Words by Jonathan Stout
When not doing freelance writing, Jonathan Stout is heavily involved in the NKY and Cincinnati music scenes as the Marketing Manager for Kentucky based venue The Southgate House Revival and founder of DIY Recording label Lo Fi City Recordings. He’s also an active musician, performing and recording with Sleepy Drums, Mutt Fuzz, Burnt Cabins and Uncle Fungus.
Welcome back! We’re going to devote this edition of Head Space to backtracking a bit to discuss a few releases that came out earlier this year that I’ve previously run out of space to cover.
First off, it’s Charlatan by Grinded Grin. Grinded Grin is an experimental rock collective from Koprivnica. I’m completely new to the band, after only stumbling upon them a few months ago. The sounds heard on Charlatan are so bizarrely unique, it automatically grabbed my attention. I had to know more about this mysterious band! After doing a little research, I discovered that they are led by Aleksandar Vrhovec and a revolving lineup. Many new contributors were brought in for these recordings, not least of which includes drum samples by Linda-Philomene Tsoungui (The Mars Volta). Although Charlatan is an instrumental collection, it’s built around the concept of realization of charlatanism, attempts at tricks, trick perfecting and ultimately uncovering the network of deception and withdrawal. Okay – heady stuff – but what does it sound like? Recorded largely from improvisational sessions, the wild and free wheeling compositions weave together bits of all the far out sounds- from acid jazz, to stoner, psych and post rock. There’s a lot to dissect in every track so the album has required repeated listens. From the bold choice of opening with “Subterfuge’s Prelude”, an atmospheric composition made up of throat singing and horsehead fiddle, to the hard hitting snare and ripping psychedelic lead guitar work on “Masquerade,” it’s clear from early on that this collection is going to not be for the timid.
Before we move on to a different artist, I wanted to also mention Mycena, a band that shares members with Grinded Grin, have also released some mind-bending recordings this year. Their new album, Serendissaray (Eigenproduktion) often sounds similar to Grinded Grin, however Mycena is sure to appeal even more to doom listeners, as their general vibe is much more ominously shrouded.
Speaking of doom, let’s talk about No Return (Blues Funeral Recordings), the newest album by melodic stoner doom masters Hashtronaut. This band is great to recommend to someone who loves the riffs of bands like Weedeater or Bongripper, but have trouble with the gravely, guttural vocals. Although Hashtronaut occasionally explores those waters, the predominant melodic nature of the vocals employed lean closer to a mix of Bryan Giles of Red Fang or a less mournful Dorthia Cottrell of Windhand. There is a lot to love on No Return for any fan of classic stoner doom- from obscure vintage samples, to thundering slow bass lines, screeching wah solos and atmospheric psych explorations- this album scratches all the itches.
We’ll take a sidestep now from Metalville to Garageland to discuss Growing Eyes Becoming String (Fuzz Club) the 16th release from psych veterans The Telescopes. Led by Stephen Lawrie with a revolving backing band, Growing Eyes Becoming String draws upon recordings that were actually made back in 2013. I had to verify when I first heard this album that it wasn’t a reissue of older material, because it sounds so timeless- this material could have appeared anywhere throughout The Telescopes’ long running career. Recorded in just two sessions, this material was fully (and impressively) improvised, although you probably wouldn’t know that if I didn’t tell you. These compositions hit the psychedelic target on all counts- from the spiraling krautrock march of “(In The) Hidden Fields,” to the gothy ominous drone of “Dead Head Lights” and the spacey minimalism of “We Carry Along.” Occupying a sonic space that shares the ambient gloom of The Church and The Cure with the melody and noise of The Jesus and Mary Chain and The Brian Jonestown Massacre, The Telescopes can go toe to toe with the genre’s finest. If you like this kind of music but have never checked out The Telescopes, do yourself a favor and blast Growing Eyes Becoming String right now!