Written by: The Administrator
Doom and thrash might not be the most common (or expected) bedfellows, but there's a certain appeal to the confluence of, say, Motörhead's breakneck bombast and Sleep's fuzzy weight. On their debut 4-track EP–Thrice Majestic, for those taking notes–LA's own The Cimmerian taps into the implicit speedy thrust and plodding gravitas of component genre parts, riding the pendulum betwixt the two with a delightful barbarism. The tracks herein do an excellent job of maintaining variation in terms of sonic makeup, which makes avoiding a track-by-track analysis difficult. It also makes selecting a favorite track near-impossible, as everything feels fresh and essential to the overall picture. In that spirit, let's dive right in!
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Every Friday, a wagon arrives at the Sleeping Village’s crumbling gates, stuffed to the brim with our sustenance. Today is the day we must offload all this new music, and so, in the process, we thought it would be worthwhile to share some of our choice picks from this veritable mass of fresh meat. This is what we’ll be--and have been--listening to today here at the Village HQ. We hope you join us in doing so!
On the docket for today, June 24th, 2022: PAGANIZER, Horned Wolf, Tabahi, and 10,000 Years
This year, in an attempt to cover more music that would all-too-oft slip through the very large cracks, we're trying something new and novel around these parts. Namely, we're gonna actually publish the little one-off reviews that were previously (and arbitrarily) deemed too short for publication. In that spirit, here's a mini-review of a sweet, sweet bandcamp find.
Written by: The Administrator
People are always rattling on about the sophistication and the benefits of Spotify's discoverability algorithms, but I'm gonna be real for a second: if you are willing to put on a good pair of boots and go wading through bandcamp genres tags, you're inevitably gonna find some damn good shit. Case in point: today's album in question. I wanted some dirty stoner metal to sooth my troubled soul, and after a brief period of sifting, Electric Cult's appropriately entitled Fuzzeremony fell into my waiting arms. Sometimes it's simply that easy. On their second outing, Mexico's Electric Cult nail a delightful balance between scuzzy and fuzzy. Fuzzeremony consists of three tracks proper and a atmospheric intro, and across the album's swampy expanse, sasquatchian riffs and alternately melodramatic clean and throaty vocals plod a treacherous path through the murky mire. The doomy riffage is simple but catchy as all hell, and the rhythm section holds it down with a solid (and occasionally raucous) presence. The vocal refrains are relentlessly earwormy--take the wonderful chorus of standout track "Warlocks Of The Mangrove," which lends significant credence to the track's 6:46 runtime. The same catchy quality can be applied to closer "Rotting Beneath The Sun," which remarkably feels far shorter than its sizable girth might suggest. While the aforementioned tracks are highly memorable and maintain an energetic sense of momentum, "Temple Of The Crow" is slightly less successful in this regard. The riffs are hefty and the vocals aren't too shabby either, but the number of ideas presented simply aren't enough to carry the track for the entire length without distractions taking root. That said, the sheer quality of the bookending tracks lends Fuzzeremony, as a whole, a high degree of replayability. I've had this thing on repeat for the better part of two hours, and at this rate it has sufficiently oozed its way into my brain. In short? This particular bandcamp foray has been quite the success--Electric Cult hath been uncovered, and their prior EPs await my immediate attention. If you're in the mood for some stoner doom, you could certainly worship at a lesser altar. Electric Cult - Fuzzeremony was released April 30th, 2022 via The Swamp Records, Satan Monolithic Records, and Ruidoteka Records
This year, in an attempt to cover more music that would all-too-oft slip through the very large cracks, we're trying something new and novel around these parts. Namely, we're gonna actually publish the little one-off reviews that were previously (and arbitrarily) deemed too short for publication. In that spirit, here's a mini-review of a single worth checkin' out.
Written by: The Administrator
Fuzzy psyched-out stoner rock. I want it. I need it. Thankfully, AAWKS have delivered the goods on a silver platter, in the form of a fun new single preceding their forthcoming debut. "Space City" delivers exactly what it promises: Built on the back on the kind of trippy meanderings and monolithic fuzz we've only come to expect from the genre, this track doesn't stray terribly far from the classic Fu Manchu-ian school of thought. Notably, however, the hefty riffs aren't the only thing holding "Space City" together--like unto the masters of the craft, AAWKS inject their songwriting with healthy dose of melody and just enough psyched-out meandering to keep things from feeling, y'know, too grounded. "Space City" slows it down to a fairly plodding clip for a significant portion of the runtime, which is a smart choice, given the blissfully languid quality of the fantastic vocals. There's a sense of pure calm that ensconces the track as a whole. Indeed, this is the kind of music that practically demands the listener be A. chilled out and B. in the mood for some overt amp worship. While I do hope that the forthcoming full length demonstrates a modicum of variety across the breadth, this single is an excellent indication of AAWK's ability to write a high quality (and highly replayable!) stoner rock song. "Space City" bodes well for what's to come. Give it a listen below!
This year, in an attempt to cover more music that would all-too-oft slip through the very large cracks, we're trying something new and novel around these parts. Namely, we're gonna actually publish the little one-off reviews that were previously (and arbitrarily) deemed too short for publication. In that spirit, here's a mini-review of a Very Good heavy psych single.
Written by: The Administrator
Today's mini-review is brought to you by my noteworthy inability to get stuff done when I intend on getting it done. I first heard this stellar single by Kansas' own They Watch Us From The Moon upon release back in December of 2021, and it's taken a few months to muster the wherewithal to actually put my praise to text. I apologize to the band for my tardiness. In any case, we're here now. In a word (or rather two): holy fuck. "Return to Earth" is a magnum opus from a band that inevitably has another magnum opus in store. This 10-plus minute track is a stellar display of the mastery of craft They Watch Us From The Moon have accomplished in a relatively short time. Their heavy-psych-by-way-of-doom is heavy on atmosphere, and carries itself with a comfortable air that recalls the more cosmic sides of Slomatics and Mammoth Weed Wizard Bastard, and perhaps a doomed-out interpretation of Meddle-era Pink Floyd. The multiplicity of vocal styles is a particular strong suit, with Luna Nemeses leading the pack with a simply delightful tone that sails comfortably above the instrumentation and various backing vocals. While spacious enough to leave the listener vaguely untethered, the track is ultimately grounded by the sheer catchiness of the refrain, which runs across the whole with a hypnotic consistency. While some may find the runtime excessive for the elements presented, I'm a huge fan of the borderline meditative environment that blossoms from the repetition of the stirring chorus, particularly in the back half. If this moon crew's next project contains tracks of this caliber, we're in for one helluva treat--which says something, considering how damn good 2020's Moon Doom! was. Bottom line? This is a stunning song, and if you enjoy stoner doom, heavy psych, or any related variations thereof, I can almost guarantee that you'll find yourself kicking back and throwing "Return To Earth" on repeat. 
Written by: The Administrator
Despite not having the largest back catalog or most widespread popularity, Wo Fat are one of those rare monolithic bands who deliver with such marked consistency that, as time goes on, their albums seem less like moments in a discography, and more like myths that comprise a greater lore. Their latest LP comprised of new material, 2016's Midnight Cometh, is no outlier. On this no-nonsense affirmation of their core aesthetic, swirling, psychedelic, and pseudo-hypnotic riffage paves the way through a chest-deep swampy ambiance. When I think "stoner," this album rises as a prototypical paragon of the sound and the style. Maybe I'm jaded for thinking it is such a prime exemplar, but so be it. This album simply reeks of smoke. It perpetually sits behind a hazy veil. This is stoner music of the highest order, plain and simple. |
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