Turn Me On Dead Man - Cyclops

 #Turn Me On Dead Man #psychedelic rock #heavy metal #psychedelic metal #stoner metal #space rock #retro-1960s #retro-1970s 

Turn Me On Dead Man are a ‘heavydelic’ space rock band from San Francisco. combining heavy metal and psychedelia to forge a music that is both transcending and unforgettable. The songwriting plunges listeners into the heavydelic landscapes of 60’s experimentalism and 70’s bombast, creating a sound that is enthralling, imaginative, hugely entertaining, and incredibly hard rocking! The group have been creating their unique brand of lysergic-soaked rock since their inception in 2000, gigging extensively throughout the San Francisco Bay Area and garnering praise from all over their home turf and the country, spurred on by heavy rotation at the influential WFMU station in New Jersey. Alternative Tentacles founder Jello Biafra was suitably impressed by the band’s spaced-out, glammed-up, turned-up brand of audio mayhem enough to re-release their first epic record, “God Bless the Electric Freak”.
Live, Turn Me On Dead Man is a spectacle of epic proportions; a visceral sonic boom that spans the spectrum from the meanest, most gorgeous anthems of rock to the exotic ragas of modern psych, creating an explosive and diverse stage performance as energetic as it is uncommon. Simply put, Turn Me On Dead Man plays Heavy Crush Bliss Rock breaking the sound barrier on their own private Lear Jet headed straight to Hell! The bands twin guitar harmonization, melodic rhythmic switchbacks and trippy apocalypto-mystical lyricism keep California’s psychedelic rock tradition alive. In their own words: “mind melt music for the sick and twisted, heavydelic super rock for the ultimate freak outs”.  From: https://maximumvolumemusic.com/featured-band-turn-dead-man/

In September 1969, as I began ninth grade, a rumor circulated that the Beatles' Paul McCartney was dead, killed in a 1966 automobile accident and replaced by a look-alike. The clues were there in the albums, if you knew where to look. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band's "A Day in the Life," for one, recounts the accident: He blew his mind out in a car / He didn't notice that the lights had changed / A crowd of people stood and stared / They'd seen his face before / Nobody was really sure if he was from the House of Lords. The cover of the Abbey Road album shows the Fab Four walking across a street in what looks like a funeral procession, with John in white as the preacher, Ringo in black as the pallbearer, a barefoot and out-of-step Paul as the corpse, and George in work clothes as the gravedigger. In the background is a Volkswagen Beetle whose license plate reads "28IF" - Paul's supposed age "if" he had not died. Spookiest of all were the clues embedded in songs played backward. On a cheap turntable, I moved the speed switch midway between 331/3 and 45 to disengage the motor drive, then manually turned the record backward and listened in wide-eared wonder. The eeriest is "Revolution 9" from the White Album, in which an ominously deep voice endlessly repeats: number nine ... number nine ... number nine.... Played backward you hear: turn me on, dead man ... turn me on, dead man ... turn me on, dead man.... In time, thousands of clues emerged as the rumor mill cranked up (type "Paul is dead" into Google for examples), despite John Lennon's 1970 statement to Rolling Stone that "the whole thing was made up." But made up by whom? Not the Beatles. Instead this was a fine example of the brain as a pattern-recognition machine that all too often finds nonexistent signals in the background noise of life.  From: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/turn-me-on-dead-man/

SpaceCream - Pterodactyl Sky

 #SpaceCream #Savannah Pope #progressive rock #glam rock #neo-prog #contemporary rock #theatrical #retro-1970s

If there is a hole in your soul that can only be filled with a large helping of highly imaginative, theatrical, cerebral, glitter-fueled, prog-tinged, sexually charged rock n’ roll, then you may not know it yet but SpaceCream are your new favourite band. Self-described as “an intellectually charged revival of stellar rock n’ roll, told from the point of view of a sex-positive feminist revolutionary,” Pterodactyl Sky is set to challenge every norm you never knew to be holding you back. David Bowie, Leigh Bowery, Rocky Horror; a little Queen, a little Yes and a soupçon of Morrissey: all are clear influences here, and yet Pterodactyl Sky is much more than a homage to a time and styles long since passed. One listen to the album’s title track, or the likes of “Nefarious Lothario” and “Feel The Light”, demonstrate that this is a group of consummate musicians delivering complex, erudite and scholarly, yet wholly accessible songs of existential depth, empowerment and unabashed joy. Where else would you find a lyric referencing the allegory of Plato’s Cave and a hair raising guitar solo in the space of five and a half minutes? As well as weaving tales of fearless warriors riding atop Brontosauruses to defeat invading alien hoards, “Pterodactyl Sky” sees SpaceCream visionary and vocalist Savannah Pope deliver a towering performance worthy of the very best rock singers. And nor is that empty hyperbole. We’re talking Ann Wilson, maybe. Or Cass Elliot. A slightly less gritty Joplin or Jett with the range of Mariah Carey. Maybe that sounds crazy, but damn this music works. In fact every single song here provides more than one Doc Brown-esque “Great Scott!” moment. The heavenly arrangement and celestial choir of the title track; the spine-tingling guitar and slow-burn build of “Feel The Light”; the positively sticky and otherworldly intercourse of “SpaceCream” (both band and, presumably, song being named after THAT scene in the Nicolas Roeg-directed, Bowie-starring The Man Who Fell To Earth, by the way); the electric sparkling funk of lead track “Killer.” This is a shiver-inducing collection in the very best sense of the word. And whilst it is the class and quality of the music that should – and does – make its mark here, SpaceCream’s philosophy of living your weird and embracing your strange permeates everything that they do. Just take a look at those album covers, or track down a video of one of the band’s live shows. These guys are the living and breathing embodiment of artists fiercely and fearlessly living their influences, passions and visions for the future.  From: https://skinbackalley.com/2016/01/20/album-review-spacecream-pterodactyl-sky/

Pink Floyd - Several Species Of Small Furry Animals Gathered Together In A Cave And Grooving With A Pict

 #Pink Floyd #David Gilmour #Roger Waters #psychedelic rock #British psychedelia #progressive rock #art rock #space rock #experimental rock #blues rock #1960s #1970s

Aye, an' a bit of mackerel, settler rack and down
Ran it down by the home, and I flew
Well, I slapped me and I flopped it down in the shade
And I cried, cried, cried.

The fear a fallen down had taken, never back to raise
And then cried Mary, an' took out wi' your Claymore,
Right outta a' pocket, I ran down, down the mountainside
Back on (Battlin'?) the fiery horde that was falling around the feet.

Never! He cried, never shall ye get me alive
Ye rotten hound of the burnie crew!
Well, I snatched fer the blade an' a Claymore cut and thrust,
And I fell doon before him round his feet. Aye!

A roar he cried!
Frae the bottom of his heart
That I would nay fall but as dead,
Dead as I can by a' feet, d'ya ken?

And the wind cried Mary.

Thank you.

One of the most interesting pieces Roger Waters ever produced, Several Species has been consistently underrated. While hardly melodic or even musical, the piece embodies the experimental era of the Floyd and other such bands through its imaginative uses of 'animal' sound effects (most of them done by Roger, then sped up or slowed down) to create a multi-layered chorus, functioning very effectively as a rhythm track. The animal section, lasting about three and a half minutes, supposedly contains hidden messages which are revealed when the record is played at different speeds, such as 16, 45 and 78 rpm. The 'Pict' section, lasting only a minute, is also fascinating. At first listen, Roger's rant makes no sense whatsoever. However, repeated listening reveals a discernible monologue, distorted by a heavily affected satiric Scots accent and some nonsensical words and phrases. Some sources have claimed that this monologue was improvised live in the studio, but it seems a little more coherent and linear than something that might be made up off the top of one's head. Based on the possibly incorrect assumption that the 'lyric' was written and actually means something, an analysis of its content follows.
First, a historical note: the Picts were composed of violent, raiding tribes of both Celtic and pre-Celtic peoples who held power in ancient Caledonia (now Scotland), most notably during the time period c.300-843 AD. After this point, they became united with (and in most minds, synonymous to) the Scots. This 'poem' if you will, which almost seems to parody the style of the renowned Scots poet Robert Burns (1759-1796), tells an interesting story. The transcription above converts the heavily accented words to standard English spelling in most cases (such as 'middin stain' to 'mountainside' and 'doon' to 'down'). The 'Pict' who tells the story starts by referring to the fact that his family settled down in this (apparently) coastal area, probably to fish for mackerel (a common industry in Scotland). But now, conflict and fighting has disrupted his life, all the more so because he is a coward, and has just fled from the battle that his brethren partake in, back to his home. He slaps himself for his cowardice, drops his sword in the shade, and weeps. He is afraid of the heavy blade causing him to fall down in battle — a mistake no-one survives ('never back to raise'). But then he gathers his courage, picking up what is probably his father's Claymore ('your Claymore') and rejoins the fray with a battle cry of Mary! (probably Mary, Queen of Scots, or else the Virgin Mary, a reference to his Catholicism). He sees his friends falling dead around the feet of a particularly ferocious enemy, who screams his defiance. Our young Scotsman grabs for his blade, but his worst fears are realized — it is too heavy, and the enemy's Claymore 'cut and thrust' and he falls at the enemy's feet. The enemy cries that he will not fall and live, and the young Scotsman meets his ignoble end, leaving only the wind to echo his battle cry ('and the wind cried Mary').
The poem seems to imply that it is Scotsman against Scotsman, a situation that did occur during the reign of Mary Queen of Scots in the mid-1500s, as the Catholic supporters of the Queen warred against the Protestant opposition. The above, is however, merely one interpretation of a piece which could mean any number of things — or nothing. What is particularly humorous about this section of Several Species is the elaborate poetic set-up used in order to end with a joking reference to a lyric already made popular by Jimi Hendrix a couple of years before ('the wind cried Mary') — and have it actually make sense. Someone who sounds a bit like Dave Gilmour says 'Thank you' in a normal accent at the end — perhaps Dave was in the recording booth?   From: http://floydlyrics.blogspot.com/2010/03/several-species-of-small-furry-animals.html

Emmylou Harris - Wayfaring Stranger

 #Emmylou Harris #folk #country #folk rock #country rock #Americana #progressive country #traditional #singer-songwriter #bluegrass

There have been many iconic pairings in country music and about half of them involve Emmylou Harris. Gram and Emmylou. Willie and Emmylou. Skaggs and Emmylou. Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou. The list could go on through a litany of country greats and each one would probably remember their collaboration with Harris as among the highlights of their career. One of the most powerful harmonizers in the genre, her delicate singing style had a thread of iron running through it, a strength that gave her mournful twang a heartrending power that made her contributions to ballads and breakup songs essential to the evolution of country as a whole. It’s a shame then, that her solo career should be, while overall consistent, somewhat of a letdown, with a string of minor classics early in her career followed by a slew of releases that never really lived up to everything she offered as a singer. There are, to my mind, two albums that fully live up to the enormous artistic talent Emmylou’s displayed over the years: the titanic comeback that was 1995’s Wrecking Ball, and Roses In the Snow, perhaps the most complete expression of Emmylou’s potential and the perfect closer for the early period of her career.
Roses In The Snow, for the most part, stays true to bluegrass convention, although the music occasionally tends toward gospel and her country roots, two styles which have always had significant overlap with bluegrass. Ranging from wellworn classics to new compositions, she effortlessly makes each piece her own, indelibly marking her takes on the old classics and claiming the new cuts as incontrovertibly her own. Her take on Wayfaring Stranger, one of the archetypal examples of traditional American song, instantly becomes the standard against which all other iterations of the song are measured, the doleful hymn to the hope of a better world beyond this one a clear highlight in Emmylou’s career. No less astonishing is her take on Simon and Garfunkel’s The Boxer, which, by staying largely faithful to the original within her bluegrass framework, she more than lives up to, although she can’t quite lay claim to the song like she can with Wayfaring Stranger.  From: https://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/78184/Emmylou-Harris-Roses-in-the-Snow/

Elephant Stone - Setting Sun

 #Elephant Stone #psychedelic rock #neo-psychedelia #Indian music #world music #ex-High Dials #Canadian #music video

Combining the influence of Indian classical music with the influence of British Invasion bands like the Kinks and the Beatles, Canadian neo-psychedelic outfit Elephant Stone is the brainchild of Rishi Dhir, formerly of the High Dials. The project's first album, 2009's The Seven Seas, demonstrated Dhir's knack for breezy melodies as well as his use of instruments like sitar, dilruba, and tabla in a Western rock context. Elephant Stone was operating as a trio by 2014's Three Poisons, and they made use of a children's choir on 2020's Hollow, the project's fifth album. The French-language EP Le Voyage de M. Lonely dans la Lune appeared in 2022.
Inspired by his own ongoing Indian classical music discovery, Dhir formed Elephant Stone in Montreal in 2008. With Dhir singing lead and handling nearly a dozen instruments, he recorded the project's debut album with help from several guests, including producer Jace Lasek. It arrived in May 2009 on Dhir's own Elephants on Parade label (with Fontana Distribution). The Glass Box EP followed in 2010 on Elephants on Parade and 360 Degree. The group then signed with Canada's Hidden Pony for 2013's Elephant Stone. Settling into a regular lineup of Dhir, Gabriel Lambert on guitar, and Miles Dupire-Gagnon on drums, Three Poisons arrived in 2014, also on Hidden Pony. They covered "L.A. Woman" for that year's “A Psych Tribute to the Doors.”  From: https://www.allmusic.com/artist/elephant-stone-mn0001606201/biography

Tautumeitas - Bērzinš

 #Tautumeitas #folk #Latvian folk #world music #traditional folk #Eastern European folk #music video

One of the most notable events in recent years in Latvian folk music has been the debut of the ensemble Tautumeitas. As their name implies, the group gathers together six ‘folk girls’ who perform songs inspired by Latvian folk songs and folklore. Their first recording, Lai māsiņa rotājās!, was performed together with the drum and bagpipe ensemble Auļi, and the group’s proper first debut album, simply entitled Tautumeitas, was released in 2018. In just a few years, the ensemble has become one of the best known and most popular folk ensembles, and have even appeared in a commercial for the Latvian national airline airBaltic. The members of the group are Asnate Rancāne (violin, voice), Aurēlija Rancāne (drums, voice), Ilona Dzērve (accordion, voice), Lauma Bērza (violin, voice), Laura Liepiņa (percussion, voice) and Laura Marta Arāja (percussion, voice). The album also features additional musicians and instruments, such as brass instruments and cello. Integral to the album’s sound is also producer, percussionist and arranger Reinis Sējāns. Though they use many elements from Latvian folklore in their songs, it is still a thoroughly modern album, and one might consider the songs to be a kind of ethno-pop style of world music. As all six members of the group are singers, it is then no surprise that the vocals are the main focus for the musical offerings. The importance of singing is echoed in the first song, the appropriately titled ‘Sadziedami’, where the powerful vocals are supported by a thunderous musical accompaniment while the ensemble sings ‘sadziedam mēs, māsiņas’ (let’s sing together, sisters!) Inspired by the Krustabas ritual (or Latvian folk Christening), the song ‘Pāde’ is a song about self-growth. The ritual of the ‘pādes dīdīšana’, where the one being christened is passed around in the arms of the invited guests, is meant to pass along positive thoughts from the guests. In this song, as with many of their songs, Tautumeitas use the mystical aspects of Latvian folk rituals to create a richly layered song, with help from Reinis Sējāns, who provided the arrangement.  From: https://latviansonline.com/popular-tautumeitas-ensemble-release-debut-ethno-pop-folklore-album/

Jenny Lewis & The Watson Twins - Rise Up (With Fists!)

 #Jenny Lewis #The Watson Twins #ex-Rilo Kiley #indie rock #alt-country #indie folk #singer-songwriter #Americana #music video

Very rarely do record company press releases bear repeating, but in the case of Jenny Lewis we thought there was cause for its inclusion. Describing her as "having hair the color of a Pacific sunset, a voice as sweet as an ice cream cone and a wit sharper than a razor blade", the folk over at Rough Trade have almost managed to articulate what makes 'Rabbit Fur Coats' so arresting. Bearing comparison with the likes of Diane Cluck, Jenny Lewis and the Watson Twins (yup, they're bona fide twins) mine classic Americana for a sound which is as clear as cut-glass and emotionally primed to match, resulting in the friable heartache of songs like 'The Big Guns' and 'Born Secular'. Like the sirens from 'O Brother, Where Art Thou?', Jenny Lewis and the Watson Twins have voices that could floor you from 50 feet, bringing a pathos and profound beauty that seem entirely natural partners.  From: https://boomkat.com/products/rabbit-fur-coat-a918b5d7-5899-47fa-a236-8f0604d63ada

What are you changing?
Who do you think you're changing?
You can't change things, we're all stuck in our ways
It's like trying to clean the ocean
What, do you think you can drain it?
Well, it was poison and dry long before you came

But you can wake up younger under the knife
And you can wake up sounder if you get analyzed
And I better wake up
There but for the grace of God go I

It's hard to believe your prophets
When they're asking you to change things
But with their suspect lives, we look the other way
Are you really that pure, sir?
Thought I saw you in Vegas
It was not pretty, but she was (not your wife)

But she will wake up wealthy
And you will wake up forty-five
And she will wake up with baby
There but for the grace of God go I

What am I fighting for?
The cops are at my front door
I can't escape that way, the windows are in flames
And what's that on your ankle?
You say they're not coming for you
But house arrest is really just the same

Like when you wake up behind the bar
Trying to remember where you are
Having crushed all the pretty things
There but for the grace of God go I

But I still believe
And I will rise up with fists
And I will take what's mine (mine, mine)
There but for the grace of God go I

Fanny - Ain't That Peculiar

 #Fanny #hard rock #blues rock #classic rock #Marvin Gaye cover #1970s #Beat-Club

Fanny - four young women who were accomplished rock instrumentalists and singers; who never depended only on their sexuality to sell the music; who were self-described as being musicians first and women second. But the fact that they WERE women, and that they reached a level of success previously unheard of for a rock band composed solely of women, was a remarkable achievement. Fanny was the first all-female rock act to record an entire album for a major record label, and in fact recorded and released five albums for major labels. Fanny was the first all-female rock act to rise to real prominence in the US and Europe. Acknowledged by both the press and their many fans as an awesome live act - in the words of Steve Peacock, a top UK music journalist of the era, “if you close your eyes, it’s like listening to the Stones” - Fanny toured tirelessly for up to nine months of every year. In a career that stretched from 1970 to 1975, they had a string of hit singles and also played on the studio recordings of some legendary artists. In addition to their many live gigs, they performed on top music and variety television shows of the time, including The Old Grey Whistle Test, the Sonny and Cher Show, American Bandstand and Beat-Club, Germany’s most famous rock music program. The four original members of Fanny were June Millington (guitar, vocals), Jean Millington (bass, vocals), Alice de Buhr (drums, vocals), and Nickey Barclay (keyboards, vocals). June and Nickey were the primary songwriters for the band, but Jean and Alice made significant contributions to Fanny’s repertoire and all four participated in arranging the songs and crafting their stage performances. Some of the biggest music stars of the time, from David Bowie to Deep Purple to George Harrison to the Kinks, were so blown away by these four teenaged rockers that they went out of their way to promote the band and to book them as an opening act. Despite their success, Fanny were never quite superstars, but they prepared the way for women in rock. When they started out, the idea of young women as rock players was as unthinkable as the idea of women having the vote had been to earlier generations.  From: https://fannyrocks.com/about-2/

They were extraordinary: they wrote everything, they played like motherfuckers, they were just colossal and wonderful, and nobody's ever mentioned them. They're as important as anybody else who's ever been, ever; it just wasn't their time.
— David Bowie

Crooked Still - Ain't No Grave

 #Crooked Still #bluegrass #neo-bluegrass #folk #folk rock #progressive bluegrass #country folk #Americana

For any fans of Blue Grass or Folk, Crooked Still are highly recommended. They are a self-styled alternative bluegrass band consisting of vocalist Aoife O’Donovan, cellist Tristan Clarridge, fiddler Brittany Haas, banjo player Dr. Gregory Liszt, and bassist Corey DiMario. Meeting at New England Conservatory of Music in Boston in 2001, the evidently talented musicians started to collaborate and play gigs together which were brilliantly received by crowds and they soon gained a cult reputation. Making waves on the US folk scene, the band now have four LPs and a much larger fan base to attend their shows. The energetic performance onstage is captivating as the multi-instrumentalists cross genres and sounds with quick succession as they rattle through a selection of songs from their career thus far. Their technical skill alone could engage a crowd, as it's enjoyable to watch five truly skilled musicians collaborating and making really interesting sounds onstage. Songs such as 'Ain't No Grave' are extended and re-imagined to make the live experience really exciting for an audience as it's not simply like listening to the album regurgitated onstage. A great live act who engage audiences with their talent for their instruments and enjoyable personality.  From: https://www.songkick.com/artists/12695-crooked-still

Timechild - And Yet It Moves

 #Timechild #hard rock #heavy metal #heavy prog #progressive metal #retro #Danish

Timechild is massive and organic heavy rock from Copenhagen, Denmark. The band’s soundscape is made up of a powerful and present lead vocal, characteristic twin guitars and atmospheric vocal harmonies, which together create their unique Scandinavian expression. Timechild was formed in 2020 by four seasoned musicians from different corners of Denmark. With extensive past experience in a number of former and existing Danish rock and metal bands, the members had already crossed paths on both Danish and international stages. When the opportunity arose, they decided to unite their musical experiences and visions and created Timechild. The debut album was written and recorded during the worldwide Covid-19 pandemic, which paralysed the Danish and international music industry. However, this silence gave the band time to jointly develop their common sound and expression. The vision from the start was to show how heavy rock can continue to challenge and surprise audiences even in 2021. Although the foundation of the band’s sound universe is clearly laid by the rock giants of the past, Timechild’s inspiration is drawn from across both time and genres. The opportunity to dive into the music history of past decades, and through this define one’s own sound, is one of the greatest privileges that today’s musicians have at their disposal. We can learn from the past without being backward-looking or unoriginal and we can be relevant and innovative without having to define a new genre.  From: https://mightymusic.dk/artists/timechild/

Turtle Skull - Rabbit

 #Turtle Skull #psychedelic rock #doom metal #psychedelic metal #stoner rock #stoner metal #Australian

Art As Catharsis Records are proud to announce the release of Turtle Skull’s second album, Monoliths - a texture-rich record that dances between bone-crushing lows and ethereal highs. Taking inspiration from Black Sabbath, Pink Floyd and Crosby Stills Nash & Young, Turtle Skull’s blend of warped psychedelia, shattering doom and indie-rock sensibility merges into their own brand of music dubbed ‘flower doom’. While the final product contains a faint similarity to the sounds of King Gizzard & The Lizzard Wizard, Khruangbin, or Kikagku Moyo, Monoliths is distinctively its own beast. It’s a record that heaves and soars, taking joyous compositions and steering them headfirst into a realm of fuzz and fury. ”This record is about the intimate connection we share with the Earth on which we stand. It’s about the world and your place in it. It’s about looking deep inside yourself and seeing what you find. It’s about life and death and everything in between, and most of all it’s about the pure joy of creation. We are very happy to share it with you." At the end of its runtime, Monoliths undeniably displays a much more fleshed-out realization of the doom, psych rock and indie fusion that launched the five-piece into the public eye following their self-titled release. Tipping between heavy and catchy is the strength of Monoliths - the roar of the fuzzed-out amps is counterbalanced by feather-light vocals, creating a contrast as clear and harmonious as sun and sky.  From: https://turtleskullmusic.bandcamp.com/album/monoliths

Country Joe & The Fish - The Return Of Sweet Lorraine

  #Country Joe & The Fish #psychedelic rock #folk rock #psychedelic folk rock #psychedelic blues rock #acid rock #singer-songwriter #1960s

The “CJ Fish” album was the sixth to be issued by Vanguard Records in 1970, and was the last to feature new material from the group as the only subsequent album was the historical retrospective “Life And Times of Country Joe & The Fish”, issued the following year, by which time the band had broken up and Joe McDonald had embarked on a solo career. The new album can be seen as an attempt by Vanguard to see if they could steer the group towards a more mainstream pop rock position, with production duties being handled by Tom Wilson whose credits by then already included Bob Dylan and Simon & Garfunkel. The group's earlier material had been extremely varied, ranging from blues and jug band music to folk, ballads and eastern-influenced rock, but they had gradually been cutting slightly more commercial material, some of which sat in the then-emerging country rock vein almost akin to Poco and others. This however was not a country rock album, but rather a pop rock one with a more uniform set of songs that producer Wilson was able to meld into a cohesive sounding whole.
The Fish line-up that cut the album was different from what is seen as the classic one. Gone were David Cohen, 'Chicken' Hirsh and Bruce Barthol, and now alongside Joe McDonald and Barry Melton were keyboard player Mark Kapner, bass player Doug Metzner (ex-Group Image) and drummer Greg Dewey (ex-Mad River). The album opens with Melton's very pop-oriented ‘Sing, Sing, Sing’, perhaps strangely not picked for single release at the time, and he also contributes the rockier ‘Silver And Gold’. Otherwise all the songs are from McDonald's pen, and are uniformly professional, varying from the gentle piano-led jazzy ‘Mara’ and ‘She's A Bird’ with its dreamy guitar soundscape midway through to ‘Rockin' Round The World’ which is much more upbeat and funky, as you would expect. ‘Hang On’ is an easy jog-along country-tinged song, while ‘The Baby Song’ is solidly romantic and miles from some earlier Fish material, though here is a later nod to the group's past with ‘The Return of Sweet Lorraine’. Hints of Joe's political leanings surface briefly on ‘Hey Bobby’, built on the well-trodden ‘Hang On Sloopy’ chord progressions, and the album closes with another easy mid-tempo poppy song ‘Hand Of Man’.  Before this however had come the longest track, ‘The Love Machine’, which allows much more instrumental interest. The new players, on other tracks professional but somewhat anonymous, put their heads above the parapet here with some of the invention of earlier Fish line-ups. They provide sudden keyboard interjections and solos, interesting bass runs and even a strong drum break, lifting this track as one of the most interesting and evocative of the band's history. Although quite different to much of what had gone before, this album can be seen as a solid addition to the group's canon, even though it was to be their swansong, and as such no collection should be without it.  From: https://acerecords.co.uk/c-j-fish

Silly Sisters - Four Loom Weaver

 #Silly Sisters #Maddy Prior #June Tabor #Steeleye Span #folk #British folk #traditional #a capella #1970s

Silly Sisters is a collaboration between Maddy Prior, vocalist of Steeleye Span, and June Tabor, the queen of British folk. Originally formed in 1976, during a hiatus in Steeleye Span's recording activity, the "group" was more or less a glorified excuse for a hootenanny, with two of Britain's finest female folk vocalists (Prior from the more "progressive" camp and Tabor from the more "trad") teaming up for rousing versions of traditional ballads and rave-ups. On the 1977 album, Silly Sisters, they were joined by Steeleye Span's Martin Carthy (later associated with the Pogues) among a host of other capable musicians. Most often, either Prior or Tabor takes a "lead" role in a song, with the other providing backup, but on a few tracks, like "My Husband's Got No Courage In Him", a harrowing (from the male perspective) a capella lament, they both shine equally alongside each other.

"Four Loom Weaver" (Traditional) A song about unemployment in the nineteenth century, possibly dating from 1819-20. First recorded by Ewan MacColl in 1951.  

From: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silly_Sisters_(album)

Ewan MacColl was one of the key architects of the post-war British folk-song revival, and a dominant but controversial figure in its development for decades. A lifelong communist, his initial passion was workers' theatre, and in a series of influential groups throughout the 1930s and 1940s, culminating with the Theatre Workshop, he became well known in left-wing drama circles as actor, producer, writer, and propagandist. MacColl moved away from the theatre after the Second World War, although his expertise in dramatic production never left him and imbued much of his subsequent work. In the early 1950s, at the suggestion of American folklorist and collector Alan Lomax, MacColl teamed up with A. L. Lloyd and others to found the new British folk-song revival movement. The timing was perfect. By means of the Ballads and Blues club (which later became the Singers' Club), radio programmes for the BBC (including drama-documentaries in which MacColl's theatrical experience was evident), articles, innumerable concerts, talks, LP records, appearances at Trade Union meetings, clubs, and other venues, they laid the foundations for a highly successful national movement.  From: https://www.oxfordreference.com/display/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803100121901;jsessionid=7B9810173FE95C1CC067432EEE42B223

IC3PEAK - Fairytale

 #IC3PEAK #experimental rock #electronic rock #witch house #industrial rock #electro-metal #political #subversive #Russian #animated music video

IC3PEAK, a Russian experimental electronic duo, position themselves as an “audiovisual terror” project. Since their third studio record, 2017's Sladkaya Zhizn (Sweet Life), they have started singing almost exclusively in Russian. The vocalist, Nastya, explains: “There was a desire for dialogue with my own generation that happened, and in my native language; it erases distance”. This decision reflects rising nationalism in Russia since 2012 and runs parallel to anti-Putinism in Russian rap. In 2018, the band’s activity caught the eye of the authorities, and concerts were constantly disrupted by law enforcement, resulting in lingering paranoia and social anxiety for the band. IC3PEAK’s music references ongoing Russian socio-political issues, critiquing Putin’s eternal regime in “Death No More,” suppression of individual and democratic rights in “Marching,” and domestic violence in “Boo-Hoo.” All three songs are accompanied by grim videos that are immensely popular worldwide. Nastya draws on a wide range of vocal techniques, from whispers and chastushka-like recitations to yells in verses, while displaying Russian pevuchest’ (melodiousness) in bridges and choruses. Altogether these elements present a personal emotional outcry.
 
“I’m from a scary Russian fairytale!” shouts Nastya Krestlina from IC3PEAK (pronounced “I speak”) on their 2018 record Skazka (Fairytale). IC3PEAK are a Russian electronic duo from Moscow; they are one of a handful of Russian bands who are daring to comment on current socio-political issues in their home country.  IC3PEAK’s vocalist, Nastya, and producer, Nikolai (Kolya) Kostylev, have been collaborating since 2013. From the band’s inception, Nastya takes charge of writing all song texts and melodies, while Kolya produces accompanying beats and layers the multiple song components. The two collaborate closely, aiming to create a final product that equally presents their creative visions.

From: https://ummusicandpolitics.ii.lsa.umich.edu/articles/music-and-protest-demonstration/ic3peak-whispers-and-screams-po-russki-in-russian-of-cultural-downfalls-in-russia-today/

Deep Purple - No No No

 #Deep Purple #Ritchie Blackmore #Ian Gillan #hard rock #heavy metal #prog metal #blues rock #classic rock #1970s #Beat-Club

After their breakthrough "In rock" album, Deep Purple consolidated their new found popularity with a remarkably confident and competent follow up. "Fireball" has all the consistency which was lacking in the brash rawness of "In rock", making for a much more satisfying album as a whole. The title track opens the album in blistering fashion, a phonetic representation of the track name indeed. A sort of cross between their own "Black night" Led Zeppelin's "Immigrant song", and Uriah Heep's "Easy Livin", it packs more into three minutes than most albums manage in forty. Classic stuff indeed! The following two tracks sit well together. "No no no" is a powerful, more structured song, with aggressive lyrics and a fine guitar solo by Ritchie Blackmore, while "Demon's eye" is a rather funky mid-paced number with an infectious melody. Ian Gillan is in fine vocal form throughout the album, but he clearly enjoys himself on "Anyone's daughter". This is quite the quirkiest song Deep Purple have ever recorded. It has a country flavor supporting comedic lyrics which tell the tale of Gillan's various conquests. A superbly outrageous piece, to which Blackmore adds some subtly lilting slide guitar, and Jon Lord contributes some wonderfully dirty piano.  From: https://www.progarchives.com/album.asp?id=9121

Gaupa - Diametrical Enchantress

 #Gaupa #doom metal #psychedelic rock #stoner metal #progressive rock #folk metal #Swedish #music video

The city of Falun in Sweden has an illustrious industrial history; originally famous for its copper mine, it performed a vital service in Sweden for centuries. In modern times it has become the unlikely home to a diverse and rich musical scene ranging from power metal titans to luscious Scandinavian folk maestros. Amongst this is the band Gaupa, a progressive stoner band that utilizes doom, folk and psychedelic influences to create beautifully celestial and enchanting songs. In Swedish ‘Gaupa’ translates as Lynx, and this often elusive and solitary wild cat is the perfect simile for this band. With their distinguishing pointed ears and white, bear-like tufts of fur on their cheeks, the lynx looks wise and magical. Gaupa are very distinctive and unique band; musical magicians that blur the lines between folk, psych and doom with intricate yet heavy riffs, their music is intensely ethereal, enchanting and earthy.  From: https://distortedsoundmag.com/album-review-myriad-gaupa/

Rufus & Chaka Khan - Tell Me Something Good

 #Rufus & Chaka Khan #funk #soul #R&B #1970s #live music video

Rufus began in Chicago with founding member keyboardist Kevin Murphy as an evolution of a renegade band of rock-n-soul musicians. The group’s name morphed from Smoke to Ask Rufus to just Rufus. The group’s future brightened infinitely when original lead singer Paulette McWilliams departed for a solo career, grooming her replacement in a long-time friend - a diminutive yet fiery young singer named Chaka Khan. Chaka had been hanging out with Rufus for at least a year, so when she auditioned she had their show down cold. What she initially brought to Rufus would become one of the most awe-inspiring voices in pop music. The band’s first album, 1972′s self-titled Rufus on ABC Records, didn’t bear any hits, but their version of Stevie Wonder’s “Maybe Your Baby” led to the song which put Rufus on the map. Wonder was so impressed with their cover that he visited them while they were recording their follow-up, Rags to Rufus (1974), and wrote along with Chaka Khan, the sexy funk boiler “Tell Me Something Good.”  From: https://www.highresaudio.com/en/artist/view/de651dfc-9708-47f5-91e4-24f5bdffd5f9/rufus-featuring-chaka-khan

In the 1970s, as the rise of disco exacerbated racially charged divisions between rock & roll and dance music, a band from Chicago brought on the funk with a force, and grace, that defied all boundaries. First formed by black and white members of the 1960s rock band, the American Breed, Rufus acquired a secret weapon in Chaka Khan, whose voice of liquid fire and sweet incense carried a carnality as ferocious as it was distinctly feminine. Stevie Wonder, an early fan, crafted the breakthrough hit “Tell Me Something Good,” which Rufus and Khan made an unabashed simulation of sex without uttering a single naughty word.  From: https://library.rockhall.com/rufus_chaka_khan

Love - She Comes in Colors

 #Love #Arthur Lee #Bryan MacLean #psychedelic rock #garage rock #folk rock #acid rock #psychedelic pop #psychedelic folk #1960s

Love broadened their scope into psychedelia on their sophomore effort Da Capo, Arthur Lee's achingly melodic songwriting gifts reaching full flower. The six songs that comprised the first side of this album when it was first issued are a truly classic body of work, highlighted by the atomic blast of pre-punk rock "Seven & Seven Is" (their only hit single), the manic jazz tempos of "Stephanie Knows Who," and the enchanting "She Comes in Colors," perhaps Lee's best composition and reportedly the inspiration for the Rolling Stones' "She's a Rainbow”.  From: https://www.allmusic.com/album/da-capo-mw0000195829

Seconds into the opening track, “Stephanie Knows Who,” it’s clear that “Da Capo” represented new directions for Love and for rock. A harpsichord dances with guitar in the lovely prelude. A deep-throated sax breaks in. In the break, all of the song’s instruments collide and veer off in different directions. The resulting passage is more in tune with free jazz than psychedelic music - although this is unmistakably a hard rock song. “Da Capo” was Arthur Lee and Love’s second album, out of three made with his core group of L.A. musicians. The album was followed and overshadowed by the rock masterpiece “Forever Changes,” but the songs here are streaked with brilliance and innovation. Many musicians’ minds were blown by its collage of sounds and crazy quilt of influences, the material clearly ahead of its time. “Da Capo” is, in a sense, a more adventurous album than “Forever Changes.” In any case, these tracks are among the finest recordings of Love as musicians. (Key parts of “Forever Changes” were played by hired hands.) The band had expanded to seven players, upgraded its drummer, added woodwinds and, of all things, integrated a harpsichord. The first side of “Da Capo” is a lovely experiment in fusing sounds from rock, Latin rhythms, jazz and classical. Lee and company succeed at this without pandering, producing some of their best songs.  From: https://psychedelicsight.com/no-37-loves-da-capo/

Iron Butterfly - Are You Happy

 #Iron Butterfly #psychedelic rock #acid rock #hard rock #heavy psych #proto-prog #1960s

Reverend Lovejoy: And now, please rise for our opening hymn, uh... "In the Garden of Eden," by I. Ron Butterfly.

Homer Simpson: Hey, Marge, remember when we used to make out to this hymn?

Iron Butterfly were a psychedelic rock band and a major influence on heavy metal. They are well known for "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida", the title track of their second album. The 17 minute long piece was epic, menacing and altogether awesome, and has since become a staple of numerous pop culture references thereafter. Oh yeah, and they did some other songs, too.

From: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Music/IronButterflyBand

 
It started out as a slurred lyric misheard by a bandmate and morphed into one of the signature songs of the psychedelic era. Iron Butterfly’s 17-minute “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida” took root in the American consciousness on its release in 1968 and went on to enjoy an afterlife that spanned rock, disco and hip-hop. As The Simpsons episode where Bart tricks the church organist into playing the song shows, unexpected things can happen when you play around in the “garden of Eden”.
Iron Butterfly always wanted to do things differently. The Los Angeles quartet gave equal weight to organ, guitar, drums and bass, with no frontman, had little of the blues heritage of their peers and, as their name suggests, wanted to convey both light and heavy moods. “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida” drew on Missa Luba - percussive renditions of the Latin Mass from the Democratic Republic of Congo - for the lengthy drum solos that would help make the song famous, while the organ arpeggios in the intro nod to Bach’s melodramatic Toccata and Fugue in D Minor.  From: https://ig.ft.com/life-of-a-song/in-a-gadda.html

The Wyld Olde Souls - The Sun God

 #The Wyld Olde Souls #folk rock #psychedelic folk #acid folk #retro-1960s

From New York City, The Wyld Olde Souls are a female-fronted psychedelic folk rock band who mesh medieval and Indian music, creating an other-worldly sound that's all their own. With influences from Fairport Convention to Jefferson Airplane to Loreena McKennitt, The Wyld Olde Souls have been called "mysterious," "bewitching," "classy," "magical," and "transcendent." 10 years in the making, they released their highly anticipated, full-length album 'Ensoulment' in May 2011. Their 6-song debut 'Poems From the Astral Plane' gained cult status among European collectors of the femme folk psych genre. In addition to fervent reviews from abroad, the album is endorsed by Tom Rapp, founder of legendary '60s psychedelic folk band Pearls Before Swine, who said, “It's good to see that someone is still exploring folk and psychedelia and doing it so well.”  From: https://www.facebook.com/The-Wyld-Olde-Souls-275536312708/