Psychic Lemon - The Unheimlich Kingdom (2024)

I'm discovering Psychic Lemon with their fourth album The Unheimlich Kingdom (and thanks to a blog called The Fragmented Flâneur). Their music could be described as a dark and kraut side of psychedelic drone rock. Nothing about oriental melodies or flower power here, the music is trippy in a minimalistic and repetitive way and the mood is more evoking anguish and weirdness than happiness. Excellent stuff!

 

The BC page. 

 

 

 

Aluk Todolo - LUX (2024)

 

It's great to have Aluk Todolo back with a new album, eight years after the previous one. And LUX is again a very fine piece of free rock with a dark ritualistic vibe, in their own very  special style. And maybe that's what we can regret, sticking maybe too much to their style, without really bringing in new elements to it. That won't prevent me from enjoying it, but after eight years I would have expected something more surprising, not sounding so much like a "disc 2" of their previous one. Or maybe listening to it some more times will reveal some changes I didn't get at first? In  ny case they are already so different from other bands that just another typical and good Aluk Todolo album is maybe already enough.

The Bandcamp page.

Dark Brown - American Instrument (2024)

Well, there's really a lot to say about this album American Instrument. The instrument there is the drum set, the drum set having been invented in America and the album is a kind of tribute to drumming by drummer Bryan Lee Brown, playing here as Dark Brown. But don't be mistaken, it's a treat for drummers, but shouldn't be reduced to an album for drummers. It's an excellent psychedelic rock album, with a minimalistic feel, bordering drone or krautrock repetitive patterns at times. Recorded over 13 years in 9 studios it features some famous other drummers (John Stanier, Jon Theodore, Brad Wilk, Dave Catching), but there's also Eric MacFadden on guitar, and
you sure will also notice the legendary surf guitar pioneer Dick Dale. Highly recommended!

The BC page.

 

 

Teeth of the Sea - Hive (2023)

As usual, Teeth of the Sea manage to surprise the listener with its new album Hive (inspired by a Frank Herbert story). This time their synth driven progressive rock with trumpet (yes, trumpet. Think Miles Davis or The Mars Volta, not mariachi...) goes again into Pink Floydian and krautrock territory, but also totally synth-wave moments, and even a NINesque track. Awesome stuff. Heavily recommended!

The BC page.

 

SAN LEO - Mantracore (2020)

Discovered SAN LEO at a gig where they opened for Unsane. I've been impressed and really enjoyed their set. The music of the Italian duo (one is drumming, the other playing guitar and electronics) could be described as psych/kraut/noise or as they dub themselves "mantra-core" and "trance noise". This album called Mantracore is also live, not as good as seeing them live for real, but good enough to let you feel the energy they radiate. Sometimes more melodic, sometimes more raw and noisy, always strongly trippy. Good stuff!

The BC page.

 

Black Helium - UM (2023)

Black Helium is a trio from London, UM is their third album, released by Riot Season Records. They play heavy and psychedelic rock and manage to be as good when they go in a heavier psych doom direction as when they take a trip into a more frankly psychedelic and lighter direction, going from Black Sabbath / Electric Wiard to Hawkwind or even The Brian Jonestown Massacre. This new album brilliantly confirms that they are among the bands that matters in the heavy psych scene. Recommended!

The BC page.

Dead Neanderthals - Click (2022)

Click is the fourth albumin a raw as a drums/synth duo for Dead Neanderthals. Seems Otto Kokke is not inspired by his sax any more these days, at least with DN. But that's OK since they keep on releasing good albums. Click is a long and hypnotic piece of kraut/noise/drone with a dark/disturbing feel (their previous album Metal with its drums/synth atmospheric black metal was interesting as well). Good stuff as usual from Dead Neanderthals. 

The BC page.

Faust - Punkt. (2022)

Punkt. has been released last year, but have been recorded fifty years ago. It was meant to follow the four album of the first era of krautrock pioneer's Faust. It's a nice reminder of why this band is so special, a good testimony of how they were noise before nearly everyone and in a way no-wave before punk even existed. And good at venturing into free jazz territory as well. Excellent album from a band like no others.

The Bandcamp page.

 

Snakes Don't Belong in Alaska - Interstellic Psychedelic (2022)

In a better world I would have reviewed some Snakes Don't Belong in Alaska a long time ago, but a least their new album Interstellic Pysychedelic will be an excellent one to start with... Definitely influenced by the space rock of Hawkwind (especially the epic feel, the vocals...), krautrock, drone/doom, and probably what runs in the water in Newcastle-upon-Tyne (also inhabited by Mike Vest, also in a similar musical universe). Epic and trippy to say the least. Interstellic Pysychedelic confirms Snakes Don't Belong in Alaska is one of the best psych bands around.

The Bandcamp page.

 

Richard Pinhas - Reverse (2017)

Reverse, is an album released in 2017 by French avant-garde guitarist and composer Richard Pinhas (known for his music with the band Heldon, but not only). Playing on the albumis an impressive crew of talented musicians : guitars  by Pinhas and Oren Ambarchi, drums by Arthur Narcy, bass by Florian Tatar, Masami Akita (yes the one doing Merzbow) plays analog synths, Duncan Nilson-Pinhas digital synths, and William Winant percussions. The result is a mix of prog/space/kraut rock, drone, and electronics. Droning guitars, free drumming, synth soundscapes, forming weird and futuristic trippy atmospheres. Awesome album, really recommended!

The BC page.

 

 

JK Flesh vs Gnod (EP 2021)

JK Flesh is the name Justin Broadrick use for his techno releases, Gnod is a English psych/noise rock band. Last year they joined fores for a four track EP (called JK Flesh vs Gnod) where they both cover two tracks from the other. So we get two JK Flesh tracks being given a psych/kraut treatment and two Gnod traks being given an industrial treatment, resulting in something as good as what they do on their own, but different, making an interesting and enjoyable release.

Amon Acid - Paradigm Shift (2020)

Unlike many psychedelic doom band Amon Acid (yes the name is more than a hint!) is not just slightly psychedelic, in fact on Paradigm Shift (released last year, their fourth album, I really have to check their back catalogue!) they are most of the time closer to Hawkwind than to Black Sab' or Electric Wizard, vintage synths included as well as the proto-heavy metal epic moments. They also bring a nice touch of krautrock at times. That's cool, and since the songs are nice and memorable, all this makes a really enjoyable album. 

The BC page.

 

Mythic Sunship - Wildfire (2021)

On this new album, aptly called Wildfire (their first with Tee Pee records), Mythic Sunship keep on pushing back their earlier slow and heavy, stoner, element, but this time not in favour of a sax driven spiritual jazz feel, but for faster more guitar driven songs, giving to the album a more krautrock vibe. What doesn't change is the quality of their music. Another good album for the psych rock Danish band. 

The Bandcamp page.

 

Oranssi Pazuzu - Mestarin Kynsi (2020)

The cover art of Mestarin Kynsi gives quite a good idea of the music, as usual with Oranssi Pazuzu it's some very weird black metal, in which now only the singing, as usual in Finnish, is still strictly speaking black metal. This fifth album follow where Värähtelijä left and goes further but also in a different direction, the good thing is that there's no more boring ambient/drone parts, and instead there's more psychedelic/progressive kraut/King Crimson elements, maybe also a bit more melodies, still mostly in a dark and dissonant vein. But more importantly the songs are more dynamic and inspired in my opinion. I think with Mestarin Kynsi they again managed to craft another masterpiece. Highly recommended!

The Bandcamp page.

The Comet Is Coming - The Afterlife (EP 2019)

The Comet Is Coming is a London based trio with saxophonist Shabaka Hutchings (also in Sons of Kemet, Shabaka and the Ancestors, etc.), keyboardist Dan Leavers, and drummer Max Hallett. The Afterlife is an EP and a kind of sequel to their previous album Trust in the Lifeforce of the Deep Mystery (both released by the famous free jazz record label Impulse!). Their music is a shining mix of lyrical and melodic spiritual jazz, psychedelia and krautrock. There are some vocals on the excellent starting track with the featuring of Joshua Idehen, but otherwise it's completely instrumental. The band managed to recycle old elements into something sounding different and fresh and it's a very enjoyable listen that should please anyone into free/psychedelic music.

Their website

Teeth of the Sea - Wraith (2019)

This fifth album fromTeeth of the Sea is maybe not as good as the previous one (reviewed HERE) was, still Wraith is an excellent album.
Curious about how psych/post/kraut rock with synths and trumpet sounds like? Go for it! (and you won't regret!)

The BC page

Anguish - Anguish (2018)

Wow! Anguish is an awesome collaboration for an awesome result. You have the Will brooks, aka MC Dälek, Mike Mare, guitarits/keyboardist in Dälek, Mats Gustafsson on sax (who recently collaborated with Chaos Echoes, read my review HERE)with his drummer form the Fire! orchestra Andreas Werliin, and Hans Joachim Irmler on synth from the legendary krautrock band Faust (who already collaborated with Dälek). This is a very promising association and the album does not disappoint. It does sound like what you could expect from a Dälek/Gustafsson/Faust collaboration and that's a good thing, no real surprise, but a great result with the heaviness and groove from Dälek the weird trippiness from Faust and the free/noise both raw and trippy from Gustaffson. If you like at least one of the artist featured you probably will like this album. And if you know none of them that will be a good discovery. This album will enters easily in my list of favourite album's for 2018 that I will soon post on this Blasting Days. Mandatory listen.

The Bandcamp page.

Million Brazilians - New Ideas in Psychic Music (2009)

New Ideas in Psychic Music is a tape from Porland's kraut/psych/free jazz band Million Brazilians. As you could guess they like to experiment and their releases could be quite different one from the other. On those two songs they sound a bit like Can with some sax playing from Albert Ayler. Which is cool. Good stuff!

their BC page.   

Aluk Todolo - Archives vol.1 (2017)

As it's title, Archives vol.1, indicates this is not a new album but a collection of unreleased tracks from the French instrumental rock trio Aluk Todolo. These tracks from 2004 to 2010 shows a slightly more minimalistic and less polished aspect of Aluk Todolo's music. The elements are already kraut / noise drone / psychedelia but the repetitive and ritualistic vibe is even more present, like a focus on the basics of the band. I'm not always convinced by these kinds of releases but these tracks deserved to be released and their interest is not just an historic one, I really like listening to it again and again and if you're into this kind of music I'm sure you will do as well. As usual with Aluk Todolo this is high quality stuff.

The Bandcamp page.

GR (Aka Gregory Raimo) - Propel Tension on Polyester Base (Tapes Archives) 2016

Good to hear Gregory Raimo again! The French psych kraut fuzz rocker is back with a collection of unreleased recordings from 2008-2016 called Propel Tension on Polyester Base (Tapes Archives). I'm usually not fond of this kind of release and more in favour of "proper" albums but when it comes to improvisational / experimental music it can be as interesting as an album. GR is deep down in the experimental / improvisational side of rock music, and this release is very worth your time if you're into this kind of trippy stuff. It's mostly instrumental, with a few vocal parts but never really close to your typical rock "song". It goes from psych fuzzy garage rock to completely kosmische music, from the riffing to the repetitive loops. Good stuff.

The Bandcamp page.