Fresh Mango: June 28, 2022
First of all, and because it cannot be said often enough:
нет войны | ні війні | No War
How to help the people in Ukraine
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10 new releases that are worth checking out!
10 short reviews.
If available on Spotify, one song each will also be added to the MangoRotation playlist (MR) for 14 days.
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Parallel - Parallel (MR)
(19:56, EP, Cassette/Digital, Cherub Dream Records, 01/04/2022)
Let us dive into the colourful beauty of monochromatic lights. Maria (drums), David (guitar, vocals), Estella (guitar), and Kristin (bass, vocals) from California's Oakland present a gorgeous bouquet with more shades of grey than E.L. James could have thought of. And no, this six-track EP is no excursion into extravagant eroticism but an imposant and psychedelic journey through the thickest mists and most intense feelings that can be presented by music.
Parallel provide us with stunning mid-tempo Post Punk, Coldwave and Shoegaze. This gloomily smooth and deeply sensual sound will not only let fans of Magic Wands or Blackout Transmission frolic. This is the melancholic soundtrack to move your feet to in the darkest and friendliest dungeon clubs. Parallel bring us a hypnotizingly powerful 80s Revival with their selftitled EP which will hopefully be followed by many other great releases by the quartet.
Vuola - Alouv (MR)
(39:30, Album, Digital, V.R. Label/Playground Music Oy, 13/05/2022)
Vuola is the solo project by Jussi Vuola, a drummer whom you might know from payling with Achiote, Mystons, or The Grammers. In his own analog recording studio and with the help by some friends, Jussi Vuola has recorded his first solo album, the anagram to his family name "Alouv". These letters are omnipresent on the abum since all song titles come with the initial letters V, U, O, L, and A - the song titles by the way are in English, Finnish, Kannada, and Latin.
Music-wise, Vuola and his guests provide us with a wholesome and impressively timeless mixture of mesmerizing, progresssive, psychedelic, and esoteric rock music. Sonic influences from the 1960s until present day, and from South Asia over Europe to the Americas creates a full circle on which Jussi Vuola tells of the stars, of peace and unity, of a united universe, and of hope. Dive into this stunning soundscape, and if you like it, buy a digital copy on Bandcamp - the revenue will be donated to UNICEF in Ukraine.
ROWSIE - Searching (MR)
(21:19, EP, Digital, Ivy Records, 13/06/2022)
With their first EP, ROWSIE are stirring up the Indie and underground scene of their hometown London, England. On four tracks the quartet presents a sober and unromanticized of life these days. Neither political topics such as shortage in housing or poverty, nor emotional content has been spared by Jess, Alan, Holly, and Richard as they provide our ears with their harmonic sound that merges Rock'n'Roll, Americana, Blues, and the mood of a deep talk.
As dark as it is, ROWSIE's "Searching" is full of warmth and hope. It is an EP for long nights in the company of good friends, for nocturnal rides, or for making plans to improve things.
Abbruch - Das Aussterben der Menschheit (MR)
(45:32, Album, Vinyl/CD/Digital, 17/06/2022)
On their sixth longplayer "Das Aussterben der Menschheit" (German: "Extinction of Mankind"), Abbruch (Breakup/Abort) from German capital Berlin provide us with the soundtrack to dance into the apocalypse to. The band plays compromiseless, minimalist, and raging Punk Rock for a thirsty moshpit and a successful resistance. Their Deutschpunk follows the tradition of bands like Untergangskommando, Zaunpfahl, or Malum Persicum.
On twenty tracks Abbruch accept that humankind as a species has basically screwed things up and that we more or less live on a giant tombstone. Nevertheless, that does not keep the band from improving what we have. And that means that the fight against sexism, fascism, capitalism, etc will not be stopped by the apocalypse - and neither will Abbruch refuse to have and to spread positivity.
Raise the glasses, punch your local nazi, and celebrate the one life that we have!
Astral Magic - Magical Kingdom (MR)
(42:49, Album, Vinyl/CD/Digital, Tonzonen, 17/06/2022)
The frequency by which Ex-Dark Sun Santtu Laakso has recently released albums of his new solo project can hardly be explained by physical rules that apply on planet Earth. The latest release by Astal Magic is by far the most impressive so far. Santtu Laakso invites us to the "Magical Kingdom", a place remote from everything that the human mind can perceive.
Astral Magic mastermind Santtu Laakso is the captain of this sonic spaceship that drives by the speed of light and is powered by Psychedelic Prog, Space Rock, Krautrock, and Cosmic Sounds. Alongside the Finnish navigator, the crew of this space vessel consists of many gifted members. Alongside Perttu Lindberg, Anton Barbeau, Markku Helin, Gregory Curvey, and Jay Tausig, Sendelica's Peter Bingham has added his unique sound to this album.
So fasten your seatbelts, grab a refreshing beverage, and let the interstellar ride commence.
Dinbethes - Balans (MR)
(33:55, Album, Vinyl/CD/Cassette/Digital, Babylon Doom Cult Records/Svarte Yssel, 17/06/2022)
It appears as if the Dutch Black Metal scene as made its way from under-the-radar gems to a vibrant sphere for lovers of atmospheric, eschatologic, and ice cold sounds.
Dinbethes' "Balans" is yet another stunning example for the sheer force that is hidden within the Dutch fogs, waiting to be explored. But be aware that what dwells in thick mists can also drag you down.
"Balans" (Dutch: "Balance") tells of hopes and fears, and of the balance between those two extremes. Any imbalance can cause catastrophic consequences and thus, the dark and the light fight their everlasting battle to keep the equilibrium.
Dinbethes' sound is an overwhelming alloy of traditional and modern (or rather Post-) Black Metal. Atmospheric sounds, ethereal winds, raging beats, and the sound of phobias create a massive vortex made from impenetrable fog.
Elektric Mistress - Chapter 99 (MR)
(19:56, EP, Digital, Long Bong Silver Records, 17/06/2022)
Three years after the release of their nameless debut EP, Nova Scotian Heavy Psych Rockers and Stoned Doomers Elektric Mistress are back with their sophomore release. The four-track EP "Chapter 99" was recorded in the pandemic-related remote way which means that each of the six band members recorded their tracks solely at home. Finally, the material got mixed and mastered by Alex Burris at Fang Recordings in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia where the pieces have been put together, and the infernal incantation was perfect.
What we can experience on "Chapter 99" is a diabolical trip to the workshops that craft the bongs for Satan themself. Heavy Psych in the tradition of Arthur Brown or Roky Erickson kisses kickass Stoner Rock à la Fu Manchu and thus opens the fast lane on the highway to hell. No need to fasten your seatbelts for they have no power where this sound will lead you to.
NinaMarie - Was für Land, welch ein Männer (MR)
(21:27, EP, Vinyl/Digital, Rookie Records/Indigo/The Orchard, 17/06/2022)
Marten Ebsen (Turbostaat) and Thomas Götz (Beatsteaks) from Germany are NinaMarie. What may happen when two legends of German Punk Rock bands combine their forces? NinaMarie neither copy the massively rolling Melodic Punk sound by the Beatsteaks or the atmospheric Post Punk tunes by Turbostaat - nor does the duo completely neglect or abandon those influences.
Between melancholic ballads like 'Nackt im Spind' (German: Naked in the Locker') and upbeat dance like 'Käsejunge' ('Cheese Boy') NinaMarie create a sound that is as free as its title "Was für Land, welch ein Männer" ("Was für ein Land, welche Männer" would mean "Such country, such men", but NinaMarie have switched the nouns and therefore left them with the wrong determiners - a pun that does not work in English).
NinaMarie travel through time and space by merging Neue Deutsche Welle, Indie Pop, Post Punk, some Depropunk vibes, Folk, and Punk Rock. German listeners may see parallels to Tocotronic or Schrottgrenze.
And what does it sound like?
"Was für ein Land, welch Männer" is a thrillingly amazing EP, a twenty-minute melancholic holiday for the senses.
Congoroo - My Spooky Forest (MR)
(04:20, Single, Digital, selfrelease, 23/06/2022)
Last Summer Congoroo from Middle German town Halle an der Saale have rosen like phoenix from the ashes when they released their single 'Fly on the Pie'. The anger relief via heavy Alternative and Grunge was followed by the Alternative Rock dancefloor banger '206 Dogs', and now the latest single 'My Spooky Forest' reveals yet another musical field that has been mastered by Congoroo.
This very emotional and melancholic tune deals with failure and the act of accepting that one cannot always succeed. The metaphorical 'Spooky Forest' that Congoroo present here is the moment of realization - it is that sobering moment when one understands that one has been trapped in a sprial of thoughts. And yet, there is hope in 'Spooky Forest' as the band from Saxony-Anhalt lets a light shine through the thick leaves, and thus raises anticipation for better times to come.
Control Poison - Electro-Gloom
(17:07, EP, Digital, selfrelease, 20/06/2022)
And last but not least, here is the first EP by Germany's Dark, Dazzling Techno-Surrealist Paranoia Punk band Control Poison. Three years ago, their Demo was featured on MangoWave - in the meantime the madness has even intensified. Imagine Darkthrone before their music got slower teaming up with Jerry A. for a motorcade in tanks shooting wrecking balls.
If you are not afraid of staring into the abyss, then this six-track EP is what you need for your next party. Control Poison show no mercy when setting the world on fire before they invite you to a bone-breaking moshpit in the flames.
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