The Doctor's Blogging Prescription

I don't make it too far around the bloggosphere these days, with the exception of my regular haunts. The first two of these fellows don't seem to get nearly as much traffic as they deserve judging by the comments. Go there and leave them a comment or three. The third has a strong following, but you should get there forthwith if you haven't already.

Drawing Mountains

This blog manages to dredge up some of the most obscure, yet interesting modern music that I've seen anywhere. There is a bounty of neo-psychedelia, electronica, and wild noise waiting for you here. Pitchfork and Tiny Mix Tapes do not hold a candle to exposing music as interesting as that which appears at Drawing Mountains.


Homemade Lofi Psych

Mike Floyd has been doing a phenomenal job over the past year-and-a-half finding music that fits the bill that his blog name suggests. I've found several of my new favorite bands trawling through his posts, and I bet you will too.






Red Telephone 66

I like to think of myself as a connoisseur of obscure 60's psych, but I have to admit that Leonard has me beat. There's so much appealing 60's finds here, that it's kind of difficult to keep up. In fact, Leonard's is the only blog where I'm not disappointed when there's a break because it gives me time to catch up on the grooviness.

Cheech 'n' Chong in Tron

A fellow by the name of Casey Basichis is responsible for the (non Cheech and Chong) insanity of this one. It's definitely tripped-out. For some behind the scenes ramblings, go to this link. Here's what the stoned-out duo themselves had to say:

"I don't think you should watch anything like that straight. It'll have lasting, traumatic effects on you." - Tommy Chong

"When I first saw it, I was shocked because I thought we were doing soft porn. And then, 'Oh, it's about finances; that's kind of hard-core porn" - Cheech Marin

Sorry the video spills over into the links. A few more posts should fix that problem.


The guilty parties can be found here (http://www.colorstampede.com/) with some more oddball videos.

Bob Smith - 1970 - The Visit

Quality: 4.25 out of 5
Trip-O-Meter: 4 out of 5

This album is a very ghostly visit from Bob Smith. On much of the album the music seems to draw together the various strains of west coast psych and folk rock, and then slathers it with reverb and hay production. Mr. Smith's voice also helps with his fine, expressive baritone. He often comes across as a far more chilled out Jim Morrison, complete with metaphysical hippy 'poetry.' The music itself manages quite a bit of variation, with some first rate guitar, fun touches such as vibraphones, and a truly groovy rhythm section. There must be a few samples lurking about in Maury Alexander's and Smith's production for those who have already cashed-out on David Axelrod's albums.

This albums starts of strong, with the first three tracks all making a positive impression. "Please's" bittersweet vibe and distant harmonies are custom for a documentary soundtrack where they cover one of those San Fran festivals with headbands and hippy moms breastfeeding. "Constructive Criticism" does the same before launching into a fun, full throttle acid-guitar and cheese organ groove. I'm sure at the time this music seemed about two years or so behind the times, but I'm willing to say that doesn't matter 40 years after the fact. I find that "Mobeda Dandelions" is a particular standout. It starts sounding much like a "Morrison Hotel" outtake before launching into a wild, almost krautrock-sounding rave-up. "Can't You Jump Rope" also catches my attention through some great interweaving guitar parts. The primary flaw here is really just another example of the double-album curse. The atonal plodding of "India Slumber" really disrupts the flow, and if you also cut the somewhat dull blues of "Source You Blues," you'd have an even better single album.

While there is some mild experimentation, "The Visit" doesn't do a whole lot that you haven't heard before. It is, however, a top rate encapsulation of some late 60's (especially West Coast) styles. With it's distinctively late 60's production and find performances throughtout, I find it's mostly a joy to listen to and a great, poppy psychedelic obscuritiy.

Shawn Phillips - 1970 - Contribution

Quality: 3.25 out of 5
Trip-O-Meter: 3.5 out of 5

This album is a powerful signifier of the 70's 'singer-songwriter' tradition. The problem for me is that I tend to be bored by that particular strain of music. Still, this is a transition album, with strains of the late Byrds and Crosby, Stills, and Nash also affecting the work. If discovering the missing link between those guys and Jackson Browne sounds appealing to you, then you'll find much to love on this album. For the rest of us, there are a few tracks that might perk up your ears.

The opening "Man Hole Covered Wagon" has a nice groovin' beat and a fine bridge. but it does annoy me that Mr. Phillips has to find every word that he can to rhyme with nation, including constipation. I find little fault with the mostly instrumental eight minute title track, which whips up a nice percussive, acoustic windstorm complete with some phasing effects (actually most of the trippiness on this album comes from phasing effects). The closing two tracks are ok, but still nothing I'd write home about; although it seems I'm willing to write to you about them. "For J.F.K, R.F.K., and M.L.K." is an obviously politically oriented track that makes me think a bit of late-period Jefferson Airplane (early period would be a stronger compliment of course, but I don't dig it that much). Y'know maybe I'll give the early Jefferson Airplane comment to "No Question on the first half of the album. The final track, "Screamer for Phlysis," manages a few fun acid guitar leads, but the rest of the song is still relatively inoffensive folk rock. I guess it ends up sounding like the early Allman Brothers trying to rip-off "Hey Jude."

The rest of the albums breaks various rules concerning what I enjoy listening to. Although "L Ballad" barely registers a pulse, "Not Quite Nonsense" and "Withered Roses" goes for that fake 'old-timey' sound that artists from the late 60's and early 70's almost always managed to bungle.

Plato's Ion has Socrates suggesting that music itself is divine and likens it to a magnetic rock. The artist directly communes with the rock as a bit of metal and listeners can magnetically become part of a chain. This album doesn't really manage to make me a link in the chain, so I have trouble truly appreciating this music (except for the title track). Yet, I can see where this music will appeal to some of you. If you're a fan of that rootsy, late 60's hippy vibe, then by all means give this one a try. It's certainly not bad music, it just doesn't really draw me into its groove. It is a dang awesome album cover, though.

A Quick Update

This little gal showed up on our doorstep at 5:56pm on July 4th at 8 pounds and 8 ounces. We decided to call her Hana. The first sound is more of a laughing "ha" than the American pronunciation and means "flower" in Japanese. Be back soon with uglier people like Bob Smith and Shawn Phillips

Glaze Of Cathexis - 2009 - The Golden Konbanwa

This is a bit of a concept album, although it reflects my belief that the best concept albums are somewhat loosely tied together. You'll also find that this collection brings in a bit more of Scott Atkinson, my collaborator. Scott's poems go the farthest in tying the conceptual ideas together. I see it as an awakening and exploration of the world beyond, ending with the need to reconcile that with the world around us. I like to think that this is us at our A-game. Sound-wise, I'm trying to integrate the rock and electronic sides of our music a bit more. I'm definitely happy with the feel of these recordings, which I feel have a fuzzy warmth that was absent on previous albums. I'm far more happy with my vocals as well, and I enjoy the contrast with Scott's spoken word segments. The Dr. Schluss Mix Tape (in the last post) is a fairly accurate gauge of what I feel was influencing me during the recording, and there are some doses of 70's glam guitar along with a "Norwegian Wood" rip-off as well. Feel free to tell me what you hear; the musician often ends up with a blind spot in terms of influences. In all truth, the actual origin of my lyrics tend to gravitate toward my favorite TV shows ("The Ending Will Begin the Start," "Listen to the Voices," "Illusions Disappear") or complete subconscious abstractness ("The Release Will Come Soon"). The artwork is once again all Scott's work. I'd love to hear your comments, and feel more than free to repost this one.

Mike Floyd over at the awesome homemade lofi psych site had this to say:

The latest release from GLAZE OF CATHEXIS - simply their best until now!

Can't say too much about the lyrics (being not a native speaker of the English language - I don't really understand everything), but I very much like the sound of the words and also the singing.

The music is probably the most psychedelic GLAZE OF CATHEXIS have ever recorded, ranging from garage-psych-rockers ("The Release Will Come Soon") to relaxed spaced-out tracks ("Call of the Cosmic Tribe") and more electronic songs ("Into the Aether"). Great stuff, strongly recommended!
Track Listing:
1. The Release Will Come Soon (3:02)
2. The Ending Will Begin the Start (3:50)
3. Call of the Cosmic Tribe (5:16)
4. Listen to the Voices (4:28)
5. Into the Aether (5:02)
-----------------------------------
6. It Doesn't Matter (4:24)
7. That Halycon Moment (2:08)
8. The Wisteria Garden (3:13)
9. Forget (4:16)
10. Illusions Disappear (3:50)
11. Cosmic Decay (4:18)




P.S. - On a personal note, my wife is due to have our first baby any moment now, so I may vanish for a little while... or maybe not. We'll see. Either way, I'll be back.

Dr. Schluss' Groovy Mix Tape, Vol. 1

While most of this probably falls under the psychedelic umbrella, there are a few deviations. You'll find some of these albums in the psychedelic garage, but we've also got stuff like a little 70's jazz-funk lurking about, along with a touch of rawk. There's also a fewer newer releases represented here which are too recent for me to feel ok posting the entire album. I made this little compilation to illustrate to Scott, the other fellow involved with Damaged Tape and Glaze of Cathexis, where my musical headspace is currently residing. This is the kind of stuff that I end up playing everyday. It's certainly influenced the new Glaze of Cathexis album (which will be posted in the next few days) and a few even more recent recordings. Hopefully you'll dig at least some of the music that's been catching my ear.


1. Agoraphobia - Deerhunter
2. Rainbow - Thee Oh Sees
3. Half Up Front - Prefuse 73
4. For Our Elegant Caste - Of Montreal
5. Spirit Molecule - Zoroaster
6. ZAP!...That's Witchcraft - Michael Flower
7. Heeding the Call - Bear McCreary
8. Mind Gardens (mono) - The Byrds
9. You Make Me Feel So Good - Bobbi Humphrey
10. Title Music From A Clockwork Orange - Wendy Carlos
11. Motorbike - Wooden Shjips
12. Cardiff in the Sun - Super Furry Animals
13. Wrathchild - Iron Maiden
14. Flower Sun Rain (Japan version) - Boris
15. Zauberburg 5 - Gas
16. It Feels So Good - Grover Washington, Jr.
17. Hold a Desert, Feel Its Hand - Grouper
18. Do You Close Your Eyes? - Rainbow
19. Illusions Disappear - Glaze of Cathexis

Listen to Me:
Dr. Schluss' Groovy Mix Tape, Vol. 1

Some Groovy Web-Based Music

While I still highly enjoy writing this blog, I do find my time is at more of a premium than when I started two and a half years ago. This means that I tend to focus more on the classic oddities. Still, plenty of folks send newer music my way and I find a good portion of it quite groovy. I'd like you to hear them, so I'm going to try a mini-review format. Here are the ones that I've found myself listening to the most.

Blancanus - 2009 - Singles

Quality: 4.25 out of 5
Trip-O-Meter: 4 out of 5

This Spanish fellow makes music that I feel is very much in the same vein as my Glaze of Cathexis recordings. You'll hear some homemade, relatively clear sounding psych rock with an 80's tinge. Blancanus also strikes a chord of envy as he's adorned these tracks with some live drums. There's a clear progression of quality as we reach the more recent singles, with "The Sea of LSD" standing out as overtly awesome. My only complaint is that these recordings really deserve some proper cover art (I'd be willing to do it, but my covers are a little half-assed).
http://www.blancanus.blogspot.com

Caregiver - 2008 - Letters 1

Quality: 3.75 out of 5
Trip-O-Meter: 4.5 out of 5

This is an analog synth fantasy well entrenched in the Berlin School, especially the mid 70's Tangerine Dream stuff. While I do wish for a few more organic sounds, music of this nature doesn't necessarily need them. Just be forewarned that you're in for a coldly beautiful ride. The arrangements are pretty spot on with old-school trance sequencing underpinning the whole affair. I'm especially partial to the first ten minutes of "ABC," and the whole of "GHI." That's more than half of the album.
http://fictionband08.blogspot.com/


Catasto Elettrico - 2009 - Infinite

Quality: 3.5 out of 5
Trip-O-Meter: 4 out of 5

These jazz-psychonauts have been grooving along on the internet for a few years and eight releases now. This is their most recent. It's got a serious experimental edge to it, and quite a few electronics at the forefront. I tend to enjoy their jazzier parts the best and have an affinity towards the first track. It all depends on what your bag is. Head to their website for more, especially my favorites, Micro and Radio.
http://catastoelettrico.blogspot.com/


Sister Waize - 2009 - The Lights Come From Above

Quality: 3.75 out of 5
Trip-O-Meter: 4.25 out of 5

This sounds like the soundtrack for a super-trippy, lost Mega Man game. Now this is coming from a guy who was made his way through all the Mega Man games and even a few of the X's, so I mean this as a compliment. Sister Waize has an enjoyable way of filling up the soundspace with lots of super quirky bleeps and bloops. Although lacking the lush wall of sound, I hear a few echoes of early M83 bouncing around in here as well. Like Caregiver, this is very cold sounding music for the most part. The difference here is that I get to play video games in my head while it's playing.
http://www.myspace.com/sisterwaize

We're Late For Class - 2009 - Opium Den Music

Quality: 3.75 out of 5
Trip-O-Meter: 4 out of 5

This is the most recent release from the prolific collegiate stoners. My favorite is still the one that re-appropriates Jim Morrison, but I'd say that this one ranks in their upper-tier. Prepare yourself for an enjoyable brain-vaporizing, tranced-out psychedelic jam as these intrepid musicians try to take you along for a ride in the seedier parts of Asia. At least that's what they say. For me, this track would be right at home in one of David Lynch's more surreal bars; that or the Titty Twister.
http://werelateforclass.blogspot.com/

Jameson - 1967 - Color Him In

Quality: 3.25 out of 5
Trip-O-Meter: 3.5 out of 5

It's been a while since we got our fix of supreme psych/sunshine pop producer Curt Boettcher, but here's one where he serves as pinch hitter. Featured star Jameson is far from the best singer and his songwriting ranges from ok to somewhat embarrassing, but the real star of the show is the psychedelic production gauze slathered over most of the tracks. We get Boettcher's signature background vocal arrangements wafting through the mix, as well as occasional blasts of unidentifible backwards insanity. Even the lesser tracks end up with a production treatment or two well worth hearing.

"Jamie" is a fine opening track, and makes you think that Mr. Jameson may well be worth hearing. You may not think this anymore once you reach the blue-eyed soul caterwauling of "Right By My Side," but the tripped out vocals and fourth dimensional fade-out to the song should still hold your attention. Fortunately, we also come across tracks like the handclap-driven "Windows and Doors" and the truly weird "The New Age." Truthfully, the album does peter out in the second half as the lamer side of AM pop becomes more apparent, and the tweeness of "Candy Colored Dragon" leaves you cringing behind the couch. You'll still find the occasional production tweek to make a note of on your musical scorecard.

If the name 'Curt Boettcher' means nothing to you, by all means seek out the Millennium's "Begin," which also happens to be the very first post at the psychedelic garage. Those of you already indoctrinated will find a few pleasures here, although you'll also have to deal with Jameson's somewhat tuneless singing and half-assed songs. If only Curt kicked him out of the vocal booth then we'd really have something here.

Buy Me:
Jameson - 1967 - Color Him In

Mythos - 1975 - Dreamlab

Quality: 3.75 out of 5
Trip-O-Meter: 4 out of 5

We don't see a whole lot of prog rock here at the psychedelic garage. I must admit that it has more than a little bit to do with my personal bias against prog. I've never really been able to enjoy a Yes or Emerson, Lake and Palmer album. I've had a little more luck with Caravan and King Crimson, but they still don't rank anywhere near my favorites. Yeah, I know that many see psychedelic rock and prog as kissing cousins, but the latter is missing a few of the elements that really make me dig the former. For one, I dig disorientation in my music. A lot of prog rock separates the instruments to a crystaline degree and the focus is often on instrumental prowess. I'm more into the strange blurring of instruments. I'm also a major proponent of drones and grooves, and I find that usually when a prog band stumbles into one of those they change it two seconds later.

Now, Mythos is a krautrock band, but there are certainly some prog-like elements at work here. For me it's a de-evolution in comparison with their first album. They often hit upon some truly awesome passages (and I'd say those bits actually surpass the previous album), but then some of the other parts make me think more of Jethro Tull, and that doesn't impress me as much.

So, let me point you straight to the parts that make me happy. The opening track, "Dedicated to Werner von Braun," is bloody awesome. For me it begs favorable comparisons with Ashra's "New Age of Earth" or "Blackouts." It rests on a nice delayed guitar pulse and produces one of those sonic clouds of blue smoke that always gets me going. If I end up as a rocket scientist when I grow up, I hope someone dedicates a similarly awesome track to me. "Message" fights the good fight for about three minutes, but then turns me of as it opts for a flute groove instead. This happens several times until about four minutes into the title track, when we once again get a few minutes of sonic opium.

I'll recommend this album for the prog fan, but it doesn't really hit the right buttons for me for three quarters of its running time. That last quarter flies into pristine spacey essence, however. If only they focused a bit more on that.

Mythos - 1971 - Mythos

Quality: 4.25 out of 5
Trip-O-Meter: 4.25 out of 5

In many ways Mythos strikes me as being Ash Ra Tempel-lite or something. I really don't mean that as an insult since the Tempel tends to barter in insane psychedelic squealing. These krautrockers play with a little more restraint, but the music is still very imaginative and the fire does kick up a notch here and there. Mythos tends to let you drift on downstream with them a little more. There's a fine tribal-sounding rhythm section along with some very groovy, if particularly flamboyant, guitar. There's a fair amount of drifting flutes to keep your attention, too. I guess it adds just a touch of more conventional prog rock to the proceedings.

The first couple tracks are more meditative. Really, this album does manage to do an artistic job of upping the intensity until we find a few truly insane noise voids in the two part "Encyclopedia Terra." Stuck in the middle is "Hero's Death," which rides out a pretty reasonable groove for almost ten minutes. It's my least favorite track here, but it's still of fine quality. I'm more partial to the mystic mountain space jam of "Oriental Journey" with its waves of sound, or the aforementioned "Encyclopedia Terra." I think that suite is more like what I wanted to hear from the first Tangerine Dream album (I dig the goofy concept-ridden spoken word at the end as well). Electronic meditation indeed.

While this may not quite have the demon spark that possessed Can or Ash Ra Tempel, Mythos will come a long way in convincing you that sometimes a touch of restraint is worthwhile as well. Most of the key element of the more psychedelic-side of krautrock is front and center here, but it won't necessarily assault your fragile egg-shell mind as much as some of their peers will. I'm happy to give the cover art seven 'groovy points' as well.

Buy Me:
Mythos - 1971 - Mythos

Flower Travellin' Band - 1971 - Satori

Quality: 4.5 out of 5
Trip-O-Meter: 4.25 out of 5

You're not going to do much better than this for vintage Japanese acid rock. Flower Travellin' Band is a name I've often head thrown around the psychedelic sphere, but I found that their albums often didn't rise up to my expectation. Satori fortunately justifies their reputation for acid rock gurus and leaves some change left over as well. This one gets just the right mix of psychedelia, Black Sabbath-style heavy metal, instrumental prowess, and odd flourishes of more traditional Japanese music. The only bad thing I'm going to call this album out on is the fact that the vocalist has a little trouble with that whole pitch thing. Maybe he was just REALLY wasted. The Japanese shy away from illegal drugs in general, but mushrooms were legal at the time and the country does have some awesome cold medicine. Anyway, the vocals are not enough to do any real damage to the music, and besides, most of this thing is balls-out instrumentals.

The tracks don't really have titles, but are presented as "Satori Parts 1-5." All of them are pretty awesome. Part 1 is a full blown sludgy riff rocker, with the vocals doing their best to hit that metal yelp. Next up is a psychedelic Bo Diddley-beat sporting cut with some great twin guitar leads. Part 3 picks up the speed for a rip-roaring instrumental, while Part 4 finds them working a Chicago blues groove (Part 4 is my least favorite, but some of you will love it). The final bit finds them returning to instrumental heavy metal, with a spaced-out vocal interlude. It also has some stoner metal leads that are trying to play koto parts. What fun!

On Satori, Flower Travellin' Band are fully communing with their muse. Their influences are easily spotted, but they manage to create a pretty singular sound from them. Let this be your musical diplomat from 70's Japan. This is top flight acid rock by any standards.

Buy Me:
Flower Travellin' Band - 1971 - Satori

A Cid Symphony - 1968 - Acid Symphony

Quality: 3 out of 5
Trip-O-Meter: 3.25 out of 5

A Cid Symphony makes me think of if the Incredible String Band was naught from the British Isles, but instead a shack without electricity in Appalacia. And we'll assume that they had a large supply of the substance suggested in their name. The music is definitely back country folk, but with a lysergic air, hippy philosophy, and a rambling nature. I doubt anyone will enjoy every track here, but you will likely find a few here you enjoy on this sprawling triple album.

I would suggest skipping the yodeling and silence of the first two tracks, and go straight for Loudusphone 3, which is a kind of dulcimer drone. It entertaining blurs some kind of line between American and Indian (of the India variety) folk. Side two retains this sort of minimalist folk vibe and things don't really change much until we're presented with the vocals on Golden Gate Number 2, which works well as hippy folk. The vocals become a bit more prominent on the Noismakers section of the album, which also finds a little room for found sound. The final section of the album has plenty of half-assed beat-poetry ramblings (BS indeed), but "Scrambled Psychedelic BS 1"manages a bit of interesting freak-folk.

I'll be honest, this is far from my ideal of psychedelia. I'd say that these guys' aim is clear, but dulicmers and folk blues may not be the best path to producing a psychedelic opus. I do enjoy some of the more droning tracks, but I must admit that my favorite thing about this album is the cover art. Yet for those obsessed with the musical world of the 60's, this is a valuable time capsule, and truly a product of the era (says the fellow born in 1979).

Buy Me:
A Cid Symphony - 1968 - A Cid Symphony

Yatha Sidhra - 1974 - A Meditation Mass

Quality: 3.5 out of 5
Trip-O-Meter: 4 out of 5

Here we have another one of those albums that you'll find pretty entertaining if you're already a fan of the genre (the Popol Vuh side of krautrock in this case), but it probably won't enter your top 20 list for said genre. This particular collection is a bit rear-loaded, with the prime cuts appearing on side two. If you're up for meditation, I'd probably recommend something else, but the music included here should still waft around nicely with your cheap incense.

These guys were too awesome for track names, so we're left with parts 1-4. "Part 1" loses eight points for including too much proto-new age flute, while "Part 2" is an ill advised attempt at lounge jazz. I suppose Quentin Tarentino could probably find some redemptive use for the latter, but the three minutes could have been better used on this album. "Part 3" starts to find a better sonic bearing as Yatha Sidra goes for more of a freak-out, complete with some reasonable acid rock guitar leads. The last part makes me think of a more 70's informed version of the early Pink Floyd track, "Nick's Boogie."

There's certainly enough here to temporarily fill that teutonic void in your heart. I wouldn't presume to put this in the same league as the Cosmic Jokers or the aforementioned Popol Vuh, though. This is more like the local leagues where they have the guy in a strange mascot suit come out at halftime and flail around.

The Electronic Hole - 1970 - The Electronic Hole

Quality: 3.5 out of 5
Trip-O-Meter: 3.75 out of 5

The Electronic Hole exists in a strange netherworld between Cosmic Michael-style endearing ineptitude and strangely effective, stuttering, trance-inducing folk-rock sounds. The main problem, or charm if you want to see it that way, is that the Electronic Hole's ambition tends to outstrip their playing abilities. Drums stumble, vocals waver off key, and the rhythm guitar tends to get a little distracted. On the more conventional songs, this doesn't work out very well. Fortunately, there are some longer, droning tracks which make for a far groovier listen.

My view on this album is that the songs under five minutes are pretty disposable, but the ones longer than that are worth a listen. "The Golden Hour Part IV" is like a distilled, sloppier "Venus in Furs" with a garage-band plunking bassline driving it along, while "Love Will Find A Way Part II" has a fuzzed-out minimalism that strikes me as a predecessor to the signature Spacemen 3 sound. "Love Will Find A Way Part III" is one of those raga rockers that tend to shoot straight for the sweet spot in my ear. Meanwhile, tracks like the opening "The Golden Hour Part I" test my patience a bit as we hear the band attempt a sunburst West Coast rock sound, yet the band can't play their instruments very well and their ability to stay in time with each other is even worse.

Although harbouring some serious flaws, the Electronic Hole's long player has at least half of a pretty hep album for you psychedelic junkies. Hey, that's all Love's "Da Capo" can lay claim to as well. Anyway, you can start the dirty jokes about the band's name... now.