some of the best artwork of the year!
offerings for my brothers:
for Djin
for Djin
for Plastic Crimewave
for Skog Device
for Lux
for Hands of Hydra
If you are going to save the world, don't arrive to the party without glistening trichomes. peace and love to my friends at Humboldt Relief :)
BEST OF 2012
Save the World, the duo of Djin Aquarian and Plastic Crimewave Sound on Prophase, is representative of the reason i love music. Prior to picking this up on a whim from the mighty Ed Eclipse, I had no prior experience listening to Djin's projects, and I had heard only a few things from Plastic Crimewave Sound and Hands of Hydra. Rather, i relied on a nicely composed description in Ed's regular e-mail update - no sound clips either. When one is willing to take a chance and submit themselves to new experiences, beautiful things enter your life. Unequivocally, this is one of the best psych rock records of the year. holy kief!
As soon as the needle dropped, i was hooked. Save the World presents mindful, expansive psych that is a celebration of the breath, awareness and sound. Over two sides of wax, these masters of psych promulgate lucid zoners of the next-level variety. 'Ascend, Ascending, Ascension' drips with spirituality as Djin's vocals - backed by the band - lift one from the malaise of the day. Track 2, 'Ride My Merkabah' is one of the jams of the year. Mystical, howling guitars, bass and percussion create a cosmic groove, over which Djin briefly sings. The track slows down, keeping a nice beat, then gradually ascends through the haze, which is signified by the pounding percussion and heavy guitars; and then Djin praises the breath - the mighty breath. When listening to this lp, I think about breathing and awareness. The sounds that these guys emit from their equipment is so heavy that having other stimuli present - books, computer, etc.. - while listening is counterproductive.
Restrained desert vibes - in the vein of Barn Owl - commence the flipside. Things change quickly as chugging guitars, bass and percussion progressively become louder as Djin's voice covers the expanse. 'Dinosaur Revisited' has a kraut feel that gradually locks into a nice groove - one of the best jams of the five extended tracks. This track, much like the others, is evidence of the kinship between the musicians. 'Ethereal Pastures', is the last track of the lp and it's time to reload the bong. The track features spacey, sprawling guitars, bass and percussion punctuated by heavy guitar interludes.
Keeping with the aura of the blog, Save the World has the nug luvin jams that will regulate your temperature in the high heat of summer. Everything was captured live, save for the sitar parts, which were added by Hands of Hydra. Besides some of the heaviest jams of the year, the lp also has some of the nicest artwork of 2012, created by Plastic Crimewave. Housed in a beautiful gatefold sleeve and limited to 500 lps on Gold and Blue vinyl, buy these heavy jams from Eclipse. Also, the lp is available from Prophase. I recommend reading the Prophase description for more background information. No soundclips, but sometimes you have to trust the smokehound. i will not lead you awry.
peace to you, friends :)