31052014 - Perez Prado "Voodoo"

So I found this list of the 20 most underrated albums ever, and the time has come to start checking out those I haven't already heard. Well, at least those I am able to track down. #20 on that list is this little masterpiece by the King of Mambo, Señor Perez Prado. The album starts off with the 23 minute long "Voodoo Suite", a piece that could be the exotica sibling of Miles Davis' "Sketches of Spain"! Dramatic, moody and simply brilliant! The rest of the album is six short tunes, none of which breach the 3 minute mark, but all of them with distinct personalities and a whole lotta sass! You could imagine this music in a dive bar, a strip joint or a Tarantino movie, and you should be drinking tiki cocktails while listening to it! Just check out the latinofied version of the classic "In the Mood", and you'll know what I'm talking about. Love it!

30052014 - The Midnight Ghost Train "Buffalo"

The last album in this week's Buffalo trilogy is by a band that does not have the word "Buffalo" in their name. But the album is called "Buffalo" and their name is awesome, so that's all I crave. And this album is pretty damn rockin' as well! The music is Clutch inspired groovy stoner-ish hard'n'heavy grit rock, with a vocalist who can out-growl a herd of death metal demons! This trio does include some Kyuss-isms here, but they wear them well, and even their silly little "Cotton Fields" cover is unable to ruin the mood. Yeah, crack open a beer, crank the stereo up real loud and climb aboard The Midnight Ghost Train. The final destination is a place called Cool!

29052014 - We Hunt Buffalo "We Hunt Buffalo"

Yes, another band with the word "Buffalo" in the band name! You know those albums where you around halfway through find yourself really enjoying the thing? You know, physically digging it, to the point of nodding your head, tapping your foot or just moving in rhythm with the music, and realising that you have been doing this for a while? This is one of those, and to me that's a sign of an album that might be invited to stay with you for a while, perhaps ending up as a new favorite. The last time this happened to me was when I fell under the spell of Elder's fantastic album "Dead Roots Stirring", and this record has some of the same qualities: the hypnotizing and heavy riffs, the great melodies and that spellbinding je ne sais quoi that makes me want to put this album on repeat for the rest of the year! There are parts here that remind me of vintage Motorpsycho, others that are more classic rock and bits of both desert and swamp. All fans of great hard rock, regardless of labels or tags, should check this album out!

28052014 - Buffalo Killers "Ohio Grass"

Buffalo Killers. One of many bands with the word "Buffalo" in the band name. Starting off rocking, noisy and groovy, and following up in the same vein. Like Collective Soul and Raging Slab jamming with Crazy Horse and, perhaps, the tiniest bit of Alabama Shakes thrown in for good measure? As the album progresses, there's less grit and more harmonies and mellowness, bringing to mind a muddier Teenage Fanclub or a more psychedelic Jayhawks. It's definitely good, but the first half of this record - the one with the RAWK - holds my attention a lot more than the second half. And those white reggae things are just pointless. On this album and more or less any other album by more or less any other band.

27052014 - Glitter Wizard "Hunting Gatherers"

How can you not want to check out a band called Glitter Wizard? The cover might look like another New Wave of Proto Metal band - not that there's anything wrong with that - but these guys are as much glam and psychedelia as they are stoner and heavy metal. There's a flute. There's a song about worshipping the devil with the sentence "Hate the sinner, love the sin". And another called "Mötorider". And is that a saxophone I hear on "Ragdoll (Deux)"? It's pretty corny, but also really cool, like that dude in the schoolyard with a leather waistcoat over a too short Barbie t-shirt. It might be a joke, but you're afraid to ask. There's hints of Hawkwind and Heep in here, but also both Sabbath, Motörhead, Steppenwolf and more. Most of all though, there's the spirit of Diamond Nights - and how I miss them! Whether or not you take Glitter Wizard's image seriously, there's no denying that their songs are great, and that's for real!

26052014 - C.W. Stoneking "Jungle Blues"

This album turned up on a list by some album cover artist of his own favorite album covers. And the cover is great - good enough to make me want to check out the music. With no idea whatsoever what to expect I put this on, and the first song out sounds like somebody who's either very much influenced by Tom Waits or one of Waits' own influences. So which one is it? Well, a quick internet search tells me that Stoneking has released two proper albums, this being the second, in 2005 and 2008 respectively. So the vintage sound is not from the 40's after all, but the yodeling, the balladeering and the soft blues moaning is just as authentic as anything you could ever have dug up from the archives. How Stoneking was still in his thirties when he sang this is beyond me, and so is the fact that he is Australian, and not from the Mississippi Delta or, at least, New Orleans. If anything, this reminds me of Taj Mahal's early records, and that's definitely a compliment! Do yourself a favor and check this out!

25052014 - Iron Butterfly "Heavy"

I have to admit that "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" is the only Iron Butterfly album I have checked out before, but I got a tip to give their debut album a listen, and here we are. Although the album title is a bit of a misnomer, I really enjoy the songs on "Heavy". It's light and simple stuff, very easy to get into, and even though the organ features quite heavily on some of the songs here there is nothing to let on that only half a year later the band would let loose the 17 minute monster that is "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida". With the possible exception of "Iron Butterfly Theme", the blistering instrumental track that finishes the album, that is. Good stuff!