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 gewgaw.
Here we are again at the dawn of a new year! And yeah, I’ll admit that it feels weird. As we find ourselves at the beginning of a new era, one shrouded in danger and uncertainty, what choice do we have but to further explore far out sounds (and Far Out Sounds too)? Let the discovery of new music be your guiding light if you can’t find anything else to look forward to…
Manchester’s Gnod and New York’s White Hills are returning on March 21 with the collaborative release Drop Out III (Thrill Jockey), a “re-imagined, re-mixed and re-sequenced” deluxe version of their original collaboration created in the late 2000’s. There is a lot to appreciate here, even if you’re not familiar with previous versions of this series. This truly inspiring collection of jams run the full psych rock gamut- from deliberate Krautrock romps, to improvisational space rock, garage psych and stoner metal- this expanded collection features previously unreleased recordings, elongated versions and new compositions, each subtly seething and wandering, exploring new sonic terrain minute by minute. Highly recommended.
For all you heavy trippers and deep listeners, Wrekmeister Harmonies (the duo of JR Robinson and Esther Shaw) are releasing Flowers in the Spring (Thrill Jockey) on February 21st. This hypnotizing collection of swirling compositions create a unique ambiance of juxtaposed emotions. On tracks like “A Shepherd Stares into the Sun,” a snarling feedback drenched guitar rides a pillowy cloud of melodic airy synth, creating a beautiful yet slightly melancholic atmosphere, distantly akin to Angelo Badalamenti’s soundtrack to Twin Peaks. And just like the lingering feeling of both safe comfort and horror that Twin Peaks often provides its viewer, these meditative compositions calm and soothe while also gently unsettle the listener.
The Smoking Trees’ new album Year (Sir Psych) dropped the first week of January and it doesn’t disappoint in delivering their specific brand of particularly chill and profoundly stoned bedroom psych, often akin to Elephant 6 artists like The Olivia Tremor Control and Circulatory System. Many of the compositions mix field recordings and old film samples to help create dream-like segues between tracks. As a result, Year creates and maintains a transformative vibe, enveloping the listener into a dimension completely unique to this band. If you’re into heady psych pop that’s mixed in stereo to create thrilling headphone moments, this is the record for you.
Long running California based psych classicists, The Flower Machine released Waterloo Green (Pink Pony Airlines Records) on January 6th. Even though this outfit is based out of America, it’s truly the British psych sounds of Pink Floyd, XTC, Echo and the Bunnymen and early Kinks that steer the direction of this band. And honestly, it’s oddly refreshing. Nowadays, it seems like so many psych rock bands are directly inspired by the Osees, King Gizzard or Tame Impala, and – not that this is a terrible thing – but it can get a little stale. So, it’s great to hear new compositions like these that have a timeless charm, taking familiar nuances and tropes but traveling to new destinations with them. This is the kind of album you could throw on and your good-timer boomer uncle would enjoy it as much as your teenage budding rock n roll fanatic cousin. It’s truly refreshing in its dedication to craft. Old is new!
As 2025 is still young, I think it’s still fair for me to jump back to 2024 to mention some releases that I previously ran out of space for. One such release that I was surprised didn’t get a little more buzz was The Waydown (Heavy Psych Sounds) by stoner/desert metal supergroup, Big Scenic Nowhere. Containing members of both Yawning Man and Fu Manchu (most notably guitarists Gary Arce and Bob Balch) this powerhouse team up does not disappoint in terms thick riffs and groovy atmospheres. Although Tony Reed’s vocal delivery and lyrics can occasionally drift into generic rock territory, his tightly executed funky bass playing powerfully anchors the spacey instrumental side trips and more than holds his own during guitar solos. Just listen to the “The Waydown” title track and you’ll get a good impression about all the realms that this group passes through within a single composition- it’s quite impressive! And yea, there is a Hall & Oates cover that’s probably a little unnecessary, but these riff wizards make up for it by serving up some eclectic heavy space rock, filled with guitar tones and textures that imply great attention to detail. Any fan of desert rock and stoner metal that doesn’t already know about this release should educate themselves ASAP!
I discovered the band Beak> organically after going down my ongoing internet deep dives on the never ending quest for fresh music. The artwork of their newest release, >>>> (Invada Records/Temporary Residence), first caught my attention- a very goofy photoshopped image of a Godzilla size terrier looming over a city and shooting laser beams from their eyes, presumably at the respective band members. It’s the kind of thing that projects one of two possibilities- this is a collection of silly compositions or this a group of liberated people that aren’t concerned with taking their image too seriously. Well I’m not sure exactly where it lands in that spectrum but these compositions certainly aren’t silly or overtly comedic. I was delighted to find a collection of mysterious Krautrock and contemporary post rock/psych. I got filled with that fleeting feeling of finding something great that no one else knows about. I felt the ownership that comes with that. Lo and behold, a few months later Bill Hader shared this album on What’s In My Bag? and now it’s popping up on playlists everywhere. Coincidence or not, the word’s out, and they may not be “my” precious little band anymore, but that’s ok. My fragile ego will persevere. Felt all throughout >>>> is a strong rhythmic core, resulting in a massively CAN influenced sound, especially on my favorite track, “Ah Yeh.” There is also a sonic kinship with Radiohead offshoot band The Smile (who also released two excellent albums in 2024), especially on album opener “Strawberry Line.” In the end, the silly cover art serves as a reassurance to the listener after the brooding, ominous music is over- like “yea, I know this music is a little scary but don’t worry, we’re ok!”
Alright, are you still with me? Thanks for being patient – it’s been awhile and there’s so much music to talk about!
Before we close this out, I want to talk about One of a Kind (ATO Records), the newest album by The Heavy Heavy. I’ll admit it- the first time I heard this band I didn’t like them. Here was a band named The Heavy Heavy, however their music was not… heavy? As a fan of heavy music I felt betrayed. “False advertising!,” I screamed at my stereo. Petty, I know, because by the time I let go of this frustration and actually listened it turned out that they actually have some pretty great songs. The songs on One of a Kind harken back to the 1960s, an era where every genre was touched with at least a hint of psychedelia, even if it was just in the cover art. They lean into this approach as they include aspects of vintage country folk, R&B and rock under their umbrella. However, for my money, they burn brightest when they’re making fuzzy garage rave ups like “Miracle Sun,” “One of a Kind” and “Dirt,” the latter of which reminds me of Shocking Blue meets Dusty Springfield, which is to say- it’s excellent. If you like your Americana music to be vintage inspired, rocking, psychedelic and made by British natives, The Heavy Heavy is the band for you.
Finally, while I had my personal list we never had an official 2024 year-end recap for Head Space, so I’ll close this one out with a list of some of my favorite albums covered last year.
Ty Segall- Three Bells (Drag City)
Goat- S/T (Rocket Recordings)
J Spaceman & John Coxon– Music for William Eggleston’s Stranded in Canton (Fat Possum)
Misleading– Face The Psych
Wand- Vertigo(Drag City)
Uncle Acid And The Deadbeats– Nell’ Ora Blu (Rise Above Records)
Meatbodies- Flora Ocean Tiger Bloom (In The Red Records)
Hermanos Gutierrez- Sonido Cósmico (Easy Eye Sound)
Mountain Movers- Walking After Dark (Trouble In Mind Records)
Harvestman- Triptych Parts 1-3 (Neurot Recordings)
Los Bitchos- Talkie Talkie (City Slang)
Oruã-Passe (Transfusao Noise Records)
Duster- In Dreams (Numero Group)
Always keep listening! There is bold, beautiful music being made and released every single day!