The Sonic Sofa Podcast: Black Mountain, Elepharmers, and Crypt Trip

Posted on March 26, 2019 by thesonicsofa

Podcast Transcript: I’m The Purlenaut and you’ve landed on the Sonic Sofa, your home for stoner rock reviews and podcasts. This month, we’re checking out music by Black Mountain, Elepharmers and Crypt Trip. Become one with the Sofa, and prepare for blast off.

First on the show is Black Mountain, a psychedelic band from Vancouver, BC. They recently announced their fifth album, “Destroyer,” which will be released on May 24, via
Jagjaguwar Records. Along with that, the band also released the heavy single, Future Shade, a riffy step up from some of their earlier work. It opens with huge sounding drums and dual guitars, and later is joined by synths along with Stephen McBean’s and Amber Webber’s distinct vocal harmonies. Some highlights are the Impressive keyboard and guitar leads and a tasty, Bonham-esque drum fill. Here’s Future Shade by Black Mountain.

Elepharmers is an Italian stoner-rock trio, and there are many reasons to listen to their new album, Lords of Galaxia. First of all, the album is based on the writings of Isaac Asimov, prolific science fiction author of The Foundation series, and Zechariah Sitchin, a writer who promoted an alternative alien history in The 12th Planet. The result is an album about of ancient alien gods, megalithic structures, catastrophes on a biblical scale, and intergalactic space travel. Second of all, the album is HEAVY, with huge riffs, crashing cymbals, spacey sound effects, and interplanetary lyrics. The song we’re featuring is the final track, Stars Like Dust. It begins with arpeggiated guitars that come to us like a signal from deep space. Possibly the heaviest track on the album, it also features some of the most creative drumming on the album. Fans of Sleep will appreciate the monolithically heavy doom riffs at the 3:00 mark. Here’s Stars Like Dust, by Elepharmers.

Based in San Marcos, Texas, Crypt Trip is a psychedelic hard-rock trio, bent on creating authentic, retro sounding rock that reaches to the 1970’s for its influence. The band produces a hard rocking sound and adds in their unique touch of southern and country vibes, all tinged in psychedelia. Their new record, Haze Country, was released on March 8, 2019 by Heavy Psych Sounds. The album is an eclectic mixture of sounds and themes that may remind listeners of early Rush, Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, or The Allman Brothers Band, but it is done with appreciation of their style, not in an attempt to mimic what made them unique. The addition of tasteful pedal steel parts, provided by Geoff Queen, is a great touch. The band recorded with analog equipment, giving the record a warm classic rock sound. Complete with motorcycles and a 70’s motif, even the album art is retro, channeling some Easy Rider/James Gang energy. The song we’re featuring is Gotta Get Away, a hard-hitting rocker, as well as a vehicle to a killer drum solo done in the tradition of greats like Bonham’s Moby Dick or Bill Ward’s Rat Salad. Here’s Gotta Get Away, by Crypt Trip.

Thanks for listening to the Sonic Sofa podcast. Check out the Sonic Sofa on mixcloud.com/purlenaut. Please support the bands by buying their music. If you have music or an artist that you think should be featured on the blog or podcast, contact The Purlenaut at thesonicsofashow@gmail.com. Go in peace and rock on, Sofanauts.

Heavy-psych band Crypt Trip release music video and new album, Haze Country

Posted on March 22, 2019 by thesonicsofa

Haze Country was released March 8, on Heavy Psych Sounds

Their new record, Haze Country, was released on March 8, 2019 by Heavy Psych Sounds and is a follow up to their January, 2018 album, Rootstock. The album is an eclectic mixture of sounds and themes that may remind listeners of early Rush, Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, or The Allman Brothers Band, but it is done with appreciation of their style, not in an attempt to mimic what made them unique. The addition of tasteful pedal steel parts, provided by Geoff Queen, is a great touch. The band recorded with analog equipment, giving the record a warm classic rock sound. Complete with motorcycles and a 70’s motif, even the album art is retro, channeling some Easy Rider/James Gang energy. Buy the vinyl or digital album through Heavy Psych Sounds Records.

The first half of the album is high energy and fast paced. The first song, Forward, sets the tone with a driving rhythm section and tasteful use of steel guitar. Hard Times picks up the pace progressively, with riffy transitions, melodic vocals, and existential lyrics. Tightly tuned drums and the shimmering cymbals sound great and the reverb on the guitars is paired with the thick, harmonizing bass. Don’t miss the gong in the intro. The high energy continues as To Be Whole opens with an epic, fast paced intro and features poetic vocals that ponder love and existence, while the band provides plenty of jazzy jams. The next track, Death After Life, explores esoteric themes such as life and death with a distinct heavy blues sound. Some outstanding parts of the song are the harmonized guitar leads, heavy use of wah pedals, hand percussion, and great sounding bass. Wrapping up the first half, Free Rain is a heavy, blues-structured song with an interlude featuring harmonized vocals.

For the second half, things slow down and allow the album to breathe. The pedal steel returns on Wordshot, and the band explores some lower key sounds, with great use of phasers and harmonic layers throughout. 16 Ounce Blues is a country-tinged ode to motorcycles as well as a lament against the law. Pastures is a short, dreamy, acoustic instrumental, that slows things way down right before Gotta Get Away closes out the album in dramatic fashion. Gotta Get Away is a hard-hitting rocker, as well as a vehicle to a killer drum solo done in the tradition of greats like Bonham’s Moby Dick or Bill Ward’s Rat Salad. The music video that accompanies the song features a groovy vintage feel. Don’t miss the video, the album, or the band’s upcoming tour dates.

Mar 29 Villa K – Bludenz, Austria

Mar 30 Coq D’or – Olten, Switzerland

Apr 01 Café Trauma – Marburg, Germany

Apr 05 Cafe Tikolor – Erfurt, Germany

Apr 06 Gaststätte Eichenkranz – Dresden, Germany

Apr 11 Roadburn Festival – Tilburg, Netherlands

May 16 Monolith On The Mesa – Taos, NM

Elepharmers Unveil Ancient Sci-fi Narrative in “Lords of Galaxia”

Posted on March 18, 2019 by thesonicsofa

“Lords of Galaxia” was released by Electric Valley Records

There are many reasons to listen to “Lords of Galaxia,” the new album by Italian stoner-rock trio, Elepharmers. First of all, the album is based on the writings of Isaac Asimov, prolific science fiction author of The Foundation series, and Zechariah Sitchin, a writer who promoted an alternative alien history in The 12th Planet. The result is an album about of ancient alien gods, megalithic structures, catastrophes on a biblical scale, and intergalactic space travel. Second of all, the album is HEAVY, with huge riffs, crashing cymbals, spacey sound effects, and interplanetary lyrics. It was released on February 28th and is a polished and consistent follow-up to 2016’s Erebus. It features trippy artwork by INKline, portraying an alien-like god as well as ancient UFOs. You can buy the digital album or vinyl on Bandcamp.

“melodic and mysterious”

Ancient Astronauts opens with synths that sound like a revolving UFO with engines engaged, setting the stage not only for the song, but the entire album. The song also introduces the Scribe who, with many spoken-word parts throughout the album, explains how he was chosen to document the words of a dark god upon tablets, a hint towards Sitchin’s alternative history. Heavy riffs immediately kick in and lyrics all about fiery chariots and space travel commence. The vocals are melodic and mysterious, with a unique, echoing sound, fitting of an Ancient Sumerian scribe giving voice to alien gods.

The sounds of the synth UFO again open the next track, and the band explores some tight transitions and subtle spacey textures on Ziqqurat. This track features a slower groove, highlighting some of the softer sides of the band, with a whining guitar solo and more words from the Scribe, speaking of how the land is smitten and godless, setting things up nicely for the serious cleansing in the next song. The track finishes strong with some tasty double guitars, harmonizing in stereo.

“huge sounding drums”

With a softer approach, the Flood comes in with clean, heavily delayed guitars that have a watery effect. The lyrics speak of the Garden of Eden and destruction of giants. Middle-Eastern sounding leads carry the song into its heaviest part. Notable lyrics towards the end begin a haunting appeal to “save us from the water.” The heavy cymbals begin to sound like flood waters crashing down, and the song ends with a subtle acoustic guitar, amidst the sound of a Black Sabbath-esque thunderstorm.

Foundation opens with a fast paced beat and some tasty delay effects on the guitars, and then immediately kicks in to a heavy riff. The lyrics speak of civilization starting anew. Later in the song, the band changes things up with a heavy breakdown, accompanied by some spacey sound effects, before cutting the song off at the 5:38 mark, making it the shortest on the album. Fans of Spaceslug will appreciate the grungy, spacey vibe.

The second shortest song at just over six minutes, The Mule (a reference to one of Asimov’s characters) opens once again with the Scribe before launching into a heavy driving riff. The highlight of the song is at the halfway point, when the band introduces a cool transition, exploring a 7/4 time riff that alternates with the original 4/4 meter, giving the track a tight, progressive feel.

“monolithically heavy doom riffs”

The final track is Stars Like Dust, the longest, clocking in at 10:19. It begins with arpeggiated guitars that come to us like a signal from deep space. Possibly the heaviest track on the album, it also features some of the most creative drumming on the album.
Fans of Sleep will appreciate the monolithically heavy doom riffs at the 3:00 mark.

Lords of Galaxia highlights the band’s bands consistency, maturity, and ability to create riffs and music as massive and elephantine as their subject matter. Aliens, gods, and sci-fi terror makes for some dark subject matter, but the band approaches it in a fun, almost tongue-in-cheek way that makes it sound approachable and seriously awesome. Do the bidding of the ancient gods and check out their new album today.