Rebirth Of A Dead Meadow

I'm a massive fan of psychedelic rock music of all kinds, but especially the heavier, dirgier kind. I think the genesis of this may have come with discovering Led Zeppelin with my dad (who, whilst not a musical aficionado, did also introduce me to Johnny Cash, Australian Crawl, The Boss and 'Brothers In Arms' era Dire Straits, which I still have a soft spot for). The first album I can recall truly grabbing me in this mould though was The Warlocks' Rise & Fall, which was playing at the old Rockinghorse Records store PA back in 2002 (and a record very close to my heart). I've been a hapless acolyte ever since...

I haven't had the pleasure of bathing in the cavernous dirge of Jason Simon and his Dead Meadow brethren as yet - but again I have a sort of origin story for these guys too. Before wholesale piracy was passe, I remember being stuck out in the middle of nowhere in 2003 (Roma, Queensland to be exact) on my first stationed education position with nothing to do, so I delved into Amazon's then music website, CDNow. I discovered some pretty amazing things that year through that thing (Neutral Milk Hotel, Explosions In The Sky, Mono, ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead), one of them also being Dead Meadow's third LP Shivering Kings & Others. From there it was The Black Angels, Black Mountain - further down the spiral I would go.

As the years have gone by I have drifted somewhat from the "lightening" of Dead Meadow's aesthetic - despite the excellence of Feathers (2005), 2008's Old Growth didn't grab me at all, whilst I only gave 2010's Three Kings a cursory once-over. I have to say though that new album Warble Womb is a true return to form (some people will strenuously argue that the form never dissipated - whatever). Certainly more sonorous and less kosmiche than compatriots Wooden Shjips, Dead Meadow does have the same propensity for creating a cyclical, familiar groove that permeates their records - Warble Womb is no exception. But when you have the lackadaisical, off-kilter wooze of a track like 'Mr Chesty' or a roiling magma purge like 'This Song Is Over', you can't deny the trio's inimitable power. And this might be a bit of cribbing (who doesn't in this genre?), but 'I'm Cured' sounds like the sun-blasted paisley malaise of The Warlocks - full circle.

They aren't mellowing out so much as becoming one with their mystical powers, and Warble Womb may be the moment that I fuse with them. They are still masters of the domain, after all...

Warble Womb is out through their Xemu Records label - I have no idea where to get it. Hassle them I guess? But never fear. Stream the entire record here.

A One Track Mind Makes A Psychic Ill

New York's Psychic Ills have released One Track Mind, their fourth LP proper and their second on Sacred Bones. Sounds like the trio are stepping further away from the swirling cesspit they spawned from. It is still there, fused to their DNA (and explicit in motorik floater 'Western Metaphor'), yet here they have never sounded more defined musically. Each song is exactly that - a song. The smoke has dissipated, and rather than a wasteland, the view is clear - the languid groove and Warren Tres' drawl a transparent foil to the more deliberate approach. 'Drop Out' reminds me of early, "poppier" Warlocks (and seeing that one of my all-time favourite albums is Rise & Fall, this is meant as a big compliment). The album's title is relevant, as despite the space and shape of the approach, for the most part it's business as usual here. Added bonus is that One Track Mind gets tastier with each listen, like a snake biting its own tail - there is no end in sight, nor does there need to be one.

You can get One Track Mind here.

Psychic Ills - One More Time
Psychic Ills - Tried To Find It

White Noise Sound Head For Space - And The Windmill

Im always filled with trepidation whenever a new band is given glowing accolades by the likes of Q magazine and Artrocker. These once-biblical musical tomes are now often behind the times, showcasing acts that fail to be anything more than pale imitations of greater bands of yore. Or are just plain shit. So Im happy to say that White Noise Sound live up to the hype, which I should have guessed seeing as their debut self titled album was produced by Sonic Boom from Spacemen 3 and Cian from Super Furry Animals. The sound is so steeped in My Bloody Valentine/Jesus and Mary Chain/Spacemen 3 musical tropes that its hard not to think of those bands' seminal masterpieces, especially Spacemen 3's output. (NB - its eerie to think that only a week ago I was listening to Play With Fire with renewed vigour, just for this release to come across my desk). White Noise Sound are very accomplished at tiptoeing along the tightrope of aggressive distorted white noise and ethereal dreamlike psychedelics, therefore marking themselves at the forefront of the true shoegaze acolytes.

You can check them out yourselves tonight at the Brixton Windmill, before they head off to spend February touring France and Belgium. And as White Noise Sound have honed their live stage chops supporting the likes of Spectrum, The Warlocks and Super Furry Animals of recent times, this is a prime opportunity to see what will in all probability be an awe-inspiring set up as close as possible - dont miss out.

White Noise Sound - Sunset

White Noise Sound - Fires In The Still Sea

Rancho Relaxo Breeds A New Kind Of Orchid(e)

I saw The Warlocks at the Luminaire a few weeks ago. It was brilliant - everything Id been hoping for since hearing Rise and Fall almost a decade ago (see my love for this album here.)

So I feel a compelling need to give props to Rancho Relaxo, who have recently released A New Kind Of Orchide. These Norwegians know how to etch out a similar vein of psych rock, albeit in smaller, concise chunks, a la Warlocks' later releases. Its a solid album, if a little samey, and whilst The Warlocks do it better, this is still a decent effort.

Rancho Relaxo - Freuds God, Spaceman

Rancho Relaxo - Road Raged The Fuck Out