International Harvester - Sov Gott Rose-Marie

1968-69 (2001); 14 tracks
Sov Gott Rose-Marie is this underground Swedish experimental/psychedelic/folk ensemble's first and only release. International Harvester became Träd, Gräs och Stenar in 1969, and continue to create more prog/Amon Düül II-ish type stuff, but that is beside the point.

This is an absolutely, absolutely ABSOLUTELY stunning album. Completely stunning. Listening to it now on repeat, I am just in utter awe of the perfect, intimate beauty of these songs. I am reminded of some Bergman films, like Summer with Monika and Wild Strawberries. A mystery that is transcendental, warm and radiant. Communal peace and stability achieved through glorious repetition. Candid minimalism - children yelling as they play, the music grows dark yet women still sing. One can just envision charcoal-colored smoke rising from a gathering, many heads hung over a fire as the music carries their souls across worlds and universes unknown. A dog barks. Each track on Sov Gott Rose-Marie (Sleep Well Rose-Marie) is like a hand-crafted wooden sculpture. This album is a work of psychedelic magic, mantric lyrics hypnotically chanted in both Swedish and English while traditional melodies and rhythmic, battle-like drums spin away as in some dreamy medieval orchestra on a grassy hillside.

I am in love with this treasure of the past. 

Notes: 

- Tracks 1 to 13 were originally released as an LP in the spring of 1969 by Love Records (Finland). 

- Track 14 is an previously unreleased bonus track. 

- The first eleven tracks and bonus track (14) were recorded on August 10-12th 1968 in Nacka Aula, Stockholm, directly on two channels with natural acoustics. The effects were made afterwards.


and suddenly i realize that you are bound to die

Snapper - Snapper EP

1988; 4 tracks

I posted this on my facebook page (yeah.) but I believe that it bears repeating, and it's as obscvre as fvck so why not.

This is the first release by New Zealand-based kiwi pop band (Flying Nun!!) Snapper. My friend so nicely described it as "desertkrautgaze." After this Snapper went on to release two full-lengths and a couple more EPs then descended back into their cave, because they are snappers and those are fish and fish like the darkness, like me, i like darkness and i only like music that is sad as balls

but this isn't sad

death and weirdness in the surfing zone

The Oscillation - Out of Phase

2007; 13 tracks

The Oscillation is multi-instrumentalist Demian Castellanos' psychedelic/krautrock project. Aside from The Oscillation's brilliant cover of "Head Hang Low," from Julian Cope's first album World Shut Your Mouth, this album is full of wonderful moments. Out of Phase, from funky post-punk to experimental to psychedelic to krautrock, can accurately be described as phantasmagorical.

Listen to this cover and see if it isn't just the greatest thing ever.



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Faust - C’est Com…Com…Compliqué

2009; 9 tracks

I haven't heard any other Faust album besides this, which is their latest one, so I don't feel qualified to give an accurate assessment of their music. In any case, I really dig this album. Never a dull moment.

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