Winter Moon - Make Real Make Believe (New Full Album) Winter Moon have carved a place for themselves in the Melbourne Rock scene over the past 5 years. In an eclectic journey, thematically and musically, their debut album ‘Make Real, Make Believe’ showcases the band’s diverse and unique sound. Winter Moon deliver a high energy performance with dance-able modern grooves, heavy vintage tones and a whole lot of sass! Winter Moon have crafted a unique blend of Psych-Rock and hard-hitting Soul that will make you writhe in ecstasy and lose yourself in dancing bliss. With the release of their latest album ‘Make Real, Make Believe’, Winter Moon deliver modern grooves with vintage tones, inspired by bands such as Alabama Shakes, The Dead Weather, The Black Keys and Fleetwood Mac.
Any description of Winter Moon’s music has to start with a discussion of Milly Moon’s voice. A seemingly unstoppable force of nature, it looms over each of Make Real, Make Believe’s 11 tracks like a great, fiery cloud. Moon greets the listener by kicking their door off its hinges with album opener “Knee High,” a song that splits the difference between seductive and frighteningly intense. “Don’t want to hear you speak,” she warns a significant other overtop jagged, circular guitar stabs. Moon commands the metaphorical stage even when she pulls back from her roaring belts to a more gentle tone; on “Take The Trip,” which sounds like a cobwebbed, haunted house take on Blowin’ Your Mind!-era Van Morrison, her voice dips and rises into eccentric lows and chilling falsettos, guiding the listener through the strange sights and sounds one might experience at this hypothetical Morrison Mansion.
The instrumentals supporting Moon on Make Real, Make Believe are consistently exciting, matching her boundless energy roar for riff. Winter Moon draws from the deep well of good old classic rock ‘n’ roll, but manages to avoid sounding like a retread of bands past, and varies its formula widely enough from song to song to keep the album engaging throughout. Jake Winter proves to be a stunningly versatile guitarist, clearly practicing some sort of sorcery that allows him to assume–and shift between—the forms of Tony Iommi, Dan Auerbach, Glenn Frey, Nile Rogers, and more. He nails the molten creep of early heavy metal on “Who Are You,” the scuzzy stomp of garage revival on “Polished Plastic,” the hair-blowing-in-a-wind-machine, lighters-in-the-sky, finger-picked balladry of 70’s rock on “Heavy Burden,” and even the trebly syncopation of disco on “Molasses”. To boot, he adds extra flavor by sprinkling the songs with bluesy solos and fills.
The secret weapon that Winter Moon wields on this album is the organ. The majestic Hammond organ, conjurer of all things swampy. If you want to capture the essence of a muggy bog at midnight, throw a Hammond into the mix and behold as croaking frogs and vaporous clouds of mist appear before your very eyes. Overall, Make Real, Make Believe is a fun, energetic listen from front to back, one that culls from a variety of influences without aping any of them. The thunderous power of Milly Moon’s voice is what first stands out, but upon slightly deeper listening, the strength and versatility of the musicians behind her becomes apparent. Perfect listening for evening strolls through haunted swamps, midnight pentagram sessions, or any other time that you want to get a little witchy, warlocky, or just plain weird.
1. Knee High - 0:00 2. Who Are You - 3:06 3. You Got Me - 7:50 4. Take The Trip - 12:54 5. Calling Of The Night - 17:24 6. Shivers - 21:34 7. Molasses - 25:35 8. Polished Plastic - 30:25 9. Shake It Up - 33:07 10. Heavy Burden - 36:25 11. Little One - 39:46
Solace - The Brink (New Full Album) New Jersey shorecore gods Solace returned in December with sprawling, blistering double LP The Brink, their first full outing since their acclaimed A.D. album was named one of iTunes’ Top 10 Metal Records of the Year (alongside High on Fire and Unearthly Trance) in 2010. An epic return, The Brink is a glorious trek through churning riffage, weighty doom power and drunken sea shanties. Embracing a NWOBHM dual-guitar attack more completely than ever before, the 11-song 2LP likewise maintains a death grip on the band’s trademark volatility and sonic roots.
This 11-track, 67-minute effort gets underway with “Breaker of the Way,” an eight-minute, organ-heavy, 70s-style heavy rock jam, which speeds up to a “Highway Star” chug around the 3:30 mark, complete with a ripping guitar solo that would probably make Ritchie Blackmore proud…if he ever took delight in the playing of others. “Desert Coffin” takes a more heavy-metal approach, with a swirling opening riff that reminds me of Argus. This one settles into a steady chug, with the dual-guitar attack adding some epic doom flourishes a la Candlemass, with a similarly epic impact on the chorus. “Dead Sailor’s Dream” slows things down for a mellower, desert-rock number that reminds of local stoners Low Orbit…until it hits you with a 100-word-a-minute, rapid-fire pre-chorus that has shades of Clutch. Did not see that coming!
“The Light is a Lie” opens with one of the most headbangable doom-metal riffs you’ll hear, shifting into a slightly more than mid-paced tempo a la Blood of the Sun before bringing back the heavy riff again for a sickly sweet chorus. Meanwhile, the nine-and-a-half-minute title track is an epic voyage in doomy space rock, a swinging sea shanty with no shortage of heavy grooves. It’s almost a shame that the organ, which features so prominently on tunes like “Crushing Black” and “The Brink” isn’t a part of their live lineup – although these songs still sound great in any configuration.
1 .Breaker of the Way 2. Desert Coffin 3. Dead Sailor's Dream 4. Waste People 5. The Light is a Lie 6. Crushing Black 7. Bird of Ill Omen 8. Shallows Fade 9. The Brink 10. Until the Last Dog is Hung 11. Dead Sailor's Reprise
Coogans Bluff - Metronopolis (New Full Album) In 2003 four young men, hailing from Rostock, Germany, decided it was time to show the world how ROCK had to sound in their book. Coogans Bluff, named after an old Eastwood movie, was born. Where other bands stuck within their creative process or completely dissolve, Coogans Bluff managed to reinvent themselves during challenging times. Their singer left the band 2012 and bassist Clemens Marasus took the job whereupon their unique sound and own style completely emerged. Now Coogans Bluff returns with their new 5th album 'Metronopolis'.
Rolling Stone magazine paid homage by describing the band as a “blend of 60s/70s-Hardrock, Hippie-Funk and some kind of Captain Beefheartesque Blues deconstruction”. Some call it “Retro” but it is hard to find many others combining Krautrock, Progressive and even Space-, Psychedelic-, Stoner- and Bluesrock in such an unusual way. Their songs are bulky as they are catchy and the groove leaves enough space for melodies and details to unfold.
Coogans Bluff is a band that knows how to combine the best of both worlds … in fact best of some more worlds/far more than two actually. With a sound that is retro and contemporary at the same time they win over the hearts of Retro-Rock traditionalists and still show experimental, fresh and daring ideas. Buckle up, kick back and listen without distraction! We’ll meet again in outer space.
1. Gadfly - 0:00 2. Sincerely Yours - 3:20 3. Zephyr - 7:32 4. Hit And Run - 14:33 5. Creatures Of The Night - 19:45 6. Soft Focus - 23:08 7. The Turn l - 30:26 8. The Turn II - 35:50
Big Scenic Nowhere - Vision Beyond Horizon (New Full Album) Anyone familiar with the terms “Stoner Rock” or “Desert Rock” have surely heard the names Fu Manchu or Yawning Man. If you’re a die hard fan of the genre, or a causal observer, you know that both bands have been dishing out quality material since the beginning. While stylistically different, both band occupy legendary status. Fu Manchu’s sun-drenched, stratospheric, fuzz worship sound and Yawning Man’s ethereal, ambient delay have never been crossbred until now. It’s certainty a good time to be alive if you’re a fan of either band. We bring you Big Scenic Nowhere!
Big Scenic Nowhere‘s debut full-length, the nine-song/44-minute Heavy Psych Sounds LP Vision Beyond Horizon, is almost entirely more cohesive in its purpose, blending some of the proggier elements of the EP into washes of Mellotron and Wurlitzer on side-ending pieces like “Hidden Wall” and “War Years” as Tony Reed becomes an essential third collaborator in the band alongside Balch and Arce. This album is a collaborative effort and even greater than the sum of its parts. The basic riffs and song structures were done by Bob Balch and Gary Arce, but the contributions from Tony Reed, Lisa Alley, Ian Graham, Mario Lalli, Nick Oliveri, Bill Stinson, Per Wiberg and Alain Johannes make this record what it is.
This album is a unique gem, manufactured by multiple artists, including different atmospheres: from the melodic stoner mellowness, to faster tempos, to classic heavy sounds, but songwriting is never customary. We can say, “Fu Manchu’s killer riffing meets the desert psychedelia of Yawning Man.” Bob Balch and Gary Arce together give life to an amazing new adventure which sounds fresh and dynamic. The vocal parts are always choral and interesting. There’s a variety in the songs which always keeps the listener focused and intrigued about what’s next. This is a very special record and deserves your full attention, because we predict that over time you will hear different elements within it. So dig in and get lost. Let your journey begin.
1. The Glim 2. The Paraonid 3. The I Was Gone 4. Mirror Image 5. Hidden Wall 6. Shadows From The Altar 7. En Las Sombras 8. Tragic Motion Lines 9. The War Years
