Forest Swords - Engravings (Tri Angle, 2013)

UK mastermind Matthew Barnes is back. This time with a full length LP release. 2010's Dagger Paths EP was high on my year end list, and it looks like he'll make the finals again.

There are many misnomers or confusing tags we could lay on the man's music. I like to call it psychedelic r&b, pastoral folk, dub pastoral (as Tiny Mixtapes called it), or ghost box (for the true Brit nerds out there). Regardless, he is brilliant with loops and samples of his own very organic guitar, percussion, keys and voice. These are nostalgic and sensual droning pop structures that result in a futuristic sound that is his, and his alone. Forest Swords is occult, groovy, and introspective. Hip shaking music for the brain. Beauty and the bleak.

Listen to the full album:



Purchase the vinyl HERE

F.J. McMahon - Spirit of the Golden Juice (Private Press, 1969)

Last week I stumbled across this gem. Since I'm always looking for a particular softer side of psych / folk / country / pop vibe (particularly of the outsider vibe) , I'm quite excited about this man's music.

McMahon returned from a tour in Vietnam with something to say. He recorded this, his only output, a masterpiece for some reason swept under the rug. What's presented here is a mesmerizing voice singing plaintive, melancholy and romantic lyrics. He plays somber minor key guitar tracks, accompanied by bass and a delicate yet strong drum kit.

This is an extremely underrated, one off album that should no longer be slept on. Fans of Tim Hardin, Jim Schoenfield, Scott Walker, and Rodriguez would be wise to snag this.

Oh, and in case you're wondering, "The Golden Juice" is the name of a bourbon.



Get it HERE

And order the LP re-issue over at Sacred Bones HERE

Amen Dunes - Through Donkey Jaw (Sacred Bones, 2011)

Its extremely rare that I hear an album without having preconceived notions. Its even rarer that I am positively stunned by what I'm hearing. Acid folkster Damon McMahon stunned me today. With his blatently hallucinogenic and jangly, off kilter tunes (don't even think about assuming he sounds like Syd because its not that simple), he conjures spirits and levitates around metaphysical lyrics that always retain a sense of cohesion.

Yes, there are a few cliches. Nearly infinite reverb and occasionally sitar-like guitar lines abound but I never find them annoying, possibly due to the structure of the record.

The first few songs are disturbed and effected folk tunes, after which he begins to experiment, alternating between psych-pop themes and spiritual feeling sounds that feel genuine but never over the top. There is also a subtle tribal element to the predominantly floor tom-based drumming that really suits my fancy.

Ultimately, I can't help but describe this as the best hypnagogic pop / folk record ever recorded... and possibly the only one. If that term doesn't fit your snooty criteria, just forget I called it that and download / buy the fucking record anyway. Everyone should own this one.

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Mark Fry - Dreaming with Alice (Sunbeam, 1972)

I know what you're thinking, you saw the photo and thought it looked like some member of The Black Crowes and his kid. Well, its not. Its a guy named Mark Fry. He cut one pretty bad ass pastoral psych folk record and that's all you need to know about the man himself.

This is really good stuff. Elements of Donovan, Incredible String Band, Pentangle and the Wicker Man soundtrack give way to some Indian ragga feeling pagan folk vibes. There's even a hint of some weirder Maharishi lovin' Beatles in here. For fans of all that freak folk revival and some Ben Chasny. Again, this is really good stuff.

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Charles Manson - LIE : The Love and Terror Cult (Awareness,1967)

This album is really bad and really good at the same time. What we have here is a seriously narcissistic delusional psychotic moron who managed to pull off one hell of a psych folk record. No, the lyrics are not good but if you can get past that, just listen to the cool guitar and the smooth sound of his voice. I dig it. Sorry.

Tall Dwarfs - 3 EPs (Flying Nun, 1994)

This goofball New Zealand duo, founded in 1981, is pretty ridiculous but equally talented and interesting. Chris Knox and Alex Bathgate made several records with guitar, organ, casiotone and hand percussion. They were DIY pioneers of the lo-fi aesthetic, using 4 track recordings buried in the lovely land of tape hiss.

3 EPs was a particularly interesting development for the band as they invited fans to record their own instrumentation and what not on cassette and submit them. The band used this material as fundamentals for many pieces.

A sloppy Spacemen 3 on acid instead of heroin, these guys also incorporate the stylings of Donovan, George Harrison and a bit of a Fugs motif.

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