Space Caravan - Space Caravan
​(Independently Released)

It simply wouldn't be a Friday here at the Sleeping Village 
without a lil' stoner rock. Space Caravan, a crew of riff-worshipers straight outta Phoenixville PA, don't deliver the most innovative goods, but the goods themselves are...well, quite good! There's a definite Orange Goblin-by-way-of-Cathedral aesthetic, topped off with a delicious cosmic + biker vibe. The grooves and riffs contained herein are potent as ye might expect, and the vocals, while perhaps a little gruff and unpolished for everyone's liking, suit the rough 'n' tumble feel of the tunes quite well. If you're looking to sample, I recommend the riff-tastic "Black Kraken" as a general overview of what these hard rockin' fellas have to offer.

Find it on bandcamp here!

Marmalade Knives  - Amnesia 
(Electric Valley Records)

​In a week with a particularly hard-hitting release that has absorbed much of my time (read: Ulcerate​,) something with a laid-back vibe has been necessary to maintain a certain balance. To this end, Marmalade Knives succeed enormously. On their debut, these Santa Cruzian purveyors of proggy psychedelia unleash an instrumental exploration of astral planes. In other words: this is music with which to relax to. Rather than grabbing your attention outright--with the exception of the driving "Xayante"--this album exists as a calming expedition through equally ethereal and funky waters. Notably, these guys demonstrate very strong technical and compositional proficiency. I'm excited to see how they expand their progressive tendencies!

Find 'em on bandcamp here!

Total Fucking Destruction - ...to be alive at the end of the world​ (Translation Loss Records)

​You wouldn't think that a band with a name such as Total Fucking Destruction could possibly deal in subtlety. Sure, avant-garde isn't new to these guys, but this is a new level: ...to be alive at the end of the world is a delightfully nuanced, experimental, and well-balanced piece. While grind elements are still hanging around, serving as an anchor of sorts, a deliberately atmospheric and melancholic vibe asserts a certain dominance over the project as a whole. As such, typical grind brevity/aggression is well-represented in the meat of this TFD sandwich, but the title opener and 11-minute closer add a level of bleak flair that borders on indie-rock angst. A slow-burn vision of the apocalypse, if e'er the was. More like Total Fucking Destruction of expectations, am I right?

Find 'em on bandcamp here!

SKAM - The Sound of Disease (Redefining Darkness Records)

“Anger” isn’t an unfamiliar term to us connoisseurs of the loud and heavy, nor to the bands who dwell in genres defined by explosive emotion. On Sounds of a Disease, Sweden’s own SKAM have found a way to hone anger into a purely belligerent form of explosive catharsis. Utilizing a potent blend of grindy death with d-beat punk ‘tude, this is a soundtrack to exorcise personal demons. Like unto chaos incarnate, the ridiculously swift-footed riffage skitters over powerful blasts and unhinged animalistic diatribes. When people talk about music as therapy, I don’t anticipate this being the first album on their mind--but for me, this short-n-visceral journey has been a lifesaver in recent days.

​$1 on Bandcamp, to boot!

Weed Demon - Crater Maker (Electric Valley Records)

When it came to naming their sophomoric album, these guys genuinely couldn’t get more accurate than “crater maker.” How so? Part of what allows Weed Demon to stand apart from the horde is a distinct emphasis on sheer heft. The most essential aspect of Weed Demon’s sound is the sheer crushing heaviness on display. Everything is massive, impactful, and oppressive by design. This latest effort, notably, aggressively toes that line between stoner-drenched doom and sludge, but also brings in some bluesy acoustics to even things out. Despite these occasional moments of levity, Crater Maker is dark, warm, fuzzy as hell--an embrace from slow-moving subterranean magma. If you love big riffs: definitely worth yer while. 

Get it on Bandcamp here!