Thursday 30 April 2020

GAUPA ~FEBERDRÖM ..... review


Having a unique sound is something every band and artist strives for, sadly this is somewhat of a rarity in rock music and this is mainly because a lot of bands and artists are, intentionally or unintentionally, a sum of their influences. Every now and then though a band comes along that buck this trend and arrives with a sound that is completely and utterly original. Sweden's Gaupa are one such band, the Falun quintet of Emma Näslund (vocals), David Rosberg (guitar), Daniel Nygren (guitar), Erik Jerka Sävström (bass) and Jimmy Hurtig (drums), jam an unconventional groove that takes in aspects of psych, prog, folk and hard rock and presents them in such a way that you would be hard pressed to mistake them for any other band, something you will no doubt come to realise when giving their second full length album "Feberdröm" a spin.


If your going to try to catch your listeners attention from the outset then you need to grab their interest with something that hits hard and leaves an impression and you could not come up with a better song to do that than opener "Vakuum" a crunching rocker packed with rotating guitar motifs and driven by a tight but fluid rhythm section. It also helps if your a vocalist has a voice that is powerful and unique and can give your songs a whole extra dimension and dynamic. Gaupa have such a vocalist in Emma Näslund. her vocals possessing an endearing crackle and pop that will inevitably draw comparisons with the alt/pop princess Bjork, however where the elfin Icelandic chanteuse tends to get a little shouty and screamy at times Näslund soars, roars and even whispers with confidence, power and supreme control. Musically Gaupa are a revelation a band able to shift up and down the gears with consummate ease ,a band able to switch from crunching and heavy to serene and lilting in an instant, Sävström and Hurtig supplying a diverse array of rhythmic groove for guitarists Rosberg and Nygren to decorate with a mix of growling refrains, soaring lead work and gently swept arpeggios. As well as having the vocals and the musicianship Gaupa also have the songs, heavy rockers that crunch and growl ("Where The Emperor's Grows"), folkish psychedelic laments with proggish undertones ("Grycksbo Gånglåt"), heavy blues workouts ("Alfahonan {Shooting Blanks"}) plus many more that will dazzle, delight and leave you wanting to hit replay again and again.



Some might describe what Gaupa deliver on "Feberdröm" as being "quirky", and in some respects that is true, Desert Psychlist prefers however to describe Gaupa's sonic onslaught as being "angular", a music with many edges, a music that doesn't quite conform to normal patterns and rules and is all the better for that.
Check it out …. 

© 2020 Frazer Jones

Monday 27 April 2020

MOOCH ~ HOUNDS ..... review


To "mooch" according to the Collins English Dictionary is to loiter, skulk or sneak about, usually with the intention of cadging a favour or doing something illegal. To Desert Psychlist's knowledge Montreal, Canada's trio of Ben Cornel (guitar/lead vocals), Julian Iacovantuono (bass/vocals) and  Alex Segreti (drums/vocals), also known as Mooch, have not done anything illegal but they well may have "mooched" a rather large favour in the shape of persuading desert scene legend Brant Bjork to head up the production team for their debut album "Hounds".


First off a big thumbs up to Mr Brant Bjork, Bobby Dupree and Joe Segreti for doing a sterling production job on "Hounds", the sound is crisp, clear and uncluttered with a real "old school" warmth that is often missing in this age of digital studio technology. Production, however, counts for nothing if you've not got the tunes for that production to frame and Mooch, thankfully, have tunes to spare.
By the time every magazine review, blog and video analysis of "Hounds" has landed Mooch will probably be sick to the back teeth with The Doors comparisons that are going to be inevitably levelled at them but if you have a vocalist with a tone incredibly similar to that of one of the founding members of the "27 club", well then that's something your going to have to learn to live with. Ben Cornel, as well as delivering crunching guitar riffs and screaming solo's, is the man who handles the majority of Mooch's vocals and although having a slightly wider vocal spectrum than the aforementioned Doors frontman his lower register is strikingly similar both in tone and inflection.
The band play somewhat on this similarity with "Hounds" opening track "Mantra", it's delicious dark desert vibe has an unmistakable Doors vibe, sans keyboards, and finds Cornel crooning like the true embodiment of the Lizard King over a backdrop of moody atmospheric groove. "She's A Black Hole" on the other hand finds the band jamming a mid tempo fuzz drenched stonerized heavy blues groove Cornel's Morrison-esque vocal backed in places by Iacovantuono and Segreti, the drummer and bassist's harmonised voices the perfect counterbalance to Cornel's more grittier tones. This mixture of heady stoner/desert fuzz underscored with bluesy atmospherics is what informs much of "Hounds", the band only departing from this formula for the tranquil mood piece "Lucid" and the Alice In Chains like "Super Big Things", it's a winning formula that works well for the band and should see them gaining many fans not just from the underground scene but also from outside of it.


Mooch describe what they do on "Hounds" as "pouring low-end distortion and groove onto the blues to bring some raw tasty vibes". Desert Psychlist couldn't have put it better.
Check 'em out ….

© 2020 Frazer Jones

Saturday 25 April 2020

LORDS OF ILLUSION ~ THE GREAT TRIBULATION ....... review


Desert Psychlist has written before about how proto-metal and its close cousin proto-doom bridged the gap between the late sixties blues boom and the early to mid seventies rise of hard rock and metal what we may not have told you however is of the resurgence of that "proto" sound within the realms of the current stoner/psych and doom underground scene. It seems that there are many of today's bands who look to the past for their inspiration, taking their lead not only from the holy trinity of Sabbath, Zeppelin and Purple but also those bands that didn't quite make the big step up to global domination, bands with names like Budgie, May Blitz, Pentagram and Buffalo.
California's Lords of Illusion are one such band who have grasped the post proto-metal/doom nettle, the trio of Jose "Campa" Campa (guitar) Jose "Freddy" Delgado (bass/vocals) and Octavius "Otto"Addison (drums) jam a groove that pays tribute to both the gods and demi-gods of the past while at the same time still sounding relevant to the present, just give their debut album "The Great Tribulation" a spin to see what we mean.


If your paying your respects to masters past and present then it cannot be considered too much of a sin to borrow a few licks and riffs along the way so don't be alarmed when opening track "Mushrooms In The Sky" jams a somewhat Sabbathesque groove and that the songs opening riff bears a faint resemblance to Metallica's "Enter Sandman". Jose "Freddy" Delgado's vocals, both here and through the rest of the album, are not what you would call overly powerful but they are clean, clear and totally effective and to his credit he does not attempt all the usual Ozzy(ish) vocal mannerisms often associated with music of this ilk. Following track "Blood and Gold" puts Delgado's voice up front and centre of a groove that has an underlying bluesiness and boasts an absolutely stunning guitar solo from Jose "Campa" Campa that is very "Tony" in tone, and here we are talking Bourge (Budgie) not Iommi (Sabbath). Next up is "Can't Sleep" a slowed down doomic tome drenched in atmospherics driven by some solid, swinging percussion from Octavius "Otto"Addison which is then followed by "Sheep Minds" a song that finds Lords of Illusion stepping out from the shadow of their heroes and finding their own niche, the songs eastern tinted vocal melody and exotic guitar motifs a complete departure from what has gone before. The next two tracks, "Holy Children" and "Misery" go a little further in establishing Lords of Illusion as a force in their own right, the former a mid tempo chug fest that finds "Campa" discovering his inner "shredder", the latter a stunning torch-like lament with bluesy undertones. For their finale Lords of Illusion put all their "proto" eggs in one basket and sign out with "The Rapture" a song that takes all the bands separate influences and musical loves and weaves them into one big tapestry of delightful proto-doomic groove.


If you are coming to "The Great Tribulation" looking for something innovative, life affirming and cerebral then your going to be out of luck if, however, you are looking for something that takes you to a place that is familiar and comfortable yet manages to avoid sounding cliched or overtly "retro" then this is your new favourite album.
Check it out ..... 

© 2020 Frazer jones

Friday 24 April 2020

FAMILIARS ~ ALL IN GOOD TIME ...... review


Something special this way approaches and that something special is an enthralling collection of songs  boasting elements of stoner fuzz, shoegaze serenity and psychedelic texturing. This little slice of special comes to you courtesy of Canadian trio FamiliarsKevin Vansteenkiste (guitar/vocals); Jared MacIntyre (bass/vocals) and Anton Babych (drums), and their latest release "All In Good Time".


Things begin very promisingly with opening track "Homestead" its recurring guitar motif, circling around itself atop shimmering percussion and a sparse bass line, slowly builds up the atmosphere before a sudden burst of heavy riffage announces the vocals and the band slip into a groove that undulates between crunching and gentle. Vocals throughout the album are shoegaze(ish), clean and melodic and sit perfectly against the breezy mixture of hard riffing and chilled psych that is Familiars signature and as well as decoration they are also the medium by which Familiars tell their stories, among which are stories of hardship and hunger ("Common Loon"), bar room skirmishes ("Dirty Dog Saloon") and gold fever ("Bonanza"), each song is like a little snapshot, a brief vignette of Canadian life both past and present


"All In Good Time" is a very "Canadian" album in that it explores themes of isolation and survival while also exploring aspects of Canada's history and geography. Thankfully this examination of the bands homeland does not exclude listeners from outside Canada's borders from fully embracing the album and enjoying what Familiars bring to the table both sonically and lyrically, in fact it probably enhances its appeal.
Check it out ....

© 2020 Frazer Jones

Wednesday 22 April 2020

FROZEN PLANET....1969 ~ COLD HAND OF A GAMBLING MAN ....review


Australia's Frozen Planet...1969 will be no strangers to those with a bent for swirling heavy psych and cosmic space rock, the trio of Paul Attard (guitar), Lachlan Paine (bass), and Frank Attard (drums), from Sydney, have been pedalling their brand of instrumental madness since 2012 and in that time the band have accrued a catalogue of mind-blowing releases. Today the band release their latest collection of improvised instrumental jams, "Cold Hand of a Gambling Man" (Pepper Shaker Records) an album that picks up where their conceptual release "The Heavy Medicinal Grand Exposition", ended and revives many of the characters that featured in that release.


The concept behind "Cold Hand of a Gambling Man" and its companion piece "The Heavy Medicinal Grand Exposition" is that of a travelling medicine show and the characters who inhabit that show, however for the purposes of this review Desert Psychlist will concentrate on the music rather than how the story and the music interact with each other.
Musically a little heavier than "The Heavy Medicinal Grand Exposition" "Cold Hand of a Gambling Man" finds Frozen Planet...1969 experimenting with a danker slightly more intense and spacier sound, a sound not too far removed from their previous work but one edged with a little extra grit and depth. Opening song "A Sombre Gathering" kicks things off with electronic effects flowing in wave like fashion then makes way for  "900 Mile Head Rush" a strident heavy psych workout boasting industrious percussion and throbbing bass that is taken to an altogether other level by crunching guitar refrains and searing lead work. As with every Frozen Planet...1969 release it is Paul Attard's guitar work that the listener will come away remembering most but the guitarist would have next to nothing to hang his scorching lead work and effect laden hooks on if it were not for the excellent support he gets from Lachlan Paine's mix of growling and deep liquid bass and Frank Attard's intricate drumming and shimmering percussion, the pair the engine room that drives each song and the safety net that allows their guitarist the freedom to take risks. From the already mentioned "A Sombre Gathering" and "900 Mile Head Rush" through the experimental " In The Shadow of Forces Unknown", the superbly trippy ""Of Medicine and Moonshine; A Mystic's Interpretation", the percussive "Botanical Barrelhouse" to the epic closing track "Transcending Verbal Concepts" not a note is thrown away in error, nor a beat missed or a dynamic misplaced, the band reaching for perfection and attaining it every time


In Desert Psychlist's opinion instrumental music should have the ability to take its listeners out of themselves and whisk them away to a place in their minds where they can feel distanced from the pressures and rigmarole of their real lives, "Cold Hand of a Gambling Man" does that and a whole lot more.
Check it out …..

© 2020 Frazer Jones

Monday 20 April 2020

THE SWELL FELLAS ~ THE GREAT PLAY OF EXTENTION ...... review


When a member of one of the leading lights of the underground rock scene agrees to get behind the controls of your forthcoming release then you know you have something going right for you musically. The Swell Fellas a trio from Ocean City, Maryland  have, with a little dial twiddling help from All Them Witches guitarist Ben McCloud , released what could be the EP of the year in the shape of "The Great Play of Extension" an enthralling mix of progressive tinted psych decorated in vocals that would not sound out of place fronting a band from Liverpool, UK's 80's psychedelic inspired post-punk/indie scene, think Elder jamming with Echo and the Bunnymen or The Teardrop Explodes here.


As the reverberating guitar of Conner Poole introduces first track "Placebo", and is then joined by the liquid bass of Mark Rohrer and the tight solid drumming of Chris Poole, Desert Psychlist is suddenly transported back to a time when the amphetamines', that were the staple drug of the UK punk era, were starting to be replaced with something a little more mind expanding, especially by those bands from the psychedelic tinged Liverpool scene.. Whether The Swell Fellas ever heard or even knew of the existence of bands like Echo & The Bunnymen, Teardrop Explodes and The Mighty Wah is debatable and probably neither here nor there but those who do have some familiarity with those three bands sound will no doubt spot the similarities in The Swell Fellas vocal stylings as well as a few similar indie/psychedelic flavoured nuances. However unlike those Liverpool bands The Swell Fellas also bring an air of proggish complexity to the table something that becomes very evident on the superbly executed "Acid Tone" a song that fizzles and sparks with boundless energy one minute then lays out serene and calm the next only to spark back into life once again, the band shifting back and forth between these two dynamics with seamless ease. The Swell Fellas save their very best for last with the sprawling "Scatterbrain" an eleven minute plus opus that finds the band moving away from the indie flavoured post punk of the two previous tracks and fully embracing their prog/psych side as well as throwing a modicum of stoner(ish) fuzz and hard rock swagger into the mix, Chris Poole's complex and powerful percussion and Mark Rohrer's intricate bass work laying the foundation around which Conner Poole layers some truly mouthwatering lead guitar work thereby bringing to a close the absolutely stunning  last track of an equally stunning EP.


As Desert Psychlist writes this the World is in the grip of a global pandemic with many of us having to endure the unnaturalness of being trapped in our own houses and apartments. For some of us, during these uncertain times, music is the only means of salvation our only way of being able to escape the ennui of  forced confinement, Now Desert Psychlist is not saying that The Swell Fellas new EP "The Great Play of Extension" is in anyway gonna change our current predicament but music this good, this well written and this well played has got to help a little.
Check it out ….

© 2020 Frazer Jones

Sunday 19 April 2020

CRIMINAL ROCK ~ PANIC ATTACK ...... review


Being in a band with members of your family can be a little stressful and fractious, just ask Kings of Leon,The Kinks and The Black Crowes, as not only are you dealing with all the usual ego trips and musical differences that come with being in a band you also have to deal with the in-fighting, sibling rivalries and all the other mundane things that families tend to deal with on a day to day basis. It is probably why bands with related members tend to break up and reform and break up again with such regularity.
Michigan's Criminal Rock are a family band made up of  father Brian Cowan (drums/vocals), daughter Emma (bass/keys/vocals) and son Tre (guitar/vocals), whether they last the distance as a band is something for the future to decide but for now the trio are kicking some serious ass with their unique brand of hard rock, punk, metal and alt/rock, something their second release "Panic Attack" testifies to in no uncertain terms.


Things begin well with first song "Give 'em Hell" its recurring guitar motif  and occasional slides into System of A Down type vocal stylings the meat and potato's of a very tasty hard rock dish. Criminal Rock follow up their barnstorming' opener by getting a little funky and quirky with "Funk Mother" a track that sees bassist Emma Cowan stepping up to the mic to deliver a raw jerky vocal backed by some sterling off kilter guitar work, courtesy of her brother Tre and that is underpinned by dad Brian's free flowing percussion. A revving car engine and a shout of "Where are you going with my car boy" introduces "Old Man's Car" a stuttering opus with a southern rock edge that channels a little Raging Slab swagger within its groove and possesses a chorus that's damn hard to ignore. "Would You Believe Me" follows and like its predecessor struts a similar southern fried groove as well as some scorching guitar work while "Big Bang Trippin'" finds all three members taking turns at the microphone with a sort of a three way vocal trade off over a stuttering spasmodic hard rock groove. Criminal Rock do a ninety degree spin for the next two tracks "Scratching The Surface"  and "Cold Steel" the trio leave behind the southern tinted hard rock that informs much of the first half of "Panic Attack" and dive headlong into harsher, visceral waters with the former finding Emma Cowan swapping between clean and demonic vocal tones over a breakneck groove that borders on hardcore and the latter jamming a more alternative groove that follows a similar vocal pattern (Emma again) but throws in a little rap style scatting to further confuse matters. Last track "Beautiful Nightmare" finds Criminal Rock bringing together the harder, harsher elements of their sound with the more straight ahead elements that they explored on the first half of the album resulting in a quite weird but highly enjoyable mish mash of styles that sounds slightly schizophrenic and stitched together but despite this strangely works.


"Panic Attack" is an album that will split opinion, some will love it's  unique musical approach and some will just not get its shifts from conventional rock territory into the realms of the alternate, the harsh and the quirky. Whatever camp you find yourself in, after giving this off kilter collection a listen ,one thing is certain and that is that no way will you ever forget the name Criminal Rock.
Check 'em out …..

© 2020 Frazer Jones

Monday 13 April 2020

BONGTOWER ~ OSCILLATOR .... review


From Russia with fuzz comes an album whose theme is based around the international space race, a collection of songs that not only entertain but also tell a story of exploration, disaster and bravery.
The album is called "Oscillator" the band are Iordanis Chobanyan (guitar /effects/synths); Aleksandr Zadorojny (vocal/synths); Aleksandr Samarin - (bass/effects) and  Dethcrusher (drums), otherwise known as Bongtower.


Let's get one thing out of the way first and that is that "Oscillator" is not a space rock album in the style of  say Hawkwind or Oresund Space Collective, although their are plenty of whooshing effects and electronic burps and farts to be enjoyed along the way, "Oscillator" is instead a collection of crunchingly heavy psych tinted sludge tomes cleverly put together as a conceptual piece.
"Oscillator" boasts a catalogue of eleven tracks but of those eleven only six are actual full blown songs the rest are snippets of historical text narrated in serous tones by guest Viktor Grigoryan over a backdrop of suitably spacey music telling the story of two nations going head to head for dominance of the cosmos. Each of these little snippets sets the scene for the next song , for example "Phase 1" tells of  the USSR's first manned flights and leads into the song "Voskhod-2". Musically Bongtower are a virtual sludge monster utilising massive sounding bass lines and pulverising percussion over which they layer a tsunami of synthesized effects, sampled soundbytes, huge bellowed vocals and waves of  dark, dank guitar riffage. Each song from the, aforementioned, "Voskhod-2"  through to "Salyut-7" has it's own brutal charm and each has its own little unique quirks and twists to keep it from just becoming just a another generic riff fest. The album finishes with a quite fitting cover of David Bowie's "Space Oddity"  made even more memorable and almost equalling the original thanks to the outstanding voice of guest vocalist "Anna Peace".


Brutal, brainy and informative are not words you usually see put together in a music review but "Oscillator" is all those things and more, so if you want to rock out and be educated at the same time well then look no further.
Check it out ……

© 2020 Frazer Jones

Friday 10 April 2020

SLEEPING VILLAGE ~ HOLY WATER ..... review


"Unashamed Sabbath worship" are the words New Jersey trio Sleeping Village use to describe their particular brand of proto-doomic heavy metal and there is no getting away from the fact that the bands new release "Holy Water", much like their debut EP "Among The Gods", is heavily influenced by Black Sabbath's iconic early doomic grooves. There will of course be those tearing out their hair and creaming "please not another Black Sabbath clone" but the truth is those naysayers will be few and far between because if the truth be told most of us, young and old, just can't resist a Sabbath-esque riff, especially if it is done as well as this!


Sleeping Village may have been heavily influenced by Black Sabbath but to call them  "Sabbath clones" would be wrong, yes Rick Dal Cortivo's riffs and lead work owes a huge debt to Tony Iommi's tone and style and yes Tim Gray's bass combined with Scott Borchert's drums create a swinging rhythmic backdrop very similar to that of Geezer Butler and Bill Ward but when you start digging a little deeper you then start to notice subtle differences and soon come to realise that there is much more going on here than first meets the ear. Most obvious of those differences are Cortivo's vocals, the guitarist/vocalist eschews any attempt to replicate Ozzy Osbourne's slightly nasal Brummy tones and instead opts for a cleaner, if a little less powerful, tone, thereby giving Sleeping Village's sound a completely different dynamic to their heroes. Another major difference from other bands that tread a similar Sabbath-esque path  is that Sleeping Village are not averse to stepping out of their dark Sabbath worshipping capes and don robes of a different shade and colour. "Holy Water", "Dust Everywhere" and "The Siren's Song" all jam riff drenched Sabbath-esque grooves, with the latter having a strong "Sabotage" era feel, but then "No Turning Back" comes along and suddenly your hearing guitar solos that sound more Duane Allman than they do Tony Iommi and bass lines and percussion that could easily grace an 80's era Budgie album. This diversity continues into the albums final song "The Matter of Time" a song that blends everything that has gone before it into one big melting pot of schizophrenic, constantly shifting groove that is totally unexpected but at the same time absolutely brilliant!


Sleeping Village maybe unashamed of their Sabbath worship but they should also not be ashamed of using that worship as their jumping off point to explore new territories and new directions. "Holy Water" is a huge step forward from the bands previous EP  "Among The Gods" and one that promises much for the future.
Check it out ….

© 2020 Frazer Jones

Wednesday 8 April 2020

MAMMUTHUS ~ MAMMUTHAS EP .......... review


Let's venture "down under" again, not this time  to "the land of plenty" where  Australian combo Men at Work told us "women glow and men chunder" but to Australia's  near neighbour New Zealand. the home of Maori's, rugby and sheep. New Zealand is somewhat in its infancy regarding underground rock but they are catching up fast with bands like EnFire, Planet of the Dead and Beastwars all making significant waves outside of their home turf. The latest NZ band to catch Desert Psychlist's ear are Matt Bradford (bass); Rob Dring (drums) and Josh Micallef (guitar/vocals), a trio from Wellington calling themselves Mammuthus. The band have just released their debut EP. "Mammuthus EP", four brief but highly enjoyable songs packed with distortion drenched riffs, swinging rhythms and cool clean vocals.


"Mammuthus EP" opens with "Without You" a song introduced by a rotating, heavily phased, guitar riff that is then joined by a clean but nicely wearied vocal. Drums and bass then join the fray and the band slip into a heavy stonerized blues groove drenched in fuzz and driven by busy solid percussion around which the guitarist layers screaming, swirling lead work before the song then shifts into Sabbathesque proto-doomic mode to take things over the line. "Backdoor" rears its gnarly head next, a throbbing heavy stoner outing swamped in fuzz and distortion and boasting a chorus that sticks in your head long after the song has finished. "Bloodworm" follows and begins as a slow doomic blues decorated in superbly executed and heavily effected vocal tones before once again bowing out on a wave of chugging proto-doomic groove. "Something New" closes proceedings and finds the band channeling a little Kyuss-like desert swagger into their bluesy proto-doomic onslaught thereby finishing, what is a superb collection of songs, on the same high they began it with.


In boxing they say that it is the short sharp jabs that cause the most damage and Mammathus have applied that theory to their musical endeavors with "Mammathus EP", hitting the listener hard and fast with little three minute flurries that although brief are highly effective.

© 2020 Frazer Jones

Monday 6 April 2020

HOVENWEEP ~ SALVIAN JOURNEY ....... review


Things tend to move in circles and as we move towards the mid 2000's both prog and psychedelic tinted rock are starting to see somewhat of a resurgence with more and more bands from rock's underground experimenting with prog(ish) texturing and psychedelic colourings, mixing these elements with more basic rock traits like low tuned fuzz drenched guitar riffage and powerful thunderous rhythms to create a whole new set of dynamics.
Phoenix, Arizona's Hovenweep, are a superb example of a band who fit the above criteria, the quartet are primarily a heavy psych band but the addition of organ/keys to their sonic make-up gives the bands grooves an expansive proggish feel, a feel that permeates every note and musical inflection of their stunning debut EP "Salvian Journey"


"Cave" starts us on our journey, a swirling heavy psych outing driven by a thunderous and busy combination of drums and bass pushed further into overdrive by whooshing keyboards and scorching lead guitar over which cool laid back vocals tell of "illusions we know" and "echoes around us" in tones hazy, clean and melodic. If your attention has not been grabbed by now then title track "Salvian Journey", with its Quest For Fire (defunct Canadian heavy psych band ) type vocal melody allied to a delicious throbbing groove, will remedy that, its swirling keyboards, ascending/descending guitar motifs and overall trippy feel taking things to whole new level of excellent. "The Last Ones" follows and sees Hovenweep once again utilising their combination of drums and bass to create a groove that swells and pulsates, a groove  over which keyboards and guitar vie for supremacy around a superbly executed vocal melody. Hovenweep close their debut with "I Am A Locust" a song that carries the legend "you got the money, I got the weed" and uses the phrase "social amputee" over a groove that will have you jumping out of your seat and throwing your body into shapes you never thought they could make, or even should make.


Hovenweep are doing for heavy psych, with "Salvian Journey",what Elder are currently doing for prog and All Them Witches are doing for the blues, taking a music that is already in existence but then twisting it around and turning it inside out until it is almost  something else entirely, still identifiable but nonetheless different.
Check 'em out ….

© 2020 Frazer Jones