2023 Top Ten Stoner Rock Albums

 2023 Top Twenty Stoner Rock Albums (#10-1)

The second half of my top 20 heavy rock albums list for 2023. One song from each album, beginning with album #10 and finishing with album #1. I understand I'm sure to be missing some great albums that came out this year, but am just sharing my favorite purchases of the year. Artist/Album/Track info is displayed for the first 10 seconds of each tune.

#10: "Cosmic Evoked Potentials" by L'Ira Del Baccano

Italian instrumental band with real technical precision.  Excellent songwriting here.  I've been listening to this since it came out in March

#9: "Fuzzrider" by Fuzzrider

Greek guitarist and vocalist Jim Lord has returned with a new band and 8 great tracks with his distinctive sound

#8: "Medicine" by Goat

The mysterious Swedish band has put out another album.  Of course it's really nothing like their others, and of course it's another masterpiece.  This one's got a real trippy, hippy vibe.  Goat can do no wrong in my book.

#7: "Superskull" by Black Rainbows

Italian stoner rock legends return with one of their most aggressive and catchy albums yet.  Also, another candidate for album cover of the year.

#6: "Enveletration" by Sandrider

This unique Seattle trio has their own style, which includes elements of punk, metal and stoner.  This is their best album to date, and one of the best albums of the year.  Every tune is great.  They also recently put out one of the best EPs of the year, also worth your while.

#5: "Sons Of Froglord" by Froglord

This British rock band with the weird face masks really knows how to write great tunes.  I love every one of these eleven tracks.  I refer to their sound as "groovy doom".  

#4: "Low Desert Surf Club" by Fire Down Below

The third album from this Belgian band is truly special.  They've really nailed that classic "desert" fuzz sound.  Obviously one of my favorite few albums of the year, and Cocaine Hippo is one of my favorite songs of the year.

#3: "Thunder Ape" by Bahboon

Even though their first album came out in 2015, I just found this Japanese band this year, and what a great surprise this album was.  Each song has a different atmosphere, and each one is polished and perfect.  I'll be listening to this for years to come.

#2: "Margarita Witch Cult" by Margarita Witch Cult

This British band caught my attention with an EP last year.  Even though the quality of the recording was rough, I listened to those two tunes countless times because the songwriting was so good.  This new album has nine new tunes that have all been stuck in my head since the album was released, in April.

#1: "The Old Ways Remain" by Blood Ceremony

Not just album of the year, this is one of the very best albums I've ever bought in my life.  The musicianship and songwriting here stack up with any rock album of any era.  The song I chose for this playlist is not typical of the album, but none of the songs is.  Each is its own masterpiece, and every note of every tune has wormed its way into the inner recesses of my brain.   

Notable Omission:

"In Times New Roman" by Queens of the Stone Age deserves to be in my top 10.  Few individuals have helped to shape the genre we call Stoner Rock like Josh Homme has, and this is as perfect an album as he's ever been involved with.  Yet, I am still unwilling to take any of these other albums off my list.  I'd like to spread the word on relatively lesser-known albums as the year closes.  I'm pretty confident this new Queens of the Stone Age album has already reached a pretty vast audience.

Best EPs:

"Kiss The Boot" by Glitter Wizard

"Aviary/Baleen" by Sandrider

"Parable Of The Taxidermist's Dilemma" by Mississippi Bones

"Fu30, Pt. 3" by Fu Manchu

"Lady Cadaver" by Tumble

Stay safe out there, and Happy New Year!

Out Today..

 

FRIDAY THE 13TH BLESSINGS

GOAT: MEDICINE

I have been anxiously awaiting this album, and on first listen I am thrilled with my choice to pre-order the physical CD.  I don't know if I am just growing fonder of Goat or if they are getting more in sync with what I like, but the result is the same: another must-have album from a really unique and talented rock band.  I am loving the whole album, but here are two videos.

Want to know what it was like to be doing acid at Woodstock?  I think you'll come close if you turn up the volume, go full-screen and immerse yourself in this song and its included visuals.  This is a shortened version of "Join The Resistance"

And to stick with the tripping theme, here is "Tripping In The Graveyard".  Absolutely beautiful:

Goat manages to be more secretive about their identities than KISS in the 70's, but they are elite musicians and throwbacks to a time when psychedelic rock was a key component to a fulfilling type of escape from day-to-day reality.

Finally, an oldie: I've posted this tune before, but never this video.  A shortened version of "Let It Burn", a 2018 release, and the first Goat tune I ever purchased.  Since then I've been frequently surprised and never disappointed by each and every release since.

You can find "Medicine" on Bandcamp, along with Goat's other albums, all worth your time.

A "bucket list" item for me is to see Goat live someday.

Happy Friday the 13th!

 

TWO IN THE HAND, ONE IN THE BUSH

Here are two albums I've been listening to, and one that's soon to be released:

First:

THE DEATH WHEELERS: CHAOS AND THE ART OF MOTORCYCLE MADNESS

Vancouver's The Death Wheelers are at it again, providing really catchy instrumental rock that would have been in the movie Beach Blanket Bingo if Frankie and Annette had been in the Hells Angels.

Here's "Motortician":

And here's one that shows how much this band has grown musically.  It's called "Sissy Bar Strut: Nymphony 69":

The Death Wheelers are:

Max ‘the axe’ Tremblay 

Hugo ‘red beard’ Bertacchi 

Richard ‘the bastard’ Turcotte 

Ed ‘back from the dead’ Desaulniers

Next, is:

FIRE DOWN BELOW: LOW DESERT SURF CLUB

I gave a preview of this one last weekend, but for those who didn't investigate further, I'm going to try to tempt you again.  This is "desert rock" at its finest, occasionally reminding me of John Garcia and Unida

Here's one of the best tunes of the year so far, in my opinion.  It's called "Cocain Hippo":

Speaking of Beach Blanket Bingo, this one starts off with that sort of vibe, but eventually turns into something way more awesome.  This is "Surf Queen":

Fire Down Below are from Belgium.  They are:

Kevin Gernaey - Lead Guitar
Sam Nuytens - Drums
Jeroen Van Troyen - Vocals, Guitar
Bert Wynsberghe - Bass

Finally, here's a preview of an upcoming album from a band I love:

GOAT: MEDICINE

The full album will be out October 13th.  This one's called "I Became The Unemployment Office":

Goat are from Sweden, and do a great job of keeping their identities off of the internet.

STRANGE AND BIZARRE: THREE NEW EP'S

NEW EP: TIMES THREE!

 GLITTER WIZARD: KISS THE BOOT

Six New Glitter Wizard Tunes

As strange/weird/different as Glitter Wizard are, it's undeniable that they are great musicians and have grown up listening to the best that rock music has to offer.  Countless classic rock influences lie behind everything they record, and I have grown to love each and every tune they've put out over the years.  

Here's the leadoff track on this EP:

Glitter Wizard are from San Francisco.  They are:

Wendy Stonehenge: Vocals

Kandi Moon: Bass, Acoustic Guitar

Fancy Cymballs: Drums

Doug Graves: Keyboards/Synths

Lorfin Terrafor: Guitar/Vocals

You can find this and their whole discography on Bandcamp

GOAT: SEU SANGUE EP

Remixed Goat (And one brand new track)

Goat has remixed four tracks from 2022's "Oh Death" album, and have recorded an exclusive new tune as well.  Only one track has been released, with the rest slated for April 14th.  This one will make you wonder if someone slipped you some acid:

Goat refer to themselves as a "collective", and are from Norbotten County, Sweden.

Find Goat's music here.

THE ABSURD: NOX EP

This is my favorite music from The Absurd since Build the Wall, and they say a full length album will be out this year, with a sequel EP to follow that. 

This video is hilarious, but almost distracted me from how cool the tune is. 

The Absurd are from Los Angeles.

They are:

Ben Foerg: Vocals, Guitar

Josh Loney: Bass
Colin Jensen: Drums

Find more Absurd music here.

2022 Top Ten Albums

 

2022 Top Twenty Stoner Rock Albums (#10-1)

The second half of my top 20 heavy rock albums list for 2022. One song from each album, beginning with album #10 and finishing with album #1. 

Artist/Album/Track info displayed for the first 10 seconds of each tune.

Each tune is one I've never posted or included in a playlist.  
The idea is that since these are the best albums of the year, they're deep enough that I don't need to 
re-post in order to make a classic playlist:

And remember: Top Ten lists exist to spread the word on great music.  If you know some great music that I missed, don't get mad; drop a link to your own list and I'll check it out.

In case you're courageous enough to play it and have it finish at midnight, the playlist is an hour one minute and 3 seconds, plus whatever ads Youtube plays.

                                                                                                           

#10: "The Faceless King" by Vitskär Süden.

  Great complex heavy psych.  Think heavier Pink Floyd and you'll be in the right neighborhood.  

I'm confident others will pick this as their number 1 album, and I understand why.

#9: "Oh Death" by Goat

In back to back years now, Goat has put out a heavy psychedelic rock masterpiece, 

and now they've wormed their way into my head 

and climbed the ladder of what I prefer to listen to. 

#8:  "Creature Features & Cult Classics" by Mississippi Bones 

A full-length Mississippi Bones release is a guaranteed top 10 album for me, and the rate at which they produce GREAT rock music is mind-boggling.  There needs to be a stronger word than underappreciated when it comes to Mississippi Bones.

#7:  "King" by Gnome

These are the tunes every garage band is going to want to cover.  Hundreds of epic and forceful guitar riffs, seamlessly intertwined into a masterful soundtrack for a story about an endangered race fighting for its life.  A Youtube comment noted that the story parallels that of Ukraine.

 

#6: "Force Form Free" by Dead Meadow

This is a more spacey heavy psych, but also top 10 worthy heavy psych from 2022.  For those already familiar with Dead Meadow, I think you'll agree this is in the discussion for their best album.  For those unfamiliar with these stoner rock veterans, "Force Form Free" is an excellent place to start.

(then go back and start with album 1, and go in order)

#5: "Innate Passage" by Elder 

          

Now we're on the prog side of heavy psych, but again more top 10 worthy heavy psych from 2022.  

Elder continues to amaze.  Hard to say this is not their best album.

#4:  "Primordial" by Telekinetic Yeti        

Alex Baumann said it started out as a challenge to "see how heavy we can make it with just two people".  He and Rockwel Heim have succeeded in producing an album more badass than just about everyone else.  "Primordial" is my #4 album of 2022.

#3:  "Take All You Can" by Freedom Hawk

I loved the Meteor City Freedom Hawk albums, and really liked all the others, but "Take All You Can" is Freedom Hawk's most perfect album yet.  Freedom Hawk is American guitar rock, with a positive energy and a weirdly wholesome vibe.  I can't get enough of this album, and in many other years this would have been my top album

#2:  "Acute Mania" by Steak

Steak has achieved a new level of songwriting.  The degree of planning and forethought shown on this album is rivalled by only one other album this year.

#1:  "This Sceptred Veil" by Sergeant Thunderhoof

"This Sceptred Veil" is that other album.  There were two perfect albums in 2022, and these finished in the same order of hours of enjoyment provided to me that year.

Happy New Year
ULTRA  

 

JACKPOT!!!

LOOK WHAT TURNED UP ON BANDCAMP TODAY:

GOAT: OH DEATH

Goat's been around for quite awhile, but they keep perfecting their craft, and their albums get better and better with time.  I saw this was released this morning, and I can't get enough of it.  Goat is a collection of Swedish hippies who are GREAT musicians, and who play a really trippy variety of music that might best be described as acid-folk rock.  Every album is unique and covers a ton of musical ground, but my favorites make use of a super-fuzzy guitar distortion, as heard in this album's opening track:

And here's another early favorite, managing to combine funk and fuzz with a folk rock undercurrent:

Goat describe themselves as "Formidable psychic warriors, channelers of the mystic and proponents of a spiritual quest that transcends this realm".

They are from Norrbotten County, Sweden, and seem to prefer to go unnamed:

In consecutive years, Goat has produced masterpieces.

And also released this morning...

RUBY THE HATCHET: FEAR IS A CRUEL MASTER

It's been five years since "Planetary Space Child", one of my favorite albums of 2017, and it appears that time was spent hard at work, because "Fear Is A Cruel Master" is another gem.  Aggressive, masterful songwriting, performed by top-rate musicians and a truly special vocalist, this album checks every box in my wish list.  Sometimes when the featured track on bandcamp is not the opener, it's because the featured track is the best one and the rest aren't quite as good.  

Not the case here; this opener showcases some of the greatest ideas from late '70s/early '80s hard rock, and is the perfect setup for all the great tunes to come.

Here's another early favorite:

This is another album that probably won't leave my car playlist for the rest of the year.

Ruby The Hatchet are from New Jersey.  They are:

Jillian Taylor: Vocals

Johnny Scarps: Guitar

Owen Stewart: Drums

Lake Muir: Bass

Sean Hur: Organ

and last but not least.......

ELDER: INNATE PASSAGE

This one's not out yet, but I think this pre-released track came out today (or at least that's when I stumbled into it)

Anyhow, it's new Elder, and anything that's said after that is unnecessary and a waste of keystrokes and bandwidth.

Elder are from Western Massachusetts, but now reside in Berlin.

They are:

Nicholas DiSalvo - Guitar, Vocals, Keyboards
Jack Donovan - Bass
Michael Risberg - Guitar, Keyboards
Georg Edert - Drums

Try to fit all that in your pipe and smoke it