War Honey – Sweeter Than The Average Fudge

 

 

War Honey – Sweeter Than The Average Fudge
Handstand Records – 2023
Indie, Rock, Alternative, Dream Pop, Slowcore
Rated: ****

We mentioned their Shard To Shatter four track release from 2020, when it was released on vinyl through Handstand Records in 2022 and we also mentioned their other four track called Last Woman Left At The Market released in 2022. Which means, we are eighty percent done with writing something about Sweeter Than The Average Fudge, War Honey’s new release, which is a compilation of those two EP’s and the singles also released in the past two years. I Don’t Blame The Rats ends this ten-track edition and Skinless sits in on number eight. Vocalist Gabrielle Dana has the ability to turn the operatic tone on and off, and when she forgoes the huge gestures, she sweetly and softly sings bitter suggestions into your ear. Skinless therefor becomes this Florence Welch, jazzy, slow moving chamber music that is as enchanting as it is unnerving. I Don’t Blame The Rats adds to this with a new level of intimacy and stronger concentrations of release, but it also alienates, making you feel like you are losing grip and that those rats in the attic will not meander by, but stop and stare at you or gnaw at your feet. And then there are all those dreamy sequences, coloring it all sugar, even though the overall feeling is that War Honey are experts in delivering Dream Pop Noir. Darker that all that sweetness that drips from you fingers…

(Written by JK)

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Lacing - Never

 

 

Lacing - Never
Elder Magick Records / Bummer Recordings / Handstand Records - 2022 / 2023
Shoegaze, Metalgaze, Dreampop, Postrock, Indie
Rated: ****

Out since July 2022, the album has just become available on beautiful pink swirled clear vinyl through Handstand Records. We’re talking about the five-track release by Chattanooga, Tennessee foursome Lacing. The release is called Never and offers you a pretty intense shoegaze ride, that borrows from grunge and noise, to produce something that borders on metalgaze one moment, postrock the next and even indie inspired dreampop a second later. I know, all these labels right? Useful shorthand in trying to explain what a certain album might be about, but sometimes also a hindrance and a bit debilitating. For the distorted drone, the psychedelic swirls present in opening track Day alone warrants labeling Lacing as a million other things as well. So, let’s just use them labels in whatever fashion we want and try and state what the five tracks on Never did for me. Autumn. Pictures of the fall will be blowing through your head, as their version of dreampop, sounds grayer and dustier then most other shoegaze releases. The slumbering tempo, strolling towards a rainswept corner of a street, where heated moments might be laying in wait, cause there’s something here that goes against the grain. But it’s like that foxtail grain, when it sinks its hooks in, you must keep following along. The amorphous, slowly rippling fields of melancholy mash only turn into a golden field of grass where one can lie down and dream off into neverland when we hit that middle track Windswept. Still immensely dense, this composition has the ability to clear your mind and serve you images of an Indian summer, that is, until those final echoing screams, and fade out distortion, bring you back from that little drowsy paradise. And then to slowly submerge that final track Dilate into a pool of doom, with an arc that becomes statelier with every second that passes, and a moody tenuity that simply seems to explode into the cosmos as the decibels go up and the distortion screeches everything to a halt. Stunning. We were going to conclude that Lacing's ability to make this kind of dreampop so interesting and engaging sets them miles apart from their contemporaries. But we must add that the final almost ten-minute-long track alone, boldly goes where very few dreampop and shoegazers have gone before. And we love it!

(Written by JK)

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Stoner HiVe’s Quick Fire Friday

 

 

Stoner HiVe’s Quick Fire Friday

I think it was February when last we did a Quick Fire Friday round… Perhaps because it has become exceedingly difficult due to other work to do some HiVe work on Friday. But we are here now and are ready to do a pretty big one… And we know, we know, the albums, bands, artists and labels deserve more than the few words we will jot down here. More attention and more of our time! But there is so much out there and we just simply cannot ever do it all justice. So here it is. The Stoner HiVe’s Quick Fire Friday! And it burns hot like molten lava!

Experiencia Tibetana – Vol II

Released on 4-20, was the second volume of the spiritual and cosmic drone rock outfit from Buenos Aires, Argentina called Experiencia Tibetana. Which as you might judge from the name immediately comes across as a Buddhist take on drone, ambient and experimental rock. Chanting and praying to the holy echoes and energy vibrations, this second volume contains four tracks that will give you almost fifty minutes of out of body experience and mindful contemplation. There’s doom here, there’s stoner here, but it will feel wholesome and energizing…

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Missicks – Forgotten Habits

We mentioned A Coffee With The Devil a while back... Alternative rock from Curitiba, Brazil, it’s called Missicks and implores quite some stoner rock touches that got popularized by Queens of The Stone Age. And then we hear some Muse moments and some Foo Fighters inspirations. Indeed, this Forgotten Habits single is pretty darn tasty! We hope to hear more from Missicks, more music, and more Missicks themselves… Might we also suggest starting a Missicks bandcamp page?

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Ølgod – Ølgod

Released last week, it’s the self-titled six track release by German growling doom sludge trio Ølgod. A trio comprised out of a vocalist, a drummer and a guitar player which give you some pretty malevolent snarls, vicious riffs and thundering drums. Out on Ogorekords, the blackened and noisy doom sludge will surely make the Devil run away in despair… Or play dress up and sprinkle you with fairy dust?

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Dirty Shades – Lift Off

Space Rock, Garage, Psychedelic and Progressive rock all rolled into one pretty tight four track EP. It’s called Lift Off and it’s the second EP by French foursome Dirty Shades. It’s starts off with a proper almost grungy banger called Ignition; continues that with a pop sensible rambler entitled Dazed before going into more psychedelic and progressive territories with Running For Your Life and battleship closer Trainwreck. It’s good to know there’s a Dirty Shades out there…

And that the EP is as a live session out there!

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 Ceased Sunfire – Sleepless

The Helsinki trio Ceased Sunfire released their debut three song EP Sleepless early April. Stoner metal with a high level of doom and growling aggression. Blackened and menacing, the trio of tracks will crush you as you feel the sky above crumble and the sun go out in the middle of day…

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War Honey – Last Woman Left At The Market

Back in March we received and wrote a few words about their Shard To Shatter album, released through Handstand Records. And now War Honey returns with a new four track EP called Last Woman Left At The Market. Going huge with gestures and moving your very core with its theatrics; the four tracks also just softy and sweetly trickly into your ear. Paradox abundant, its both gigantic and tiny in every way conceivable. They’ve got something special going on…

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Better Strangers – But I Don't Know Your Name

Foursome Better Strangers features Nic Collins on drums, the son of Genesis drummer Phil Collins. Which of course will immediately gets some ears turned their way. Well, their new single But I Don't Know Your Name, is out and fuses nineties alternative rock and metal with touches of industrial and arena rock; which gives it all a bit of a nu-metal vibe as well. There's a video! And it looks like a damn good book she's reading!

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Green Hog Band – Crypt of Doom

And we sign off with a bang! A doom explosion! The Green Hog Band released their Crypt of Doom album early May and it gives you eight tracks of doom marching and heady stoner grooves. Gravelly and incredibly sandy, much in debt to the vocals of Ivan Antipov. His barking rasp and growling whisky breath gives Crypt of Doom that extra edge of darkness… And we like the darkness of a Crypt of Doom!

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War Honey – Shard To Shatter

 

 

War Honey – Shard To Shatter
Handstand Records – 2022
Rock, Indie, Slowcore
Rated: ****

Fourpiece (Or Five-piece? Or three-piece?) War Honey hails from Brooklyn, New York and deliver sorrowful indie and woeful slowcore. Their 2020 release Shard To Shatter is now available on vinyl through Handstand Records. Hinting at love for the jazz-age, the thirties and the grand gestures we only have four tracks to get wisped away by. Wisped away to a dream sequence of a masquerade party in a crystal ball about to be shattered. A forlorn, slightly sinister vibe permeates the entire release and sad love, a kind of pale jewel shines its dim glow across the tracks. Lyrically, the songs address even darker themes and questions evoked by the ever more destructive effects of capitalism and inequality. All of these get even more weight due to the pandemic and the open spaces within the music where you can hear echoes and resonance of something pastoral and ethereal. Not music for an early morning peptalk or a wild late night party; but it will bring you into a higher state of mind. Just listen to that wonderful voice of Gabrielle Dana; and you will undoubtedly feel the pain, want to do better and wish for a light of hope to see us all through…  

(Written by JK)

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LMI – Excess Subconscious

LMI – Excess Subconscious

Handstand Records / Maniyax Records – 2020

Rock, Punk, Core, Scream, Noise, Stoner

Rated: ***

LMI stands for Lazy Middle-class Intellectuals. If you did not know that, you do know. If you already knew, you know what LMI will do to you! Their new album Excess Subconscious just came out through Handstand Records and Maniyax Records and will blow all the dust, anger, paranoia and angst out of your brain in one fell swoop. The screamo, hardcore, punk noise that blasts through your head during eleven short and concise tracks gets just enough of the earlier stoner treatment to not only turn your mind inside out but also your body. The manic rhythm changes and the stomp and pounce of the drums is just pure insanity. Impossible to sit still with this one. No easy listening here. No wonderous trip through the universe. No, no, no, this is not for the feeble or the faint of heart. This is music for those of us who are on the end of their tether. The ones that dipped one to many times into the cup o’ crazy or attended a few to many of the gin tasting sessions down the road. The evil shrieks, snarls and screams translating all those wicked emotions and all those toxic vapors and dangerous recesses of the subconscious mind. LMI, three lunatics, three maniacs, three insane individuals that have delivered some damn powerful stuff with Excess Subconscious! 

(Written by JK)

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Kissed By An Animal – Kissed By An Animal

Kissed By An Animal – Kissed By An Animal

Handstand Records – 2019
Rock, Indie, Pop, College, Punk
Rated: ***

It was already released almost a year ago, but as we state on the contact page, physical releases sent our way will always be mentioned. In this case we’ve got some poppy punk and indie rock on our hands. The one that gives you that college rock feeling. That drop-out, wide-eyed, acid-gobbling, beat-poet attitude of feigned disinterest. We’re talking about Brooklyn based Dima Drjuchin fronted four piece outfit Kissed By An Animal. Dima Drjuchin is perhaps mostly known for the cover art he has produced. But he’s been churning out music with a high variety of projects for many years. And self-titled debut album Kissed By An Animal is his latest and perhaps finest piece of work to date. Eleven tracks that turn you on with fascinating guitar mantra’s and tune you in to his brainwaves. Quirky sure, but that little nook, nailed off by the building inspector long ago, deserves to have the wino’s kicked out of and discovered all anew. Playful charm indeed, but also sophisticated and imploring exactly the amount of dream-pop moments to have their raw and casual side turn into something exciting and new. It feels intimate and that’s absolutely logical when you are Kissed By An Animal…

(Written by JK)

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Lacing – Without

Lacing – Without

Elder Magick Records / Handstand Records – 2019

Rock, Grunge, Alternative, Shoegaze, Noise

Rated: ****

The four that form Lacing have been producing music for a few years now. And their first full-sized album Bummer from 2017 was lauded by many. Now they return with a follow-up entitled Without. Which follows nicely in the melancholic and shoegaze footprint that Bummer was. And where the debut already moved into more noisy and grungy area’s;  Without strolls along those borders even more. And crossing borders is what this album is all about. The four keep touching on those different ‘styles’ without ever committing to one, making the entire record a completely different kind of escapade. Energetic and heavy one moment and languid and draining the next. Add to this the seriousness of the lyrical content, spawned by the abusive childhood vocalist Joseph Davenport unfortunately had, but which therefor also taps into existential fears, angers and troubles; and it becomes a cathartic experience. They manage to discolor the long shades their music cast and turn it all into this almost ethereal fade of gray…

(Written by JK)

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Mutant Scum – Mutant Scum

Mutant Scum – Mutant Scum

Handstand Records – 2019

Rock, Punk, Metal, Stoner, Sludge, Core

Rated: ****

Smelly, filthy and absolute gore. That was just the impression we had before going into the self-titled Mutant Scum release. Then came the rumbling, the rolling drums, taking us deep underground into the sewage where they dwell. Sure, this is noisy and punky and hardcore-ish… But there is so much based on hardrock rhythms that you immediately feel that stoner and sludgy under current. After which come the metallic noises, the heavy metal as we all fell in love with back in the eighties. Never once sticking to just one of those genres; the Mutant Scum are one contaminated melting cesspool of influences. Are we fan of the growls, howls and screams; not particularly, but they do fit well with this kind of gritty and guttural putrescence. And then comes ‘Scabpicker’… If there ever was a song that reminds you of good old Karma To Burn this will be it… There are many high points, but ‘Cesium-137’ is certainly one of them! So let’s sum it up: rock, metal, stoner, sludge, punk, hardcore and a whole lot of attitude!

(Written by JK)

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Casual Burn – Mean Thing

Casual Burn – Mean Thing

Handstand Records – 2019

Rock, Punk, Noise, Surf, Garage, Post

Rated: ****

Surf’s up today! Upon returning from a damn great surf holiday in Portugal we found a couple of vinyl albums waiting for us. Some we had expected, some we did not. Casual Burn’s debut vinyl release Mean Thing was one of them. Main man Will Cole from Handstand Records had taken it upon himself to send that one over in great form. And what a treat it is! With just enough surfey undertones it transported me right back to the surf and skate adventures of Ericeira Portugal. It’s garage and it’s punk and it has an eighties almost wave like vibe that will have you bopping your head within seconds. There is this highly lovable and ramshackle aspect to it all, especially on the moments when they go berserk and freak out. Fuzzy and wild! Raw and gritty! O’ and those vocals… Monet Maloof sounds casual yet intense, psychotic yet aloof, and for some strange and possible weird reason it whirls around in your head until it can’t get out anymore! Damn! This is one mean addictive thing!

(Written by JK)

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