The Black Angels (2017) -Death Song

Artist: The Black Angels

Albums: Death Song

Release date:  2017

Quality:  mp3 CBR 320

Size:   112 MB

"In some ways, Death Song is a return to basics: The reverb-shrouded blues riffs of guitarist Christian Bland, frontman Alex Maas’s effects-treated tribal wail and Stephanie Bailey’s thundering drums. In other ways, it’s their most truly progressive work yet, characterized by bold, complex, even labyrinthine compositions. It’s inspired by ‘60s psychedelia but without glancing backward too much." - full review  @  Paste

The Black Angels (2014) -Clear Lake Forest [EP]

Artist:  The Black Angels

Albums: Clear Lake Forest [EP]  ‎

Released:  2014

Quality: mp3 CBR 320

Size: 64 MB

"After taking us through a journey to the acid-drenched Indigo Meadow in 2013, The Black Angels have set April 19th (Record Store Day) as the departure date for fans to travel to the Clear Lake Forest. Just in time to play their new tunes for the Angels’ own Psych Fest, the Austin psych revivalists have cut six new tracks of warbly, roaming rock ‘n’ roll.

It doesn’t take long for listeners to figure out if they’re fans of The Black Angels. Within a song or two, the Angels have laid clear their mission of kaleidoscopic Texas psych. You can turn up, tune in and drop out, or get the fuck off the voyage. On Clear Lake Forest, The Black Angels moved towards beats rooted in hip-hop. The result is a different kind of psych rock, digging in on the hi-hat opposed to riding the cymbal. With tonal organ textures, fuzzed-out guitar and Alex Maas’ washed out yelps, its signaturely Black Angelic, and thankfully so."© Matthew Stieb @ San Antonio Current

The Cult Of Dom Keller (2014) -The Second Bardo

Artist:  The Cult of Dom Keller

Albums: The Second Bardo  ‎

Released:  2014

Quality: mp3 VBR

Size: 94 MB

"Cult of Dom Keller sound like they’ve fallen from the back of Ken Kesey’s legendary LSD loaded magic bus, down ‘n’ dirty slabs of fried freak beat are sumptuously decoded within a swamp infested heavy beatnik chassis, part acid laced shade wearing psyche and part heavy stoner goo, a wasted baby laced with hazy 60′s sourced keys and looping gridlocked riffs of mind expanding proportions".

© a giant leap

Various Artists (2014) -A Psych Tribute To The Doors

Artist:  various

Albums: A Psych Tribute To The Doors  ‎

Released:  2014

Quality: mp3 CBR 320

Size: 137 MB

"I have to admit that at first I was a little skeptical when I heard about “A Psych Tribute to The Doors.” It seemed like it could have been all concept, but the execution might have fallen short. After listening to the whole CD I can say this is a tribute album that actually pays tribute to the band they’re covering.

I’ve never heard of any of the bands on the CD before, but each one has a completely different take on The Doors song they chose. They picked songs from throughout The Doors career and not just their psychedelic songs. Each band takes the songs to places The Doors might never have contemplated. The bands also exercise a lot of creativity and originality without ever completely abandoning The Doors road. There are signposts and markers for fans along the way, while each cover is quite different from The Doors original while still paying tribute to it.

Some of the standouts for me were Elephant Stone opening the CD, ripping into “L.A. Woman” with a trippy, sitar influenced cover, Camera with a completely instrumental version of “People Are Strange,“ Sons of Hippies followed the lead of The Doors and layered “The Soft Parade” creating an aural texture quite unique and different from The Doors, Wall of Death accentuating the anthemic in “Light My Fire” to heights The Doors never took it to but which legend and rock ‘n’ roll history have taken it. The Raveonettes cover of “The End” that is totally unexpected and could make the song a top 40 hit.

I didn’t find one of the songs boring or an uninteresting experiment. If you want to take a chance that isn’t really taking a chance, get “A Psych Tribute to The Doors” I don’t think you’ll be disappointed with the original and creative take on The Doors. “A Psych Tribute to The Doors” comes in both CD and on vinyl. You can get it at Amazon or at Cleopatra Records.".

© examiner.com

TRACK OF THE DAY - Cosmic Trip Machine

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Fuzz Manta (2013) -The Stonewolf

Artist:  Fuzz Manta

Albums: The Stonewolf

Released:  2013

Quality: mp3 CBR 320

Size: 145 MB

”It is an understatement that the new album from Danish band Fuzz Manta is captivating! After several listenings after “The Stonewolf” I can only congratulate the quartet have matured and knew refine his compositions that combine sounds big heavy rock, psychedelic atmo-spheres and especially beautiful vintage flights truly original. I think the group has reached a new milestone with this fourth LP since their last album “Vortex Memplex” including the production of its centerpiece: the title – “The Stonewolf”, a piece of more than 34 minutes agglomerates several subsets to prog / retro rock / heavy psych and kraut in a cheerful tone swarming maelstrom of creativity and groove. There is also all boosted energy on tracks like “My Baby in Vain” or “Mind Reader” on which the riffs and the voice of Freddy Lene still do wonders. Highly recommended!”  -  (c)

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The Sufis - two albums

 

Artist:  The Sufis

Albums: The Sufis / Inventions

Release date:  2012 / 2013

Quality:  mp3 CBR 320

Size:  120 MB

“Imagine you have just popped round to mum and dad’s to help them clear some stuff from the attic. You stumble across a very old looking cardboard box marked; ‘dads trip kit’ and you have a peek inside. You find he has a bag of questionable looking vitamins, a strange picture book, a marathon bar (to keep the party going) and a record called the Sufis.

 This may puzzle you considering this album is not out until June 2012, but that’s where it was born in the past. It’s a brilliant album that needs to be praised all over."

READ FULL REVIEW

  

King Khan & the Shrines (2013) -Idle No More

Artist:  King Khan & the Shrines 
Albums:  Idle No More
Release date: 2013
Quality: mp3 CBR 320
Size: 94 MB  

“Six years in the making since the release of the band’s last album What Is?!, Idle No More is full of sweat-drenched, ass-shaking, groovy, psyched-out numbers complete with rip-roaring horn lines, southern-fried guitar riffs, and lysergic melodies. Imagine Roky Erickson backed by the Sun Ra Arkestra or Wilson Pickett and The Velvet Underground, or picture the love child of Anubis and Kali. King Khan & The Shrines are more than a psychedelic soul band with a spectacle of a stage show—they are a cult musical phenomenon and simply one of the most entertaining groups the world has seen and heard since the days of Ike & Tina.”  ©

Ghost Box Orchestra (2013) -Vanished

Artist: Ghost Box Orchestra

Albums: Vanished

Release date:  2013

Quality:  mp3 CBR 320  

Size:  134 MB

“… Vanished is ostensibly a psych record, as much as TOLO is, but both have a more artful approach that makes them as progressive in that field as it does hard-hitting and elevating. Some of Vanished veers into more outright space rock–the hyperdrive screw of Into the Light a shining example–while keeping a backbone of rhythm that runs right through the heart of Vanished. A tribal, marching thump encouraged by mostly wordless vocals/chants infuses Vanished with a mystical, sweeping vibe that borders on exotic and gives the album an epic feel. It’s a big record … packed and solid, but GBO have enough twisty dynamics and detours that come in and out–some forcefully, others that shimmer and snake in–that there’s plenty of room to breathe.” READ FULL REVIEW by mr. atavist

TRACK OF THE DAY - Los Destellos

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Verma (2013) -Coltan

Artist:  Verma
Albums:  Coltan
Release date: 2013
Quality: mp3 CBR 320
Size: 93 MB  

“‘Coltan’ (short for Columbite-Tantalite) is a dull, black, metallic ore used in the manufacture of tantalum capacitors, which you’ll nd in just about EVERY electronic device & the mining of which has caused a “resource curse” in The Congo. “Coltan” perfectly captures the intensity & desperation of the situation in the four extended improvisations, which take the listener on a hazy, sun-baked journey from the mellow shadows of opening track ‘Tantalite’ all the way to the synth-drenched buzz of closer ‘Wolframite’. “Coltan” veers slightly from Verma’s previous efforts, the band’s motorik krautrock drive has been tamed in favour of more atmospheric & abstract soundscapes.”© Trouble In Mind

Wall Of Death (2013) -Main Obsession

Artist:  Wall Of Death
Albums:  Main Obsession
Release date: 2013
Quality: mp3 CBR 320
Size: 120 MB

”At long last, Parisian trio Wall of Death will release their debut LP Main Obsession on June 11th, Main Obsession was produced and mastered by Brett Orrison, and featuring guest spots from The Black Angels' Christian Bland and Alex Maas. The band just finished a North American tour with The Black Angels, which kicked off with a performance at Austin Psych Fest 2013. With roots extending from America to old-world European culture, Wall of Death creates a sound that is powerful, heavy, haunting and visionary." @ soundcloud.com

Vibravoid (2013) -Delirio Dei Sensi

Artist:  Vibravoid
Album:  Delirio Dei Sensi
Release date: 2013
Quality: mp3 CBR 320
Size: 140 MB  

“Vibravoid is one of those bands that give off a quite distinct vibe when listening to them. Throughout their latest album “Delirio Dei Sensi” I caught the vibe of a band trying to embrace the vast heritage of prog-rock and psychedelia while trying to compress it into the form of yet another studio album. While both being spaced out and incredibly focused, Vibravoid is one of those bands that I can’t quite decide where to put in my little categorization boxes – and 
as such, let’s just stick to the tunes they produce as they are of far greater importance here. Let’s start with the slightly quirky opening track that is a rendition of Serge Gainsbourg’s “Poupée De Cire”. The track is mainly driven by the organ/synth sounds and the hazy slightly stoned-sounding vocals. This upbeat track greatly reminds me of the Danish folk-psych band Elevatorfører because of the similarly upbeat and ‘happy-go-lucky’ approach to the psyche genre. As the album progresses, so does the runtime of the tracks as we reach the longest running track “The Golden Escalator” which clocks in at just about 13 minutes. This psychedelic journey, dominated by tremolo guitar, ping-ponging echoes, what seems to be a sitar and a vast array of other psychedelic musical textures, is like a small journey through an eastern part of your minds darkest depths. The journey is long and confusing, but in the end you feel satisfied and, well, mentally exhausted. But the journey doesn’t end there as the album once again picks up the pace for the last tracks of the album. The eastern influence continues on “Nearby Shiras” which rings with a familiar sound as the quiet whispers echo through my speakers to the sound of drumming and sounds vastly reminiscent to Pink Floyd’s “Set The Controls Heart For The Heart Of The Sun”. As the track evolves into an organ based jam filled with the banging of gongs and echoing sounds I am once again being reminded of the similarities between this track and the early 70’s version of Pink Floyd, prior to the Dark Side of the Moon. – Which really isn’t a bad thing; to be exact it’s actually just the kind of thing that I dig the most about albums like this. So, while Vibravoid actually never manages to reinvent music as we know it, they have created a masterful piece of progressive psych reminiscent of the greats in the genre, and I am happy about the fact that I actually took the time necessary to acquire this album. Vibravoid just got themselves a new fan, I can tell you that much.” ~ © BV @ ROCKFREAKS.NET

Jacco Gardner (2013) -Cabinet of Curiosities

Artist: Jacco Gardner

Albums: Cabinet of Curiosities

Release date:  2013

Quality: mp3 CBR 320

Size:  110 MB

”Jacco Gardner's debut album, Cabinet of Curiosities, is an impressive re-creation of late-'60s pop psych, especially coming from someone who's only in his mid-twenties. The Dutch studio wiz plays everything but the drums, and his music is full of harpsichords, organs, flutes, and Mellotron, taking in elements of the Left Banke, Sagittarius, the Zombies, and a thousand oddly named bands with at least one guy sporting a frilly mustache. The first track alone is like an encyclopedia entry for the sound -- "Clear the Air" is a frilly trifle with swooning Mellotrons, twinkling harpsichords, lyrics that take in ecological distress, war, and trippy dislocation, swirling background vocals, and minor-key melancholy. For extra psych points, Gardner uses the trick of singing in a deep, stilted voice in the chorus just like the Strawberry Alarm Clock might. The rest of the album follows suit with Gardner crafting pristine versions of gently pastoral psych that lend themselves to a healthy round of "spot the influence," but have enough of his own vision involved to turn out to be more than just pale imitations of a bygone era. The songs are more like Left Banke album tracks or cuts buried deep on a later volume of Rubble: they have the sound down perfectly and are mysteriously intriguing, but lack the hooks necessary to make the them stand out the way "Pretty Ballerina" or "She's Not There" do. That's a pretty tall order, though, and it's no mark of failure to say that Gardner isn't writing hits that will linger in brains and ring up sales. It's enough that he's made an album that sounds so good and authentically psych-like, and one that wraps the listener up in a warm embrace of misty melodies and cobwebbed arrangements. Play Cabinet of Curiosities back to back with a Nirvana (the paisley-clad U.K. version, of course) album and it will sound just right. That seems to be what Gardner is aiming for, and he succeeds. All he needs now is a mustache to go with the top hat he sports in the fuzzy photo that adorns the inside of the album." ~ by Tim Sendra @ allmusic.com

                                                                          

Various Artists (2007/2013) -MOJO Presents: Heavy Nuggets Vol. 1 & 2

Artist: various

Albums: MOJO presents: Heavy Nuggets Vol. 1 & Vol. 2

Release date:  2007 / 2013

Quality: mp3 CBR 320

Size:  155 / 175 MB

A great compilations of lost and well-known heavy psych bands from 60s-70s presented by MOJO Magazine. Enjoy!  

                                                                          

Various Artists (2005/2011) - Bosporous Bridges Vol.1 & 2

Artist: various

Albums: Bosporous Bridges Vol. 1 & Vol. 2 – A Wide Selection Of Turkish Jazz And Funk 1969-1978

Release date:  2005 / 2011

Quality: mp3 CBR 320 / VBR

Size:  99 /69 MB

”I don’t know all that much about Turkish jazz-funk music, but the good thing about an album like this is that you don’t really need to know the stories behind the (in this case proggy-soul) bands before they went a whole different direction, broke up, or descended into relative obscurity. The songs stand on their own without context. Or maybe the lack of context just makes the whole listening experience better, by casting that sense of mystery and myth that eludes some bands you already “know.” ~ read full review @ tinymixtapes

                                                                          

TRACK OF THE DAY - Guadalupe Plata

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The Growlers (2013) -Hung At Heart

Artist:  The Growlers

Albums: Hung At Heart

Release date:  2013

Quality: mp3 CBR 320

Size:  115 MB

”The phrase “burned out” has such bad connotations. When you consider the surfy, crunchy, entirely burned out party rock in the vein of The Growlers, that might just be something to aspire to. The So-Cal five-piece sound so comfortable being the stoned philosopher on Hung at Heart, hopping from party to party, delivering gems of lyrical wisdom in the midst of the thoroughly kicked out jams.

…Though much of the musical fun inherent in Hung at Heart comes easily, a few well-placed flourishes push out of complacency. The simplicity of loping bass and keyboard flutters on “One Million Lovers” battles with growing echo and outbursts of percussive ephemera. Falsetto backing vocals on “Pet Shop Eyes” complete the ’60s pop vibe, and the organ-heavy “It’s No Use” drifts occasionally into psychedelic red.

In every scenario, Nielsen delivers words of wisdom to the assembled onlookers without seeming to notice they’re looking. Whether they’re taking you to a rager at a beach house with the dance floor packed with revelers looking to hook up, or a crumbling studio apartment where a few scattered dudes settle in corners, The Growlers know how to deliver it precisely and then kick the scruff up a notch.”

~ read full review @ CoS

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The Black Angels (2013) -Indigo Meadow

Artist:  The Black Angels

Album: Indigo Meadow

Released:  2013

Quality: mp3 CBR 256

Size:  77 MB

”Now operating as a quartet, ‘Native American drone-roll’ pioneers from Austin, Texas, The Black Angels return with their fourth studio album Indigo Meadow, due for release Tuesday 2 April. The band who took their name from Velvet Underground’s hit ‘The Black Angel’s Death Song’, have been working on the album since January last year, and have triumphantly emerged with 13 psychedelically fuelled tracks…

…Being that the psychedelic era is well and truly over, one would think it would be difficult for a band of the 21st century to capture the spirit of the style, however, The Black Angels continue to quash such doubts; sharing their knowledge and respect for the genre with audiences of our time. Indigo Meadow is an engrossing piece of work from start to finish.”

  ~  read full review by Jazmine O’Sullivan

TRACK OF THE DAY - The Black Angels

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The Black Angels on ICE-10