As I was saying in PART 1 of this overview of my friend John’s AMAZINGLY diverse psychedelic record label, there are releases on Holy Mountain which have completely blown my mind. How did I miss these? So click the highlighted links, check the website; find this music! It is absolutely essential modern head music, to be sure. Dig? Let’s continue on this sonic journey…
Lords of Falconry is one of those third-eye classics that I will play once a month for the next decade. Like a modern stoner-rock version of Ash Ra Tempel‘s first line up, this just comes on heavy, driving, relentless, with high intentions. Every song is a psych-rock anthem. The vocals remind me a bit of The Damned; dark, out of focus, and complimentary to the bombastic guitars and fuzztone symphonies. Sitting proudly next to Love’s Forever Changes in my library. HIGHLY recommended.
“Ecstasy and Refreshment” from the delightful Food Pyramid graced my turntable for quite a few days! It’s a fun mix of Neu motoriks, ambient techno moves, post-rock structures, noisy electronics, and graceful soundscapes. I will be revisiting this album due to the fact that I hear new and different things with each listen. I love the way it merges a lot of different avant-garde and groove elements into one very cohesive record. It’s like a library of sounds and sonic motions. Check this as well as their other records out!
Residual Echoes waste no time kicking out the jams motherfucker on their cosmically heavy “Phoenician Flu & The Ancient Ocean” release. It goes a lot of places at once too, from anthemic stoner through to Göttsching-inspired guitar freek-outs to reverbed sludge feasts to acoustic lounge jazz to Britpop psychedelic bombast. This one goes to eleven for sure. The vocals, when present, are perfection. Fantastic, modern, and utterly free.
Folk Metal? Didn’t know that was a thing, Discogs! Well, apparently Devil Worshipper is a purveyor of such a sound. Motorhead moves with Fairport style coupled with a Wire aesthetic. This is Dirge Rock of the highest order! Deft guitar playing throughout, solos that slowly burn, patient rhythms holding sway while fuzzed jangle leads a path for a Guru voice from beyond. Every song is epic. Got that? Go get THIS.
What can I say about the Davis Redford Triad that hasn’t been said before in numerous blogs and on high-gloss review pages? I witnessed Steven Wray Lobdell‘s mighty Sufi Mind Game a few times back in the early 90’s as well as own his collaborations with Faust from the 2000’s. “Code Orange” captures Steven doing what he does best: improvisational psychedelic guitar. The man is a musical beast, Eastern styled-dirges and dervishes are his forte. The eight live improvs with a quartet captured on the 2002 tour are here on display like fine art on a gallery wall. HIGHLY recommended.
Speaking of Mr Davis Redford, it would be a shame not to mention his late 90’s genius solo record, “Automatic Writing By The Moon“. I’ve had a copy for a number of years and always return to it on those beautiful days when the sun is shining and I’m feeling a nice mushroom buzz. It’s a wonderful hallucinatory collection of acoustic rave-ups, tone-floats, lysergic whimsy, and groovy head sonics. It’s no wonder that he made record this right during his entry into Faust, their music easily could be listed as an influence here. This record still stands proudly on it’s own merits, decades later. Amazing stuff.
As I’ve said before, you can find all of this music by clicking the highlighted links in the text or below. Part 3 of this overview coming soon…
Dancing in the Moonlight of our Existence 