Thinning the Herd in a social media post not so long ago referred to their style as “lawnmower metal.” It was a joke, but clearly the New York band is enjoying the upstate life and all the richness not-the-city has to offer as they inch toward the release of their new album, Cull, sometime this year. “Sarcophagus Dust” is the follow-up single to “Trampled by Deer” (video posted here), which was posted in February, and if it’s a case of the band putting out songs as they’re finished, building the full-length as they go, well, they’d hardly be the first. It’s 2024. What the hell even is an album, anyway?
They’ve teased a few other songs from Cull to come as well — the third single is apparently called “Harley Davidson”; I haven’t heard it yet — but the snarl and swagger of “Sarcophagus Dust” speak for themselves, with a professed lack of sleep and the roll of Gavin Spielman‘s riff punctuated by Rob Sefcik‘s crash, lo fi in the production but clear enough to get their point across to be sure. It doesn’t sound like a lawnmower, but it does layer in a noisy lead to coincide with the downer bounce of its finish before fading out. There’s no pretense, no proggy indulgences to be made, nothing overly showy about it except maybe in the soloing where it should be, and its attitude is less about itself than the song but still heavy in mood. It’ll make sense when you hear it, and “Sarcophagus Dust” makes a solid teaser for the record as well since it’s under four minutes long.
I haven’t seen an exact release date for Cull yet, but that’s life, and I honestly don’t think Thinning the Herd need to or even really should be working to anyone’s schedule other than their own. Whenever it arrives, Cull will be the band’s first album in more than a decade, in addition to the first with the Spielman/Sefcik configuration, and as both of the to-date songs they’ve dropped from it hint, it’s gonna be a rocker. So much the better.
Enjoy:
Thinning the Herd, “Sarcophagus Dust” video premiere
“Sarcophagus Dust is the second single off the upcoming album “Cull” by New York’s own Thinning the Herd. TTH’s brand of heavy blues is often described as Doom, Sludge or Grunge and are often compared to Black Sabbath. TTH’s style incorporates elements of early NY/HC, traditional Blues and Stoner Rock.
Stay tuned for the next single entitles “Harley-Davidson” out at the end of June, marking the third single off of the antic aped album “Cull.
Video by Bert Crosby
Thinning the Herd are: Gavin Spielman on Guitar and Vocals. Rob Sefcik – Drums
Thinning the Herd, “Trampled by Deer” official video
Posted in Whathaveyou on June 14th, 2024 by JJ Koczan
Berlin-based sludge rockers Earth Ship will release their first album since 2018, titled Soar, Aug. 9 through The Lasting Dose Records, which is the label run by the band’s guitarist/vocalist Jan Oberg, also producer at his own Hidden Planet Studio, and who also features in Grin and Slowshine alongside Earth Ship bassist Sabine Oberg. I got to see the pair and non-Oberg drummer André Klein — let’s assume he’s part of the family regardless of surname — last year at Freak Valley Festival in Germany (review here), and they played again this year doing a secret set that was jam-packed despite the deluge of rain happening at the time.
If it seems counterintuitive that I called he bands prolific when they haven’t done a record in six years, fair enough, but they haven’t been idle in that time. Jan has worked producing Daevar and others at Hidden Planet, started the label to release his and others’ work, and he and Sabine offered Slowshine‘s debut (which one hopes will get a follow-up at some point) and a couple killer outings from Grin, so while it’s not all localized to one outfit or the other, there’s still a lot being done. Just wanted to clarify.
No audio yet from Soar, but you know how that goes and presumably there will be before Aug. 9. In the meantime, the art and album info came down the PR wire thusly:
EARTH SHIP: Berlin Based Doom/Sludge/Metal Outfit Announces New Album “Soar”; The Band’s Sixth Full-Length to See Release August 9th on THE LASTING DOSE RECORDS
Soar will be available on CD, vinyl and digitally on August 9, 2024.
Comments the band: “A phantasmagorical exploration of fever dreams and twilight states, Soars is a psychotronic collection of swaggering rhythms and dazzling textures. EARTH SHIP uncover a world in which every extended riff is journey into trance Atlantis, where your mind is immersed in hazy lofi-lullabies and heavy retro sounds.”
After 6 years of silence, sludge/doom trio EARTH SHIP make an unexpected return with their sixth album Soar. A phantasmagorical exploration of fever dreams and twilight states, Soars is a psychotronic collection of swaggering rhythms and dazzling textures. Plowing their way through eight longform tracks, EARTH SHIP uncover a world in which every extended riff is a journey into trance Atlantis, where your mind is immersed in hazy lofi-lullabies and heavy retro sounds.
Born in 2010 from the mother lode of the German sludge metal scene, EARTH SHIP emerged as one of the most relentless and heavy-hitting live bands of the European mainland. Consisting of heavy power couple Jan and Sabine Oberg (who also play together in GRIN and Slowshine) and a rotating cast of drummers, EARTH SHIP have played with many renowned acts such as Voivod, Red Fang, Crowbar and Amenra.
On Soar the two are joined by Slowshine-drummer André Klein (The Smokin ’44’s) whose no frills playing forms the perfect backdrop for the duo’s gut-wrenching riffage. Wandering along the steady rhythm of the drums, your mind is warmly held by deep bass tones and slowly engulfed by hazy lullabies of earth-toned guitars and vocals. EARTH SHIP color their world in Jan Oberg’s characteristic lofi-sound, being recorded, as is tradition, by him in his own Hidden Planet Studio. These songs are a testament to his 18 year-long experience as one of Germany’s most prolific producers in sludge metal, having released many pristine sounding records with his own bands GRIN and Slowshine, but also via his label The Lasting Dose Records. Jan knows how to render a metal band’s sound with incredible attention to detail but without unnecessary polish and this album is no exception to his indelible ethos.
With Soar the characteristic EARTH SHIP-sound is lifted to new heights. From the shifting time-signatures of album opener Shallow to the lovely old-school vibes of Daze and Delights, Soars is a literal delight to listen to for fans of slow and heavy with a good sound system. A mighty recommendation for doom metal aficionados with an ear for detail and a delicate nose for quality riffs!
DISCOGRAPHY: 2011 Earth Ship – Exit Eden/Pelagic Records 2012 Earth Ship – Iron Chest/Pelagic Records 2013 Earth Ship – …As if she were a black bird EP/Raddatz Records 2014 Earth Ship – Withered/Pelagic Records 2016 Earth Ship – Hollowed/Napalm Records 2018 Earth Ship – Resonant Sun/Pelagic Records
LINE-UP 2024: Sabine Oberg – Bass André Klein – Drums Jan Oberg – Guitars, Vocals
Posted in Whathaveyou on June 13th, 2024 by JJ Koczan
I like this band, and I like this record. I like that since 2020’s Cadets (review here) and the subsequent 2021 livestream and live album, Live in the Mojave Desert (review here), the band have grown audibly and taken on atmosphere and character in addition to that with which their sound was already rife. I liked seeing them live last year at SonicBlast in Portugal (review here), was stoked to premiere the single “Locust//Dead Cells” just before doing so, and was happy to do a bit of bio-ish writing for the upcoming LP, Trails, which will be out Sept. 13 as Spirit Mother‘s first (studio) release through Heavy Psych Sounds.
That’s it. As the album announcement comes through, that is the bulk if not the sum-total of what I want to say about it: I dig the band. Also, they don’t seem like assholes, which also always helps. I’ll be curious to see how the album is received and how they do at Desertfest New York that same weekend, with the somewhat darker vibe they bring to desert-style tone and flow, but nothing I’ve seen or heard from them yet has put me off, and while those celebrating a genre’s roots are certainly welcome in my ears, a band like this who bring new ideas and methods to established genre norms is both rarer and more prone to innovating the styles in which they reside.
First song streaming now. It’s “Wolves,” which is the closer and an awesome choice for a single, and the PR wire sent the following:
SPIRIT MOTHER to release sophomore album “Trails” on Heavy Psych Sounds this fall; stream debut single “Wolves” now!
US heavy rockers SPIRIT MOTHER have signed to Heavy Psych Sounds Records for the release of their sophomore album “Trails” this September 13th, and unveil a compelling first track with “Wolves” exclusively on Doomed & Stoned!
Spirit Mother’s forthcoming album “Trails” brings the energy of the band’s visceral, all-in live performances while expanding on the sensibilities of their debut album “Cadets”. It is the undeniable next chapter in the band’s creative process. The darker tonality, heavier, fuzz-fueled riffs, and relentless rhythm section accompany prolific structures and arrangement. The violin summons a brooding, atmospheric pedestal for the remaining power trio to wield with fervor. Lance’s haunting vocals and stark lyricism intersperse the instrumentals with a melody as dynamic as it is accessible. It is the culmination of road-worn years in pursuit of the art, and the moment-to-moment adrenaline of studio exploration.
About “Wolves”, bassist and vocalist Armand Lance says: “Lyrically, Wolves is a questioning. An interrogation of the world around us, and our concept of face value. Our daily pill. What does it take to free your mind from influence? To form a truly original thought or perspective? Would you even know it if you did? Sonically, Wolves paints the full picture of Spirit Mother – so it only makes sense as the first single off “Trails”. All our songs are first written as folk songs on acoustic guitar – focusing on the lyrics, the chords, and the song structure. It’s our foundation and it gives us the direction before the fuzz hits.”
Produced by Eddie Brnabic & Jonny Bell Recorded by Eddie Brnabic at Level 8-4 Studios in Portland, OR Mixed by Jonny Bell at Jazzcats Studios in Long Beach, CA Mastered by John McBain
Cover art by Mike McKenney Photo by Eddie Brnabic Design by Matthew Franco Vinyl Insert by Chloe Owen
With special thanks to Ryan Jones & Kevin Blumeyer, and touring violinists Camille Getz, Kaitlin Wolfberg & Mia Nardi-Huffman.
Spirit Mother are: Armand Lance: Vocals, Bass, Baritone, Acoustic & Electric Guitars SJ: Violin & Vocals Sean McCormick: Electric Guitar Landon Cisneros: Drums & Percussion
Posted in audiObelisk on June 13th, 2024 by JJ Koczan
Ruben Romano will release The Imaginary Soundtrack to the Imaginary Western Twenty Graves Per Mile (review here) — which, rest assured, actually exists despite all the imagination — through Desert Records on Aug. 9. It is the first solo outing for Romano, also known for fronting The Freeks on vocals and guitar and whose pedigree includes having drummed in the initial incarnations of both Fu Manchu and Nebula, and might at first seem like a striking stylistic turn as Romano taps into Western atmospheres and ramble, wagons loaded and headed out Californey way across 10 homecooked tracks of unfolding landscapes.
Romano tells the story of the record himself below, and I don’t want to keep you from that, but as you dig into the premiere of “Not Any More” below — and the album was self-released in February, so it was out there, though it’s been taken down from Bandcamp now; I have no idea about Spotify and the rest, it could be streaming all over the place and honestly, if it is, fine — don’t go into it thinking “rock record,” because that’s not what’s happening here. Nuanced percussion around subdued acoustic guitar arrangements, some slide here and there; the priority isn’t necessarily all-volume-all-the-time, and it wouldn’t really work as a ‘soundtrack,’ imaginary or otherwise, if it were. You can hear the casual roots in the strum of “Controversy Follows” or “Chuck Wagon Sorrow,” but the songs are fleshed out well in terms of arrangement, and though it’s positioned as instrumental, you’ll hear some watery whispers in amid the Morricone stretches and snippets of country-tinged meander, given just an edge of weirdo-psych through effects and an exploratory sense in the making as much as the material.
That is, The Imaginary Soundtrack to the Imaginary Western Twenty Graves Per Mile — you might be forgiven for just calling it Twenty Graves Per Mile — is Romano‘s first public foray into the style, and comes through as somewhat experimental as a result, but there’s nothing tentative about it as the rhythm of “The Trail is Long” evokes the hooves walking that same trail or the penultimate “Jump Off Town (From Everywhere)” hints at an almost post-rock float brought to the proceedings that, if there’s a next time, might be something to listen for in terms of the project’s development. I won’t speculate on that, but one way or the other, Romano‘s dive is headfirst throughout what’s still only a 27-minute LP, utterly manageable even for the most modern of attention spans and at no risk of overstaying its welcome.
You’ll find “Not Any More” on the player below, followed by some background on putting it all together from Romano himself, the preorder link, and so on.
Please enjoy:
Ruben Romano on Twenty Graves Per Mile:
I actually never set out to do this project, by that I mean, it was not preconceived, not yet anyway. What happened first was that I came to realize that I had acquired enough musical gear to satisfy all points needed to complete an ensemble. The urge is great, I know, but why did I need to buy another guitar or amplifier when I have several of every variety already. So I switched my collecting tendencies towards recording gear. I’m a…“Let’s see what happens..” kind of person.
I enjoy sitting on my porch with an acoustic guitar, noodling, jumping from this major chord to that minor chord, adding a 7th and a 9th, or maybe sus it. I have always enjoyed playing with sounds, if something makes a sound I’m in, I’ll tinker until I figure something out. This leaves me wide open to whatever. I may be lumped into a certain genre that creates expectations but I can’t really be so loyal to just one type of music when it’s just too vast to not enjoy everything that’s out there. So, it’s to figure out some sounds, put some chords together and let’s see what happens…. I love doing things like this and it’s the same approach I used for “Twenty Graves Per Mile” as I do for my main rock band The Freeks. All of this leads me to enjoy late nights in the garage, now with the ability to record the idea, and further expand it. I sacrifice sleep as I can’t really stop once I get started, and I’m ok with that. A lot, if not all, of these songs were constructed this way but really it’s thanks to Les Paul for inventing multitrack recording.
I live in a Condominium with my wife and daughter and also two cats. I’m smack dab in the middle of the building with neighbors on both sides and also above, so volume is an issue. Acoustic guitar and a really sensitive condenser mic are my main tools. I also did a lot of direct line-in recording when it came to adding electric instruments here at my home. I’m ok with this because at the same time I’m still learning my recording process, instrument modeling is a part of that. When I have something going and it’s ready for even more, I also have a full mobile recording unit that The Freeks use at our rehearsal room. So I am able to record acoustic drums as well as loud guitar amplifiers, my latest gem is a new Fender Vibro Champ Reverb amp.
Reverb and Vibrato have always been my favorite tones, Chorus is my least favorite. So I bounce from one studio to the other, transferring and importing tracks as I go along. I have already been tracking these songs with no intentions for them, just doing what I like to do, it’s a hobby. So when Covid hit me, an opportunity kind of fell into place. As I quarantined at home, I fell into a TV binge, watching different series about our Great Frontiers Men, Westward Expansion and The Oregon Trail. It all just blended in my head. They expanded west, I expanded my ideas and I got reverb to prove it. I just kept recording little tunes more and more, and my computer filled up very quickly. I began transferring them to external drives to create space for even more to come.
So I started to sift through them and I started finding songs that I totally forgot about. Late nights in that garage produced some fun and even silly things as well as some rather deep things. For example, the song “The Trail Is Long ” must have happened really late with a fine smoke, some good bourbon and a sad memory. I totally forgot about it and now it’s probably my favorite song on the record. However, all the songs have a place in my heart, of course, there is a joy in taking a little acoustic guitar lick conceived on the porch that eventually becomes a completed song like “Sweet Dreams Cowboy”. There is a great sense of pride in that.
The Imaginary Soundtrack To The Imaginary Western “Twenty Graves Per Mile” Releases on August 9th, 2024 Desert Records CD, Cassette Tape, Digital Download
Tracklist 1. Load the Wagon 2. About to Bloom 3. Sweet Dreams Cowboy 4. Chuck Wagon Sorrow 5. Not Any More 6. Ode to Fallen Oxen 7. The Trail is Long 8. Controversy Follows 9. Jump Off Town (from everywhere) 10. Load the Wagon (reprise)
Is it me or is Nirvana everywhere now? I’m not quite talking Star Wars-level pop cIultural infiltration, but it’s not far off. Their ascent to classic rock reminds me distinctly of what happened around Led Zeppelin in the 1990s, but the two could hardly be more different bands and still both be rock and roll, at least in terms of how anti-mainstream Nirvana‘s music seemed when it was coming out. They sell the shirts at Target now. My mom had a hoodie on the other day. I’m pretty sure she took it from my nephew.
But, you know, retrospect makes the music pretty inarguable. “Aneurysm,” here covered by Portland, Oregon, trio Hippie Death Cult — wait, didn’t I just put up a post about their Fall tour plans? yes; sometimes the timing on these announcements plays out like that — is a pop tune in everything but attitude. It’s catchy, listenable, uptempo and fun, despite the outward disaffection, and Hippie Death Cult do justice to both the bounce and the punker intensity that birthed it while retaining their own style as well. You can see in the video in the instrument swapping and jumping around from bassist/vocalist Laura Phillips, guitarist Eddie Brnabic (who looks like he genuinely enjoys drumming) and drummer Harry Silvers, at no point are they treating the source material with anything other than the irreverence it deserves. Nirvana just happened to make really fun songs about being miserable. Pop was a vehicle for their expression. I wonder if they were bending to it or bending it to them.
Not sure I have the time or inclination to go back, put those records on and answer that question for myself, but I am sure that at this point I’ve now overthought what for Hippie Death Cult was a fun cover they played at shows that they put to tape at the end of a tour, with Armand Lance from tourmates Spirit Mother — whose new record is a burner; keep an eye out — throwing down a guest vocal spot for an added bonus and then made a video to (just about) coincide with a different tour. It’s apparently not the only cover they recorded. You’ll recall they also did a clip for their live take on Black Sabbath‘s “Rat Salad.” One would hardly hold having a thing for lesser-known hits from legendary bands against them.
Just for completion’s sake, I’ve included the tour dates again under the video below and accompanying info/credits. As always, I hope you enjoy:
Eddie quotes: “Laura and I grew up listening to Nirvana a ton back in the 90’s and had recently enjoyed revisiting their catalog, which sparked a renewed appreciation for them and their ethics as a band. When tinkering with cover song ideas for our live set last year, the idea of doing “Aneurysm” came up. It felt fun to play, so we didn’t overthink it and started adding it to our live set over the past year. We had a blast playing it live, often inviting friends up to sing with us and it always went over well with the audience. Once we got home from touring at the beginning of the 2024, we headed right in to the studio to track a version of it just for the hell of it while it was still kinda fresh in our minds. Right after that I had gone into the studio to produce the new Spirit Mother album, so we had Armand (vocalist of Spirit Mother) track some backing vocals for it as he had frequently jumped on stage with us to perform it live when we were on the road together in 2023. It was real fun to do, hopefully that comes across. We tracked a couple of other covers that we’d been playing recently along with it that will also likely come out at some point.”
“We shot this video after a long day of photo and video shoots in the wee hours of the night in our rehearsal room. We had shot two other music videos that day and did a photo shoot in a local cemetery. We just just had fun with it. Credit to Laura for making us do silly takes on each others instruments at 3am. It was real fun to do and off the cuff, I hope that comes across”
Credits: Written by Kurt Cobain, Dave Grohl, Krist Novoselic. Originally recorded by Nirvana. Performed by Hippie Death Cult.
Laura Phillips ~ Vocals / Bass Eddie Brnabic ~ Guitars Harry Silvers ~ Drums Armand Lance ~ Guest Backing Vox
Audio: Produced by : Eddie Brnabic Assistant Producer : Ben Barnett Engineered by : Jeremy Romagna, Eddie Brnabic. Mixed by : Eddie Brnabic, Jeremy Romagna. Recorded & Mixed at 8-4 Studios – Portland, Oregon Mastered by : Eddie Brnabic Graphics : Eddie Brnabic Recorded in January 2024.
Video: Shot by : Eddy Vazquez Edited by : Eddie Brnabic
Hippie Death Cult w/ Kadabra: 9/2 Boise, ID – @neurolux 9/3 Salt Lake City, UT – @urbanloungeslc 9/4 Denver, CO – @hqdenver 9/5 Omaha, NE – @theslowdown 9/6 Milwaukee, WI – @clubgaribaldi 9/7 Chicago, IL – @cobralounge 9/8 Grand Rapids, MI – @pyramidschemegr 9/9 Newport, KY – @sghrevival 9/10 Youngstown, OH – @westsidebowl 9/11 Philadelphia, PA – @milkboyphilly 9/12 Providence, RI – @alchemy_providence 9/14 Queens, NY – @desertfest_nyc @knockdowncenter Center 9/16 Québec QC – @lasourcedelamartiniere 9/17 Ottawa, ON – @dominiontavern 9/19 Toronto, ON – @bovinesexclub 9/20 Detroit, MI – @sanctuarydetroit 9/21 Louisville, KY – @portal_louisville 9/22 Atlanta, GA – @masquerade_atl 9/23 Pensacola, FL – @thehandlebar850 9/24 Lafayette, LA – @freetown_boomboomroom Boom 9/25 Dallas, TX – @ruinsdeepellum 9/26 Houston, TX – @blackmagicsocialclub 9/27 Austin, TX – @thelostwell 9/28 Las Cruces, NM – @amadorbar 9/29 Albuquerque, NM – @sisterbar 9/30 Scottsdale, AZ – @pubrocklive 10/2 San Diego, CA – @brickbybricksd 10/3 Long Beach, CA – @alexsbarlbc 10/4 Los Angeles, CA – @permanentrecordsroadhouse 10/5 Oakland, CA – @elismilehighclub 10/6 Reno, NV – @lobarsocial 11/1 Vancouver, BC – @greenautomusic 11/2 Kelowna, BC – @jackknifebrewing 11/3 Calgary, AB – @palominosmokehouse 11/6 Spokane, WA – @thebigdipperspokane 11/7 Yakima, WA – @beardedmonkeymusic 11/8 Bend, OR – @volcanictheatrepub
Posted in Whathaveyou on June 13th, 2024 by JJ Koczan
Not gonna hear me arguing with the lineup for Up in Smoke 2024, the 10th anniversary edition of the Pratteln, Switzerland-based festival appearing early in the Fall circuit alongside the likes of Desertfest Belgium, Keep it Low, Lazy Bones, Høstsabbat and others. It’s done — the lineup, that is — with the final additions of Masters of Reality, Naxatras and The Machine, although you can see the “and more” remains on the poster, so there may indeed yet be more names to come. With Monster Magnet, Greenleaf, Lowrider, Pentagram (debuting a new lineup even on their “retirement” tour, apparently), Monolord, Slomosa, Messa, Samavayo, Valley of the Sun and Daevar, among others, you wouldn’t say it’s hurting for righteousness either way.
Even unto its final acts announced, the spread of geography and styles emphasizes how easy it is to take these things for granted. Masters of Reality, the long-tenured outfit led by Chris Goss, make the trip from California. Naxatras, who shifted from open jams to synth-laced prog-psych with their last record, will head north from Greece. The Machine, with tone for days and a readiness to either blast out noise rock or jam, jam, jam, will pop over from the Netherlands. The entire bill is a swath of countries and styles drawn mostly from Europe with a few US acts worked in, and while with so much going on across the continent it’s easy to think of it as just another weekend, the fact is it’s an anchor for a lot of Fall tours and, 10 years later, a communion unto itself. I’ve never been, but if invited, I’d be there in a snap. Or however long the flight is, anyhow. It’s never actually a snap.
The point, though, is don’t take it for granted. I remember when events like this didn’t exist, let alone exist every weekend in a linear succession of countries. That Up in Smoke happens at all is a thing to celebrate, never mind that it’s been going on for a decade now.
Word came from Sound of Liberation via socials:
UP IN SMOKE 2024 – FINAL BAND ANNOUNCEMENT
We’re stoked to announce the last bands for the Up In Smoke festival 2024!💥
The line up is now complete!🔥
*** PLEASE WELCOME ***
MASTERS OF REALITY NAXATRAS THE MACHINE
*** FULL LINE UP ***
MONSTER MAGNET MASTERS OF REALITY PENTAGRAM TRUCKFIGHTERS MONOLORD LOWRIDER GREENLEAF SLOMOSA NAXATRAS MESSA WOLVENNEST SCORPION CHILD VALLEY OF THE SUN GNOME PSYCHLONA THE MACHINE SAMAVAYO DJIIN DAEVAR TAR POND PREAMP DISASTER NORNA NO MUTE GLUE
Posted in Whathaveyou on June 12th, 2024 by JJ Koczan
I’m pretty sure that by the time Valley of the Sun embark on this October run through the parts of Europe that are mostly Germany in the company of rad murk-doom up and covers Daevar, the second part of the Ohio-based heavy rockers’ Quintessence LP will be released. Led by guitarist/vocalist Ryan Ferrier, the now-self-releasing unit offered Quintessence Pt. 1 in early May, and the second five tracks of the total 10 that make up the offering seem to be slated for July as per their Bandcamp, while vinyl preorders are listed for Oct. 4 — better get those packages together before you head out, dudes — and CDs on Sept. 25. Pick your poison as regards formats — it’s gonna be fuzzy either way.
The run is taking place under the banner of Sound of Liberation, so appearances for Valley of the Sun at Up in Smoke, Keep it Low, Desertfest Belgium and Lazy Bones fests make sense, and you’ll note the Westill Fest in France closes the tour at the start of November. I don’t know much about that one — it’s probably been around for 30 years — but they booked Valley of the Sun, so at very least they’ve got that going in their favor.
SOL posted the following to socials this morning. Remember, if you’re someplace with a TBA, you should help if you can:
VALLEY OF THE SUN EUROPE TOUR 2024 WITH SPECIAL GUEST DAEVAR
Hey friends, we’re super stoked to present you the Valley Of The Sun Europe tour 2024!🔥
Special guest for many of the shows will be Daevar!💥⚸
Valley of the Sun are: Ryan Ferrier – guitars and vocals Chris Sweeney – bass, keys, and additional guitars Johnny Kathman – drums, percussion, and additional guitars (Additional guitars on Where’s This Place I Roam? by Pete Koretzky)
M-E-L-L-O-W, and that’s not a complaint. The apparent pull of the Great Magnet spoken of by Hunter S. Thompson whose whims Gronsveld, the Netherlands-based guitarist/vocalist Sander Haagmans has been following for the last 12 or so years would seem to have been drawing the former bassist of Sungrazer toward turning his solo-project into a full band. Live at Bankastudios, Maastricht, 22-12-2023 isn’t the first The Whims of the Great Magnet offering with a full lineup, but the 59-minute set recorded by Edis Pajazetovic at — wait for it — Bankastudios, in Maastricht, NL, and mixed/mastered by Arthur von Berg does comprise the first live release they’ve done, and it feels purposeful in its psychedelic soothsaying in a way that could indicate a new direction for the project which, true to its moniker, has up to this point seemed to resist set parameters of style around Haagmans‘ songcraft.
Or maybe part of that is wishful thinking as the gracefully jammed, flowing takes on the title-track of 2021’s Share My Sun EP and the 2023 single “Same New” (review here) present extended interpretations around the root structures and memorable melodies. Those pieces, which on Live at Bankastudios (if you’ll pardon the truncated title) run 14 and nearly 18 minutes, respectively, are also the only two songs included that were previously released, which also speaks to composition happening, perhaps also in a group context. While it’s ultimately pointless to speculate whether this incarnation of The Whims of the Great Magnet will embark on one or more studio releases with this configuration — mathematically speaking, they either will or won’t — the exploratory aspect of their work here and the reads-as-declarative chemistry of their performance highlights potential for what they might accomplish should the pursuit continue.
But that’s getting ahead of Live at Bankastudios itself. Beginning with the nine-minute raga-type warmup jam “Das Schwarze Munster,” a thread of improvisation seems to wind through the proceedings. Obviously there are structured parts, both in the two longer cuts already noted and the casually rolling fuzzer “Reborn” that precedes the open-spaced finale “Frog.” but with that bookending excursion into the unknown-till-they-get-there, the three-minute instru-shuffle of “A New Bro Rider” and the cosmic-leaning feel added to the middle of “Share My Sun” by means of keys/synth, everything comes across as being either built from an improv foundation or actually improvised. It is loose. Not so much in terms of the band being sloppy, but in the utter lack of pretense of the execution and the seeming willingness to let the songs unfold as they will, The Whims of the Great Magnet indeed feel ready to let themselves be drawn in whatever direction the material itself might want to take.
The lineup around Haagmans is well suited to that task of letting go. The already-mentioned von Berg handles the synth as well as guitar and vocals, and Jonathan Frederix drums. On bass/vocals is David Eering — also the founding guitarist/vocalist of The Machine — and his pairing with Haagmans feels significant in a way that undercuts some of the intentionally-low-key presentation of the album, though more conceptually than in the actual listening experience. That is, a collaboration between Eering and Haagmans is a big deal if you recall 12-14 years ago when, in The Machine and Sungrazer, they were at the vanguard of a new generation of jam-based heavy psychedelia.
In terms of hearing Live at Bankastudios, it feels much less like an ‘event’ on that level. Given that it it was recorded live, even live-in-studio, it is inherently more concerned with its present than its pedigree, and appropriately so. The chemistry between them — Haagmans also did a few shows with The Machine when they were between bassists, so the two are well familiar with each other — becomes part of the full-band persona with Frederix and von Berg‘s likewise noteworthy contributions.
Nuances like the maybe-backwards loops of low end after seven minutes into “Das Schwarze Munster” and the voice-push in the later choruses of “Same New” enrich the spaciousness overarching throughout, and the grunge-informed languid roll of “Reborn” should offer a thrill to those listeners who hold Sungrazer‘s output dear even as it branches off from that to chase its own ends. Positioned between “Share My Sun” and “Same New,” “A New Bro Rider” has an inevitable grounding effect, following a single bouncing progression for about three minutes without the need for much else around that until it comes apart near its end and the drums snap into the start of “Same New,” fluid and pastoral, clear in sound and what the instruments are doing and all the more you’re-in-the-room with the Dutch spoken between some of the songs. Above all other concerns, Live at Bankastudios feels committed to organically representing this version of The Whims of the Great Magnet has to offer an audience/listenership.
And that too might be part of why it feels so much like a showcase of potential between the in-moment immersion, abiding sweetness of melody and mostly relaxed grooves; because part of what resonates from Live at Bankastudios is the sense of a beginning. That runs counter to the fact that Haagmans has been putting out songs under the banner of The Whims of the Great Magnet since 2012, but it’s true nonetheless, and crucially, it’s not just about his bringing Eering into the mix, or von Berg or Frederix. It’s about what the four of them conjure as a unit. Live at Bankastudios is almost humble in how it highlights the character of this version of The Whims of the Great Magnet, and of course there’s no guarantee they’ll ever do anything more together — all the more reason to put this out, frankly — but even the fleeting nature of an outing like this that happened while it was happening and then was over and (sooner or later) everyone went home feels like a story only starting to be told.
One hopes it turns out to be precisely that, if it needs to be said, but in case the Great Magnet pulls Haagmans in another direction, the ephemeral nature of Live at Bankastudios makes it all the more a special moment to have captured in the first place. The lesson — which becomes to let the future be what it will and focus on now — is not lost, even if that does prove to be something of a challenge.
The Whims of the Great Magnet, Live at Bankastudios, Maastricht, 22-12-2023 (2024)
