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The Mind Expansion Thread - Psych/Space Rock |
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angelmk 
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Post Rock Team Joined: November 22 2006 Location: Macedonia Online Status: Offline Posts: 988 |
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 Topic: The Mind Expansion Thread - Psych/Space RockPosted: October 29 2009 at 12:28 |
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35007 are awesome .. i discovered them few years ago..great band
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www.last.fm/user/angelmk
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avestin
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Joined: September 18 2005 Online Status: Offline Posts: 11708 |
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Posted: November 05 2009 at 06:40 |
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In 1994, a year before I had to enlist in the army, a local band, ROCKFOUR, released their second album, The Man Who Saw It All.
Their first album was full of beautiful songs with nostalgia flowing from them to days of old in the late 60's / early 70's pop-rock. With this second album, they went forward to create a psychedelic rock ground, with a muddy sound, haunting melodies and beautiful vocal harmonies and songs that seem to connect to each other (though they don't). This album (as well as the first and the next one in line) is in Hebrew. And in my opinion the one album to get from the band, if you like (perhaps simplistic, yet) efficient, emotion-provoking and journey-like. Here is their PA bio: Rockfour biography Israeli psyche-pop trio RockFour are tough to pigeon-hole. Formed in the Tel Aviv suburb of Holon, they began playing together during military service, and developed a repertoire of original songs in Hebrew and English. Tipping their berets to the Moody Blues, Teardrop Explodes and The Zombies, RockFour convincingly married The Byrds & Bowie, updating it with 21st century panache. In 2000, four albums in, RockFour made the controversial switch to English lyrics which immediately catapulted them onto the international scene and branded them Israels finest (and only?) rock export. And they havent let up: RockFour is now well on its way to conquering the world with a unique brand of neo-psychedelia and progressive pop. Its a mix that works: Rock Four have sold over 30,000 records in the Middle East and Europe. 2001 was the year RockFour caught the eyes and ears of the North American media. Rolling Stone Magazine critic Richie Unterberger chose ONE FANTASTIC DAY (Third-Ear Records) as one of his Top 10 albums of the year; both the New York Times and the New York Press hyped their live show and the band went on to be featured on the nationally broadcasted NPR radio show, All Things Considered. Over on the west coast it was the LA Times and Under The Radar that raved about the band. Headlining many prestigious rock festivals including SXSW, CMJ and the International Pop Overthrow, the band went on to sign with guitar pop label, Rainbow Quartz. Their second release, NATIONWIDE, is the follow up to their break-through album ANOTHER BEGINNING (Rainbow Quartz 2002). NATIONWIDE was recorded at Ghetto Recorders in Detroit by Jim Diamond. The complex song-craft, interwoven with pristine pop harmonics, is balanced on a raw, energetic immediacy. RockFour wear their prog-pop sensibilities well: chiming 12-string jangle, classic rock riffing, and clever atonal squalls of lead drive this recording into the arena of 70s rock. NATIONWIDE echoes The Cars, ELO and at times vintage Squeeze, while the guitar playing evokes classic Robert Fripp and Jimmy Page dueling with Sonic Youth, all the while retaining a psychedelic dose of early Pink Floyd and The Byrds. 
 4.67 | 2 ratings The Man Who Saw It All 1994 Songs / Tracks Listing 1. Pitom (3:48) - Eli Lulai / guitars, acoustic guitar, vocals "The Man Who Saw It All" is the 2nd studio album of Rockfour. The album characterized with 60's style psychedelic sound. Although the tracks were pretty long and complicated, and part of them are instrumental, he was very successful producing hits like "The Man Who Saw It All" (Track 2) , "Time Machine" (T4) , "Hole In The Moon" (T3) and "Any Direction" (T5) and many people define it as the best israeli album ever. Isn't it a bit disturbing to say that, for an album who is just 12 years old? Rockfour like to play it 60's in "TMWSIA" in every aspect: from the non-conceptual instrumental tracks, the divided sound (Guitars on the left vehicle, vocals on the right - see track 02), to the sweet composings with background vocals and great harmonies. After the galloping open ("Suddenly"), Eli Lulai and his friends start to symbol the power of one of the best albums i've ever heard with "The Man Who Saw It All", "Hole In The Moon" (where Baruch Ben-Yitzhak defines a dirty guitar sound for generations to come), "Time Machine" (which can remind you of The Beatles' "For No One", in a way) and one of the best psychedelic tracks ever to be recorded in hebrew (if not the best of them) - "Any Direction". If i can be perfectly urnest, i believe that until track no. 8, "Late No Longer", Rockfour gives you - track by track - pure israeli classics. The album grows up with the listener, so that he can learn to love even the less communicative in it - for example, if in the beginning i couldn't stop hearing "The Man Who Saw It All" and "Time Machine", i began learning to love the complexity and the beauty of the storming guitars and electric bass of Baruch & Mark in "Sometimes", and i litterally fell on the floor when Eli started screaming and Iser before "It"'s chorus. I can't even switch tracks in this album, because Rockfour have created a musical journey, when every track builds the next track, and the album as a whole. This is not a concept album, but with the time the listener turns it to a concept album deep inside. So is the best israeli album ever a perfect song compliation? no. There are some tracks that steals this title from "TMWSIA". There are not bad tracks, or even medicore - but with the high standard that Rockfour puts here, even "good" tracks can interrupt the musical orgasm that Rockfour provides. You can mention "Late No Longer" and "Me, Myself And What Comes Between Us" (Track no. 09), are obstacles in this album's way to the top of the international music mountains. After Track 10, comes "Witness", which is really an exposition to one of the album's peaks - "End Of The Road". In "End" Rockfour proves they can be cynical, sharp & rageous and provides a full well-done rock anthem, with extra-ordinary drumming by Iser Tennenbaum, and mainly the singing by Eli Lulai, that will reach perfection in "Supermarket". The album ends with two instrumental tracks - "The Man Who Saw Too Much" and "Dust", that besides being a stage to Rockfour's talent, really contributes to the circle feeling that the album gives, like commands you to press play again and to re-experience the journey you have just witnessed to. So if the Rockfour-haters, the ones that define them as "A very good band, that didn't reached it's full potential" (since when a rock band became a 12 year old student?!) - "TMWSIA" is the israeli album i've most enjoyed listening to, and i recommend it very much, because it's one of the best things that can happen to your musical archive. Edited by avestin - November 05 2009 at 06:40 |
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avestin
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Joined: September 18 2005 Online Status: Offline Posts: 11708 |
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Posted: November 06 2009 at 12:12 |
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And again a blind pick from the psych bands list:
HEAVY WATER EXPERIMENTS Heavy Water Experiments biography HEAVY WATER EXPERIMENTS is a US based outfit that was formed in 2006, as a direct continuation of the band Imogene. The main man in this outfit is singer, songwriter and multi-intrumentalist David Melbye; and the second regular member is El Salvador born drummer and percussionist Roberto Salguero. The band's self-titled debut album was issued in 2008, containing vintage influenced psychedelic hard rock with a distinct mainstream tinge to it. Music hard to categorize, but well received by critics and listeneres alike. http://www.heavywaterexperiments.com/ http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/heavywaterex http://www.myspace.com/heavywaterexperiments |
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Plankowner
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Prog Metal Team Joined: April 09 2008 Location: Florida Online Status: Offline Posts: 3777 |
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Posted: November 07 2009 at 00:38 |
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Gaarleaf
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Joined: June 14 2006 Online Status: Offline Posts: 8 |
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Posted: November 07 2009 at 05:14 |
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Quite a good thread, some fine mentions. I'd like to contribute German Space Rockers; Golem. I've never really been interested in the overblown sounds of Hidria Spacefolk and similar contemporaries, but luuuv fuzzy psych jams, and this sh*t is drenched in layered synth/keys, grooving drums and bass, with some seriously awesome guitar, whilst still being totally easy to listen to, and sounding amazingly recent. Their only album, Orion Awakes, is out of print, I think, so would be practically impossible to find, but it's possible to acquire a copy off the internet - if one is so inclined.
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BaldFriede
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Joined: June 02 2005 Location: Germany Online Status: Offline Posts: 5193 |
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Posted: November 07 2009 at 06:36 |
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Try Psychedelic Monsterjam or Amon Guru for some more recent albums in that category. From the only Amon Guru album I edspecially like "Krakatau". Don't expect to find any melodies on that album; the musicians are clearly out to make noises on their various instruments. There is a lot of rhythm though, and the drums are excellent, as always when Mani Neumeier plays. These rhythms, combined with the noises made on the melody instruments, create a strange atmosphere. Definitely not an album for everyone; I like it a lot.
Psychedelic Monsterjam sound a lot like early Guru Guru, which is no wonder since with Ax Genrich and Mani Neumeier there are two thirds of the first Guru Guru line-up aboard; only the bass player is different. If you like early Guru Guru, then Psychedelic Monsterjam will be right up your alley. It will be quite difficult to get access to the albums of Psychedelic Monsterjam though since they came out in limited editions only. |
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My three favourite drummers of prog. |
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Gaarleaf
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Joined: June 14 2006 Online Status: Offline Posts: 8 |
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Posted: November 07 2009 at 09:02 |
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I was about to berate your casualness in recommending listening to Psychedelic Monsterjam, until I read the last sentence, as I have yet been able track it down.
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Dominic
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Joined: January 02 2008 Location: Liberation Land Online Status: Offline Posts: 528 |
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Posted: November 08 2009 at 19:46 |
Holy Smokes, i've been checking out this thread from time to time, (most of the bands suggested so far, i've already head) but damn, these guys are excellent. Thanks for yet another great recommendation Assaf; also, thanks for your reviews John, (sinkadotentree) it seems that we tend to have similar taste  Well, it seems that pretty much all the obscure Space Rock bands that i can think of have already been mentioned, but i believe that you fellas might have not heard of Terraformation: http://www.myspace.com/1terraformation check out "Antartican" (amazing) One of the members is the guitarist of "Calle Debauche". (Mohadev) I actually dled their Self-Titled album (there's a link to a free dl on their myspace) and i've been mesmerized by it all day. http://bendegain.com/fr_sounds.cfm I could only describe it as a mix between Tortoise (percussion) and I.E.M. by Steve Wilson (guitar). Edited by Dominic - November 08 2009 at 19:48 |
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avestin
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Joined: September 18 2005 Online Status: Offline Posts: 11708 |
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Posted: November 11 2009 at 19:22 |
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Thank you all above for your suggestions and recommendations.
Hope more people chime in with their favourite psychedelic albums. I'll post more when time permits. |
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