Category: reviews

Sunday at the Cottage by Jeremy Summer is quintessential old time folk music. A faded minimalistic vision set upon a metaphysical plane complete with old overalls and a strawberry rhubarb pie cooling on a windowsill.

The sound is a stripped down jamboree complimented with a ripping and roaring banjo, an erratic spoon percussion section, and a gritty voice that pierces through the vail and seems to penetrate the inner cavities of the mind.

Jeremy Summer is based out of Cleveland, Ohio. Keep up with him on Bandcamp.

A folk ditty, however hard or little it tries, will always be a sentimental reflection to the romantic. Never forget the bathetic tunes of the underground. For this is folk, and folk will never die.

---

From the mystical forests of the north, with roots in folk, blues, and rock, Wheel of Fortune by Soul Zimon & His Kozmic Combinations is the latest track from the Americana project.

The track is influenced by an atmospheric acoustic sound, complete with a raw voice and melodic guitar, straight from the dirty swampland.

The sound encapsulates that old western wasteland feeling, perhaps because it was recorded in a small cabin using simple instruments and recording gear.

I cannot help but stop and listen to a hauntingly nostalgic tune. Never forget the unforgettable and persistent tunes of days now dead and gone. For this is folk, and folk will never die.

Chicago Hartley

Chicago Hartley is a psychedelic project in pure low fidelity by the innovative Swedish music producer, Jimmy Ledrac.

“Zoning Out”, a track by Chicago Hartley, will bring a tear to the eye if you let it. Indeed, it pulls on the heartstrings and brings one to a somber state of meditative solitude.

The wailing organ and eclectic soundscape brings an ornate and colorful element to the psychedelic hammond laden tune. It’s a true treat for the connoisseur of sound vibration.

Joshua Jones

The UK native Joshua Jones delivers his latest track, “Just Like You.” A rare rugged gem from the wasteland of psychedelia.

Growing up in various regions of the UK from the vast coasts of South West Cornwall to the small islands of Herm and Guernsey located in the English Channel off the coasts of Normandy. Jones found a pastime in writing and recording music early on.

By the close of his teenage years, Joshua planted roots within the bustling city of London, working in a West London music studio. There he spent countless nights honing his craft.

Joshua currently resides in Stockholm where he continues to write and work on his music. In short, Jones delivers raw emotion that has left us all wanting more.

Spotify Bonus Track Ft. David Per Martensson & VAAAL

VAAAL is part artist, mad scientist, producer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and synthesist.

His self-titled debut album is a deep dive into his dark and twisted fantasy world, full of handmade instruments, experimental sound choices, and cinematic, epic valleys and peaks.

Bowed string instruments, analog synthesizers and the granular essence of love bathed in real spring reverb makes this piece a meditative experience of reflection and true gratitude.

From the deepest ambient drones and textural soundscapes to high-intensity percussive explosions and bombastic orchestras, this album is a trip through the multiverse and beyond.

The opening song we have for you today, entitled “Lindansen”, is a lovely eclectic tune, indeed a cryptic waltz dancing its way into the carnival of the bizarre. A premeditated sonic routine of sorts, subjugated by the supernatural.

The waxing and waning soundscape sweep the listener off to a far away sonic festival complete with a troupe of dancing elephants and a one-eyed cycling monkey dressed up as a mime.

A public freak show of the sublime. A true peek behind the facade of the circus.

The track is about the feats of tightrope walker Johanna as she amazes yet horrifies the audience with her dance with death. 

Johannas Kabaréorkester is based out of Sweden. Give the artist a sub on YouTube.

---

Casachanclas is an indie rock collective emanating timeless vibrations of a voracious nature. The project is out of Berkeley, California.

The band binds elements of indie, surf, and dance music.

Their first self-produced EP came out July 1st.

“Bliss” is a harmonic desert rock, guitar driven track depicting lucid dreams of a catatonic sort.

It’s got a slow and steady assent with pixelated drum machines, a funky bass, voluptuous vocal melodies, and eclectic piano accents. The cyclical soundscape intertwines harmonic vocals and a hair-raising guitar of grit.

Feel free to settle down light one up and take a load off. And be sure to keep up with the Casachanclas on YouTube.

---

Freak folk extraordinaire Train Fantôme is an eclectic artistic duo out of France. Their latest track is a psychedelic slow dance into the underworld of all that is roots music.

I played this song for my three year old niece. And she said: “leave this song on”. And then she danced through the living room while making up her own lyrics of toddler gibberish. She loved it. And if she loved it, then so will you. Now, lend an ear.

Train Fantôme is made up of Lise Dua and Antoine Nouel, and this track is off of their upcoming album “Nous sommes dans un rêve”.

The vocals are a sweet and refreshingly delicate aromatic fragrance coupled with an eclectic assortment of subdued instrumentation. Little more than a fragmented dreamscape smelling of fresh cut grass on a warm spring time afternoon. A true treat for the romantic at heart.

If you want to hear more, Train Fantôme can be found on YouTube. Don’t forget to give the project a sub. And as always, keep on keeping on.

At only 24, Satchel Hart draws inspiration from the seventies and French revival scene, as he defends psychedelia with a cosmic passion, and glides through both space and time en route to a mystical land filled with ecstasy and eclectic delicacies.

This endearing and mysterious recluse, writes and records his tracks alone in his shack at the back of his garden. As a multi-instrumentalist, Hart develops a passion for guitars and synthesizers, that he uses to hypnotize us in his parallel world.

“Liquid Sunshine”, created for both feverish naps and festivals, encapsulates the innocence of an eternal summer and immerses the intoxicated listener into a noxious cosmic lullaby filled with sonic vibrations from the underworld of the unconscious.

Follow Satchel Hart on Spotify, and be sure to give him a follow. You never know.

José Lobo

José Lobo was conceived in Venezuela, brought up in Brazil, but currently resides in the peaceful land of Canada.

“Quedatela” is a winsome track recorded and produced last summer on Jose’s phone, it’s about having a conversation with oneself as the outskirts of the mind flirt between sane rational thought and the more manic ideas of the inner-world.

As the days last year were slowly passing by, a picture a friend gave Jose, a picture of cliffs by the pacific ocean – helped Jose keep his mind intact, and helped him to keep moving forward despise the onslaught of negative press.

Although he laid in bed with water that swelled within his head. He rose from his bitter dread, with spinning thoughts of sadness in his weary head. These are some of the words that come to mind as Lobo plays softly in the background and rain splatters upon the concrete patio.

Mellotron is also heard throughout as the poignant vocals of Lobo beautifully accent the soundscape. The track was beautifully mixed by Victor Zhang.

Lobo has performed in streets and stages across Europe, North Africa and the Americas. He continues to explore his sound as a Latin American through his songwriting stylistic path.

Ángel Rafael

A lush and sensual track. “Blue Plate” has intrinsic characteristics of a lo-fi pop, yet atmospheric track dripping with ambiance.

Chill-wave vibrations encapsulate the bedroom jam that’s dripping with epicurean energy. A seeker of the downtempo voluptuous.

He gives his stone a shake, and walks until the fate of the world that is slowly setting adrift.

No direct lyrics but ethereal vocals start about a minute in, and then the iridescent percussion comes in just after. And from that point on, the track has the listener in its grip. A trancelike experience of bestial ineptitude.

Mastered at Spice house sound by Alex Santilli. The track is a must listen as we slowly drift out of primavera.

Jintana & Emeralds

Japans’s very own, Jintana & Emeralds dreamy nostalgic single is a trip back through memory lane.

Hailing from the city of Tokyo, Jintana & Emeralds is known for their Doo-Wop sound and blending American Oldies with progressive Japanese ambient music.

The six-member band is back together after taking a long break to release their next album.

The project is an idyllic universe straight out of the 1950s that runs parallel to ours. The only other sound’s the break, of distant waves and birds awake. The stone is gentle, smooth, yet fake. An ominous ode of nostalgia to a sound now dead and gone.

“Oh! Southern Wind” is an alternative take on the group’s well known sound and effortlessly fuses the harmony of three female vocalists into a single delectable delight fit for kings and queens alike.