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.
Valley of the Sun: The Blacklight Sessions (Heavy Psych Sounds)
Long-running stewards of Cincinnati based heavy stoner metal, Valley of the Sun returned this month with The Blacklight Sessions. Existing now for over a decade, and surviving through multiple lineups, The Blacklight Sessions sees the band firing on all cylinders with the current lineup, sounding inspired and energized – which can be hard thing to achieve for a band that’s so busy hitting the road. But The Blacklight Sessions finds very strong and stable footing right out the gates, with a reliable foundation of focused, grooving, heavy psych numbers that will appeal to any fans of the classic stoner metal sound, made popular in the 90s by bands like Kyuss, Corrosion of Conformity, Fu Manchu and Nebula. The band confidently gallops through all of the psychedelic nuances they’ve honed, from fuzzy blues to spacey desert rock to the brooding atmospheric grunge metal of album closer “No Hope.” Vocalist Ryan Ferrier’s has never sounded more powerful, boldly splitting the difference between the delivery of John Garcia and the range of Chris Cornell. And if that’s not for you – don’t worry! There are a number of instrumental numbers here as well!
The Drin: I Lost My Way For Centuries (Feel It Records)
A highly prolific Cincinnati supergroup of sorts, The Drin has received high-ranking scores from places like Pitchfork for their far reaching, exploratory releases and September’s I Lost My Way For Centuries is no exception. The band’s reliable gothic post punk sound has slowly, but surely, been strung through an increasingly psychedelic filter, which is more apparent than ever here – incorporating a new array of mind-bending acid folk and classic rock influences. But don’t get the wrong idea with classic rock – think more The Brian Jonestown Massacre and less The Steve Miller Band. This generous helping of music (23 tracks!) follows in the tried and true lineage of acid fried punks, getting weird with DIY recording equipment that began in the late 1960s. Out of all the bands these members occupy, The Drin remains the most potent, as they maintain a strong sense of inspiration throughout their steady stream of releases.
Henry James House: Last Lights Off the Black West (self-released)
Henry James House of long-running Cincinnati based indie psych stalwarts Pop Empire is striking out on his own / rebranding the project, now using his own name for Last Lights Off the Black West. A very alluring collection of songs, his mystic, cryptic lyrics coupled with a uniquely abstract take on roots music make for a refreshing, and trippy, interpretation of Americana music. House’s timeless southern warble gives these compositions unique character – changing costumes throughout and alternating between minimalist blues shaman (“God’s Grandeur”), smokey saloon singer (“Mother Earth”), mysterious cabaret performer (“Dying Silver Dagger Blues”), nostalgic story teller (“Young Henry”) and more. Shape shifting aside – there’s an impressive cohesiveness still, with a palpable sense of darkness and mystery. Even when Henry seems to be wearing a smirk, we never really know if we’re in on the joke, but half of the thrill is trying to figure that out.
Dungen: Vidrig Vår (Skol Haus Records)
Swedish pastoral psych wizards Dungen returned last month with the sweeping, Vidrig Vår. Having spent a career experimenting with different approaches and nuances, this is no exception. However Vidrig Vår focuses far more on lush, expansive, theatrical orchestration – dialing down the fuzz for peaceful, introspective, classicist prog pop that twists and turns at the speed of a meandering stream. Taking much inspiration from the huge studio orchestral pop of the late 1960’s-early 1970’s, they sound like a victoriously charging army on “En Gang|Timmen,” a swinging lounge band on “Snurra Pa Hjulet” and bouncing melodic pop on “En Dag|September.” This is a release that may seem overwhelming at first – huge, layered instrumentation, long composition durations, intelligent song composition styles with many chord changes, etc – but the more times you come back to it, the more aspects begin to pop and make sense. It’s a deceivingly heady release, that may seem like simple orchestral pop at first, but slowly peels back to exhibit many ambient layers. A pleasant listen, but not devoid of meaning or lacking in inspiration – great for both atmosphere and deep listening purposes.