Paradox Paradigm: The spacy new album by Space Druids

Posted on June 27, 2022 by thesonicsofa

*Paradox Paradigm was released on June 21, 2022*

Space Druids is a space rock band based in York, UK. The seven-piece group produces a progressive style of vintage-sounding psychedelic rock, dripping with layers of spacy FX, along with catchy and thought provoking sci-fi lyrics. The band released their first full-length, Paradox Paradigm, in June. Naming themselves the next Hawkwind, their retro-style will certainly appeal to their fans, as well as those of Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, and even Sabbath, whose track Paranoid they covered in a very spacy way in 2019.

The 38 minute, nine track album is a follow-up to the group’s 2020 EP, Weird Tide, which featured female vocals by Nadezhda Rinkus. This time around, vocal duties are taken up by Danny Faulkner. Stylistically, Faulkner provides beautiful melodies, catchy harmonies, and lyrics that you’ll find yourself singing along to or humming later, like Hawkwind with a dash of Jim Morrison. Faulkner channels and gives voice to spacy lyrics written by Oz Hardwick, perhaps the most qualified lyricist to appear on this site. Hardwick is a published poet, author, and professor of English at Leeds Trinity University. His space-worship wordsmithing adds layers to the album, delving deep into interstellar-travel fantasies and philosophy, notably on the songs Astronomy and Afraid of Space. He also provides doses of satire and humor, as on the musical version of his published poem, Our Brand New Bodies, which effectively combines the languages of the golden age of sci-fi and advertising. Listen for Hardwick on the spoken voice portions of the album.

“We are the wanderers, who travel through time”
– Paradox PAradigm

The album features energetic and driving songs which have a tendency to explore extended spacy interludes, marinated in juicy layers of FX, keyboards, and instruments. The seamless quality of the song breaks also makes the album interesting, with many of the songs crossfading into the next. The bass has a great classic rock tone, often taking the lead throughout the album like on tracks Light Speed and Mutation Machine. The crisp-sounding, typically driving drum beats provide a solid pulse, occasionally providing some tricky cymbal work like on Mutation Machine, or some jazzy progressions like on closer, Paradox Paradigm.

1. Light Speed 04:53
2. Zygote 05:16
3. Astronomy 01:07
4. Afraid of Space 03:47
5. Mutation Machine 05:11
6. Stainless Steel Butterfly 05:49
7. Our Brand New Bodies 01:54
8. Trans-dimensional Highway 05:01
9. Paradox Paradigm 04:31

On the top end, listen for some funky, progressive guitar riffs and spacy solos, like on Trans-Dimensional Highway. The guitar is always at hand, delivering infectious hooks and interesting accents, soaked in ethereal reverb and FX. A standout on the album is the saxophone, constantly providing trippy solos and spacy layers to the tracks, notably on opener, Light Speed, and Zygote, which also features some chill Pink Floyd vibes. Listen for some spectacularly spacy and psychedelic sax and violin work on Trans-dimensional Highway. Also keep an ear our for some appealing flute parts and acoustic guitar work on Paradox Paradigm, as well some tasty synths on Stainless Steel Butterfly.

The album is available for NAME YOUR PRICE on Bandcamp. Currently the album is only available for streaming and digital download, though a physical CD release seems like a real possibility. Check out the album and follow the group on social media.

Sageness delivers third full length, Tr3s

Posted on May 26, 2022 by thesonicsofa

Sageness is an instrumental psychedelic rock band from León, Spain. The power trio treats their music with an infusion of post-rock and shoegaze guitar work, and live recording in the studio gives them a fresh, raw sound. The group has just released their third album, the aptly titled Tr3s. It’s a mature, well-developed follow-up to 2019’s Akmé (Full review here) and their Self-titled album from 2017.

1. The Effect of Colours 9:45
2. Greenhouse 8:04
3. Spirit Machine 6:16
4. Event horizon 12:22

Tr3s is composed of four tracks, clocking in at 37 minutes. Throughout the album, muscular riffs and sensual guitar textures, infused with plenty of wah-pedal and shoe-gaze FX, are underscored by a crisp, clean bass sound, and solid drum patterns. Subtle, spacy synth sounds add to the atmosphere. The album is a further testament to Sageness’s skill as a well-rehearsed jam band. The long, creative arrangements at times remind me of Elder, in the vein of their instrumental album, The Gold & Silver Sessions, but with more of the muscle of Dead Roots Stirring. Whether you’re on a road trip or sonic tripping on the sofa, Tr3s is an ideal soundtrack. It’s got plenty of headbanging as well as spacy post-rock introspection.

You can find Sageness on Bandcamp. The digital album is available for download for $7. Tr3s is also on CD for $9 or vinyl for $25. Ceck out the band’s social media and merch pages for vinyl/t-shirt bundle deals, and don’t forget to check out the music videos for The Effect of Colours and Spirit Machine.

The Dry Mouths release new psych album, Thödol

Posted on May 20, 2022 by thesonicsofa

The Dry Mouths are a psychedelic instrumental power trio from Almería, Spain. The band specializes in creating sonic landscapes of hypnotic, psychedelic soundwaves, laced with occasional heavy stoner rock sections. Active since 2006, the group has six full length records, with the release of 2022’s Thödol.

Released in May, Thödol is inspired by the Tibetan Book of the Dead. The band elaborates on their interpretations with 10 tracks, ranging from two-seven minutes. According to a statement from the band, “The album is a work of fantasy and extra-sensory experiences, of life and death, of both peaceful and dark visions, of self knowledge and of the fight against the fears that our own minds create. The album is a mental journey in which consciousness separates from the physical body and tries to gain enlightenment and ascend above, through the act of listening.” For the best effect, Thödol should be listened to start to finish, as a single composition, to fully induce the trance.

1. Den-Dro Sum 3:40
2. Hinayana 6:29
3. Kyenay 4:26
4. Milam 2:49
5. Dhyana 3:34
6. Ngen-Dro Sum 5:20
7. Chikhai 3:40
8. Dharmata 5:37
9. Zhi Tros Lha 7:10
10. Chönyid 2:01

Opener Den-Dro Sum sets the mood for the first three quarters of the album with soothing guitar leads that more than take the place of vocals. It’s easy to get lost in the hypnotic drum patterns. Hinayana introduces a fat bass tone, bordering on dub, and listen for some creative percussion throughout and a kettle drum sound at the end. Kyenay features a groovy rhythm section and some cool post-rock guitar leads, while Milam has some creative Middle-Eastern sounding guitar that gave me Babylon Tree vibes. The ethnic sounding drumming and sitar on Dhyana made it a stand out track for me. Another stand out was Ngen-Dro Sum, which changed things up with one of the heaviest riffs on the album. The last four tracks of the album mostly replace the guitar melodies with spacy synth layers. Chikhai features a chill transition with layers of keyboard tones building up throughout. The heavy synth tone on Dharmata gave me some low-key Dimetrodon vibes. Listen on Zhi Tros Lha for a spacier synth sound and groovy, fx-heavy bass tone, while Chönyid closes out the album in a satisfying, low-key way.

The record, a follow-up to 2019’s Lo-Fi Sounds for Hi-Fi People, was recorded at Desert City Studio between October, 2020 and June, 2021. The artwork was disigned and created by Iván Carreño. It can be downloaded on Bandcamp for under $7. The vinyl record, co-released by Spinda Records, Aneurisma Records, Violence In The Veins, Discos Macarras, Zona Rock Productions, Bandera Records, Quebranta Records and Odio Sonoro, can be ordered for $20. Check out the band’s merch page for current and back releases and find the band on social media.