Swedish psychedelic rock troupe GOAT annihilated the usual expectations surrounding ‘the difficult second album’ with the bigger and bolder cosmos of Commune. Ricocheting off the unanimous acclaim of their debut LP World Music - to say nothing of their earned star reputation for putting on a killer live show - the Korpilombolo bunch double down on their fuzzed-out riffs and modern ritualist practices. We are constantly asked to repress the currently out-of-print Commune LP again, so we have decided to release a ltd edition '2020' vinyl reissue of the album that features new and exclusive silver artwork and pressed on two versions of ‘Silver Swirl’ vinyl. The ltd edition LP will be available to preorder on 'Silver/Blue Swirl' from Friday (7 August) as part of the Bandcamp's 'No Fee' day from here: Bandcamp There will also be a 'Silver/Red Swirl' version being sold in all good record shops – Commune's opener ‘Talk to God’ begins with precisely this sense of holy ceremony, as singing bowls chime in reverent reception of whip-smart highlife licks and a thunderous drum-bass dialogue. ‘Goatchild’ and ‘Goatslaves’ sees paces and heart-rates quicken in the tumult of percussive hypnotism and fuzz-wah punctuations with extra-dimensional force. As if an amplification of their sonic fervour wasn’t enough, Commune finds GOAT widening their scope to greet the universe with open arms, contradiction and all - life and death, dark and light - as we’re told on ‘To Travel the Path Unknown’: “there is only one true meaning with life / and that is to be a positive force in the constant creation of evolution”. GOAT send their message of oneness home with blistering closer ‘Gathering of Ancient Tribes’, a riotous six-plus minute fireball which ends where Commune began with the same singing bowl chimes, forming the run-time of the LP into a perfect circle.
It is always exciting to announce a new $hit & $hine album and this, like the previous two albums he has released on Rocket, this shows $hit & $hine is once again at the top of his game. The new album 'Malibu Liquor Store' is released on 9 October and you can watch the eye-numbing video (created by Mike Bourne) for the incredible 10min+ 'kosmische-techno' track 'Hillbilly Moonshine', exclusively via The Quietus The Quietus 'Malibu Liquor Store' is available to preorder now on Blue/Red Swirl vinyl via the Bandcamp link below from Friday 7 August – to tie in with the next 'Bandcamp No-Fee' day: Bandcamp - The press release reads: $hit & $hine – Malibu Liquor Store So, what have you been doing in 2020? Tensions have mounted, turmoil has reigned and work emails have forever rung out with boilerplate platitudes as the world has ushered in a new decade in more uncomfortable and disquieting fashion than anyone could have imagined in January. Nonetheless, amidst such mental tumult Craig Clouse - the Austin-based sage of the aurally unclean also known as Shit & Shine – has been busily channelling the interface between the surroundings and his own wayward muse into ‘Malibu Liquor Store’ – a lockdown-birthed psychic landscape mapped out in the first half of this turbulent year. The only expectation any relatively well-adjusted person should have of Shit & Shine remains the unexpected at this stage, with Clouse having released well over thirty records on multiple labels in a storied, questing and uniformly invigorating catalogue – just as comfortable with both bloody-minded electronic assaults and noiserock-driven dirge, as adept at kraut-hammered rhythmic mantras as dancefloor-friendly abstraction. ‘Malibu Liquor Store’ is none of these things exactly yet simultaneously flirts cheerily and irreverently with all of them. Always shot through with gleeful humour, this is a sonic world that recognises neither boundaries nor common sense. Craig Clouse cares not for your definitions of psych or dance music, and he’s never more comfortable than when transcending and annihilating both generic headspaces with casual ease and cheerful panache. Instead, these heat-damaged jams mark a spectral collision course between infectious glitch-heavy groove and an appropriately Texan acid-flashback aesthetic - a world in the last fifty years of culture are reflected and refracted back ad absurdum. Co-ordinates and reliable audial landmarks are rendered meaningless as the title cut comes on like a ‘60s Morricone chase sequence reassembled in new electronic shapes like lysergically-assisted Meccano. ‘Rat Snake’ sees the humid grooves of Can’s ‘Soon Over Babaluma’ bludgeoned into delirious submission. ‘Devil’s Backbone’ witnesses Buttholes-esque transgressions of the ‘80s beamed forward Terminator-style to a cyborg-ridden dystopia, and the glorious skeletal groove of album centrepiece ‘Hillbilly Moonshine’ meanwhile is nothing less than workout music for the damned – a relentless and pulsating soundtrack for a generation of ghouls mounting a legion of rowing machines along a metaphysical river Styx. The creation of ‘Malibu Liquor Store’ may just have helped Craig Clouse keep his sanity in 2020, even if it appears custom designed to help us lose our own.
Although recorded before the Covid lockdown this release seems to have somehow caught the current zeitgeist just right, the album comprising a series of sonic journeys that happened in relative isolation from the artists’ involved own audial hinterland… an island of sound that sets it apart from what they have achieved in the past. Although those familiar with the work of the duo here would probably say that this was more part of an archipelago. Autotelia is comprised of The Oscillation’s Demian Castellanos and Tomaga’s Tom Relleen, who decided to get together to see what sort of audio paths they could wander down. As Relleen suggests: “This project was started as an opportunity to play more freely, with less of the process, consideration and production we both associated with our main projects”.
With the idea of a sonic island in my head while listening to this album reminded me of when I spent some time on the isle of Iona off the West Coast of Mull, itself off the West Coast of Scotland. This small (less than 10km2) outcrop of land provided me with genuine sense of isolation as I walked along it deserted beaches and barren trails… the changeable weather meant that you were never far from a storm… Read the res here: Fragmented Flanuer ---
They say: Autotelia I is blissful electronic music in the style of kosmische with futuristic tones and psychedelic style. The music is ever evolving and doesn’t fall into repetitive sequencing. The synth sounds are continuously modulating, oscillating for rippling visual effects. This is a stunning debut album from this London based duo.
Autotelia is not all ambient stardust but has tracks with a darker undertone and tensions that will blow your mind. This is for fans of Spacemen 3, Cluster, early Tangerine Dream, Culto Al Qondor, and Kosmische drone ambient music. 8/10 See the piece here: The Psyche Rock ---
They say: Get to know the visual work with which J. Zunz invites you to reflect on the context of violence in society. A little more than a month before the arrival of Hibiscus , this will be the second album by J. Zunz , after his previous record Silente . The project led by Lorena Quintanilla released in early June the first preview of what this production will be, which is called "Y" . However, recently the artist has shared the music video to open the panorama of this work. The audiovisual piece was directed by Lorena in the company of John O 'Carrol who was also editor of the video. For his part, the recording manager was Alberto González . The content of this material is quite strong, we can see the also member of Lorelle Meets The Obsolete in a seat with her eyes downcast and changing positions.
Later we can observe her with her eyes covered singing and in another plane she is shown advancing kneeling on a dirt road. Reflection on the context of gender violence that is experienced in Mexican society comes to mind immediately when seeing these forceful images. The end is strong to see, but without a doubt all that aggressiveness invites to do introspective... Red the rest here:Indie Rocks ---
Russia's finest export Gnoomes have been producing wonderful music on Rocket Recordings since 2015, and will hopefully be bringing us their fourth album in 2021. Given their musical diversity, which incorporates krautrock, shoegaze, electronica, indie rock and more, they seemed an ideal choice to approach to find out more about the artists that have influenced them to make the music that they do. I spoke with Sasha from the band, who spoke about growing up in the USSR, being blown away by the Aphex Twin and more... How did you first get into music/what were your early influences?
All 4 of us started our music way as kids. Since childhood we realized that there is something behind this world which doesn’t need an explanation, yet it could be explored non-verbally. Obviously, in the post-soviet space there were not so many things going on. Luckily some of our parents owned a few cool LP’s, for example the early Beatles stuff. 'Obla-di-obla-da' was a huge dance hit in the USSR. We have a VHS footage where 1 year old Masha is dancing to this song. Pasha’s dad was more into the Russian rock (weird mixture of poetry and poor music arrangements). Pasha recalls the moment when his dad was smoking a cig in their wooden house in the village and crying over the Scorpions ballad. All of it had a great impact on our minds for sure.... Read the rest here: New Music Social ---
J. Zunz – Y / Four Women and Darkness (Incredible second single of haunting repetitious electronic sounds by J. Zunz) J. Zunz Petbrick – I Remixes (The beast that is 'I" gets remixed by a hots of great artists) Petbrick Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs – Hell's Teetth (J. Zunz rework) (Banging remix from Lorena of the mighty Pigs track...let's rock!) Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs
Och – Live at Riksgränsen 2015 (Can't wait to see this band live) Och
Duma – Duma (More unequalled sounds from the great Nyege Nyege) Duma
Midnite Snake - He Ain't My Brother, He's Heavy (Forgot all about this serious fuzz wah abuse on this until Cherrystones dropped it in a show recently...needs a first time on vinyl reissue) Midnite Snake
Basement 5 - Paranoia Claustrophobia Dub (Dubbed out postpunk...and Ian Green recommendation) Basement 5
Robert Leiner – dromomania (Krautified techdisco sounds from Sweden) Robert Leiner
Embryo – Flute And Saz (Track title says it all, though it missed out the wah) Embryo Laika - If You Miss (Laika Virgin Mix) (Fuzzed rhythms form the mighty Laika) Laika
Lord High Fixers - Save My Soul (The mighty Lord His Fixers covering the Wimple Winch Freakbeat classic!) Lord High Fixers
Muslimgauze – Jazirat-Ul-Arab (More infectious tribal soundcapes from the mighty Muslimgauze) Muslimgauze
They say: Psychedelic Death on a Silver Platter : A Conversation with Adam Ian Sykes of PIGSx7 The guitarist elaborates on the pairing of colossal sonics and enthralling visuals.
Still from 'Rubbernecker' video by Rafael Bonilla Jr. Earlier this year, UK unit PIGSx7 (Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs) had a well-rounded release cycle planned for the arrival of their latest composition Viscerals, which arrived on April 3rd via Rocket Recordings. An extensive North American tour, including an appearance at SXSW, reviews, music videos; everything was set to best support their 8-track maelstrom of psychedelic doom. As you'd come to expect, the COVID pandemic came and took those plans with it.
Despite the shift in schedule, PIGSx7 remain steadfast in their support of Viscerals as the months continue to pass for it serves as their strongest effort to date. The multiple elements of doom, sludge, and punk present within the record come complemented by the vintage horror of Max Löffler, who's work has represented the likes of ELDER. TURNSTILE, and PHISH among many others. Together, the two have crafted a stimulating audiovisual experience that ranks high among 2020's psychedelic arena.
We talk to PIGSx& guitarist Adam Ian Sykes about the band's visual approach to Viscerals months after many have basked in the heaviness:
‘Viscerals’ is months out and audiences worldwide have been able to engage with the material in their own respective manner. In doing your own personal insight, where do you see the record now compared to when you were putting it together? ...
Read the rest of this great article here: Heaviest of Art Image above is the early sketch sleeve artist Max Löffler did for Viscerals ---
