Headstone Circus: Headstone Circus 1968

 

This project turned out to be a real beauty. Headstone Circus was formed in 1966 by Glenn Faria (who

also released some solo music on World In Sound). This beautiful album was recorded between 1968-1970, and on the first spin it is reminiscent of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young – four-way street electric sides. Well-composed, well-performed, and in line with some of the better Neil Young albums, with an extra weird touch. "Around 1966, Nick Bonis, Mike Johnstone, Randy Pope, and I formed a psychedelic band. 
                         

Around 1966, Nick Bonis, Mike Johnstone, Randy Pope, and I (Glenn Farla) formed a psychedelic band. On a Halloween night we went to an old cemetery, dropped acid, and spent a very strange night

amongst the tombstones. The tombstones appeared to be melting and taking on animal shapes. Some of us saw spirits, and I'm not sure what I saw, but it was disturbing. Afterwards we referred to that night as the "HEADSTONE CIRCUS". It seemed appropriate to call ourselves HEADSTONE CIRCUS as a band so we did!!
                    

˝The band called Washington, D.C. home and the line-up featured Nick Bonis on bass, Faria on vocals and lead guitar, Mike Johnstone on rhythm guitar, and Randy Pope on drums. With Faria writing their

material, the band apparently recorded material over a two year period, but never scored a contract, or attracted much local attention. That's unfortunate since based on these twelve tracks, they were an immensely talented outfit who managed to soak up then-prevalent sounds (Allman Brothers, Buffalo Springfield, CSN&Y, Neil Young, etc.), without losing their own identity. 
                            

Faria had a wonderful voice that was flexible enough to cover the entire musical spectrum from blues ('Born In Georgia') to commercial pop ('Reach Out') and the rest of the band were never less than

impressive with guitarist Johnstone showing major talent whenever he stepped into the spotlight. The abundance of CSN&Y influences (check out 'Bear Down') meant this wasn't the most original album you've ever heard, but it was fun from start to finish and way better than a slew of better know million sellers. You had to wonder why it took decades for this one to see the light of day. Wonder if he band members ever saw any royalties off of this one...˝ 

LINE - UP

Nick Bonis: Bass 
Mike Johnstone: Rhythm guitar 
Randy Pope: Drums
Glenn Farla: Vocals and lead guitar

                           

Headstone Circus – Headstone Circus
Label: Shadoks Music – SHADOKS 061
Format: CD, Album, Remastered Jun 5, 2007
Country: Germany
Released: 1968 - 1970    
Genre: Rock
Style: Psychedelic Rock, Blues Rock, Folk Rock

TRACKS

                      

                    

01. I'm Goin' Down    4:37
02. You Don't Know    6:51
03. Summers Gone    4:43
04. I'm Crazy    5:57
05. Healer    4:09
06. Arms Of God    3:31
07. Born In Georgia    3:55
08. Reason To Live    3:15
09. Reach Out    2:45
10. I Hear The Thunder    3:43
11. I Love The Wind    4:11
12. Bear Down    5:17

Flac Size: 274 MB

Sei Still: Sei Still 2020 + El Refugio 2021

 

Though their taut, motoric beats might scream of 70's West Germany, Sei Still are, in fact, a five-

piece band hailing from Mexico City. Their machine-like sonic experimentations emerging not out acid-fuelled jam sessions in some underground communal space tucked away in this or that German city but, instead, three friends taking a random trip to desolate Mexican woodland to work on a couple of songs that would end up leading them to start a fully-fledged band. Now, said band are signing to London-based label Fuzz Club to put out their debut album "Sei Still".
                           

As well as the given indebtedness to bands like Can, NEU! and the minimalism movement, Sei Still say that they also take great inspiration from “Tarkovsky's ‘Stalker’, ‘Easy Rider’ (the

concept of the road has always been a present image of our collective imaginary) and the aesthetics of Spanish new-wave bands like Aviador Dro and Décima Víctima.” Now ready to transmit their angular Krautrock to a trans-Atlantic audience, Sei Still have spent the last few years cultivating a notorious reputation in their native Mexico, sharing the stage with the likes of Stereolab, Kikagaku Moyo, Holy Wave, Institute, New Candys, 10 000 Russos and Lorelle Meets the Obsolete.
                            

Mexican five-piece Sei Still will return with their second album ‘El Refugio’ on November 26th 2021 via London’s Fuzz Club Records. The follow-up to their 2020 self-titled debut album marks a number

of changes for the band. Not only have they upped sticks and moved from Mexico City to Berlin, but their sound has undergone a process of evolution too. Where the debut LP was an exercise in mesmerising Krautrock channeling the likes of Neu! and Can, ‘El Refugio’ keeps hold of that motorik pulse but trades the debut’s more expansive and hypnotic tendencies for a collection of dark, wiry post-punk vignettes. 
                     

The album is a more skeletal effort than its predecessor but packs a greater punch precisely because of that; the songs are shorter and unapologetically to-the-point, brimming with a tension and anguish that

makes ‘El Refugio’ a deeply affecting listen. “The biggest influence on this record was the fact that our personal lives had a radical change and we felt the need to do something different, to dig deeper into the possibilities of what the band was about. We never wanted to make the same record twice. The songs allude to childhood, dreams, desire, loneliness, paranoia and hope. A longing for a different reality that breaks the monotony of daily life." 
                             

SEI STILL - SEI STILL 2020

                             

Sei Still then are, mostly, on identified ground, using what makes krautrock specific: the ever unchanging and trance inducing “robotik” rhythm, on which the tracks are built by light touches from

other instruments, with a lot of synthesizer effects. Here, the buildup never reaches the breaking point where some others would deliver a massive fuzzy outbreak that would make you lose your mind, the sound remains light, never aggressive, never saturated. It’s a stroll in a beautiful, if a bit monotone, desert landscape, the weather is clear, there’s no storm brewing, nothing is really happening, but you’re having a great time. Sei Still is not the kind of album you can listen to once and then ignore. You can leave it on repeat and never get tired of it.
                                   

Sei Still – Sei Still
Label: Fuzz Club Records – FC129CD
Format: CDr, Album, Limited Edition, Reissue
Country: UK
Released: Nov 2020
Genre: Rock
Style: Post-Punk, Krautrock, Psychedelic Rock, New Wave

TRACKS

                       

01. Blumenkriege - Guest, Vocals – Mabe Fratti
02. El Camino
03. Emisión
04. Fortuna
05. Televisión
06. Ladrón
07. Tácticas De Guerrilla Urbana

LINE - UP

                          

Bass, Vocals, Tambourine – Andres Lupone
Drums, Tambourine, Percussion [Eggs] – Jeronimo Martin
Guitar, Vocals, Organ [Acetone], Tambourine – Lucas Martin 
Guitar, Vocals, Tambourine – Mateo Sanchez Galan
Synthesizer [Moog, Jupiter], Organ [Farfisa], Tambourine – Sebastian Rojas 

NOTES

2nd pressing.
Limited edition of 100 copies, includes one track not on the vinyl versions.

Flac Size: 288 MB

SEI STILL - EL REFUGIO 2021

                     

"El Refugio" is still driven by the taut, propulsive rhythm sections of their earlier work – see the driving

motorik post-punk of "Extrarradio", "Me Persigue" and "Exilio", or the death disco grooves of "Solsticio" – but the surrounding instrumentation owes far more to 70s punk and new wave than any kosmische travellers.  Whilst melodic bass lines propel the music in a perpetual forward motion, guitars flicker from angular and razor-sharp to shimmering and forlorn, peppered by the ambient whirr of synths that oscillate subtly in the background throughout.
                          

Sei Still – El Refugio
Label: Fuzz Club Records – FC143
Format: CD, Album
Country: UK
Released: Nov 26, 2021
Genre: Rock
Style: Post-Punk, Krautrock, Psychedelic Rock, New Wave

TRACKS

                      

I.    Extrarradio    4:54
II.   Me Persigue    2:15
III.  Exilio    4:56
IV.   Soldados Caídos    5:26
V.    Solsticio    3:20
VI.   Las Puertas De La Noche    4:48
VII.  Hombre Animal    3:28
VIII. El Peso De La Piel    4:07
IX.   El Refugio    4:14

LINE - UP

                                              

Drums, Percussion – Jerónimo Martin Sáenz
Electric Bass – Andrés Lupone Ojeda
Guitar – Mateo Sánchez Galán
Organ, Synth – Sebastian Rojas 
Vocals, Guitar – Lucas Martin Sáenz

Flac Size: 245 MB