Posted in Whathaveyou on October 22nd, 2025 by JJ Koczan
Having signed with Heavy Psych Sounds last year to release their Live at Duna Jam live album, Italian psych rockers Ananda Mida will begin their 10th anniversary celebrations at Heavy Psych Sounds Fest in Germany this weekend — Dresden and Berlin, if you’re in either neighborhood — and through the end of the year, hitting another HPS Fest in London and playing their anniversary party in Italy on Dec. 5 with another date in Malta the next day. If you like your birthdays with a bit of travel, it seems like a good way to go about it.
It’s a big world and there’s a lot of underground heavy music in it, but for 10 years, Ananda Mida have cut their collective teeth on a vision of progressive psychedelia that has yet to stop growing or seeing them push toward new ideas. To me, that indeed is a thing to celebrate. Here’s the whats and wheres from the PR wire:
ANANDA MIDA announce European tour dates and 10th anniversary concert!
ANANDA MIDA are proud to announce the celebration of their tenth anniversary. On Friday, December 5, 2025, the Italian psychedelic rock collective will mark this milestone with a unique and memorable concert at Astro Club in Fontanafredda, Italy. The event will feature not only the current lineup, but also a number of musicians who have contributed to the band’s ever-evolving sound over the years.
From its inception, ANANDA MIDA was conceived as an open musical project—an ensemble that grows, transforms, and adapts to the shifting rhythms of life. Built on this fluid foundation, the group has crafted a trilogy of concept albums inspired by G. I. Gurdjieff’s philosophical work Beelzebub’s Tales to His Grandson. These albums were recorded with the support of a wide array of musicians and released via the renowned Italian label Go Down Records.
This spirit of collaboration has defined the band’s live presence as well, leading to the creation of sixteen different live set-ups, many of which will be showcased during the anniversary concert in a dynamic and immersive performance.
In 2024, ANANDA MIDA partnered with Heavy Psych Sounds Records to release Live at Duna Jam, an album that captured the essence of the project and served as a fitting conclusion to the band’s first decade.
Looking ahead, ANANDA MIDA are currently writing new material and preparing for a series of live dates across Europe this fall, including their anniversary show. The tour will bring their distinctive blend of heavy psychedelia to the following cities:
European Tour Dates 2025: 24 Oct. – Dresden, GER – Heavy Psych Sounds Fest @ Chemiefabrik 25 Oct. – Berlin, GER – Heavy Psych Sounds Fest @ Urban Spree 01 Nov. – London, UK – Heavy Psych Sounds Fest @ Hackney Bridge 05 Dec. – Fontanafredda, IT – Astro Club (10th Anniversary Show) 06 Dec. – St. Julian’s, MALTA – Tigullio
Posted in Whathaveyou on May 8th, 2024 by JJ Koczan
DunaJam — the permanently-small, willfully-unadvertised, not-quite-a-secret-but-not-far-off week-long festival held on I don’t even know what beach in Sardinia each year — remains the ultimate daydream. I’ve never been, and I’ll never be cool enough to go. Ever. But man, imagine watching the sun go down and some band is just up there jamming and the ocean is the vibe and the vibe is the ocean and then I guess you just party all night because you’re at fucking Duna Jam and you can sleep next week anyhow. Ananda Mida got to go.
And, clever psychedelic rocking sorts that they are, they recorded the set they performed in that most idyllic of contexts, and they’re soon to release it through Heavy Psych Sounds. Yeah, a little odd for it to not be on Go Down Records given the band’s association with that label through drummer Max Ear (also OJM), but I’ve got nothing bad to say about a bit of scene unity between Italian labels, bands, etc. Keeps the world afloat, that kind of thing.
Info and a video for “The Future” — which, oddly, I don’t see in the tracklisting but I assume is part of that whole “Doom and the Medicine Man” sequence — follow below, courtesy of the PR wire:
Psychedelic blues rockers ANANDA MIDA to release “Live at Duna Jam” album on Heavy Psych Sounds; first video “The Future” streaming!
Heavy 70’s blues collective ANANDA MIDA (with vocalist Conny Ochs) announce the release of the “Live at Duna Jam” album this July 12th on Heavy Psych Sounds, and premiere the video for “The Future.”
Ananda Mida is a stoner and psychedelic rock music collective led by Max Ear (OJM’s drummer and Go Down Records’ Art Director) and Matteo Pablo Scolaro. From the very beginning of the project, graphic imagery has been given a crucial role thanks to the precious collaboration with the visual artist Eeviac. Since 2015, they have been performing with different lineups, from three to six members, either as an instrumental outfit or featuring singers such as Conny Ochs. Their sound is inspired by seventies rock, mixed with desert and psychedelic grooves.
About the live album, the band comments: “On Tuesday, June 20, 2023, we had the privilege of performing live for the Duna Jam audience as the sun set over the beach and heat waves, along with sandstorms, rose from the Sahara to the west. It was an unforgettable concert that left a profound emotional impact on us as the entire scene and atmosphere seemed to “crystallize” in its own unique space-time, so to speak.”
TRACKLIST: 1. Swamp Thing 2. Blank Stare 3. Doom And The Medicine Man (Pt V) 4. Doom And The Medicine Man (Pt Vi-Vii-Viii) 5. Doom And The Medicine Man (Pt Iv) 6. Lunia (Ear, Scolaro, Leonardi)
ANANDA MIDA is Davide Bressan: bass guitar Max Ear: drums Conny Ochs: vocals, percussion Matteo Pablo Scolaro: electric guitars Alessandro Tedesco: electric guitars
Posted in Reviews on November 27th, 2023 by JJ Koczan
Don’t ask me if the ‘quarter’ in question is Fall or Winter, and I’m still planning another QR probably in early January or even December if I can sneak it, but I was able to sneak this week in while no one was looking at the calendar — mostly, that is, while I wasn’t filling said calendar with other stuff — and I decided to make it happen. I even used the ol’ Bing AI to make a header image for it. I was tired of all the no-color etchings. It’s been a decade of that at this point. I’ll try this for a bit and see how I feel about it. The kind of thing that matters pretty much only to me.
This might go to 70, but for right now it’s 50 releases Monday to Friday starting today, 10 per day. I know the drill. You know the drill. Let’s get it going.
Quarterly Review #1-10:
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Negative Reaction, Zero Minus Infinity
Holy fucking shit this rips. You want sludge? Call the masters. There are two generations of bands out there right now trying to tap into the kind of slow and ultra-heavy disaffection — not to mention the guitar tone — of Negative Reaction, and yet, no hype whatsoever. This record didn’t come to me from some high-level public relations concern. It came from Kenny Bones, who founded Negative Reaction over 30 years ago in Long Island (he and thus the band are based in West Virginia now) and whose perpetual themes between crushing depression and the odd bit of Star Wars-franchised space opera have rarely sounded more intentionally grueling. Across six songs and a mood-altering 46 minutes, Bones, bassist KJ and drummer Brian Alien bludgeon with rawness and volume-worship weight that, frankly, is the kind of thing riff-dudes on social media should be tripping over themselves to be first to sing its praises, the lurch in “Back From the Sands” feeling sincere in its unconscious rifference (that’s a reference you make with a riff) to Saint Vitus‘ “Born Too Late,” and maybe Negative Reaction were, or maybe they were born too early, or whatever, but it’s not like they’ve been a fit at any point in the last 30-plus years — cheeky horror riff chugging in “Space Hunter,” all-out fuckall-punker blast in “I’ll Have Another” before the 13-minute flute-laced (yes, Bones is on it) cosmic doom finish of “Welcome to Infinity,” etc., reaffirming square-peg status — because while there’s an awful lot of sludge out there, there’s only ever been one Negative Reaction. Bones‘ and company’s angry adventures, righteous and dense in sound, continue unabated.
Arizona brothers Wayne and Joey Rudell return with New Blood, the first Fuzz Evil full-length since High on You (review here) in 2018, and make up for lost time with 53 minutes of new material across 13 songs from the post-Queens of the Stone Age rock at the outset in “Suit Coffin” to the slow, almost Peter Gabriel-style progressivism of “Littlest Nemo,” the nighttime balladry of “Gullible’s Travel” or the disco groove of “Keep on Living.” Those three are tucked at the end, but Fuzz Evil telegraph new ideas and departures early in “My Own Blood” and even the speedier “Run Away,” with its hints of metal, pulls to the side from “Souveneers,” the hooky “G.U.M.O.C.O.,” a cut like “Heavy Glow” (premiered here) finding some middle ground between attitude-laced desert rock and the expansions thereupon of some New Blood‘s tracks. Shout to “We’ve Seen it All” as the hidden gem. All Fuzz Evil have ever wanted is to write songs and maybe make someone — perhaps even you — dance at a show. With the obvious sweat and soul put into New Blood, a little boogieing doesn’t seem like too much to ask.
A second full-length from Serbia’s Cardinal Point, Man or Island asks its central question — are you a man or an island — in the leadoff title-track. I’m not sure what being one or the other delineates, but masculinity would seem to be preferred judging by the Down-style riffing of “Stray Dog” or the heavy-like-1991 “Right ‘n’ Ready,” which feels like it was written for the stage, whether or not it actually was. “Sunrise” borders on hard country with its uber-dudeliness, but closer “This Chest” offers tighter-twisting, Lo-Pan-style riffing to cap. The tracks are pointedly straightforward, making no pretense about where the band is coming from or what they want to be doing as players. The grooves swing big and the choruses are delivered with force. You wouldn’t call it groundbreaking, but the Vranje-based four-piece aren’t trying to revolutionize heavy so much as to speak to various among those traditions that birthed it. They succeed in that here, and in making the results their own.
Voices far more expert than mine have given pinpointed analyses of Vlimmer‘s goth-as-emotive-vehicle, semi-electronic, sometimes-heavy post-punk, New Dark Wave, etc., stylistic reach as relates to the Berlin-based solo artist’s latest full-length, Zerschöpfung, but hearing The Cure in “Makks” and “Fatalideal” taken to a place of progressive extrapolation on “Platzwort” and to hear the Author & Punisher-informed slow industrial churn of the penultimate “Todesangst” become the backdrop for a dreamy vocal like Tears for Fears if they stayed up all night scribbling in their notebook because they had so much to say. Vlimmer (né Alexander Leonard Donat) has had a productive run since the first numbered EPs started showing up circa 2015, and Zerschöpfung feels like a summation of the style he’s established as his own, able to speak to various sides of underground and outsider musics without either losing itself in the emotionalism of the songs or sublimating identity to genre.
Dutch sludge metallers No Gods No Masters may seem monolithic at first on their second full-length, the self-released Torment, but the post-metallic dynamics in the atmospheric guitar on lead cut “Into Exile” puts the lie to the supposition. Not that there isn’t plenty of extreme crush to go around in “Into Exile” and the four songs that follow — second track “Towering Waves” and closer “End” on either side of the 10-minute mark, “Such Vim and Vigor” and “A God Among the Waste” shorter like “Into Exile” in a five-to-six-minute range — as the band move from crawling ambience to consuming, scream-topped ultra-doom, leave bruises with elbows thrown before the big slowdown in “Such Vim and Vigor” and tear ass regardless of tempo through the finale, and while they never quite let go of the extremity of their purpose, neither do they forget that their purpose is more than extremity. Torment sounds punishing superficially — certainly the title gives a hint that all is not sunshine and puppies — but a deeper listen is met by the richness of No Gods No Masters‘ approach.
Italian psych rockers Ananda Mida are joined by a host of guests throughout their third full-length, Reconciler, including a return appearance from German singer-songwriter Conny Ochs on the extended heavy psych blueser “Swamp Thing” (14:52) and the four-part finale “Doom and the Medicine Man (Pt. V-VIII)” (22:09), which draws a thread through the history of prog and acid rocks, kraut and space applying no less to the 12-minute “Lucifer’s Wind” as to the surf-riffing “Reconciling” after — the latter gets a reprise on platter two of the 83-minute 2LP — as Ananda Mida dig deep into the shining thrust in the early verses of “Never Surrender” that give over to thoughtful jamming in the song’s second half, finding proto-metallic resolve in “Following the Light” before reconciling “Reconciling (Reprise)” and unfurling “Doom and the Medicine Man” like the lost ’70s coke-rock epic it may well be in some other universe, complete with the acoustic postscript. It’s two records’ worth of ambitious, and it’s two records’ worth of record. This is exploratory on a stylistic level. Searching.
Lumbering out of El Paso, Texas (where folks know what salsa should taste like), with seven tracks across a 23-minute debut EP, Ojo Malo follow a Sabbathian course of harder-edged doom, thick in its groove through “Crow Man” after the “Intro” and speedier with an almost nu-metal crunch in “Charon the Ferryman.” There’s Clutch and C.O.C. influences in the riffing, but there are tougher elements too, a tension that wouldn’t have been out of place 28 years ago on a Prong record, and the swing in “Black Trip Lord” has an undercurrent of aggression that comes forward in its chugging second half. The penultimate “Grim Greefo Rising” offers more in terms of melody after its riffy buildup, and “Executioner” reveals the Judas Priest that’s been in the band’s collective heart all the while. Bookended with manipulated sounds from the recordings in “Intro” and “Outro,” Black Light Fever Tripping sounds exactly like it doesn’t have time for your bullshit so get your gear off stage now and don’t break down your cymbals up there or it’s fucking on.
Druid Fluids — aka Adelaide, Australia’s Jamie Andrew, plus a few friends on drums, piano, and so on — inhabits a few different personae out of psychedelic historalia throughout Then, Now, Again & Again, finding favorites in The Beatles in “Flutter By,” “Into Me I See” (both with sitar), and “Layers” while peopling other songs specifically with elements drawn from David Bowie and the solo work of Lennon and McCartney, all of which feels like fair game for the meticulously-arranged 11-song collection. “Sour’s Happy Fantasy” offers sci-fi fuzz grandeur, while “Timeline” is otherworldly in all but the central strum holding it to the ground — a singularly satisfying melody — and “Out of Phase” swaggers in like Andrew knows he was born in the wrong time. He might’ve been, but he seems to have past, present and future covered either way in this material, some of which was reportedly written when he was a teenager but which has no doubt grown more expansive in the intervening years.
The years between their 2017 self-titled three-songer EP and the forthcoming 11-track debut full-length, Saturn V, would seem to have found Philly heavy rockers Gibbous Moon refining their approach in terms of craft and process. “Blue Shelby” has a turn on guitar like Dire Straits as vocalist Noelle Felipe (also bass) drops references to Scarface in “Blue Shelby” and brings due classicism to Mauro Felipe‘s guitar on “Ayadda.” That song, as well as “Everything” and closer “Peacemaker,” tie the EP to the LP, but Noelle, Mauro and drummer Michael Mosley are unquestionably more confident in their delivery, whether it’s the bass in the open reaches of “Sine Wave” or the of-course-it’s-speed-rock “Follow that Car” and its punker counterpart “Armadillo.” Space rock is a factor in “Indivisible,” and “Inflamed” is almost rockabilly in its tense verse, but wherever Gibbous Moon go, their steps are as sure as the material itself is solid. I’m not sure when this is actually out, if it’s 2023 or 2024, but heads up on it.
Arranged shortest to longest between the ah-oo-oo-ah-ah hookiness of “Sucker’s Disease” (3:03), the nodder rollout of “Daughters of the Sun” (5:47) and the reach into psych-blues jamming in “Goddess Land” (7:03), Mother Magnetic‘s self-titled three-song EP is the first public offering from the Brisbane four-piece of vocalist Rox, guitarist James, bassist Tim and drummer Danny, and right into the later reaches of the last of those tracks, the band’s intentions feel strongly declarative in establishing their melodic reach, an Iommi-circa-’81 take on riffmaking, and a classic boozy swagger to the vocals to match. There was a time, 15-20 years ago, when demos like this ruled the land and were handed to you, burned onto archaic CD-Rs, in the vain hope you might play them in your car on the way home from the show. To not do so in this case would be inadvisable. There’s potential in the songwriting, yes, but also on a performance level, for growth as individuals and as a group, and considering where Mother Magnetic are starting in terms of chemistry, that’s all the more an exciting prospect.
Posted in Whathaveyou on November 16th, 2023 by JJ Koczan
Mostly-Italian heavy psychedelic unit Ananda Mida just released their third full-length, Reconciler, through drummer Max Ear‘s own long-running Go Down Records imprint — and by long-running I mean there’s an anniversary fest coming up in Berlin on Dec. 1 to mark 20 years that Ananda Mida will also play — as the follow-up to 2021’s Karnak EP (review here). They’ve lined up a series of weekender-type dates between now and February in order to support the album, and they’ll be playing mostly in Italy but also Germany and Austria as they look to the start of 2024 and the possibility of more to come.
If you haven’t heard the record yet — it’ll be in the next Quarterly Review in a couple weeks — it’s streaming below in full, along with the lyric video for “The Stumbling Doll.” Whether you can make it to one of these shows or not, if you’re still reading this, you might at this point find the music worth your time.
To wit:
Psych Rock Collective ANANDA MIDA Announces “Reconciler Tour 2023/2024”; New Album Out Now Via Go Down Records!
Psych Rock collective Ananda Mida just recently released their third album, titled “Reconciler”, via Italian powerhouse label Go Down Records. To celebrate the band’s latest offering in its pure form, the band has announced a bunch of live dates for 2023/2024. Tickets on sale now and dates are as follows:
Reconciler Tour 2023/2024 2023/11/30 THU – p.m.k – Innsbruck – AT 2023/12/01 FRI – Urban Spree – Berlin – DE 2023/12/08 FRI – Backstage München – München – DE 2023/12/09 SAT – Astra Kulturzentrum Centro Culturale – Bressanone – IT 2024/01/18 THU – Fine Mondo Verona – IT 2024/01/19 FRI – SIDRO CLUB – Savignano s.R. – IT 2024/01/20 SAT – Arci Joshua Blues Club APS – Como – IT 2024/01/21 SUN – Freakout Club – Bologna – IT 2024/02/02 FRI – Astro Club – Pordenone – IT 2024/02/03 SAT – BLAH BLAH – Torino – IT 2024/02/16 FRI – Trenta Formiche – Roma – IT 2024/02/17 SAT – CSOA COX18 – Milano – IT
The new album “Reconciler “marks the final act of a trilogy inspired by Georges Ivanovič Gurdjieff’s book, “Beelzebub’s Tales to His Grandson,” and his profound thoughts. Originally planning to release three records, Ananda Mida’s founders, Max Ear and Matteo Pablo Scolaro, collaborated with artist and friend Eeviac to create a concept album trilogy. The first two albums in the series, “Anodnatius” and “Cathodnatius,” explored themes of Holy Affirmation and Holy Denial respectively. Now, with “Reconciler,” the band delves into the theme of Holy Reconciliation. During the making of “Reconciler,” one of the band members experienced both the joyous grace of birth and the deep mourning of death. These significant life events have greatly influenced the reconciliatory intent behind this record. With eight tracks spanning over 83 minutes of music, “Reconciler” showcases a diverse range of emotions and musical styles.
The album features an instrumental song titled “Reconciling,” while five other tracks are performed by talented singers. In addition to Ananda Mida’s core members, twelve artists from Go Down Records’ musical gang have contributed their talents to this record. This collaboration not only fulfills the band founders’ vision but also serves as a tribute to their independent label, which has been a hub for talent and passion over the past two decades. Ananda Mida’s sound is deeply rooted in 70s Rock, infused with desert and psychedelic grooves. Since their formation in 2015, the band has performed with various lineups, ranging from three to six members, both instrumental and featuring singers. Their unique blend of influences has garnered them a dedicated following within the Stoner and Psychedelic Rock community.
Tracklist: 01. Stormy Lady feat. Quiet Confusion 02. Lucifer’s Wind feat. Virtual Time 03. Reconciling 04. Swamp Thing 05. Never Surrender feat. Virtual Time 06. Following the Light feat. Lu Silver 07. Reconciling (reprise) 08. Doom and the Medicine Man [part V – VIII] V- The Future VI- The Stumbling Doll VII- The Ghost In The Machine VIII- Otherlives
ANANDA MIDA are: Davide Bressan | bass Max Ear | drums Conny Ochs | vocals Matteo Pablo Scolaro | guitar Alex Tedesco | guitar
Italian progressive heavy rockers Ananda Mida issued their Karnak EP (review here) last summer through drummer Max Ear‘s (also OJM) long-running and much-respected Go Down Records imprint. As you’ve probably guessed by the fact that we’re talking about it, “The Pilot” (live video premiering below) was featured on that particular release, which is streaming in full at the bottom of the post as well. It was one of three songs on the short offering, and it was recorded live at the Mirano Summer Festival, which ran throughout July 2021 in, well, Mirano.
“The Pilot” also opened 2019’s Cathodnatius, Ananda Mida‘s second album, and it’s an anomaly in that it features vocals, in this case contributed by German singer-songwriter Conny Ochs — known for his releases through Exile on Mainstream, speaking of weighty endorsements, and his collaborations with Scott “Wino” Weinrich — who adds a poppish flair to the track’s bouncing groove, the strummy guitars of Alessandro Tedesco and Matteo Pablo Scolaro in the early verses building toward a ready-shred apex later on as lyrics top the procession with evident flow. One would not suspect it’s a one-off, which it seems to have been.
Karnak, as I said in the review, is kind of a mini-compilation, with Mario Lalli (Fatso Jetson, Yawning Man) sitting in on aptly-named middle cut “Jam With Mario” and the opener “Anulios” a newly-released instrumental take on a song from 2018’s debut, Anodnatius (review here), but even as more than a holdover while they couldn’t play shows last year, its release makes sense to highlight the open spirit of Ananda Mida — completed by bassist Davide Bressan — and the welcome they bid to guests outside of the band itself. The situation and the track, then, are both markedly fluid.
Today, Ananda Mida, and Ochs for that matter, are premiering the video that coincides with the version of “The Pilot” that appears on Karnak. You’ll find it below, followed by a few words from the band, etc.
Please enjoy:
Ananda Mida, “The Pilot” live video premiere
Ananda Mida on “The Pilot”:
The Pilot is a song we always enjoy playing! The opening theme comes from the sounds of hospital machinery, then we added our own groove and there you go! We are very happy with the result because this performance reflects a clean edge that is not always part of our live experience.
The days grow long, but the Quarterly Review presses onward. I didn’t know when I put this thing together that in addition to having had oral surgery on Monday — rod in for a dental implant, needs a crown after it heals but so far no infection; penciling it as a win — this second week of 10 reviews per day would bring my laptop breaking and a toddler too sick to go to camp for three hours in the morning. If you’re a fan of understatement, I’ll tell you last week was easier to make happen.
Nevertheless, we persist, you and I. I don’t know if, when I get my computer back, it will even have all of these records on the desktop or if the hard-drive-bed-shitting that seems to have taken place will erase that along with such inconsequentials as years of writing and photos of The Pecan dating back to his birth, but hey, that desktop space was getting cleared one way or the other. You know what? I don’t want to think about it.
Quarterly Review #81-90:
Paradise Lost, At the Mill
If Paradise Lost are trying to hold onto some sense of momentum, who can blame them? How many acts who’ve been around for 33 years continue to foster the kind of quality the Yorkshire outfit brought to 2020’s studio outing, Obsidian (review here)? Like, four? Maybe? So if they want to put out two live records in the span of three months — At the Mill follows March’s Gothic: Live at Roadburn 2016, also on Nuclear Blast — one isn’t inclined to hold a grudge, and even less so given the 16-song setlist they offer up in what was the captured audio from a livestream last Fall, spanning the bulk of their career and including requisite highlights from ’90s-era landmarks Gothic and Icon as well as Obsidian features “Fall From Grace,” “Ghosts” and “Darker Thoughts,” which opened the studio LP but makes a rousing finisher for At the Mill.
The second long-player from Sweden’s Alastor is a surprising but welcome sonic turn, pulling back from the grimness of 2018’s Slave to the Grave (review here) in favor of an approach still murky and thick in its bottom end, but sharper in its songwriting focus and bolder melodically right from the outset on “The Killer in My Skull.” They depart from the central roll for an acoustic stretch in “Pipsvängen” after “Nightmare Trip” opens side B and just before the nine-minute title-track lumbers out its descent into the deranged, but even there the four-piece hold the line of obvious attention to songcraft, instrumental and vocal phrasing, and presentation of their sound. Likewise, the spacious nod on “Lost and Never Found” caps with a shorter and likewise undeniable groove, more Sabbath than the Queens of the Stone Age rush of “Death Cult” earlier, but with zero dip in quality. This takes them to a different level in my mind.
Its noise-rock angularity and tonal bite isn’t going to be for everyone, but there’s something about Zahn‘s unwillingness to cooperate, their unwillingness to sit still, that makes their self-titled debut a joy of a run. Based in Berlin and comprised of Felix Gebhard (Einstürzende Neubauten keyboards) as well as drummer Nic Stockmann and bassist Chris Breuer (both of HEADS.), the eight-tracker shimmers on “Tseudo,” punkjazzes on lead cut “Zerrung,” goes full krautrock drone to end side A on “Gyhum” and still has more weirdness to offer on the two-minute sunshine burst of “Schranck,” “Lochsonne Schwarz,” “Aykroyd” and finale “Staub,” all of which tie together in one way or another around a concept of using space-in-mix and aural crush while staying loway to the central pattern of the drums. “Aykroyd” is brazen in showing the teeth of its guitar work, and that’s a pretty solid encapsulation of Zahn‘s attitude across the board. They’re going for it. You can take the ride if you want, but they’re going either way.
Bones and Flowers is a welcome return from Czech Republic-based heavy rockers Greynbownes, who made their debut with 2018’s Grey Rainbow From Bones (review here), and sees the trio foster a progressive heavy flourish prone to Doors-y explosive vocal brooding tempered with Elder-style patience in the guitar lines and rhythmic fluidity while there continues to be both an underlying aggressive crunch and a sense of Truckfighters-ish energy in “Dream Seller,” some blues there and in “Dog’s Eyes” and opener “Wolves” besides, and a willful exploratory push on “Burned by the Sun and Swallowed by the Sea,” which serves as a worthy centerpiece ahead of the rush that comprises much of “Long Way Down.” Further growth is evident in the spaciousness of “Flowers,” and “Star” feels like it’s ending the record with due ceremony in its largesse and character in its presentation.
One can’t argue with Melbourne heavy post-rockers Treebeard‘s impulse to take the material from their prior two EPs, 2018’s Of Hamelin and 2019’s Pastoral, and put it together as a single full-length, but Nostalgia goes further in that they actually re-recorded, and in the case of a track like “The Ratchatcher,” partially reworked the songs. That makes the resultant eight-song offering all the more cohesive and, in relation to the prior versions, emphasizes the growth the band has undertaken in the last few years, keeping elements of weight and atmosphere but delivering their material with a sense of purpose, whether a give stretch of “8×0” is loud or quiet. Nostalgia effectively pulls the listener into its world, duly wistful on “Pollen” or “Dear Magdalena,” with samples adding to the breadth and helping to convey the sense of contemplation and melodic character. Above all things, resonance. Emotional and sonic.
Estonian five-piece Estrada Orchestra recorded Playground on Nov. 21, 2020, and while I’m not 100 percent sure of the circumstances in which such a recording took place, it seems entirely possible given the breadth of their textures and the lonely ambience that unfurls across the 22-minute A-side “Playground Part 1” and the gradual manner in which it makes its way toward psychedelic kraut-drone-jazz there and in the more “active” “Playground Part 2 & 3” — the last part chills out again, and one speaks on very relative terms there — it’s entirely possible no one else was around. Either way, headphone-ready atmosphere persists across the Sulatron-issued LP, a lushness waiting to be closely considered and engaged that works outside of common structures despite having an underlying current of forward motion. Estrada Orchestra, who’ve been in operation for the better part of a decade and for whom Playground is their fifth full-length, are clearly just working in their own dimension of time. It suits them.
Even in the sometimes blinding sunshine of Vestamaran‘s debut album, Bungalow Rex, there is room for shades of folk and classic progressive rock throughout the summery 10-tracker, which makes easygoing vibes sound easy in a way that’s actually really difficult to pull off without sounding forced. And much to Vestamaran‘s credit, they don’t. Their songs are structured, composed, engaging and sometimes catchy, but decidedly unhurried, unflinchingly melodic and for all their piano and subtle rhythmic intricacy, mostly pretense-free. Even the snare sound on “Grustak” feels warm. Cuts like “Risky Pigeon” and “Cutest Offender” are playful, and “Solitude” and closer “Only for You” perhaps a bit moodier, but Vestamaran are never much removed from that central warmth of their delivery, and the abiding spirit of Bungalow Rex is sweet and affecting. This is a record that probably won’t get much hype but will sit with dedicated audience for more than just a passing listen. A record that earns loyalty. I look forward to more.
Three records in, to call what Low Flying Hawks do “heavygaze” feels cheap. Such a tag neither encompasses the post-rock elements in the lush space of “Monster,” the cinematic flourish of “Darklands,” nor the black-metal-meets-desert-crunch-riffing-in-space at the end of “Caustic Wing” or the meditative, post-Om cavern-delia in the first half of closer “Nightrider,” never mind the synthy, screamy turn of Fuyu‘s title-track at the halfway point. Three records in, the band refuse to let either themselves or their listenership get too comfortable, either in heavy groove or march or atmosphere, and three records in, they’re willfully toying with style and bending the aspects of genre to their will. There are stretches of Fuyu that, in keeping with the rest of what the band do, border on overthought, but the further they go into their own progressive nuance, the more they seem to discover they want to do. Fuyu reportedly wraps a trilogy, but if what they do next comes out sounding wildly different, you’d have to give them points for consistency.
La Maquinaria del Sueño, Rituales de los Alucinados
Cult poetry on “Enterrado en la Oscuridad,” garage rock boogie “Ayahuasca” and classic, almost-surf shuffle are the first impressions Mexico City’s La Maquinaria del Sueño make on their debut full-length, Rituales de los Alucinados, and the three-piece only benefit from the push-pull in different directions as the seven-song LP plays out, jamming into the semi-ethereal on “Maldad Eléctrica” only to tip hat to ’60s weirdo jangle on “Mujer Cabeza de Cuervo.” Guitars scorch throughout atop swinging grooves in power trio fashion, and despite the differences in tone between them, “Enterré mis Dientes en el Desierto” and “Ángel de Fuego” both manage to make their way into a right on haze of heavy fuzz ahead of the motoring finisher “La Ninfa del Agua,” which underscores the live feel of the entire procession with its big crashout ending and overarching vitality. Listening to the chemistry between these players, it’s not a surprise they’ve been a band for the better part of a decade, and man, they make their riffs dance. Not revolutionary, but cool enough not to care.
A three-tracker EP issued through drummer Max Ear‘s (also of OJM) own Go Down Records, Karnak features an instrumental take on a previously-vocalized cut — “Anulios,” from 2018’s Anodnatius (review here) — an eight-minute live jam with Mario Lalli of Fatso Jetson/Yawning Man sitting in on guitar, and a live version of the Conny Ochs-fronted “The Pilot,” which opened 2019’s Cathodnatius, the cover of which continues to haunt one’s dreams, and which finds the German singer-songwriter channeling his inner David Byrne in fascinating ways. An odds-and-ends release, maybe, but each of these songs is worth the minimal price of admission on its own, never mind topped as they are together with the much-less-horrifying art. If this is a reminder to listen to Anada Mida, it’s a happy one.
Posted in Whathaveyou on July 11th, 2019 by JJ Koczan
This very weekend, Ananda Mida play the esteemed Stoned from the Underground fest in Erfurt, Germany, heralding the arrival earlier this year of their new album, Cathodnatius. Though the Italian outfit are somewhat amorphous of lineup, their commitment to progressive sounds remains unflinching, and they were out in the first half of 2019 as well, but the new batch of dates run from this month through October in Germany, Italy, Slovenia and Austria over a series of weekenders and long-weekenders followed by more of a straight-run tour. One way or the other, it’ll be enough to keep them busy as Cathodnatius continues to sink in, and though I’m not sure if they’ll have more shows filled in on some of the off days or not, it’s obviously worth keeping an eye out should you happen to be in that part of the world.
“Cool band playing shows,” is the bottom line, I guess. Pretty simple story, but as you can hear in the album stream at the bottom of this post, it’s a story worth telling.
If you’re going to Stoned from the Underground, enjoy.
Dates:
Ananda Mida – Fall Tour Dates
After the first tour in January of the presentation of the second album Cathodnatius, our Ananda Mida return with new dates in Italy and Germany (at the prestigious Stoned from the Underground festival) and for an European tour in September and October.
TOUR: SAT 13.07 DE – Erfurt – @stonedfromtheunderground SAT 20.07 IT – Bologna – Fondazione Villa Ghigi SUN 21.07 IT – Aviano – Bar al Contrario MON 22.07 SLO – Lubiana – @galahalametelkova TUE 23.07 IT – Mirano – @miranosummerfestival SAT 07.09 – IT – Treviso – In Veneto there is no law 5 SUN 08.09 – IT – Carmignano – Karmin Fest FRI 27.09 – CH – Olten – @coqdor_olten SUN 29.09 – AT – Salzburg – @rockhouse_bar_salzburg MON 30.09 – DE – Wiesbaden – @kupawiesbaden TUE 01.10 – DE – Rosenheim – @asta_rosenheim THU 03.10 – DE – Berlin – Dunckerclub SAT 05.10 – DE – Passau – @zauberbergpassau SUN 06.10 – IT – @punkyreggaepub
Ananda Mida is stoner rock and psychedelia collective, leaded by Max Ear, former drummer of OJM and co-founder of Go Down Records, and Matteo Pablo Scolaro, underground guitarist and curator of Go Down Bands on Tour, with the help of Eeviac artworks.
Since 2015, they have been playing, with different line-ups, from three up to six members, both instrumental or with singers, a seventies sound mixed with desert and psychedelia grooves.
Ananda Mida are: Davide Bressan: bass guitar Max Ear: drums Matteo Pablo Scolaro: electric guitar Alessandro Tedesco: electric guitar
Posted in Whathaveyou on November 28th, 2018 by JJ Koczan
Italian heavy rockers Ananda Mida will start out 2019 strong with the release of their second album, Cathodnatius, on Go Down Records and Vincebus Eruptum Recordings. The album is clearly intended to be a complement to the band’s 2016 debut, Anodnatius (review here), which not only shared a similar title but artwork on which the striking new cover builds, facing an arm the opposite way and turning from organic to inorganic components thereof. The approach to the tracks themselves seems to have shifted as we go from songs like “Aktavas” to “Blank Stare,” but I’ve yet to dig into the record to hear if there’s a corresponding shift in sound. The teaser at the bottom of this post seems to be culled from opener “The Pilot” though, and that’s pretty right on, either way.
Preorders are up now if that’s your thing, and the album features some collaboration with singer-songwriter Conny Ochs, known for his solo work as well as his duo with Wino of The Obsessed et al.
Info from the PR wire:
Ananda Mida – Cathodnatius
Go Down Records / Vincebus Eruptum Records out on 2019.01.12 LP, CD, digital
CATHODNATIUS is the second chapter of the psychedelic undertaking of Ananda Mida through our cosmos, trying to investigate the soul of the tricerebral beings of our planet, this time examining in particular all the negative forces and the relative subtle vibrations lying outside and inside everything.
Recorded at the Teatro delle Voci Studios in Treviso, it sees the collaboration of singer Conny Ochs, a valid explorer of the mythological cosmos created by the band. Cover by eeviac artworks.
“The pilot turns his head and checks on the controls, lights turn through green and red, ignition, there he goes.”
TRACKLIST: 1. The Pilot 2. Blank Stare 3. Pupo Cupo 4. Out Of The Blue 5. Doom And The Medicine Man [part I – IV]: I- Towers And Holes II- Opening Hours III- Rude Awakening IV- The Medicine Man Is Looking For A Cure
