Tag: psych rock
New Album Review: Black Mountain- IV
Danny Baraz
April 1, 2016
Black Mountain and their body of work could be the soundtrack to both an acid party and a mass suicide for some death cult. There is majick in their music. Track listings are components to epic incantations. Songs weave together to solve some kind of ancient mystery and their forthcoming release of “IV” is the latest transmission of some alien language that has been attempting to communicate with intelligence on our planet for a decade. Fat guitar tones and throwback analog synthesizers communicate to listeners in a familiar language about the future of their lives on this planet. All hyperbole aside, Black Mountain’s “IV” album released today (April 1st) on the JAGJAGUWAR label is a rock and roll masterpiece that summons a classic sound as it simultaneously scales new peaks. Wait, was that more hyperbole? It’s just difficult to downplay that this album contains, by far, the best riffs of the year, definitely of the decade and maybe the best riffs of this young century. The first single and song one off of IV, “Mothers of the Sun” eclipses 8 minutes of playtime and encapsulates the entire album perfectly. It flips from a sparsity of notes to masterful riffery with ease as it
Read More
Year in Review: Top 10 Songs of 2015 Rated by Contributors
Danny Baraz
December 15, 2015
Every year has a song or songs that define it. That song that will always remind you of the best summer ever, the worst summer ever, the year your child was born, the year you graduated high school, the year you dropped out of high school. A song that paints a picture in your mind. Songs you love. Songs you hate. Both can be just as powerful. This is Janky Smooth’s list of the Top 10 Songs of 2015 as rated by our regular contributors. Rating the Top 10 Songs of 2015 is much more difficult than rating the Top 10 Albums of 2015. Masterpiece albums are much more rare than the single flash of inspiration required to create one, catchy 3-5 minute arrangement. Top 10 Songs of 2015 Justin Cornwall- Author: Top 10 Songs of 2015 Beck- Dreams Tame Impala- Let it Happen Chemical Brothers ft. Beck- Wide Open Robert DeLong- Long Way Down RATATAT- Cream on Chrome Bob Moses- Tearing Me Up Best Coast- California Nights Romare- Love Song Kendrick Lamar- King Kunta Disclosure ft Lorde- Magnets Top Post: Sylvan Esso Moves the Fonda for Day 3 of 30 Days in L.A. David Evanko- Photographer: Top 10 Songs
Read More
Ultimate Painting (LP) -Album review
Justin Cornwall
November 18, 2014
I sat down for the first time in a while and reviewed an album – tonight’s selection was their self-titled debut LP – Ultimate Painting. 10 tracks of pure modern day acid trip, it took me on a hazy slow boat journey through my past and into my future. The opening track is the name of their LP – and the name of the LP is the name of the band: Ultimate Painting. The jangly guitar and vibe reminds me of a morning where you wake up with no aches, no hangover, completely rested and on your own terms. It’s a refreshing and distantly familiar sound. The band gives off an attitude of not taking themselves too seriously, but serious enough to record this and get it into your ears. I hope they keep that quality – bands like MGMT and Foster The People started to tank after they took themselves too seriously. Ultimate Painting – don’t take yourselves too seriously, ever. The majority of the lyrics seem to be pulled from daily relationships, personal follies and mutual memories from the band. At times the lyrics slur together due to the filters on them, but it’s a niche of it’s own.
Read More