digital delirium with BONG-RA, RADAR MEN FROM THE MOON x TWIN SISTER, TDK / ТДК and many many other various artists

Did I freeload new promos again? Am I too poor to buy proper records/CDs/cassettes again? No and no. Or well, yes too actually, but it doesn't apply to this post here. These are actually all recent digital-only releases of... mildly varying length. The first one is a reminder that Christmas Roadburn is only one month away:

RADAR MEN FROM THE MOON x TWIN SISTER - Mirrors For Discharge (2025)

The finale of Roadburn Sunday 2022: A spontanous jam of Kanaan and RRRags led me to miss this comissioned cooperation of Dutch Heavy Psych machine Radar Men From The Moon and the trio Twin Sister, which itself includes René and Otto from Dead Neanderthals. Surely one of the toughest clashes of that extremely strong festival edition. I'm glad that at least I finally get the chance to hear what I missed now!

In total there were nine people on stage, including two bass players and three drummers. And they did pretty much what you would expect from knowing the featured bands - and probably even the best version of that. "Mirrors For Discharge" is a stomping work of hypnotic Industrial Sludge Noise with Punk vocals on top. This rumbling beast of five mighty repetitive steamrollers must have been completely obliberating to behold. Since there's no physical release planned at the time this is as must-have as a download can be!

BONG-RA - Cold World (2025)

We're not moving into too different territory with this new single from Bong-Ra, who have recently turned from a Drone Doom Metal trio with Jazz influences to an Industrial Metal trio with electronic drums. As one does. Or as Jason Köhnen's mood wants it. The title sounds very familiar and indeed this is a cover version of one of the greatest Godflesh songs of all time. Can it be as great as the original? Probably impossible. But great still this is. And surely a banger to perform during their shows. Would love to see that!

And yes, I will review the recent new album of Bong-Ra. But not today.

TDK / ТДК - ZHVK (2025)

This new three-track EP from Bulgaria continues right where "Nemesta" left off - with an absolutely bonkers clusterfuck of Post Punk, Mr. Bungle Avantgarde, Disharmonic Extreme Metal, Jazz, Noise and manic spoken words vocal performances. TDK are all over the place - and they are the landlords of this particular, delightfully paranoid place. This quintet plays in the top league of whatthefuckishappeninghere. Wish this was longer than just thirteen minutes!

VARIOUS ARTISTS - Who Is The Dreamer? - A Tribute to David Lynch (2025)

This release is unreviewable. I probably haven't even listened to half of it and sure as hell will never play the whole thing. So does it suck so bad?

No, but let's just say that 383 (three-hundred eighty-three) tracks with individual lengths between one and forty minutes are quite a task, even if the devoted listener burns the complete rest of his/her music collection. There might be record-horrible stinkers on this compilation or the best song of all times - and I haven't even noticed either while shuffling through it. However what I can say for sure is that the overall atmosphere feels very adequate for a tribute for the great late David Lynch.

It's pointless to list even a fragment of all the artists and bands involved in this mammoth collection. Naturally it includes a lot of Experimental music, but you'll also find bits of Rock, Pop, Hip Hop, Jazz, Country, Modern Classical and who knows what else in the depths of this lodge. There are variations on soundtrack pieces like the legendary Angelo Badalamenti themes from "Twin Peaks" or Ambient textures with interview snippets from Lynch over it. Some artists are only featured with one small track, others provide a whole album's worth of material.

This is the water and this is the well. Props to The Church of Noisy Goat for curating this endless surreal odyssey!

 

Bandcamp Friday Haul April 2023 feat. EFFLUENCE, GHOSTMEAT, ТДК and TINCTURES

Ok, ok! One of these technically isn't a Bandcamp Friday purchase from yesterday, but a digital promo, which was given away in a psych-friendly Facebook group. But do you even care? Thought so. What you should always care about however is great music! And if you just happen to be looking for some, hallelujah, here's yet another bunch of recommendations:

EFFLUENCE - Sarmat (2022)

This has already been out there a while, and the only reason I didn't buy it yet, was that I was consindering the physical CD copy for a while. But since that one only seems available overseas, I now settled with the 1s and 0s to finally own this twenty-six and a half minutes monster track. And speaking of monsters: The most recent user review on Bandcamp is probably more on point than my little write-up here could ever be, using a nod to the great late Pharoah Sanders: "The Creator Has A Monster Truck".

The EP is a true culmination of Jazzcore, in which the most chaotic abyssal Death Metal assault collides with Free Jazz piano, screeching saxophones and ghoulish vocals in a relentless avant-garde avalanche, which only takes brief breaks to pillage from a multitude of of other genres.

Already over fifty-five years ago Peter Brötzmann pulverized Jazz as it was known with his "Machine Gun". On Effluence's "Sarmat" the weapons are still rattling - within a scenery of full-blown nuclear warfare. And for once I'm not going to be a pacifist.

TDK / ТДК - Nemesta (2023)

In comparison to Effluence this Bulgarian group is probably tame. But who isn't? In truth this album still provides a completely bonkers clusterfuck madness of mike pattonish proportions. Hardcore, Punk, Jazz, Extreme Metal, Electronic, all swirling around and kicking each other, accompanied by a native vocal performance between spoken words, rap, Pop, Dillinger Escape Plan and whatever the fuck I forgot right now. Plus weird sample shit. System of a Daaang! Definitely feel a kinship to Nokti's "Cockschmerzen" here. In short: It's a perfect storm of avant-garde insanity. Zorn core acolytes assemble! Fuckyeah.

TINCTURES - moments, remote (2023)

And now for something equally as, or probably even more experimental than the above, but otherwise completely different. Tinctures are an Indo-German Contemporary Classical piano / guitar duo, who (as so many others, and it will still be very long until we'll stop hearing these stories) found themselves constrained by the Corona pandemic. This album is a collection of various remote improvisations in different modi operandi. Some are tests of their internet connection, others improvisations recorded by one musician and then sent to the other one, who had to come up with something upon first listen. Another method was using a film to establish a timeline. Plus a couple of other ideas and variations in that spirit...

In the final result it's hardly possible to tell, what way led to the destination of each track. They are all beautiful and/or intriguing little pieces of experimental Chamber Music halfway between Classical and Jazz vibes, forming a very cohesive entirety.

This mini album provides a contemplative deep listening experience, equally suited to wrap your mind around every sound, as well as just to peacefully unwind.

GHOSTMEAT - Witch's Familiar (2023)

And finally here's some Space Rock! Ghostmeat bow down to early epic post-Syd Barrett Pink Floyd, including the harmonic vocals plus some stronger Eastern sounds, which you'd expect from bands like Kikagaku Moyo or the we-put-in-everything Psych of Goat. They however make it chuff a little heavier with occasional Grunge / Stoner Rock riffs. Which means that a song like "Kisse Manitou Wayo" could easily be labeled as Shamanistsic Ambient Space Doom. Or you just leave those kind of categorizations to people who can't just enjoy the music. Or have to come up with something, because they write about it.

Can I see this EP - or album? Already the third release in a row here with this particular length which could be both... - become a classic?
No, not really, not yet at least. Maybe if all tracks had the calibre of the magnificient finale "Gulls (Torrid Youth)", which somehow evokes feelings, which seem familiar from Forlesen's "Black Terrain" - who knows? This is still very good, highly compelling blend of Kraut with atmospheric substance. Available digitally and on cassette, shipping from Canada.