Ramkot – Rosa

 

 

Ramkot – Rosa
V2 – 2024
Rock, Alternative, Desert, Stoner, Noise
Rated: *****

These Belgian crazies started back in 2017, delivered their first four track self-titled ep RAMKOT in 2019, followed that up with What Exactly Are You Looking For in 2021 and delivered their In Between Borderlines album last year. And now, Ramkot is back! And not just back, they went to the desert and came back with a genuine jewel called Rosa! And they did not just go to any desert, hell no! They went to Joshua Tree and recorded at the fabled Rancho De La Luna, together with producer Alain Johannes. Both his touch and the magnetic Rancho are audible on the new Ramkot album and adds the exact amount of cherries to put this album on top. As most touring bands know, it’s incredibly expensive to get your own instruments into the states. Omega Sun know how to do it right and so does Ramkot. Don’t bring any! They used all the magical instruments available to make their own very danceable noise and sexy dance moves inspiring ruckus. Highly dynamic and beautifully diverse, the album features stonerrock songs, alternative rock, noise inspired, extremely atmospheric slow rock and even a piano ballad. And when the press release states that the amazing Zeppelin single was recorded in one take, one feels nothing by awe and admiration. The same goes for Alain Johannes, Rancho De La Luna and the rest of the Rosa album…

(Written by JK)

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Chelsea Wolfe – She Reaches Out To She Reaches Out To She

 

 

Chelsea Wolfe – She Reaches Out To She Reaches Out To She
V2 / Loma Vista – 2024
Alternative, Doom, Industrial, Darkwave, Triphop
Rated: ***

We haven’t been mentioning everything Chelsea Wolfe has been putting out over the years and as usual, we know we should have, cause there hasn’t been a miss among those releases. That amazing Hiss Spun album from 2017 for instance or the one we did mention called Birth Of Violence from 2019. Well, the Wolfe has returned and she’s back with what she calls a rebirth. With an album title that refers to her past, present and future. To leave behind what has come and gone and move forward. She Reaches Out To She Reaches Out To She is a powerfully cathartic statement about cutting ties, as well as an important reminder that healing is cyclical and circular, and not a simple linear process. She has not just been cutting away the dead wood, the wrong people and the ugliness that might hold her back. She’s also decided to try even more avenues of approach towards the heaviness she likes to use as a vehicle for her poetry. This time around there’s some Industrial, Triphop and Electronica to produce those atmospheres we love from the Wolfe. Lyrics wise it is definitely dark again, but with a feeling of understanding and her own sliver of hope. And her musical experimentation often drifts over to a lighter and almost generic approach. Hinting a bit at some of Björk’s triphop drifts or electropop that could easily be discovered by the masses. There’s agitation here, unrest, no easy listening, yet whenever that feeling dissipates there’s room for some acceptance and calm. And even though this album might turn out to be a favorite for many, I cannot help feeling that I would rather hear her drift more towards the sludge metal she did with Converge. But that’s probably just me, hoping for an album that’s perfect for me, and that’s not what Chelsea Wolfe is about. She’s about she… And that's okay...

(Written by JK)

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The Third Mind – The Third Mind 2

 

 

The Third Mind – The Third Mind 2
Yep Roc / V2 – 2023
Rock, Sixties, Seventies, Psych, Folk
Rated: ****

The first time I heard the new album called The Third Mind 2, I immediately wondered if I had The Third Mind’s first album from 2020 and if I was equally enamored with that one. Which of course immediately shows, I probably didn’t. Which is weird on many fronts. And it’s tempting to therefor state the band grew closer together in the past two years and that the music matured and all that stuff. But we can probably just as easily claim that I wasn’t in the same frame of mind when that first album was released. And we should revisit. Listen to it more closely. Get some notes on paper before attempting to write something about their new album. But then Reek of STOOM stated it was the best album he heard this year. Now, if you know Reek, he claims this more than once per month. But it still means it must be good. So, instead of going back, we moved forward and kept spinning their second album. A super melodious, harmonious and musical album performed by amazing musician that all have been involved with many other great projects and bands. Shall we call The Third Mind a supergroup? This time around Jesse Sykes (acoustic guitar, vocals); Dave Alvin (electric guitar); Victor Krummenacher (bass guitar) (Cracker, Camper Van Beethoven); David Immerglück (guitar/harmonium/mellotron) (Counting Crows, Camper Van Beethoven); and Michael Jerome (drums/percussion) (Toadies, Better Than Ezra) are taking a deep cut, trip back into the psychedelic folk/rock sound of the late 1960s and early 1970s. It gives you six tracks all at least five, eight or ten minutes long, all exhuming alternative rock through every pore and laidback soul of the hippy kind. It’s the marvelous guitar work and strumming that take center stage, although the vocals by Miss Sykes also deserve the spotlight. Which is even more apparent on the only original work on the album called Tall Grass. Shall we call it a cover album? Let’s not, for in the way they delved these obscure tracks out of the great American musical history and re-invented them, makes them entirely The Third Mind. Or as our very own Reek ended his blurb on the Doom Charts Peroration of October 2023: “Atmospheric and dreamy, glossed with a rich coating of captivating vocals and delightful musicianship across the board – MUST HAVE!!” He’s right!

(Written by JK)

 

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Speedmobile – Supersonic Beat Commando

 

 

Speedmobile – Supersonic Beat Commando
V2/Butler – 2022
Rock, Speedrock, Punk, Garage, Billy, Rock ‘n Roll
Rated: ****

Hailing from Eindhoven, I of course have an enormous soft spot for Peter Pan Speedrock and all the bands that have one or more members from that formation in it. They were without any doubt the band that put the Rock, into Eindhoven Rockcity. And when Peter Pan Speedrock threw in the towel back in 2016, we knew the members of the three headed rock monster could not sit still for very long. Many outfits were born. TankZilla and Fire Horse, who recently delivered their damn fine Out Of The Ashes album featured Peter van Elderen. And when vocalist, guitarist Jeroen Haamers from Batmobile and the two Barts from Peter Pan Speedrock met up in 2018 to do something for the Lemmy tribute they immediately realized the three were a perfect fit, and Speedmobile was born. The debut release Supersonic Beat Commando features fifteen blood pumping, rollercoaster rides that leave you breathless and spitting fire. There’s no doubt we can hear Speedrock everywhere, there’s Motörhead love abundant, Fun Control for instance sounds like a homage to Ace Of Spades and with a track like JD (My Friend) you know what you are drinking and who is watching, with that legendary grin. The more psychobilly influences from Jeroen’s Batmobile are definitely audible as well, just check out Mmm Babalaba or Bang Bang Bang Bang. Repo Men is not the Iggy Pop song although it does definitely feel inspired by it. There is one cover though, the final song and rockabilly classic Train Kept A-Rollin, done in fine filthy form! As is the rest of the album, fast paced, high energy, and it all exhumes smoke, sweat and dubious whisky. And even though Peter Pan Speedrock might be playing one-off-gigs here and there; it will be Speedmobile you will see cruising down the highway, top down, smoking and drinking and grinning like Kilmister kings…

(Written by JK)

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’68 – Give One Take One

 

 

 ’68 – Give One Take One
Chariot Music/Cooking Vinyl/V2 – 2021
Rock, Garage, Noise, Blues, Punk, Hardcore, Post
Rated: ****

I’m not a fan of bandnames that already exist. But I reckon we mentioned that a few times before. Why name your band that way if there’s already a band with that name? I’m also not really a fan of bandnames that are so vague, short or almost impossible to do good searches on. I’m mean, you could have at least named yourself The ‘68 Noise Circus. Or Ending ’68 On A Noise Note. Or They Are ’68, like your homepage, bandcamp, facebook, twitter and such are all named? Or I don’t know. Just, something a bit more than just ’68! But hey, that’s just me and I’m just a crazy dingbat as we all know. However silly the bandname, the music is not! These two scallywags make an awful lot of racket and the good kind at that! Two albums have come; but this one produced by Nick Raskulinecz takes the noise to an entirely new level. The album is called Give One Take One and we are treated to ten tracks filled to the brim with noise, punk, garage, hardcore and the post versions of it. But there’s also that bluesy edge and something that moves from bombastic to catchy like quicksilver. Melodic when it wants and just as easily energetic as well as modest and gentle. The ’68 two have delivered a highly varied and explosive rollercoaster of chaotic magic!

(Written by JK)

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