B-Side of Life

  King Gizzard's fantastic foray into metal territory with their usual blend of psychedelia, tribal drumming and chants. Charged with lighting, the songs are long and epic, distilling a frenzied energy that is so akin to King Gizzard. Monsters, hellish creatures and horror come forth and enchant the listener with brutal and unrelenting beauty. Catchy choruses and huge hooks delivered in 7 grandiose themes. The vynil also includes a bonus track - Dawn of eternal night - which features a very spooky and powerful first person narration of doom, freedom, and empowerment. 

  Psychedelic dub from the experts and masters African Head Charge. It's their 11th studio album and the name comes from the village in Northern Ghana where the leader - Bonjo Noah - resides. This is the first album in 12 years and we get acquainted to some of the band's familiar sound but with a more optimistic and sunny disposition. It still holds the experimental vibes while remaining melodic and good-natured. 

  Dynamite hardcore-punk with some subtle tinges of reagge and dub in between the punk ferocity. Genuine feeling and drive is what made this record possible and the adrenaline is still present and felt after all these years. The vocals are fast and manic and the delivery is flawless energy. One of my favourites from the genre. "Sailin' on"!

  Solid and tasty hip-hop by MF DOOM. The beats are inventive and as experimental as can get with some really great rapping. The lyric themes have peculiar and original food references and there are skits all throught out reminiscent of sunday morning cartoons, so pretty comfy. A very inventive hip-hop album that gets better after each listen. 

  Elegant yet goofy psychadelic pop that captivates through its surreal humor and subtle tinges of experimental and highly inspired New Orleans jazz. Bonzo Dog Band started out in the UK and gave its unconventional approach to the 60's psych pop scene, carving out a niche of its own. Music and comedy go along great and this album is out here to prove it. 

  Built to Spill was born in 1992 and defined indie rock becoming one of the genre's most influential bands. Progressing from suble lo-fi to elegant emo, Built to Spill returned in 2022 with this beautiful album. Limited edition with an amazing art cover and packed with tunes that surprise and enchant.  Mellow and unique melodies converge with witty and charming lyrics. Thirty years later since being born and with new additions to the line-up (Le Almeida and João Casaes)it's a stunning late-career record. 

  Despite its title, there's not much hard rock on the LP but a rather bluesy mellow progressive rock with some psych tinges. The songs are very much influenced by other bands of the time like Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath. Good 70's occultish vibes. Even though there is a lady on the cover, she was not part of the band, so sadly no female vocals. Nice for a laid back trip back to the 70's. 

  Sceptre was formed in 1981 in Birmingham (UK) and played high-quality roots reggae with passionate and mellow vocals as well as daring yet laid back melodies. Neglected by the labels at the time, the band still managed to release this LP but with limited distribution and in small number which made their music unavailable to be fully appreciated. With time, thankfully, the LP has been reissued and has gained a following and has gained the deserved status of a classic of british reggae. 

  Shuggie Otis is one of the names that represent the 70's psychedelia in all its glory. Born in 1953, Shuggie has collaborated with many musicians like Frank Zappa, Bo Diddley, Preston Love, among others. Here comes Shuggie Otis was released in 1970 and showcases all of Shuggie Otis musical skills in a variety of genres, raging from psych, to blues, motown, and soul. A true melting pot of different styles and genres from this talented musician who was only 17 at the time of this recording.