Los Natas

Los Natas is an Argentinian desert rock band that started out imitating the Kyuss sound. Though not being as good, they've did the closest interpretation I've heard so far. Then on they mashed things up a bit and added more of them selves into their music, going for a more sometimes bluesy, sometimes - experimental sound, throwing in occasional folk instruments. They've coined the term free rock to describe their sound. Still sounds pretty desert rock to me. And the Spanish singing makes it this much more authentic. They've shared stage with bands like Unida, Queens of the Stone Age, Colour Haze and many more of the big names in the genre. They've also established a music festival down in Buenos Aires, that has now been on for 10 years.

Anyway, this is definitely something to check out for all of you stoner/desert/free (lol) rock lovers! I've discovered them only recently, thanks to Maha Sohona who have credited them as one of the inspiration sources. So I still have a way to go in familiarizing myself with their music. But from what I've listened so far - it is a quite interesting band, and a good desert rock band, which to this day are a rare find.

Some videos and links:

http://www.natasrock.com/
https://www.facebook.com/LOSNATAS
http://www.last.fm/music/Los+Natas
http://www.youtube.com/user/Nataspress
https://myspace.com/losnatasrock

Album: Felipe Arcazas & Vintage Cucumber Split

It's finally out! The split I've been waiting for. A split by Felipe Arcazas & Vintage Cucumber. And the first thing that caught the attention was the awesome cover of the album. And this is the case where it sounds exactly the way it looks - this is a very old school sounding album with a lot of spacey ambiance and sometimes surferish vibes.

The opening track "Carl Sagan" starts us on the journey, surfing through space and giving you the taste of things to come. I'd call it a sort of a lift off that takes you into outer space (Would also highly recommend read about Carl Sagan and watch his and other great people's collaborative documentary effort "Carl Sagan's Cosmos").
And here we are... Out in the space with a brilliant and liquid-flowing track "Lincos" (an abbreviation of the Latin phrase lingua cosmica). I find this to be the best track of Felipe on this album! Very mesmerizing and gentle. I like how vintage keyboards blend in here, adding this noir/jazzy feel to it. And the last solely Felipe's track on this album, "Arecibo", is like a soft and slow merge of his style and Vintage Cucumber's. It gently gets you ready for the next half of the album.

And we are on Vintage Cucumber side with "Hinter der grünen Tür". Vintage Cucumber, as always gets us with a more down-to-earth kind of sound, celebrating the landscapes and the flora. So I'd say, here we landed on another exo-planet and this is our familiarization with it. So now take out your surf boards and catch the wave with "Welig", only to find your self lying on the beach and staring at the stars... Damn, where the fuck did my surf board go?! Not again... Damn, it's getting kind of cold too. What's going on? Oh, I guess it's just some alien Sabbath. It's "Dreh hoch & Tauch ab" - the creepiest song off the album. Do like the vibes on this one, yet it gets quite a bit brighter pretty soon. I'd love to see it staying as creepy.

But it's on to the collaborative track by the guys. On to "Asa Vajda", which if I understand correctly is an interplay with Black Sunday movie from 1960. I guess this is the creepy track I've been waiting for. I like how it works with the previous track in that way. The riff and the tone on this one is also really worth mentioning as tasty!

So to sum it all up, it's a very interesting and inspiring album! Best album of this year's so far, I'd say. Great job, and I hope the guys will continue their collaboration! The album is available as a name-your-price download on bandcamp.

Maha Sohona

I think 'Great!' is the word to describe this band. Formed in Umeå, Sweden in 2012 as a trio, Maha Sohona does a very inspiring psychedelic rock with a stoner aftertaste. And those mid-easternish parts make it so much more interesting! The name Maha Sohona has its origin in Sinhalese folklore, where it means a great graveyard demon. The band offers great vibes, tasty riffs and solos and good vocals, with the drumming fitting just right into the concoction. Going from beautiful mellow psychedelia parts to pleasantly sounding heavier parts, that really don't sound out of place or anything, as it tends to happen with some of the bands. To be honest, I really didn't have anything bad I could say about this record: guys have a good sense of where they're going, they have a good taste and the execution is spot-on. The album production is at great levels, specially considering this is a promo CD. Such solidness of collectives makes me a bit envious sometimes!

Inspired by such bands as Kyuss and Los Natas, Maha Sohona have released a promo EP with 4 tracks + a cover of The Heavy Eyes' "Voytek". The cover track is currently only available on SoundCloud and didn't make it on the album, because of the Scandinavian copyright policy that didn't allow 'em to, without paying a pretty penny royalties. Even though The Heavy Eyes were cool with them including it on their promo. So go check that out too! The following record was the result of their first attempt together at the studio, and what a result that is! They've told me that soon they're getting back to the studio to record some new stuff and are highly anticipating that moment. Well, what can I say - I am too!

Guys are fresh and had troubles with internet connection, so there's not much links, but their music is available on both bandcamp and soundcloud (also includes the mentioned cover track).
Keep in mind that the cover has little to do with the actual sound :)

http://mahasohona.bandcamp.com/
https://soundcloud.com/maha-sohona

Album: Egypt - Cyclopean Riffs

And here come the Egypt tracks from the upcoming Egypt/Wo Fat split! Crushing riffs and psychedelic dusty landscapes, just like you guys love! The overall sound is more interesting than on the previous album. I am guessing it's the question of the amounts of the material, and maybe releasing less lengthy albums is Egypt's thing. The "Become the Sun" release was getting a bit old past the middle, but here they were able to concentrate on quality rather than length.

To sum it up - I love the drive on these tracks and how it mixes with the more mellow parts. Classic Egypt with more power! Lets wait and see what Wo Fat will bring into the concoction. The Egypt tracks are currently available at $4 but are definitely worth the penny.

WFA: 2013 Views!

Wow! It's been some good 2 months with this blog, and we've hit the 2013 views mark! Thank you everyone for your support and I will continue trying to deliver the best music to you guys! There are going to be some changes in the way I am presenting the music very soon so stay tuned. As long as you guys keep coming, the goodies will also keep coming. Thanks again and have a good one with this Kenny Wayne Shepherd tune!

Maria isn't a Virgin Anymore

And I'm back after a bit of a pause with another gem from Belgium - Maria isn't a Virgin Anymore (or MIAVA for short). These guys play some interesting and driving instrumental tunes along the lines of post-metal, stoner rock and psychedelic genres. And do they succeed in doing it! Heavy tones with a metallic taste, great rhythms and epic sound. They really go for the right notes in those right places and every song turns out to be very solid and inspiring! MIAVA had shared stage with such acts like Cowboys & Aliens, Red Fang, Black Tusk and others which was a result of the successful release of their second EP.

The band is relatively young and was formed in 2009 by four dudes without any actual plans. The musicians them selves are very young too by the way, never the less skillful. They started jamming and in 2010 released their first self-titled EP which sounds a lot more stoner than the new EP, The Fall of a Public Man, released in 2011. The albums sound really different come to think of it, but it's hard to say which I like better. The second one is certainly more polished and well produced. The first one on the other hand reminds me a bit of a more heavy and driving Monkey3. Do check out both! A full-length is coming your way soon, and, judging by the first available song, yet again sounds a bit different from what the previous 2 releases were all about, which is always a good thing. Keep looking and progressing guys! Best of luck!

Some favorite songs would be "Change the world drinking coffee", "Silencer" and "Gasoline junks".

http://miava.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Maria-Isnt-A-Virgin-Anymore/156608897685309
http://www.last.fm/music/Maria+Isn't+a+Virgin+Anymore
http://www.discogs.com/artist/Maria+Isn't+A+Virgin+Anymore

All Them Witches

All Them Witches is the kind of band that gets under your skin real quickly. It gets you with the warm bluesy tones. It's interesting how you can distinguish the music that had soul put into it. And I'm not talking about our dark skinned fellows singing church music. I'm talking about the difference that the approach makes. I had a friend who once said to me that it doesn't really matter what you play, it's how you play it. Well, these guys got both parts of the equation down. They play a really laid back, sometimes rockish music they classify as psychedelta blues as an extension of delta blues. And it never lets go off you until you're gone through the whole album! That is something really hard to achieve and I take my hat off for all those bands that could nail it.

The band has released 1 album in 2012 so far (and a remastered version of it) and another album is soon to hit the shelves. Current line-up of the Nashville based quintet is Ben McLeod, Robby Staebler, Michael Parks, Allan Van Cleave and Jason Staebler. This is a must-have for all you admirers of bands like Graveyard and Blues Pills! So take a deep dive in! 

And here are the instant transportation banners and motion pictures with soundclips:

http://allthemwitches.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/allthemwitches
http://www.last.fm/music/All+Them+Witches
http://www.discogs.com/artist/All+Them+Witches

Wheel of Smoke

Ah, it's been a while! Just moved to a new place and currently staying without the interwebs. Yet still it is time for some new music. And this time we're heading prog space rock & post rock direction with a Belgium quartet Wheel of Smoke, a very nicely sounding piece with a bit of an melancholia and 70's occult aftertaste. And surely - I like how they're mentioning Carlos Castaneda as one of the influences. You can even hear that in the psychedelia and drug influence the music gives off. Other influences include bands like Black Sabbath, King Crimson, Hypnos 69 and some Pink Floyd in there too (I guess there's hardly a band in psychedelic rock scene that hasn't been influenced by Floyd).

The band was formed in 2005 and been playing a lot of gigs, so by now these guys do know what they are doing and do know how to deliver proper music on a level. Currently the line-up consists of Filip Remans and Erik Heyns on vocals and guitars, Jouk Opdebeeck (dude, I can't pronounce that!) on drums and Tristan Michiels on bass and vox. In 2011 it happened and they've released their first 5-track album "In Sense". The album turned out to be a sort of a journey musically. It really takes you places with the sounds ranging from beautiful post-rockish vibes to straight forward stoner rock slams with grungy vocals. For all I know - this is worth every minute spent and definitely worth re-listening.

Stay tuned because they are planning to release another effort in fall 2013, which I will be mentioning here when it's out! Keep yer' eyes n' ears open, lads!

You're still here? Well here's a whole bunch of links and videos to follow below:

http://wheelofsmoke.bandcamp.com/
http://www.wheelofsmoke.com/
https://www.facebook.com/wheelofsmokeofficial
http://www.myspace.com/wheelofsmoke
http://www.youtube.com/user/WheelOfSmokeOfficial/videos

Umber

Chilled out, dream-like states and countryside ambiance filled with space and hope. This is the sound of an artist behind the name Umber, Alex Steward. Located at the English village around Nottingham, away from noise and stress, where he made a studio in the bedroom of his house. Incorporating different instruments in the mix with the synth chords and drones, he creates an atmosphere that really sounds close to nature. Something of a fresh morning dew.

Umber has released 2 albums and an EP during these past years, introducing a great view on instrumental ambient music. The vibes are sometimes reaching for those of Vangelis on Blade Runner soundtrack, lifting you off the ground. I guess that'll be the closest, yet vague association I can get. I confess I don't know a lot of ambient music projects, since it's a bit of a rare and very mood related type of listen, but I found Umber to be one of those artists that stay with me and I keep returning to.

See if you'll feel the same way:

http://umber.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/umbermusic
http://www.last.fm/music/Umber

Rivercrest

Hey everyone! So this time we're full-on psychedelic. This band was linked to me yesterday by a good friend of mine, who said I might find it or at least parts of it interesting. And so I did! This is Rivercrest, a heavy-psych jam band formed in 2003 in Belgium. To me it sounds like Naked Lunch movie meets Causa Sui, Oresund Space Collective, Pink Floyd (live at Pompeii period) and King Crimson. Pretty impressive moves there, always loved me some sax: it kind of freshens up the whole thing a whole bit and adds this spice to it.

The band has released 1 album and a live record. Their tracks tend to race into extended sessions of jams ranging from 10 to 20 minutes and sometimes go crazy places. Great collaborative work of 8 guys (wow!), that bring you warm moods and crazy distorted landscapes, just as the cover art suggests! Some of it is a bit out of it for my taste, kind of chaosy, but a lot of jam bands tend to go those ways. I guess it's a bit of a natural way to go after a certain point of a jam when so much people are involved. Still a very solid piece, so trip out y'all!

Below are some of the links (couldn't find any videos on youtube, so to listen to some just go to the bandcamp page, which is always better than youtube):
http://rivercrest.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Rivercrest/119044651458143
http://www.myspace.com/rivercrestjams

Sun Dial

And now lets travel back... Travel back to the 90's British psychedelic rock scene, and find a very underestimated band - Sun Dial. A band that even though constantly changed the line-up managed to survive until the present day. It's a project started out way back in the 1990 by a vocalist/guitarist - Gary Ramon. This band means a lot to me, since it kind of showed me the way through one of the shitty parts of my life. I associate them with this warm and sunny summer feeling, brilliant psychedelic guitar skill and direction. Psychedelic, fuzzy and originally sounding, at times really dragging and touching you to the very core.

It's been exactly 13 albums to this day. I shamefully can say that I've never went through all of them, but not all of them really caught my attention. There has been a lot of direction changes, but mostly all the albums I've went through (and that's more than a half of them), had a lot to offer. At one point I even thought them to be the new Pink Floyd, but really underground. Or maybe the Colour Haze of psychedelic rock. Anyway, this is something highly advisable!

Here's some links I could dig out and some of my favorite track videos:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0hoNN2AKtY

http://www.last.fm/music/Sun+Dial
http://www.discogs.com/artist/Sun+Dial

Deaf Proof

I'm back from the weekend and back with something fresh! Been looking for some psychedelic desert rock? It found you - Deaf Proof had released their new demo album. Despite having constant line-up changes since 2006, the trio had managed to record some really mesmerizing music. This is desert rock with a bluesy touch and fuzzed out guitars at it's finest! The production quality is proper and it does sound like a proper album even, which I find rare for the demos to be. On the both demo albums they have too!

To me the sound reminds a bit of Orange Goblin, The Heavy Co., Sungrazer, Kyuss, but more like tone-wise, rather than direction. Massive sound and original moves, that all fall down at ya and drag you through the desert. But the psychedelic touch to it is what really makes it stand out. So here's to see them record their full-length!

Both their albums are available as a free download at Bandcamp. So grab on:

http://deafproof.bandcamp.com
https://www.facebook.com/deafproofstoner
http://www.myspace.com/deafproof