Electric Mountain release high voltage desert rock album, Valley Giant

Posted on June 1, 2022 by thesonicsofa

*Valley Giant was released on May 27, 2022*

The week, The Sonic Sofa travels to Mexico City for desert rock band Electric Mountain’s second full length release. The power trio burst onto the scene in 2013 with their classic rock influenced stoner rock sound, infused with plenty of high octane desert riffs. They put on a loud, headbanging show and have shared stages with Elder and Blackwater Holylight. Electric Mountain released their Self-Titled debut album in 2017. After a two-year hiatus, they’re back with their sophomore full length, Valley Giant, and it is well worth the wait.

Valley Giant was released in May on Electric Valley Records. It features beautiful extraterrestrial landscape art by Adam Burke of Nightjar Illustration. The album is nine tracks, clocking in at 46 minutes, though some streaming platforms include a tenth track, The Man. Throughout the record, the musicians blend a riffy blend of desert rock guitars and melodic vocals with a growly, driving rhythm section. What makes the album awesome are all of the extended, stoner rock turnarounds and classic rock breaks. It opens with short, heavy-blues intro, The Great Hall, and is a non-stop action ride until the lengthy and spacy closer, A Thousand Miles High. Filled with headbangers from start to finish, the album only slows down for a slight breather on the acoustic, At Last Everything, which also features some tasty vocal harmonies and hand percussion.

1. The Great Hall (Intro) 2:38
2. Outlanders 3:53
3. Morning Grace 5:14
4. Void 4:09
5. A Fistful of Grass 6:32
6. Desert Ride 5:00
7. Vulgar Planet 5:09
8. At Last Everything 4:31
9. A Thousand Miles High 8:41

Guitarist/vocalist Gibran Pérez pumps out the jams with fuzzy, heavy-blues riffs, and scorching solos infused with plenty of wah-pedal and phaser, and caps it off with clean, melodic vocals, that I felt like were reminiscent of early Sabbath, and possibly even Corrosion of Conformity. Drummer Max Cabrera keeps things solid and driving with some absolute balls to the walls drum beats and fills. Listen to the end of Outlanders for some Bonham-esque fills, and check out Desert Ride for some driving, desert rock drum-power. Jorge Trejo’s bass tone really stands out on the album, with a beefy tone, often spaced out with heavy wah-pedal action. Check out Morning Grace for a fat, fuzzed out bass tone, and listen for some compelling leads during on A Thousand Miles High.

You can find Valley Giant on Bandcamp. The digital album can be downloaded for $7. It is also available on CD for $7.50 as well as beautiful transparent purple or plain black vinyl for $23. Check out Electric Mountain’s social media for news and announcements.

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.