Elf Freedom | Solstice 2024 Elf Freedom informs us that “all songs are channeled from the Elf Dimension”. So what happens when you spiral into this dimensional rabbit hole? Intro track ‘Treasure Underground’ is like an invitation to plug into the benevolent Borg; if you psychically answer this invitation, where will this mystery trip take you? Vocals weave together the new century essence of Nico with a hypnotic rhythm section and extenda-vibe guitar, surging the echoes of the dreaming amps. Space synth keeps percolating through the mix, encouraging the listener to look up, up, up through the ever-expanding Milky Way. Back on Planet Earth, witness Jimi Hendrix and early era Pink Floyd jamming in a deep forest…
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HUGE MOLASSES TANK EXPLODES | “III”
Residing in Milan, Italy, this neo-psych band is back with a new release on Tidal Wave Records. A spacey, instrumental, electronic, pulsed opener sets the vibe leading up to the first song, “Bow of Gold”. The shimmering of guitars and octave bass line now kicks in, taking us on a cosmic ride. Reverberated vocals gloss over the prevailing musical landscape as a blend of clean, pristine Fender guitars are mixed in over a wash of sound pulsating into tremolo waves. “Tenuous Form” has a grungy, thick baseline that drives the entire track with ethereal guitar and synth sounds, enveloping the lyrics in an abstract echo followed by a big, washed-out, heavenly…
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Branching out from the Traditional Psychedelia – Daliborovo granje’s Hainin
Coming to you from Čakovec, Croatia is one of my favorite psychedelic groups: Daliborovo granje. Branching out from some of the usual psychedelic influences, Daliborovo granje creates a unique psychedelic infusion with some Balkan flair. Daliborovo granje is comprised of five members: David Lesjak on bass, Andrija Munđar on drums, Tomica Oskoruš on trumpet, and Filip Toplek and Alan Horvat on guitar. Hainin is their sophomore album, served up with a dose of Balkan folk music, which is a refreshing take on the timeless, classic psychedelic genre. To me, this instrumental album is about as close to perfection as you could possibly get. I can’t tell you how many times…
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SPLIT MOON | More Clouds More Stars
Los Angles band Split Moon has released a new “dark dream gaze” style album with lush production and a trilogy of music videos to go along with it. The album starts off with a nice little palate cleanser intro, “Speak the Sky.” The record has a few interludes like this providing a break between long conceptual songs, ending with “Everything Ends.” The album starts and ends with these “musical bookends.” The album explodes with the song, “More Clouds,” with accompanying video showing a bird’s eye view of frozen ice landscapes and water. The video reflects the dynamic changes heard in the music, and the simple concept captures the blurred sonic landscape…
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A Theremin and Psychedelic Space Rock: Stephen Hamm’s Live From Planet Earth Album Review
This week I was brought on a journey through the cosmos with Stephen Hamm – everyone’s favorite theremin man. When presented with this album, I was told to expect “space rock and psychedelic electronic music” and theremin. Going into the album, I was absolutely unsure of where it would take me, but I was so curious to find out! For those unfamiliar, the theremin is an incredibly unique instrument. Originally developed in 1920 by Russian inventor Leon Theremin, this electronic instrument sets itself apart from all others with one extremely unique characteristic: it is played without physical touch. Music is produced by controlling volume and pitch, which the instrumentalist does…
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Electric Violin and Evocative Lyrics – Everyone Is Dirty’s Caramels For Grandpa Album Review
Oakland-based Everyone Is Dirty is best described in their own words: “violin-driven post punk”. These words could not have been better exemplified than by their 2023 release, Caramels For Grandpa. I went into this album completely blind – I was unfamiliar with the band and their sound. Their name and the album title told me two different stories, and I honestly wasn’t sure what to expect from Caramels For Grandpa, but I was very pleasantly surprised by the album. Everyone Is Dirty is comprised of Sivan Lioncub (vocals and violin), Chris Daddio (guitar), and Tyler English (bass). The writing credits on this album are primarily shared by Daddio and Lioncub.…
