Category: Reviews

Ancient River – O.D.D.S. II

Psych-rock duo Ancient River (James Barreto – guitar and vocals, Alex Cordova – drums and synths) moved to Austin, Texas last year to fully embrace the psychedelic music scene there and the weird creative vibe of the place has led them to explore multiple music genres and play whatever they feel like playing. That freedom gives us O.D.D.S. II, a new album that collects tracks that don’t fit into one category.

The opener, “Welcome to the Underground,” is psychedelic guitars mixed with tribal drums and ghost-voice synths. “As I Am” is a wall-flattening rocker with Barreto and Cordova going for broke on their respective instruments, and Barreto not really giving a damn if you understand the lyrics.

“You Are They Light” is a groovy mix of hippie-psych and swirling shoegaze. It sounds like something the Beatles might’ve done on Rubber Soul if they’d eaten peyote before recording the album. They cut loose again on the appropriately named “Playground.” The guitars are as soaring as a kid on a swing and the drums are as bonkers as another kid on a merry-go-round.

“Let’s Open the Sky” is the track that is probably the closest to “classic” Ancient River (if you’ve heard all their material). It’s Barreto’s space-rock guitars and heavily reverbed vocals and Cordova’s Joy Division-influenced drumming assaulting you with walls of sound that come at you in all directions. I can’t wait to hear this one live. “Eleven” is a near chill-out instrumental, whereas “Russian Surf Party” is an instrumental for a movie score featuring hot Russian femme fatale vampires who spend their nights at the beach.

“Time for Giving” soars around your speakers like a comet and reminds me of some of Matthew Sweet’s early 1990’s work. “My Sonic Temple” refers to, I’m guessing, Barreto’s mind. It’s a wild ride of rolling cymbals and desert wind guitars and is probably the soundtrack to Ancient River’s recording sessions, let alone their walk down to the coffee shop.

Despite its name, “Last Song” isn’t the last song on the record. That is saved for “Star Boy.” “Last Song” is a slowly building mind trip that reminds me of sitting atop mountains in Tucson while a dust devil twirls miles away in the distance. “Star Boy” builds in a similar manner and sounds like something that was playing on Frank’s headset as he was floating away from the Discovery 1 in 2001: A Space Odyssey.

O.D.D.S. II is a good collection of psych-rock, space rock, and shoegaze that lets Ancient River stretch their muscles and cut loose. Get odd. You need to cut loose now and then.

Keep your mind open.

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Rewind Review: Radiohead – Airbag / How Am I Driving? (1998)

Spinning off the massive critical and commercial success of their now-classic album OK Computer, Radiohead released the Airbag / How Am I Driving? EP in the United States as a sort of “mega-single” when “Airbag” was a hit single. It contained not only the title track, but also six tracks that had previously been unreleased.

“Airbag” is instantly recognizable with its fuzzy guitars, slightly distorted beats, and Thom Yorke singing about the aftermath of a car wreck (which is probably an allegory for some sort of enlightenment experience). “Pearly” has crisp, almost toy box guitar layered over heavy shoegaze riffs. “Meeting in the Aisle” is instrumental music for a grocery store on a space station.

If that track is meant for a space station grocery store, then “A Reminder” is meant for the station’s jazz lounge. Mellow keyboards mix with machinery sounds, ambient crowd noise, and Yorke’s mysterious vocals. “Polyethylene (Parts 1 & 2)” is a quirky love song, as is “Melatonin.” “Palo Alto” is an angry diatribe against suburbia, the rat race, and comfortable complacency. Loud guitars smack you awake during the chorus while the verses are quieter affairs with more weird mechanical sounds lurking in the background.

OK Computer was an album about human beings becoming more and more alienated from each other as technology improved. This EP is like an epilogue to that record. It’s a short mix of songs that feature a lot of distortion, blips, bleeps, and paranoia. Get it if you want the bookend to one of Radiohead’s classic records.

Keep your mind open.

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Rewind Review: Cream – Disraeli Gears (1967)

Continuing with my journey through the Cream (Ginger Baker – drums and vocals, Jack Bruce – bass, harmonica, and vocals, Eric Clapton – guitar and vocals) catalogue, I’ve arrived at their second album, Disraeli Gears.

The album starts off with two of their biggest hits – “Strange Brew” and “Sunshine of Your Love.” Both are stoner rock classics. “Strange Brew” has Clapton unleashing blues licks right away and is pretty much about a witch giving him a love potion. It might also be about getting drunk on something you can’t identify. “Sunshine of Your Love” has epic shredding by Clapton and heavy rhythms by Baker and Bruce that influenced hundreds of bands after them.

“World of Pain” layers on the reverb as Clapton and Bruce sing about a gray tree and Baker puts down beats that range from simple time keeping to wild jazz. “Dance the Night Away” is shimmering psych-rock with Clapton’s guitar sounding like it’s a transmission from another dimension. “Blue Condition” is a slow, trippy bit of psych-rock, and “Tales of Brave Ulysses” is one of those great Cream tracks that you tend to forget they wrote. You instantly remember how great it is when you hear it. The band lays down tracks as heavy as the mythological hero’s exploits.

“Swlabr” is even heavier stoner-psych. Clapton chugs out chords that also shred, Bruce sings for the back row, and Baker beats his kit half to death. “We’re Going Wrong” has more trippy blues-psych guitar from Clapton (who, as you can guess by now, is stretching out and trying whatever he wants on the record). Clapton takes over lead vocals on “Outside Woman Blues,” which could be a classic blues track but Cream makes it a heavy stoner rock tune instead, and Clapton has a scorching solo on it while Bruce lays a bass line heavier than a steam engine. “Take It Back” is another track with heavy blues influences, and I won’t say anything about “Mother’s Lament.” I don’t want to spoil it if you haven’t heard it.

Disraeli Gears showed Cream was firing on all cylinders. Their next album included a second record of live tracks, one of which is now legendary (but aren’t they all, really?).

Keep your mind open.

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All Them Witches – Sleeping Through the War

Eight tracks are all that’s needed by All Them Witches (Ben McLeod – guitar, bass, mellotron, percussion, Charles Michael Parks Jr. – vocals, bass, guitar, mellotron, percussion, loops, Robby Staebler – drums, congas, Allan Van Cleave – keyboards, organ, piano, mellotron) to make a powerful statement about living in 2017 on Sleeping Through the War.

Starting with “Bulls,” the album goes head-first into psychedelic territory with reverbed guitars and vocals while Parks sings about sleeping through not only the wars outside our borders, but also the ones on TV, the ones in our heads and homes, and the ones right next door. “I’m married to my boredom,” he sings. How many of us can relate to that, either in our own lives or the lives of our loved ones?

“Don’t Bring Me Coffee” is a hammering rocker that I think is about the proliferation of hipster consumers. I don’t know which of the Witches played bass on this track, but whoever did was trying to flatten the studio walls. “Bruce Lee” is as fast and bold as its namesake, and I love the space-rock guitar in it as Parker sings about trying to center himself after a bad relationship has ended, and not by his choice. The band almost ventures into stoner rock on the prime numbered “3-5-7,” and that’s all right with me. Staebler’s grooves are sweet, and Van Cleave’s keys are, as usual, excellent.

“Am I Going Up?” is a fine example (in the guitar riffs) of the Nashville blues influences All Them Witches adore. The song is about the uncertainty of death, and Parks wondering if he’s going to heaven and how long he’ll have to wait in the ground before he moves in either direction (or at all). “Alabaster” is about Parks’ childhood, how much things and the people have changed around him, and how much he is changing into them (“Every day they look more and more like me.”). The whole band grooves hard on this track and I’m sure it’s excellent live.

“Cowboy Kirk” might be the name of a childhood hero of Parks (“Love you like I love Cowboy Kirk,” he sings at the beginning.), but the person seems to be an allegory for Parks’ wishes to return to a simpler time. The song isn’t simple, that’s for sure. The guitars are layered on top of each other and I love how Staebler’s drums stay crisp throughout the tune.

The closer is “Internet,” a song about how people use what should be a magnificent invention for learning, art, and outreach to instead hide from reality and do Big Brother’s work for them. “All the moss of my childhood turned to eggshell while I wasn’t looking. If you’re asking me, I’ve got one thing to say: If I can’t live here, guess I’ll go live on the Internet,” Parks sings, verbally throwing ice water in our faces.

Most of us are sleeping through one war or another. It could be a literal one that we hope will just end if we don’t pay attention (i.e., Syria) or one we stopped caring about a long time ago and are just going through the motions of it by this point. It could be a war with a dream we refuse to chase or a trauma we refuse to confess. We have to wake up. We have to open our eyes and, yes, get off the Internet.

We need this record.

Keep your mind open.

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Rewind Review: David Bowie – Live Santa Monica ’72 (2009)

Recorded live at the Santa Monica auditorium by local station KMET, Live Santa Monica ’72 captures David Bowie at the height of his Ziggy Stardust phase. His band was one of his classic line-ups – Mick Ronson on lead guitar, Trevor Bolder on bass, Mick “Woody” Woodmansey on drums, and Mike Garson on keyboards, and the set list is excellent.

Opening with “Hang On to Yourself,” Bowie and his pals come out rocking. Ronson and Bolder immediately put down riffs to show the audience they mean business. They tear into “Ziggy Stardust” and “Changes” right after, throwing down two tracks you’d figure they’d have in the encore but put on early instead. They’re great reminders of Ronson’s guitar skills. He was at the top of his funky game.

Bowie gets a little obscure, but still wows the crowd, with “The Supermen,” and then delivers a great performance of “Life on Mars?” (while Garson’s piano accompanies him quite well). Woodmansey puts down a slick beat on “Five Years,” and the crowd cheers in appreciation for it and Bowie’s assured vocals.

“Space Oddity” is another crowd favorite, of course, and Bowie uses his voice instead of his guitar to make the sound of Major Tom’s rocket rising from the surface of the Earth into orbit. “Andy Warhol” is a nice inclusion on this recording, as you don’t hear live versions of it much, let alone “My Death” (just Bowie and his guitar), “The Width of a Circle” (Ronson at his rocking best), and “Queen Bitch.”

Bowie introduces “Moonage Daydream” as “a song written by Ziggy,” and the whole band cooks on it. They’re fast and loose with “John, I’m Only Dancing,” and the inclusion of a cover of the Velvet Underground’s “Waiting for the Man” is a nice treat. “Jean Genie” is wonderfully distorted cock rock. Bowie and his pals are so cheeky by now that Bowie momentarily screws up the lyrics of the closer “Suffragette City,” but he makes up for it during the encore of “Rock ‘n’ Roll Suicide.”

It’s a great piece of Bowie history and worth the price if you’re a fan of the Thin White Duke, especially if you like his Ziggy Stardust / “classic” period.

Keep your mind open.

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Rewind Review: Cream – Fresh Cream (1966)

I decided to explore the four classic albums by Cream (Ginger Baker – drums and vocals, Jack Bruce – bass, harmonica, and vocals, Eric Clapton – guitar and vocals) after hearing one of their many great blues covers not long ago. I found them all in a nice box set at a recent record collector show and decided to dive into some late 60’s stoner-psych blues.

It’s easy to forget that Fresh Cream was a sensation when it was released because Cream was practically a supergroup by the time it hit the stores. All three members had already played in prominent London bands (i.e., The Yardbirds, John Mayall’s bands) and were highly regarded for their skills.

The opener, “I Feel Free,” was an instant classic. It starts with a simple “bum-bum-bum” vocal and handclap rhythm before Baker’s crazy cymbal work, Bruce’s sharp vocals, and Clapton’s wailing guitar take over the song. “N.S.U.” has sizzling guitar work from Clapton, which might relate to the possible sizzling he was feeling in his groin at the time, as one of the rumored meanings of “N.S.U.” is that it stands for “Non-Specific Urethritis” – a venereal disease Clapton may have had back then (or perhaps a motorcycle since one is mentioned in the lyrics).

“Sleepy Time Time” is, most likely, about being high and / or sex afterglow. Baker’s jazz drumming on it is great. He’s known for his grooves and this song is a prime example of them. “Dreaming” could’ve been a 1950’s jukebox love song in another life. “Sweet Wine” has some of Clapton coolest playing on the record. Their cover of Willie Dixon’s blues classic “Spoonful” is a masterpiece and the longest song on the record.

I don’t know what a “Cat’s Squirrel” is, but it’s another bluesy rocker with great harmonica work by Bruce and wicked grooves by Clapton. “Four Until Late” is a Robert Johnson classic, so it’s only right that Clapton does lead vocals on it. Their cover of “Rollin’ and Tumblin’” will make you a Cream fan if you’re not by the time you reach the ninth track because they absolutely shred it. This was the song I heard that made me think, “I need to buy some Cream records.”

Cream was also the only band back in 1966 would could get away with covering Skip James’ “I’m So Glad” and have it be such a groovy psych-rocker. “Toad” is pretty much a five-minute and eight-second Ginger Baker drum solo, and that alone is worth a listen on this album.

They call stuff like this “classic rock” for a reason. Fresh Cream blew people’s minds in 1966, and it’s still mind-blowing, heavy, and fresh.

Keep your mind open.

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Rewind Review: Fountains of Wayne – Traffic and Weather (2007)

Fountains of Wayne (Chris Collingwood – lead vocals, guitar, banjo, Jody Porter – guitar, vocals, Adam Schlesinger – bass, guitar, keyboards, vocals, Brian Young – drums, percussion) are perhaps the most clever songsmiths you might not have heard (or realized you’ve heard, as they’ve had multiple hit songs) and make great rock that salutes the Average Joe and Jane. Traffic and Weather is no exception.

Starting off with “Someone to Love,” the band gives a hopeful ode to those of us who “should be out on the scene” Thursday nights, but are instead “sitting at home watching The King of Queens.” They encourage us not to give up on finding someone to get us out of our funk. “’92 Subaru” is one of the great “Average Joe is actually a bad ass” songs that Fountains of Wayne do so well. It’s about a guy who buys said lame car, but has full confidence he’ll be able to trick it out and score more ass than a plush chair. It also has a nice solo from Jody Porter.

“Yolanda Hayes” is about Collingwood trying to score a date with an Average Jane woman who works a miserable job at the DMV. The title track is a crisp yet crunchy rocker about local news anchors confessing their love and lust for each other on live air. Schlesinger’s weird synths make this track bridge the gap between new wave and power pop.

“Fire in the Canyon” brings in some country music flair, which is no surprise since Collingwood has written songs for country artists. “This Better Be Good” has Collingwood confronting an ex-girlfriend about her choice in a new guy (“I saw you holding hands with some guy wearing light blue Dockers pants, and I thought I might just give you a chance to explain what the hell is in your brain.”). He turns the question back on himself with “Revolving Dora,” in which he confesses he’s smitten with a girl who might be off her rocker. The addition of Schlesinger’s piano is a nice touch to it.

“Michael and Heather at the Baggage Claim” is a sweet song about two lovers at the end of a rough trip and realizing that not even such a misadventure and lost baggage can defeat their care for each other. The vocals get synthesized and funny on “Strapped for Cash,” in which Collingwood sings about owing a guy fresh out of prison a large amount of money and failing at every turn to avoid him.

I wouldn’t be surprised if “I-95” was inspired by the band touring the U.S., as a good part of it involves the description of an amazing truck stop, but the song is about a determined lover who will make a nine-hour drive behind a slow-moving van just to see his girl. “The Hotel Majestic” was probably a place the band played while touring, and it’s a catchy song to boot (love those handclaps!). “Planet of Weed” is a fun poke at stoners and probably on thousands of mix tapes in Colorado by now.

“New Routine” is about people crave excitement and not realizing their drudgery might be inspiring others to break out of their own ruts. “Seatbacks and Traytables” is another countrified track about long tours and mistaking one town for another over the course of the long haul.

\You’ll like this record if you like power pop and witty songwriting. Fountains of Wayne are one of those bands that should be in your collection. You’ll wonder what took you so long.

Keep your mind open.

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Tinariwen – Elwan

The name of Tuareg rock legends Tinariwen’s (The Deserts) stunning new record, Elwan, translates to “the elephants.” It’s a reference not only to the magnificent animals, but also lumbering forms of bureaucracy, the 1%, and world problems that can’t be ignored.

“Tiwayyen” starts off the album with the crisp desert guitar and tribal beats we’ve come to expect and crave from Tinariwen. The beat slowly builds until it drops out like the sun finally dipping below a dune. “Sastanaqqam” (“I Question You”) is the first single off the album (and one about the love of the Tuareg people for the desert) and will hook you right away with the killer beat and chanting vocals. It will rip you out of the water when the guitar kicks in at the 37th second. I knew this album was going to be fantastic when I first heard this song before the full album’s release and that guitar burst out of my speakers.

“Nizzagh Ijbal” almost sounds like a Johnny Cash record at first with the simple guitar work, but the warm desert wind blowing through this track is from Saharan Desert instead of the Sonoran. The opening drums of “Hayati” cry out for you to dance around a fire. “Ittus” is Tuareg blues. Seriously, the guitar work and vocals aren’t much different from a Lightning Hopkins song.

“Tenere Taqqal” is another mellow track with languid relaxing beats, even though the lyrics are anything but mellow.  They speak of a loss of joy, the deaths of innocents for unjust causes, and a lack of solidarity. The opening vocals of “Imidiwan n-akall-in” might put you in a trance. The floating guitar work and the slick beats will if they don’t. “Talyat” will slow you down no matter where you are or what you’re doing. Play this if your morning commute is driving you crazy or you need to reset after a hectic day. “Assawt” gets you moving after the previous track mellows you out for a little bit. Your toes will tap to this, trust me.

“Arhegh ad annagh” is like most of the record – hypnotic. I want this on my iPod if I ever get to stand in the Saharan Desert at sunrise. It flows well into “Nannuflay,” which might be the most psychedelic-sounding track on the album. Elwan ends with “Fog Edaghan,” which feels like a nighttime prayer.

You can get lost in this record. It’s a lovely journey on a search for peace and a connection with things beyond materialism and preconceptions. It is a bridge across nations and cultures. It is a journey you should take.

Keep your mind open.

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Rewind Review: Sun Voyager – Lazy Daze (2015)

Good grief, Sun Voyager (Kyle Beach – drums, Carlos Francisco – guitar and vocals, Steve Friedman – guitar, Stefan Mersch – bass) doesn’t screw around.

Their sharp EP, Lazy Daze, is a solid bit of stoner / psych rock with killer riffs, heavy drums, and plenty of reverb for reverb lovers like yours truly.

“God Is Dead” kicks off the jams with a cool bass lick from Mersch that only stoner rock bands seem to know how to play. Francisco’s vocals get weird and warped and the drums slow down to near-sludge levels. I don’t know if “Black Angel” is a salute to the band, the Velvet Underground, 1970’s biker movies, or all three, but it sure sounds like a mix of those three and the guitars burn through the whole track.

“Gypsy Hill” mentions “space and time,” which is appropriate because the song has the effect of warping both. I like how Beach’s drums are fairly clear in it while the guitars and bass stay fuzzy. Sun Voyager goes Zen on “Be Here Now,” slowing down the tempo but upping the cosmic feel. The song builds to a near crash at one point, but they rein it in before it breaks. The title track goes from psychedelic rock to stoner sludge about halfway through it and is gloriously distorted and drenched in reverb.

These chaps have released a couple singles since Lazy Daze, so I hope that portends for a new record soon. The world always needs more stoner psych.

Keep your mind open.

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Rewind Review: Jiboia – self-titled EP (2013)

 

I first heard the Middle Eastern / Indian influenced “electro-drone” (for want of a better term) of Jiboia at Levitation Chicago last year when some DJ’s played a song by him between sets. “Who is this?” I thought and instantly put my Shazam app to use (since that’s the thing to do nowadays).

Jiboia’s self-titled EP is a wild mix of trippy synths, frenetic beats, and pro-rock guitars. The first track, “Eingana,” is full of all those things, and Jiboia shreds quite well on it. “Manasha” starts off with 1980’s video game-style beeps and beats, but Jiboia’s soaring guitar work soon takes over the track. “Ayidda-Weddo” is like something you’d hear in a late night cab in Calcutta if the driver were also a computer hacker in his spare time. “Kungpipi” is almost a Kraftwerk track with its heavily processed beats and simple yet effective synths, but the droning bass and wild guitar work take it to a bit of a dark psychedelic place.

The standout is “Uadjit” with guest vocals from Ana Miro. Her chant-like siren song gets into your head, as do the electric near-dubstep beats. I don’t know if Ms. Miro has done other work with Jiboia, but I hope that’s the case. They’re a great duo.

This is a strange bit of psychedelic world music. You have to be in the right mood for it, but it’s perfect for when that mood strikes.

Keep your mind open.

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