Planxty - The Good Ship Kangaroo

Originally released in 1979, the re-release of Planxty’s ‘After the Break’ on CD is given as 1992, but it dropped onto my doormat a few short weeks ago. There's a bit of a mystery here, but I'm not complaining. This was, is and always will be one of the classic, defining albums of the folk revival. In those far-off days my experience of Irish music seemed to be defined by the sweateriness of the Clancy Brothers, the tweediness of the Chieftains and the beardiness of the Dubliners. Great music, great songs, but a bit formulaic and stereotyped. Then along came Planxty and the formulas and stereotypes were blown out of the water. They were just so undeniably groovy, I suppose.
"After The Break" celebrates the five-piece, with Matt Molloy's wonderful flute complementing the breathtaking skills of Christy Moore, Donal Lunny, Andy Irvine and Liam O'Flynn. The album consists of five tune sets and five songs, all arranged with impeccable taste and played with unerring flair. It's an impossible job to pick a standout track - as each new piece begins it supplants the previous one as the all-time favourite. Andy and Christy sing out of their skins, Matt and Liam play their socks off and Donal keeps the whole shebang in safe, sure hands. Nowadays, with Celtic music as an all-conquering globe-spanner, it's difficult to imagine the impact that Planxty had in their day. Listen to "After The Break" and all becomes clear. Groovy or what?  From: https://www.livingtradition.co.uk/webrevs/taracd3001.htm

Sleepytime Gorilla Museum - Hush, Hush

It must have been 2005 or 2006 that I first came into contact with Sleepytime Gorilla Museum, one of the most beautifully bewildering bands to ever grace the globe. Constructed around a narrative of a fictional dadaist and futurist performance troupe, the one-of-a-kind group from Oakland gained a loyal cult following over the span of three records. After seeing half a show in 2007, I took home a T-shirt, and I still have a vivid memory of getting the most mind-blown reaction from a fellow fan in a random hallway. Sadly, the band dissolved before finishing their fourth album, Of the Last Human Being. Its members went on to other projects, like Rabbit Rabbit Radio and Free Salamander Exhibit, many of them good, none of them scratching the same itch. Until last year, when the band decided to pick up where they left off and finish the album with a little crowdfunding assistance.
And indeed, Of the Last Human Being sounds like the band never left. But what that sounds like beguiles description for the many people not privy to Sleepytime’s history. An absurd mixture of instruments, some of them home-made, conglomerates into a surreal nightmare, tethered to reality tenuously by the dulcet tones of mad preacher Nils Frykdahl and hissed insanity of Carla Kihlstedt, who often sing in duet to truly maddening effect. At turns you may be reminded of Mr. Bungle (“Save It!”), UneXpect (“S.P.Q.R.”) or the most unhinged tenets of Diablo Swing Orchestra (“We Must Know More”). Most of the time, it won’t remind you of anything at all. Kihlstedt’s violin frequently duels with the guitars in riffs and leads that always sound unnatural, but never sound aimless. Quieter moments conjure unease with xylophones and wind instruments while the lyrics hang around in the venn diagram where schizophrenic manifesto and poetry overlap.
Structurally, though, Of the Last Human Being is less beyond the pale, and it helps balance out the plethora of wildly imaginative textures and flourishes. “Salamander in Two Worlds” is a powerful opener, working its way up from hushed vocals and brass to a feverish, almost sludge-like cacophony with atypical, ricocheting percussion and tremolo riffs, yet featuring an actual chorus. “S.P.Q.R.” is even more frenzied, Frykdahl and Kihlstedt shouting an unhinged lecture on Romans in tandem, but repeat stanzas guard the track’s cohesion. This high energy stands in stark contrast with the quietly sanity-unspooling creepiness of “Silverfish,” featuring Kihlstedt quavering between bouts of shrill violin, or the sardonic grandstanding folk of “Old Grey Heron.” Even the shorter tracks and interludes spin bizarre imagery and leap from sad to surreal to sinister.
Though Sleepytime Gorilla Museum only has 3 prior albums to its name, it’s worth measuring Of the Last Human Being against these, if only to see whether the intervening years have done anything to diminish the troupe’s unique qualities. I‘m happy to say that they largely haven’t, though this comes with a few liner notes. Just like before the hiatus, this is heady music, and whether you’d call it pretentious is entirely dependent on your tolerance for theatrical excess, specifically with its dadaistic influences on full display, like a minute and a half of ringing bells serving as an interlude. Though, to this I should add, this might still be the most accessible album Sleepytime has ever made. In the context of all the weird, offbeat, and characteristic songs in the tracklist, “El Evil” sounds almost normal.  From: https://www.angrymetalguy.com/sleepytime-gorilla-museum-of-the-last-human-being-review/

Lo-Pan - Savage Heart

Lo-Pan was pumping out records very quickly for a while there, but Subtle is the first record in five years – why the long gap?

Subtle is indeed our first full length in five years. We released an EP in 2017 called In Tensions. The gap is mostly due to lineup changes. Prior to 2017, our method of writing was somewhat different than it is now. We used to write songs very quickly and let touring shape them and mold them for a year or so before recording them. This time with our new permanent guitarist Chris Thompson we did things very differently. We took our time becoming close friends with Chris. And in many ways, I think we used that time to re-establish a relationship amongst the rest of us too. Years of mindlessly touring had left us a little haggard. I think we needed this time to sit back and decide what direction we wanted to take as a sort of re-launched band. It feels like a rededication now. It feels exciting again.

Working with James Brown is pretty impressive for an indie band – how did you come to work with such an esteemed producer for Subtle?

The guys from our record label, Aqualamb, had an established friendship with James. Internally we were already considering some pretty awesome choices for recording location and producer for the new record. But at Aqualamb’s request, we had a Skype call with James. It was an instant connection. We could tell he was a laid back guy with a sense of humor that matched ours. And even more importantly his work ethic was similar to ours. Get good base level sounds. Do it right or do it twice. Have fun with it. Experiment where it makes sense and otherwise just trust your gut with the material. After an hour-long call with James, we knew we found our guy. Working with him was one of the great thrills of my creative life. He works smart. He knows how to get the sounds you want. He was an outstanding collaborator and made insightful suggestions. And dynamics-wise he fit right in. I actually missed him when we were done recording. We really couldn’t have had a better person behind the controls.

To what does the “subtle” in the title of the album refer?

Honestly it’s just a comment on how very Un-subtle this band is. We play loud. We play hard. Everyone but Chris is a total asshole. We swear more than we need to. We say what’s on our minds and it’s not always nice. So, basically our gruff personalities led to a tongue in cheek title like Subtle.

Subtle comes across as a pretty uplifting record, to me, but I also detect some discontent, and an underlying theme of class struggle in the lyrics – am I off-base there? And if the class struggle is part of the lyrical message, how did that come to enter the music?

You aren’t too far off base. I think musically and lyrically most of these songs come from a viewpoint of frustration with the status quo. But with a side of “all is not lost.” I always write from my point of view with Lo-Pan. And I think my general outlook on life is “wow, shit is totally fucked up in the world at large.” But there has to be a way out of the swirling cauldron of shit. And that way comes from within myself. I grew up in a poor family. My mother worked as a teacher and made very little money. And she had two kids that refused to make anything easy. But I grew up happy. Because she made it that way. And she taught me to make it that way. So yes, there is an underlying class resentment that exists in this music somewhere. But there is hope to be found in the way you choose to live your life. And that is the uplifting side for me. The TL;DR answer to that is: Don’t let the bastards keep you down.

Speaking as an Ohio native myself (I was born and raised in Toledo) the Buckeye state doesn’t get a lot of love, nationally, as a heavy metal or hard rock state, even though bands like The Black Keys and such have come from there. Has Lo-Pan experienced any flyover state opprobrium? What is your relationship to Ohio and its culture?

I think people overlook Ohio for art and music at their own peril. Some of the best heavy bands I have ever seen have come from this state. Bands like Rebreather from Youngstown. Fuck You Pay Me from Cleveland. EYE is another band from Columbus that will set your whole world on fire. Ohio will never be that Mecca for art or culture like LA or NYC. But in many ways, the fact that we are overlooked or ignored just informs the music. We have definitely had experiences where people underestimated us. But I sort of enjoy being underestimated. I wouldn’t know what to do with myself if Columbus starting acting like cities where people backstab one another to get ahead. There are assholes everywhere, but I think there is a genuine spirit that exists in places like this. When you talk to people here you can immediately tell who is full of shit and who isn’t. That’s my style all day.

From: https://www.decibelmagazine.com/2019/05/15/interview-lo-pan-people-overlook-ohio-for-art-and-music-at-their-own-peril/

 

Euphoria Station - Reverie

In the world of progressive rock music several musical combinations can be found. Many bands already work with the combination of metal music and progressive rock, or the combination of folk music with progressive rock. Or what about progressive rock and religion, others used progressive rock in combination with blues, jazz or classical music. But what to think about a mix between Americana and progressive rock. I never heard of it. Well the American formation Euphoria Station used it to write their compositions. A band which I actually wasn't familiar with. Maybe a bit strange because in 2019 they already released their second album, titled The Reverie Suite, after coming up with their debut One Heart two years earlier.
On the bands website you can read that Euphoria Station was formed in 2014 by the couple Saskia Binder (vocalist/ lyricist) and Hoyt Binder (guitarist/ songwriter) who share a passion for deep music with hooks that easily connect. They spent years playing acoustic sets in Hollywood, CA working out material that would eventually wind up on their debut album. Being big fans of the progressive movement in the late 60s as well as the eclectic nature of 70s rock, they sought to recruit world class musicians that also felt music was a very spiritual matter. The resulting sound was a mix of everything under the sun from pop, rock, jazz and classical. After that the two of them began exploring the many acoustic sounds from 70s rock and pop that seemed more in tune with their other passion, nature - especially the vast and beautiful southwest of America. This in one way or another led to the formation of a brand new backing band which they named The Americana Day Dream Revival Orchestra. It features the Dutch keyboard player Ronald Van Deurzen, harmonica player Tollak Ollestad (who has also some Dutch roots), flutist Rebecca Kleinmann, violinist Trevor Lloyd, bassist Paulo Gustavo, drummer Chris Quirarte, background vocalist Mike Disarro and percussionist Bobby Albright.
Together they were responsible for making The Reverie Suite a great sounding concept album. A concept album which is based on the life of the bands female lead singer, who has her roots in one way or another also in the Netherlands because of the Kraft van Ermel family. The story she tells goes from her childhood days (Reverie) through the road she takes to become a grown up person. Dreaming of what might become of herself (Bridge Of dreams). Travelling through the beautiful American nature (Paradise Road) and seeing how nature changes all the time (Seasons). In the end it all turns out well for her and has a happy life after all (Content).
Music-wise the album has enough to offer for a true progressive rock lover as myself. The combination with Americana works very well. Because the use of the banjo, mandolin, violin and harmonica, which you can hear in this style of music, gives the band and their music an identity of their own. The progressive rock sound comes mainly by the use of electric guitar, Hammond organ, piano, flute and violin. Moving the band into a musical style which reminded me sometimes of acts such as Kansas and Jethro Tull. Just listen to songs such as the beautiful instrumental opener Prelude/ She's Calling, Bridge Of Dreams, Queen Of Hearts, Paradise Road (beautiful piano playing and great guitar solo) and Seasons and you know what I mean! A special mention goes out to the beautiful crystal clear voice of the bands female lead vocalist. Her voice has a lot of emotion but also bring so much happiness to the music. Most of all on the more poppy sounding tunes such as Reverie, Heartbeat and Content she shines all the way!  From: https://www.backgroundmagazine.nl/CDreviews/EuphoriaStationTheReverieSuite.html

Dada - Dizz Knee Land

"Dizz Knee Land" is the debut single by Los Angeles-based alternative rock group dada. It was the first single taken from their debut album titled, Puzzle. This is what bassist Joie Calio had to say on the Westwood One radio program On the Edge: The song isn't about Disneyland at all. It has nothing to do with Disneyland, actually. It has more to do with the craziness of the juxtaposition of the state of your every day. Just looking around you. You could see a guy's head being chopped off and, you know, a leg flying away and someone embracing someone in a lovely kiss and then flip the channel and then a chainsaw goes buzzing through, you know, some butter and it accidentally cuts your mom's head off and then you flip again and they're making love and then you flip again and it's Montana going 'I'm going to Disneyland'. You know, it's just that whole thing, how insane it is, but you know, it's just the natural state. I don't think we're making a, we're not pointing our fingers. We're just... it just is, and we're just singin' it.
Joie said this about the song in a Chicago Sun-Times interview: "It's our best-known song, but it's not our best song. I got the idea for the song in a dream where I saw this word "Disneyland" on a bus. I heard the melody and then I woke up, wrote it all down and called Mike up to finish it up." The music video for the song mostly features the band playing on an empty stage. During the video, there are several shots of several random objects moving. Some of these objects include leaves, hard candy, nuts and bolts, rusty tools and a flatiron. This stop motion technique has been used before in the music video for Peter Gabriel's "Sledgehammer".  From: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dizz_Knee_Land

Children of the Sün - Lilium

Lilium talks about life and death. The way humans view and celebrate life and death in different ages and cultures, is something we found very fascinating while making this record. We watched some documentaries about cults in the tour van during our tour in Spain, and in the studio out in the country house. It would be easy to write about, and emphasize, death to make an impact (in a sign of the horns and skulls kind of way) but what all comes down to are those ancient questions. Life and death; as a concept; a shared factor.  From: https://childrenofthesunofficial.bandcamp.com/track/lilium

Hello Forever - Everything is So Hard

In what feels like a tumultuous time when it can even be a bit of a bummer to look at the news headlines, one band are channelling enough good vibes to see you all the way through until the sun decides to start shining again. Art pop collective Hello Forever have been making waves with their infectious feel-good pop tracks: packed to the rafters with joyous melodies, introspective lyrics, and sun-drenched psychedelic hues. With their debut album, Whatever It Is – a collection of love songs about connection – out today, we caught up with the band on their influences and their debut album Whatever It Is.
 
When did you first realise you wanted to make music?
It’s kind of always been a thing. I’ve been singing, dancing, and listening to music since forever.

Who did you listen to growing up?
All kinds of classic pop music: The Beatles, The Beach Boys, Aretha Franklin.

How would you describe your genre?
That’s a good question. I feel like we’re making contemporary, psychedelic pop music, inspired by a lot of music we love from the 60s, and all the music throughout history that we’ve had access to through the internet.

What inspires your music?
Everything. The music itself, the people around us and the people we love, the sky, ancient history, the universe and the way we feel.

Where did the name Hello Forever come from?
It was just kind of a feeling. It’s about wanting to stay connected to people on an eternal level. It’s also about letting go of everything and greeting that eternity on the other side.

How was it putting out your debut album?
Cathartic. It’s a celebration and a mystery. This is the first record we’ve ever put out and it’s our distinct joy to share music with others.

Do you have a favourite track?
You can’t pick a favourite child. We love them all and love playing the songs live. We’re actually pretty deep in the next couple of albums right now, so our art has changed already and there are some songs that still feel more relevant than others. We’ve tried really hard to let go of any judgements that come out of us. A favourite implies that there are those we like less. We just want to let it be and be grateful for the process. “Get It Right” is pretty chill though.

What’s the best feedback you’ve ever had on your music?
We just love hearing from people all over the world who have been hearing our music and enjoying the experience. The support we’ve already received from the small amount of music we’ve put out is really flattering and we’re stoked.

From: https://www.wonderlandmagazine.com/2020/02/21/new-noise-hello-forever/