Pärson Sound

I know I’ve used this name a lot in past posts when attempting to point signifiers to other artists, so you may be wondering why I’m posting this like I just discovered it, or something. Well, I just discovered it, or something. Discovered that it had been made available on Bandcamp, anyway. How long it’s been here, I have no idea. It’s not as if I keep a list entitled Albums I Like That Are Not On Bandcamp and regularly check for changes like some kind of librarian checking to see if Ebooks have become available for old print books that happen to be on reading lists (that does happen, and probably not just where I work).

So, for mind-bending psychedelic rock, this is ground zero. I wish I thought of that line but I didn’t; however, it sums up this album so well that I thought I’d nick it. When I first became aware of this in 2010 or so it truly astonished me, particularly the 29 minute Skrubba which actually fades out, can you believe it! I mean, how much longer did they actually jam that for?

So this is the only album by this artist, though they incarnated with mild variations in name and personnel over the next few years. But if only one album is your legacy, then why not make it the ur-psychedelic rock album?

Oriente Lux (self titled)

So, that thing I was saying the other day, about seeming like a proper fanboy. Well, I must seem like a PR plant for Valerio Cosi sometimes. Or, at least I would if Soundbergs had a following.

Here Valerio collaborates with Brad Rose, something that took longer than a decade to bear fruit. It is a truly sturdy resulting flower of music, as eclectic as I’ve come to expect, and as difficult to describe. (Cue rambling old man rant about how music shouldn’t be described because it can’t be described, just experienced).

Paisiel – self titled

We’ve met half of Paisiel before in this parish, one Julius Gabriel. He is clearly one to watch.

The other half of Paisiel has done this percussion album which I listened to lately after one of its tracks was played on a Black Impulse show. It’s on my list of things to listen to again.

 

The Comet is Coming – Death to the Planet

These are clearly very well known by the standards of who I usually blog about, but I don’t care. I don’t have a prejudice against well-known bands, it’s just that they so rarely do anything which actually interests me, let alone blows me away. This, lady and gentleman, blew me away.

It probably says at least a few words about me in that I had genuinely never heard of them before. I actually discovered them via my hopping from bandcamp fan’s music taste to bandcamp fan’s music taste and clicking on albums where I liked the name of the band/album or the cover or both/all three. This trail started after I’ve been on something of a deep house kick, which I’ll blog a release or two about presently (expectations be damned! it’s the only thing they’re good for).

It starts off not unlike a slighlty jazzier Our Solar System with added cosmic synths. They subsequently head into more of an acid-house territory, though, squelchy basslines and woozy synths a go-go, an increasingly Nortec-with-crazier-saxophones kind of feel. If it isn’t reminiscent of the soundtrack to late night Tijuana, then I’ve never been to Tijuana (sidebar: I’ve never been to Tijuana), though I suppose it could be any large settlement in the tropics (sidebar: I’ve never been to the tropics). I am always really disappointed when it ends.

Their first album is very nearly as good. It was also nominated for some well known (in the UK) prize or other, which might go some way to explaining why music this good actually seems to have an audience. The times they might be a-darkening, but where there’s music this good around, there is always hope.

Joshua Abrams & Natural Information Society – Simultonality

The last time I was aware of Josh Abrams making an album, I had a bit of a grumble about how it wasn’t that easy to get hold of, at least for me. Well, that seems to have been fixed now, and I found that out by finding out that he had a new thing out. Not only that, but he’s also collaborated with the Soundbergs-approved Bitchin Bajas in the meantime.

This is the groovy end of jazz, the type I like, where the music does a number on me hypnotically. It seems to be a natural progression from the above-mentioned Magnetoception, nice long grooves with a motorik pulse. There’s nods to the spiritual jazz tradition of the Coltranes and Pharoah Sanders, but also a mellow, laid back feel. This music isn’t in a hurry; after all, there is no need to hurry to make an eternal point.

A few words have been typed making mention of the fact that this has been credited to Josh Abrams AND Natural Information Society, which suggests that this may be more collaborative than previous efforts. Whether that’s the case, or whether this is simply a more explicit acknowledgement of the collaboration, this is an excellent addition to Abrams output.

 

ARRM / Lonker See

So, despite being far too skint to buy anything, the glutton for punishment that is me will keep listening to stuff that’s new to these ears. I mean, it’s not as if I don’t have a decent library already… speaking of which, I have been meaning to do a couple of posts about blasts from my past but I keep getting distracted.

This is a case in point. I listened to this thing this morning whilst supposedly doing some work, and my brain melted in sheer pleasure. I didn’t know what to expect, except that this label has released stuff by Kuba Ziolek under his various guises, and I have a lot of respect for the man. He may be involved with this too – somebody called Kuba designed the intriguing cover – but I’ve found it quite difficult to find anything out about these peeps,  although I imagine it’s entirely possible there’s more than one creative person with Kuba as his salutation.

This release comprises of one loooong song from each artist. The tune from ARRM is pleasantly doom-laden, and quite post-rocky in it’s way, and for that combination to not bore me across 20-minutes of playing time means they’re doing something right. Most importantly,  it obviously set me up perfectly for what was to follow. It was the tune from the brilliantly named Lonker See that melted my brain, though for the first five minutes or so I was a little sceptical. It started to change when the female vocals came in, and from then on it just kept going until a state of ecstasy was reached. This has a more jazzy feel, a sort of chanting, ecstatically doomy work of unutterable perfection. I realise that description is utterly meaningless, but come on – I have had my brain melted. Perhaps we could say the nearest reference point would be a slower Selim Lemouchi and his Enemies.

Because I don’t understand Polish, I don’t know anything about these. The blurb on the page though tells me they have a Discordian thing going on, which may or may not be relevant to anything at all.

Sargent-Major Waffle

Or: here are some things that are not albums, or maybe they are.

So, we likes Hey Colossus, we do. And earlier this year they did something right out of the 90s, they released a single backed with 2 ‘remixes’ (strictly speaking, ‘versions.’) And what versions they are – the version of In Black and Gold is like a deconstructed drum’n’bass / free improv mashup, whilst the 11 minute re-take of Wired Brainless is pure repetition bliss, with added electronic noises (I can’t tell whether some of the added noises are vocals that have been very harshly treated).

Oh, and the actual single track isn’t half bad either. Go here and listen.

Rise of the Echo Drone seem to be largely doing Ep’s. Since I last mentioned them, another couple have hit the wires and they are definitely worth checking out. They seem to have camped in a field which touches on psych, shoegaze, dreampop, electronica, tribal rhythms, that 90s techno that included people like The Orb, and sensual vocals. Needless to say, I’m a bit hesitant of trying to reduce them to one sonic label. I also want to draw your attention to this track off one of the ep’s for two reasons – Milo used a shorter excerpt of the same Lennon speech on the second Patterns of Faith album (which I can’t currently link to because it’s no longer available anywhere), and secondly because seriously, listen to what he is saying. It is really very simple, a bit scary, and very liberating.

Valerio Cosi seems to have dug out many collaborations and older works for his Bandcamp. You won’t like everything unless you happen to like every single instance of recorded sound, anywhere, ever, or maybe I’m just narrow minded. My favourite is the split single he did with Fabio Orsi (their collaborative album is also worth your time). Sadly he has yet to put up Heavy Electronic Pacific Rock – maybe he is not at liberty to. One of the greatest albums ever made, that is, to this mind, but if you like that kind of mind-bending psychedelic-jazz  featuring saxophones with tribal rhythms – and who doesn’t? – then you’ll also want to check out Pulga Loves You.

Also, Rakta.  When I first typed this paragraph, I typed ‘They have also not yet done another album but have put out some songs.’ So I go to do the links, and the page for III – which was roughly two songs long when I bought it –  now describes what is either an album or a long EP. Ditto, Intencao had one track and now has two, and there’s Rakta em Transe as well. Odd marketing. However, the Rakta energy is still very much present, and they still tag their cavernous sounding tribal post-punk as ‘World Music.’ Love it.

 

Electric Moon – two and a half hours of live psychedelic jams. Technically it’s an album, yes. You are no doubt different to me, but I am unlikely to listen to it all in one go, because two and a half hours, and that’s why I’m not treating it as an album. Anyway, I didn’t write this post to be argued with. Just go and listen to it. Whilst I’m on the subject of Electric Moon, bass player and graphic designer Komet Lulu put out this song, and this also comes with a hearty Soundbergs recommendation.

Also, when I did the Menimals post, I mentioned that there may be another album with the same title and opening track and yet be a different beast altogether? That there is. It is also very, very good, and I invite those of you who enjoyed the first of their self titled albums to go and listen to the second.

Little tidbit – I did my first ‘general chat‘ type of post on July 28th 2015, the second one not long after. This here third instalment is brought to you by July 29th 2016. This was not consciously intentional. I wonder if it’s a time of year thing?

Rob Mazurek – Alternate Moon Cycles

Ha! This’ll sort out the psychonauts from the stylites.

I have discovered this concurrently with Les Sorciers du Theil and the two albums complement each other superbly well, although they do stand alone equally well, too. This is proper meditation music. Total drone. Any of you who are attached to the idea of a second note entering a piece of music may want to move along, nothing to see here.

The man seems to have quite a list of works to his credit although this is my first exposure to him, hence why I specified the album. I feel I’m going to be checking out his catalogue though, and I have a feeling that will be a pleasure.