3rd Ear Experience-Stones Of A Feather (2016)

3rd Ear Experience is considered one of the most creative bands of the 21st century within experimental, psychedelic, and space rock. Led by guitarist Robbi Robb and keyboardist Amritakripa, the band's permanent members, their base of operations is located in the heart of the Joshua Tree Desert in the United States, a magical place where some of the members and collaborators of this excellent group reside. Their improvisational style departs from formal musical arrangements, delving into unpredictable rhythms, bold improvisations, and dynamic beats within the realm of space rock and psychedelic music. They began their journey in 2012 with the release of their debut album, "Peacock Black", and several years later came the album we're discussing here, "Stones of a Feather", the band's fourth chronologically. On this album, the duo is joined by Alan Swanson (keyboards) and Dug Pinnick (bass). In addition, half a dozen collaborating musicians also participated, including Chris Unck, Joshua Adams, Bobby Furgo, Craig Else, Steve Howells, John Whoolilurie, Kyle Hanson, John Smolinski, Richard Stuverud, Roger Arnold, and Damian Lester. "Stones Of A Feather" is a record that stands out primarily for its rich musical textures, with certain delirious atmospheres and multiple sonic layers. From contemplative pieces like "Return of the Peacock" to the enigmatic forays of "Chungo", passing through the hypnotic canvases of "Flight of the Annunaki" or approaches to psychedelic hard rock with the hallucinogenic "The Balladeer's Tale".

Øresund Space Collective-The Black Tomato (2007)

Øresund Space Collective is a multinational Danish-Swedish project formed in Copenhagen in 2004. Since their music is essentially a free and improvisational style of space rock with multiple influences ranging from hard rock and krautrock to jazz and psychedelic music, their recordings are as diverse as they are varied. With over 30 albums released, most of them have been recorded with different lineups in a kind of band-association of musicians that has earned them considerable prestige in the European progressive and avant-garde rock scene. Albums such as their self-titled debut (2006), "The Black Tomato" (2007), "Good Planets Are Hard To Find" (2009), "Music for Pogonologists" (2014) or "West, Space & Love Vol II" (2016), are unique and exciting experiences of galactic sounds, impeccable hypnotic rhythms, spacey guitars and predominant and driving organ and synthesizer sounds.

Hawkwind-Warrior On The Edge Of Time (1975)

With their fifth album, Hawkwind continued their progressive and lysergic journey, which they had begun with their previous album, "Hall of the Mountain Grill". "Warrior on the Edge of Time" brought together everything that had captivated Hawkwind up to that point. It's all present here, brimming with pure (and perhaps even exaggerated) poetic lyrics, tracks overflowing with flutes, echoes, saxophones, sharp, lysergic guitars, hazy bass lines, and diverse electronica with overwhelming synthesizers and mellotrons everywhere. It's an astonishing concept album based on tales of wizards and space wars, all bathed in psychedelic music. But in addition to the band's ever-intricate style, there were their frequent lineup changes, and this album was no exception. Keyboardist Del Dettmar left, and a second drummer, Alan Powell, joined, a factor reflected in the powerful and varied percussion sounds throughout much of the album. The opening track, indebted to the best of krautrock, “Assault & Battery/ The Golden Void”, immerses us in a complex composition with a stormy barrage of mellotron sounds combined with a heavy rhythm featuring flutes, organs, and a powerful bass line. “The Wizard Blew His Horn” is essentially an introductory piece by science fiction writer Moorlock, set against a backdrop of strident, surreal sounds, and serves as a prelude to the hypnotic, spacey “Opa-Loka”. This is followed by the frenetic, progressive “Magnu”, with its excellent riffs and powerful percussion, leading into the more spacey and electronic “Spiral Galaxy 28948”. The album concludes with the more purely rock tracks “Dying Seas” and “Kings of Speed.” “Warrior on the Edge of Time” is considered one of Hawkwind’s greatest contributions to history and a minor masterpiece of space rock. From here on, and following the trail of continuous defections, bassist Lemmy Kilmister would leave the band (he was actually expelled for drug smuggling and for his clashes with the rest of the members over musical differences), to later found the iconic heavy metal band, Motorhead.