Sons of Kings - Emersion

One of the more (if not one of the most!) interesting and compelling psychedelic rock releases of 2012 comes from a Finnish quartet Sons of Kings. The two monumental (both almost 20 minutes long) space rock jams slowly unfold into a complex labirynth of almost progressive rock proportions, but devoid of (most) prog rock’s pretentiousness, but still retaining its penchant for changing “movements” and moods. These guys simply got it right; they remember that a real psych/space rock jam is a journey, an exploration of unknown, weird worlds and they absolutely NAILED IT with their sound. Great for a late night smoke session. Float away. Highly recommended. If you enjoy the album, buy the CD!

Also make sure to check out their 2010 debut album, available for absolutely free:

Review: Dmitri Zherbin - Dmitri Zherbin (Mineral Tapes, 2012)

Dmitri Zherbin, the co-founder of the Finnish label Jozik Records may be associated with the psychedelic folk genre, but at a stretch. His vision of folky psychedelia is less based on melody or evoking a “magical” atmosphere, but rather on creation of loose, primal soundscapes which seem to be taking more cues from the more abrasive, noisy end of experimental music and rudimentary musique concrete than from “Finnish Elves”, as Piero Scaruffi described many musicians in the Finnish folk scene.

The self-titled cassette, released on new American label Mineral Tapes and housed in handmade package, doesn’t really sound like actual musical compositions. It is muddled and hazy, with one primeval soundscape shifting into another slowly over the course of time in the vein of the most hard-to-describe releases from Stunned Records. The eerie, seemingly neverending droning loops have a sort of “pre-historic” mystery to them, like the most primitive music from the beginnings of mankind translated into the language of tape music and electronic experimentation, reminding about the ultra lo-fi noisescapes of The Skaters.

The caveman loops will then mutate into maniacally repeating, abstract sound sculptures made of disjointed drum sounds and randomly plucked sounds, like a Rude Goldberg machine playing on many musical instruments, performing a strange algorithm in a series of mathematical repetitions. Like the heavily textured artwork of the tape, the music of Dmitri Zherbin is dark, murky an abstract - definitely not easy listening, but definitely an adventurous one.

Buy the cassette from Mineral Tapes

Review: Mt. Tjhris / Fallen Axe - Split (Jozik Records, 2012)

Without a doubt the packaging for the two cassettes I’ve received from the Helsinki based label Jozik Records is some of the most ingenious and original I’ve ever seen: instead of plain plastic cases the cassettes arrived in handmade cloth sheaths with colorful graphics: in case of Ross Baker’s “The Blackbirds’ Revenge” it was a floral pattern which fit the calm folky nature of that cassette, here it’s more abstract and modern, which fits the psychedelic guitar/synth emanation recorded on both sides.

Side A contains Mt. Tjhris’ “Fogous”, a series of watery, delicately bubbling synth journeys steeped in lo-fi New New New Age tape hiss in a manner similar to the style of the early “born again cassette god” musicians like Josh Burke or the Danish crystal explorer Dreamers Cloth. Simple, relaxing melodies weave in an out of the barely audible drones and noisy warbles to blend into an ephemeric ocean spray that permeates the entire side of the tape.

Side B belongs to Frank Ouelette (the Canadian mastermind behind the Hobo Cubes and the Hobo Cult label), who takes over the turns the mood around 180 degrees with haunting, estranged guitar-based soundscapes which immerse in distant, reverbed noodling recalling the darkest moments of Super Minerals. Don’t expect any sort of melody to appear here, Fallen Axe’s “Storm Session” is abstract and seemingly chaotic, snaking its way with dissonant strums through the fog of sinister synthesizer drones. If the first side of the cassette was the optimistic, hippie vision of music, then the second side is the punk, mercilessly deconstructing the happy myth with fear and negativity.

Buy the tape from Jozik Records

Kiki Pau - Pines

Kiki Pau are a Finnish psychedelic quartet (from Helsinki, the capital!). While the connection of the words “psychedelic” and “Finnish” might give an impression that this is probably some sort of bucolic, neo-ancient, elvish psych folk, you are dead wrong. You should rather think the Circle school of thought, with krauty, lenghty jams and extended guitar workouts interspersed with quieter, synth-driven meditations. Hot new shit for the hot new times.