Head Medicine weekly vol 1

Head Medicine Weekly

vol 1

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the first installment of a new feature, a weekly dose of various sights and sounds, 

comics and culture for your eyeballs and earholes. 

a new volume every Friday.  follow on Facebook or Twitter  

too many memorials recently...

Ian "Lemmy" Kilmister   1945-2015

David Bowie 1947-2016

  Nigeria Rock Special

 Psychedelic Afro-Rock and Fuzz Funk in 1970s Nigeria

2008 Soundway Records

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when Ginger Baker, drummer of Cream, arrived in Nigeria in 1970 and hooked up with Fela Kuti, two amazing musical ambassadors' worlds collided.  Baker brought Western acid rock with him and it melded seamlessly with Kuti's Afro-funk sounds and traditional African rhythms. the young people of Nigeria went wild for this concoction, and countless bands sprung up playing a brand new style of psychedelic, fuzzed out afro-rock.  there are several great compilations to wade in to that document this rich musical era, and Nigeria Rock Special: Psychedelic Afro-Rock & Fuzz Funk in 1970's Nigeria will give you plenty of material to sift through.  buy it HERE.

here are a few of my favorites:

The X-Ray Audio Project

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In the Soviet Union during the Cold War, music and records that were not controlled by the state were highly sought after but hard to come by.  an underground market formed, and bootleggers needed to use their ingenuity to create the product.  armed with a record press but suffering from a lack of supplies, these bootleggers used repurposed x-ray plates to fill the demand. 

these albums were forbidden treasures, and their ghostly story is only now starting to emerge.

click HERE for more information on The X-ray Audio Project 

UNKLE

The Runaway

  video directed 

by

Warren Du Preez and Nick Thornton Jones

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a scuzzy, down n' dirty track from James Lavelle's long-running UNKLE project, off of their 2010 release Where Did the Night Fall.   vocals by Elle J, with a darkly seductive video by Warren Du Preez and Nick Thornton Jones.  very, very cool stuff.

Space Riders

Volumen Uno

by

Fabian Rangel Jr, Alex Ziritt, and Ryan Ferrier

  2015 Black Mask Studios

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created by Rangel Jr and Ziritt

written by Rangel Jr

art by Ziritt

lettered by Ryan Ferrier

Space Riders:  Volumen Uno collects the entire introductory 4 issue mini-series, and, from one look at the cover, you know exactly what you are going to get.  there are no subtleties here.  this is a 1970s black light poster hallucination exploding to life.  Rangel Jr's story is properly unhinged, flowing like a stream of consciousness Fletcher Hanks creation, and Ziritt's art looks like a mix of Jack Kirby and Paul Pope on a steady diet of LSD.  it's a perfect blend.  buy the book HERE

the Head Medicine Weekly playlist 

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~kojak  

Head Medicine Weekly vol 3

sights and sounds for your eyeballs and earholes!

a new installment of Head Medicine Weekly every Friday.

follow on Facebook or Twitter for updates

Al Lover

Brown Acid Redux

2014

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Al Lover has been a Head Medicine favorite for a while now.  his deep, psyched out trip hop is the very finest out there, and his entire catalog is well worth a look.  but i find myself gravitating to Brown Acid Redux, a live set from SXSW 2014.  over the course of an hour, Al Lover shows off his impeccable taste and one of the deepest crates of any dj out there.  he sets the scene with a filthy, unending sex groove and weaves in a tapestry of some of the greatest sounds from around the world... Portishead, Turkish psych master Baris Manco, Butthole Surfers, Tricky, Bollywood legends Kalyanji and Anamdji, Morgan Delt... the list goes on and on... and it is a flawless mix. perfect for a night alone in the womb of your headphones or in a room full of people grinding with their eyes rolled back in their skull.  take yer pick.

Utopia Zukunftsromane

West German Science Fiction Magazine

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In 1953, Erich Pabel Verlag first published his science fiction magazine Utopia Zukunftsromane (Utopia Science Fiction) in West Germany.  The series ran for fifteen years and produced nearly 600 volumes, and inspired the equally influential West German sci-fi mag Terra.  I have not been able to find any information on the anonymous artists who created the many amazing covers, but their work easily stands up next to the best of the American pulp magazine sci-fi artists from that time.  here is a small sample of their work, with a nearly complete collection of the Utopia covers on Micky The Pixel's Flickr HERE.

Frank Kozik

Studio Visit for Nerdist Industries

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Here's a cool video of the legendary Frank Kozik taking us on a tour of his studio and giving a glimpse into his methodology.  Kozik is one of thee most successful artistic iconoclasts out there, so if that's where you wanna be too, you would be wise to take a look and heed his advice.

  

 The Head Medicine Reading Room

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A collection of interesting reads for your pleasure

 

Transcending the Blues: An Interview with Legendary Producer Daniel Lanois 

Daniel Lanois is a classic musician and producer, helping create and capture sounds with legends like Bob Dylan, U2, Brian Eno and many, many more.  Even now, he is a creatively restless spirit, constantly pushing his personal artistic boundaries.  Autre recently published a fascinating interview with Lanois, discussing his past, present, and future.  read it HERE

 The Trumpler 14 Star Cluster

Photographed by the Hubble Telescope

"This NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image features the star cluster Trumpler 14. One of the largest gatherings of hot, massive and bright stars in the Milky Way, this cluster houses some of the most luminous stars in our entire galaxy."    read the entire piece at Spacetelescope.org HERE

An Insanely Comprehensive List of 260 Pop Culture Oral Histories

thanks to Thrillist for putting this truly insane list together.  movies like Airplane!, Boogie Nights, Dazed and Confused... music with Elliot Smith, Blondie, the Beastie Boys, Soundgarden's Superunknown... tons of tv shows... plenty of reading material for you to dig through HERE.

 

a new installment of Head Medicine Weekly every Friday.

follow on Facebook or Twitter for updates


~kojak

 

 

GOAT - "It's Time For Fun" b/w "Relax" (w/ interview) (Rocket Recordings/Sub Pop/Stranded 2015)

The mysterious Swedish psychedelic collective GOAT has emerged once again from the shadows with a new single, "It's Time For Fun" b/w "Relax," the band's first new tracks since the release of Commune last October.  Unexpectedly, the limited edition single debuted at #1 on the UK vinyl singles charts, proving that their fans are still as rabid as ever.  The new music finds the band in an unexplored tangent -- a more sparse, laid back sound draped over a skittering drum machine.  Both tracks start off roughly the same, with a nervous drum machine clicking over a simple repetitive baseline, but they split from there.  The A-side, "It's Time For Fun" is a formal Goat track stripped down to the bone with a sparse arrangement of guitar and keys with a simple sing along vocal line, while the single's b-side, "Relax," is a hazy instrumental daydream with added layers of percussion and organ.  "It's Time for Fun" has already been integrated into the live Goat set, and has quickly evolved far past the recorded version (it is at the 25:30 mark of their Glastonbury show) while "Relax" stands off to the side on its own as a welcomed anomaly in the Goat catalog.

Head Medicine recently caught up with GOAT to learn more about these tracks, their thoughts on recent live shows,  and what lies ahead.

HEAD MEDICINE:   "It's Time For Fun" and "Relax" were recorded in New York and Sao Paulo. These were the first Goat recordings from outside of your home studio, right?  Can you tell us about the recording and final assembly of these tracks?  

GOAT:   No, not really. We did record some stuff in Thailand when we did Commune and some stuff was recorded in Korpilombolo. But early versions of these two songs on our new single were recorded on a trip I did in January. I met musicians and jammed with them in New York and São Paulo. I had found a cheap drum machine early in New York which we jammed to. Then the rest of the Goat crew arranged the jams and laid down some overdubs and vocals on it. Turned out pretty fine I think.


HEAD MEDICINE:  What instrument is used to get that blaring sound on "Relax"? is that a pump organ or an accordion of some kind? i can't figure it out.
GOAT:   it was some kind of organ this dude in São Paulo had at his home. Some kind of pump organ which is distorted in our studio.


HEAD MEDICINE:  "It's Time for Fun" and "Relax" feature some pretty drastically different sounds compared to the intensity of World Music and Commune.  Are these more laid back sounds creeping into Goat's new music or were these fairly isolated experiments? 

GOAT:  I don't know but the recordings we have done so far for the next album do not sound like this really, so this single isn't a change of our overall sound I think.

HEAD MEDICINE:  Speaking of new music, how is the progress on any new recordings?  Has Goat been able to get some solid work in over the spring and summer?

GOAT:  during the summer, recordings have paused but we will start again now. Some stuff is nearly finished.


HEAD MEDICINE:  Back in April, Goat performed a special show in Bristol, the "Sounds of Surrender."  All phones, cameras, and money were left at the door and masks and costumes were handed out to the crowd to encourage an ego-less exchange between the band and audience.  can you tell us a bit about that show?  It must have been an interesting experiment. Did it reach the desired effect?

GOAT:  For us it was amazing to see this crowd, all masked and dressed up but which effect that had on the audience I don't know. Unfortunately the club closed after the show, otherwise we could have walked around in the crowd without being noticed..


HEAD MEDICINE:  We have already talked about how touring is taxing on the members of Goat, but the band has brought you to some pretty exotic locations, like Istanbul, and in December you will travel to Australia for a few shows.  Are there times on these mini tours to enjoy the surroundings and the people or is it all work and no play?   Any interesting non-Goat experiences along the way that are worth sharing?

- it's good fun and we get along so well with each other that we don't need much more stimulating things really while we are out playing, but our last show at Nox Orae in Switzerland was amazing. it was a very warm day and they brought us out together with this guy Anton Newcombe [founder of the Brian Jonestown Massacre] on boats right on the lake of Geneva and we could take a swim from the boats.. 22,5 degrees in the water, we had some beers and some wine.. That was a good day. It was Anton's birthday so we had some celebration there on the lake.

GOAT with Anton Newcombe, founder of the Brian Jonestown Massacre

~Rocket Recordings recently mentioned some music being released by GOAT offshoot Capri Informis.  is there anything you can tell us about this band?

- it's the guy that plays djembe with us live and his wife I think. Wonderful people. And I think they have done some great music too!

~i'm sure this question doesn't have a definite answer, but what are your feelings towards the future of GOAT?   Do you see the band as an evolving project over the years or something that will have a far shorter lifespan?  Continuing to occasionally tour or becoming more of a studio-only group?

- I don't know. But I think we are not going to tour forever. Maybe take a longer break in some years, and then see what happens. Music will always be made though. It is in our souls.

~as always, special thanks to GOAT for taking the time to answer these questions.~ 

be sure to check out Head Medicine's GOAT archive, full of exclusive interviews, reviews, art, photos, and more HERE

 

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all writing and art by kojak

Goat - Glastonbury 2015 full set

Swedish psychedelic collective GOAT has been relatively quiet since the release of their second album Commune last fall, but they have recently awoken for a series of European festival gigs over the summer.  GOAT returned to Glastonbury this year after their triumphant coming out party in 2013 and once again the entire set was beautifully filmed and recorded. 

The band debuted their new single, "It's Time For Fun," which will be released as a limited edition 7" with the b-side "Relax" in September.

GOAT will be making a handful of appearances in August at various festivals, as well as a rare performance in Greece in October. make sure you check em out if you can.

8/1: Näsåker/Sweden – Urkult Festival
8/13: Gothenburg - Way Out West Festival
8/21: Hasselt/Belguim – Pukkelpop Festival
8/22: Wales/UK – Green Man Festival
8/28-29: La Tour-de-Peilz/Switzerland – Nox Orae Festival
10/17: Greece/Athens – Gagarin Festival

check out Head Medicine's complete GOAT archives HERE, with exclusive interviews, reviews, photos, art, and more

Pretty Lightning - "A Magic Lane of Light and Rain" (Cardinal Fuzz 2015)

Pretty Lightning
A Magic Lane of Light and Rain
Cardinal Fuzz Records 2015

Pretty Lightning draw their life force from the swampy drone of North Mississippi Hill Country Blues masters Junior Kimbrough and R.L. Burnside, and filters it through a ghostly, hallucinogenic fog.  It is a limitless source of inspiration, always ripe for exploration, and the German guitar/organ/drums duo dig in and root down with the best of em.  

Pretty Lightning's sophmore album, A Magic Lane of Light and Rain, naturally builds upon the sounds of their 2012 debut, There Are Witches In The Woods, and in the process stumbles upon the common ground between Kimbrough and Krautrock.  These grooves could spiral out into infinity, but the fact that Pretty Lightning can hammer them into actual songs, with memorable hooks and melodies, is rare.  The recordings themselves are clear but raw... focused, but fuzzy in the peripheral... which should translate well to their live show.

It will be interesting to see where Pretty Lightning goes from here, as their sound deepens and congeals even more.

prettylightning.com/

Stand out tracks:  The Rainbow Machine, Bow Low, Woodlands

Dahga Bloom - "No Curtains" (Captcha Records 2014)

Dahga Bloom

No Curtains

Captcha Records 2014

Dahga Bloom's second album, No Curtains, is warped danger muzak for those chemical-fueled police chases you keep getting yourself into, with a suitcase full a' money and a dead body in the trunk.  These four guys from Orange County have that ragged, ugly mutt sound of the late 80s/early 90s Pacific Northwest that i miss so much, like Love Battery and Screaming Trees and Mudhoney and Soundgarden, but all out of its mind from huffin' on model airplane glue. it's interesting to note that not only is Dahga Bloom guitarless, but they feature not one, not two, but THREE  fucking basses, and holy shit are they making a racket.  an unrelenting hallucinogenic wall of noise. whatever you are running from, No Curtains will aid you in your getaway.  drive safe.

and they were kind enough to provide some tasty mind-melting eye candy to soak in while listening. god bless them. i wish more bands did this. 

and they sure seem to bring it live, too.

GOAT - Commune (Rocket/Sub Pop/Stranded 2014)

Gathering of Ancient Tribes art by KOJAK

GOAT

COMMUNE

(Rocket Recordings/Sub Pop/Stranded 2014)

commune 1 |ˈkämˌyoōn|
noun
1 a group of people living together and sharing possessions and responsibilities.

commune 2 |kəˈmyoōn| |kəˈmjun| |kəˈmjuːn|
verb [ intrans. ]
1 ( commune with) share one's intimate thoughts or feelings with someone or something, esp. when the exchange is on a spiritual level

 

     For the uninitiated, GOAT is a shamanistic psychedelic music collective from Arctic Sweden who just might be the best band around right now.  A steadily growing number of hypnotized devotees would agree. Since they emerged from the ether two years ago, few bands (if any) have been burning hotter, pushing further, or digging deeper than GOAT. They have a fantastical origin story, and their rise from obscurity has been absolutely fascinating to watch unfold, but it's too long of a story to tell here. Luckily i've been doing all of the legwork and chronicling their career since their debut so you can get caught up to speed.  Check it all out HERE.  It's worth it.

     GOAT's new album, Commune, is the sound of a frighteningly confident and talented band going full supernova. As crazy as it may seem, this album has evolved far beyond its brain-melting predecessor, World Music (which just happens to be one of the best albums of the last decade in case you weren't aware). Commune is even more diverse, performed even more masterfully, with warmer and richer production. Every raw edge has been shaped and formed to precision. Creatively, GOAT has broken through to an entirely different dimension, drawing from an even deeper well of influences than they were before... exotic sounds and styles from every remote corner of the globe, boiled down to their most primal core, and cranked to the point of spontaneous combustion. Technically, the band members have developed to a point where they can pull off just about anything their minds can conjure up.  Most notable are the strong performances from the anonymous dueling guitarists--among the very best in the world, in my opinion--and the bassist, who is on a John Paul Jones-level trajectory. These elements are combined with their trance-inducing percussion and the hair-raising wails of the twin priestess vocalists to create a limitless sound unlike anything else out there. Tranced out dance music from the past, beamed in from the future. As if that wasn't enough, GOAT continues to tap deeply into something that few others are even conscious of... an ancient tribal mysticism from a time far different than our modern day technological hamster wheel culture...traveling to the spirit world and returning to relay what was found... a strong sense of community where everyone tunes into each other on a far deeper level, attempting to create something together that no one individual could ever in a million lifetimes achieve.  It's a welcomed perspective in such a depressing, cynical time.

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     The album opens with a tolling temple bell, slowly fading in with each ring.  It is a meditational introduction to clear your mind and align your focus... Commune is one of those mesmerizing, perfectly sequenced travelogue albums that will pick you up and carry you to exotic lands, if you let it.  The more attention you pay, the more you will find.  Headphones are a must.

     "Talk To God" lifts off with hypnotic, cyclical guitar riffs that echo the sounds of the Tuareg -- Saharan desert nomads and their modern ambassadors Tinariwen, Bombino, and Terakaft.  Images of vast desert expanses float in... camel caravans off on the horizon.  The guitars magically weave through eachother for what seems like forever, in no hurry at all, in complete defiance of typical Western song structure.  and really, that's kind of GOAT's defining trait... zoning off for waaaaaayyyy longer than most while attempting to achieve transcendence through repetition.  At one point, the guitars and vocals drop out and all that is left is that sick Rickenbacker bassline and percussion gnawing at eachother.  It's an eyes-rolled-back-in-the-head moment and for the rest of the track, everything warps together into a hazy mirage.

     "Words" is quintessential GOAT... an ancient war drum beat, summoning a fucking colossus out of the earth... phased guitar spiraling into infinity... white hot guitar leads stabbing in and out... this is GOAT distilled to laser precision, unrelentingly driving itself into your head like a railroad spike.  Live, this song will turn a crowd into a delirious mass.

     Shifting gears completely, "Light Within" is a piece of Latin space rock, with a slinky samba vibe.  This tune pushes out GOAT's already boundary-less sound to something far more refined than they were capable of on World Music.  The musicianship is top shelf, and an attentive ear can appreciate the brilliant final mix with light touches of finger-picked acoustic guitar and vibraphone threaded throughout.

     "To Travel the Paths Unknown" is a brief instrumental meditation to chill things out for a moment. Effects drip off of the guitar and what sounds to me like a strummed banjo, bringing Ennio Morricone's spaghetti western muzak to mind.

     This transition leads into the serpentine funk of "Goatchild."  For the first time, we hear men's voices in a mating dance call-and-response with the girls, singing about getting together for some free love.  Things get steamy with layers of 70s porno wah guitar solos stacked on top of one another as the song washes out in a tantric sex blur.  The goatchild is conceived.  Classic.

     "Goatslaves" blazes by like a comet... Everything is fused together tighter than ever before and the girls reach through the speakers and shout "Dying for Freedom/Dying for peace/Too many people live on their knees." Blistering stuff, and should rightly be the band's next single.

     "Hide From the Sun" has an entrancing Middle Eastern sound, reminiscent of  Turkish psych funk pioneer Baris Manco. The mood is more ominous,  with an off-kilter rhythm and a savage fuzzed out guitar solo.

    Named for the creator deity from Haitian Voodoo mythology, "Bondye" aims straight for the psyched out center of it all.  This instrumental is based on a rhythm similar to those found in rural Thailand, recently represented to a larger audience by Khun Narin's Electric Phin Band.  GOAT thrives on the merging of sounds that have never been put together before, so of course there are Gothic Americana fiddle solos flying around with more fuzzed out wah guitar to top it all off.  They make a perfect fit.

     The album's majestic finale, "Gathering Of Ancient Tribes," (note the acronym) brings things back around full circle to the expansive sounds of the opening track, but this is even more focused.  The intensity continues to build higher and higher, and when the girls are screaming "Into the Fire!!" it sounds less like a condemnation than it is an invitation to join them in the flames.  The track totally breaks open here, and all of the tension the band has built up over the course of the album is released in a mind blowing finale.  The tolling temple bell from the beginning comes back around and brings the album to a silent close.

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     Commune, comes with considerably more interest and attention than World Music when it first appeared in 2012. Maybe even bordering on hype. With North American distribution this time around (finally) from the mighty Sub Pop, GOAT will have a unique opportunity to spread their gospel to a far wider audience than ever before. And as they have done at every step of their evolving career so far, Goat effortlessly rises to the occasion, unhindered by any outside force or pressure.  They are already in uncharted waters, it will be interesting to see where they navigate to from here.

Buy the album HERE in North America via Sub Pop,  and HERE via Rocket Recordings everywhere else

     GOAT is in the midst of their first ever extended European tour, and if you haven't witnessed one of their rare live rituals, I highly recommend trying your best to change that.  The shows are taking on mythic proportions.  If you can't, here is a taste of what you are missing: 

GOAT just released their first ever official video and it's fantastic.  directed by Sam Macon

For those of you who weren't able to get a copy of the limited edition 7" included with the Commune vinyl, here is the bonus track, "Dig My Grave."  Not only should this have been on the album, it should have been a single!  oh, those tasty guitars never get old...

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art and writing by KOJAK

Sleepy Sun - "Maui Tears" (Dine Alone 2014)

SLEEPY SUN

MAUI TEARS

Dine Alone Records 2014



Sleepy Sun has been making some pretty big sounds lately.  the san francisco-based psych group has been around for a while now, experimenting with different sounds and line-ups, but they made their most focused and boldest creative statement yet with their fourth album Maui Tears, released in jaunuary.  this sounds like a band pushing off into something truly special.


the album's lead off track, "The Lane," caught my attention immediately, sounding like Soundgarden at their most transcendental moment mixed with Ok Computer-era Radiohead, with a heafty dose of that great old shoegazer stuff like Swervedriver.  pretty fucking bold, especially when it is pulled off so successfully.  the video is properly epic as well.




the entire album is pretty great... a lush variety of styles, from a roar to a whisper...spot-on performances throughout... beautifully recorded... and a masterful mix that weaves a perfectly balanced mesh of sound.  but the record reaches for an even higher level with the final three tracks.


the dreamy "Slowdown" eases into things with calming waves of guitar and voice...  droning synth layered far into the background.  your pulse slows, your muscles relax, and your feet momentarily leave the ground. 





the dreaminess is broken wide open with "Galaxy Punk," a goosebump-raising, sun drenched summertime anthem.  the hooks imbed themselves immediately, sticking straight into your brain, and the guitars are so fucking HUGE that you can feel the wind in your hair.





it is obvious that Sleepy Sun is not messing around here, this is some seriously great music.  but they rise up even higher with the 10 1/2 minute title track.  "Maui Tears" confidently steps up to the OK Computer/Pink Floyd "Echoes" level, and convincingly pulls it off.  a pretty impressive feat.  top shelf stuff here, people.




 Maui Tears is a monolithic statement from a band that seems to be entering it's prime.  i have heard great things about their live performances and am eager to see them at this year's Austin Psych Fest.  if their onstage show is as anywhere near as good as their recent studio work, they might find themselves in an entirely different level of the stratosphere soon.  it will be interesting to see where they go from here.

listen to the entire album HERE

Earthless - From the Ages (2013 Tee Pee Records)

Earthless
From the Ages
2013 Tee Pee Records

Earthless, a ridiculously talented power trio from San Diego, released a new album From the Ages in 2013 and it's one of the most unrelenting slabs of acid metal in recent memory.  guitarist Isaiah Mitchell pulls out all of the guitar pyrotechnics of Hendrix, the dreamy atmospherics of Trower, the flair of Eddie Van Halen, Iommi's riffage, and the full tilt jams of Jimmy Page all at once, and the the solid iron core of the rhythm section (bassist Mike Eginton and drummer Mario Rubalcaba) provide the gravity that holds everything together.  their mostly-instrumental jams are retardedly over the top...  when every other similar group would have long ago tapped out, Earthless routinely puts it in a higher gear and pushes on, spiraling straight into the sun for ten, fifteen, twenty, THRITY+ minutes longer.

they honed their sound on 2005's Sonic Prayer and Rhythms From a Cosmic Sky in 2007, but From the Ages is arguably their most focused to date.  and if their album Live At Roadburn and the videos of their live performances are any indication, they are a must-see.  i will be eager to soak in their sounds at the Austin Psych Fest this spring.

buy their music HERE


From the Ages (full album)



and a live performance from july '13 that will turn your brain to liquid

Khun Narin Phin Sing (aka Khun Narin's Electric Phin Band) (Thai Psychedelia)

soulful, transcendental psychedelia from Thailand's Khun Narin Phin Sing aka Khun Narin's Electric Phin Band.  the group takes it's name from the double necked stringed instrument that's being played, an electrified version of a traditional thai instrument called a phin.  they are performing for an ordination ceremony of some sort.   the entire audience... men, women, and children, old and young... have their backs turned to the musicians and seem generally oblivious, focused on the ceremony itself.  the band members relax in plastic lawn chairs, LOUDLY pumping their dense, reverb-drenched sound through a wheeled PA.  the phin player conjures a noise like nothing else i've ever heard, the bassist is fucking killing it while kicked back, chillin' in his chair, and several percussionists combine together to form an incredible groove.  it's a very unexpected setting for such a mindblowing sonic experience.  

here is their facebook page. apparently they are recording an album.

the first track features an insane phin solo around the 2:00 mark, with a cool, spaced out funk jam afterwards that's pretty damn tasty.  the other songs are more sprawled out and epic.  beautiful stuff.

EDITOR'S NOTE:  here's what a guy named robert horn had to say in the comments section over at Dangerous Minds about this band:

"This is very typical Isan (northeastern Thai) folk music. You can find bands like this doing exactly the same thing all over Isan and sometimes busking on the streets of Bangkok. I suspect that many other Phin players have also used some delay and most definitely lots of reverb. From their vests, it appears this band are all part of a group of "pak soi" - motorcycle taxi drivers. I"m sure they are keeping their day jobs."

and a response from EW77:

"Robert, I experienced the same thing on a trip to Thailand last year (my first). My initial impression while in Bangkok was similar to Marc's....'holy mindblowing dripping third eye reverb!!!', but I ended up seeing so much of this music all around the city over the next few days. At one point, I happened on a police band playing some of the trippiest funked-out versions of this stuff while trying to raise donations for tsunami victims....just couldn't believe that something so utterly awesome could be so commonplace. One of the many reasons I can't wait to go back to Thailand."







ANOTHER EDITOR'S NOTE:

Innovative Leisure Records has released Khun Narin's Electric Phin Band's debut album!  here is the official press release, with a healthy amount of background info on the band.  and check out a nice little article HERE at Wired with some more info.  and HERE is a cool interview with Josh Marcy, the producer who recorded them.  Easily one of the great feel-good music stories of the year.  ENJOY!

Goat - Head Medicine's 2013 Band of the Year

Goat's Electric Ballroom poster by Adam Pobiak

Potential.  A lot of artists and bands have it, but few ever dig deep down in and reach it to the fullest.  Over the past year, the electrifying Swedish afro-psych collective Goat has been the rare exception.  Not only have they continuously met my ridiculous expectations, but they have time and again exceeded them.  Goat first came to my attention in the summer of 2012 after the release of their first 7" single and i was instantly mesmerized by their dense, trance-inducing afro krautrock sound.  My expectations were deliriously high for their debut album World Music that August by Rocket Recordings.   It was an instant classic and, in my opinion, light years above everything else released that year.  To make things even more mysterious, the band had never performed live outside of their Arctic Circle commune until that fall with a few exploratory live rituals around Northern Europe.  These shows revealed a band hitting the ground at full speed with a blistering live show and stunning stage presence.  By the end of 2012, i was fully on board with Goat, hook line and sinker, drinking every drop of Kool Aid set in front of me, excited for what 2013 would hold.  No band started off the year with more potential than Goat, but what would they do with it?  Would they reach up and grab it or would they remain in obscurity and let things fizzle out?

Goat started off in the spring with the release of the "Stonegoat/Dreambuilding" single, two new compositions that deepened and widened their sound even further, before unleashing their first US tour.  The group's destination was the Austin Psych Fest, with a handful of East Coast and Midwest dates leading up to and following their great American unveiling.  The shows took on an instantly mythic quality, with the realization to all in attendance that something special was being witnessed.  The music was stretched into expansive Zeppelin-esque mind altering jams that dove deeper and harder into outer and innerspace than their recorded material, and by the time the group returned to Europe to hit the major summer festival circuit, Goat's live performances were air fucking tight.  With complete self confidence, the band shared stages with some of the very best bands in the entire world, and were consistently hailed as standout performers.  Glastonbury.  Roskilde.  Primavera.   How amazing that must have been, being out in the crowd and  obliviously stumbling on Goat at a show like Roskilde, and getting your mind turned inside out?  The thousands of new fans and instant converts that followed in Goat's wake after every performance is proof of the group's power.  Goat  wrapped up 2013 with an honored appearance at the final All Tomorrow's Parties festival, and with one last intimate club show at Koko's in London in December.  This was a  release party for their  live album, Live Ballroom Ritual, a recording of their London club gig at the Electric Ballroom in June which acts as a document that captures and preserves their monumental year.

It was refreshing to see a band confidently step up, right out of the gate,  and slay at every given opportunity without any wavering.  Goat's year long steamrolling of music fans around the world was truly remarkable to watch as it unfolded, making them HEAD MEDICINE's easy choice for Band of the Year.  And if there is another album and touring involved next year, they will be frontrunners for the 2014 title as well.


HEAD MEDICINE recently checked in with Goat, who have retreated to the recording studio, to see what lies ahead for the band in 2014.


HEAD MEDICINE:  Rocket Recordings recently released  Live Ballroom Ritual, a live album capturing Goat's  performance at the Camden Electric Ballroom in London  this summer.  What are your thoughts on this recording and it's release?  In your opinion, what were the top Goat performances from 2013?

GOAT:  We are very happy with the release. It captures the set we have been playing most of the year and it has a good sound where you can feel the energy as well as the Beauty spots. And we like that it captures a whole show. It becomes some sort of album where we can look back and relive 2013 shows. We discussed which shows that we remember the most and everyone feels differently of course but I think most of us could agree on the Glastonbury experience, Roskilde festival, Austin psych fest and now at Koko in London. Chicago and New York was special to. But it is hard to point out anything since we are happy with all of the shows really.


HEAD MEDICINE:  The mostly-instrumental track "Goat Jam" appears on the  "Crystallized - Celebrating 15 Years of Rocket Recordings" compilation.  its laid back vibe sounds like nothing else you have released so far and adds a new flavor to your catalog.  What can you tell us about this track?  is this a new recording or is it from an older session? 

GOAT:  it's an old session. Don't know from when but I think in the mid nineties. No one in the current live lineup are playing on the song. Not sure who does at all actually. I think it is a jam with some overdubs on it.


HEAD MEDICINE:  San Francisco psych dj Al Lover has been releasing some pretty incredible  projects lately and has a highly anticipated Goat remix 12" coming out in 2014 on PNKSLM.  Have you heard anything that he has been cooking up for that project? what are your thoughts on Goat remixes?

GOAT:  we have absolutely nothing against that anyone makes remixes of our songs, just go ahead. And about this Al lover, we have heard what he has done and I seriously consider this man a genius.


HEAD MEDICINE:  Goat recently played at the final All Tomorrow's Parties Festival in Sussex, England,  and later a sold out headlining show at Koko's in London to close out a phenomenal year.  how was that experience?  it must have been quite an honor to be invited to perform at the Loop-curated festival for its final run, and by all accounts the Koko show was an electrifying success.


GOAT:  yeah! This weekend was amazing! So nice to hang out at the ATP area where we all stayed in flats having a great time. Met Michael Rother from Neu! And those people from Beefhearts magic band. Wonderful people! And the Koko was a stunning club. It was magic to play there and to end this year there, it really was.


HEAD MEDICINE:  Has there been any progress on writing or recording any new Goat material?  What can you tell us about the sessions?

GOAT:  we are working on it. But we take it in parts as we did with the last one and we don't wanna stress it. That is not good for creativity. But we got about 7 tracks more or less finished, and we are gonna do 4-5 more. It will be fine. We feel no pressure and just play what feels right. Don't wanna tell you to much of how it sounds yet but some tracks have a little bit of a desert feeling to them.

HEAD MEDICINE:  Is the lineup for these new recordings essentially the same as World Music and/or the touring group, or are there new contributors?

GOAT:  it always depends on who has time and who is present at the session. It is a relaxed atmosphere and people come and go.


HEAD MEDICINE:  How has the past year influenced, inspired, or helped evolve the new material? 

GOAT:  can't say that what we have been doing this year really affect our way to work in the studio but we have discovered some new music, at least new to us, and those kind of discoveries always works themselves into the music unconsciously you know.


HEAD MEDICINE:  are any of the members of Goat involved in any other bands or musical projects that we should know about?

GOAT:  No. There is no member of the Goat band that are involved in anything else at the moment. Maybe after we  quit doing this rockband thing people will do other kinds of music in other formations but we will see.


HEAD MEDICINE:  any tentative plans for 2014?
GOAT:  no, not really. We are gonna finish the new album, do some touring and some festivals but mostly we are gonna try and stay true to ourselves and the collective and be at home with our families most of the year. Goat will never be a hard touring band.

~kojak

thanks again to Goat for taking the time to speak with HEAD MEDICINE! 

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