Best of 2013

8) New Keepers of the Water Towers - Cosmic Child

I've spun this album a whole lot, but this is the first time I happened to see where New Keepers of the Water Towers were from, that being Sweden. This is a fairly major surprise for me because this music sounds very American to me. The music is heavily psychedelic rock/metal with plenty of thick amplifier worship, but there's a depth here not many similar American bands seem to achieve, complex chord progressions, smooth but captivating key changes, progressive song structures. Then it occurred to me that there's another Swedish band with a similar sound and a similarly complex delivery, Dozer. I don't know if there's any connection between these bands as they are very unique and take the music in different directions, but the existence of these two bands is going to make me take a closer look at the Swedish psychedelic rock/metal scene because as with a few things, the Swedes might just be better at it than we are.

Cosmic Child is really a stunning record from beginning to end. There might be a few naysayers taking a snooze during some of the more mellow or atmospheric passages, but it's because of all the weed and subsequent short attention spans. The album flows beautifully, creating tension and then resolving it in brilliantly creative ways. There are so many memorable passages, some with obvious influences. I would say there's a big Pink Floyd presence, maybe even a little Opeth, but everything sounds fresh, displaying a distinct personality. Even the production job is wonderful, each instrument mixed perfectly, complementing each other as the vocal guides you through very cosmic territory.