Prana Crafter - Rupture Of Planes

Reviewed by Grey Malkin (The Hare & The Moon)

From the superb Deep Water Acres label (also home to recent splendid albums from United Bible studies and Raising Holy Sparks ) comes the sophomore album from Prana Crafter, essentially Washington Woods guitarist William Sol. As with Prana's impressive self-titled début this album is mostly entirely written and performed by the man himself, this time around aided by Chris Shealy on drums and with additional lyrics by Tara Sol. Recorded in the vast forestlands of his home, the album bleeds rustic charm and backwoods magic; Sol is a highly accomplished and deeply emotive artist who deserves a wide audience for his fusion of acoustic wonder and fearsome blasts of acid tinged psych guitar, 'Rupture Of Planes' should surely be the album to afford this much deserved recognition.

'Forest at First Light' opens the album with delicate, finger picked acoustics, Sol's plaintive and warm vocals entering to add a shimmer of Mercury Rev and early Neil Young to proceedings before the familiar fiery bursts of fuzz guitar enter and send the song skywards. It's a heart stopping moment and encapsulates the sheer vibrancy and life that is inherent in Prana Crafter; this music breathes, bleeds and lives. Closing with Sol's fragile voice repeating the refrain 'one can never really stay' it is a hugely evocative opener to an equally atmospheric album. 'Diamond Cutter of the Jagged Mountains' merges melancholy and solitary acoustic notes with swathes of burning, molten guitar that hovers crackling and twisting over the steady rhythm of the drums and the growing synth strings. Echo and feedback shimmer around massed waves of six string attack, recalling both Tenderness of Wolves era Six Organs Of Admittance and Arc/Weld period Neil Young. This is a guitar album, make no mistake. Next, title track 'Rupture of Planes' is a reflective and highly melodic piece of classic psych that soaks up the darkest of Americana and adds the heartbreaking sheen that Prana Crafter effortlessly cloak their music in. Following this, 'Moksha of Melting Mind' starts with waterfalls of cascading notes over which heavily distorted guitar and insistent bass drive ever forward into a swirling psychedelic dream, guitar lines spiralling and echoing through the woods, across the hills and into the forests. There is almost something ritualistic about Prana Crafter; something of a ceremony around their music as it builds into both fury and beauty.

'Tara, Do You Remember the Way' by contrast is a gorgeous reverb drenched, late night ballad. Both haunting and affecting, one can almost picture the vast star filled skies overhead; this music conjures pictures and landscapes. 'Treasure In A Ruin' begins with carefully picked, chiming notes and an ominous, deep and distorted guitar melody; the veritable calm before the storm, something approaching in the air and the rustling of the trees. Keyboard and strings glisten and layer, building the sense of controlled tension and anticipation as the storm passes by with shudders of guitar and growing, unsettling drones. In amidst the fury and the tension however, as always with Sol's music, there is an overarching beauty, just as there is in the nature he surrounds himself with when writing and recording his music. 'Dharma Dripping Lotus' is a meditative and gentle flickering candlelight; acoustic guitar cascading and looping around melodic runs and a hazy, oscillating background of strings. The skies darken with synth notes and hugely exciting, corrosive bursts of guitar until the sun appears again with organ and a Floydian sense of warmth and reflection.

'Vessel' is a beautiful and heartrending slice of autumnal magic (Sol's voice is a large part of this; the man can bring tears to your eyes with a simple line or sentence) whilst 'Birth Of Blooming Thunder' evokes the sound of standing under a thundercloud as the sky and land crackles and vibrates around you, various guitars employed in seamlessly layering the growing hubris and storm. Next, 'Fog Has Lifted' reassures, another late night gem of gentle, nostalgic and warm melancholy which is then followed by 'Prana Crafter's Abode', a seriously atmospheric, twinkling mood piece that drifts and flows carefully and deliberately towards a lovely, light of dawn ending. The album closes with 'Mudra Of The Mountain Throned' which combines solemn and processionary guitar arpeggios and organ with huge flares of Earth style acid guitar in the most thrilling and, again, alive ending to an album that as a whole stands as a significant achievement; very few people are making music as ambitious, genuine and essential as this.

Echoing from the forests of Washington this then is the sound of Prana Crafter; your life and record collection is all the poorer for not seeking this out. Take a walk into the trees and inhale the smell of the pines and the evergreens, surrender to the Rupture Of Planes.

Available now as a CD in a beautiful gatefold sleeve from Deep Water Acres and to stream at Prana Crafter's Bandcamp page:

Lunar Grave - Mirror of the Woods

Reviewed by Joseph Murphy

Portland, Oregon’s Lunar Grave is purposefully mysterious; the little social media they use will testify to that, if the album art or names of their albums and songs don’t imply it strongly enough. Rarely is the purposeful mystery equal to the listening experience, but, since my first listen a few years back, Lunar Grave has only deepened the intrigue; I know little more about them now than I did then – and not for lack of looking.

Almost entirely instrumental throughout their catalog – “NAGRA 2” has sparse vocals on a track or two – Lunar Grave has thrived since 2010 at building frenetic, free form communal rock that feeds directly off the fervor with which its rotating members strain their instruments. Currently, Lunar Grave boasts only two members and a long list of past members – which only adds to the mystery – but, no matter how many are or were involved, they’ve never disappointed. Their latest, “Mirror of the Woods” is no different. However, it is their longest release (considering number of tracks, at nine) and one of their most dynamic.

The songs here feel a bit different from earlier works, more coherent and aware of the arc of each composition while still holding onto that ambiguity between polished and improvised. There’s a sense of immediacy, too, when album starter, “House of Domber,” kicks in. The players waste no time building to the leads; so by that notion, their implied improvisations take on a more polished and edited feel. Whether song or album came first, the eponymous track is a telling track choice to summarize (if that’s what eponymous track are supposed to do) the scope and goal of this particular album. The song spends its last half meditating upon a comparatively simple riff with muted flourishes. It could merely be coincidental, but the lull is central – at half the album’s length – I think, to the album’s success. Lunar Grave is very much a tailored, improvisational band. Songs often seem to start in medias res – and, so, this calm, meditation must be there for a reason. Whatever its purpose, it serves as respite to the album’s exuberant halves.

Lunar Grave rides high upon the same wave of behemoths like Carlton Melton, Dead Sea Apes, Evening Fires and the Cosmic Dead, but, especially in their early albums, they have favored a rural, lo-fi and experimental element that rarely appears in the heavy psych genre.

Most of Lunar Grave’s releases appear in digital or tape format only, but you can get a recently pressed CD copy of the excellent “Prismatic Earthship” (2013) from Paradigms Recordings. “Mirror of the Woods” is available from the band’s Bandcamp page, where you can listen to and purchase their entire catalogue – all of it at once for a very fair price.

Highly recommended.

Dogbowl – Zone of Blue

Reviewed by Todd Leiter-Weintraub (Hop On Pop)

Simply put, Stephen Tunney is a surrealist. For decades now, the artist also known as Dogbowl has been employing his finely tuned and carefully cultivated sense of the absurd to create works of art that are positively sublime. Previous efforts, such as “Tit! An Opera” and “Flan” had their own librettos; each album telling stories that were simultaneously affecting and horrifying.

“Zone of Blue” is Dogbowl’s first album in a decade and it is once again an opera of sorts. And while the story of an astronaut crash landing on Saturn is a bit more convoluted and fragmented than previous efforts (the liner notes tell the details), as a whole it is more than satisfying and a very welcome return by one of the great oddballs of the 80s and 90s underground.

For the most part, arrangements are basic: guitar, bass and drums. Complexity is more implied by a haze of reverb and the occasional weird guitar effect. But mostly it’s Dogbowl’s way with a melody, his singular delivery, and his weird, playful lyrics that pull the listener in to this very peculiar world.

For instance, “I Love You, I Love You” gushes childlike imagery that seems to spray from the same vein tapped by Syd Barrett and Robyn Hitchcock:

“You have a propeller attached to your hat 
It spins around and I like that 
The way you fly in the sky 
I’m such a lucky guy to have a helicopter girl…”

In “Saturnian Soap Opera” the narrator crash lands on Saturn where he encounters “A girl with a megaphone head (who) wore a dress that was ruby red…” as a wobbly saxophone weaves through the verses. The overall effect comes off like a 10-year-old David Bowie who has heard about sex, but isn’t really sure what it is.

Another highlight is a cover of the classic Robert Johnson blues song "Love In Vain." It’s given a sparse, percussive arrangement that, ironically, doesn’t feature any percussion instruments; just what sounds like a single guitar being played by tapping the strings with a drumstick or some such thing. It’s a technique that brings out lots of beautiful, subtle harmonics and helps underscore some of the anxieties in the lyric.

For those of you who are already fans, this is the Dogbowl you already know and love. And if you’ve never heard the man’s music before, “Zone of Blue” is actually a good place to start. Dip your toes in here before diving headlong into any of his classic (and sadly underheard) Shimmy Disc releases.

The LP comes with a CD version, some snazzy artwork, and a booklet, which contains both notes from Canadian poet J.C. Brouchard, and the very surreal story of the album (as alluded to above) written by Dogbowl, himself.

You can stream or purchase here:

The End - From Beginning to End (Four Disc Box Set)

Reviewed by Nathan Ford

Though they only released one studio album in their short lifetime, UK psych pop outfit The End were unusually prolific in the studio - prolific enough to warrant this attractive, new four disc box set chronicling their complete (or near complete) studio activities.

The End's sole album "Introspection" constitutes disc two of this set and is now regarded as a minor (major to many) classic of UK psych, despite being virtually ignored on its original release. It's been written about extensively elsewhere by writers far more eloquent than I, so all I'll say about it here is that it's one of the very best of its ilk, and if you haven't discovered it already, you're missing out bigtime. Presumably the majority of you are familiar with "Introspection" though, so let's turn our attention to the contents of the other three discs here, "In The Beginning", "Retrospection" and "The Last Word". Originally compiled and released (on vinyl only) by Tenth Planet between 1996 and 1999, the majority of material on these three discs is officially on CD for the first time here.

"In The Beginning" sounds like the early works of a lot of bands of the era. Searching for their own identity in a rapidly evolving scene that sees them try their hand and beat, mod and R&B, these early recordings are promising but unspectacular. Glyn Johns liked what he heard though, and called in Rolling Stone Bill Wyman who took the band under his wing and produced the works contained on discs two through four here (as well as co-writing the band's classic single "Shades of Orange"). "Retrospection" contains unreleased material recorded during the "Introspection" sesssions, as well as sundry singles from the same timeframe, and shows a much more confident band with even the most casually off-the-cuff performances here boasting superb harmonies and interesting arrangements. It certainly doesn't sound like a disc of offcuts, with plenty of strong material and only a few overlaps with "Introspection" tracks, which are alternate mixes that are intriguing enough to warrant their inclusion.

Things really heat up with "The Last Word" though. Consisting of tracks recorded between 1969 and early 1970, this really does feel like a lost album, and a particularly good one at that. Opener "Son of Lightning" has a great late Beatles feel to it, along the lines of the Tremeloes circa "Master" and "(Call Me) Number One" with flurries of flute that suggest Traffic as another influence. It's also much heavier than anything found on the previous three discs, with some nice doomy proto-prog moves on the dramatic "Second Glance" incorporating the band's strong vocal harmonies comfortably, with a claustrophobic, multilayered climax that reminds this listener of the Pretty Things' "Parachute". As a propsed album, it's perhaps one or two tracks short of meeting the consistent high quality found on "Introspection", but those are some very big shoes to even consider filling, and compared to other artists of the era's released work, this is very, very fine indeed.

"From Beginning to End" is an essential portrait of a band that could have made it big if things had aligned slightly differently for them, and it's an absolute steal for the single disc price being asked. Available here (UK/EU) or here (US).

Rare Tintern Abbey Acetates Turn Up On YouTube

Here's a fascinating YouTube discovery.

Tintern Abbey's "Vacuum Cleaner / Beeside" single on Deram has long been regarded as one of the UK's finest psychedelic singles. Nothing else was released by the band during their short lifespan, but rumours persisted of further acetate recordings made by the band. Thanks to YouTube user Mick Rathe, these acetates are now available to be enjoyed by all. No idea how Mick came by these recordings, but it'd be great to know!

It'd be great to see an official vinyl / CD / digital release of these, but in the absence of such a release, it's a real pleasure to be able to hear these at all - thanks Mick!

These are all of the know recordings by Tintern Abbey, recorded in 1967 and 1968 - eleven tracks in total, and something of a treasure trove.

1. Beeside
2. Vacuum Cleaner
3. How Do I Feel Today
4. Do What You Must
5. It's Just That The People Can't See
6. Naked Song
7. Black Jack
8. Snowman
9. Tanya
10. Snowman (Alternate Take)
11. Busy Bee (Demo Version Of Beeside)

Stream here: (some users have encountered problems on mobile devices, but no such problems seem to exist on desktop computers).

Baron - Torpor

Reviewed by Joseph Murphy

While not the first full length release for British four-piece Baron, “Torpor” for many, will be an introduction. And it is quite the handshake. Self-described as “Neo-Monastic Byzantine Pastoral Kraut-Drone-Lettuce Rock” – at least in part, seriously – Baron is a powerhouse of sprawling, long-form songs, each tinged with a brand of old world gothic and baroque arrangements. There’s a peculiar tinge to each track here that simultaneously sounds contemporary (think post rock, prog, and doom) while channeling an older philosophy, classicisms.

In everything I’ve read around this album, the reviewer or promoter mentions Talk Talk, who in much the same way maintained a balancing act between the old and the new. Likewise, Baron has done so incredibly, maintaining a rigorous standard of full builds and orchestral arrangements.

The longest track on “Torpor,” “Stry” (which features Wolf People’s Joe Hollick on guitar), is a masterpiece of atmospheric rock. Free form and ambient at first, “Stry” culminates in unabashed heaviness that retains its logic and melody. Alex Crispin’s ghostly, baritone vocals recall a devotional hymn in its simplicity and plaintiveness. The balance of impressionism – airy organs and light rhythms – and spaced out riffs is precise, coming on perfectly near the album’s middle.

In part secretly record in Purton Green, one of the few standing medieval halls in the UK, Baron has certainly tapped into a timeless eeriness that can only be present in old buildings, ruins and graveyards. 

After so many wonderful listens, I cannot withhold a high recommendation here. Highly recommended.

Available here (UK/EU) or here (US).
 

Paolo Spaccamonti - Rumors

Reviewed by Nathan Ford

Paolo Spaccamonti is a new name to me, but with collaborations with Ben Chasny and Damo Suzuki to his name, he clearly has some pedigree, and his third solo album "Rumors" is a very interesting listen indeed.

An instrumental album that broadly straddles post-rock, experimental and psychedelia without sounding like it really subscribes to the conventions of any of these genres, "Rumors" is one of the most diverse and effective instrumental albums that I've heard in a long time, a skulking malevolent presence with moments of surprising beauty and humanity.

The opening / title track is one of the more immediate moments here, with a simple piano part (reminiscent of Mogwai's "Les Revenants") underpinning a memorable, creepy bass line. "Bonnie & Bonnie" is similarly carried by its bassline, although this is warmer, maintaining a playful sense of mystery before being swallowed whole by a crescendo of guitars which segue straight into "Croci / Flamme"s semi-industrial maelstrom.

There are moments of quiet contemplation here too, with the mournful strings on "Io ti Aspetto" being particularly lovely. It's a perfectly paced and sequenced album, allowing the mood to ebb and flow at just the right times to maintain and release suspense. I often find that instrumental albums get a little repetitive, but there's a lot going on under the surface here which keeps me coming back for more, and I'm still uncovering new layers on each listen.

Not one for listeners who are looking for an immediate fix then, but if you're looking for something with a little more substance that you can really spend some time with, this is outstanding.

Vinyl and CD available here, or stream here:

Dumbo Gets Mad - Thank You Neil

Reviewed by Maggie Danna

Dumbo Gets Mad is an incredibly talented male/female dream pop and psych duo from Italy. Unlike their first two albums, which were available as free downloads, the band is actually charging for this latest one. It’s definitely worth it though. On Bandcamp, they explain that the album’s title, "Thank You Neil", was inspired by astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson and the 2014 documentary television show, “Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey”, which he presented and helped create. This is very fitting for such an ambient - and in spots surreal - album with song titles that include “Youniverse”, “Quasar”, and “Cosmic Bloom”.

"Thank You Neil" continues the delicate jazz and funk dabbling established in the group’s previous albums and further emphasizes the soulful aspects of their sound. The vocals are almost solely female, and highly dulcet, and in comparison to their earlier work this album is much more laid-back. “Orion Caos” in particular is a standout in the funk department with a grooving baseline and electric guitar over dainty synths. "Thank You Neil" is also similarly serene to Pure X’s 2014 album "Angel", though it has a more upbeat tempo; this resemblance is especially noticeable during the beginning of “Loosing It” which starts out very mild and meditative before gradually turning experimentally jazzy and cosmic. This track also has an excellently fuzzy and spaced-out jazz guitar solo in the middle that is somewhat comparable to Fifty Foot Hose.

"Thank You Neil" is smooth and hypnotic with an invigorating energy. Conceptual themes of the album include the confusion and seemingly arbitrariness of the workings of the universe, the limiting power of time, and a critical view of misogynist culture. References to the cosmos abound. Maintaining a cohesive sound throughout, the album’s vibe is modern yet peppered with retro flair.

Some of the strongest tracks are “Orion Caos”, “Loosing It”, “Andromedian Girl”, and “Misanthropulsar”, the album’s first single. If you enjoy this album, check out Dumbo Gets Mad’s debut and sophomore albums, "Elephants At The Door" and "Quantum Leap". "Elephants At The Door" has a similar style to "Thank You Neil" but is more uptempo, and "Quantum Leap" is the liveliest, infiltrated by dance and hip hop beats. Their sampling game is also particularly strong on "Quantum Leap", with clips of Azealia Banks on “Tahiti Hungry Jungle” and Fifty Foot Hose on “Future Sun”. Each album they have released so far is spectacular and none should be missed.

Stream or buy digitally here:

The Leaf Library - Daylight Versions

Reviewed by Elizabeth Klisiewicz

London band the Leaf Library takes a leaf from the page of various psych/drone/shoegaze genres and mash it all together into a fine pulp, complete with woozy melodies, cheerful female vocals, and an obvious love for Yo La Tengo, Flying Nun, and other bands who most likely revere The Velvet Underground.

Opening track “Asleep Between Stations” merges all these influences into one solid tune, and includes some fine sax playing from guest musician Ben Gates. “Tilting” has a more gentle approach, lapsing into the background but remaining present in your mind as its warmth works its magic on you. I really like the flourish of trumpet that embellishes this tune and elevates it from the norm. “Slow Spring” unfolds like the lazy meandering of a sparkling stream, revealing all its bright currents as it flows through you. The hushed percussion works well here, maintaining the laid back feel of this song. “Acre” draws from "Spirit of Eden" era Talk Talk, and channels the spooky ambience of that classic album. It is contemplative, and at times soporific music that lulls you into its perfect beauty. “Sailing Day” is another song in the same vein, though it veers off down a slippery psych path with cool synth flourishes. “Rings of Saturn” almost reminds me of Flying Saucer Attack, droning organs laced with airy vocals and restrained instrumentation. In fact, as the song moves forward, it also reminds me of classic late period Talk Talk.

Much of the music here swoons and dives between post rock, dream pop, and ambient electronic music. But I think it also transcends any of these labels and becomes less about naming the influence and more about experiencing the music as a suite of songs. “Summer Moon” is stripped back to simple instrumentation, and is delightfully pretty. “Evening Gathers” is as lovely a song as you may hear this year, with its luminous grooves that slowly rise to a percussive maelstrom and then settle gently back down.

I can come up with any number of descriptions for this lovely, cinematic record, one which evokes long, languid summers and pastoral beauty. Writers often compare The Leaf Library to Stereolab, Epic 45, and Movietone, as well as the aforementioned bands. I most often hear them evoking Yo La Tengo and Talk Talk, but they also bring their own special brand of beauty to the table. Be prepared for anything and experience this on your own, one of the loveliest releases I have heard this autumn.

Available here (UK), and here (US).

Gnoomes - Ngan!

Reviewed by Shaun C. Rogan

Gnoomes are from Russia, one of the homes of space exploration in the twentieth century. In the tradition of all things cosmonaut-like, Gnoomes latest LP 'Ngan!' is a huge lumbering Soyuz spacecraft of blissed out sound that draws a perfect arc through 40 years of tripped out intergalactic noisemaking. Y'dig? Read on.

This full length outing is definitely one that rewards repeated listening. 'Ngan' is a four track sound sandwich with two giant wedges of sonic exploration bookending the two shorter tracks in between. The first few times listening it's fun to analyse Gnoomes sound and pull out your favourite reference points from their map of the heavens. Opening track, "Roadhouse" definitely has been touched by the spirit of Michael Rother and Harmonia or more latterly Causa Sui. It hovers gently into view on washes of lightly echoed guitar morphing before locking down into a lovely crystalline motorik groove with spectral, almost monastic vocals blowing through the speakers that begs to morph into a fuzz and distorto supernova underpinned by some lovely synth drones. Of course about 4 minutes in that is exactly what begins to unfold but in a way that never loses its precision or sense of control. Over its 15 glorious minutes of very deliberately sculpted sound you are presented with the scene Gnoomes want you to dig with them. It is vast, it is timeless, it is propulsive blissed out krautrock beauty, pulling the listener along in its sparkling, rumbling wake.

"Myriads" is a brief excursion into a heady brew of syncopated rhythms, synth washes and tastefully overdriven guitars that may bring to mind a more folksy Sonic Youth overlaid with a sweetly simple vocal melody so self-effacing it almost isn't there. "Moognes" follows swiftly after and once more we find ourselves in swirly guitars with submerged vocals that beg comparisons with 'Loveless' era My Bloody Valentine, mid-to late period Flaming Lips or the more recent comet-tails of sound favoured by Active Listener favourites The Besnard Lakes. This is no bad thing of course and it is delivered with such attention to detail it's hard to not leave your prejudices at the door and just enjoy it.

Epic closing odyssey, "My Son" starts off all quiet, barely audible voices before a slowly emergent rhythm strongly reminiscent of 'Atmosphere' by Joy Division arrives in your inner-ear. Infinitely more slow burning than the similarly lengthy opener, the track waxes and wanes under manipulated waves of feedback - always the same always different - in classic kosmiche-drone style until finally disgorging itself of its stored up energy and reaching critical mass; flaring into life in an endless spiral of bubbling, burbling theremin-like ring modulation. Imagine 'Big City' by the Spacemen 3 launched into the heliosphere and remotely detonated.This really is cosmic music of the highest calibre, deftly handled and guaranteed to make a dolphin smile. Impressive indeed and a lovely way to spend an idle 40 minutes of your time.

Throughout 'Ngan!' the band known as Gnoomes loom. Gnoomes are a mega-space ship with the controls set firmly for the heart of a distant sun. Take your protein pills and put your helmet on - its time to take a ride with them to who knows where.

Available on digital and CD from Gnoomes bandcamp page (through the streaming link below). They've sold out of vinyl but you can still pick the LP up here (UK/EU) or here (US) if you're quick about it.