AJEEB – Refractions

 

 

AJEEB – Refractions
Spinda Records – 2023
Rock, Grunge, Alternative, Stoner, Psych
Rated: ****

We were honored to premiere two singles of the Refractions album and we have not put the album down ever since. We’re talking about Canary Island trio AJEEB! On their sophomore release they take you on an eleven-track trip though the alternative rock and grunge landscape. With some noise, stonerrock and psychedelic influences, they excel in making it all sound sonically dense and rough. Rough in the sense that it’s all either sticky or gritty and does not seem to want to please by going the easy route anywhere. Do not expect many catchy choruses or returning ear pleasing riffs. No, this is freak out grunge, compelling or should we say compulsory overdriven guitar lead deep dives into the rabbit hole. Open track and single Hollowed Out immediately shows its colors and you will know you are not in Kansas anymore. Perhaps you might think you are in Seattle of the nineties for a moment, but second track and second single Far Enough will fast forward you to a later decade and deliver what you will come to understand as the most pop sensible track on the album. A logical single, but my love goes out to most of the other tracks and especially those four songs at the end. How about that final song Tail Chasing? A bass propelled masterpiece that slowly develops into insistent and intense freak out, that never complete explodes and seems in the way of restraint to deliver even more. AJEEB is grunge, first and foremost, but AJEEB is more. And more is always more!

(Written by JK)

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AJEEB's new album is coming out via indie label Spinda Records, in collaboration with a bunch of other Spanish labels such as Violence In The Veins, Quebranta Records, Noizeland Records, Hey Boy Hey Girl, Bandera Records, Naife and Hombre Montaña, as well as Clever Eagle Records and The Ghost is Clear Records, both from the US. The impressive artwork is by The Braves Church, based on photographies by Sara GDM and Daniel L. Fleitas.

•    150x STANDARD BLACK VINYL (all labels)
•    150x CLEAR VINYL (all labels)
•    100x COMPACT DISC (Spinda Records)
•    50x CASSETTES (Spinda Records / Clever Eagle Records)

World Wide Premiere – Plastic Woods – Dragonfruit

 

 

World Wide Premiere – Plastic Woods – Dragonfruit

We are once again truly honored to be working with Spinda Records and the newest band they welcome to their roster! It’s the Plastic Woods powertrio hailing from Antequera (right at the heart of) Andalusia, Spain. They released their first album called Icarus two years ago on Surnia Records and now they are back, well almost, with their sophomore release called Dragonfruit! It comes out on December 3rd and we now get to share with you and everybody who cherishes seventies prog rock the first title track of said album. Oh yes, it is Dragonfruit, it is on fire and it is might tasty!

But before you hit that play button; we just want to share a few words from the label with you. Cause we feel they are dead on regarding the album, the band and the single!

"Reminiscences of jazz, psychedelia, doom, folk and even garage rock, among others, are used to escape from traditional structures, making versatility an own way of expression and an identity mark. This expressiveness, attached to a present understanding of the possibilities of progressive music, is used as a tool for breaking some of the barriers that today´s genres impose. With an spectrum filled of different influences, energy, subtelty and technic come together in Plastic Woods.

Their first álbum, Icarus (2019), edited by Surnia Records, takes this direction, bleeding out on eight tracks in which the band explores the ancient greek myth through a conceptual work. The consecuences of war, violence and madness are the main topics that will be accompanying the tragic hero to its fatal destination. This approach also gets in touch with different kinds of sonorities: the music flies, remembers, empathizes and falls down with the protagonist. The listener will find him/herself gratefully trapped in this mutual experience as the songs flow around some extreme and dichotomic emotions, powered up by strong and intense rock compositions.

This album will lead the band through several different locations on their homecountry and on Portugal. Cities such as Santiago de Compostela, Oporto, Aveiro, Barcelos, Granada, Marbella or Málaga (as well as festivals around the west coast of the peninsula) will become Icarus first destinations. On those venues, the Plastic Woods will share stage with formations such as Astrodome, Degraey or Mr. Mojo, well known for participating on beloved festivals, like Sonic Blast or Resurrection fest. This concerts will prove the band as a solid reference for live situations, being capable of attract all kinds of audiences.

Two years after, the band enters the studio with several different acompanying musicians and records Dragonfruit, their second work. Edited by some of the most important underground national and european alternative rock labels (Spinda Records, The Braves Records, Discos Macarras, Violence in the Veins, Quebranta Records and Gato Encerrado Records), this album becomes an intention statement. Having developed themselves as a band, Plastic Woods redefines its sound and takes a step forward, creating a piece of work that explores new territories, mixing new genres and textures in an unique way. The chaotic times we are living inspire this three musicians to push their personality as a band through six songs, thought to take the best of each style involved. Classic psychedelia renovates itself as Dragonfruit travels around the extreme situations lived, personally and colectively, on this world crisis. This is an album that brings both dreams and nightmares to life, reflecting on a wide range of emotions and topics. Ranging from naive and introspection to political and social complaint, each song tells its own story, in a delirious an poethic way. Plastic Woods offers a piece of work that will engage with different kind of audiences, no matter if they are into progressive music or want something different to get their ears on."

Now, hit play and go to bed early… Cause it will be December 3rd sooner that way!

Spinda Records · 1- Dragonfruit

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And all those crazy freaks out there who truly loved the single and who stuck around to read through all the text and all the links… Here are a few bandcamp codes!

xnkm-bzwd
h5y9-x6lc
47kk-egvw
4l3k-u36s
4cat-v49l
chfy-6pgj
c4d3-knrk
es4m-6mx9
8hsf-k6at
tc4x-g6ub

 

Stoner HiVe’s Quick Fire Friday

 

 

Stoner HiVe’s Quick Fire Friday

It’s time for another Quick Fire Friday round! As mentioned before; we continue to glance backwards during January as well as moving forward. Cause there was still so much released last year we never got around to mentioning. Well, we’re gonna try and get some of that done today! And we know, we know, the albums and bands deserve more than the few words we will jot down here. More attention and more of our time! But there is so much out there and we just simply cannot ever do it all justice. So here it is. The Stoner HiVe Quick Fire Friday! And its burns hot like molten lava!

 

Lenin – FUCK IT Part 1 - Times Have Been Worse...

It is done. He is gone. We are finally looking towards a future where there is once again a small glimmer of hope. And just as that happens, we get thrown into the insanity that is Lenin and their Fuck It, Part 1 – Times Have Been Worse release. “This is your postscript roadmap to the (first four?) years of the Trump-branded zeitgeist of late-capitalism.” And that it indeed is! How fitting! Grimy punk poetry and sludgy madness with industrial and core influences. Yes, this is the lunacy of the past four years translated into garage prose! And when Smoked Cheese Records is involved one knows the punk will be hectic, weird and strangely addictive!  

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 Druida – Druida

We can be fairly short about this one man intensely atmospheric ambient doom drone project from Barcelos, Portugal. It’s good and it’s meditative! It's Druida! Check it out and check out for a big half hour…

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Inferous – Somos La Noche

Inferous is a three-piece stoner doom formation from Argentina. On their debut full-sized release Somos La Noche, the ten tracks majestically weave heavy psychedelic influences through all the darkness and the haze. And the album is a continues play; which in gives the record an extra trippy effect. A wild ride into the night!

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Lost Relics – Unrealistic Cause

The four hail from Denver, Colorado and deliver some incredibly heavy stoner and sludge with some doom infused. On their new single and video Unrealistic Cause they look at the world through Reduce Viewer and turn the binoculars on the indifference and capitalist system. And we could not applaud the four from Lost Relics more. Let’s just hope that one day we can do away with all the bullshit, world wide and live in harmony. Which in turn might be unrealistic hope…

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Mather – This Is The Underground

Out through the Violence In The Veins label is the debut album by Greek four-piece Mather. It’s called This Is The Underground and it is heavy prog and heavy atmospheric goodness. It soon becomes a sort of healing affair, bristling with invention the compositions switch between heavy riffs and a delirious cacophony of groove and crazed keyboards. These guys know how to thrill!

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 Seum / Fátima split 7'

In need for something even more grimy, gritty or grungy? Check out the new Seum / Fátima seven inch split record. Seum, the doom and bass trio from Montreal deliver the pure screamo, twisted and dark take on heavy doom. It’s certainly a racket and there’s little color in their world of shades; but sometimes we all need the darkness to swallow us whole. Fátima delivers the grunge, the garage, the thrashy guitars and the curiously addictive Nirvana-esque melodies. And guess what, they’re both covering each others tracks! What a wild and wonderful idea! Hey guys, how about a bigger EP or album of this?

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