News from Merlins Nose Records: In Gowan Ring & Arrowwood

Aloha Folks!

I know it's been a while again since my last post here. I hope to find back to the weekly rythmn of posts soon again. We were moving and when this was done, the new LP's I'm introducing to you today arrived here and I had too much work with packing, processing order etc. ...so there was somehow a lack of time, and tons of emails are waiting for a reply too, ... but now back to the maintopic of this post: A lot of people were involved in the postproduction of these albums. The result was an enormous delay.  But fiInally - approx. one year later than originally planned - they are finished and in stock. Merlins Nose Records now proudly presents two very fair and beautiful releases from the Psych-/Pagan-/Neo-Folk scene. Below you'll find further informations, reviews, sounds and links about them. Enjoy!

Arrowwood - Beautiful Grave (CD/LP)
File Under: Psych Folk / Pagan Folk / Neo-Folk

Sound:

Feat. Kim Larson (aka "Of The Wand & The Moon") and Pythagumus Marshall (from "Novemthree")! Mixed & Mastered by Eroc! With mystical nature-photos licensed from Florent & Maxime Courty and great artwork-layout by Kiryk Drewinski!

Sometimes music tells you more about its creator than he himself could ever do. Chelsea Robb, born in Albion, now residing in the mystical north west of the USA already fits well with the image of an incarnated elementary spirit from her whole appearance and has opened the gates to the magical kingdom in a musical way. Gentle, ethereal and sometimes even ghostly haunting sounds, created on all acoustic instruments such as flute, hurdy gurdy, reed organ and several stringed instruments apart from the classic acoustic guitar build the fruitful soil for a mystifying vocal performance by Ms. Robb who also perfectly performs in a duet with an even more powerful male voice courtesy of NOVEMTHREE mastermind Pythagumus Marshall. An enchanting swarm of different rattles, timbers, bells and rainmakers comes buzzing around the melody patterns, only scarcely driven by an occasional hypnotical beat of a hand drum. The surreal beauty of this second full length album by the project under conduction of Chelsea Robb knows to enchant the listener every second and to tickle his senses. This way even soft, calm and dreamy music can be utterly exciting. The spell of the magic kingdom works well into our dimension through the music of ARROWWOOD.

Formats / Purchase:
LP (Black): 180g Vinyl / Heavy Sleeve / Gatefold
LP (Col. - Ltd. to 100): 180g Vinyl / Heavy Sleeve / Gatefold
CD: Jewelcase / 12-Page Booklet - [will arrive later]

you can purchase the new Arrowwood album at Ebay:
http://stores.ebay.com/Surreal-Peppermint-Store/_i.html?_nkw=Arrowwood&submit=Finden&_sid=882387916
 

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In Gowan Ring - The Glinting Spade (CD/LP)
File Under: Psych Folk / Drone / Songwriter / Neo-Folk

Sound:
 
No Overdubs or synthetic sounds were used for this album. Everything you’ll hear on this album got recorded with physical vocals and instruments only. Long time out-of-print and highly demanded album, finally available again with new artwork by Kiryk Drewinski and new mastering by Eroc!

People have visions, grown and evolved in the world within to be transcended into the world outside. IN GOWAN RING is the vision of the American musician Bobin Eirth aka B'ee. It shows a man on his journey, incarnating the music of his soul. B'ee creates a truly vivid organism of sound which becomes outlined more an more during the creative process. Next to the folk traditions of the western world B'ee has studied different music from many cultures to explore all similarities and differences and to make it all become part of his inner vision. His works arise from the depths of his soul. This explains why he just created three albums within the first ten years of his career. The third album „The glinting spade“ was awakened between 1997 and 1999 during a period of complete isolation and the detection of new musical influences with a childlike passion. No big surprise that this music is a rather intimate affair. B'ee's compositions are captured and detained by him and his fellow musicians partly with regular, partly with unique instruments that were created just for those recordings. The spiritual mood of the songs gets driven by enchanting melodies and quite often ends up in rather mystifying kaleidoscopes of sound. B'ee adds fresh inspiration and creativity to the tradition of the great ancestors of psychedelic folk and singer / songwriter of the 60s and 70s just like Donovan, Perry Leopold, Nick Drake or Exuma. It is a blessing for all music lovers that this long out of print record now receives it’s well deserved reissue on vinyl and CD.

Our friend Klemen recently did an interview with B'ee. You can find it here:
http://psychedelicbaby.blogspot.com/2013/03/in-gowan-ring-interview.html
 
Birch Book - B'ee's sideproject - will be featured in the soundtrack of the upcoming otherwordly
documentary "The Fairy Trail". The Trailer can be watched at: www.fairytrail.tumblr.com

Formats / Purchase:
LP (Black): 180g Vinyl / Heavy Sleeve / Gatefold / Gold Print
LP (Col. - Ltd. to 100): 180g Vinyl / Heavy Sleeve / Gatefold / Gold Print
CD: 6-Panel Digisleeve / 16-Page Booklet / Gold Print - [will arrive later]

you can purchase the new Arrowwood album at Ebay:
http://stores.ebay.com/Surreal-Peppermint-Store/_i.html?_nkw=In+Gowan+Ring&submit=Finden&_sid=882387916

[2012] Jacco Gardner - Summer's Game / Clear The Air

Jacco Gardner is a talented young musician form the Netherlands. I recognised, who he is, after reading, that he played on MiriMay's single, that will hopefully be released on Saturno Records soon! In brackets I read "The Skywalkers" behind his name. Then I knew, I'd have to checkout his stuff too! Some of you might remember, that I posted a song by the Skywalkers some time ago (here you go). Their 2010 album "Year One" is just amazing! Due to strange results of effects that where added to the drum-section, the drum sounds quite unnatural, almost like an electronic drum, but it ain't one actually. However, Jacco's music is not only a great enrichment to the contemporary psychedelic scene, but also he seems pretty committed to his work. The US label "Trouble in Mind Records" released his latest single and will release his upcomming and new album "Cabinet Of Curiosities" on CD and LP (propably in february 2013). What to say about the sound? It's pretty mellow and dreamy and sometimes makes me think of Sunshine and Baroque Pop. The second video below even reminds on the early Pink Floyd stuff... I know it's a pretty canned comparison and too often used, but hear it yourself ;-). All in all it gets in a similiar direction than the Sufi's music (see some posts below), but it's less weird and trippy, it's more like having a daydreamy day and lying on a grassy hill, feeling a warm breeze, having flowers all around you and watching the clouds, while you are floating along with them... Don't forget to like Jacco on facebook: http://www.facebook.com/jaccogardnermusic

[1968] July - Dandelion Seeds

listen to the song:

July are an excellent example of UK Psychedelia. on their '68 debut album a fine blend of weird reverb and trippy stereo shenanigans drives their songs. most of them consist of a strong pop-vein that might be typical for records from the late 60's UK psych scene. on some tracks a sitar and eastern melodies emerge and build a kind of highlight for the whole album in my opinion. Dandelion Seeds appears to be a bit stoned and reaches it's peak with the dreamy passage somewhere in the middle of the playtime.

[1967] David Hemmings - Good King James

listen to the song:


Sitar, guitar and great singing. This is also a very mystical song, with acid lyrics, let me think a bit of the Incredible String Band. If you like this song, you also may like the other song by David, I upped on the Psychedeli-Jukebox: [1967] David Hemmings - Anathea. Enjoy! and let the colors take you to dreamy places. greetings, amadeus :)

[1969] Paul Parrish - Dialogue of Wind & Lover

listen to the song:


Paul Parrish released this song along with 11 others 1969 on his first LP "The Forest of My Mind". trancy Psychedelic Folk with sitar and Acid Folk influences. Sweet flute and dreamy lyrics. If you enjoy this track, than check out the rest of the album here (with dllink). greetings, amadeus :)!

[1969] Frabjoy & Runcible Spoon - Animal Song

listen to the song:


This is the B-side of the single "I'm Beside Myself", released 1969 in UK (Marmalade 598 019). Sweet Psychedelic with dreamy vocals. more... Enjoy! greetings, amadeus :)

[1969] The Fruit Machine - I'm Alone Today

listen to the song:


...dreamy psychedelic rock, soft male chorus, great guitar playing. Quotes from Vernon Joynson's
book "The Tapestry Of Delights", which feature further informations about The Fruit Machine can be
found in the comments. So I'm not repeating all that here too. But one aspect might be of high interest
 for alot of you anyway; two of the band's members later continued to play in the famous Progressive
Rock band "Rare Bird". Sadly The Fruit Machine itself never had some kind of real success.

[1970] Agincourt - Though I May Be Dreaming

listen to the song:


Gentle vocals, soft acoustic guitar and flute. It's all about beautiful, dreamy psych folk. My friend
Klemen from the It's Psychedelic Baby Magazine, did an interview with bandleader Peter Howell.
Check it out as well:

[1971] Witthueser & Westrupp - Orienta

listen to the song:


Withüser & Westrupp were a German acid folk and kraut duo, singing songs
with dreamy psychedelic lyrics. This song is about, well, find it out yourself:

Auf der Suche nach einem neuen Wech
klopfen wir an die Himmelstüre
ein Mann names Petrus öffnet ganz sacht
und er fragt: "Seid ihr es, die da kommen sollen,
uns den Shit zu bringen?"

Wir streichen aus, alle die wir kennen, uns eingeschlossen
und wir treten ein, in den Ewigen Frühling
wir sehen die himmlischen Heerscharen
mit den ewigen Joints auf ihren Wolken sitzen
und ihr Gesang steicht unaufhaltsam in den Händen der Sonne

Die sieben Erzengel bringen unsere ewigen Joints
und gemeinsam schweben wir zu den immer-grünen Liebewiesen
und wir stimmen ein in den Lobgesang der Engel auf Lordid Drack(?)



I will try to translate:
On the search of a new way
we are knoking on heavens door
a man named Petrus opened very gently
and he asked: "Are you the guys, that should come,
and bring us the shit?"

we scratch out, all we knew, even us
and we enter, into the eternal spring
we see the heavenly host
with their eternal joints, sitting on their clouds
and their singing rised inexorable in the hands of the sun

the seven archangel bringin' us our eternal joints
and together we floating to the indeciduous love-meadow
and we join in into the canticle of the angles on Lordid Drack(?)



...great guitar play, a lot of small instruments, stoned, in a trance - a whole chor. Enjoy!