Naxatras: V (2025)

Time has since clouded just how I discovered Naxatras, the Greek psychedelic rock outfit. I think it was via Bandcamp, possibly by following the breadcrumb trail of “You Might Also Like…” albums at the bottom of the page of…some album. I remember I featured the band’s fourth full length, simply titled IV, in my Best of 2022 Stoner and Psych list over at Nine Circles, and now here we are with the equally descriptive album title V. Good news is it’s even better than its predecessor, heavier and doubling down on the exotic flavor of its melodies. This has been another great headphones album, but it’s equally effective played at loud volumes on a good stereo.

ChrisNovember 19, 2025Leave a comment

Miles Davis: Agharta (1975)

Where does a listener start when it comes to the “electric period” of Miles Davis? Where does the “electric period” even begin? Miles and the second quintet were using electric instruments as far back as Miles In The Sky (a personal favorite) but it seems like most folks peg it at the ambient, rolling atmosphere of In A Silent Way (another favorite). Where listeners start, though, is another matter. For me it was unfortunately with Pangaea, a live set from Japan that at age 17 I was not prepared for. Had I only started with that same date’s afternoon set, the brilliantly funky Agharta, I might have more quickly embraced this side of Davis’s career instead of retreating back to the early 60s for much of my 20s and 30s.

ChrisOctober 29, 2025October 29, 2025Leave a comment

Torche: Torche (2005)

I’m sure there were other bands purveying the sludge pop vibe before Torche; hell, you could say that Floor, the band founded by Torche’s Steve Brooks and Juan Montoya were already setting the groundwork for what Torche, the eponymous debut would crash out of the gate with. But it was my first dalliance with this kind of heaviness, one sheathed in a sparkling pop veneer, made more striking by the rainbows adorning the molten volcano on the cover art. Things would get even more melodic and catchy on subsequent releases, but I started here in that glorious year where extreme metal became a touchstone for me (again); let let’s take a moment and wrap up the work week with why this works (alliteration for the win).

ChrisAugust 4, 2025August 3, 2025Leave a comment

Black Sabbath: Steel City Blues (1978)

First off: Rest in Peace, Ozzy Osbourne. You can argue until you’re blue in the face the face, but in the end there is no argument: the man was the personification of heavy metal. No one sounded like him, and no one lived the metal life quite like he did. Even as a doddering family man on reality TV, he still managed to embody spirit and fire that ignited an entire movement more than 50 years ago on February 13th, 1970 when the first Black Sabbath album enveloped the world in its darkened wings. After a night spinning all my favorite records from the man, it was inevitable I would get an entry in today, but I wanted to write about something different, so let’s look at the end of an era. Steel City Blues was recorded live in Pittsburgh in 1978, just as they were recording Never Say Die! A year later he’d be fired, but listening to this live broadcast all I hear is a band still capable of fire and passion.

ChrisJuly 23, 2025August 3, 2025Leave a comment

Web Web: Plexus Plexus (2025)

We’re going to slip back for a bit into shorter reviews, particularly when it comes to bands like the German improvisational collective Web Web. I had no idea what I was in for, but based on the single line description for their latest album Plexus Plexus on LaserCD (a lot of my blind purchases stem from perusing the New Arrivals and Restocks section and just seeing what catches my eye), I had to check it out. “More psychedelic, sometimes more krauty”, you say? Responding to this singular duck call I grabbed it, and the result is a fine, groovy set of tunes, taking inspiration from a number of different sources and stirring them into a sauce that’s tasty if not exactly essential. But like a good sauce you can pretty much pair it with anything.

ChrisJune 23, 2025June 22, 20251 Comment

Vinyl

Hedvig Mollestad Trio: Bees In The Bonnet (2025)

As recently as two weeks ago I had never heard of guitarist Hedvig Mollestad Thomassen, or the Hedvig Mollestad Trio. Now here I am with Bees in the Bonnet, and it’s one of my favorite records of the year. With albums stretching and blurring the lines between all manner of heavy rock, jazz, classical and experimental noise (I dove deep after falling for this), her latest might be the most “accessible” entryway to her work while simultaneously offering up exactly what makes her such a force in the guitar world. Trio telepathy reins supreme in this mix of six tunes, so let’s do the thing, shall we?

ChrisJune 6, 20251 Comment

Consuming the Tangible

We are what we consume

Tag: rock