Astra - The Weirding

The Weirding, is the most unexpected shit I've crossed in a few times. Took me back to some old memories where I was, back in the real days. If you're into cosmic spacey air skyline, with some melody crushed guitars, and galactic keybords work, this is for you. Achieving explosions like the old grate psychedelic/krautrockers contemporaries, Astra nail it down intensily.
I recommend it.

By the way, artwork by: (mr.) Arik Roper.



Tracklist:
1. The Rising Of The Black Sun
2. The Weirding
3. Silent Sleep
4. The River Under
5. Ouroboros
6. Broken Glass
7. The Dawning Of Orphiucus
8. Beyond To Slight The Maze

Link: The Weirding

Valkyrie - S/T

I first heard of this Harrisonburg, VA outfit with their Sunlight Shines EP, a three-song collection of some of the finest Pentagram by way of Hawkwind doom out there. Unlike a good number of their doom contemporaries, Valkyrie guitarists Pete and Jake Adams aren’t afraid to lay down some serious soloing. It seems like every song is aching to explode with some harmonized leads or some back and forth dueling. Valkyrie is doom with oomph, providing the dour vibe but never getting bogged down in plodding riffs. This is an impressive debut. I could see these guys on a tour with the likes of The Hidden Hand and Earthride and holding their own. Great stuff (especially the solos).



Tracklist:
1. Withered Tree
2. Sunlight Shines
3. Endless Crusade
4. Wolf Hollow
5. Secrets of the Mind
6. Heralds of the Dawn
7. Eternally There
8. Lost in the Darkness

Link: Self Titled

Wooden Shjips - Dos

San Francisco's Wooden Shjips play a minimal, droning brand of garage-styled psychedelia with anoticeable '60s influence. The band's vocals slip beneath waves of throbbing minimal rhythms, whilefuzz tone guitar and shrieking organs jump to the foreground. Their debut album dropped in September 2007 and earned the Shjips rave reviews. Shortly thereafterthey released a 7" single "Loose Lips" through Sub Pop. On their new album Dos, their brand ofwhipping fuzz hooks have gotten groovier.



Tracklist:
1. Motorbike
2. For So Long
3. Down By The Sea
4. Aquarian Time
5. Fallin'

Link: Dos

Wooden Shjips - Volume 1

The Wooden Shjips' earliest material was released on vinyl, pressed in small quantities that were either free or hard to come by and are now hopelessly out of print. Who are we to keep you away from the rush of Shrinking Moon for You? Vol. 1 collects all the tracks from the free 10-inch, the Dance, California 7-inch, and the SOL 7-inch. The band will be out playing live, in their own nimble way.



Tracklist:
1. Shrinking Moon for You
2. Death's Not Your Friend
3. Space Clothes
4. Clouds Over Earthquake
5. Dance, California (Radio Edit)
6. SOL '07

Link: Volume 1

Wooden Shjips - S/T

Wooden Shjips, a quartet from San Francisco heavily influenced by the experimentalism of psychedelia, classical minimalism, and garage rock excess, started as an experiment in rhythmic primitivism and group improvisation. The current roster brings a more structured rock approach to its performances, utilizing a traditional lineup of drums (Omar Ahsanuddin), bass (Dusty Jermier), organ (Nash Whalen), guitar (Erik Ripley Johnson), and vocals. First 2000 copies of the CD include a bonus disc with their early vinyl output and an unedited version of Dance, California.



Tracklist:
1. We Ask You To Ride
2. Losin' Time
3. Lucy's Ride
4. Blue Sky Bends
5. Shine Like Suns

Link: Self Titled

the Heads - Tilburg

It's like psychedelic, fuzzed out, fucked up, with a brutal awesome recording, on an awesome tour (with Wooden Shjips), playing the real deal. I guest thats enough reasons for you to listen to this record (even if you don't know any record).



Tracklist:
1. Bedlam
2. Cardinal Fuzz
3. Could Be, Doesn't Matter
4. Long Gone
5. Widow Maker
6. Creating In The Eternal Now Is Always Heavy
7. Spliff Riff

Link: Tilburg

Note: Covers included.

the Heads - Live at Roadburn ('06)

The smaller stage made way for the fierce, psychedelic, acidic rock'n'roll. Covering many tracks from previous releases, they matched the swirling psych pattern that projected as a backdrop quite well, with their raw mix of riffs and spaced out noise that just grabbs you with punk rock intensity in a packed room that seemed to fit their high octane sound most adequately.

Although, the recording sound is not that good, you can give it a six/seven in ten.



Tracklist:
1. Widowmaker
2. Quad
3. We Descend From
4. Filler
5. Stodgy
6. Earth Sun
7. Swamp Of Chutney Morgan
8. Creating In the Eternal Is Always Heavy
9. Jam 1
10. Jam 2
11. Spliff Riff (Roached Out)
12. -

Link: Live at Roadburn ('06)

Note: Credits (picture): Julian Carr

Olivelawn - Sophomore Jinx

This album is just raw punk, hitting you fast, punk-rock shit its running too. It's like plain old loud skatepunk music, only a click smarter and funnier, with catchy hooks and clever, slightly devious lyrics, Olivelawn really goes through.

The second "Too Slow" on the track list is really an uncredited cover of the Circle Jerks' "Red Tape". It's hard to imagine but Olivelawn's cover is actually a bit faster.
If you like clever, loud, aggressive guitar rock, give this one a spin.

Do you remember Eddie Glass from Nebula? He's playing on the drums, and kickin' out the (fuckin') jams.



Tracklist:
1. Hate
2. Major Label Blues
3. Too Slow (Red Tape - Circle Jerks)
4. Beautiful Feeling
5. 555
6. I Only Love Myself
7. Earthquake
8. Trick or Treat
9. Burner
10. Heard It on the X
11. Season in Hell

Link: Sophomore Jinx