Skidmarks For Scratchmark (Tighter)/SOB 2.25.13

Skidmarks For Scratchmark (Tighter)/SOB 2.25.13 @ainfos

The Future Rock (We Got It) ≈ Brant Bjork ≈ Gods and Goddesses ≈ Low Desert Punk ≈ 2010

Follow Me ≈ Born to Hula ≈ Sunset Radio ≈ Born to Hula ≈ 2011

You Think I Aint Worth A Dollar, But I Feel Like A Millionaire ≈ Desert Sessions ≈ The Desert Sessions Volume 5 & 6 ≈ Man’s Ruin ≈ 1999

X. ≈ The Machine ≈ Solar Corona ≈ Nasoni ≈ 2009

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Tight Fit ≈ Tracker ≈ How I Became An Alien ≈ Sulatron ≈ 2010

Fever ≈ Trip Hill ≈ Hofmann’s Kaleidoscope Vol. 1 – Expiation of the Psychedelic Hunters ≈ Ex Lab/Perkele.it/Vincebus Eruptum ≈ 2012

Better Living Through Chemistry ≈ Queens of the Stone Age ≈ Rated R ≈ Interscope ≈ 2000

Grease ≈ The Re-Stoned ≈ Plasma ≈ R.A.I.G. ≈ 2012

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Bleeding Out ≈ Lo-Pan ≈ Salvador ≈ Small Stone Records ≈ 2011

King of the Road ≈ Fu Manchu ≈ King of the Road ≈ Mammoth ≈ 2000

Kiss the Sun ≈ The Atomic Bitchwax ≈ The Atomic Bitchwax ≈ MIA ≈ 1999

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Livin’ in the Ghetto ≈ Purple Image ≈ Purple Image ≈ Radioactive ≈ 1969

Freedom ≈ Jimi Hendrix ≈ First Rays of the New Rising Sun ≈ Experience Hendrix ≈ 1997

Them Changes ≈ Buddy Miles ≈Them Changes ≈ Mercury ≈ 1970

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Ask Brother Ask ≈ Ramatam ≈ Ramatam ≈ Atlantic ≈ 1972

Gettin’ Tighter ≈ Deep Purple ≈ Come Taste the Band ≈ EMI ≈ 1975

Door of Illusion ≈ Frank Marino & Mahogany Rush ≈ Tales of the Unexpected ≈ Columbia ≈ 1979

Caledonia ≈ Robin Trower ≈ Long Misty Days ≈ Chrysalis ≈ 1976

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Day of the Eagle ≈ Robin Trower ≈ Bridge of Sighs ≈ Chrysalis ≈ 1974

Bridge of Sighs ≈ Robin Trower ≈ Bridge of Sighs ≈ Chrysalis ≈ 1974

No Quarter ≈ Led Zeppelin ≈ Celebration Day ≈ Atlantic/Swan Song ≈ 2012

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Good Old Music ≈ Funkadelic ≈ Funkadelic ≈ Westbound ≈ 1970

Plastic Violins of Darkness/Plastic Violins of Darkness

Plastic Violins of Darkness is a one-man army from Leipzig with a self-released debut of atmospheric, stoner infused space rock that, though dark and heavy, escapes gravity and any hints of oppressiveness with a wide-open vista of sounds. Taking leads from 90s electronic ambient and post-industrial music, PVOD also tips its hat to metal without relying on the repetitive riff. Cuts like the cascading Triskaidekaphobia offer up the requisite grind, but going for the patient slow-burn gives PVOD a good dose of enigmatic expanse that keeps it free-floating without taking away from the heft. Full of texture and ‘unavoidable artificial aspects,’ PVOD keeps the journey moving forward and swinging wide without meandering into mopey formlessness. With flight times between 12 and 20+ minutes, it would be easy to veer off into the void and lose your way—and there is much in PVOD to make you feel unanchored and untethered—but our pilot keeps purpose in mind as the tracts of space go by. All build and elongate, some slowly whiplashing back into themselves with a rubbery and fat thickness that gives the listener maximum chewing satisfaction.

Tip of the hat to Chybucca Sounds for the lead, and maximum enjoyment recommend…

Skidmarks For Scratchmark (Tighter)

Join us 2.25.13 as we light one for a great Canadian, Scratchmark.

“King of the Road says you move too slow…”

Qoph/Freaks

Sweden’s Qoph offer up an odd mix on their third release, Freaks. A strange brew of psych rock with some stoner lugs on the boots and progressive flairs peppered throughout, Freaks stands side by side with many of Transubstans usual stock in trade. Toss in the above, some sax work along with twists and turns, and Freaks earns its title among its brothers and sisters without alienating them, or Qoph. Much of the thrust and jab is reminiscent of Soundgarden’s punch, and vocalist Rustan Geschwind packs a wail as strong—and controlled—as Cornell’s. The Weirdness To Come may not be the definitive track (it’d be hard to nail that down), but it’s a good summation of tangents that Qoph take as much as another fitting title. Feverland takes a more subdued approach, but in its in more laid-back tack it still harbors all the other elements that makes Freaks a compelling entry into the hard/stoner rock pool. The title cut does much the same, taking the quirky aspects once again in another direction so they don’t come across as forced, or worse, repetitive. Other tracks like Remedy and Seconds & Minutes get downright jaunty without jettisoning some of the more progressive slants that lend Freaks its uniqueness, and somewhat mutant status, among Qoph’s peers.

Ride :: Qoph :: Freaks (2012, Transubstans)

The Re-Stoned/Plasma

The Re-Stoned might be the wizard-behind-the-curtain reason for Depardieu’s move to Russia recently. For the sonically inclined, Plasma offers more of a return than a flat tax, and can hit as hard as a legendary Russian winter. The flesh and bone wizard behind The Re-Stoned is composer, guitarist and multi-instrumentalist Ilya Lipkin, who dishes out a mostly instrumental platter full of savory space and psych rock. Joined by Vasily Bartov and Pavel Voloshin, The Re-Stoned revels in Sabbath-influenced power and chug that, like that seminal group of wizards, finds as much force in the subdued as they do in the sludge. The riffs are tenacious, gritty and full of the requisite grind, but it’s in the dynamic-shifting cuts like Acoustic, the languid and nebulous Alpha Rhythm and two covers with breathy vocals from Veronika Martynova (of Waldsonne) that Plasma not only gains depth, and girth, but gets the full effect and pay-off in contrast. That can be something sorely lacking in bands with the focus on the pummel and pound. The choice, and execution, of the covers say a lot about where The Re-Stoned and Plasma not only come from, but where they are going. Their take on Jefferson Airplane’s Today isn’t only faithful in spirit to the original, but ups the ante on the longing and slightly menaced sexuality of the source without hitting you over the head with the obvious. With Martynova in tow again, they do much the same with Floyd’s Julia Dream, spinning a wobbly hazy veil buoyed by the eider down. Does Plasma have the stones and good sense to get back to the basics? You bet. Grease is a flat-out scorching rocker that comes out of the gate at full gallop and keeps it pumping even when the tempo eases up on the gas pedal. Brother in arms Moon Dust greases the lunar module’s wheels with just the right amount of spiral to keep the heft easily in orbit. So above, so below with Faces of Earth and the Old Testament fury of The Clay God. Evgeny Tkachev of YAT-KHA and Vespero’s Arkady Fedotov add even more flavor, contributing percussion and synthesizer that give Plasma far more depth—and power—beyond ham-fisted punching. Plasma, true to its namesake, offers the blood in equal measure to the charge of the ion; transfusion and infusion for a body that’s both substantial and celestial.

Moon Dust :: The Re-Stoned :: Plasma (2012, R.A.I.G.)

Hofmann’s Kaleidoscope Vol. 1 – Expiation of the Psychedelic Hunters

Hofmann’s Kaleidoscope Vol. 1 – Expiation of the Psychedelic Hunters; a mouthful, and earful. Put together by Vincebus Eruptum, Perkele.it and ExLab, Hofmann’s aims at delivering a ’journey through the muddy swamps of Italian acid rock. A lysergic funfair set up by a wild bunch of manic bounty hunters, fervent worshippers of the psychedelic cult. A one-way trip aiming at unearthing forgotten gems from the underground of the peninsula, as well as emerging heroes of the most visionary and mind-bending forms of rock.’ The key there is ‘forms.’ Hofmann’s arsenal of hunters and weaponry certainly share a common thread, but the range of offerings and dynamics cast a wider net, and bigger haul, than might be expected. Riffy hooks courtesy of Clark Nova, the slow space-burn of Insider, Otehi’s engine thrumming conjuring of the Sea Witch, Enormous’ eerie deep-space call-and-response of Fly Low Dragonfly…there’s bound to be something for everyone who bathe in the muddy swamps across the universe, and not only on Planet Italy. Some tributaries converge, others go their own way, some make rapids, but they all share kaleidoscopic headwaters. Which way they flow is partly subjective, and probably fully a moot point. As is the nature of compilations, there’s bound to be favorites, and some do hit their mark more assuredly than others, but Hofmann’s is a sturdy, if not confident, collection of sonics that, despite the title, isn’t in need of atonement.

Fly Low Dragonfly :: Enormous :: Hofmann’s Kaleidoscope Vol. 1 – Expiation of the Psychedelic Hunters (2012, Ex Lab/Perkele.it/Vincebus Eruptum)

Radar Men From The Moon/Echo Forever

Holland’s Radar Men From The Moon come back around with new transmissions on Echo Forever. Suitable for a night trip under the stars with a cactus pillow or for heading up over them, Echo Forever is a full serving of space rock that heads deep in some spots, but still knows the launchpad is rooted on Earth. At least for now. RMFTM nail that sentiment of both worlds with the fittingly titled Where Sky Meets The Earth. There’s more focus compared to Intergalactic dada & Space trombones, but nothing has been jettisoned in favor of packing light. Voyaging between that sky and Earth, Echo Forever carries, and delivers, payload from both worlds.

Tumbleweed Dealer/Death Rides Southward

“…decided to indulge in the greeny goodness …”…and with a name like Tumbleweed Dealer…you know where it’s coming from. And they’re in no hurry to get there. Under some of the dirge and weight though, is a mellow funky vibe that runs from the more straight-ahead through the circular Resurrected Yet Again. Death Rides Southward is available pay-what-you-want via Moshpit Tragedy while the band is working on their full-length, Dirt.

The Linus Pauling Quartet/Victory Gin

The Linus Pauling Quartet follow up their Crom video with another cinematic wonder for their soon to be Top 40 smash Victory Gin, from Bag of Hammers…

Torso/Inside

Vienna’s Torso lay down all kinds of the rock on their debut, Inside. A good portion of Inside has a bluesy vibe that pours on more cement to the 70′s foundation they’re building on, but Torso mix in some other gravel. The title cut has some desert winds blowing around it that whip up into a break before blowing on out again. Mona Lisa works as straight up rocker with a twist or two, while Black Man and Haunting Witches have a doomier edge that point to some other objects in their rearview mirror. One of the best cuts, Room has whiffs of power-trio hey-day out of the gate, then goes on to a wobbly stoner work out with stop/starts thrown in to keep you guessing, and a bottom-end working overtime to drag you to the finish. They do tone it down on Voices, but the stretch gets muddled and despite the title’s declaration, it could use a little dominance in one voice. That voice is made clear on the outstanding One, with a pouring on of a serious space rock topcoat that really makes all the pistons fire in sync, giving Torso some solid legs to stand on.

One :: Torso :: Inside (2012, StoneFree Records)