September 1, 2012

We're BAA-AACK...!

And why not start off with some vintage Brazilian psych? Os Mutantes bring the psilocybin to the samba! And in keeping with the vintage theme (60s specifically) I culled some tasty nuggets for you, from The Electric Prunes to Todd Rundgren's Nazz to a piece from Jimi's most lysergic album. And The Amboy Dukes, featuring a young Ted Nugent (!) on lead guitar took all things pychedelic quite literally. In keeping with that sound I yank you back to the 21st century with Tame Impala spinoff Pond who conjure Syd Barrett from beyond the grave, then remind you how acid-damaged The Butthole Surfers were with their take on one of Donovan's signature tunes.

I know I've said it all before, but where would spacerock be without Spacemen 3 and their legacy? Trip hoppers Bowery Electric offer their tribute to the mighty 3 with this tasty cover version. Spiritualized's latest album, one of the best of the year, continues their Spacemen 3 lineage in fine form. Spacemen 3 acolytes and supposed rivals The Brian Jonestown Massacre and The Dandy Warhols trade fire in their feud to see which band is the most sincere imitation. And The Men, whose latest entry will most likely top my Best Of 2012 list, and who dabble in everything from brutal noise rock to cathartic post-hardcore, here show their lingering Spacemen 3 damage.

Shifting gears into some modern shoegaze, I Break Horses and Ringo Deathstar show us what dreampop is made of. The Chemical Brothers have always had a dreamy psychedelic side to their block-rockin' beats, and this tune is one of the best examples of it (the obvious pilferage of The Beatles' "Tomorrow Never Knows" drum beat and Noel Gallagher's vox notwithstanding). 120 Days summon the motorik side of krautrock to a very modern setting. Sleepy Sun and Pontiak have a dark americana take on psychedelic music and both came out with stellar releases this year. Steve Wynn, with his Miracle Three, gets back to his roots (The Velvet Underground by way of his 80s-era Paisley Underground unit The Dream Syndicate).

So howzabout an acid-drenched scorcher from the recent White Hills joint, one of their finest releases of face-melting space rock? Or an obscure Black Mountain barnburner extracted from some recent film soundtrack work they did, which ranks up with their very best album material? And why not a trip to the recent past with a definitive Galaxie 500 track? Or the song that put Built To Spill on the extended psych guitar workout map? And why not wrap up with probably the best track (also from a film soundtrack, lest I need remind you of Singles, which was set in the burgeoning 90s Seattle grunge scene) The Smashing Pumpkins ever did (bring on the feedback symphony!)...?

Yeah, why the fuck not? Cuz... we're back!

For you traditionalists who don't mind streaming from this site, the following tracks should appear in the first player below:

The Spacerock Continuum Theme - bRambles
Panis Et Circenses (Bread and Circuses) - Os Mutantes - The Best of Os Mutantes
I Had Too Much To Dream Last Night - The Electric Prunes - Nuggets Vol. 1
Open My Eyes - The Nazz - Nuggets Vol. 1
Journey To The Center Of The Mind - The Amboy Dukes - Journey To The Center Of The Mind
1983... (A Merman I Should Turn To Be) - The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Electric Ladyland
Fantastic Explosion Of Time - Pond - Beard, Wives, Denim
The Hurdy Gurdy Man - The Butthole Surfers - Pioughed
Things'll Never Be The Same - Bowery Electric - A Tribute To Spacemen 3
Headin' For The Top Now - Spiritualized - Sweet Heart, Sweet Light
Geezers - The Brian Jonestown Massacre - And This Is Our Music
Wasp In The Lotus - The Dandy Warhols - Earth To The Dandy Warhols
Presence - The Men - Open Your Heart
Hearts - I Break Horses - Hearts
Chloe - Ringo Deathstar - Colour Trip
Setting Sun- The Chemical Brothers - Dig Your Own Hole
Spacedoubt - 120 Days - II
Martyr's Mantra - Sleepy Sun - Spine Hits
Royal Colors - Pontiak - Echo Ono
Here Come The Miracles - Steve Wynn - Here Come The Miracles
You Dream You See - White Hills- Frying On This Rock
Mary Lou - Black Mountain - Year Zero soundtrack
Don't Let Our Youth Go To Waste - Galaxie 500 - The Portable Galaxie 500
Randy Described Eternity - Built To Spill - Perfect From Now On
Drown - Smashing Pumpkins - Singles soundtrack
 

But don't forget, you also have the option of spacerock to go:



1. Click on the Divshare logo instead of pushing the play button in the player above.

2. Click "download" when redirected to the Divshare site (put it on your desktop for easy access).

3. Once downloaded, drag it to yer iTunes and sync it with yer pod - simple!

And I must reiterate, this is the way to take your spacerock mix to go! You can DOWNLOAD it! It's YOURS now! It's an mp3 mix that pops right into your iTunes - it couldn't be simpler.

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