Hello, fellow music nerds. I'm back at it again, and by that I mean groveling before you with my tiny list of new releases for the Doom Charts. To give myself a bit of credit, January is not generally known for producing a huge amount of new albums. It kind of goes with the territory, right? In January, I feel like the majority of us begrudgingly board the struggle bus, reluctant to end our holiday vacations that were rife with sleeping in and overeating. We trudge into the month in this lazy state, wanting to be coddled a bit longer, but no... The weather is cold and gray (in many places, anyway) and guess what? You have to go back to work and be an adult. Perhaps the underground musicians we know and love are seated with us on the same aforementioned bus, commiserating.
There is good news, however. Much like last month, I can assure you that the new albums that I did nominate for the January Doom Charts are quality albums, indeed. In fact, the common theme this month among the new releases seemed to be "variety". There were some very interesting, unique albums to be heard that stand out quite a bit from what we're used to in stoner/doom/underground music. Furthermore, the individual albums themselves showed a tendency to be varied; their musicians demonstrating an uncanny ability to do a little bit of everything, bending genres and taking risks, and doing so very successfully.
So here we go, gorgeous people, a list of six albums that I highly recommend that you introduce to your ears, brain, and heart:
1. THE WEEDBINE - TEMPLE OF THE UNIVERSE
I always know my #1 the moment I hear it, and this month was no different. The Weedbine's Temple of the Universe was the most refreshing thing I heard in January, no contest. This album combines heavy psych, progressive rock, stoner/doom, and garage punk to name a few. You'll be headbanging along, psyching yourself up for the next twist or turn on this psychedelic journey. A super fun listen, and a quality representation of stoner/psych music. I can't recommend this one enough!
2. THE CLAMPS - MEGAMOUTH
The Clamps won the prize this month for all out balls to the wall heavy psych/stoner rock by a landslide. Megamouth was written between 2021-2022, fueled by post-pandemic anger. That pent-up rage is palpable on these ten heavy-hitting tracks, conjuring up images of a Mad Max-inspired landscape with gruff yet melodic vocals, wailing guitar solos, fuzzy riffs, and galloping bass lines. Megamouth is retro-inspired stoner rock on steroids: bigger, stronger, and faster; a must-have in your collection this year.
3. MOON WIZARD - SIRENS
Moon Wizard has done a phenomenal job of providing us with a quality slice of the groovier side of doom. Moon Wizard is a band from Salt Lake City Utah whose members, believe it or not, come from black/death metal roots. Their new album, Sirens, is sonically nestled among the doom, proto metal, and occult rock genres. The album has a very cool, fantastical atmosphere and gives big Pale Divine vibes.
4. HUNDEN - A CALMING PRESS
Hunden is a band that will never leave you wanting for two things: variety and big riffs. A Calming Press is a unique amalgamation of alternative rock and stoner metal. There's always a heavy undertone, rife with emotion, but also an openness and brightness that is primarily helped along by some very powerful vocals and vocal harmonies. It’s a very admirable debut album from Hunden, busting right out of the gate with proof that the band can play (and sing/scream) multiple styles of heavy music in a very expressive way. This is a must-have album for those occasions when you have no idea what you’re in the mood to listen to.
5. LES MOONTUNES - ELEPHANT WIZARD
Elephant Wizard wins the prizes for creativity and originality this month for creating the only jazz fusion album you'll ever need. Jazz fused with what, you ask? Well, several things. This conceptual masterpiece utilizes jazz (of course), progressive rock, psychedelic rock, doom, classical, lounge, and more to create an out of this world sonic experience. The jazz influence dominates the album with the elements of the genre that one would expect; standout groovy bass lines, brass/woodwind instrumentals, classical piano, and velvety smooth vocals. Much as I imagine a real elephant wizard would be, Les Moontunes has a sound that is larger than life, surprising, majestic, a bit of a trip, magical, and frankly, a bit inspiring. Hear me out: if I had some entrepreneurial know-how and a small business loan, I'd open up a stoner jazz lounge and play stuff like this all night every night.
6. SANTACREU - CANÇONS D'AMOR, DOL I ENYORANÇA
Considering its title translates to "Songs of Love, Sorrow, and Longing," it's probably not a shock that Cancons d'Amor, Dol i Enyoranca is quite the emotional journey of an album. The lyrics are ever so expressively and beautifully sung in the Catalan language, but you don't have to speak the same language to feel the intense passion of the album. Cancons d'Amor, Dol i Enyoranca has a way of painting images on your brain as you listen to it. For me, these were images of ancient things, once grand and imposing, lost to time and human conquests.
There you have it, kids! I hope you all dig these albums as much as I do. As always, make sure to show your favorite underground bands some love on the social medias and your favorite music streaming platforms. And of course, head on over to the Doom Charts to check out many more cool bands who released amazing albums in January 2024. Until next month...hopefully with a much longer list in tow.
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