Slift – Ilion

 

 

Slift – Ilion
Sub Pop Records – 2024
Rock, Metal, Space, Noise, Prog, Kraut, Psych, Punk
Rated: ****

We never actually wrote something about their Ummon album. Even though it was one of our absolute favorite albums from 2020. It came in on Number 9 of that years Stoner HiVe Top 20 Countdown, according to all your votes. We had it listed in our Top 10 back then, but listened to it so much afterwards, we should have put it in our Top 3. What’s even better, we got to see Slift live quite a few times afterwards, and they always managed to amaze. And their Sonic Whip 2023 show also immediately made Slift an absolute favorite for my wife. So ,when the Ilion promo arrived, it naturally immediately jumped ahead in the gigantic queue of amazing albums we need to listen to. Ilion is no Ummon. Ilion is much wilder, rougher and more disturbing. With almost white-out droning noise moments, contrasting those prog rock turning into kraut instances and vocals that might haunt your dreams. Grandiose in scale and execution, the main goal for Ilion seems to have been to keep the listener strapped into a chair of a rocket ship blasting through space, never knowing what comes next, but always keen to find out.

(Written by JK)

Homepage

Bandcamp

Facebook

Instagram

Mudhoney – Plastic Eternity

 

 

Mudhoney – Plastic Eternity
Sub Pop / Konkurrent – 2023
Rock, Grunge
Rated: ****

The last Mudhoney album we mentioned was Digital Garbage back in 2018. And it still is one hell of a kick ass album! But then again, a lot of Mudhoney albums are still kick ass. Indeed, you can grab back to many of them and they will still feel as vital, vibrant, and vibrating with energy as when they were released back in the day. And even though Plastic Eternity definitely isn’t dull or lacking energy, it might not be the most convincing one in their thirty-five-year long history. Plastic Eternity is their pandemic album… “The recording of Plastic Eternity delivered several firsts for the band. With Maddison planning on moving his family to Australia, Mudhoney was forced to work on a deadline, booking nine days at Crackle & Pop! in Seattle with longtime producer Johnny Sangster. Since the pandemic had made it impossible for them to convene in their practice space for nearly a year and a half, this meant they were going in to make a record with an assortment of half-forgotten riffs and nascent ideas rather than fully-fledged, well-rehearsed songs.” It sort of shines through in some of the songs. When it doesn’t, they come in full force, attacking the stupidity of our western society with furious anger and kicking our asses like the Stooges did. Or riffing over some Middle Eastern rhythms and floating down some muddy psychedelic waterfall of ‘crap’… The best thing about Mudhoney might be the fact that as godfathers of grunge, instead of mellowing with age, they seem to get angrier and more politically charged. And that is something we could definitely use right about now! And when you look at it in that light, Plastic Eternity will be seeping into your bloodstream and the rest of your body like the enteral micro pieces… Mudhoney, I love’m!

(Written by JK)

Bandcamp

Facebook

Homepage

Stoner HiVe’s Top 5 artists listened to last week…

Stoner HiVe’s

Top 5 artists listened to last week…

Jon Spencer

Mudhoney

The Howling Muffs

Stonefield

Poltva Sharks

A very quick rundown; cause we are on the move and on our way out. Jon Spencer’s new album Sings The Hits, out on In The Red, got the most plays. Not just because we had to prepare for the live show and the interview with the king trash can kicker. Simply because the album is freakin amazing! Grade A ramshackle garage and punk that still sounds full and luscious. Amazing! As we already mentioned last week the new Mudhoney is amazing! And fits nicely besides the Jon Spencer record. Go listen to Digital Garbage out on SubPop if you haven’t already! Genuine! That’s what the new Howling Muffs release is and is called. A mix between a whole lot of styles and it all sounds damn good! Far From Earth, out on Flightless, is the new album by the four sisters from Melbourne called Stonefield. If you aren’t addicted to this one yet, you haven’t listened it! Psychedelic goodness that growls and howls and rolls out everything you could ever wish for in a heavy, catchy and captivating record! Ukraine based Poltva Sharks has just released their full-sized debut called The Endless Roller Coaster. Heavy, sludgy, groovy and fast paced metal that bounces and pounces! Check’m out! Check’m all out!

Stoner HiVe’s Top 5 artists listened to last week…

Stoner HiVe’s

Top 5 artists listened to last week…

Mudhoney

Blood of The Sun

Hypnos

Oxen

Bazaraba

Well, as usual. This should have gone up on Monday. But stuff got in the way again. And will probably continue to do so for the rest of the week. So, a very quick roundup of last week. Bazaraba self-released their self-titled album back in July but only know found it’s way into my brain! Stoner rock and metal of the finest grade! Eight amazing tracks that just keep you banging your head! And I only just realized it’s available on vinyl as well! Oxen and their Low album has been making the rounds everywhere and for a while now. Released in September the album moves in a distinctly slower direction that Bazaraba. Sludgy, doomy and highly atmospheric! Set Fire To The Sky is the new album by stoner boogie bastards Hypnos. Out on The Sign Records the nine tracks on this thunder out of the speakers like a runaway train! Blood Of The Sun releases their Blood’s Thicker Than Love on Listenable Records and their classic sound is extremely pleasing to every part of the human condition. Awesome stuff! And on heavy rotation is the new Mudhoney record. Digital Garbage, out on SubPop is simply amazing! Everything sits absolutely right on that album! Go check it out! Check’m all out!

Mudhoney – Digital Garbage

Mudhoney – Digital Garbage

SubPop – 2018

Rock, Grunge, Punk

Rated: *****

Almost every Mudhoney mention or review starts off with the fact that it was this little punk rock band that started off the grunge scene and then saw every other band around them explode into everyone’s living room while they themselves stayed behind and kept laboring at their day jobs while continuing to make the honest music they do and that the new record is simply stunning and might propel them into something bigger. Well, we could do the same here and go overboard with the praise for their tenth album Digital Garbage. It won’t make a difference. For some weird and possible fascist reason people steer away from Mudhoney. And this was wrong on so many levels in the beginning of their career and even more so now. Digital Garbage moves back towards everything punk with a definite aggression in their step. With a Stooges or Iggy type swagger even; for there are so many moments that remind of those greats that it becomes inevitable not to mention Iggy Pop. But more importantly, the honest records Mudhoney has been making those past thirty years have culminated into a brilliant rant against this world we live in. It’s Mark Arm’s seething rage against all the wrongs he sees around him that gives this record an even sharper stab then everything they did before. “Fuck the planet, screw your children, get rich, you win!” Is just one of the winner lyrics on this album. He orates furiously about the glorification of wealth and fame; and does that just as easily and with just as much feverous energy as about the church, alt-right, the president of the USA and social media. What an album! Those little ditties on the organ, taking the everything to an even higher level. Simply amazing! Fury, sarcasm, biting derision and pure fun has not sounded so incredibly good since the invention of the wheel. (It all went downhill from there.) Oh Yeah, is the proper final track to sum up an album that expertly translates the feeling that anywhere and anytime was better than right here and right now…

(Written by JK)

Bandcamp

Facebook

Homepage