Written by: The Administrator
I love Fuzznaut. I love Fuzznaut in the same way I love a warm quilt or the alluring drone of a rainstorm over a tin roof. Fuzznaut tends to ooze comfort, writing the kind of music that effortlessly epitomizes calmness in aural form. This new single--"Spacerock," dropping this Friday, May 3rd--continues an increasingly trademark trend. Although undoubtedly spaced out and cosmic in scope, there's nothing here that recalls the chilling vastness and isolation of space. This track, like unto everything else Fuzznaut has released to date, is warm and lush and oh-so immersive. Before we get too far ahead of ourselves, let's usher in today's track in question. We're honored and pleased to present the stellar "Spacerock" below. Give it a well-deserved listen. We'll meet ye, as always, on the other side!
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On the very occasional Friday, a wagon arrives at the Sleeping Village’s crumbling gates, stuffed to the brim with 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 choice cuts 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, April 12th, 2024 Necrot, Corvus Corone, Heavy Temple, and Exist
Written by: The Administrator
Prepare yourself, dear reader, for some stoner doom. Some lumbering stoner doom. Some lumbering mammothian stoner doom. Some lumbering mammothian psychedelic stoner doom. Some lumbering mammothian psychedelic groove-laden fuzzy megafaunic stoner doom. Some... Anyways, that's what we're dealing with here. Acid Mammoth are back for a fourth round in the ol' riff arena, Supersonic Megafauna Collision as their champion. If you're familiar with this crew's past work, you know the score. Acid Mammoth are, in my book, one of the premiere stoner doom bands active today. They are consistent, colorful, and make music that doesn't get bogged down in its own aura and atmosphere. The riffs are repetitive yet groovy and classically hooky, and the songwriting is intriguing enough to leave room for a little psych meandering without losing the thread too entirely. While I personally enjoy the vocal tone and find it to contrast nicely with the fuzzed out heft, I can see the vocals being a sticking point for some--they embrace a whining reediness. I've seen complaints that the album doesn't provide enough variation, and while the general scope of the album is pretty well established by the second track, we're not exactly here for innovation. If you're inclined to be bored by long-form psychedelic doom, this won't change your mind on the genre, particularly as the album approaches the tail end. But! Supersonic Megafauna Collision isn't about innovation--it is about the charming and quality reproduction of a formula that has been proven to work exceptionally well. I consider this the band's best work yet. If you're on the hunt for that good ol' lumbering mammothian psychedelic groove-laden fuzzy megafaunic stoner doom, Acid Mammoth will do nicely. Acid Mammoth - Supersonic Megafauna Collision was released April 5th, 2024 via Heavy Psych Sounds. Find it here! DR. COLOSSUS feat. Chris Penney - Can't Sleep, Clowns Will Eat Me - Alice Cooper cover (Mini-Review)4/6/2024
In a continuing attempt to cover more music that would all-too-oft slip through the very large cracks, we slumbering scribes are making an effort to publish short reviews at a greater frequency, thereby shining our very small spotlight on more cool shit. Here's a mini-review of a cover track worth checking out.
Written by: The Administrator
If you're unfamiliar with Australia's wonky and wonderful Dr. Colossus, here's an elevator pitch: stoner rock overtly inspired by The Simpsons. Their excellent 2021 album I'm a Stupid Moron With an Ugly Face and A Big Butt and my Butt Smells and I Like to Kiss My Own Butt easily made my list of favorite albums of that year, and standout track "Pickabar" in particular remains in constant rotation. I love Dr. Colossus' riffcraft and hooky songwriting, I love their goofy commitment to homage, and, it should also be noted, I love the source of inspiration to a degree that everyone around me may very well consider obnoxious. In short, Dr. Colossus are a band seemingly built for my particular set of interests, and I thus follow their movements with great interest. Their latest single, "Can't Sleep, Clowns Will Eat Me," is a cover of a largely underappreciated Alice Cooper track that, in and of itself, is a Simpsons reference. Originally appearing on the Japanese edition of Brutal Planet, and then the limited special edition of Dragontown, it's not exactly a well-distributed classic. It is, however, a fun lil' banger with a simple driving riff, a catchy chorus, and some classically Cooper sing-along lines. Dr. Colossus present a faithful recreation with very little deviation, down to the nice solo towards the rear. This adherence to source material certainly isn't a bad thing--the original track is a solid rock tune and funny as hell, chock full o' the kind of batshit lyrical content that only Alice Cooper can realistically get away with. The reference to Bart in his spooky clown bed aside, this is inherently silly stuff. Night is rhymed with...night. There is mention of the titular clown's "big old floppy shoes." And the second verse contains the following, managing to wrap Ronald MacDonald into the whole affair: "And if you think this isn't real / I'll show you wounds that never heal / to them I'm just a happy meal." To me, this is poetry. This was a smart track to cover, and the result is a highly enjoyable listen. The cover doesn't add new material to the tune, but it reinvigorates and gives it a well-deserved resurrection. While I am excited for a new Dr. Colossus album, these random standalones over the past few years have been pretty damn enjoyable. 'Nuff said! Check out "Can't Sleep, Clowns Will Eat Me" below.  Written by: The Administrator
Two editions of ON THE HORIZON within the span of a few months, let alone the same damn calendar year, is unheard of. Unprecedented, even. In any case, here we horizongazers are once more, getting hyped to sink our teeth into a yet-to-be-released album. Listening to the available single on near-obsessive repeat. Awaiting that promo with bated breath. As of today, March 27th, there is currently one single available from GREENLEAF's forthcoming The Head & The Habit, and I have enjoyed it, erm, quite substantially. Which is to say I am responsible for at least 10? 15? of the views on the music video hosted on Magnetic Eye Record's youtube. It's a bangin' lead single, and the video is a helluva fun ride to boot. "Breathe, Breathe Out" does exactly what a lead single should do: build ample anticipation. 
Written by: The Administrator
What, dear reader, is more classically and quintessentially Sleeping Village Reviews behavior than dropping a review for an album that came out more than 12 months ago? I mean, come on. This is embarrassing. We slumbering scribes are notoriously--and demonstrably--bad at finishing stuff we started, but instead of letting this half-completed writeup die in the drafts, I thought it would be worthwhile to revisit and finally complete. Needless to say, I apologize to Bog Monkey for the extreme tardiness. This album is very good and merited a more prompt review. In any case, better late than never, I suppose. So. Bog Monkey. A fuzzed out and swampy doom/sludge/stoner trio out of Atlanta. They released their debut album back in early March of 2023, and I consider it to be one of the better exemplars of the genre released last year. It also features one of my favorite album covers of 2023--purple swamp, simian skeletons, and ooze is an aesthetic holy trifecta as far as this scribe is concerned--but that's another story. The music itself is pretty damn addicting, and notably feels quite unique in a world where a new stoner doom band seemingly pops up on a daily basis. Bog Monkey's homegrown concoction utilizes a little hardcore attitude and a lot of garage-esque grit. They almost seem to be a noisy homegrown rock band disguised as a doom outfit, and as a result their songwriting relies more on hard rockin' fun than a more straightforward or predictable stoner vibe. ON THE HORIZON: Madame Frankenstein - The Eyes Of The Mountain Are Mine (Brazilian Stoner Doom)1/3/2024 
Written by: The Administrator
Given our newfound sense of productivity here at our humble slumbering township, it is high time, methinks, to bring back a frequently forgotten Sleeping Village feature. That's right, dear reader. It's time once more for On The Horizon. Not a review per se, nor an album announcement, but rather a third secret thing that lurks awkwardly betwixt the two. Today, we gaze towards what appears to be the second full length from Brazilian stoned doomsters Madame Frankenstein. I heard (and quite enjoyed) their debut album released last year, which served as a collection of loose singles and EPs dropped throughout 2023. The bluntly entitled Doom brought a familiar fuzzy approach alongside some thin and filtered vocals that served well to exemplify the detached psychedelic vibe. The general aesthetic presented in their cover artwork across the album and singles was quite nice as well. Doom demonstrated some notable promise in a subgenre that has no shortage of fresh blood, but regrettably seemed to have missed the press circuit--I was a little surprised to see so few folks in the stoner doom scene talking about Madame Frankenstein. In any case, February of this year will see the release of a new six track project entitled The Eyes Of The Mountain Are Mine. I'm hopeful for a little more deserved fanfare this time around. 
Written by: The Administrator
It's been quite some time since today's project in question was released, but god-tier stoner riffs are always gonna get the time of day 'round these parts. Moreover, when they are this damn enjoyable, you can bet your ass they'll be stuck in rotation for a good long while. When it comes to god-tier stoner riffs, the subtly monikered ROBOT DEATH MONKEY have decidedly got the goods, delivering a cheekily flippant EP with rough 'n' tumble component parts aplenty. Intergalactic Party Powder is chock full o' groove, a crude sense of humor, an apparent love for the swagger of Orange Goblin's catalog, and a healthy dose of Neil Fallon's phlegm nasty sneer. The riffs are big. The attitude is off the charts. Let's party. 
Written by: Continuous Thunder
What do early 20th-century serial killers, the Spanish Inquisition, and John Milton’s Paradise Lost have in common? Well, a few things, but in this particular instance, they partially inspire the first full-length album from Manchester, New Hampshire’s Dust Prophet, One Last Look Upon The Sky. Of course, these are all very dark and heavy subjects, but I can assure you that the band brings the musical heft to do them justice. Indeed, a weighty and apocalyptic atmosphere permeates the entire album, from the ethereal and mysterious intro track, “A Storm of Time & Space Part 1,” to the crushing resolution of “Bury Me Before Noon.” And the essential ingredients, the waves that carry you from shore to shore on this journey, are the almighty riffs! Dust Prophet provides fuzz-laden, head-nodding vibes contrasted nicely with quieter, haunting passages. This dynamic range is exemplified on tracks like “When the Axe Falls” and “Bury Me Before Noon.” Furthermore, ambient touches and other clever arrangements by bassist and keyboardist Sarah Wappler truly elevate the compositions and set them apart. The appropriately titled “Song 4” is especially rewarding, with new layers and complexities revealing themselves through multiple listens. 
Written by: The Administrator
Long before our eventual love for the brutality and extremity of the far reaches of the metalverse, we slumbering scribes were infatuated with the more primordial stuff. A certain affinity for the fuzz-laden riff-centric rock of olde abounds, and so when the opportunity arose to premiere a track from Brooklyn's Grandpa Jack, we leapt at the chance. This power trio is dropping a new album--entitled Grits--on July 29th via Lost Moon Records. Today's song in question, the stellar "Once Bitten," serves as the debut single. It's a killer track, as ye shall soon witness, and certainly whets my appetite for the remainder of the album's bounty. But! Before my self-indulgent chatter inevitably scares you off: please check out "Once Bitten" below! We'll meet ye on the other side. |
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