MangoWave

Picture Credit: Litterbug Litterbug - Abstract Melodies saying terrible Things Release Date: April 12, 2020 Label: Just Say No To Government Music Format: Vinyl / CD / Digital Length: 35:46 Genre: 77 Punk Rock / Surf Rock Origin: Blackpool , England After a few moments of listening to this album I got overwhelmed by a cocktail of emotions. First, there was pure joy. Then, there was the immediate urge stage-dive into a moshpit of a small-venue punk rock show. Followingly, there was thirst for cheap beer. And after some reflection there was melancholy because the last punk rock show has been a long time. Seriously, 2020, screw you! Enough for the moaning. Here's Litterbug from Blackpool. On their newest release "Abstract Melodies say terrible Things" they indulge our ears with butt-kicking 77 style Punk Rock that is influenced by the dynamics of Surf Rock and the rustling sound of Grunge. Litterbug's music is situated at the ideal verge between professionalism and dile...

Picture Credit: Sens Dep Artwork: "Life Cast of left Forearm and Hand" by Hiram Powers , Smithsonian American Art Museum Sens Dep - Lush Desolation Release Date: November 30, 2020 Label: selfrelease / CD Baby Format: CD / Digital Length: 56:20 Genre: Ambient / Noise / Shoegaze Origin: Melbourne , Australia The advent season is often regarded to be a period of reflection and calm. Probably, I might see this from my Northern hemisphere- or Central European perspective. And the band we're listening to today is contemporarily facing the beginning of summer since Andrew Yardley,   Ben Yardley  and Caz Gannell  from Sens Dep are Australian. Nevertheless, the trio from Melbourne has a new release out. And it is a very reflective and meditative release I must say. "Lush Desolation" is a one-hour-long journey through thick thoughts and feelings about the relationship between humankind and its surrounding environment. The experimental sounds were recorded over the last ...

  Picture Credit: Fulanno Artwork: ZZ_Corpse Fulanno - Nadie está a salvo del mal Release Date: October 02, 2020 Label: Interstellar Smoke Records (Vinyl), Forbidden Place Records (CD), Southcave Records (MC), Juana Records Format: Vinyl / CD / MC / Digital Length: 42:58 Genre: Stoner Doom / Doom Metal Origin: Coronda , Argentina Yesterday, we listened to an Argentinan band that had their vinyl released via Interstellar Smoke Records . Well, today we do the same. Let me introduce you to Fulanno from Coronda, Argentina. The trio has released their third longplayer "Nadie estáa salvo del mal" (Spanish: "No one is safe from evil") in October 2020. This is some severe Stoner Doom! Clearly, there are some strong Sabbath vibes on "Nadie está a salvo del mal". The sound is coined by a smoked-out post-apocalyptic and stoned atmosphere. Viewing the musical landscape it cannot be told whether the wads of smoke come from the burned-down place that used to be our ...

Picture Credit: Hombre Humano Artwork: Caveman HombreHumano - Crepuscular Release Date: April 24 2019 / November 27, 2020 Label: Interstellar Smoke Records Format: Vinyl / CD / MC / Digital Length: 54:12 Genre: Fuzz Rock / Desert Rock Origin: Argentina "Crepuscular" (Spanish: "Twilight") is the second album by Argentinan Fuzz Rockers HombreHumano (Spanish: Human Man). It was originally released in spring 2019 on tape and CD. But Christmas came early this year as Polish label Interstellar Smoke Records is distributing the vinyl version since November 27, 2020. So, let's enter the twilight zone and enjoy the psychedelic sound of the Argentinan desert. The sound HombreHumano present here is an honest hommage to 1960s and 70s Rock. On the surface I find some similarities to their brethen KNEI . "Crepuscular" is coined by two major features: fuzz and heat. The sounds create an intense and dry heat that tastes like rough dust storms and feels like aimless h...

SPOTIFY PLAYLIST Nothing But Real - We are Nothing But Real (Alternative Rock from Paris, France) Day Trip to Monaco - Where is your Love now? (Funk Pop from Liverpool, England) Hypnoblue - My Interpreta (Synth Rock / Alternative Rock from Moscow, Russia) Julia Karr - The Flower (Soul from Hamburg, Germany) Kipani - Enlighten me (Indie Pop from Binghamton (New York), USA) Le Junk - Level 3 (Alternative Rock from London, England) Richard Jones - Nordic Law (Indie Folk from Bordeaux Cauderan, France) Fun Balloon Animals - Zombi (Psychedelic Rock / Synthwave from Rickmansworth, England) Shiva and the Hazards - Revolution Son (Psychedelic Garage Rock from Melbourne, Australia) Jylda - Serene (Electronic Funk from London, England) Ville Ruokonen - Don't wanna talk to you (Indie Rock from Eura, Finland) Gullfaks - Like a Breeze (New Wave / Indie Rock from Houston (Texas), USA) I am Korny - Colorado (Folk Rock / Blues from Stuttgart, Germany) Käpt'n Panda - Aufräumen (Punk Rock from M...

Picture Credit: Black Sasquatch Black Sasquatch - The Triangle Release Date: August 15, 2020 Label: INC Records Format: CD / Digital Length: 15:46 Genre: Heavy Rock / Hard Rock Origin: Zanesville (Ohio) , USA Welcome to the Sasquatch Triangle, my dear fellow Bigfoot huntresses and hunters. "The Triangle" is the debut EP by Ohio's trio Black Sasquatch. And even though that's what you might expect, they do not sound like Sabbath a bit. Instead, the band plays a very humoristic form of Hard and Heavy Rock mixed with a certain Punk Rock attitude. Nevertheless, serious topics like long-term consequences of prescription drug abuse are concerned on the EP, too. Predominantly, Black Sasquatch stand for great entertainment. Their debut explains how complicated it can be to look for a bigfoot or how to spell the word 'Mississippi'. The sound that carries their narratives about life and death in Ohio is defined by heavy and massive Rock'n'Roll. The first track ...

Picture Credit: Polyscope It is time for the first MangoSpecial ! Some weeks ago I had an amazing chat with Pantelis  and Giorgos , founders of Polyscope. Without further ado, let's jump right into it. I am thus presenting the work of this great community to you. Polyscope is a music community initiated by Giorgos and Pantelis with base in Greek capital Athens in the year 2018. They started collaborating with artists from Athens and other parts of Greece. Since then the community has expanded to plenty of other places, such as The Hague and Groningen in the Netherlands , or London and Leeds in the UK. Polyscope has connected to the people via making music with them or by co-releasing their records. The way the community is working and growing can thus be regarded as a process-oriented and social way. Polyscope is a community and they explicitly do not consider themselves as a label. One basic reason is the fact that there are tons of independent records labels around. Li...

Picture Credit: Zement Artwork: Cris Koch Zement - Unter Palmen Release Date: October 09, 2020 Label: Feathered Coyote Records Format: Tape / Digital Length: 40:39 Genre: (Neo-) Krautrock / Experimental Origin: Würzburg / Nuremberg , Germany It might have become a tradition that every November I review a new release by Zement . The (Neo-) Krautrock duo from Würzburg and Nuremberg took some holiday in early 2020. That was back in the days when travelling unreservedly possible. Apparently, they enjoyed their free time "Unter Palmen" , which is German for "under palm trees". Here, they recorded three new improvised tracks. And that is exactly what you are about to hear on this tape, pure and unaltered since there are no overdubs. Those of you who knew Zement before will  realize that "Unter Palmen" marks a strong progression in the sound of the band. Their first two albums " Werk " and " Klinker " were mostly defined by hovering and tra...

Picture Credit: North Star the Wanderer North Star the Wanderer - Universal Trajectory Release Date: October 16, 2020 Label: selfrelease Format: Digital Length: 14:23 Genre: Progressive Sludge Origin: Boston (Massachusetts) , USA Yesterday, we listened to Stoner and Alternative Metal from New Hampshire . Let's stay at the American East Coast for another day. Thus, today's review presents the debut EP by Boston's Prog Sludge quartet North Star the Wanderer. The band consists of: Chris  - drums, Justin  - bass, Pat  (Ex- My Missing Half ) - guitar, Charlie  (touring guitarist with Ashes of Ares and Ghost Ship Octavius ) - guitar and vocals. The EP contains two songs in which North Star the Wanderer create an exciting melange of Prog Metal and Sludge. The two main influences each take their parts in the musical air. Massively fuzzy Sludge generates a gloomy and smoky environment. Almost seemlessly those dark themes glide into headbangig Heavy and Prog Metal. Highspeed ...

Picture Credit: Sleeping Village Records Dust Prophet / Conduit - Sleeping Village Records Split Release Date: November 20, 2020 Label: Sleeping Village Records Format: Vinyl / Digital Length: 16:44 This June, the album "Holy Water" by British Sabbath-worshipping Stoner Doom band Sleeping Village was reviewed here . In this post I recommended you to have a look at Sleeping Village Reviews, too. I hope you did, because they're awesome! But Sleeping Village Reviews do not only talk about music. They take action, too. And thus, here is the first two-track Split released by Sleeping Village Records. The new series begins with two bands from New Hampshire, Dust Prophet and Conduit. A-Side Dust Prophet - Down Below Length: 06:16 Genre: Stoner Rock / Stoner Metal For your listening pleasure, click here . You might as well buy a copy of the split immediately. A warm bass, some flanger and psychedelic sounds introduce the A-Side. And only some seconds later Dust Prophet change th...

Picture Credit: Takezo   Takezo - Reality Left Behind Release Date: October 02, 2020 Label: selfrelease Format: Digital Length: 42:34 Genre: Doom Metal Origin: Kuopio , Finland "Reality Left Behind" is the sophomore EP by Kupio's quartet Takezo. The release contains six tracks which a create a gloomy atmosphere comparable  Italian Horror Doom band Bretus . Takezo construct shattering soundscapes of pitch-black down-tempo Doom Metal. This is the sound of the postapocalypse; music for the last survivors on a dead planet. Takezo like references to catastrophies or events with a huge death toll. Thus, their debut EP " Prophecy " featured a track called 'Hiroshima'. On the new EP the band stays atomic and indulges us with the ten-minute death march 'Chernobyl'. The atmosphere on "Reality Left Behind" is defined by pure devastation. Takezo's new EP is the soundtrack of a burning world. Also, this is one of the few releases in which monoto...

  SPOTIFY PLAYLIST Launch Control - Attention Economy (Pop Punk from Reading, England) Muddibrooke - Devil (Grunge from Derby, England) The Foolks - Friends (Folk Rock from Singapore, Singapore) Gan - Over and over (Alternative Pop from Tel Aviv, Israel) Tomode - Autostrada (Synthwave from Stockholm, Sweden) OXO OHO - Itze (Synthwave from Dresden, Germany) The Dolphin Show - 24 Hour Quality Dining (Garage Rock from Avalon Beach, Australia) Nadia Phillips - On Reflection (Indie Pop from Central Victoria, Australia) Fyveyes - Come and Love me (Alternative Rock from Hawkes Bay, New Zealand) Valley Onda - Gold (Indie Rock from Sydney, Australia) Cat Mullins & Themboys - Cult (Alternative Country from Chicago (Illinois), USA) Horizon - L.A. (Honeymoon) (Post Rock / Space Rock from Alicante, Spain) Pangea - Nordlys (Indie Rock / Progressive Rock from Norway) 24/7 Diva Heaven - Expector (Grunge from Berlin, Germany) Alienate! - Shelter (Punk Rock / D-Beat from Münster, Germany) Lookin...

Picture Credit: Overcharge Artwork: Devil's Reject Art   Overcharge - Metalpunx (Edizione Speziale) Release Date: November 10, 2020 Label: Planet K Records Format: CD / Digital Length: 50:22 Genre: Metal Punk / D-Beat / Rock'n'Roll Origin: Varese , Italy Overcharge make it pretty obvious what the listeners should expect from their newest release. Firstly, their name is most likely a reference to D-Beat legend Discharge. And secondly, the album title "Metalpunx" leaves no doubt about the music presented here. Overcharge are a trio from Varese (or Varés, in Lombardian). The best way to start this review is by giving three quotes from the band: 1 "Louder than words - speed is the law", 2 "D.I.Y. or die!", 3 "Hate fascism! Drink hard! Love Rock'n'Roll!". Fuck yes, this is a fully armed warmachine of D-Beat, Rock'n'Roll, Punk and Metal. Overcharge's sound seemlessly draws on to the rusty age of British D-Beat and Swed...

  Billy Barfly - Horror Stories Release Date: October 02, 2020 Label: KBH Records Format: CD / Digital Length: 24:07 Genre: Horror Punk Origin: Germany Well, Halloween is over. But it is most likely to come back, right? Also, this review fits quite well after yesterday's post about Italian Horror Doom release by Bretus . Furthermore, I listened to the newest podcast by Movie Punx on Horror Movies . For those of you who understand German, it is worth listening to what these two lads have to say. And speakin of German language, the lyrics on Billy Barflies newest EP "Horror Stories" are in German, too. Horror Punk with German lyrics might be rather rare as far as I know. Billy Barfly is a one-person army from Germany. On seven tracks he plays melodic but raw Punk Rock with creepy content. The rhythm and the musical themes are influenced by Hillbilly and Rockabilly. Thus, a beautiful eerie atmosphere is created. And the best part about it, "Horror Stories" does not...