Archive for January, 2012

Album of the day: Hills – Master Sleeps

Posted on Tuesday, January 31st, 2012

Praise for Hills‘Master Sleep from San Francisco’s aQuarius Records: We imagine the master sleeps soundly, if THIS is the music loudly vibrating in his dreams! He may never wish to wake up. Here’s the 2nd album from (to be sibilantly alliterative) this spacey Swedish psych band, the first we’ve listed – though if this proves as popular as we think it really should, we’ll try to get more of their self-titled 2009 debut to review as well.

Plain old Hills are not to be confused with WHITE Hills, though they almost could be – their brand of mantric, mesmeric, FX laden, krautrocking groove is definitely in the same druggy realm as White Hills, and that of other AQ faves like Circle, Salvatore, and especially Wooden Shjips. No doubt they all share many of the same influences, from Can and other krautrock to Hawkwind to Spacemen 3. So if that sort of stuff is your bag, Hills comes highly recommended!

While mainly instrumental, there’s more singing here than on the debut, but the echo-effected vocals are just another part of the throbbing wash of sound, riding waves of heavily phased guitar, motorik drums, and insistent organ (that specifically reminds us a bit of Circle relatives Itavayla).

While we KNOW we’re always saying stuff is repetitively hypnotic, Hills really do it to perfection, locking into to inescapable, all-encompassing grooves you never want to end. They also delve into instrumental electric, folky passages with melodies that perhaps draw upon their native Nordic traditional tunes, a la Kebnekajse back in the ’70s, though they can sound somewhat Eastern-inflected as well. And final track ‘Death Shall Come’ is a spaced out droning ritual, getting into OM territory there…

We’d love to see these guys (and gal) play live, do a US tour soon please please please! In the meantime, this disc will be in heavy rotation ’round here, and should be required listening for anyone into SF’s Wooden Shjips for sure.

At 40 years old, Aquarius is the oldest independent record store in San Francisco. We try to only carry music we love, and we’re always searching for more new, cool, weird and wonderful music. All of which we then share with you, our loyal customers.

Tags: Aquarius Records, Hills, Krautrock, Master Sleeps, psychedelica, Transubstans Records
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Nachtmystium: European Tour Announced

Posted on Tuesday, January 31st, 2012

Mythology are excited to announce Blake Judd’s US Black Metal outfit Nachtmystium will be headlining Europe – April 2012. These confirmed dates come following previous announcements that Nachtmystium will be playing their landmark USBM album Instinct: Decay in its entirety at Roadburn Festival 2012, with a straight up performance at ...read more

Ufomammut’s Oro Opus Primum: More Details Revealed

Posted on Tuesday, January 31st, 2012

Already known for their attention to detail with each release, including incredibly detailed and quality artwork and packaging, as expansive and layered as every obliterating Ufomammut release is musically, this time they take it one notch higher and have completed a massive two-part album, set for release months apart. Now ...read more