Ruckzuck – Dynamic Equilibrium Redefined

This one is from when I was scrolling through the aforementioned wishlist and saw this, which isn’t actually that far down it. Nonetheless, I had zero memory of putting it there so I played it to try to jog said memory.

Now, memory remains un-jogged. None of the songs sounded like something I had actually heard before, so I doubt I’d heard it on the radion,and I had zero idea of this band at all, so what made me add it to the wishlist will probably remain unknown to me forever and ever amen. But I’m glad I did. This is very pleasing indeed. They sound like one of those bands who don’t take themselves uber-seriously yet want to make some bloody good music nonetheless.

It’s got more of a ‘classic’ psych rock feel, by which I mean it sounds more like the late 60s psych explosion than most of what I listen to, but they do it very well. It doesn’t sound like pastiche to me, rather that they just happen to like making this particular type of noise. And why would anyone make noise other than that which they want to make?

Dhidalah – Sensoria

Some Japanese rock goodness for you here, something I’m not convinced I do too often.

I didn’t intend to leave it this long between posts, but time do get away, do it not? So, though they may be short of words, I am now about to post a bunch of stuff I’ve discovered lately that I think is really good.

In a completely unrelated note, my 12 year old daughter has just asked me whether or not I regularly question the nature of my existence, and upon receiving an affirmative answer, suggested that she wants to form an existential dread club. Shome mishtake, shurely? I’m sure we were late teens when we all hit that phase. They grow up so quickly these days…

One Unique Signal – Aether

So a while ago I bought ‘The Drift‘ by these (did I post about it? I don’t remember doing so) which is wonderfully hypnotic and is kind of my go-to album for when my playlist only takes until about 20 minutes before I hit the hay; it’s a perfect EP for that sort of gap, especially the closing track.

But this is an entirely different beast. I suspect the line-up was different. Maybe they were jamming with peak-Oneida, as that’s who I kept thinking of when I was listening to it. And because of that, I love it. I think it might be one for more in the midst of a hectic playlist, though, rather than the wind-down before bedtime.

And I love the cover.

Sula Bassana .​.​.​And The Nasoni Pop Art Experimental Band​-​Vol​.​1

This here dates from 2006 and is a remastered version, though I would be lying if I said I knew about the original.

This can be filed under ‘psych-rock’ for those of you who like to file things under headings. It’s not much like Electric Moon or most of his solo stuff; indeed, this seems to be a kind of super-group of the era, although you can label any musical collective where the members all have different histories a super-group if you want to. Do you want to? I’m not going to. That way madness lies. Also, this is how words/phrases lose their meaning.

The title, of course, implies at least another volume.

Sula Bassana – Loop Station Drones

Sula Bassana is part of Electric Moon and therefore needs no introduction, and yet what you have just read is an introduction, albeit quite a lazy one.

Sula, or possibly also known as Dave, put the first track of this out a bit back with commentary on the page that this would just keep getting added to until finished, and now it is finished. Well, it was that one track that did it for me, but the fact that it’s now an album, and a nice long one, well, what’s not to love?

So when he do solo he do motorik, electronic, kosmische-y stuff with loops and drones an’ ting, and when he do solo, I do like to listen. It’s very possible that I’ve missed posting some of his stuff from the last few years; not purposely but because I just keep forgetting I have this blog thing. The point is, though, that all the things are worth listening to.

Amon Acid – Ψ

Although, as any fule know, assumption is the mother of all fuck-ups, I’m going to assume that what they mean by Ψ is Psychology, as when I did my degree in that we used that symbol as a shorthand rather than writing psychology all the time. Yes, Writing. This was in the 90s. We still wrote things then.

I initially found the vocals a bit difficult to live with but by the time the album finished I was at one with their place in the sound. I quite like the descriptor of ‘space rock world music’ though this should sit well in any neo-psych fans headspace.

I note they’ve been busy of late (or just made a heap of stuff available on Bandcamp in a short space of time) so there’s more of their grooves to check out too should this be to your liking.

Firefriend – Fantasma

Firefriend have become a very reliable band. I love their quite hazy version of psychy-pop. Narcotic pop I think I’ll call it. Not that I know what narcotics are anymore. Or pop for that matter.

There are some bangers on this, bangers within the Firefriend frame of reference, that is.

Also, this is shouting very loudly about being considered for me spending some money this week.

Moths & Locusts – Helios Rising

There’s only one thing about this that annoys me. The digital mailout I was lucky enough to receive for this has all the song titles in shouty caps-lock. Do they live on Twitter, or something? Its triggered an OCD I didn’t realise I had. I’m a-gonna have to rename the files. When I’m not busy, anyway. That day may come.

There’s a whole bunch of stuff I got from Cardinal Fuzz, actually, and much of it is rather good. They seem to have sold out of all their records, though, so I’m trying to find relevant links where you can actually get the album in question if you feel so inclined.

 

 

Flowers Must Die – Återbruk

Okay, I’ve just hypnotised myself listening to this.

When you do boring spreadsheet stuff, which involves a lot of repetition, then trancey minimalistic music involving a lot of repetition is really the thing. I mean, really the thing.

Of course, I like that sort of thing anyway. Maybe that’s why I ended up doing the sort of work I do.

Their ‘Greatest Hits‘ from a while back does exactly this too, especially the 55-minute closing track.

I want to live in a universe where a 55 minute trance is genuinely a greatest hit.

 

Sula Bassana – Brainwash

The funny thing about working from home is that when you have a ‘holiday’ and then return to work, it feels… weird. Still, it was some kind of normal in a way – I had 473 emails awaiting. Most were on librarian lists debating various librarian things, which I’ll have you know is not at all uninteresting. I dare you to disbelieve me.

Well, maybe they’re a bit uninteresting.

Still, there were a significant amount require that I actually do stuff, usually involving spreadsheets. Thank the lord or whoever it is you usually thank for the always reliable Sula Bassana, he of Electric Moon, and his almost neverending plethora of mighty music adding to his/their bandcamp.

I’m sure its just as good without editing spreadsheets. (I hope he uses that as a quote…)