like plenty. Involvement from members of the boogie-laden Necro (the Brazil), the glorious Montibus Communitas (the Peru) and the ever-experimentalist Queen Elephantine (the everywhere) assures a varied mix of sounds, and as they draw on different cultural and sonic methods of expression, they pack about two records’ worth of scope into that 21 minutes, so yeah, they can be short if they want. It’ll still be a while afterwards in parsing it all out.
They’ve got three songs streaming now on the Bandcamp player below, and you’ll also find the preorder link there, which there’s a good chance you’ll want after you listen:
We Here Now – The Chikipunk Years
WE HERE NOW is a multinational band, formed by the prolific musicians Pedro ‘Sozinho’ Salvador (Necro) from Brazil, Indrayudh Shome (Queen Elephantine) from India/USA and Fr. Sofista from Peru. Emanating fast n’ bulbous sounds, the music presents an exciting approach to the straight-forward aesthetics of fuzzed-out rock. They dig deep into their roots, unearthing the gifts of their vast cultural and historical backgrounds. Complex time signatures, original tonal schemes and a free-form sense of music-making are delivered with an unmistakable raw punk attitude.
‘The Chikipunk Years” is the debut album by WE HERE NOW. The trio conjures a raw but complex sound, tending bridges between fuzzed-out forms of garage rock, prog punk and heavy psych, all infused with structures owned to south american, african and indian music. Throughout these seven tracks the trio consolidates, on the one hand, a cohesive and fiercely direct sound while, on the other hand, delivers a challenging music full of odd rhythmic patterns and exquisite non-western scales, all tied with a playful production that reminds at times the ironic approach of Canterbury bands. Paradoxical yet intoxicating, WE HERE NOW’s debut album is the kind of record that wins the listener by K.O.
Tracklisting: 1. Soujourns 2. Gathering and Separation 03:16 3. Detachments 02:39 4. Planes of Inmanence 04:26 5. Frontiers and Determinations 6. Dukkha 7. Detachments (Reprise)
‘The Chikipunk Years’ is out on January 17th, 2019.
Posted in Bootleg Theater on December 21st, 2018 by JJ Koczan
San Jose heavy rockers Zed will reissue their 2013 album, Desperation Blues, on Jan. 18 through Ripple Music. And if the band are feeling somewhat sentimental for what was their second album following 2010’s The Invitation, that’s certainly fair enough. It was the record that solidified their approach in hard-hitting, semi-aggro heavy rock and roll, as well as the one that led to their signing with Ripple Music for the follow-up, Trouble in Eden (review here), in 2016. Well worth a special place in the band’s heart, I should think.
With an eye toward marking the occasion and an apparent backlog of images to share, Zed have posted a kind of collage reminiscence video for the song “Skin + Bones” that has photos included from their last several years of shows. Of particular note was the excursion that took them to the East Coast where they played the first night of Maryland Doom Fest 2018 (review here). They have shots with the organizers of the fest, other bands, and even one of yours truly if you’re quick enough to see my dopey mug pass by en route to the next pic. I usually charge a licensing fee for my image, but since it’s Zed, I’ll let it go this time around.
I was glad to catch the four-piece at that fest, as I was to see them for the first time at Borderland Fuzz Fiesta in 2016 (review here). They’ve grown as songwriters, as I think Trouble in Eden showed, but Desperation Blues captured the root of their sound in terms of conveying their passion for straightforward, direct-line heavy rock with more than just a chip on its shoulder. I don’t know what else they might have in the works for the New Year, but if they’re running at an every-three-year pace, they’re due for a new studio release at some point.
In the meantime, a bit of nostalgia.
PR wire info follows the video below. Please enjoy:
Zed, “Skin + Bones” official video
Blasting out onto the San Francisco Bay Area rock scene in 2007, ZED quickly made a name for themselves with their crushing live shows and incessant grooves. Having played together in various projects since ’98 (including releasing an album with the band Stitch for Prosthetic/Metal Blade Records), guitar player/vocalist Peter Sattari, drummer Rich Harris and bassist Mark Aceves joined up with guitar wizard Greg Lopes to create a sound that was uniquely their own. A sound with the sole purpose to rock with no concerns for genre classifications and idle labeling.
Showcasing equal appeal to fuzz-box mercenaries, ’74 Chevy van-driving stoners and horns-thrusting metalheads, ZED truly made their mark in May 2013 with the self-release of Desperation Blues, an album which, with the help of the Californian label Ripple Music gets an official worldwide reissue on CD/LP this January.
Replete with new album artwork and bonus material (previously unheard first time around) Desperation Blues is an honest collection of blood, sweat, Desperation Blues will be officially re-released on 18th January 2019 through Ripple Music. Pre-order the album now atwww.ripple-music.com.
