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The Dry Mouths New EP When the Water Smells of Sweat Coming Soon

Posted in Whathaveyou on January 25th, 2018 by JJ Koczan

the dry mouths

Some bands — one or two labels. Frankly, one is impressive. I know I post all the time about bands getting signed and it’s a thing that happens every day, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy. Bands and imprints both put in a shit-ton of work, and then they need to find each other, coordinate something everyone can agree on, make a release plan, on and on and on — it can be an agonizing, anxious process.

I mention it because as you look through the PR wire info below about The Dry Mouths‘ forthcoming EP, When the Water Smells of Sweat, you’ll notice there are no fewer than seven different labels standing behind the release. Seven. I don’t know that I’ve ever seen that many parties standing behind a single offering. And it’s not even a full-length! I mean, don’t get me wrong — listening to the six-and-a-half-minute closer “Doomental VI: Law Far Low Par,” I get it — but still. That’s a pretty considerable gathering. Imagine getting seven people to agree on anything. Ever.

On the other hand, The Dry Mouths manage to cover a pretty wide swath of sound on the short release, so maybe it’s a case of everyone hearing something different. Whatever got the job done, kudos.

Here’s info off the PR wire:

the dry mouths when the water smells of sweat

After 12 years touring around Spain, and five studio albums, The Dry Mouths have made a name for themselves in the Spanish Underground Music Scene.

Over the years, The Dry Mouths have evolved and played their cards between different styles, from psycho rock to alternative rock or stoner. As a result, they bring us “When The Water Smells Of Sweat” (2018), a 6-track EP recorded, produced and mixed at their recording studio, Desert City Studio, and containing the singles “Catalonian Cream” and “Doomental VI: Law For The Law Par”.

“When The Water Smells Of Sweat” is released on 12″ and CD thanks to seven indie record labels: Aneurisma Records, Spinda Records, RadiX Records, Cosmic Tentacles, Surnia Records and Zona Rock Productions from all over Spain, and Tim Tam Records from Germany. The awesome artwork is by local artist Ivan Carreño, who brings the visual experience to the next level, closer to psychedelia.

ALBUM: When The Water Smells Of Sweat
YEAR: 2018
FORMAT: EP/MinilP. 12″ Vinyl and CD
LABELS (Co-Edition): Aneurisma Records, RadiX Records, Cosmic Tentacles, Spinda Records, Surnia Records, Tim Tam Records, Zona Rock Productions

TRACKUST,
1. Low Clouds (2:13)
2. Catalonian Cream (4:34)
3. The Whip (3:35)
4. When The Water Smells Of Sweat (1:13)
5. This Could Be The Beginning Of A Beautiful Friendship (3:54)
6. Doomental VI: Law Far Low Par (6:33)

Produced by The Dry Mouths
Recorded and Mixed at Desert City Studio
Mastering by Mario G. Alberni (Kadifornia)
Artwork by Ivan Carreno
Music and Lyrics by The Dry Mouths

MEMBERS:
Christ O. Rodrigues: Guitar & Vocals
Andy Reyes: Bass, Backing Vocals, Synth, Sax
Josh Morales: Drums, Backing Vocals

www.thedrymouths.com
FACEBOOK.com/thedrymouths
YOUTUBE.com/thedrymouths
thedrymouths.BANDCAMP.com

The Dry Mouths, “Doomental VI: Law Far Low Par”

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Pyramidal, Dawn in Space: The Big Bang

Posted in Reviews on April 30th, 2012 by JJ Koczan

Dawn in Space is the debut release from Spanish double-guitar heavy jam foursome Pyramidal. Issued on CD by Radix Records and limited gatefold 2LP with bonus tracks through Krauted Mind, the full-length mostly follows the guitars of Miguel Angel Sanz and Óscar Soler (the former also contributes synth and the latter the album’s sparse vocals) and like the architecture of the band’s native Alicante, there’s a vague Middle Eastern influence in the psychedelic ranging that works coincidingly with the modern heavy jam mindset. Tonally, even a minor-key cut like “Kosmik Blizzard” isn’t so viscous that it can’t move, and Pyramidal do well throughout to vary the pace and level of activity so as to hold attention for Dawn in Space’s 62-minute duration, or at very least not lull to sleep when it doesn’t mean to be hypnotic. The “chill” effect that a lot of European heavy psych has had to offer over the last year or two – thinking of bands like Samsara Blues Experiment, Electric Moon and their ilk of post-Colour Haze improvisers – comes across quite clearly through some of this material, and at over an hour long, it’s hard to believe that’s not on purpose, but there’s a space rocking musical influence as well to go along with the titles and artwork that comes through Lluís Mas’ drumming and Miguel Rodes’ bass; a sense of forward and outward push. For that, Pyramidal earn their requisite-for-space-rock Hawkwind comparison, but again, Dawn in Space has more going on stylistically than just following Dave Brocke’s chemtrails. To put a point on it, the hidden track that comes on about a minute after closer “Mars Lagoon” ends has more in common in terms of its ethic and execution with Yawning Man.

And though that’s true – maybe it seems like a finer line than some, but it’s also more breadth than one finds in many acts – what’s really going to make any release like Dawn in Space is going to be the chemistry between the players involved. Sanz, Soler, Rodes and Mas give an ample showing in this regard, the patience of the build in the 10-minute “Pastikleuten (Part I & II)” being a prime instance, but it’s pretty clear from the whole of the album that it’s a case of development getting under way and what’s playing out across these seven-plus songs is the beginning stages of what will undoubtedly be a more protracted arc. Still, wah-drenched solos and transitional injections of synth from Sanz have their own appeal, and Pyramidal’s dedication to and strong sense of aesthetic carry them through much of this material, and whether it’s the verses that suddenly appear on the later “Tempel Iaru” or “Black Land,” which follows the brief and swirling opener “Intronauts,” or the longer instrumentals that make up the crux of Dawn in Space, one could hardly listen to the record and not come out of it thinking the band has no idea what they’re doing. Like doom for doomers, it’s heavy psych for heavy psychers, mixed so that Rodes’ bass stands out punctuating “Kosmik Blizzard” as much as the riff it’s feeding into, and so that Mas’ drums never quite leave the ground but never sound like they’re purposefully staying attached to it either, far-miked cymbals coming across naturally. Perhaps predictably, Pyramidal recorded the entirety of Dawn in Space live, and that warmth and vibrancy is there both in tone and performance. The guitars never quite shred, but the leads suit the mood well, and though the midsection of the title-track feels a bit like it’s lost its footing, there’s something about that sensibility that works well with Pyramidal’s overall approach.

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Domo, Domo: The Cycle of All Things

Posted in Reviews on August 19th, 2011 by JJ Koczan

Proffering heady mostly-instrumental psychedelic jams in what I’m quickly coming to think of as the neo-European tradition, Spanish trio Domo set out on a wandering journey across the seven tracks of their self-titled Radix Records debut. In that the song are mostly named for concepts out of Hindu/Buddhist theology – the one exception is “Eta Carinae,” named for a nebulous star system – one might draw an immediate comparison to My Sleeping Karma, although Domo’s arrangements are simpler and less pointed in terms of structure. The three-piece of guitarist Samuel Riviere, bassist/vocalist Óscar Soler and drummer Paco García inject some vaguely “Eastern” elements into their sound, as the scales of “Asura” show, but mostly staving of a generic feel throughout Domo’s 64 minutes is the interplay between the members of the band. The music feels natural in the recording and spontaneous where it goes, but Domo seem nonetheless aware that they’re making an album and not just jamming out or playing a live show. The shorter, acoustic-led “Pretas,” which comes after the first three extended cuts, speaks to that, as does the 1:59 synth interlude “Eta Carinae” that sets up sprawling closer “Samsara.” These tracks offer a respite from the depths to which Domo plummet (or, alternately, the heights in the atmosphere they ascend) on the more sprawling voyages

“Yamantaka,” which rests between the two breaks (“Pretas” and “Eta Carinae”) affects a more spacious bluesiness. Riviere is in the lead on guitar and until about five and a half minutes in, it seems like he’s just going where his fingers take him until Soler and García pick up the rhythm and lead into a section that alternates between Hendrix and Hawkwind on its way to interstellar oblivion. When the guitar cuts out momentarily, one finds one can breathe and better appreciate Soler’s bass tone, which is subtly fuzzed and warm enough to engage. Earlier on the album, it opened the first track, “Nadi,” but with so much between then and “Yamantaka,” it was easy to lose it in the mix – plus, Riviere is almost an entity unto himself within the band, soloing atop the rhythm section and only occasionally meeting with it – that one tends to follow him and wonder where that groove is coming from. Soler and García both prove worth the extra attention throughout Domo, although the latter does more to keep the pace and keep the material grounded than he does to add flash to the songs or show off with fills or complex beats. The task set upon him is difficult enough, but he does as able a job as anyone could, and when Domo let go and really take off – “Samsara,” for example – it’s because they want to, not because they’re out of control. “Samsara” and “Prana,” the second offering, are the only cuts on Domo to feature Soler’s vocals, which aren’t out of place in the music but aren’t really present enough to anchor it anyway. “Prana” in particular begins with such a morass of noise before García kicks in on drums that even if Domo went full verse/chorus/verse on it after that, it would still be more exploratory than not.

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