Darker My Love

HHhmmm... ok. So I've returned. Only because I haven't posted a thing in almost a years time and I'm going to be out of reach for another set of months. Not that it matters. So it's time to recirculate some psychedelic music into the inter-fi-net. The band is LA based Darker My Love. The two frontmen of the band, Tim Presley (White Fence in other realms) and Rob Barbato both had a temporary stint in the reformation of the Fall, but since then have continued to turn out the tunes with Darker My Love. They put out their first record in 2006, which was solid effort full of dirty garage psych sounds- a wall of sound and texture. They might bring to mind Brian Jonestown Massacre (and actually now have the former drummer Dan Allaire), but I don't want to draw too close of comparisons. These dudes have chops of their own and have developed their own style. Particularly on their most recent record "Alive as You Are" which takes a more mellow psych folk turn. Anyway, here is a little taste.

Ariel Pink

Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti covers the Rockin Ramrods "Bright Lit Blue Skies" and its waaaaaaayyyyy better.

Not to knock it. Just saying.

Apples in Stereo

apples in stereo, fun trick noisemaker, innerspace. nuff said

The Telescopes

The Telescopes are some prolific shoegaze rockers.

If you haven't dabbled in shoegaze you should probably start here. The term literally comes from bands zoning out in waves of feedback gazing down at their shoes. I think you'll get the idea pretty fast.

Check some of this out. It's best if you listen on some headphones or legit speakers.




The Telescopes - Flying from albatross38 on Vimeo.

Tim Maia

Sweet, sweet Latin Soul Psych... dig the fuzz tone guitar and the funk horn lines, great fusion.

Tim Maia- Nao Vou Ficar

My Morning Jacket

I'd use the term psych loosely when talking about My Morning Jacket, but there are definite hints of it in there.

But anyways, here's to Jim James and the gang for being themselves and rocking out for the rest of us.
Can't wait to see them at Edgefield this summer!

Miles Davis- On the Corner

Jamin out on some psychedelic jazz son!

I have to say I absolutely love this album. It’s unlike any jazz album I have ever heard before. I love the repetition of the percussion, the distorted guitar sounds, and the simple bass line. It makes for an incredibly hypnotic sound. I imagine that at the time this album came out, no one knew what to think. Had Miles finally lost his mind? I think not, this came out in the 70s and Miles had his ear to what was gong on at the time- that being funk- and took his own elaborate spin on the genre.

It is very modal, taking the time to stretch and play with a key before evolving into the next, all the while keeping it’s double time tempo flowing. I read that John McLaughlin is the guitarist featured on the first couple of tracks and now it makes a lot of sense. I hear a lot of traces of Mahavishnu in there. “Black Satin” moves away from the harsher, urban sound of the first track and enters into a Middle Eastern groove. It kicks of with a tabla and sitar introduction and evolves into a cool groove featuring a repetitive high hat part, sleigh bells, handclaps, and a strange whistling melody that continue through out, while distorted sounds interject. The bass line on “One and One” reminds me of something Isaac Hayes would have been doing at the time, sort of like the typical black exploitation movie groove, it’s fat, distorted, and in your face. As the rhythm plugs along Miles gives tastes of wailing trumpet over top. “Helen Butte/ Mr. Freedom X” is the final and longest track on the whole album, and in a way encompasses the rest of the album. Keeping some of the rhythmic and percussive motifs, while blending it with a spacey keyboard part and Miles’ trumpet.

The highly experimental nature of the album is what attracts me to it. I love all of Miles Davis’ works, from “Birth of the Cool” to “Bitches Brew”, but what is awesome about him is his vitality. He continued to evolve and push boundaries, pushing expectations and musical forms, which to me is the mark of a truly driven musician. This isn’t something that I think anyone can get into, it’s all over the place and chaotic. But it moves seamlessly between different modes, grooves, and textures. It has quickly become one of my favorite Miles Davis albums.