psych Archive
10 Jul 2013
EP Review: Drivin’ n’ Cryin’ — Songs from the Psychedelic Time Clock
In terms of delivering new music, Drivin’ n’ Cryin’ is employing a strategy not unlike that of Marshall Crenshaw. Instead of releasing an album after a couple years’ wait, both acts are meting out new music in smaller, EP-sized bites. From a marketing (or fan relations) standpoint, this is a solid approach; it keeps the
19 Jun 2013
Album Review: Various Artists – The Dutch Woodstock (CD+DVD)
I’m a hardcore Pink Floyd fanatic. Yeah, one of those lot who insists that the stuff they did before The Dark Side of the Moon is filled with untold riches. The sort who (allegedly) has over 200 lossless audio documents of Floyd concerts, some dating back to the Syd Barrett era (though you can’t hear
03 Jun 2013
Album Review: Brainticket – Cottonwood Hill
Hype is a funny thing. Sometimes it invites scorn, mockery. Recently I received a press release heralding the latest album by “the most talked-about band of 2013.” As you might have guessed, said band has never had a hit, and I’d not heard of them at all (neither had anyone from among an informal survey
21 May 2013
Album Review: Blue Cheer – Rocks Europe
They didn’t call it garage when ? And the Mysterians were playing “96 Tears.” They didn’t label it punk when The Stooges sang about “No Fun.” And they didn’t use the term heavy metal when Blue Cheer released their dipped-in-acid 1967 reading of Eddie Cochran‘s “Summertime Blues.” But heavy metal is most certainly what it
14 May 2013
Album Review: Donovan’s Brain – Turned Up Later
There’s a kind of powerpop that steers well clear of the candy-ass end of the spectrum, yet manages to avoid macho, posturing cockrock-iness. That sweet spot is where Donovan’s Brain lives. Just when you think every good riff has been used, here they come with a menacing bass line figure around which they build the
06 May 2013
Album Review: Ant-Bee — Pure Electric Honey
Though it far too often is the case, avant garde music need not be chilly and foreboding. Sometimes it can be warm and inviting, while still maintaining its outré, weird-and-wonderful characteristics. That’s the case with Pure Electric Honey, the 1988 debut album from Ant-Bee, reissued on CD in 2013. Pure Electric Honey certainly bears few
29 Apr 2013
Concert Review: Black Angels, Allah-Las and Elephant Stone — Asheville NC April 5 2013
I started attending arena-scale rock concerts back in the late 1970s. My first show was in October 1978, seeing Electric Light Orchestra with their hamburger bun/spaceship setup at Atlanta’s Omni. (In the words of Rob Reiner‘s Marty DiBergi character in This is Spinal Tap, “Don’t look for it; it’s not there anymore.) One of the
10 Apr 2013
Album Review: Grateful Dead — Dick’s Pick’s Volume 24
Say what you will about The Grateful Dead – heaven knows I’ve been harshly critical of them, and stand by every one of my written remarks – even at their worst, they possesses an undeniable charm. And no matter what era of the band one focuses upon, there’s always something there to recommend. But then
25 Mar 2013
Album Review: Skydog: The Duane Allman Retrospective
Seven CDs represents quite a lot of music. And all of the music on Skydog: The Duane Allman Retrospective was recorded in the space of six and half year years. The earliest tracks date from spring 1965, and the latest cuts were recorded in fall 1971. But the 129 tracks span an impressively wide stylistic
13 Mar 2013
Concert Review: Tame Impala, Asheville NC 22 Feb 2013
It’s the rare modern act that bridges audiences young and not-so-young. Australia’s Tame Impala is one such act. In the studio, the Australian Tame Impala is essentially one man: Kevin Parker. An unabashed sixties music fetishist, Parker crafts the music (two albums and an EP to date) doing all of the playing, songwriting and singing