Moon Duo "Occult Architecture Vol. 1"

Country: USA
Genre(s): Psychedelic
Label: Sacred Bones Records
Format: vinyl, digital
Release date: February 3, 2017
Tracklist: 
1. The Death Set (6:36)
2. Cold Fear (4:52)
3. Creepin' (4:14)
4. Cross-Town Fade (7:45)
5. Cult Of Moloch (7:23)
6. Will Of The Devil (5:38)
7. White Rose (10:29)

Total time 46:57

Line-up: 
Ripley Johnson - guitars
Sanae Yamada - keyboards

Description/Reviews: 

As Moon Duo continues to refine and coalesce their sound, they find themselves achieving a shimmering balance of malice and sweetness. Burrowing deep into an uneasy cocoon of Kosmiche and synth (provided by the band’s master texturist Sanae Yamada); the album buzzes, twitches and festers at times with an uncomfortable darkness that gets its hooks in you. It’s a quality that rears its head most prominently on standout single “Cold Fear” and the sinister “Will Of The Devil.” There’s a feeling of cold sweat, clammy palms and permanently bloodshot anxiety at work here and perhaps these are the feelings that serve this album as the dark-toned Yin in the two part album cycle that the band has embarked on. But if it were that simple, that cut and dry, then it would just grind the listener down under a boot heel of panic.

Read the full review at ravensingstheblues.com

Media/Samples 
Bandcamp

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Föllakzoid "III"

Country: Chile
Genre(s): Psychedelic
Label: Sacred Bones Records
Format: CD, vinyl, digital
Release date: March 31, 2015
Tracklist: 

1. Electric - 11:54
2. Earth - 11:22
3. Piure - 12:48
4. Feuerzeug - 9:06

Line-up: 
Juan Pabl
Diego
Alfredo
Domingo
   With
Atom TM

Description/Reviews: 

Föllakzoid began seven years ago as a trance experience between childhood friends Diego, Juan Pablo, and Domingo from Santiago, Chile. Heavily informed by the heritage of the ancient music of the Andes, the band has learned to integrate this influence with contemporary sounds of their times, creating a rich yet minimal atmosphere.
For III, the band wanted to expand their sound while building an atmosphere with mainly monochords and reiteration. After recording and mixing the album on their own at their studio at BYM Records, they partnered with German electronic maestro Atom TM to flesh out the album’s synth parts. Most of the sounds he provided were atonal electronic sounds, aiming for concrete frequencies and sampled organic glitches. (The Korg synthesizer Atom TM plays on this record was used by Kraftwerk on tour in the '80s.)
III is a four-part minimal sound voyage in which you can hear Föllakzoid’s musical language developing into something more upbeat, obscure, and sharp, yet even simpler in terms of elements. 

Media/Samples 
Electric

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Follakzoid "II"

Country: Chile
Sub Genre: Psychedelic, Space Rock
Label: Sacred Bones
Release date: Jan 22, 2013
Tracklist: 
1 Trees
2 9
3 Rio
4 99
5 Pulsar

Line-up: 
Juan Pablo Rodrigues (vocals)
Domingo Garcia-Huidobro (guitar)
Alfredo Thiermann (piano, synthesizer)
Diego Lorca (drums)

Description/Reviews: 

With Follakzoid's second album, the band fits right in with the dark, labyrinthine sounds of Sacred Bones' roster. Like Moon Duo, Wooden Shjips, and fellow Chilean post-psych group the Holydrug Couple, the group specializes in long-winding space rock jams. While the tone of II hovers somewhere between coolly detached and downright lonely, the music manages to work itself into solid, driving, syncopated grooves. Delay pedals, chilly electronic reinforcement, and drones galore weave aimlessly around extremely repetitive song structures, usually revolving around a two-note bassline, a single chord, and a Motorik drum beat. Many musicians look to the past for ideas, and it's obvious that on top of `60s psych rock and space rock, Krautrock (Can's Future Days in particular) proves a huge inspiration on the group's sound. Vocalist Juan Pablo Rodrigues sings in a disconnected, intermittent style, much like Damo Suzuki, and the synthesizer and guitar combo is used for atmospheric textures to slowly build to big oceanic washes and then drop down again. "Pulsar" sounds like a sinister cross between the aforementioned Can and Joy Division, for which drummer Diego Lorca delivers a steady kick snare beat for a sprawling 15 minutes. Everything is long running, hazy, evocative, and seemingly on the verge of falling apart. But it never does. For a mere five tracks, this is some mind-expansive stuff, and a great listen for anyone looking for spacy background music with a dark edge. The cover pretty much says it all. ( Jason Lymangrover) 

Media/Samples 
Rio

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