As 2024 comes to a close, it's time to dig a little into the the year's vault. No shortage of killer stuff released as usual. Birdman Sound has primarily always been consumed by the vinyl format since lift off and 2024 has been a year much like the last couple where many folk increasingly are getting "priced out" in the pursuit of new records and sometimes even 2nd hand (Discogs "FUCK OFF"). In reality, vinyl prices have been on the rise for years and way before the global pandemic. As far back as 2015 I was thinking that sooner or later a wall would be hit due to high prices and a bailing out process would begin. In 2020 shit sorta hit the fan causing raw material shortages, rising cost of petrol, shipping,workplace shortfalls, etc. and this ball added up to the inevitable.
Now, nearly two years of recession like atmosphere has has not helped and seen costs rise in near every facet of life! Nonchalantly splashing out $ 90. on a double LP from Les Rallizes Denudes, has sorta taken the wind out of many's sails. There's also another direct result of the pandemic IMHO, which is the amount of fucking musically stunted bozos slinging wax these days! The vast majority of these ignorant rats out of the floorboards, would not know a legitimately great record if it bit them and seem primarily motivated by greed! I've observed here in fat cat city through social media, that every Tom, Dick and Harry is flogging wax like long game moguls (NOT!). Near 90% of what I see, is utter rubbish that should be relegated only to a yard sale or put into landfill. There's millions of records that should never have been made in the first place, much less ever purchased, then resold again! Please fuck off, go back to your holes and stick to hockey cards, old bottles and Hummel figurines!
Anyways...2024 like every other year previous has seen a serious amount of great shit issued. Once again I've asked friends to add their two cents worth again, so pay close attention. I should add that not everything we "wax on" about or is listed, is necessarily a new release! It's about mental well being and nourishment through music and from absolute "heads"...dig in ! 👽
Andy Uzzell, Brett Savage, Dave Cambridge, Christopher Laramee and Shane Hartman are all on board here again this year !
DJ MUGGS/SILVER CLOUD
MADLIB INVAZION MUSIC LIBRARY SERIES
2023
One of the last in this series of library-indebted records released by
the legend Madlib, this is pure scorch and drift, noir-ish chills and
detours into abstraction that some would not perhaps expect from the
Cypress Hill producer. Minimal and brooding, this one is one of the
best things I've heard in forever, genre be darned. For sure an extension of his finest Cypress work and recommended to fans, these loops wander out and twist into the horizon. Like the sticker on the record says, DEEP, DARK, DANK. 10/10.
EPOQUE SELECTOR
LOST MY SELF/ LOOKING GLASS 7"
BEING RECORDS
2024
Max Turnbull of Badge Epoque Ensemble corrals super dope breaks and
vox into two brief tracks on this super LTD 15 copy seven inch release
(check the Bandcamp to peep tho). Mandy Christ and Jane INC's vocals
dovetail nicely into these liquid mirror tracks. Def of a piece with
BEE releases for sure and continuing proof of the Badge's stature as
one of thee pre-eminent groups going (the SCROLL double LP from a bit
back especially is blowing the F out of my mind lately).
Sven Wunder/ NATURA MORTA
PIANO PIANO
2021
Yeah, released summer 2021 but new to me, this orchestral soundtrack
"wonder" (sorry) is hands down one of the best things this head has
gacked in awhile. David Axelrod/ John Barry/ Herbie Hancock on the
hookah hose together? Sure, that'll do fine. Hit the Bandcamp and
check the whole recent history, but start with this one. The
production is so beautiful and period "on-point" that one could easily
be seduced into thinking this is some lost classic from 69-72 ish
newly discovered again. Put on some rose-colored glasses and float
away.
HAGOOD HARDY AND THE MONTAGE/ MONTAGE
PICKWICK/ CANADIAN TALENT LIBRARY
1979
Praise be my great friend and neighbour Kaley for slipping this one
over the fence this last summer for me. Easy-listening cheap bin glory
that hit me hard. Faint funk traces and jazzy sunlit collapsing
moments smeared all over this record plus some sunshine pop merry go
around vibes. US born but Canadian bred film and television composer
Hardy really knocked shit out of the park with this one, assured and
yes, easy.
THE BAND WHOSE NAME IS A SYMBOL/ DEAD SEA APES EINE NACHT
CARDINAL FUZZ/ FEEDING TUBE
2024
Yes, I usually include some DSA/ SYMBOL and yes, I occasionally play
in TBWNIAS so take this with a grain of salt if you need. Whatever,
this shit rules hard, so there. The result of some studio/ rehearsal
jams before Ottawa Psychfest 2023, these 3 LPS of spaced blare and
chunktatstic improv shimmy really do the business, and clear the old
noggin out just fine. The Star Trek DEEP SPACE NINE of rock. The room
was full of people and the O MIND was in effect that day, to be sure.
PLASTIC CRIMEWAVE SYNDICATE - TALES OF THE GOLDEN SKULL
(CARDINAL FUZZ / FEEDING TUBE)
The wind blows cold off the lake in Chicago, and the Syndicate are back with another stonking group of jams and melters to warm up the cold air and get thy fists raised! The rock band of PLASTIC CRIMEWAVE (nee Steven Krakow) currently features the bass leans of Rob Rodak andthe lithe yet skull crushing pound of thee Mr Jose Bernal, the blood taker and heartbreaker of percussion breakdowns. Abetted on this release by the sax blare and keys of Mac Blackout, Przemyslaw Krzysztof on galactic trumpet wail, long time synth lord Bill Vermette and Will Maclean on keytar, these controls are well and truly set for the heart of the STUN. Imagine Nik Turner doing severe biker damage, chains breaking glass, The Doors on a cosmic meth bender stealing cars and driving them off of parking garages, in epic flashes of heat. Space rock, sure. Doesn't do it justice tho. Great RAWK in all its glory at the end of the day. Get SKULLED. Now.
No year can by without at least one Cardinal Fuzz album making the grade – this year saw two that have had pretty consistent rotation here: The Band Whose Name Is A Symbol– ‘Verdun’ and The Exorzist III ‘Gospel Jamming Vol 1’. The former sees the Canadian collective release a studio album for the first time in 5 years and it is a glorious return. ‘Verdun’ is a leviathan of krautrock and sublime jams that rattles the speakers and gladdens the heart. ‘Gospel Jamming Vol 1’ sees Drew St Ivany of Laddio Bolocko driving a juggernaut of noisy jams, freaked out blues rock and more distortion you can shake a stick at. Both these albums share a bloodline but whereas one steers a route of superb musicianship and an encyclopaedic knowledge of music, the other chooses a more erratic but just as adrenalin fuelled route…brilliant stuff!
Oren Ambarchi, Johan Berthling, Andreas Werliin – ‘Ghosted II’ (Drag City) is another astounding album…complex but accessible, ostensibly it is jazz but takes krautrock and post-rock and weaves them all together into something spectral and nuanced . Ambarchi’s guitar work is sublime and the whole album is incredibly hypnotic.
On top of these there are re-releases/represses of Acid Mothers Temple, Sun Ra and Miles Davis that have all hit the spot. When I started writing this I thought 2024 hadn’t been as rich as previous years but, having thought, reminisced and re-listened, it was another stellar year. Here’s hoping 2025 follows suit.
Shiver - San Francisco’s Shiver
Albums Of The Year...
Andy Uzzell, Brett Savage, Dave Cambridge, Christopher Laramee and Shane Hartman are all on board here again this year !
Christopher Laramee is a fellow Canadian (Saskatchewan) and a good friend. Chris has been a radio programmer, a blogger (The Long Play) and a contributor to the GREAT Ugly Things music magazine, based in San Diego, CA. Chris is a musician playing with Runway / Switching Yard / The Band Whose Name Is A Symbol (when time permits) and of course his stellar, one man operation Wasted Cathedral! Chris picked a few...
Note: Not necessarily stuff released this year, but stuff new to me...
MADLIB INVAZION MUSIC LIBRARY SERIES
2023
One of the last in this series of library-indebted records released by
the legend Madlib, this is pure scorch and drift, noir-ish chills and
detours into abstraction that some would not perhaps expect from the
Cypress Hill producer. Minimal and brooding, this one is one of the
best things I've heard in forever, genre be darned. For sure an extension of his finest Cypress work and recommended to fans, these loops wander out and twist into the horizon. Like the sticker on the record says, DEEP, DARK, DANK. 10/10.
EPOQUE SELECTOR
LOST MY SELF/ LOOKING GLASS 7"
BEING RECORDS
2024
Max Turnbull of Badge Epoque Ensemble corrals super dope breaks and
vox into two brief tracks on this super LTD 15 copy seven inch release
(check the Bandcamp to peep tho). Mandy Christ and Jane INC's vocals
dovetail nicely into these liquid mirror tracks. Def of a piece with
BEE releases for sure and continuing proof of the Badge's stature as
one of thee pre-eminent groups going (the SCROLL double LP from a bit
back especially is blowing the F out of my mind lately).
Sven Wunder/ NATURA MORTA
PIANO PIANO
2021
Yeah, released summer 2021 but new to me, this orchestral soundtrack
"wonder" (sorry) is hands down one of the best things this head has
gacked in awhile. David Axelrod/ John Barry/ Herbie Hancock on the
hookah hose together? Sure, that'll do fine. Hit the Bandcamp and
check the whole recent history, but start with this one. The
production is so beautiful and period "on-point" that one could easily
be seduced into thinking this is some lost classic from 69-72 ish
newly discovered again. Put on some rose-colored glasses and float
away.
HAGOOD HARDY AND THE MONTAGE/ MONTAGE
PICKWICK/ CANADIAN TALENT LIBRARY
1979
Praise be my great friend and neighbour Kaley for slipping this one
over the fence this last summer for me. Easy-listening cheap bin glory
that hit me hard. Faint funk traces and jazzy sunlit collapsing
moments smeared all over this record plus some sunshine pop merry go
around vibes. US born but Canadian bred film and television composer
Hardy really knocked shit out of the park with this one, assured and
yes, easy.
THE BAND WHOSE NAME IS A SYMBOL/ DEAD SEA APES EINE NACHT
CARDINAL FUZZ/ FEEDING TUBE
2024
Yes, I usually include some DSA/ SYMBOL and yes, I occasionally play
in TBWNIAS so take this with a grain of salt if you need. Whatever,
this shit rules hard, so there. The result of some studio/ rehearsal
jams before Ottawa Psychfest 2023, these 3 LPS of spaced blare and
chunktatstic improv shimmy really do the business, and clear the old
noggin out just fine. The Star Trek DEEP SPACE NINE of rock. The room
was full of people and the O MIND was in effect that day, to be sure.
(CARDINAL FUZZ / FEEDING TUBE)
The wind blows cold off the lake in Chicago, and the Syndicate are back with another stonking group of jams and melters to warm up the cold air and get thy fists raised! The rock band of PLASTIC CRIMEWAVE (nee Steven Krakow) currently features the bass leans of Rob Rodak andthe lithe yet skull crushing pound of thee Mr Jose Bernal, the blood taker and heartbreaker of percussion breakdowns. Abetted on this release by the sax blare and keys of Mac Blackout, Przemyslaw Krzysztof on galactic trumpet wail, long time synth lord Bill Vermette and Will Maclean on keytar, these controls are well and truly set for the heart of the STUN. Imagine Nik Turner doing severe biker damage, chains breaking glass, The Doors on a cosmic meth bender stealing cars and driving them off of parking garages, in epic flashes of heat. Space rock, sure. Doesn't do it justice tho. Great RAWK in all its glory at the end of the day. Get SKULLED. Now.
Andy Uzzell hails from Chelmsford, Essex UK. Andy was scribe/creator of the legendary"Dayz Of Purple and Orange" Blog, Proprietor of the WICKED (on hiatus) Misophonia Records label and master of his blog Sun and Violence . Andy takes in more music than most and here's some seriously well schooled picks...
As another year trundles by, I’m not quite sure where 2024 went; my dear old mum used to say “the older you get, the quicker time goes” so I feel fucking ancient as it seems only 2 weeks ago I was making New Year’s resolutions I had no intention of keeping. Musically, for me, 2024 has been about 2 obsessions, the first of which has been a new, deep love of Soft Machine. Up until this year Soft Machine were “just” a band from the 70s and I paid them no heed but in January I took a listen, initially out of curiosity but which soon turned into an obsession. I cannot quantify why I love those first 10 or so albums, something just resonates with me and I reckon I listen to at least two albums every week. The ‘tags’ or ‘genres’ attached to the band do them no justice – they are more than prog, more than psychedelic, more than jazz and more than rock… they are an amalgam of all those but it really is a case of the sum is greater than the parts. If anyone was to ask me that (puerile and pointless) question of ‘favourite ever bands’ then Soft Machine has hit the top three hard, so thank you 2024.
My second obsession is a tad more obscure. In Blackpool lives a gent by the name of Jamie Azzopardi (and a decent cove he is too). He is the owner of Shack in the Barley label although I believe that is no more (but some physical stuff still available!). He records under several monikers; The Golden Gonk, Pigeons From Christ, Skulls That Have Sex and loads more. Whatever the guise the music is always immersive and intelligent and runs the gamut from beautiful, bucolic acoustic guitar to sheets of fuzzy noise via prog, folk and psychedelia…it really is a music lover’s lucky dip. I have spent the past couple of months fully immersing myself in Jamie’s musical output via Cdr and tape. Some of said tapes are ‘splits with other artists – some I knew (Andreas Brandal) while others have set me down more rabbit holes (the delightfully noisy Cousins of Reggae from Canada). While I know the ‘purists’ (fuck’em) will decry the lack of vinyl releases I urge everyone to dip a toe in the murky waters of Shack in the Barley..there WILL be at least one album you will like/love/obsess over. More importantly, it is the ‘grass roots’ that really is the life blood of music…while the majors milk the likes of Taylor Swift (now, there’s an image) for mega bucks it is people like Jamie who produce clever, heartfelt and surprising music, and the music is all the reward they seek (although a few Bandcamp sales help!)
Shack In The Barley
The above is not to say that there have not been any top notch new releases. A few albums have really grabbed me by the gonads and refuse to let go. Possibly my favourite new release has been ‘Jinxed By Being’ by Shackleton and Six Organs of Admittance (Drag City) – strange bedfellows to be sure… bass heavy techno/dubstep producer paired with Ben Chasny’s cosmic folk but it works and works very well. The two different approaches compliment each other beautifully; the electronics round off the creaky edges of Chasney’s spectral songs without making the album sound ‘electronic’.. it really is a meeting of minds and is a beautiful, satisfying listen.
Movie soundtracks, especially Italian horror, is one subject I could bore on for hours and hours - from the undisputed masters (Morricone, Nicolai, Frizzi, Umiliani and of course the mighty Goblin) to the less lauded but just as essential (Orlandi, Ortolani, Cipriani and, oh, loads others).
Two people who have distilled the essence of these soundtracks, along with seventies funk, lounge jazz and composers like David Axelrod, are Jonathan Parkes and Dom Keen, who as their alteregos Dreamlord and Kosmische, ply their trade as The Hologram People This year saw them release ‘Isola Dei Morti Viventi' (Dreamlord Recordings) and it has all the elements found in prime seventies soundtracks and is spectacularly good! It sounds like an authentic 70s soundtrack and, for me, that is the highest praise!
As another year trundles by, I’m not quite sure where 2024 went; my dear old mum used to say “the older you get, the quicker time goes” so I feel fucking ancient as it seems only 2 weeks ago I was making New Year’s resolutions I had no intention of keeping. Musically, for me, 2024 has been about 2 obsessions, the first of which has been a new, deep love of Soft Machine. Up until this year Soft Machine were “just” a band from the 70s and I paid them no heed but in January I took a listen, initially out of curiosity but which soon turned into an obsession. I cannot quantify why I love those first 10 or so albums, something just resonates with me and I reckon I listen to at least two albums every week. The ‘tags’ or ‘genres’ attached to the band do them no justice – they are more than prog, more than psychedelic, more than jazz and more than rock… they are an amalgam of all those but it really is a case of the sum is greater than the parts. If anyone was to ask me that (puerile and pointless) question of ‘favourite ever bands’ then Soft Machine has hit the top three hard, so thank you 2024.
My second obsession is a tad more obscure. In Blackpool lives a gent by the name of Jamie Azzopardi (and a decent cove he is too). He is the owner of Shack in the Barley label although I believe that is no more (but some physical stuff still available!). He records under several monikers; The Golden Gonk, Pigeons From Christ, Skulls That Have Sex and loads more. Whatever the guise the music is always immersive and intelligent and runs the gamut from beautiful, bucolic acoustic guitar to sheets of fuzzy noise via prog, folk and psychedelia…it really is a music lover’s lucky dip. I have spent the past couple of months fully immersing myself in Jamie’s musical output via Cdr and tape. Some of said tapes are ‘splits with other artists – some I knew (Andreas Brandal) while others have set me down more rabbit holes (the delightfully noisy Cousins of Reggae from Canada). While I know the ‘purists’ (fuck’em) will decry the lack of vinyl releases I urge everyone to dip a toe in the murky waters of Shack in the Barley..there WILL be at least one album you will like/love/obsess over. More importantly, it is the ‘grass roots’ that really is the life blood of music…while the majors milk the likes of Taylor Swift (now, there’s an image) for mega bucks it is people like Jamie who produce clever, heartfelt and surprising music, and the music is all the reward they seek (although a few Bandcamp sales help!)
Shack In The Barley
The above is not to say that there have not been any top notch new releases. A few albums have really grabbed me by the gonads and refuse to let go. Possibly my favourite new release has been ‘Jinxed By Being’ by Shackleton and Six Organs of Admittance (Drag City) – strange bedfellows to be sure… bass heavy techno/dubstep producer paired with Ben Chasny’s cosmic folk but it works and works very well. The two different approaches compliment each other beautifully; the electronics round off the creaky edges of Chasney’s spectral songs without making the album sound ‘electronic’.. it really is a meeting of minds and is a beautiful, satisfying listen.
Movie soundtracks, especially Italian horror, is one subject I could bore on for hours and hours - from the undisputed masters (Morricone, Nicolai, Frizzi, Umiliani and of course the mighty Goblin) to the less lauded but just as essential (Orlandi, Ortolani, Cipriani and, oh, loads others).
Two people who have distilled the essence of these soundtracks, along with seventies funk, lounge jazz and composers like David Axelrod, are Jonathan Parkes and Dom Keen, who as their alteregos Dreamlord and Kosmische, ply their trade as The Hologram People This year saw them release ‘Isola Dei Morti Viventi' (Dreamlord Recordings) and it has all the elements found in prime seventies soundtracks and is spectacularly good! It sounds like an authentic 70s soundtrack and, for me, that is the highest praise!
No year can by without at least one Cardinal Fuzz album making the grade – this year saw two that have had pretty consistent rotation here: The Band Whose Name Is A Symbol– ‘Verdun’ and The Exorzist III ‘Gospel Jamming Vol 1’. The former sees the Canadian collective release a studio album for the first time in 5 years and it is a glorious return. ‘Verdun’ is a leviathan of krautrock and sublime jams that rattles the speakers and gladdens the heart. ‘Gospel Jamming Vol 1’ sees Drew St Ivany of Laddio Bolocko driving a juggernaut of noisy jams, freaked out blues rock and more distortion you can shake a stick at. Both these albums share a bloodline but whereas one steers a route of superb musicianship and an encyclopaedic knowledge of music, the other chooses a more erratic but just as adrenalin fuelled route…brilliant stuff!
Oren Ambarchi, Johan Berthling, Andreas Werliin – ‘Ghosted II’ (Drag City) is another astounding album…complex but accessible, ostensibly it is jazz but takes krautrock and post-rock and weaves them all together into something spectral and nuanced . Ambarchi’s guitar work is sublime and the whole album is incredibly hypnotic.
On top of these there are re-releases/represses of Acid Mothers Temple, Sun Ra and Miles Davis that have all hit the spot. When I started writing this I thought 2024 hadn’t been as rich as previous years but, having thought, reminisced and re-listened, it was another stellar year. Here’s hoping 2025 follows suit.
Shane Hartman resides in Stratford, Ontario. Shane is a DJ who not only spins out every once and awhile but has an online radio program Acid Rest Radio on SVP RADIO . A musician playing with a variety of projects including Underground Mountains, Shane is also proprietor of We, Here & Now! Records which came out of nowhere in the last few years to release and co-release a load of more than excellent releases with some very cool shit just around the corner...
Shiver - San Francisco’s Shiver
Heavy Rain - S/t
Alexander Lucas- S/T (Subliminal Sounds)
Dennis Coffey - Finger Pickin’ Good .. transitional era funk into disco. I answer to a higher power.
Norma Tanega - Walkin’ My Cat Named Dog .. You’re Dead.
Sonny Sharrock - Ask The Ages.
Charles Gayle Milford Graves William Parker - WEBO
100000 FIRE EMOJIS
Masayuki Takayangi - Mass Hysterism in Another Situation
.. no words. Just scorched earth.
Les Rallizes Denudes - Citta’ ’93
I haven't been able to keep up with all the official releases but this one is a fucking monster!!
High Rise - Disturbance Trip
... #motorcyclefuzzforever. If you don’t know, now you know!
Windy and Carl - Heavy Early & The Creation of Venus
First listened on an early morning ramble with our Fred. Soundtrack to the sunrise. Absolute stunner and given the circumstances surrounding these tracks creation, made even more powerful.
Alexander Lucas- S/T (Subliminal Sounds)
Dennis Coffey - Finger Pickin’ Good .. transitional era funk into disco. I answer to a higher power.
Norma Tanega - Walkin’ My Cat Named Dog .. You’re Dead.
Sonny Sharrock - Ask The Ages.
Charles Gayle Milford Graves William Parker - WEBO
100000 FIRE EMOJIS
Masayuki Takayangi - Mass Hysterism in Another Situation
.. no words. Just scorched earth.
Les Rallizes Denudes - Citta’ ’93
I haven't been able to keep up with all the official releases but this one is a fucking monster!!
High Rise - Disturbance Trip
... #motorcyclefuzzforever. If you don’t know, now you know!
Windy and Carl - Heavy Early & The Creation of Venus
First listened on an early morning ramble with our Fred. Soundtrack to the sunrise. Absolute stunner and given the circumstances surrounding these tracks creation, made even more powerful.
Plastic Crimewave Syndicate - Tales Of The Golden Skull...latest from thee Syndicate, a fucking excellent outing checking all the boxes and makes me increasingly miss playing my guitar at deafening volumes.
Tofa - Mauled ..
killer album from this long running noise rock unit based in Iceland. Got solid cred from my biggest niece recommending this one to her. The kids are alright.
Taxi Vision - Mass Hysteria
.. fuzzed up nuyorican sounds of the summer are fucking perfect.
Zack Oakley - Kommune
.. former JOY axeman slipped this into the digital realm earlier this year, quickly falling into heavy rotation. All analog, straight to tape recordings. heads who dig GOAT, Fela, SF Sike will have plenty to lose their shit to here !
Chris Forsyth - Plays Love Devotion Surrender
.. fucking amazing. Masters at work approaching this material live for a very lucky crowd! Jam this one LOUD!
Geishas of Doom - Jur + First Four Tapes
..Garage / HC / Punk weirdo business from this exceptional 6 piece hailing from the Netherlands.
Velvet Elevator - Live at Uniting Church
..Principium was one of my very first Cardinal Fuzz purchases back in the day (thanks John!) .. this live one only further cements what I love about them even further!
Sontag Shogun - The Tightrope Sessions
.. 2 songs and a jam, stretching out ‘Leikkikalu’ yearning and hope as wide as the sky, culminating in a blissed out hair standing on arms for 12 minutes, emerging into ‘Smoke & Tears’ and finding the way out in an Improv finale. Not an official release per se (I TRIED!) but so very much worth spending 20 minutes with before digging up the bootlegs and official discography.
Rich Ruth - Water Still Flows
.. was late coming to this one.. what a wonderful record <3
Water Damage - live at tubbys , In E, Roodkapje 110424, etc..
..like FRANCE went to the gym and started a cult. WHEN WILL THEY MAKE IT TO CANADA SO I CAN JOIN TOO??
Dire Wolves - Just Exactly Perfect Sisters Band - Import / Export ~ Munchen, Germany, Sept 01, 2019 (remaster)
..by all accounts, sounds like they played for a stiff crowd this night and in the face of this came out swinging! Everything about this just kicks harder and farther out. With Nik Rayne and Bell Lungs in tow for this run of shows on their EU tour, this DRWLVS performance is killer!
Bhajan Bhoy - Peace Frequencies / Healing Frequencies
..Might be the best yet from Ajay! Blinding mix of shoegaze, bone rattling bass, post-experimental minimalist moves expanding the Bhajan Boy pallet
Blues Ambush - S/T K7 (2024)
.. arriving early April, the promise of spring still a whisper through bare branches bathed in late afternoon sunshine.. and walking home after work, pouring into my ears.. melting my brain.. ~ fin
The Exorzist III - Gospel Jamming Vol.1
Tofa - Mauled ..
killer album from this long running noise rock unit based in Iceland. Got solid cred from my biggest niece recommending this one to her. The kids are alright.
Taxi Vision - Mass Hysteria
.. fuzzed up nuyorican sounds of the summer are fucking perfect.
Zack Oakley - Kommune
.. former JOY axeman slipped this into the digital realm earlier this year, quickly falling into heavy rotation. All analog, straight to tape recordings. heads who dig GOAT, Fela, SF Sike will have plenty to lose their shit to here !
Chris Forsyth - Plays Love Devotion Surrender
.. fucking amazing. Masters at work approaching this material live for a very lucky crowd! Jam this one LOUD!
Geishas of Doom - Jur + First Four Tapes
..Garage / HC / Punk weirdo business from this exceptional 6 piece hailing from the Netherlands.
Velvet Elevator - Live at Uniting Church
..Principium was one of my very first Cardinal Fuzz purchases back in the day (thanks John!) .. this live one only further cements what I love about them even further!
Sontag Shogun - The Tightrope Sessions
.. 2 songs and a jam, stretching out ‘Leikkikalu’ yearning and hope as wide as the sky, culminating in a blissed out hair standing on arms for 12 minutes, emerging into ‘Smoke & Tears’ and finding the way out in an Improv finale. Not an official release per se (I TRIED!) but so very much worth spending 20 minutes with before digging up the bootlegs and official discography.
Rich Ruth - Water Still Flows
.. was late coming to this one.. what a wonderful record <3
Water Damage - live at tubbys , In E, Roodkapje 110424, etc..
..like FRANCE went to the gym and started a cult. WHEN WILL THEY MAKE IT TO CANADA SO I CAN JOIN TOO??
Dire Wolves - Just Exactly Perfect Sisters Band - Import / Export ~ Munchen, Germany, Sept 01, 2019 (remaster)
..by all accounts, sounds like they played for a stiff crowd this night and in the face of this came out swinging! Everything about this just kicks harder and farther out. With Nik Rayne and Bell Lungs in tow for this run of shows on their EU tour, this DRWLVS performance is killer!
Bhajan Bhoy - Peace Frequencies / Healing Frequencies
..Might be the best yet from Ajay! Blinding mix of shoegaze, bone rattling bass, post-experimental minimalist moves expanding the Bhajan Boy pallet
Blues Ambush - S/T K7 (2024)
.. arriving early April, the promise of spring still a whisper through bare branches bathed in late afternoon sunshine.. and walking home after work, pouring into my ears.. melting my brain.. ~ fin
The Exorzist III - Gospel Jamming Vol.1
CANADIAN CONTENT
Robert Planet - In The Vernacular
..luvluvluv this album!! Did an official K7 release though it may have slipped under a few radars. Do your earholes a kindness <3
Jacob Barber - We’re One With The Stars
...on my year end for 2023 and remained a big part of my listening into this year) - Jacob’s solo work coming out of bedroom psych pop productions a la Tame Impala, Ah LaLa’s, etc.. wonderful positive sounds I needed when I found them. The man's a real lynchpin in the Sarnia to London area, organizing shows and fests under The Gateway Experience banner, while his former unit Aventurines morphed into Melody Machine as well this year, very much looking forward to hearing more!!
Roy - Spoons For The World
.. seems so much of what I love about the weird music coming out of Toronto has Pat Lefler’s finger prints all over it - features contributions from members of THE ROYAL FAMILY, HIERONYMOUS HARRY, ROBERT PLANET, KALI HORSE, etc.. once again, recorded all analog, str8 to tape. This is the aural equivalent of a heavy cable knit sweater, hot cupppa, crackling fire in your favourite easy chair.
Amp Screams God - S/T ep
..debut ep from these fellas. Vicious blend of garage punk, heavy psych and stoner noise from London, ON. In heavy rotation since grabbing it last summer and stoked to hear more!
Vypers - S/T
Only came to this Toronto unit just as they announced their farewell show. What fucking rock I have been living under.. this being their first and ultimately their final full length after over a decade of blood, drugs and infamy in the trenches..
Brick Road - s/t 2024 - Further along thee cosmic brick road <3
The Strange Happenings - Realm Lord
..from the swampy banks of the St Lawrence, these Kingston based motherfuckers be tripping in the best way possible! The psych, punk, kraut freak rock is real and I fucking love it! Sad I missed them at Psych Fest '23, but making up for that with some wax in the new year!
The Royal Family - Live from The Ministers Vestry
..I had the privilege of witnessing the Royal Family perform earlier this year and hearing these songs live, they’re fucking excellent.
Thresher - Eat The Middle Out and Wheels w/in Wheels (Ownsound Recordings)
Their first piece of wax christened “Wheels w/in Wheels” (as per Mike Watt’s description!) and the latest single, Eat The Middle Out - continues mining the real deal, free rock / post punk / no-wave / jazz /experimental music madness brewing up in Owen Sound. The lads are putting miles on the van, catch them if they should come by! …also a grip of live shit… Heartwood Hall 240628, Sala Rossa 301023 AND a forthcoming split with Underground Mountains (holy shit you guys are in for it!!)
Pallbearer Industry - Live At Ottawa Psychfest
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again a little bit louder for those in the back.. PALLBEARER INDUSTRY FUCKING RULE. THEIR SET AT OTTAWA PSYCHFEST ’23 WAS FUCKING UNREAL. THE REAL SHIT. DEEP SHIT. NOW YOU CAN OFFICIALLY SAY YOU KNOW YOUR SHIT. LISTEN TO PALLBEARER INDUSTRY.
The Band Whose Name Is A Symbol (TBWNIAS) - Complete Damo & The Symbol @ Pressed Cafe, Ottawa 2012 recordings (remastered)
.. that these recordings were the stuff of hushed whispers in the shadowy halls of the sike cogniscenti for years, I wasn’t sure they truly existed… I can't remember why I didn't go that night but.. fuck.. Wooden Soldier becomes an epic next level rock anthem, Neu Sedan churns and burns for over 20 minutes!! Fuck yeah!!!
TBWNIAS & Dead Sea Apes - ein nacht..
Meeting of thee ascended masters spread over three slabs of wax, finds DSA in heavy conversation with TBWNIAS in the run up to Ottawa Psych Fest ’23 . Recorded in a novel way to capture the space and dynamics of this power.. what’s the latin term for this many heads in a room conjuring sonic black magic again?
TBWNIAS - Verdun
And another killer record from the intrepid travellers at this stage in their career. Expansive mind melds locked in the groove and in heavy conversation.
Underground Mountains - Cosmic Biker Smell
UM mark 1, power trio formation.. woozy, sun baked Baby Grandmothers moves under a cosmic sky.
Underground Mountains - Dog Star Songs
These recordings date from summer and fall 2021 during life in the time of the plague. As things were starting to open up again, Trevor and I began meeting in the Jam Cellar and these are some of the early results.. All snarling, raw power guitars and primal thud and thwack .. Jack Chuter demonstrates why they have the midas touch here, taking these rough basement recordings (captured on two cheapo condenser mics!) and letting them absolutely sing! Currently two lathe cuts exist for T and me..
En Fer - La Collision
Montreal free rock titans! with members' history of playing in bands stretching back to the ’80s, this collective emits a scowling, festering, skull fucking cacophony sounding something like FAUST being bent over a barrel and by some rawknroll thugs, spanked with a paddle, TBWNIAS’s initials carved into it. Vivid, right? So is their brand of mid-fi basement to the stars free rock that commands your attention. Gros Rock!!
Magician d’os - Verger-Modele and S/T
Martin from En Fer put me on to these guys as well. Ploughing a similar field as the Iron Approved boys, though the magic is in the moves here - less noisey perhaps even a touch refined, though worry not dear reader, these tracks lose none of the potency in (slightly) cleaner production, exploring the free rock alongside their brethren En Fer in Rock de taille doyenne ;)
with thanks to Ste Vohumannah ~ provider of hot tips for the deepest of shit, appreciate you, sir.
Urthona Power Trio Quartet - NO-FI ALIVE!
Eternal Music Society - two self titled and one live K7 - deep shit double drummer basement free noise rock
Turner Wiliams Jr - Ensoleille
Carnivorous Plants - and from that moment hell entered my heart
Muraya - Chique Mystique
Otherworlders - Hidden Energy / Positive Light
..luvluvluv this album!! Did an official K7 release though it may have slipped under a few radars. Do your earholes a kindness <3
Jacob Barber - We’re One With The Stars
...on my year end for 2023 and remained a big part of my listening into this year) - Jacob’s solo work coming out of bedroom psych pop productions a la Tame Impala, Ah LaLa’s, etc.. wonderful positive sounds I needed when I found them. The man's a real lynchpin in the Sarnia to London area, organizing shows and fests under The Gateway Experience banner, while his former unit Aventurines morphed into Melody Machine as well this year, very much looking forward to hearing more!!
Roy - Spoons For The World
.. seems so much of what I love about the weird music coming out of Toronto has Pat Lefler’s finger prints all over it - features contributions from members of THE ROYAL FAMILY, HIERONYMOUS HARRY, ROBERT PLANET, KALI HORSE, etc.. once again, recorded all analog, str8 to tape. This is the aural equivalent of a heavy cable knit sweater, hot cupppa, crackling fire in your favourite easy chair.
Amp Screams God - S/T ep
..debut ep from these fellas. Vicious blend of garage punk, heavy psych and stoner noise from London, ON. In heavy rotation since grabbing it last summer and stoked to hear more!
Vypers - S/T
Only came to this Toronto unit just as they announced their farewell show. What fucking rock I have been living under.. this being their first and ultimately their final full length after over a decade of blood, drugs and infamy in the trenches..
Brick Road - s/t 2024 - Further along thee cosmic brick road <3
The Strange Happenings - Realm Lord
..from the swampy banks of the St Lawrence, these Kingston based motherfuckers be tripping in the best way possible! The psych, punk, kraut freak rock is real and I fucking love it! Sad I missed them at Psych Fest '23, but making up for that with some wax in the new year!
The Royal Family - Live from The Ministers Vestry
..I had the privilege of witnessing the Royal Family perform earlier this year and hearing these songs live, they’re fucking excellent.
Thresher - Eat The Middle Out and Wheels w/in Wheels (Ownsound Recordings)
Their first piece of wax christened “Wheels w/in Wheels” (as per Mike Watt’s description!) and the latest single, Eat The Middle Out - continues mining the real deal, free rock / post punk / no-wave / jazz /experimental music madness brewing up in Owen Sound. The lads are putting miles on the van, catch them if they should come by! …also a grip of live shit… Heartwood Hall 240628, Sala Rossa 301023 AND a forthcoming split with Underground Mountains (holy shit you guys are in for it!!)
Pallbearer Industry - Live At Ottawa Psychfest
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again a little bit louder for those in the back.. PALLBEARER INDUSTRY FUCKING RULE. THEIR SET AT OTTAWA PSYCHFEST ’23 WAS FUCKING UNREAL. THE REAL SHIT. DEEP SHIT. NOW YOU CAN OFFICIALLY SAY YOU KNOW YOUR SHIT. LISTEN TO PALLBEARER INDUSTRY.
The Band Whose Name Is A Symbol (TBWNIAS) - Complete Damo & The Symbol @ Pressed Cafe, Ottawa 2012 recordings (remastered)
.. that these recordings were the stuff of hushed whispers in the shadowy halls of the sike cogniscenti for years, I wasn’t sure they truly existed… I can't remember why I didn't go that night but.. fuck.. Wooden Soldier becomes an epic next level rock anthem, Neu Sedan churns and burns for over 20 minutes!! Fuck yeah!!!
TBWNIAS & Dead Sea Apes - ein nacht..
Meeting of thee ascended masters spread over three slabs of wax, finds DSA in heavy conversation with TBWNIAS in the run up to Ottawa Psych Fest ’23 . Recorded in a novel way to capture the space and dynamics of this power.. what’s the latin term for this many heads in a room conjuring sonic black magic again?
TBWNIAS - Verdun
And another killer record from the intrepid travellers at this stage in their career. Expansive mind melds locked in the groove and in heavy conversation.
Underground Mountains - Cosmic Biker Smell
UM mark 1, power trio formation.. woozy, sun baked Baby Grandmothers moves under a cosmic sky.
Underground Mountains - Dog Star Songs
These recordings date from summer and fall 2021 during life in the time of the plague. As things were starting to open up again, Trevor and I began meeting in the Jam Cellar and these are some of the early results.. All snarling, raw power guitars and primal thud and thwack .. Jack Chuter demonstrates why they have the midas touch here, taking these rough basement recordings (captured on two cheapo condenser mics!) and letting them absolutely sing! Currently two lathe cuts exist for T and me..
En Fer - La Collision
Montreal free rock titans! with members' history of playing in bands stretching back to the ’80s, this collective emits a scowling, festering, skull fucking cacophony sounding something like FAUST being bent over a barrel and by some rawknroll thugs, spanked with a paddle, TBWNIAS’s initials carved into it. Vivid, right? So is their brand of mid-fi basement to the stars free rock that commands your attention. Gros Rock!!
Magician d’os - Verger-Modele and S/T
Martin from En Fer put me on to these guys as well. Ploughing a similar field as the Iron Approved boys, though the magic is in the moves here - less noisey perhaps even a touch refined, though worry not dear reader, these tracks lose none of the potency in (slightly) cleaner production, exploring the free rock alongside their brethren En Fer in Rock de taille doyenne ;)
with thanks to Ste Vohumannah ~ provider of hot tips for the deepest of shit, appreciate you, sir.
Urthona Power Trio Quartet - NO-FI ALIVE!
Eternal Music Society - two self titled and one live K7 - deep shit double drummer basement free noise rock
Turner Wiliams Jr - Ensoleille
Carnivorous Plants - and from that moment hell entered my heart
Muraya - Chique Mystique
Otherworlders - Hidden Energy / Positive Light
Brett Savage - is from Manchester UK. Brett wields the axe for the MIGHTY Dead Sea Apes, owns and operates his own Inner Space Records Shop. He's an accomplished graphic artist and his work has adorned many gig posters for bands around the world as well as a variey LP, CD and Cassette formats. Brett works very closely with Cardinal Fuzz and Acid Test Recordings. *
Winged Wheel - Big Hotel - wonderful idiosyncratic mix of stuff from Shoegaze to Broadcast/Stereolab vibing stuff. That still doesn't do it justice. Feats Steve Shelley, Matthew Rollins and more. Can't score the vinyl anywhere though. If you can help, please let me know.
Mountain Movers - Walking By Myself - usual great stuff - but some interesting veering of into almost Warp-y style creepy ambience. They never put a foot wrong
Sonic Youth - Walls Have Ears - third year on the trot for SY making my list. This being the best so far. 2 classic bootlegs condensed into one from their imperious era. Chase The Tiger due next year for a shoe in for next years list
Alice Coltrane - Live At Carnegie Hall - live version of one of the best albums ever?
Spiritual Six Organs & Shackleton - Jinxed By Being - great meeting of minds. Has a weird warping effect on your mind
Broadcast- Spell Blanket/Distant Call - although I'm not a mega fan (although I definitely dig them), I've found these demo albums to be really compelling and addictive listening
High Rise - Disturbance Trip - after having a year of being addicted to Duetoronomy from Dispersion, I decided to pull the trigger on this gem. Not cheap.
The Band Whose Name Is A Symbol - Verdun - how do a band with a catalogue this deep manage to keep it fresh and alive? Would perhaps be a bit self serving to add Eine Nacht to this list - but personally, this is a keepsake of our session with the Symbol. So, indulge me
Plastic Crimewave Syndicate - Golden Skull - hard to know how they could top Space Alley. But here we are.
* all this comes with the usual caveats of me always forgetting obvious ones - and the catch up that I get from reading other's lists (big thanks to Chris Laramee for the heads up on BCMC last year)
Dave Cambridge is from the UK. He is proprietor of Cardinal Fuzz Records and Acid Test Recordings and Editor of the underground music zine Optical Sounds. Dave also plays guitar in a band with Brett Savage called The Golden Rule. Dave is a consummate music freak! Here's a a few things that helped make his 2024 brilliant!
New: Favourites of 2024
Water Damage - In E (12XU) “Maximal repetition. Minimal deviation.” this is the mantra of Austin, Texas's Water Damage.
Broadcast - Distant Call (Warp)built out of the demos that Keenan left after her tragic passing in 2011 at the age of 42.
Sibylle Baier channelling the vulnerability and tenderness of Sibylle Baier but also with a nursery rhyme playfullness. I know this should be in OLD but the music is timeless.
Kandodo - theendisinpsych (rooster)- From a reel to reel interview with a prophetic David Bowie in 1970 to one string spamjo's and a drum break from a live Bowie show = pre apocalypse blues for headphone oblivion.
Daisy Rickman - Howl (Wicked Walks) - Pastoral folk songs in homage to, in Daisy’s own words: “the sun, the stars, and explorations of the cycles both within ourselves and throughout the turning wheel of the year.” Simply sublime
J Spacemen / John Coxon - Music for William Eggleston’s Stranded in Canton (Fat Possum) - Raw, greasy, Quaalude-y blues
Winged Wheel - Big Hotel (12XU) - Two drummers make for a powerful motor that stakes out three-dimensional space. Layers of music slip in and over one another like colored transparencies
Craven Faults - Bounds (Leaf) - A 37-minute journey through Northern England via a lifetime obsessing at the fringes of popular culture. New details and perspectives. Dusk gathering. Düsseldorf and Köln, 1971
Older: Favourites of 2024
Alice Coltrane - The Carnegie Hall Concert (Impulse) - the Carnegie Hall performance was part of an all-star benefit for the Integral Yoga Institute founded by Swami Satchidananda, Coltrane’s spiritual teacher at the time, her guide both out of grief, in the wake of her husband’s death, and on a transformative 1970 trip to India. 4 tracks from her most celebrated period as a bandleader, recorded just one week after the release of her acknowledged masterpiece Journey in Satchidananda - these live recording will transport and at times overwhelm you.
Les Rallizes Denudes - YaneUra Oct ‘80 (Temporal Drift / Tuff Beats) - In 1980, Les Rallizes Dénudés welcomed guitarist Fujio Yamaguchi (The Dynamites, Murahachibu, Teardrops) to its fold. The unconventional pairing of inimitable Rallizes frontman Mizutani with Fujio’s unrestrained, bluesier styles ushered in a new era for the band. Built upon the tight rhythm section of bassist Doronco (Kiyohiro Takada) and drummer Kodo Noma, the violent interplay between the twin guitars of Mizutani and Fujio was known to have generated a jet-black aura that would permeate the air during each performance. The intense, 30-minute-plus medley of “I’m the Darkness” leading into “Flame of Ice” in particular can be considered one of the defining performances of the Rallizes entire career.
The Saints - I’m Stranded Box Set (In The Red) - 4LPs of all that is available in decent quality of The Saints (LP plus original mix of I’M Stranded plus b sides and 12” tracks and 2 live concerts) for what is now recognised as one of the greatest rock n roll lps of all time.
The Stars - Will and Perfect Place To Hideaway (Pedal - remastered with bonus tracks)
Long time love for both of these LPs (well of course Will has never had a vinyl release (and i have tried on too many occasions to sort out this travesty!) - newly remastered and with bonus tracks (the bonus tracks on Perfect Place To Hideaway are in particular incendiary) Lets hope that the wonderful Black Editions Label is on this 8)
Sandy Bull - Still Valentine’s Day 1969 (No Quarter) - Recorded over two nights at The Matrix club in San Francisco, the songs here find Bull exploring a reverberating electric vision that exemplifies his earned legend. “No Deposit, No Return Blues” transforms from the original’s more tactile version into a heat-wave hallucination, a unique version that steps off from the recorded document to weave spectral air. “Electric Bend” is given a similar treatment, leaving the syncopated stringwork behind to singe the speakers with an echoed hypnosis.
John Westhaver is the curator of the Birdman Sound blog. John plays drums in The Band Whose Name Is A Symbol and owns and operates the fabled Birdman Sound record shop located now in rural Ontario, outside the trappings of Ottawa, the nation's capital.
Anna Butterss - Mighty Vertebrate (International Anthem)
SML - Small Medium Large (International Anthem)
Plankton Wat - Corridors (Feral Child)
Rob Mazurek - (International Anthem)
Jake Blanchard - Fermentation (Cardinal Fuzz / Eiderdown)
Mushroom - Messages From The Spliff Bunker (Heyday Music / Real Gone Music)
DJ Muggs - Silver Cloud (Madlib Invazion)
Sunburned Hand Of The Man - Nimbus (Three Lobed)
Yerba Mansa - Gravity's Joke (Cardinal Fuzz / Feeding Tube)
The Exorzist III - Gospel Jamming Vol. 1 (Cardinal Fuzz)
E Gone - Adventures Before The Body (Deep Water Acres / Cardinal Fuzz / Feeding Tube / Sunrise Ocean Bender)
Elkhorn - Other Worlds (Deep Water Acres / Cardinal Fuzz / Feeding Tube / Sunrise Ocean Bender)
Dead Sea Apes & The Band Whose Name Is A Symbol - Eine Nacht (Cardinal Fuzz / Feeding Tube)
Vor-Stellen - Armature For Painting (Feral Child)
Pallbearer Industry - Live At Ottawa Psychfest III (We, Here & Now)
Cassini - The Cassini Promise (Echodelick)
Emergency Group - Mindscreen (Big Logic)
Hologram People - Isola dei Morti Viventi (Dreamlord)
Plastic Crimewave Syndicate - Tales Of The Golden Skull (Cardinal Fuzz / Feeding Tube)
Jeffrey Alexander & The Heavy Lidders - Spacious Minds Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 (Cardinal Fuzz / Centripetal Force)
Ambassador Hazy – Leaving Here (Cardinal Fuzz)
Rick White & The Sadies - S/T (Blue Fog)
CAN - Live In Aston 1977 (Mute)
CAN - Live In Keele 1977 (Mute)
London Brew - S/T (Concord Jazz)
Project Gemini - Colours & Light (Mr. Bongo)
Chop - Glass Cathedral (Madlib Invazion)
Paul Ngozi / Ngozi Family - FUCKING EVERYTHING !!!💣💕 (Now-Again)
Les Rallizes Denudes - YaneUra Oct. '93 (Temporal Drift)
Les Rallizes Denudes - Baus '93 (Temporal Drift)
Black Tempest - Astral Pastoral (Weird Beard/ Echodelick / Worst Bassist)
Shit and Shine - Rum & Coke (Riot Season)
Goat - S/T (Rocket Recordings)
Beak > - >>>> (Temporary Residence / Invada)
Brahja - Watermelancholia (Cortizona)
Acid Mothers Temple... - Mantra Of Love and Starless & Bible Black Sabbath (Riot Season)
Yaryu - For Damage (Cardinal Fuzz / Centripetal Force / Ramble Records)
Jeff Parker and ETA Four Tet - The Way Out Of Easy (International Anthem / Nonesuch)
Kandodo - TheEndIsInPsych (Rooster)
Elijah McLaughlin & Caleb Willitz - Morning Improvisations/Evening Abstractions (Centripetal Force)
Harald Grosskopf - Strom (Bureau B)
Birdman Sounds TOP Labels of 2024
International Anthem Recording Company
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