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Psychedelic Holiday: Late Additions

January 5, 2015 by A.S. Van Dorston

2014-late-additions-psych

Those who follow my year-end summaries closely enough know that it’s never completely set in stone. With all the other year-end lists trickling in after I publish mine, it’s inevitable that I continue to discover more music (and update my sections on Movies, Television, Books & Comics). While I do sit back and relax and listen to some of my favorites from the year, I can’t help but perk up when I get locked onto the trail of some enticing albums I might have missed earlier in the year. This time I spent my holidaze listening to largely psych rock and pop, chasing down some leads lead to a whole heap of new albums that I had not heard before. After focusing on stoner/doom/metal much of the year, there was just something about some of the more mellow psych pop and folk that appealed to me as I relaxed over the holidays.

Below I’m reposting my psych list, with most of the new additions in bold. There’s just so much great stuff that came out this year, I wanted to make sure folks who originally read my summary  when it first came out don’t miss out. I am also keeping all the Spotify playlists up to date.

Psych
While 2014 seemed to be the year of doom as far as high profile releases, it turned out the genre with the most releases overall that held my interest was not metal, nor stoner rock, but psychedelic. To be honest the album I listened to the most this year was last year’s late discovery The Hidden Masters. I’m kind of obsessed with them, but unfortunately they kept an extremely low profile all year, rarely gigging even in their native UK. I hope that means they’re busy recording another album.

The Oath could just as easily fit into the metal category along with labelmates Death Penalty. The band is no more, but keep an eye out for vocalist Johanna Sadonis’ new band Lucifer next year (the guitarist joined Finnish post-punkers Beastmilk). Earth could make itself at home in many other genres, including doom and post-metal. On the strength of their best track, “From The Zodiacal Light,” I’m slotting them here. With a mysterious back story, hidden identities under costumes and a fantastic stage show, Goat managed to improve on their very popular debut. It’ll be interesting to see if they can keep it up along with countrymen Ghost. Swedish psych rockers Les Big Byrd is one of the most slept on releases this year. People really ought to be going apeshit over them to the extent that they do Tame Impala and Temples, but they gotta be lead to the water first. Finnish occult (for real) psych band Mansion has been percolating the past couple years with increasingly impressive EPs. When their full-length finally comes out early next year, they should blow up to the scale of at least Uncle Acid & the Deadbeats if not Ghost and Goat. Purson also would deserve the attention. | Spotify

  1. Lola Colt – Away From The Water (Fuzz Club) | Bandcamp
    Lola Colt is another late discovery for me. Produced by The Bad Seeds’ Jim Sclavunos, this UK group has concocted a stirring hybrid of psychedelic garage noir with a strong female lead (a Danish singer named Gun) who reminds me of Leslie Woods of post-punkers Au Pairs.
  2. The Oath – The Oath (Rise Above)
  3. Doug Tuttle – Doug Tuttle (Trouble In Mind, 2014)Doug Tuttle – Doug Tuttle (Trouble In Mind) | Buy
    Mmoss had a couple good psych albums but came and went, breaking up before I’d even heard them. Their guitarist Doug Tuttle, however, put out a debut solo album that’s far more impressive. While as expected there’s plenty of fabulous guitar parts, riffs and solos to sink your teeth into, his songwriting has reached another level, invoking pop psych from the 60s and 70s while attaining a signature sound.
  4. Kikagaku Moyo – Forest Of Lost Children (Beyond Beyond Is Beyond) | Bandcamp
    Japan’s Kikagaku Moyo was another revalatory late discovery. They have two albums here, Mammatus Clouds and the more succinct Forest Of Lost Children.
  5. Thelightshines – Now The Sandman Sings (thelightshines, 2014)Thelightshines – Now The Sandman Sings (thelightshines) | Buy
    Thelightshines are a new discovery for me, a UK band that has a surface similarity with the Allah-La’s as far as 60s jangly psych pop influences. There’s even 80s and 90s elements with The Rain Parade, Shack and Spacemen 3, but also some Middle Eastern melodies and Popol Vuh that make them much more captivating than their peers. With Violet Woods (discussed below) mining similar territory, it seems like a Paisley renaissance is happening in the UK, which is totally welcome.
  6. Quilt – Held In Splendour (Mexican Summer, 2014)Quilt – Held In Splendour (Mexican Summer) | Buy
    It’s an impressive accomplishment to tackle the well-tread psychedelic folk and still have a unique sound. I’m not sure what their secret is in avoiding comparisons to Jefferson Airplane and the Byrds, but I’d like to think they might have a bit of deep knowledge of more obscure UK psych folk like Trees, Dark and Fairfield Parlour. However they got there, this Boston trio’s second album is endlessly listenable.
  7. Earth – Primitive And Deadly (Southern Lord) | Bandcamp
  8. Goat – Commune (Sub Pop)
  9. Les Big Byrd – They Worshipped Cats (Höga Nord/A Recordings)
  10. Wand – Ganglion Reef (Drag City/God?, 2014)Wand – Ganglion Reef (Drag City/God?) | Buy
    Cory Thomas Hanson’s prolific presence in the L.A. garage rock scene might rival Ty Segall’s, with his involvement in Mikal Cronin, Meatbodies, Together Pangea and now Wand. Ganglion Reef’s brand of psychedelic space rock sounds both restless and beautiful, with some songs nearly rivaling Together Pangea’s. There’s already a second album in the can titled Golem coming out in March. I can’t wait!
  11. Mansion – Uncreation EP (Nine) | Bandcamp
  12. Purson – In The Meantime EP (Machine Elf)
  13. Electric Citizen – Sateen (RidingEasy) | Bandcamp
  14. Comet Control – Comet Control (Tee Pee)
  15. Jeremy Irons & the Ratgang Malibus – Spirit Knife (Small Stone) | Bandcamp
  16. Temples – Sun Structures (Heavenly/Fat Possum)
  17. The Paperhead – Africa Avenue (Trouble In Mind, 2014)The Paperhead – Africa Avenue (Trouble In Mind)  | Buy
    It’s kind of awesome that a band of Kinks and Syd era Pink Floyd acolytes could emerge from Nashville, TN. And they’re just so good, writing top notch songs that insinuate themselves in your brain. There’s plenty of hooky psych pop whimsy, but also some killer sharp chops. When they turn up the juice and tempo on “None Other Than,” they retain a rough garagey sound, but also a hint at virtuosity.
  18. Octopus Syng – Reverberating Garden No. 7 (Mega Dodo) | Bandcamp
    This Finnish band has also been paying tribute to Syd Barrett and other UK psych and prog since 1999. It’s been a decade since their last album, but the third was worth the wait. The songs feature some catchy melodies, but take all sorts of twists and turns, from dark, sinister atmospheres to impressive flights of prog and lovely folk.
  19. The Lay Llamas – Ostro (Rocket) | Bandcamp
    Like their Rocket labelmates Goat, Italy’s Lay Llamas like to mix some global influences into their progressive space rock, from Middle Eastern influences to Afro funk. Their second album features hypnotic hand percussion, lush basslines and psychedelic washes of (seemingly) analog synths, assembling a captivating interplanetary sonic trip.
  20. Dahga Bloom – No Curtains (Captcha) | Bandcamp
    This album is pretty immediate right out the gate, “Supa” is a turbocharged Hawkwind via Monster Magnet groove, with a rough garage rocking sound. Other songs have that relentless motorik rhythm as interpreted by Lemmy and Chrome. There’s not a lot of info about these guys. They seemingly have three bass players, and for some reason I thought they were from the UK but the Lat./Lon. coordinates on their Bandcamp places them just a few miles north of me in Roger’s Park, Chicago, but that could just be where they recorded or their label. Probably they’re in California. Wherever the hell they are, I hope they get their motokraut rockin asses on the road.
  21. Violet Woods – Violet Woods (Violet Wodos) | Bandcamp
    A Cambridge folkie goes full-on psych, expertly integrating influences from the 60s through 90s with quite dreamy results.
  22. Morgan Delt – Morgan Delt (Trouble In Mind) | Buy
  23. The Love Dimension – Create And Consume (Warrior Monk) | Bandcamp
    I was pretty excited to discover this San Francisco band, who give a nod to Jefferson Airplane and The Doors, but filtered through Echo & The Bunnymen, The Teardrop Explodes and even a bit of Gun Club’s sinister post-punk twang. Don’t let their placing in this list fool you into thinking they’re also-rans. It’s just a testament to how much great psych came out this year.
  24. Kikagaku Moyo – Mammatus Clouds (Captcha) | Bandcamp
    Rather than their other song-based release last year, this one is just three tracks, starting with the epic, droning “Pond” at 27:50.
  25. Heaven’s Gateway Drugs – Apropos (HGD) | Bandcamp
    Despite repeated attempts I could not get a response from this Indiana band. Perhaps they’re hibernating. I’m on the fence about a few of their tunes like “Underwater,” which could be clever and fun, but also intensely annoying depending on your mood. But overall this hazy 60s Pink Floyd worshiping psych has grown on me, and shows a ton of potential.
  26. Hookworms – The Hum (Weird World)
  27. Ty Segall – Manipulator (Drag City)
  28. The Golden Grass – The Golden Grass (Svart) | Bandcamp
  29. Heaters – Solstice (Dizzybird) | Bandcamp
  30. Y’ALL – I’m Here Right Now (Y’all) | Bandcamp
  31. Sungod – Vision Space (Sungod) | Bandcamp
  32. Seven That Spells – The Death And Resurrection Of Krautrock: IO (Sulatron) | Bandcamp
  33. Los Tones – Psychotropic (Off The Hip) | Bandcamp
  34. La Hell Gang – Thru Me Again (Mexican Summer) | Bandcamp
  35. Spidergawd – Spidergawd (Crispin Glover)
  36. Cult Of Dom Keller – The Second Bardo (Cardinal Fuzz) | Bandcamp
  37. CreaturoS – Popsicle (Primordial Sounds) | Bandcamp
  38. Bozmo – Leather Umbrella (Bozmo) | Bandcamp
  39. Jess & the Ancient Ones – Castaneda EP (Svart)
  40. Woods – With Light And With Love (Woodsist)
  41. Dead Sea Apes – High Evolutionary (Cardinal Fuzz) | Bandcamp
  42. Lumerians – Transmissions From Telos Vol. III (Cardinal Fuzz) | Bandcamp
  43. Has A Shadow – Sky Is Hell Black (Captcha) | Bandcamp
  44. Black Bombain – Far Out (Black Bombain) | Bandcamp
  45. Montibus Communitas – The Pilgrim To The Absolute (Beyond Beyond Is Beyond) | Bandcamp
  46. Eternal Tapestry – Guru Overload (Oaken Palace) | Bandcamp
  47. White Manna – Come Down Safari (Captcha) | Bandcamp
  48. Ice Dragon – Seeds From A Dying Garden (Navalorama) | Bandcamp
  49. Monster Magnet – Milking The Stars (Napalm)
  50. 3rd Ear Experience – Incredible Good Fortune (3rd Ear Experience) 
  51. Gulp – Season Sun (Sonic Cathedral) | Bandcamp
  52. Slow Motion Rider – Slow Motion Rider (Committee To Keep Music Evil) | Buy
  53. Pontiak – Innocence (Thrill Jockey)
  54. Haikai No Ku – Ultra High Dimensionality (Box) | Bandcamp
  55. The Wytches – Annabel Dream Reader (Heavenly)
  56. Horseback – Piedmont Apocrypha (Three Lobed) | Bandcamp
  57. Liquido Di Morte – Liquido Di Morte (Sstars) | Bandcamp
  58. White Fence – For the Recently Found Innocent (Drag City)
  59. Anthroprophh – Outside The Circle (Rocket) | Bandcamp
  60. Wildest Dreams – Wildest Dreams (Smalltown Supersound)
  61. Monomyth – Further (Suburban World) | Bandcamp
  62. Villagers of Ioannina City – Riza (Mantra) | Bandcamp
  63. The Cosmic Dead – Easterfaust (Sound of Cobra) | Bandcamp
  64. Blank Realm – Grassed In (Fire)
  65. Cool Ghouls – A Swirling Fire Burning Through the Rye (Empty Cellar) | Bandcamp
  66. A Victim Of Society – Distractions (Inner Ear) | Bandcamp 
  67. Three Seasons – Grow (Transubstans)
  68. Three Dimensional Tanx – Three Dimensional Tanx (Sunstone) | Bandcamp
  69. The Brian Jonestown Massacre – Revelation (A Records)
  70. King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard – I’m In Your Mind Fuzz (Flightless)
  71. Ride Into The Sun – Sky Flowers EP (RITS) | Bandcamp
  72. Sleepy Sun – Maui Tears (Dine Alone)
  73. Foxygen – …And Star Power (Jagjaguwar)
  74. Thee Oh Sees – Drop (Castle Face)
  75. Allah-Las – Worship The Sun (Innovative Leisure)
  76. The Soundcarriers – Entropicalia (Ghost Box)
  77. The Janitors – Evil Doings Of An Evil Kind EP (Bad Afro) | Bandcamp
  78. King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard – Oddments (Flightless) | Bandcamp
  79. The Movements – Elephants 2 (Crusher)
  80. Black Lips – Underneath The Rainbow (Vice)
  81. Guardian Alien – Spiritual Emergency (Thrill Jockey)
  82. The Black Angels – Clear Lake Forest (Blue Horizen)
  83. Donovan Blanc – Donovan Blanc (Captured Tracks)
  84. Secret Colours – Positive Distractions | Bandcamp
  85. Elephant Stone – The Three Poisons (Hidden Pony) | Bandcamp
  86. The Soft Walls – No Time (Trouble In Mind) | Buy
  87. Pink Mountaintops – Get Back (Jagjaguwar)
  88. Bardo Pond – Looking For Another Place (Fire)

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