Low Desert Punk.

Brant Bjork needs no introduction. This former drummer of Kyuss and Fu Manchu made his first solo album in 1999. This album called Jalamanta is a real feel good album. There are 12 cool songs of smooth Desert Rock on this album. The most famous song is Low Desert Punk. But all the songs are great on Jalamanta. Enjoy!

In the 1990s, Man's Ruin earned a reputation for loud, in-your-face rock and thrived on heavy metal, alternative rock, stoner rock, and punk. Brant Bjork's Jalamanta was a surprising departure for Man's Ruin in that the Bay Area label had never before put out anything so funky and R&B-influenced. Combining psychedelic rock and soul/ funk, this unpredictable effort has strong late-1960s/early-1970s leanings -- think War, Buddy Miles, and early Funkadelic, and you'll get an idea where singer/guitarist/drummer Bjork is coming from on such items as "Waiting for the Coconut to Drop," "Automatic Fantastic," and "Too Many Chiefs...Not Enough Indians." There are also hints of California's Mexican-American rock innovators from the Baby Boomer era -- one gets the impression that Bjork has spent time listening to Santana and might be hip to El Chicano and Azteca as well. This is an interesting and chance-taking, if uneven, CD that fans of experimental rock and soul will want to search for.
(By Alex Henderson at All Music Guide)

Brant Bjork - Jalamanta (1999)

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Every Red Heart Shines Towards The Sun.

Lately I'm a bit hooked to Post Rock/Metal. I'm totally thrilled by bands as Vanessa Van Basten, If These Trees Could Talk and of course Isis! The first band I saw in this genre was Red Sparowes at Roadburn 2007. It was a devastating performance. This great music in combination with the depressing pictures of Dresden after the bombing at the end of World War II. It's strange, but this depressive setting filled me with joy. So is the album Every Red Heart Shines Towards The Sun from 2006. This is an excellent Post Rock album. But there is one thing I can't figure: Why does these instrumental songs have such long song titles? (But these titles are beautiful anyway!) Enjoy!

A band like Red Sparowes can be infuriating for a reviewer. A band that have so many elements worth writing theses on, yet none that can be summed up in a catchy phrase or even a short paragraph. It's no coincidence that the track titles of Red Sparowes' second full-length, Every Red Heart Shines Towards The Red Sun, consist of one hundred and ninety eight words; everything about Red Sparowes is almost-ridiculously overblown. Almost.

Indeed it would be easy to ridicule Red Sparowes, to dismiss them as nothing more than prententious post-rock copyists, and on the first listen it is very tempting. Then a second spin drags you in further, and you begin to notice the subtlety amongst the cloisters of noise in ‘Like The Howling Glory Of The Darkest Winds, This Voice Was Thunderous And The Words Holy, Tangling Their Way Around Our Hearts And Clutching Our Innocent Awe’.

A third listen leaves you haunted by the calm after the storm in 'Annihilate The Sparrow, That Stealer Or Seed, And Our Harvests Will Abound; We Will Watch Our Wealth Flood In' and the wounded piano swells that introduce ‘Millions Starved And We Became Skinnier And Skinnier, While Our Leaders Became Fatter And Fatter.’; by the fourth listen, the jawbreaking powerchords of ’We Stood Transfixed In Blank Devotion As Our Leader Spoke To Us, Looking Down On Our Mute Faces With A Great, Raging, And Unseeing Eye’ will leave you grinning like a Cheshire Cat thrown into dementia by the thought of an eleven-dimensional universe.

Red Sparowes' slow-burning recipe of quiet-through-loud is anything but original, but the way the ingriedients blend is totally unique and gradually bewildering. It's obvious that some ideas - the burning walls of guitars and the insistence of clear melody even in chaos - have been taken from the band member's other projects (including Isis, Neurosis and Halifax Pier), but everyone brings something fresh to the table, and it is this that sets Red Sparowes so high above the rest of the post-rock crowd. This is claustrophobic, driving instrumental music that will appeal as much to fans of Henryk Gorecki, Godspeed You! Black Emperor and Ennio Morricone as it will fans of those parenthesis-ed parent bands.

It is almost impossible to carve a niche in a genre as restrictive as post-rock, but with their Heaven-sent melodies and their plunging riffs of brimstone, Red Sparowes have drilled a planet-sized chasm. Pretentious as it might be, Every Red Heart… is a work of (knowlingly) epic proportions, looking boldly past any restrictions or expectations into a star-filled midnight sky. It's thrilling stuff, but in the end, if the truth be told, words really fail to describe it.
(By Jordan Dowling at Drownedinsound.com)

Red Sparowes - Every Red Heart Shines Towards The Sun (2006)

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Awesome Portugese Stoner Rock: Miss Lava.

From the city Lisbon comes Miss Lava. This is an awesome Stoner Rock band. Miss Lava is from the same scene as Marbles is. So you know a bit of what you can expect: Great fuzzin' Stoner riffs, a cool singing guy and a nice rhythm section. These guys know how to write great songs! Earlier before I've heard their demo and that was promising. With the debut album Blues For The Dangerous Miles they make it all true. Enjoy!
(Thanx to Sslessar!)

Lisbon's heavy rock ensemble Miss Lava debuts its first recording. The result is a powerful output, a flaming bitch that is burning with the desire to unleash its lava rock 'n roll disaster onto the world. Miss Lava is ready to burn baby.
For years vulcanoes keep building up pressure, boiling heat in their interior, waiting for the right moment to explode and show nature’s strength to the world in rivers of lava.

This seems to be Miss Lava's case, a flaming bitch that took its time to blast its genuine dose of heavy rock 'n roll disaster upon the earth. After releasing a blood red vinyl acclaimed by the critics and playing more than 50 gigs in Portugal, the band's full length was a natural step.

The result is a powerful rock 'n roll disaster, released in Portugal last October 09.

From the free wheelin' demon speedin' of the opener "Don't Tell a Soul" to the psychadelic landscapes of "Scorpio", "Blues For The Dangerous Miles" is a rich sonic journey. There's the inevitable stoner anthem "Ain't Got Time”, the sky filling chorus of the single "Black Rainbow", the rebellious heaviness of "Revolt", the heavy march of "Blind Dog", the sexy shakin' of "Birth, Copulation and Death", the dramatic "The Wait", the self brightness of "Shine On", the groovy twist of "Second Chance" and the epic escape of the title song.

The vulcano has erupted.

Miss Lava is ready to burn, baby.
(From MySpace)

Miss Lava - Blues For The Dangerous Miles (2009)

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Re-Post Request: Øresund Space Collective - The Black Tomato.

This one was originally posted here. Someone asked to post it again, cause the download link failed! This is a very good Space Rock Album. Check it out and enjoy!

Øresund Space Collective - The Black Tomato (2007)

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There's Too Much Stoner In Sweden!

Here's is another album Anders sended me. (And again: Thank you, Anders!)
Haiabusa is a Swedish Stoner Rock band. And yes, this is another great band. Every time I got surprised how many good bands there are in that country. (I wonder: How many fuzz pedals do they sell over there?) Haiabusa combines Stoner Rock with a piece of Doom and a bit of Metal. Sometimes they reminds me of the Truckfighters. Very great stuff! Enjoy!

Part 1:
"The Enchanter, the rings of Saturn and a vision..."

Some say it was a bummer in the summer back in 2003, when three men, brought togheter by the sapphire bullet of wildness, picked up their weapons, weapons of whom were made of pure cellulose from the depts of Moist Vaginias. The first of the three, Olof, the Prince of the great mountain Omberg, full of natures wisdom and wild ideas, as he dance, the moon turns the tides.
The vision came to him one sleepless night, a night when the rings of Saturn had stopped circulating around the planet, and the enchanter from the fourth sun, had gathered all of his powers to prevent the planet Hajabusa from imploding in disbelief. The vision projected images straight into his helpless mind, images of a king in need, an empire lost to mad Queen Wasp and her army of A-socials, the lost soul of the lonely Senhor Gusmao, whos struggle for love had crushed his heart twice, but never once.. Images of houses made out of candy, barbarian Pixies chopping down trees, fearless wasps destroying everything that comes in their way. At first he was afraid of what the vision had showed him, words could..nt describe the fear in his eyes when he told his friend Sir MatteBusa about it. Sir MatteBusa, the stick-shooting cowboy with gypsyblood running in his veins, abilities to transform into a human-battery, felt he had to help his friend, but he could..nt do it alone, the hymn tells us, he needed someone, something.. and he found it in Staffan, the scientist from the blue nebula, with his feeling for vibes, and stories from the northern star. And so, the three man army were completed and ready to spread the word from a lost planet far, far away... Hajabusa.
Part 2:
"Friend from the past."

As soon as the first tones had been played on the magical weapons, made out of pure cellulose by the pixies, a pilgrimsfalcon landed on Olofs shoulder, fortelling a message to him, a message of big importance to their mission. The falcon slowly wispered into his ear: "The answer you will find far north". Olof directly understood who had sent him the message, a friend from the past, a friend with wisdoms from other galaxys.. Jerry Silver, the wizard with silver hands, hands who could transform energy into sound. "We will travel north my friends, far north" Olof told his mates, as they packed their weapons and thoughts on the the shuttle to the snowy mountains in the far north, unaware of what adventures that was waiting for them. The enormous doors to Jerrys laboratory slightly opened with a cranking sound, and their eyes got burned by a magical light coming from a giant sphere in the roof. "Welcome my friends!" Said a voice, and a shape came out from the light, dancing madly backwards towards them, "You must be the group Hajabusa!". "So, shall we begin?" Jerry asked them, and they started playing. With his silvery hands, he formed a mysterious ball of shimmery red, threw it into a mystical machine, and out it came, the incredible sound of Hajabusa.
Part 3:
"The letter of sand"

When the three came back home, their first live appearance got booked at the Hårdstock festivalen in Tranås. The show turned out great, and inspiration to two new songs came after a report from Candyland, telling them about how Queen Wasp had started to conkering parts Moist Vaginias and enslaving Pixies, in order to get more cellulose for her evil empire.
This time, Jerry left the mountains in north, and traveled down to Tranås for the recording of the two new songs. The recording took place in a crypt down underground, tough it was the only place for wizard Jerry suited for him to perform his magic. Time went passing by, and a couple of more gigs were made, when suddenly a letter arriwed. The letter was signed by Senhor Ali Gusmao, who wrote about his lonely journeys through the desert, counting the grains of sand, thinking about his lost love, maybe the Princess of Candyland.. As soon as they had read the letter, it turned into sand, sippering thru their hands.. Sad things must also be remembered, the group thought, and so the final songs were recorded for the album, an album wich hopefully will tell you how the story ends, or how it all begins...
(From MySpace)

Haiabusa - Haiabusa (2006)

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Speedfreaks!

Speedfreaks from Sweden was a high octane Rock 'n' Roll band that mixed several styles like Hard Rock, Stoner Rock and Punk. And they play it fast. The vocals reminds me a lot of Spice (Spiritual Beggars, Kayserchief, etc.). The songs on Out For Kicks! are real awesome. Nice stuff when you're driving your car. It's too bad they quitted in 2008.
(Thanks again, Anders!)

From Sweden, and concretely Gothenburg arise Speedfreaks, although with a music far from the so-called "gothenburg sound". Mature, personal and powerful rock, that take roots in bands as Motörhead, Black Label Society, Black Sabbath and The Cult, but obtaining their own and original sound, based in a mixture between rock'n'roll, hard rock, plus some touches of metal and punk. High energy and pure Rock'n Roll, plenty of power, aggressiveness, good melodies and catchy songs full of brilliant riffs.
(From somewhere on their website)

Speedfreaks - Out For Kicks! (2006)

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Another Proof That Sweden Is The Place To Be For Great Stoner Rock.

A big thanks again to Anders from Sweden for sending me this great album!
Sideburn is a Swedish Stoner Rock band with huge 70's Hard Rock influences. The Newborn Sun is their second album. This is really great stuff! Sideburn play their songs very well. I like this sound that's completed with an organ. According to their mySpace Sideburn is influenced by the following: Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Rainbow, Ufo, The Cult, MSG, Badlands, The Tea Party, Blue Murder, Spiritual Beggars, Whitesnake, Rising Force, Soundgarden, Scorpions, Rush, Tool, Goatsnake, Kansas, Uriah Heep, Europe, Church Of Misery, Kyuss and many more.

So you know what you're dealing with! Enjoy!

There's probably some sort of correlation between the title of Sideburn's sophomore album and that of their 2002 debut, Trying to Burn the Sun. Perhaps in the five years between albums they managed to complete the task and are now celebrating the rise of a new gaseous orb. Perhaps it's more metaphorical, that the band, no longer dormant and with a new drummer, is reinvigorated and ready to once again take on the world. Perhaps this album is the second in a trilogy of star-related albums, with The Sun Sets on the Rising Son to follow in 2012.

Of those three, the second's the most likely, and had I managed to nab a copy of Trying to Burn the Sun, I could work with it. As it stands, however, The Newborn Sun is all I know of this Swedish four-piece. I do know that most bands from that region fall easily in the "sounds like Kyuss" category (for better or for worse), but Sideburn sidesteps that and instead chases the '70's arena gods – Deep Purple and Led Zeppelin predominantly, but you can pick up scant traces of Uriah Heep and Mountain here and there as well. Given the current year and the band's age, it's not surprising that Sideburn's take on that s t y l e is also fairly bombastic - they obviously spent some time enthralled with '80's metal before reaching back to the previous decade for inspiration.

For some, that may come off as a bit too heavy-handed, but what Sideburn did most is remind me of Badlands, the '80's band that confused a legion of head bangers when they tried to play heavy music that traded flash pots and fog machines for bluesy riffs and soulful singing. So if you've got fond memories of that Ray Gillen/Jake E. Lee project (or enjoy more current bands like The Quill or the short-lived The Moon), this Sun's for you.
(By John Pegoraro at StonerRock.com)

Sideburn - The Newborn Sun (2007)

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Signs Of Infinite Power

For everything is a first time, like a Fu Manchu post at this blog.

Fu Manchu from California, U.S.A. is one of the greatest Stoner Rock bands. They've made a lot of great albums and Signs Of Infinite Power is their most recent one. And it's another great album. What can I say more. Fu Manchu is Fu Manchu, period! Enjoy!

At this point, Fu Manchu is pretty much critic-proof. They've already taken a shot at mainstream accessibility (California Crossing), they've put their generic, uninspired album (Start the Machine) behind them, and they've knocked out a comeback album (We Must Obey). Now they're in their comfort zone, doing what they do best.

Mind, you, it would be a mistake to confuse that with complacency. The old dog may not be performing any new tricks on Signs of Infinite Power, their eleventh album in a 20-year career and first for Century Media Records, but he's still got all of his teeth and plenty of bite. Signs ten tracks are, with a couple of exceptions, classic Fu Manchu in riffs, attitude, and execution. Opener “Bionic Astronaut,” “Webfoot Witch Hat,” the title track, “Eyes x 10” and “One Step Too Far” in particular stand out as examples of the band digging deep, finding new ways of proving that nobody does SoCal fuzz rock as good as Fu Manchu. When they falter – and that's to be expected at this stage in their career - it's more of a minor stumble than an outright failure. In other words, I wouldn't point out “Against the Ground” as a highlight, but nor will I skip it when revisiting the album down the road (especially since it ends much stronger than it begins). Overall, I'd say that like 2007's We Must Obey, Signs of Infinite Power holds it own against the band's iconic early albums, ranking slightly below King of the Road, if only for a lack of a truly massive hook.

The band feels otherwise – frontman Scott Hill has said that he feels Signs of Infinite Power is their best work to date, and while that's certainly well within his right, I doubt most of the listening faithful will agree. What they will agree on is that Signs of Infinite Power is another keeper from a band that shows no signs of slowing down or, thankfully, growing up. Recommended.
(Review by John Pegoraro at StonerRock.com)

Fu Manchu - Signs Of Infinite Power (2009)

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Not So Stoner, But Quite Alright (Part 2)

Like DeWolff and Triggerfinger I saw De Staat in an one minute performance in the TV show De Wereld Draait Door (Which means As The World Turns and... it's not the long running soap!). De Staat is like Triggerfinger also a band from the label Excelsior Recordings. When you listen to their debut Wait For Evolution you will hear great music with some strange rhythms. And you will find out that some of the influences are QOTSA (Them again?!) and The Eagles Of Death Metal. Maybe you like it and maybe you don't. But let me know what you think by leaving a comment! Enjoy!

"Josh Homme will ride the speakers when he hears this record" wrote the largest Dutch music website 3voor12 about De Staat's upcoming full length debut Wait For Evolution, right after calling them the most promising band for 2009.

Fully recorded in the old house of singer/guitarist Torre Florim, who's been producing some of the filthiest underground bands in Holland, Wait For Evolution had a more unusual approach than the average rock record.
With the help of befriended musicians like The Bloody Honkies and Fuck The Writer, Florim worked layer by layer, in his 'Fun House', for over a year on songs with attractive titles like... 'Meet The Devil', 'The Fantastic Journey Of The Underground Man' and 'We're Gonna Die'.
In September 2007 De Staat found its perfect line-up. With Tim van Delft on drums, the Croatian Vedran Mircetic on guitar, Jop van Summeren on bass and Rocco Bell mastering the keys, beatring and cowbell, there's no question that Torre Florim has some diverse company on his side. A powerful five-headed coalition, showing its love for the old roots music, though not afraid to put that in a new and refreshing perspective.
Since then they've done shows in every possible setting, from small bars to big clubs with bands like Fu Manchu and the Belgian dEUS.

"2009 will be the year of De Staat" said Eric Corton, DJ for the biggest Dutch radio station 3FM. So it won't be a surprise that they've recently got a record deal with the unique and legendary label Excelsior Recordings.
(From MySpace)

De Staat - Wait For Evolution (2009)

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Not So Stoner, But Quite Alright (Part 1)

Triggerfinger from Belgium is an Alternative Hard Rock trio. What Grabs Ya? is their debut album on the Excelsior Recordings label. This album brings you a variety of songs, some are raw and loud and others are more easy. But the essence here is that they sound a lot as QOTSA. So it's not a strange thing to say that the Queens Of The Stone Age has a major influence in modern Rock Music. I like this album a lot. Do you? Enjoy anyway!

This power trio’s live reputation long precedes the release of this self-titled debut album. A bit reluctant in trying to capture their dazzling live sound onto a record, they went for it anyway and – as the press happily admitted – they managed perfectly. This has become an album full of raw energy and heavy guitars, elegantly combined with honest, sensible en melodic songs. Or, as Dutch music magazine OOR put it: “a brilliant face-lift of the genre”. *** Sure, that prefabricated major label pop that is flooding the charts at the moment might be great on some occasions: while you’re working, on family outings, during a dinner party or at any other time that music just provides for a setting rather than distracts you. But once in a while you need music to be more than that. You want it to totally consume you. You want in to raise your adrenaline and make your heart pound faster. You want it to be subversive and raw. You want it to take your mind of anything and anyone. You turn up the volume and you just let it hit you in the face. *** It takes a certain magic to make that happen. Think of The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, Motörhead or, more recently, Queens of the Stone Age. Magic that is born out of bringing musicians together. With Ruben Block as an enigmatic frontman and high-precision guitar player, Monsieur Paul on bass and Belgium’s most wanted Mario Goossens on drums, also Triggerfinger became such a band where the unit adds up to more than the sum of the individual parts.
(From MySpace)

Triggerfinger - What Grabs Ya? (2009)

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