SONIC MASALA: Swan Fungus

Thursday, 8 July 2010

Can't See The Psych For The Trees

Swan Fungus are hitting home runs all over the place musically this week. Yesterday was Yume Bitsu - today is Woodsman. Lefse Records (they of class acts such as Keepaway, A Grave With No Name, and Neon Indian) have just released EP Mystery Tapes to pave the way for their upcoming LP. There is enough mingling of kraut, motorik, space-psych jamming and shoegaze aesthetics in their sound to shake a hundred sticks at, and all with the relative lack of vocals. They have been compared to the likes of Spiritualized and Spacemen 3 - I think the Denver based Woodsman are much ballsier than all that. To make up your own mind, have a sample below. While you're at it, chase down their previous LP Collages - its pretty damned good. These guys are definitely ones to watch...

Woodsman - No Drone

Woodsman - Spirit Stone

Wednesday, 7 July 2010

Drone dream

I was having a gander on Swan Fungus on the weekend, and in one of those serendipitous moments I was listening to White Rainbow. I thought Id type in White Rainbow, and lo & behold! a post on Friday! But it wasn't about the band - it was about its creator Andrew Forkner's earlier Portland-based act, Yume Bitsu. It had me intrigued (the writer Evan relatively jizzes all over them), so I listened to the below track - and relatively jizzed myself. So Im going to continue this jizz-inducing drone conga line, and while you are Wet Wiping in your office Ill be frantically hunting down all of Yume Bitsu's discography and buy myself some mansize tissues...

Yume Bitsu - Be Afraid

About

It was early on a Sunday morning at ATP - A Nightmare Before Christmas 2009. After downing a fair few, at 4am we decided to cook a curry. It was during the consumption of this drunkenly delicious breakfast treat that we decided to actually do something about the music we talk about all the time.

So we started a blog – and Sonic Masala was born. Now into its seventh year, the blog has spread out to call both Australia and the UK its home (and the rest of the world), and has expanded to include gigs, festivals and a record label under its black umbrella. Come on, eat the noize.

If an mp3 is up here, it's because we have been talking about it, and think the whole world needs to know more. It's there to give you a little taste. Then, if you like, check out the band live and spend all your hard earned cash on their records. If we've posted up an mp3 of your stuff and you're not too keen on the idea, let us know and we'll happily take it down pronto.