Posts Tagged ‘Krautrock’

Album of the day: Pharaoh Overlord – Lunar Jetman

Posted on Sunday, February 5th, 2012

Lovingly pinched from The Inarguable: The Repetition is a difficult beast to wrangle. From the premier of Steve Reich’s Music for Eighteen Instruments, the new wave of post-modernity screamed “excessive minimalism” in praise of its stylistic progenitor. Of course, not many people could perfectly emulate Reich’s pulsing, shifting, harmonically dense style, opting for a more pure, hypnotic, unfortunately monotonous route of execution.

That isn’t to say the monotony is inherently bad, however, twenty-minute krautrock epics which never stray from one single bassline sort of peeves me, which is the exact problem I’ve had with the rest of Pharaoh Overlord‘s discography. These Finns, who share members with the critically acclaimed Circle, recorded some great ideas, but ‘Devastators” 9 minutes and 33 seconds of one singular classic heavy metal riff seemed a little off. I was a little apprehensive when approaching Pharaoh Overlord’s new record, named after the classic video game Lunar Jetman, though the inclusion of a seasoned member of Faust definitely piqued my interest.

I really am glad I gave this album a fair chance, as Lunar Jetman shows immense growth in the Pharaoh Overlord camp. Moving away from their “consistent, hypnotic repetition” route of execution, Lunar Jetman follows the example set forth by the Reich-ian school of thought. As layers of sound are stacked on top of the repetitive base, it begins to shift under the weight, and upper echelons follow suit as they begin to buckle under the sheer weight of sound above them.

Eventually, you arrive at an entirely different conclusion. This sort of transformation is always a treat, especially given the trance-inducing nature of the music (and perfectly embodied in the two-part ‘Cave of Hair’); you snap out of it and find yourself in different surroundings. Looking down, you’ll notice I imbued this album with the all-encompassing “krautrock” tag, but don’t expect your standard Neu! or Amon Duul (one or II, take your pick) thoroughfare

Continue reading: The Inarguable: Pharaoh Overlord – “Lunar Jetman” (2012) [SIGE/Ektro Records].

Tags: aaron turner, Album of the day, Ektro Records, Faith Coloccia, Krautrock, Lunar Jetman, Pharaoh Overlord, SIGE Records, The Inarguable
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Electric Orange Celebrating 20th Anniversary at Roadburn Afterburner; Lineup Complete

Posted on Wednesday, February 1st, 2012

Electric Orange has been confirmed for Roadburn‘s Afterburner event on Sunday, April 15th at the 013 venue in Tilburg, Holland.  The neo-krautrockers, who put in an extraordinary performance at the 2008 edition of Roadburn, return to celebrate their 20th anniversary with a special set. Over the years, Electric Orange have ...read more

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 ...read more

Album of the day: Ural Umbo – Delusion of Hope

Posted on Monday, January 9th, 2012

Lovingly pinched from Lurker: Like a spectral entity resurfacing from the murky depths of the Pacific Ocean to prey under a new form, Ural Umbo has sought to reinvent itself. By applying a heavier, coarser sound to their sparse, haunting melodies, Delusion of Hope creates a whole new experience that ...read more

Album of the day: Oranssi Pazuzu – Kosmonument

Posted on Saturday, December 17th, 2011

Lovingly pinched from Sputnikmusic: So, another chapter in the book of space metal is written. Oranssi Pazuzu is a young Finnish psychedelic black metal band whose world of lyrics and musical inspiration revolve largely around the vastness of space. At least, thats what they want us to Now the thing ...read more

White Hills: New Album Completed; Release Date Revealed

Posted on Thursday, December 1st, 2011

New York’s heavy space rock cosmonauts White Hills have completed their new album, Frying on this Rock, which will be released on March 20th, 2012 via Thrill Jockey. White Hills newest and most energized recording to date is bursting with raw energy packed into their most concise songs to date. Fear ...read more

Wooden Shjips: Live at WFMU on Brian Turner’s Show

Posted on Thursday, December 1st, 2011

Wooden Shjips performance on WFMU’s Brian Turner Show is now available for streaming and download below, courtesy of Freemusicarchive.org. “First visit to WFMU from the bliss-out psychedelic combo out of San Francisco. Motorik beats and dream-fuzz soundscapes evoking elements of Suicide, f/i, Spacemen 3 to float from your radio speakers. ...read more

Album of the day: Bardo Pond / Carlton Melton – Split EP

Posted on Friday, November 18th, 2011

Lovingly pinched from Soundblab: I missed a chance to see Bardo Pond live recently and I’ve got to say listening to ‘Fallen’, their side of this split release with fellow psychedelic troubadours Carlton Melton, doesn’t help. An incredible, sprawling, 20-minute monolith that reaches those deep down, psychedelic regions that Jefferson ...read more

Album of the day: Causa Sui – Pewt’r Sessions Vol 2

Posted on Saturday, November 12th, 2011

Praise for Causa Sui‘s Pewt’r Sessions Vol 2 from Norman Records UK: This is tripping my face right off. The first sold-out volume of Big Ron from Sunburned Hand of the Man’s psych jam excursions with Danish spacefacers Causa Sui caused much celebration in this sweaty hole of an office ...read more

Wooden Shjips: West Full Album Stream at Vpro 3voor12

Posted on Thursday, August 11th, 2011

Wooden Shjips’ West is currently streaming in its entirety at this location, courtesy of Vpro 3voor12, which is the leading cultural media network in the Netherlands. “Variously echoing the acid-drenched otherworldliness of 13th Floor Elevators (‘Lazy Bones’, ‘Looking Out’), the propulsive minimalism of NEU! (‘Black Smoke Rise’, ‘Crossing’) and the ...read more