Altered Buffalo – Altered Buffalo

 

 

Altered Buffalo – Altered Buffalo
Off The Record – 2022
Rock, Folk, Americana, Psych, Country
Rated: ****

Something different today. But by someone we dig and mentioned quite a few times! I mean, we’ve been following all that Tjeerd De Jong has done in the passed and will continue to follow him for all his future project. We love his work with Stone In Egypt, Doomsday BC, Phantom Druid and Demon Lodge. Currently he’s got a new project going called Horsepower O.D. but back in April he released a self-titled album by another one of his projects called Altered Buffalo. A duo he formed with René van den Belt, who you might know from acts such as True Grit, Black Flowers and Not Dark Yet. All americana, roots and folk-rock outfits. Combine the two and you would expect a dark folk, americana doom album perhaps? But no, they’ve kept it folk and completely americana. Well, with some more country rock approaches and a few psychedelic influences. Darker moments are sparse, but perhaps the end of the lovely You Were The One can be seen as noir. But the ten tracks are mostly here to celebrate the song; and show off the abilities of both players. Sometimes it feels like they’re here to pay homage to Neil Young at other times Gram Parsons seems to have been the biggest inspiration. But at all times, the love for the song, the light melancholy and the melancholy light shines through. Traditional songs that work best when the vocal harmonies twirl and circle each other; when the music feels as fragile as that vague little ray of sunlight that breaks through the clouds…  

(Written by JK)

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Off The Record – Store

Off The Record – Store

A few weeks, which turned into months, turned into half a year… But yes, some time ago I had the pleasure to meet up with Tjeerd De Jong. The man behind the Off The Record label, Off The Record Store, Stone In Egypt, Phantom Druid and many more projects still to come. Oh, and his very own Off The Record Festival! Which is now because of obvious reasons postponed… Yes, the man exhumes music through all his pores. If he is not working to promote the bands of his label, he is busy promoting the bands and their records in his store or working on new music. Sure, he also takes the time to listen to new music as well. Cause he won’t sell stuff he doesn’t like himself. Only a small section of the store is reserved for the better pop records and different sorts of more mainstream rock. Everything else is metal, doom, stoner and all round heaviness! “I’ve had people wander in asking about a certain popular artist. But if they would have just taken a look at the shirts and all the different kind of metal labels; they could have guessed it themselves.” And by sheer coincidence, only a little while later, (Coincidence? Right, this is how the Great Magnet works.), a Dutch middle aged man enters the store and yells: “Do you have Jannes?” “Do I know Jannes? Who is Jannes?” “Yes, do you have music by Jannes?” “Oooh, you mean that horrible Dutch singer, nope, ofcourse not. Try the store down the road.” 

 

There are ‘secret’ projects in the works and there is already a new Phantom Druid record underway. And how about a project with Monolith Deathcult called Demon Lodge who released a seven inch called Breaking The Sound of Death on October 1st. Cause every free moment the man can spare he is working on music for himself. Sometimes they end up becoming Stone In Egypt tracks. But more often than not, they sit on his shelf somewhere, slowly aging and slowly getting that extra twisted bite they need. Until the moment the universe calls out and points out that there is enough ominous energy present now for this record to be released… People who enter the shop with the intend to buy; usually end up going there monthly. Whenever pay-day rolls around, much of it is spent in his shop. And of course a few hours or so of high fidelity talk about what the best records or songs of a band actually are. Best sellers back then were the new Black Rainbows record, the reissues of Dozer, Paradise Lost’s Obsidian, My Dying Bride - The Ghost Of Orion, Katatonia - City Burials, Goden - Beyond Darkness and of course his own Phantom Druid and Stone In Egypt records. Who have their own, highly deserved, honorary shelf. Off The Record is Tjeerd and Tjeerd is always on record about his favorite records. If you are ever in the neighborhood, be sure to visit Off The Record, have a coffee with the Phantom Druid and drink in all that is good and heavy!

Off The Record Store

Off The Record Facebook

Off The Record Label

Phantom Druid Bandcamp

Phantom Druid Facebook

Demon Lodge Bandcamp

Demon Lodge Facebook


OFF THE RECORD
Koornmarkt 24
8261 JX KAMPEN

 

We are unbelievably stoked, proud and honored to be featured on Phantom Druid's Death & Destiny album! Thanks to Shasta Beast's review! Thank you Phantom Druid! Thank you Tjeerd!

Stone In Egypt – Tectonic Electric

Stone In Egypt – Tectonic Electric

Off The Record – 2019

Rock, Stoner, Metal

Rated: ****

We mentioned Tjeerd de Jong’s other band Phantom Druid a few months ago, but that earthshaking newest release by Stone In Egypt has for some weird and probable insane reason not yet gone up. Tectonic Electric, as the new record is called, is the follow-up to that majestic EP Feed The Void from 2016. It was a much longed for return; cause the band had been laying low for about ten years. Started around 1997 the group has had a multitude of different members but the sound has always stayed in that same vein of heaviness. It’s very dark, earthy, under earthy even, submerged and full of great rumbling bass work. It’s stoner. It’s metal. It’s stoner metal with hints of doom and a splash of sludge. There are vocal parts here and there, but for the most part Tectonic Electric is raw, filthy and gritty ten ton heavy instrumental grooviness. The Stone In Egypt trio has delivered one massive follow-up to their welcomed return and it will surely continue to cause ripples; cause it’s effect is only now beginning to sink in…

(Written by JK)

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