Glaze of Cathexis - 2012 - Neon Buddha

"In the unexplored alcoves, glinting holy light shine resplendently bright in the doorways of our timeless, everlasting mind... every eternal moment is waiting to be renewed to the kingdom of its throne. Lights of spirit pierce like sacred lightning through the chaotic, stormy wilderness of ignorance and delusion.  Yet, allow the pure light to resonate and penetrate... the wounded spirit becomes healed and all becomes truly clear in our diminishing lifesong of deep love and joy."

Glaze of Cathexis' resident poet and conceptual artist, Scott Atkinson, made the pilgrimage to Myanmar and found the neon Buddhas, decked out in a bit of bling, but still staring into the infinite cosmos.

Our music had been dwelling in the psychedelic garages of the 1960's for the past couple sets, but we're strolling through a bit more of the cyber-future this time around.  "Neon Buddhas" takes a sonic trajectory through time, with the Glaze picking up the warbled vibrations of 80's synth pop and 90's shoegaze once again.  "Hang on to What You've Got" is my Billy Idol moment, while "Luminous Tapestry" visits a time signature that I don't think any of us can deal with it again.  You'll find "One Step Beyond" attempting to melt your face off, while "Out of Your Mind" is one of the poppiest things we've sent out into the wilderness.  Please do send us your signals.

Perhaps you'd like to visit us at Bandcamp:



http://glazeofcathexis.bandcamp.com/album/neon-buddha

Luna Moth - 2012 - Shadows Casting Trees

Quality: 4.25 out of 5

Trip-O-Meter: 4.25 out of 5

Man, I think Luna Moth probably have some of the same dreams that I do.  Last night, I dreamed that I was fending of a zombie apocalypse from an upper floor of an apartment highrise.  I think I got nibbled on at some point.  Luna Moth may not be on that particular trip, but they do crank out some great gothic shoegazing sounds.  This is the kind of thing that talented hopefuls would sent of to 4AD in hopes of a record contract.  Back in 1990, this set could have very well pulled of the trick.

Wild Nothing's "Nocturne" has perched itself near the top of my favorites for 2012, and this comes across as a freakier echo of that canyon that lies between the Cure and Slowdive.  That's selling things a little short though as these guys can build their sounds off of more diverse templates as "Lupine Blooms Voluminous" shares a kindred spirit with the Red House Painters.  "Soulvine Unto Pleidies" and "When You Sleep" definitely exude distorted guitar bliss as the best of shoegaze does, while "Trees Casting Shadows" is sort of like a happy outtake from the Cure's "Pornography" (not that it's particularly happy - it's just that "Pornography" is darker than Black Dynamite).  "Heartswells" joins the present with a sort of Deerhunter bounce.  "satori Underseas" is the glossy epic to thrust your ears through the multiverse membrane, in the manner of the Smashing Pumpkins better extended moments like "Starla."

Yeah, these sounds are shoegazing guitar vibrations passed through the American prism.  But we Yankees can get it right occasionally as Luna Moth demonstrates.  It may not be the flavor of the month, but you'll hear the 60's dream of psychedelia time warped through at least 30 years of retro-futurism.

You've got quite a rabbit hole to plunge through.  The following link will take you to the album reviewed here, but Luna Moth seems to be quite prolific and deserving of a few extra clicks for some of their previous albums.

http://lunamoth.bandcamp.com/album/shadows-casting-trees

San Kazakgascar - 2012 - Drought Times EP

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

I think I've pretty well completely aired out my love for sitars, and Middle Eastern trance beats aren't too far removed from that sounds.  These guys are turning into drums and echoing the sounds of the tripped out desert oasis freak beat club.  Their vocalist must have given the Peter Tork vocal of the Monkees' "Can You Dig It" a spin at least 6084 times.  Yeah, he's not quite droning in key, but it pebble jumps along the air of rarefied raga rock grooviness.

We're just looking at an EP here, so there are only four tunes for your earhole.  We've got a sandwich of sorts, with the beats of "Crispy Lords" and "The Switchbacks Are Crumbling" finding the center of the drone and blasting away like a hashish-confused, but blissful Jane's Addiction as existed for a scant 25 minutes on "Ritual de lo Habitual."  That, plus a gold-medallion and beige turtleneck wearing Peter Tork.  They pick up the beat for the center two tunes, but they don't quite sent the same arrows into the karmatic center of my subconscious.  It's more like a neighborhood art festival getting a dose of the gypsy juice (whatever that is).

It's far too late a night, but I'm spending a very groovy 16 minutes with the sunblasted, Middle East-vibing San Kazakgascar and I'm digging it.  Maybe they can touch you in that special spot as well.

You will experience the psychedelic raga rock sounds of San Kazakgascar at their Bandcamp:

http://sanskazakgascarsolo.bandcamp.com/album/drought-times-ep