ARTIST: VA
TITLE: Planetfuzz presents - Cowbells and Cobwebs
LABEL: Planetfuzz Records
GENRE: Psychedelic Rock
SOURCE: CD
BITRATE: 211 kbps avg
PLAYTIME: 159:08
RELEASE DATE: 2010-00-00
RIP DATE: 2011-02-23
ENCODER: LAME v3.97 -V2 --vbr-new
Track List
----------
Disc 1/2
1. Mangoo - No Clue [previously 5:11
unreleased]
2. Orthodox Fuzz - Black Goat 3:38
[previously unreleased]
3. Arrowhead - Eagle Death Machine 5:58
[previously unreleased]
4. Ride the Sun - Ride [previously 6:17
unreleased]
5. Audio Dream Sister - Marquis 2:57
Moon
6. Sons of Giants - Mr Whoo 5:15
[previously unreleased]
7. Sungrazer - Zero Zero 7:40
8. Moab - Morelore [previously 4:44
unreleased]
9. Honcho - Earth 4:40
10. Gate 9 - Rolling Wheel 3:50
[previously unreleased]
11. Propane Propane - It's Alright 6:24
12. Spelljammer - Nine 5:29
13. Loimann - T.H.C. (Towards 6:37
Higher Conciousness)
14. The Grand Astoria - Raise the 10:47
Dead [previously unreleased]
Disc 2/2
1. Inner Mountain Flame - 3:29
Celestial Mechanics
2. Maaswater Veenlijk - Whores of 4:32
Babylon
3. Coffin on Tyres - Time Machine 4:53
4. Tombstones - The Source 3:54
5. Forged in Flame - The 5:13
Underground [previously
unreleased]
6. Floodstain - Slumbering Titan 7:37
Slayer [previously unreleased]
7. Electric Cavemen - In a World 4:08
Gone [previously unreleased]
8. Soulseller - The Temple 6:06
[previously unreleased]
9. The Graviators - The Magician 5:09
[previously unreleased]
10. Samsara Blues Experiment - Back 3:45
to Life [previously unreleased]
11. Cigmouth - Damn Critter! 4:17
12. Mother of Six - Ahab 5:15
13. Keef - Never Smile 7:48
14. El'Garsonorogio - Night Dream, 13:35
Life Dream [previously
unreleased]
Release Notes:
As a general rule, I try to avoid reviewing compilations, because either the
review winds up being a list of the bands involved with nothing of substance
said about any of them, or itÆs promo-speak pushing an album by saying, ôItÆs
good, you should buy it.ö Finally approaching the Planetfuzz Records debut
release, Cowbells and Cobwebs, which culls together a whopping 28 underground
purveyors of heavy and fuzzed out rock over the course of two 14-track discs,
the best IÆm hoping for is a combination of both the above. Needless to say,
IÆve been sitting on the review for a while, and for me to go track by track and
analyze each song would (1) take too long and (2) make for a review of such
length that no one would ever read it, being of no use to any of the parties
involved û bands, label, reader or myself. To give away the conclusion early:
ItÆs a quality collection with a bunch of previously unheard material that those
who think they can hold their breath for nearly 160 minutes (each disc is
79-plus) of fuzz without drowning in it would do well to check out.
A few familiar names pop up on the first disc, appropriately labeled Cowbells.
Bands like Orthodox Fuzz, Arrowhead, Ride the Sun, Honcho, Gate 9, Sungrazer and
The Grand Astoria are situated next to newcomers Mangoo (who might win the award
for best band moniker on the comp), Loimann, Sons of Giants, Propane Propane,
Audio Dream Sister, Moab and Spelljammer, and the highlights are just about
evenly split between bands I knew going into Cowbells and Cobwebs and bands I
didnÆt. SungrazerÆs jammy ôZero Zeroö shows thereÆs ample reasoning behind their
having been signed to Elektrohasch, and I didnÆt think much of it for its
opening, but Propane PropaneÆs ôItÆs Alrightö wound up one of the high points of
the collection for its drum sound alone. Norwegian rockers Honcho check in with
a track called ôEarthö from their 2010 self-released Battle of Wits album and
the song is positively gorgeous in that post-Soundgarden Euro-stoner kind of
way, while just a few tracks earlier, Ride the Sun show why their name has been
ringing out so far over the last year or so with the previously-unreleased
ôRide.ö
Ride the Sun is just one of many bands showing off new or previously-unreleased
material. On Cowbells, Gate 9, Orthodox Fuzz, Mangoo, Moab and The Grand Astoria
also show off exclusive wares, and on Cobwebs, Floodstain, Forged in Flame,
Electric Cavemen, Soulseller, Samsara Blues Experiment, The Graviators, and ElÆ
Garsonorogio do likewise, the latter with a 13:36 extended closing cut that
makes use of several different atmospheres. There are fewer immediately
recognizable bands on Cobwebs, but more diversity of sound too. The disc opens
with Inner Mountain Flame, who have some of Cowbells and CobwebsÆ only screamed
vocals, and Maaswater Veenlijk, Coffin on Tyres, Tombstones, Keef, Cigmouth and
Mother of Six all contribute varied styles within the stoner/doom subset. The Fu
Manchu-worship Cigmouth get up to on ôDamn Critters!ö is so blatant it just has
to be love, and IÆd heard a lot about Keef since they released the well-received
Stoned to Doom on PsycheDOOMelic last year, but never actually listened to the
band. Their Goatsnake-ery was well done enough to make me want to hear that
record, so if the point of Cowbells and Cobwebs was to get people to check out
new bands while also announcing Planetfuzz RecordsÆ arrival on the scene, then
mission accomplished.
Cowbells flows better track to track than does Cobwebs, but thatÆs only because
the bands have more in common sonically (and probably because I knew more of
them going into this review). As IÆm someone who usually doesnÆt buy
compilations until seven years later when theyÆre out of print and hard to find,
take to heart my recommendation to check out Cowbells and Cobwebs and consider
it a matter of saving yourself the trouble down the road. Five years from now,
when acts like Ride the Sun, Sungrazer, Samsara Blues Experiment and Tombstones
are helping to redefine modern stoner and fuzz-heavy rock, youÆll be glad to
have these tracks on hand. I know I will, anyway. Also worthy of note is the
artwork of Australian designer Glenn ôGlennoö Smith and the compact
digi-packaging the compilation comes in. ItÆs a professional collection, and
obviously a lot of thought and planning went into it (the thought of wrangling
28 stoner bands for a joint release sounds like a nightmare to me), and a
classic way to meet the acts who are the future of the style. Not every song is
a gem, but more than enough are to justify investigation, which as far as IÆm
concerned, is recommended.
The Obelisk