Spring has
sprung and the music blossoms like flowers on a cherry tree. Except we don’t
have to worry about the freeze and snow on Easter to kill off the early planted
tomatoes here at bandcamp . The albums are in season all year and always ripe.
The weather has been gorgeous and so has the listening back at camp. I’m
anxious to share another load of quintessential albums recently dug up in the
musical heartland.
Brother Ox – Brother Ox
Like the
others have mentioned on the bandcamp page, Brother Ox bring a powerful blues
based heavy rock and roll to the bonfire. Equal parts Clutch, Planet of Zeus
and throw a nice groovy blues rhythm in the middle and you’ve got Brother Ox.
Really powerful stuff especially at name your price.
Mountain Tamer – MTN TMR Demo
“Psychedelic rock and roll in the truest
essence of the meaning! Seriously tripped out and groovy garage style rock! Has
a 60's era feel with a bluesy grunge/punk vocal. Mystically funked out
meanderings of musical muscle! Woah son!”
Problems with Dragons - Starquake
Well, the
link below is not the latest album Starquake shown in the title, it is the band
Problems With Dragons. The new album can be purchased here or here or over there,
just not on bandcamp. Yet….. Go ahead
and grab this one though it’s a cool blend of ultra-psychedelic doomed out fuzz
metal fronted by a bearded man by the name Robo! Saw them live in a little dive
bar in Seattle a couple weeks back and it was captivating.
The Grazing Saints – Selene
As a matter
of fact this one I am currently listening to as I write this article. It came
on my radar just tonight and halfway through is deserving of a mention mostly
due to the fact that it’s a bit outside the box, has its own thing going on
with a combination of Americana, pop, and a bluesy shoegazed psychedelic vibe. I’ll just be lazy and put their
description here for you cause its spot on. “Born
in the earthy swamps of rural Norfolk, The Grazing Saints create a fresh
organic rock n roll, psych, prog-rock, blues and pop mash-up, one guitar, one bass,
one voice and a drummer, through the influences of all that is heard, with no
preconceptions, a respect to the Atomic, Subatomic and Inter-galactic force of
all things and a desire to atone for all sins. Music by Human Beings, not
Robots”
Golden Smoke – S/T
“Smooth,
fat, hypnotic riffs linger like Golden Smoke from a green pipe. Sweeping chorus
lines backed by interspersed pockets of heavy, bluesy fuzz and grungy, acid
tinged vocals. I'm with Paul, this is legendary status stuff.” This is amazing stuff apparently released
back in 2007 and, unfortunately, word has it the band has disbanded. It’s a
shame, but their music remains free to you and it’s strongly suggested you take
the bait.
Santo Rostro – II: The Bleed
I actually
grabbed their last album first before this one was released to the masses, and
then the next day was emailed that the new one had been released. I was so
impressed with the Self-Titled that it was a no-brainer to grab the new one.
Sure enough the serrated fuzz laced doom remained intact as compared with the
first album. The vocals smash the speakers with a lethal dose of rugged and
melodic groove. Don’t be scared, be ecstatic! This is the real deal.
Neoga Blacksmith – Piasa
“Holy god dam shit is this impressive!
Reminds me of The Drive By Truckers but catered more towards a stoner rock fan
base. Album of the day 3-25-15. I'll be playing this repeatedly.” I was
walking the rainy streets of Seattle when I first fired this up on my earbuds
and was totally blown away. I just kept walking with a big old fat smile on my
face. One of the better finds this year.
Last Giant – Heavy Habitat
Yet another
album I just grabbed tonight as I am writing this. I guess it was a good
evening of discovery. Talk about a discovery, Heavy Habitat from Portland,
Oregon have their shit together. This could be just as well accepted by the
heavy stoner rock crowd as it is by the indie/alternative crowd. Highly
infectious hooks hanging within this amazing musical habitat. I bought the
vinyl after only listening to 3 songs. Really surprised at the lack of support
on bandcamp. In fact, at this very moment I am the only subscriber on bandcamp.
Let’s change that shall we?
Black Orange – Forgotten Antics
We’ll go
ahead and save the very best for last in this edition. Black Orange utterly
blew my mind on first listen, and every time I push play. Since its discovery
the last week of March I have played this album more than any single album so
far this year. It was released in 2013 but seems to have gotten a boost this
spring by fellow campers who all seem to agree. Here are the stupid words I
said when at the time the only supporters were Paul Rote and Mushroom Mike. Two
prolific fans that we all seem to agree on music with. “Not only did Mike and Paul Rote both buy this, Paul had me with his
description where he mentions Country, fish and stoner in the same sentence.
This is awesome! Orange is the new Black is a cool show, but Black Orange is
even cooler. Don't forget that antic.” Doesn’t make a lot of sense, but at
the time it felt right. I was just overly excited. This is another one at that
special price that you absolutely cannot afford not to download and play to
death.
So now that
the flowers have bloomed and the weather has frozen over and killed the budding
plants and shattered the early overachiever yardwork addict’s irrigation pipes,
the music plays on unharmed. No matter the season the spring
time is now, and daylight savings means more listening time before the sun
sets. See you next time. And don’t be
afraid to chime in and tell us your best discoveries in the comment section
below.
-The
Huntsman
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