ambient / drone / experimental

In the past, I have been pretty lyrical about our Belgian drone and ambient artists and their stunning diversity. Well, today, I'd like to throw another one on the already impressive pile, one that has been roaming in the world of music since the late eighties. His name is Marc De Backer and you might know him from the krautrock meets black metal act Wolvennest. Under his moniker Mongolito, he comes up with a psychedelic approach to the guitar driven drone and ambient we Belgians are so damn good at.

However, although Mongolito can easily be placed among one-man-and-his-guitar acts like Dirk Serries, Stratosphere and Ashtoreth, he seems to prefer to dwell in the psychedelic regions of the scene. Most of the tracks on 'Odyssey' are no mere ambient tunes but psychedelic krautrock anthems. Drones are just one part of Mongolito's music, the other part consists of immersive plucks and epic soundscapes. They are perfectly suited to add vocals but that is not needed. The tracks are strong enough without them.

It's no wonder the this album got picked up by Hau Ruck! records, which is run by Albin Julius of Der Blutharsch and the Infinite Church of the Leading Hand. The music on 'Odyssey' fits perfectly with what Der Blutharsch create these days, be it in a more intimate and minimal setting. 'Thy Will Be Done', for example, is a highly immersive piece of music, one that will regularly find the way to my speakers. This one thrives on a sluggish tempo and features influences from both kraut and post rock 

I'm not going into a song-by-song description here but I will recommend this one to all fans of slow, instrumental music, including but not restricted to post rock, ambient, krautrock and psychedelic rock. This is simply another beautiful example of how versatile one can be with a guitar and a deck of effect and loop pedals. The one-man drone scene is evolving is that is a damn good thing. It keeps things vibrant and interesting and this album is both. So check it out, you will not be disappointed...


​Serge

krautrock

Holy Monitor is an album released on February 17, by the Greek krautrock musical collective of the same name. Thirty seven minutes long, the record has ten tracks: Halcyon, Nemesis, Bed Of The Earth, The Vine, Golden Light, Αφροδίτη, Bend The Trees, Icarus, Ice Giants and Cacti. A very surprising and vibrating album, with an amazingly original sonorous approach, the rhythmic impulses are not just overwhelmingly genuine, but revives a very eccentric, majestically creative subgenre of rock. If you haven’t listened before, you better listen to it right now. It’s so surprisingly astounding, authentic, powerful and lucid that you will never believe your ears, no matter how many times you listen to this album. And yet, you will celebrate each and every track of this insane masterpiece! A sagacious, formidable and terrifyingly precious album, the songs are superbly inundated by an electrifying beat, disguised as a thoroughly major musical moonlight, that reenergizes in all guitar lines the tempestuous shadows of a forbidden happiness, that has never been so splendidly solidified in the history of music before.

The tracks are exceedingly powerful, and all of them have very special signatures. With uplifting and sensational vibrating rhythms, each song is a monumental creation per se, with a major set of singular characteristics that explodes in an invisible pattern of emotions, never testified on the creative history of the underground scene. With a musical atmosphere that resurrects the biosphere of a gracious narrative, encircled by a geological form of creative artistry, Holy Monitor embraces a lucid and very effective storm of originality, that gives them a unique shape, unbound by a tremendously expansive musical identity. Their sound is so alive that you literally feel all the musical notes invading your soul with a spontaneous vehemence, lacerating your heart with an oblique insistence, that only a very different genre, executed with an exceptionally skilled musical approach, would be able to perform. 

Holy Monitor, on their eponymous album, has really done a marvelous work. With a strong musical presence and a higher level of originality, extremely uncommon to testify in any genre, they certainly can be regarded as one of the most glorious references in the contemporary development of their genre, for having executed an unparalleled work for the category, that obviously highlights them as one of the most important krautrock groups in the world today (although precisely define their sound, and insert them in one specific category, is a very difficult task, since they incorporate into their music an enormous set of several elements, from a lot of other genres as well).  

Holy Monitor is a splendid group, and their eponymous album is a marvelous record. Everybody that listen to this majestic masterpiece would be wonderfully impressed, and literally without words. Departing from a superior level of creative artistry, Holy Monitor gives us paradise, in a very outstanding, excellent and vivaciously elaborated sonorous dimension.  


Wagner

drone / ambient / jazz / krautrock

drone / krautrock / experimental

singer-songwriter

bandcamp

doom / dark ambient

metal / metalcore

thrash metal / hardcore

doom / sludge

metal / metalcore 

doom / sludge / black metal

doom

sludge / doom

Serge

dream pop

jazz / krautrock / post rock

electronic / idm

techno

rock / experimental

stoner / doom

psychedelic doom

black metal / doom / thrash

thrash metal

metalcore

drone / ambient / psychedelic

folk / rock

thrash metal

punk / hardcore

post rock / psychedelic / progressive

psychedelic rock / krautrock

I can't tell you how much I love the recent psychedelic rock revival. It feels as if the seventies never ended. I was born in those days, 1974 to be exact, but it feels like today I'm finally appreciating the music people created back then. A friend of mine often comes up with classics I've never heard of before and on my turn  I blast his "they-don't-make-music-like-that-anymore" prejudice with amazing musical journeys.

This album by Ohio, USA residents Eye is one of those albums. The band is rooted deeply in the psychedelic rock scene. This full-length, their third, came to be after a few line-up changes, writing sessions and jam sessions.  It contains five tracks, most of them lasting for four to six minutes, except for the epic anthem 'As Sure As The Sun' which is a twenty-seven minutes lasting space rock opera which will take you to dimensions unseen.

The album opens with something between a track and an intro, named 'Book Of The Dead'.  This instrumental perfectly sets the tone for this album. It's dreamy, somewhat gloomy too but most of all it prepares the listener for an amazing trip through the universe of Eye. 'Kill the Slavemaster' follows in perfect Hawkwind meets Hendrix tradition. This song sounds so vintage that you couldn't pick it out on a 'best of psychedelic rock' compilation from the seventies.

From then on, Eye guides us through beautiful guitar solos, organ and mellotron passages, almost shamanic singing and immersive rock music. There are even several synth sequences that remind me of acts like Tangerine Dream or Klaus Schulze. Other bands that come to mind include Ash Ra Tempel, Gong and Grobschnitt. That being said, yes, you can easily give this album a place in your free-floating record cabinet.

My favorite track remains the massive closer 'As Sure As The Sun', which also reminds me a little of Pink Floyd. However, I think it's safe to say that this whole album is a masterpiece of psychedelic rock, regardless of what era it comes from. I know that we'll be hearing this thing a lot more in the Merchants Of Air headquarters from now on. So yes, I suggest you pre-order this thing right now, you won't regret it.


​Serge

krautrock / psychedelic

I guess I have to start this review with a little "mea culpa". In the past few years, I haven't been paying a lot of attention to Der Blutharsch. I knew this project from the so-called "early days" when it was a martial industrial side project for The Moon Lay Hidden Beneath A Cloud. Later, I attended a few gigs, seeing how it evolved into a neo folk rock act. Since then, I somewhat lost track as I grew out of the martial and folk genres and into new musical territories. Of course, their cooperation with Aluk Todolo should have rang a bell. I was somewhat surprised to see that album appear in 2011 but never took the time to listen. So I had no idea about the further evolution of this band.

I do now.

'Sucht & Ordnung' contains three tracks, traditionally untitled. The first track is an immersive piece of krautrock which will even please some post rock fans among us. It drives on a steady tempo and contains some awesome guitars. Track two takes on a darker approach. It still contains these guitars but a whole lot of other influences seem to be added as well. Flashes of doom and black metal appear, and suddenly those haunting The Moon Lay Hidden Beneath A Cloud vocals appear as well. Both aspect drag this thing deep into the world of avant garde rock music, where it will please fans of Diamanda Galas and Aluk Todolo alike.

The final track is a long one, starting out with some eerie dark ambient and evolving into a vintage krautrock tune. Here, acts like Gong and even Hawkwind come to mind. It's hard to chose my favorite of the three songs, but if I have to, it'll probably be this last one. I just love being immersed in uptempo rock music with psychedelic solos. That being said, yes, I was tremendously surprised when I heard this album for the first time. Now, after a few listens, I'm over that surprise and the album starts growing on me, getting better and better. So, yeah, Der Blutharsch and the Infinite Church of the Leading Hand are back in my day-to-day playlist and I got a feeling they'll be here for a long, long time.


​Serge

krautrock 

"Is there anything Aidan Baker ever did that disappointed you?" my wife asked. I had to think about it, think hard. I've listened to countless of albums and projects by Baker and I've seen him perform more than I've seen venues over the years. Eventually, I remembered two gigs at Incubate, including one with Caudal. I remember not being very enthusiastic about it. It was the first time I saw them live and I wasn't sure what to expect. Besides, Caudal is a band that needs to grow on people. Eventually, the trio grew on me too, and now I'm happy to present their latest work.

'Let's All Take The Yellow Pills' contains three vintage krautrock instrumentals with steady drumming, immersive bass lines and atmospheric guitars. Opener 'Piquet' is a highly danceable piece of music, driving on an up-tempo beat and groovy bass. There is something hypnotic in the repetitive but gently approach, something which will cause a lot of people to close their eyes and start shoegazing the night away.

My favorite on is the slowest track 'Dissolute'. Basically, it contains similar ingredients as the other two but it's slower, just like I prefer my own bolognese sauce over fast food any time. In my opinion, slower is better and that definitely counts for music. 'Dissolute' is pure beauty, period. The album closes with the mid-tempo 'Ion', which will get your dancing shoes going again. Fans of Caudal definitely can't go wrong with this one. Check it out, you'll be dancing and tripping before you know it...


​Serge

psychedelic rock / electronic / krautrock

Time to start writing a few reviews again after taking several days off. And why not start with the most difficult one, an amalgamation of musical styles and influences. I mean, usually things are quite easy to describe but when the first three minutes of an album already remind me of The Beatles, Ween, Radiohead, Pink Floyd and Massive Attack and the second song throws in some funk and soul, you know you're in for an adventure.

The Good Library formed back in 1996 in Vienna, Austria. since then, they have been paving their own path in the world of psychedelic rock and krautrock. Their songs evolve from elaborate jam sessions, and you can clearly hear that. From opener 'Ice Throat' to the hypnotic closer 'Tantum', this album feels like a massive journey on many different levels. I'll try to guide you through with a song-by-song description.

The album opens with 'Ice Throat', which seems to combine post-rock with either The Beatles or The Jesus And Mary Chain. There's also something trip-hoppy in here, caused by the electronics and the soundscapes. In all, it's a perfect opening track. 'Goldfish' opens with electronic beats, a bit similar to the stuff Tricky does. Yet, shortly after, a funky bassline kicks in and we're shaking our asses off. My mind just made up the term "doom disco". Don't ask me why...

'The Floating Afterwards' is a classic krautrock tune that not only brings acts like Can or  Grobschnitt to mind but also Ween. 'Mutant' is one of my favorites here, a mid-tempo but highly danceable blend of soundscapes and Herbaliser drums, including a psychedelic guitar solo. 'Flight 19' is another favorite, slow, gloomy, alienating and hypnotic as hell. That being said, there is something ritual, something shamanic about the vocals on this one.

'Beekeeper' takes us back to that psychedelic Beatles sound and seems to borrow a few guitar licks from the country scene while 'Man On Fire' delves deep into the world of new wave and, again, krautrock. Closer 'Tantrum' finishes the whole thing in style, perhaps a bit more electronic and danceable sounding than the other tracks. But rest assured, dear reader, you can dance and groove on this whole album and I suggest you start doing in right now...


​Serge

kosmische musik / post-rock / krautrock

Last night, during a discussion with a fellow writer, I noticed that one of the hardest things in this job, is to categorize the music. Some people who know the Belgian trio Inwolves might disagree firmly on this post-rock tag I just gave them. But don't worry, I mean no harm and I can explain that. Today, slow, instrumental, immersive and cinematic music is often given that tag and with good reason too. Obviously, there is much more going on. I'll try to guide you through this mesmerizing album.

Inwolves is basically a project by drummer Karen Willems (Yuko, Zita Swoon Group, Cycle with Dirk Serries), aided by the synths and guitars of Jürgen de Blonde and Ward Dupan. Together, they take the kosmische music of acts like Tangerine Dream, Ash Ra Temple or Faust and give the whole a modern twist, and a whole lot of variation. The result is an adventurous and somewhat strange album that ranges from soft, gentle and modest to heavy, overwhelming and surprising. 

Yet, most of all, this album is dark and dynamic, much darker than their previous effort. Opener 'I Va Va Vimedoom' quickly takes the listener into what could have been an intro for a symphonic black metal record. Don't worry, this is not black metal, far from it but you can expect some industrial influences along the way. We'll get to those shortly. For now, let Inwolves lure you in slowly. The hypnotic 'Minimal' could also do that trick. This immersive piece of work is probably one of my personal favorites here.

Belgium has a good tradition of looking back and forward at the same time (at least musically). I don't think it's a surprise that this album often makes me think about another ever-evolving act, namely Kiss The Anus Of A Black Cat (yes, we're also brilliant with band names). Although quite different, both acts succeed in recreating a vintage and convincing sound with modern day equipment and influences. That is a talent, believe me, and certainly a talent that these people should explode further.

'Vladimir' even goes way beyond the realm of kosmische musik and krautrock and digs right into the psychedelic rock music of the seventies, completed by John Carpenter's horror sounds, haunting church organs and the stunning strangeness of Zappa. Did I already mention that this is quite a dark album? It even has some gothic metal arrangements here and there, even bringing acts like Tiamat to mind. 'Strange Waltz', another one of my favorites here, is a brilliant piece of music, one where you might truly feel the typical post-rock atmosphere.

I already compared Inwolves to another Belgian act and I'm going to do it again. I wouldn't be surprised if you made me listen to 'Intown' for the first time and told me that it's a Normann song. This track combines jazz with rock and, of course, the typical Inwolves synths and once again come out with something inspiring. It might also be the brightest and most joyful piece on this album; something 'Dirty Monks' clearly is not. Damn, this is a gloomy piece of industrial rock, fast, relentless and repetitive. And weird, man this is a weird tune.

This album should definitely be in your collection, otherwise you have absolutely no right to claim you know anything about the Belgian underground scene (unless you're a metal-only kind of person - but even then you should buy this). There's one more, brilliant, track to go through, but I'll leave that one to you. I'm just going to finish this review by mentioning that 'Involves' is a masterpiece, period, and I'm not just saying that because I'm such a nice guy, I'm saying that as a music lover who has been listening to all kinds of stuff for about forty years now.


Serge

krautrock / experimental

Sometimes I think music is the only thing in the world that has never failed me. Even when a certain piece disappointed me, there was always another one to fill the void. Discovering new sounds has been a wonderful journey, a never-ending adventure. It sure was better to discover new songs and albums than to discover anything new in the world of politics, war, finance and whatever poppycock people have created.

But let's not go into a rant about our society here, that's not what Merchants Of Air is about. This is about music, about those wonderful adventures and boy, do I have an adventure for you. A guitars player, composer and producer named Juhari Silvola has recorded an immersive album, with a little help from his brother (Timo - drums) and his wife (Sarah-Jane Summers - fiddle, viola). 

The album opens with a blues tune, named 'The Gods That Built This Place Were Mad', continues with an experimental downtempo ambient track, named 'Vents Of The Underworld' and doesn't seem to be varied enough right there. 'Strange Flowers Bloomed' sounds like Explosions In The Sky and Mike Oldfield working together and on 'The Last Modernist' Ennio Morricone jams with Aidan Baker's Caudal.

By now, I'm convinced that this is not just a mere collection of instrumentals. This is an open-minded exploration of the instruments Silvola masters. From ambient over shoegaze to space rock and even to a bit of experimental noise in 'Black Breath, Black Blood', Juhari Silvola explores it all, without uttering a single word.

Or how about the gloomy folk song, 'Nyctophonia'?, the beautiful, almost hypnotic  'The First Beast' or the brilliant closer 'All That Is Solid Melts Into Air' where I'm reminded of people like Klaus Schulze or Tangerine Dream.  It's all here, pressed in eight great pieces of music, which of course come highly recommended. So check it out, it's definitely worth your attention.


​Serge

electronic, industrial, krautrock

​Somehow this Finnish band escaped me in the past few years. I don't know why and I'm seriously beginning to regret it. Perhaps is was the fact that I was growing out of most of the darker regions of the music industry or maybe because my mind wanted a bit of rest after all the metal, darkwave, noise and other stuff I had been listening to since I was ten or so. Besides, my dark needs were satisfied with acts like The KVB, Deutsch Nepal and my own project...

...and of course with the classics

K-X-P might be one of the closest things to the dark dance scene of the eighties. In fact, I'd expect pretty much every song from this album to appear on a 'New Wave Club Classix' compilation. Opening with the gloomy 'Winner' and the highly energetic 'Freeway', I'm almost certain that this could be a compilation on it's own. DAF, Cabaret Voltaire, Vomito Negro, Suicide, 23 Skidoo... they all come to mind at some point. 'Air Burial' even takes me back to ancient Ministry, mixed with Jane's Addiction.

And then there's the dynamic, almost shoegazing rocker 'To Believe'. Man, if I would still be doing my 'Goths Go Gaga' parties, this track would go right into my playlist. I can already imagine the dancefloor being filled by ecstatic girls in black dresses, seemingly hovering above the floor. Yeah, sometimes there was a little magic on those nights. Besides 'Sub Goblin' would be a nice early-in-the-morning piece of electronic minimalism and 'Siren' would end the party, Vangelis meets a gritty Diary Of Dreams style.

But there's more to this than just a reincarnation of the dark eighties scene. This music sounds fresh, a bit harsh and unpolished, which is a nice contradiction from most of today's dance scenes where everything sounds robotic and mechanical, soulless even. K-X-P, on the other hand, sounds organic, deeply personal and maybe at times a bit erotic.  I can't help it, but this made me pretty damn nostalgic.

​
Serge

black metal / krautrock

After a 4 year break (2012's 'Occult Rock') French instrumental psychedelic black metallers/occult rockers Aluk Todolo are back with with 'Voix'. For some reason, I was never really that big into Aluk Todolo, but after I saw them perform on a show of the Footprints In The Void concert series something clicked. I mean, I've heard their work before that show but I've never took time enough (more on that later) to let it worm its way into my ears and brains. But the intensity of that show was so memorable for me that I started checking out their backcatalogue again on Bandcamp and everything fell into place.. 

I love krautrock, I love black metal, I can really appreciate good psychedelica as well as a healthy dose of occult and experimental rock. So how come I've never took the time to pick up on Aluk Todolo? Who knows, all I know is that I'm ready now to be immersed in 'Voix'. Because that's what it is. You don't listen to Aluk Todolo, you are immersed in it. You take time to take everything in. Perhaps that is why I've never come around to it. Being a family man, with other family members not that deep into obscure music as I am, moments are sparse to fully take the time to create the proper atmosphere to enjoy the music as it supposed to be enjoyed. This needs a dark room and minimal distractions. 

So yeah, while I'm typing this it is pretty dark in here, with some proper headphones and a good cup of coffee. Alcoholic beverages probably work better, but I'm not much of a drinker.. 

So anyway, 'Voix', pretty much continues where 'Occult Rock' left off. Although strictly speaking they were never a black metal band, the members are part of the french black metal underground and that inevitably rubs off on other music that you perform. Earlier works had much more links to orthodox black metal, but 'Voix' takes only the minimal basic framework, the philosophy and the occult influences of that genre. Music-wise their instrumental (no 'voix' here)incantations are much closer to krautrock and psychedelica but that's not to say black metallers won't enjoy this (in fact, a lot of them do). This 45 minute ritual is divided into 6 tracks, all of them seamlessly flowing into each other (minimal distractions, remember?..) to create a stunning piece of work. A monotonous, trance-like, psychedelic beast. The tracks are aptly named for the amount of time they make up. The first track, '8:18' lasts, well, 8 minutes and 18 seconds etcetera. No fancy titles, but it works. This minimal approach is just another part of the whole experience. 

I find it very hard to describe this album because Aluk Todolo are so much about creating an atmospheric experience that it's very hard to put into words just how good this is. I've read some reviews where there are attempts to compare them to similar acts. I'm prone to do that in my reviews as well, just to provide the reader a basic starting point to see whether he or she should check it out.  However, I struggle to do that now. I mean, I'm in my fifth paragraph already and I haven't even properly described what the music sounds like. Aluk Todolo is just that unique. But you know what, I'm going to go against my normal method of review and I will just conclude it with one final sentence: 


You need this album. 


Bjorn

experimental / electronic / krautrock

Necro Deathmort live up to their expectations once again by delivering an EP that defies classification. With their previous releases shifting from bleak dubstep, crushing doom metal, deep drones, industrial, techno and other forms of electronica they are one of the, in my eyes at least, very few acts that succesfully incorporate electronic music into extreme metal. Or maybe it's the other way around and they're an electronic act that incorporate metal in their music.. 

Because with this, their third EP after their third full length (2012's The Colonial Script) the metal is pushed so far to the background that it is barely even there. No, let me rephrase that: apart from the overall darker atmosphere, the metal factor is practically non-existent. Does that mean that the average metalhead should steer clear of this one? Well, if you only liked Necro Deathmort for their mix of metal and electronica then, yes, probably. Your loss though.. However, if that adventurous, never-know-what-you-can-expect sound is what attracted you in previous Necro Deathmort releases then there is no way you should miss out on this. 

I have to say I raised my eyebrows at the first listen because I certainly wasn't expecting this kosmische, krauty mix between Kraftwerk, Tangerine Dream, Add N to (X), Vangelis and dark techno. Good thing then that I absolutely love krautrock and kosmische and I'm really starting to get into the recent darker wave of nihilist techno like Silent Servant, Rainforest Spiritual Enslavement, Akkord, Basic House, recent Prurient etc.., of which this EP is sure to please fans of as well. 

Opener 'Sedan' starts the EP off with dark swooping synths, propulsive krautrock-y drums and Krafwerk-y vocoded vocals. Brilliant off-kilter dancemusic and definitely another one for 'Bjorn's Dancefloor Mixtape'. 'Holy Prism' takes the foot off the gaspedal and treats us to yet again some great vocoded vocals, this time accompanied by arpeggio-ed (analogue?) synths and some spaced-out kosmische ambient. Klaus Schulze would approve of this for sure. 'Quandary' is where the more punky techno side comes to the foreground and yet again this is sure to please the dancefloor in dark, sweaty underground clubs. The rest of the EP continues to amaze with NDM's flawless mix of 'retro' (for lack of a better word) worship and forward-thinking dark electronica. 

So, all in all another excellent NDM release, absolutely essential if you are into any of the acts that I mentioned during the review. And a no-brainer if you are a fan of their previous releases. Housed in a striking sleeve with some very nice minimal artwork, this 12" is sure to make it's way to my favorites of the year list.. Yes, already. Now all I need is to finally see them live some day. I'm pretty sure that will be an awesome experience... 


Bjorn

post rock / kraut rock

Yesterday afternoon I visited the city of Antwerp.  It was quite a while ago since I've walked through the busy shopping streets and the small, historic straits.  I remember listening to this album on my headphones while blatantly ignoring the hussle and bussle of this crowded city.  I did not like the whole experience by the way, I never really did, and certainly not with all the police and soldiers around these days.  Yet, things seemed to be calm, calm enough for me to mildly enjoy my little stroll through town and this album definitely added to the enjoyment. 

Go March is a band from this very city, an instrumental rock band trio to be exact.  The band started after some jamsessions.  At first, they seemed more inspired by bands like Lightning Bolt and Boris but somehow Go March went a totally different way.  A first single was released, 'Rise' and suddenly this trio was going in a completely new and fresh direction.  Personally, I really don't mind because this is a damn good direction, one where electronics and post-rock perfectly blend together.

The album opens in quite a krautrock fashion with an immersive tempo and blissful soundscapes. Yet, gradually other elements come in, turning the whole into a psychedelic trip.  There is just as much Kraftwerk as there is Mogwai, which is already stated correctly in the biography, but there is also just as much Klaus Schulze and Tangerine Dream as there is Godspeed! You Black Emperor or Caudal.  

All those names have come to mind before I was halfway through the album and the brilliantly jamming track 'Like A Record' adds a bit of Ozric Tentacles to the mix, much to my delight I have to say. Yet, there is also something darkjazzy, especially in the David Lynch worthy 'Slow Horse'. This track is probably what would have happened when Monkey3 and Dale Cooper Quartet were locked up in a recording studio. Needless to say perhaps, but this tune is gold.

The entire album is a pleasure to listen to, both actively and as background music for countless of activities.  Fans of anything between post-rock, krautrock and psychedelic rock should check this out.  I haven't heard these genres sounding this intimate since I got acquainted with Alice In The Cities and I haven't heard such jamming tunes since last time I experienced Moon Duo.  Highly recommended stuff...


​Serge

​krautrock / black metal

​Some bands are exceptionally praised for their unique and unmatched sound, regardless of genre boundaries or ideology.  Sunn O))) definitely is one of them and so is Aluk Todolo.  In fact, as far as those unique bands are concerned, Aluk Todolo is one of my favorites, certainly live.   I've seen them play in support of Sunn O))) in a perfect setting, a nineteenth century fortress.  That really was a night to remember.  Later, the played in a venue close to where I live and the were equally massive and hypnotic.  Since then, I'm a fan.

One way or another, whenever a band releases an album, the fans are the hardest ones to please.  The album sound either too much or too little like the previous one.  Yet, with a unique sound comes a unique possibility to explore.  That's what drives Aluk Todolo, exploring the trance-inducing blend of krautrock, black metal and psychedelic rock.  In the case of 'Voix', that means a wider expansion of their signature sound.

That's exactly what 'Voix' is, an intense and psychedelic trip through the sonic universe that this trio has created.  As with their previous albums, it's hard to find out where one track ends and another begins.  I've been listening to this piece of work a few times now and it still isn't easy.  Much like with drone acts like Nadja or Dirk Serries, the whole seems one elaborate variation on a theme.  Do I mind?  Absolutely not, there exactly lies the power of this music.

Most of what I hear on this album, are outbursts of psychedelic guitars and jazz-influenced drums.  At first the bass guitar seems to be the only element that brings a bit of variation to the whole.  Yet, after turning up the volume and let the music do its work, this becomes more than a bunch of heavy instrumentals.  The bass guitar becomes the guide through this haunting and complex sonic assault.

There are a lot of bands with 'an own sound' but Aluk Todolo managed to wipe the floor with all of them (or perhaps most of them, certainly if you consider Godspeed You Black Emperor as one of those bands.).  They came out of the studio with another masterpiece, one that doesn't just bring more of the same.  'Voix' confirms and expands the reputation that these guys already have.  I for one can't wait to see them play this live.


Serge

psychedelic rock / stoner rock / space rock

Most of the albums I review I first listen while doing some household chores.  Those activities are perfect for some of them since they require no specific instructions from the brain, leaving enough room for the mind to wander off and explore the music.  The first time I listen to this album, I was doing the dishes, which were suddenly done. I didn't even had the chance to get irritated by the amount of filth on those plates and pans.  

So where was my mind?  Well, it was floating freely through the vast emptiness of space along with the beautiful and trance-inducing soundwaves coming from the speakers while it was strongly hoping to ever witness this Finnish quartet evoking the sounds on stage.  The age of Aquarius has returned, it seems, and 'Sun Future Moon' is its soundtrack.  Upbeat psychedelic rock anthems and spaced out ballads fill this fantastic third full-length by Death Hawks.

I guess I would classify Death Hawks somewhere between albums from Jefferson Airplane, Uncle Acid And the Deadbeats, Hawkwind and King Crimson.  Perhaps they're a little softer than most modern day psychedelic rock bands but that's perfectly fine.  I absolutely love those harmonies, both musical and vocal and those elaborate krautrock passages.  I also really like the fact that the music works on several volume levels.

If played on an agreeable volume, this is unobtrusive rock music, perfectly suited for a calm, perhaps a bit hazy evening.  However, if you turn up the volume, the music really starts its hypnotic grip and we're suddenly at some sixties festival, dancing, feeling free and probably adding some strange substances to our diet.  This album really has the power to take your imagination back there.  Close your eyes and you'll see the beautiful hippie girls dancing.

My favorite tracks on this stunning album are 'Hey Ya Sun Ra' and the amazing jam session 'Seaweed', which also throws some Pink Floyd elements into the mix.  So yes, this album is a must-have for any psychedelic music fan out there, young and old, stoned or not.  This is something you have to check out.  


​Serge

post-rock / psychedelic / krautrock

I'm not sure if Dunk!Festival accepts recommendations, but if so, I would gladly put this band forward.  I think they will make a great addition to the 2016 line-up, loyal to post-rock but deviating from the norm in a number of ways, each as delightful as the next one.  This is Alice In The Cities meets Tortoise meets Mogwai meets Kreidler meets Ennio Morricone meets Monkey3 meets Ozric Tentacles.  Or something like that.

Valley was formed in 2010 when three friends were looking for new ways to explore their admiration for psychedelic rock, jazz and folk.  Yet, it wasn't until two more members were added that the band actually found the right direction.  Late 2014 they locked themselves in the studio to record their debut e.p., which was later mastered by Magnus Lindberg (Cult of Luna, Refused, Khoma, Pg.lost).

It's this debut e.p. which I'm so excited by today.  This four track shows a warm, gentle approach to post-rock, driving on immersive bass lines (a bit 'dubby' at times) and a (mostly) slow tempo.  Above these foundations a number of drones, soundscapes, guitars, percussion and effects create a strange but beautiful atmosphere.  The first two songs 'Tunguska' and 'Kiro' are perfect examples of this approach: minimal and subdued, never obtrusive but always nice to listen to.

'Dream Shooter, Golden!' digs a bit more into krautrock and reminds me Hypnodrone Ensemble, another project that finds the way to my media player a lot these days.  It's a bit faster than the previous two and has a brilliant drive to it.  Closer 'Picture Puzzle Pattern Door' is the longest and most varied track, including folk guitars, djembe, vocals samples and an overall sound with a huge smile.  Yes, I think sounds can smile and the ones which Valley create, surely do.

So in all, if you're into post-rock, shoegaze, psychedelic rock and stoner rock, this clearly is something up your alley.  I'm absolutely sure it's going to be played a lot in this household and, as so many times before, I really hope I can ever get the chance to witness Valley live.  That's exactly why I recommend this band to Dunk!Festival.  They will be the quiet haven in a weekend of walls-of-sound without losing the blissful atmosphere of the whole festival.  Brilliant e.p., period.


Serge

indie / psychedelic / krautrock

Wow, talk about a comeback! ‘Array 1’ is the first release since 1990 for Britisch psych-kraut-indierockers Loop, after they disbanded in 1991. And I know it is barely a comparison, but just like Norwegian black metallers Mysticum last year (who released their second album last year after 20 years), Loop just continued where they left off, as if nothing happened in the last quarter of a century..

Which is not entirely correct of course. Loop will always be Loop, but the advances in recording techniques, mixing and mastering make ‘Array 1’ sound like the Loop we know and love, but better, warmer, cleaner, crisper, fuller, denser, more layered... Loop has always been somewhat of a strange band. Even though to the untrained ear they might make endless monotonous songs based on a single riff (or ‘loop’) there is so much going on beneath the surface. And never was it more apparant than on ‘Array 1’.

Opener ‘Precession’ is classic Loop; dense, layered, a brilliant repetitive hooky riff, the krautrock-like propulsion of the bass and drums and the monotonous (processed) vocals. But underneath there are layers of drone and feedback that really lift the song to another level. If this is Loop v2.0 then I’m extremely happy that Robert Hampson decided to breathe new life in his band. ‘Aphelion’ continues in the same vein and really, if you were ever even remotely into Loop (or psychrock or krautrock) you need this EP. And I will join you in hoping that it won’t be the last we hear of them. 

Track number 3, ‘Coma’ is one of the reasons I really hope Hampson will continue in the direction he’s going in now. A gorgeous warm ambient drone piece (no doubt a result of Hampson’s other project Main) that fits the overall sound of Loop like a glove. It is seriously brilliant. Final track ‘Radial’ starts off with, again, 6 minutes of droning ambient after which it explodes in a fabulous krautrock piece, again echoing the Loop of days past, but ramped up to fit in this modern age. The last 4 minutes of the track we are treated to that droning ambient again, albeit a bit more unsettling and brooding. A fitting end to a brilliant EP.

At barely 35 minutes, of which half is ‘just’ ambient drone, it really feels much too short to fully make this a listening experience comparable to 1990s ‘A Gilded Eternity’. But let’s enjoy it as it is, a resurfacing of a brilliant psychrock band. Here’s hoping we haven’t heard the last of Loop and until then I will just put this on repeat...

 

Bjorn

bandcamp

Hurray for throwbacks!

Brace yourselves, dear reader, and prepare to embark on a journey to the early days of the synthesizer.  Sit down in a comfortable chair, press play on the bandcamp banner above and enjoy this masterpiece of Kosmische music.  The album is available as a digital download, on cd and on lp. Might I suggest adding the latter to your collection. Here we're dealing with an album that takes us way back into a time before cd's, a time where downloading an album would take years (mainly because the internet wasn't commercialized yet).

Poligono Hindu Astral is a duo from Spain (Joni & Julio, half of Antiguo Régimen), formed in 2012.  In their search for a unique but vintage sound they created some of the roughest pieces of analog synth music I've heard in a while.  They borrow heavily from the early Berlin sounds of Klaus Schülze and Tangerine Dream and add a tremendous sense of minimalism to their music. Percussion, almost as deep as heartbeats, guards the synth-sounds and echoes.  The result is quite amazing and immediately brings out memories of cosmic visuals and journeys through space.

So let's go back in time.

Although I've always considered myself to be a rock and metalfan, I've never been scared of electronic music.  I've always loved Kraftwerk and I remember dancing my ass off at festivals where Underworld or The Prodigy were headliners.  I adored New Beat, and I still do, and when I joined the gothic-subculture I was amazed by acts like Fad Gadget, DAF and Cabaret Voltaire.  I've always admired the artistic integrity of electronic musicians, until 'sucking your dick - is what I wanna do' became a standard.  By then, I gave up a little.

Of course bands like Ozric Tentacles have always been there for the nostalgic people among us, so rock music was save.  Goa-trance still keeps hippies alive but apart from that ,let's face it, EDM is not what it used to be.

However, in recent years I've experienced a sixties and seventies revival, both in rock and in electronic music.  Bands like Kadavar and Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats represent the old
seventies rock, just like acts like Majeure, Sankt Otten and now Poligono Hindu Astral do for the world of synths, moogs and drum machines.

Fad Gadget and Kraftwerk aren't mentioned by coincidence.  At times Poligono Hindu Astral really sounds like a mix of these two.  By blending the analog minimalism of the second and the darkness of Frank Torey, they roam into the gloomier regions of electronics.  This is what makes 00110010 so interesting and well-varied.  It begins almost ambient like, but evolves into something danceable but never reaches a point where the music becomes too upfront.  Many modern day EDM acts have a very obtrusive attitude, this one doesn't.  'Bronce' for instance is a solid dance track, nudging towards trance while maintaining that vintage atmosphere.

'Miles de Millones de Años' has a noisier approach and evolves into something Brian Eno could have written.  But he didn't, so he's not the only musical genius in this review.  I really consider Poligono Hindu Astral a high quality act, maybe a bit dark for some people but I like it that way. '51o18’15”' is perfectly suited for the early hours of every new wave party. 'Rocas gravitando a la deriva', my favourite track, is a high calibre dance tune that can get a lot of parties started.

'B3 CIII.Y.E37' has a bit of a psychedelic nature, another vintage influence that shines through once in a while.  That's why I advised to get this album on vinyl.  It truly belongs on a shelf between Kraftwerk, Cluster, Tangerine Dream, The Normal, Chris & Cosey and Liaisons Dangereuses or any Neue Deutsche Welle or electronic avant-garde act for that matter.  This is a brilliant album and a solid candidate for my best-of 2015 list...


Serge

Calostro
Little Crackd Rabbit Records

Hypnodrone Ensemble - The Shape Of Space


Aidan Baker must be one of the most active people in the music industry.  If he's not recording or touring with Nadja, Caudal or solo, he's seeking new ways to explore his drones and soundscapes.  Take this new output for example.  Two guitar players, a bassist and three, yes three, drummers creating two lengthy and epic pieces.  The idea grew from several performances Aidan Baker and Thisquietarmy did together.  It was, partially improvised, recorded at Golden Retriever Studios in Berlin.

The names on this album are not to be underestimated.  Besides Baker we see Eric Quach (Thisquietarmy), Gareth Sweeney (Caudal), David Dunnett, Jeremie Mortier (Alice In The Cities) and Felipe Salazar.  The multitude of drums gives the album some extra power, in the beginning even to the extent of overruling the infading drones.  Yet, when the tempo goes up, the music turns into some highly atmospheric space rock which is pretty amazing.

The two pieces last about twenty minutes each but are divided in two parts each.  Part two of the opening track is a lot slower, coming close to a blend of post rock and Bakers work with Nadja.  Yet, both parts are part of one long piece so they seemlessly blend into one another.  Each piece can stand perfectly well on its own but when you listen to the whole, the skillfully attuned magic of this album comes shining through.

Part 2, named 'Euclidian / Dodecahedral' starts out with a jazzy bassline and quicky becomes a solid post-rock track again.  About halfway, the volume goes up again, bringing back that amazing space and kraut rock.  Somehow, Hypnodone Ensemble makes all this sound so easy.  You can almost hear the musicians  having loads of fun with these elaborate jamsessions.  Close your eyes and you can often see them smiling at each other, happy that this is turning out perfectly.  The album even ends perfectly, noisy and heavy.

Personally, I think this is one of the best works of Aidan Baker's carreer.  The constantly changing and altering soundscapes keep this record well-varied and extremely enjoyable.  Plus, the calm and friendly atmosphere of this album keeps shining through, even in the heaviest passages.  The Shape Of Space is a must for every drone, space rock and post-rock fan.  The album is available on vinyl and CD, so get your hands on this jewel as quickly as you can...


Serge