Took a few months of hiatus but have no fear I am still
alive. It’s been a tough year for most all of us. The music community has been
affected tremendously with the absence of live music but on the Brightside the
online streams and recording has not skipped a beat. Some may argue we’ve had a
dramatic increase in new music and projects hit the street during this pandemic
and over here in bandcamp, you’ll find no shortage. Getting right into it and
by no means am I catching up from where I left off, I present another round if
esteemed picks from yours truly.
PSYCHLONA – VENUS SKYTRIP Venus Skytrip is a jam packed space rock adventure swirling with ferocious fuzz and melted by molten waves of heavy psych. The lads have managed to combine high octane desert grooves with relentless swagger and progressive crunch. Wow!
ALGIERS – THERE IS NO YEAR Had this on my radar earlier in the year and finally pulled the plug on the vinyl after relistening and really letting it sink in. This is coined as “angry soul” I think I saw somewhere. Well its certainly angsty and it has a loud soulful croon. Its also a rock band at heart that manages to create a sound that should appeal to punk rockers, rappers, proggers, metal heads, and jazzers all in one. Take a listen and tell me this isn’t cool as shit.
THE ALLERGIES – SAY THE WORD Another straight up groover I recently discovered and have had on repeat at home for weeks. Brings new meaning to the phrase ‘allergy season’ and puts a much more positive spin on that. The Allergies are a soulful blend of Hip/Hop, R&B, Soul, Rock and Blues that should be the party time, back yarding, grilling soundtrack of the summer. This wastes no time in getting your heads bobbing and chilling out to the deep cutting groove. So-so good.
THE TEXAS GENTLEMAN – FLOOR IT! This album has grown into one of my top albums of the year with its cosmic country jammage and yacht rock meets southern soul. So much going on both witty, fun and invigorating. The vinyl gatefold even comes in the form of a boardcame and cutout pieces including inside with the 2LP circular pieces of wax. You might be surprised how much you like this one. It certainly won’t win everyone over, but those who are open to a good time, this hits the spot.
L.A. WITCH – PLAY WITH FIRE I remember discovering these 3 gals as they were on tour with All Them Witches several years ago. I arrived to the venue early and solo as typical at the Red Room in Stateline, NV Tahoe. The place was empty and there were 3 girls setting up a merch booth who ended up being the band L.A. Witch. We chatted a bit about music, Ripple Music whom I had been scouting for routinely, being on tour with the amazing All Them Witches and whatever else an avid fan can think to chat about. They were clearly young at the time and their set impressed the hell out of me with its hazy garage tones and psych-oriented surf vibes. A perfect pairing leading into the headliner. Oh and the Red Room is a tiny little Casino bar known for its intimate charm.
HAIL THE VOID – HAIL THE VOID Stellar outing of distorted doom, bluesy solos, melodic groove, and accessible edge. Hail the Void are the 21st Century answer to what it would sound like if Type O Negative tainted a Sabbath set.
ANDREA & MUD – BAD NEWS DARLIN’ A raucous mix of mariachi, rockabilly and honky tonk, the duo from Atlanta Georgia put enough umph in their twang to kick start a mosh pit in the low tide of the steamy shores of the south. You might wanna wax that handlebar mustache for this one.
VALKYRIE – FEAR The Adams brothers are back with another majestic slab of progressive dirge. Fear not, ‘Fear’ maintains the bands epic execution of harmonious doom with jagged hook and earthy groove
THE FEDERALES – HONKYTONKS & HANGOVERS Heavy on the honky tonk swilling with a crisp northern twang and thumping to a soulful bounce.
BAD MAGICK – SUPERSTITION EP Straight up proto-punk rock with fiery groove and raw tone. Nonstop ferocious energy and infectious solos throughout paying homage to the classics while highlighting the current hard rock revolution South America has assembled. This debut EP is straight fire.
ACID MOON AND THE PREGNANT SUN – SPEAKIN’ OF THE DEVIL This is a groovy one. Drum and bass work is superb with a psych flair. The album ranges from Eagles to Rolling Stones, to a more modern Gin Lady type of classic rock, psych, cosmic americana hippy rock.
WACO BROTHERS – RESIST! Another hunk of honky punk rock and beatnik blues. Equal parts rockabilly and punk veering towards traditional country. Heavy on bass and smooth on twang
-The Huntsman
