They say: Teeth of the Sea utilise harsh electronics and brass melodies to bring a sci-fi western landscape to a cold Manchester basement. Rhys Delany was there... Earlier this year Teeth of the Sea released their fifth LP, Wraith. Much like the title suggests, the album carries with it an ethereal essence, one of transcendence. Teeth of the Sea manage to create vast soundscapes, which is why they have recently announced a collaboration with Appolo’s Moon Shot, where they will be performing a live score of completely new music. As the band take to stage, there is an ominous presence, as to what will happen next. They open with the soft synth lines of Our Love Can Destroy This Whole Fucking World, with this song, Teeth of the Sea, have set up an atmosphere that is both quaint and soft, with a willingness to do whatever they want. In quite the contrast the trio later opts for the more danceable, and techno inspired tracks, such as Gladiator’s Ready. An excellent showcase of the power of the synth set up that sits centre stage. Mike Bourne stays focussed as he manipulates the sounds that echo around the crowd... Read the rest here: Louder Than War ---
They say: This one is obvious. It’s slow-burn psych that drones with mantra breath. It’s from Sweden and features members of Hills. There are three long tracks (and one other just under six minutes). And the title is För Meditation. I can hear the Red Seas parting. But for those of us who dig this stuff, there is only one question: Is it great Swedish slow-burn psych that drones with mantra breath? I mean, just because a band follows the template of a certain genre doesn’t guarantee greatness. Jazz Guy (aka Mr. Radue) says there is such a thing as bad free jazz. And one time, while in some London pub, I watched as The Bonzos’ Neil Innes played a catchy country rock tune with perfect 4/4 precision, which after ten minutes or so of the very same perfect Take It Easy 4/4 precision, became an obvious parody that even the most ardent Eagles’ fan could understand and, possibly (at least for that moment) have a deep desire to get the hell out of Hotel California. But Swedish psych fans need not worry about this album. To quote Oliver Twist, let’s just say, “Please, sir, I want some more.” Yes, indeed, this is the real deal. Now, it’s a slow-burn psych that drones with mantra breath real deal, but that’s all right for those of us who love the ritualistic sonic retreat of the “true happiness” that “lies within.” (Thank you, David Lynch!)
The record begins with the sound of motor traffic rumble. (And yes, also thank you, Ray Davies!) The music then pulses down into the veins of tranquility... Read the rest here: Soundblab ---
They say: Sacred Dreams is the first album by Josefin Ohrn + The Liberators since their move from Stockholm to London and was largely recorded at Press Play Studios run by Andy Ramsay of Stereolab, who also produced and performed on the album, along with a new bunch of Liberators, including Maki of Go Team and Ben Ellis, who has previously worked with Iggy Pop and Swervedriver. Not surprisingly, themes of change and travel are present throughout the album, which also contains a few fresh sonic adventures. Like any self-respecting Echoes And Dust writer, I was aware of Öhrn and the bands’ previous work as they are on Rocket Recordings, whose roster is pretty much all required listening. I hadn’t, though, up till now really listened to full albums. I knew that would change once I heard lead out single ‘Desire’. Darker and bolder than anything they have recorded before ‘Desire’ is full on electro-filth, with staccato drums and throbbing bass, like Goldfrapp at their most confrontationally sexy. During the verses Öhrn sings in French, a tactic she’s employed previously on ‘Rainbow Lollipop’ for 2016’s Mirage, but where that was all faux naïf tease, and deliberately recalled Serge Gainsbourg, this is modern, urgent and more ambitious. It leads you to believe the band are ready to stage a full-on assault on the dancefloor, but actually the rest of album largely returns to more familiar territory... Read the rest here: E&D ---
They say: Rocket Recordings to my mind has one of the greatest back catalogues not just in modern psych, but also in modern music full stop. I am honestly struggling to think of a bad release, so many of their releases have formed cornerstones in my collection Gnod, Josefin Öhrn, Mammatus, Teeth Of The Sea, The Heads, Goat, Julie’s Haircut, Fuzz Against Junk and Hills, ah yes ‘Hills’. Of all the albums released on Rocket Recordings the two albums released by ‘Hills’ have had probably had the biggest impact on me. Everything about them appealed to me, the drones, the groves, the jams and just that air of mystery, it sent me scurrying off to my computer to dust old files of Pärson Sound, Baby Grandmothers, International Harvester, Träd, Gräs och Stenar and so on, these I had downloaded when Julian Cope mentioned them all those years ago. So why the focus on ‘Hills’? Well Centrum are made up of members of ‘Hills’ and ‘Weary Nous’ and if that hasn’t piqued your interest then what if I told you that this is one of the finest albums that Rocket has ever released! The thing that has struck me most about this album is every time I have listened to it, it has the same calming effect. The music doesn’t seem to have any dark undertones massive changes of tact, it just kind of demands to listen and pay attention because if you don’t I guarantee you will miss something, in fact after dozens of listens I’m still discovering small details I had missed on previous listens. The albums opener ‘Vid Floden’ (By The River) may start with the hustle and bustle that comes with modern life but it soon takes you away on a gentle, peaceful trip. This eleven minute song is built around a slow steady bass line and slowly builds layer upon layer of sound. The five minute guitar solo at the end just adds to the music rather than overpower it and that’s just the first song... Read the rest here: Heathman ---
They say: The album begins with a field recording of a busy street in India. Horns honk, cars whiz past. People speak. A bike bell chimes. Then the drone of “Vid Floden” begins and the essential message of Centrum‘s debut album, För Meditation, becomes clear in the feeling of leaving the world behind in search of a higher plane of consciousness. Or unconsciousness. Or of those parts of the mind that don’t have a name yet. Released through Rocket Recordings and Svensk Psych Aften, the four-track outing is a quick-enough session at 37 minutes; an unassuming single LP with two longer tracks bookending two shorter ones that unfolds graceful contemplative psychedelia worthy of its title. Across “Vid Floden” (11:02), “Sjön” (8:39), “Stjärnor” (05:14), and “Som En Spegel” (12:12), the lineup-less Swedish outfit whose members reportedly also take part in Weary Nous and rightfully acclaimed jam-lords Hills elicit a vibe that borders on the conceptual in its underlying purpose. They have backward voices chanting at the outset of “Sjön” and a particularly effective use of strings and a classic wah solo laid overtop in “Stjärnor” and an apex of chanting following the flute-led procession of “Som En Spegel,” but wherever they go or whatever elements a given piece might introduce, the feeling of exploration and mind expansion is never far off. They never lose the serenity that “Vid Floden” seems to find once it floats away from the harsh reality of its outset, or maybe it’s finding the music in that cacophony and unearthing it for the listener.... Read the rest here: The Obelisk ---
They say: PIGS PIGS PIGS PIGS PIGS PIGS PIGS 03/04/2019 REBELLION, MANCHESTER Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs (or Pigsx7) are one of those bands that are a bit of a mystery. They shot onto the scene with their debut LP Feed the Rats at the beginning of 2017, bringing a riff heavy mix of stoner/sludge/pysch/metal to an unsuspecting scene and they soon made a name on the circuit. Now the Newcastle based group are touring their latest album – King of Cowards (released September 2018) – and I’m off to Rebellion in Manchester to see how they do. It’s probably fair dinkum that our gigs editor Max told me to take earplugs, I reckon, as I head underneath Deansgate’s train line to get into an already busy venue just before Pigsx7 come on. Matt Baty is the driving force for Pigsx7’s live performance, but the other four members of the band have such focus from the second that they step on stage it’s hard not to be drawn in. Straight away they’re into the first of their mammoth songs. When I first listened to them last year I was immediately struck by the length and sheer power of each track (their debut has just three, each one over 10 minutes long, but King of Cowards is a little more accessible with six songs under 10 minutes a piece). Baty gets some banter going with the sell out crowd, a humbling and eloquent interaction, and they’re in with another one of their tasty riffs that seem to go on forever... Read the rest here: Silent Radio Amazing photo (from the Scala) by Jose Ramon Caamano ---
NE Volume interview Pig Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs ahead of their Gatehead home coming show:
It reads: North East outfit Pigsx7 head to Sage, Gateshead this month so Nathan Douthwaite caught up with them to speak about hometown gigs, their latest record, and to discuss how they decided on their name.
First of all, the Sage is a homecoming gig for you as a band. What makes this venue so great?
There are loads of great venues in the North East; some of our favourites are Star and Shadow and The Cluny and we’ve played both of those the past couple of years. We’re looking forward to seeing how our live show carries over into the Sage; it should sound and look very impactful in there given the equipment they have at their disposal and the capacity of the room means we can get some extra heads in there too. The past few Newcastle shows we’ve oversold a little and then had to start turning people away which was a shame.
Will the show be any different with it being in your hometown?
There’ll be a lot of friends and family there which always makes these shows feel a bit more special. It’s also the final date of the tour. In the past, we’ve usually started tours in the North East and ended them elsewhere so it’ll be nice to end the tour here when we’re well oiled.
Your second album, ‘King of Cowardsʼ, is out now. How has your sound and writing process changed since the first record?
We were a band for four years before we released our debut album. Taking that long to release it had its benefits but we certainly didn’t want to wait so long to release our second so we put ourselves under a bit of pressure to get another album to our label. Sonically, ‘King Of Cowards’ benefited from us being able to record at the new Blank Studios premises. Our guitarist, Sam, designed and built the studio so he knows every inch of it – it has a huge live room which definitely enhanced our recordings. We also experimented more with extra layers and textures. This record features moments of insane sax playing, some extra help on vocals from our friends, small parts of percussive piano and some wild synth playing courtesy of Richard Dawson.....
Teeth of the Sea are to Live Score 'Apollo Moon Shot' Film at the Science Museum: We are delighted to reveal that Teeth of the Sea are to Live Score the 'Apollo Moon Shot' Film at the Science Museum's IMAX Theatre in London on the 21st June.
Here is the information regarding the event:
'Join us for a unique preview of Smithsonian Channel's new series 'Apollo’s Moon Shot' with a live score from Teeth of the Sea.
'Apollo’s Moon Shot' looks back on one of the most important leaps forward in human history, exploring the journey from America’s first manned orbit to the last man on the Moon. The six-part series premieres on 17 June on the recently launched Smithsonian Channel UK and airs weekly throughout June and July.
We will be screening an abridged feature-length cut of the documentary series, with a live score performed by London psychedelic rockers Teeth of the Sea and introduced by famed American aviator Mary Wallace “Wally” Funk.
Do.omyoga have invited KURO to soundtrack their next session on 19 April at ACE Hotel in Shoreditch in London. They say: MOVEMENT AND VIBRATION. Do.omyoga is honoured to bring you nada yoga with a very special LIVE collaboration with KURO KURO: Kuro take their name from the Japanese word for ‘black’, and their debut release for Rocket Recordings marks an experimental union between two diversely storied yet inherently like-minded musicians. Agathe Max, who hails originally from Lyon, is a classically-trained violinist with a varied back catalogue of studio and live work - running the gamut from spectral ambience to stately soundscapes and adept at summoning dreamstates and drama alike, her emotive and engaging work has found admirers at a number of UK festivals such as Supersonic and Raw Power. The Bristol-based Gareth Turner, meanwhile, maintains a busy schedule performing and recording with Rocket Recordings trio Anthroprophh (alongside The Heads guitarist Paul Allen) bass/drums duo Big Naturals, and his solo double-bass project Fuck Authority, as well as working as a touring tech for Melvins on their trips to Europe. Yet despite both of these artists’ multi-faceted artistic lives, their partnership was both a natural progression and reflective of an intuitive chemistry. Soundtracted to their sacred sound , a deeply connecting candlelit passive yoga practice hosted in Acehotels venue Miranda is not to be missed. Do.omyoga is a slow vinyasa dynamic - restorative Yoga practice. This is a holistic practice taking you through Mantra , Asana, Pranayama breathing ending in Mediation. There is a strong emphasis through out the practice on 'Passive' postures. Practiced alongside Doom, drone, Psychedelic, Avant garde,Atmospheric, Ambient music . The slower , heavier vibrations act as a driving force invigorating strength serving as the 'active' principle balancing the energy of the practice. ALL LEVELS WELCOME MAT PROVIDED CHANGING FACILITIES AVAILABLE More info/tickets: Do.omyoga ---
Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs have been announced to play this years Latitude Festival...do they know what they have coming??? Info/tix here: Latitude ---
