POSTS TAGGED : psychedelia

Caoilfhionn Rose – ‘Awaken’

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Caoilfhionn Rose is a singer, songwriter and producer from Manchester.

Drawing from a deep well of folk, psychedelia and subtle electronica influences, ranging from The Mummers, to Rachel Sermanni, Melody’s Echo Chamber and Broadcast, she produces her own unique brand of beautiful, expansive, fragile and experimental psych-folk; something born out across her exquisite 13-track debut album Awaken, released back in October. As an introduction to both Rose and the LP, album opener and title-track ‘Awaken’ is perfect.

‘Awaken’ is a languid psych-folk daydreamer that whisks us away on a dreamy meditative journey. Swirling layers of vocal harmony gently unfurl an essence of pastoral warmth, as it meanders along a blissful groove and swirling, rhythmic psychedelia, and splashes of electronics complete the mesmeric backdrop for Rose’s bewitching atmospheric tones to entrance the listener completely. An elegant, awe-inspiring and charming blend of shimmering pastoral psych-folk – A hazy, soothing and altogether wonderful song.

Listen to ‘Awaken’ below and the album is just as beautiful an affair – listen to it here.

Introducing: Lennard Rubra

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Lennard Rubra, is a multi-instrumentalist from Riccione, Italy whose proto punk sound is inspired by a youthful fascination is ’60s Brazilian folk music, The Smiths and John Cage.

In May of this year, Rubra released two EPs, Pleonasmi and Escapismo Primaverile, both self-produced, recorded and mixed at home – and both are treasure troves of spellbinding sounds.

‘L’archetipo di Artemide’ offers a perfect introduction to what Rubra is all about. Opening with a wash of dreamy-pop amid a melodic mist before haring off at a frantic pace; jerky, angular art-rock riffs dance with a relentless, inescapable Krautrock indebted rhythm as the hypnotic swirl of guitars, hazy atmospherics drone of psychedelia closes in. A hypnotic and captivating track, of epic proportions. ‘Paracusie’ is less of a freewheeling juggernaut as it tiptoes its way through an elegant and dreamy world of escapism, drifting with a weightlessness punctured only by bouts of stabby, jerky guitar work. A warm brew of beautifully hewn layer upon layer of shimmering guitars and spacey atmospherics. ‘Aquafan’ meanwhile falls somewhere between the previous two, blending a hypnotic escapism with mellow undulating vibes while it purrs with a flair for psych-pop and the bite provided by a rough-and-ready DIY approach to indie meets post-punk.

Sang in Italian, Rubra’s output offers a magical escape to a world of drifting dreamy atmospherics with exuberant proto-punk tones and free flowing experimental excursions thrown in for good measure.

Tune into some choice cuts below and if they are to you liking, you can find much more of the same here.

Introducing: Hollow Everdaze

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Looking from the outside at least, it certainly seems like it is a great time for guitar bands in Australia, and Western Victoria’s Hollow Everdaze are as good as any.

The five piece’s brand of psych-pop is simultaneously retro and current, blending the hooks of ’60s surf with orchestral arrangement and some electronic experimentation – something fully realised on their much-awaited debut LP Cartoons, which came out in June. The LP’s title-track captures their brilliance in just shy of five-minutes of psych splendour. ‘Cartoons’ opens like a joyous and infectious psych-tinged trip to the clouds. It floats along a dreamy path of shimmering guitar licks, hazy synth, which make way for a melodic blend of buoyant licks, sharp rhythms as the tune veers into new territory. There are hints of darkness lurking throughout but it is by the midway point that they come to the fore, enveloping all in its wake. ‘Catastrophe’ is all feelgood echo and reverb that swells, building an energy that demands your undivided attention. Such a cool, breezy vibe, and suitably summery.

Tune into ‘Cartoons’ & ‘Catastrophe’ below & while you’re at it, the album can be found here.

Introducing: Weird.

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Weird. is the solo project from Italian multi-instrumentalist Marco Barzetti, who has a rather incredible flair for blissed out hazy, atmospheric, shoegazing psychedelia.

The latest example of which is ‘Forever Floating Feels’; the brand new single from the Rome-based artist. As the title alludes to,’Forever Floating Feels’ is a stop gap between albums – Barzetti have already released debut album Desert Love For Lonely Graves and 2015 follow up A Long Period of Blindness – with a new one expected later in 2017. ‘Forever Floating Feels’ is a slowly melting song that fuses a languid groove with burning guitars, with whispered, semi-audible vocals, straining to be heard amid a undulating sea of shoegazing reverb and fuzz and melodious haze of dreampop. An absorbing and unforgettable, nebulous yet intoxicating four minutes of shoegazing psychedelia, that radiates a nostalgic nineties pre-britpop aura.

‘Forever Floating Feels’ is out now but also takes its place alongside other Italian indie talent in the Lady Sometimes Records compilation tape, C16 • Pure Italian Gems, available to download via Bandcamp, just ‘name your price’. Take a listen below.

The Orange Kyte – ‘Just Like Leningrad’

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Vancouver’s The Orange Kyte is on the cusp of completing a mammoth quest, releasing a single-a-month throughout the year.

Centred around Vancouver-based, Dublin-raised Stevie Moonboots and a revolving cast of friends and collaborators, The Orange Kyte has shared ‘Just Like Leningrad’; the penultimate single in 2016’s single-a-month series. A sprawling five-minutes of spiralling, shape-shifting psych-rock, the droning organ takes centre stage alongside Moonboots’ irresistible vocals as a heady sonic brew of oscillating guitars, throbbing bassline, fevered percussive assault and blistering brass is unleashed to devastating effect. We’ve been treated to some fine music already but this is up there with the very best. The Orange Kyte, the songs and the project has been most enjoyable throughout 2016, but keeping up this level of output in 2017 is probably asking a bit much, eh? Hopefully there is still more to come from The Orange Kyte.

Well, there is one more single before the year is out but for now, why not gift your years the joys of ‘Just Like Leningrad’. And also, The Orange Kyte has announced some Irish shows for December, check them after the jump.

The Orange Kyte: Irish Dates

Dec 28th: The Grand Social, Dublin
Dec 29th: The Kino, Cork
Dec 30th: Sandino’s, Derry

The Orange Kyte – ‘The Lone Rooster’

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If you’ve been keeping tabs on Vancouver’s The Orange Kyte throughout 2016, then you’ve been treated to some fine music already.

Revolving around Vancouver-based, Dublin-raised Stevie Moonboots (House of Dolls & The Subterranean Satellite Band), experimental music project The Orange Kyte began in January with an admirable manifesto to release a single a month, throughout the year. July’s instalment is ‘The Lone Rooster’ and joining Stevie Moonboots on guitar and synth duties is Robbie Brady of Exploding Eyes (formerly of the mighty, mighty, Dublin band The Things). A track of summery, shimmering psychedelic blissfulness, ‘The Lone Rooster’ is adorned with a bright alluring sheen, filled with an effervescent rush and a general air of coolness. It is yet another intoxicating piece of psych-tinged indie brilliance, something we’re becoming accustomed to as throughout 2016,  The Orange Kyte has proven to be the gift that keeps on giving.

You can get your hands on ‘The Lone Rooster’ here. Or, conversely, check it below.

Farewell Vancouver: Vancouver Connection Playlist

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After a couple of extremely fun years, my time in Canada is drawing to a close. As well as taking away no end of fond memories from Canada’s west coast, there is also a long, long list of local musical discoveries.

So, with that in mind and the impending return to Ireland, I decided to create a playlist of some of my very favourite artists/musical discoveries from Vancouver (and the surrounding areas). If nothing else, it will offer a taste of what this part of the world has to offer musically. Included among the 66 strong list are regulars on the blog and podcast, the likes of Kinship, Mesa Luna, Avid Walker, Bousada, The Orange Kyte, Supermoon, Soft Serve, Danny Diggs, Faith Healer, Project Pablo and more. Hopefully you enjoy the tunes as much as I do and it keeps you ticking over till the returns to normal service, once everything is settled after the move.

On that note, I shall leave you with the finest music BC has to offer.

Foreign/National – ‘Always Blue’

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Melbourne five piece Foreign/National added a certain sparkle to our lives with their marvellously lush and sun-soaked single ‘Life Tourist’, toward the back-end of summer last year.

The Melbourne five piece repeat the trick with another shimmering, fuzz filled psych rock gem that is ‘Always Blue’. It’s colourful, sun-soaked and irresistibility joyous, ‘Always Blue’ offers a glimpse into a tropical psych dream world where reverb soaked vocals, distorted guitar and all manner of fizzing psychedelic sounds combine to form a hazily dreamy and warm distorted pop song. There are certain similarities with Foreign/National and compatriots Tame Impala and Washed Out and Unknown Mortal Orchestra too – not bad company to be in mind. Expecting quite a lot from these lot in the future.

‘Always Blue’ is one half of a two-track EP that’s set for release in the not-too-distant future. Eyes peeled please. For now you check out ‘Always Blue’ below.

Hippies Vs Ghosts – ‘Wazo’

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Can you really have too much of a good thing? Well not in the case of Hippies Vs Ghosts, the side project from We Are Animal guitarist & vocalist, Owain Ginsberg, the gift that just keeps giving!

Since blasting on to the scene some 18 months ago, under this particular guise, Ginsberg has regularly blown us away with his kaleidoscopic, instrumental Morricone meets krautrock sound. During which time he’s already served up a number of quality EPs, one off tracks and a stunning debut album, Mother Tongue (one of 2014’s finest). In a parting gesture to a rather productive 2014, Hippies Vs Ghosts are signing off with a brand new 7″ single ‘Wazo’, out via Too Pure Records. ‘Wazo’ captures the very essence of Hippies Vs Ghosts; krautrock indebted psychedelia, of epic proportions. Propelled onward by a chugging bass and persistent percussives, it hurtles along at breakneck speed with menacing intent, bending and contorting through a sea of swirling noise and scorching riffs. Urgent, catchy, and oh so irresistible! It’s b-side companion, ‘Hibou Calling’ is a much more tempered affair. A gentle acoustic strum, soft percussion and hushed repeated vocals fuse with some floaty sonic sounding atmospherics to soothe the soul and whisk ones mind away to a lofty transcendental plain. Truly exceptional once again from Mr. Ginsberg.

You can listen to ‘Wazo’ & ‘Hibou Calling’ below. ‘Wazo’ will be released on 7″ through Too Pure Records & limited to 500 hundred pressings – although there’s no confirmed date for the release yet.