Out After Dark

Tumbleweed Dealer ~ Western Horror (2014)

Our friends at Tumbleweed Dealer have returned to us once again, bearing new gifts as always. This time in the form of their latest full length album, "Western Horror". What they've put down is a spooky instrumental Stoner Rock journey through the old west, where the cloudy mist hugging the ground at night is pot smoke. The guys in Tumbleweed Dealer have always been great at playing instrumental stuff, not something every band can pull off, at least not for it's entire catalog of songs. But the Dealer keeps you on your toes, and now with this instrumental concept album they've put out, it's down right intriguing. They combine the influences of the old spaghetti western scores with spacey, groove heavy Stoner Rock to create more than just an atmosphere or soundscape, they paint an entire picture in sound. From the lonely, howling guitar parts to the upbeat, to the slightly folk influenced jams that are sprinkled throughout the album they've managed to put a new, unique spin on their already stellar sound for this album.

Since this is a concept album, it really should be listened to in it's entirety, and not picked apart track by track in order to get the full effect. From the very first notes on the opening "Bluntlust" you know you've stumbled into something different from anything you've really experienced before, with the lonely guitar opening like a stoned version of that same music you've heard in westerns so many times as the good guy starts out on his noble quest. It doesn't take long for the drums and bass to get in on the jam, kicking the song off with a bang. This is the start of our unsuspecting victim's journey, a pretty mellow send off into what will probably be the worst time of his life, with the tempo falling off around halfway through it's a pretty ominous sign of things to come. The next track "Slow Walk Through a Ghost Town" continues the story of our high seeking friend, with a suspense building guitar opening that does nothing but become more foreboding as the four minute tracks winds on. This opens more like a Doom Metal track than Stoner Rock, with the beat dragging its self along by the fat bass tone that's put down so nicely and cracking drums that sound nice and tight. The third track, Riding Upon a Skeletal Steed", opens with a bass and drum jam, bringing to mind images of someone racing across the landscape at night, doing their best to outrun the evil nipping at their heels. The guitar drops in after a short time and really lends to that feeling of unknowing as the song continues on and the suspense builds even further.

Not to give much more of this awesome album's secrets away, and blow all of the gems hidden within, but the five tracks that follow these are of epic proportions and round out the journey of our hero perfectly. While there is talk of a vinyl release in the works, even if it is a bit far away, you can get in on the digital version of this album over at the group's bandcamp starting today. If you don't check it out, you will be missing out on one of the coolest albums to hit the scene this year
~Skip

For Fans Of; Serpent Throne, Tuber, Earth

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A Deal With The Dealer

Tumbleweed Dealer ~ "Resurrected Yet Again" [single] (2014)

Tumbleweed Dealer probably don't need much of an introduction, but they're an instrumental Stoner Rock band from Canada, and have been making some noise for the last couple years, but with an album due out later on this year, they decided to re-record a song that was written in the group's infancy, with the new line up, and put it out with some killer accompanying artwork. The song kicks off with a hypnotic guitar riff, and as the other instruments drop in, it all starts to make sense and fill out nicely. After a few moments the whole thing takes on a very Bluesy tone, always keeping the groove firm however, and keeping those awesome guitar tones front and center. The bass keeps thumping right along with drums, finishing off the huge, entrancing atmosphere of the song, the sort that will have you hitting repeat more times than you'd care to admit. Seeing as how the track only lasts, an appropriate, four minutes and twenty seconds, it's relatively short for an instrumental Stoner Rock song. They make every minute count though, always coming at you with heavy riffs that force you to sit back and take notice, and inevitably get stuck in your head. You too, can get in on all the instrumental goodness, and that kill art work over at their bandcamp.
~Skip

For Fans Of; Serpent Throne, 35007, Earth

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Dreaming Of Deserts...

Tumbleweed Dealer - Self Titled (2013)

Tumbleweed Dealer are a fine example of not having to be surrounded by sand and cactus to create a true desert rock tone. Being from Montreal, I suspect they've never actually seen sand (Canada's like 90% snow and ice right?)... Anyway, they proved this once with their first EP Death Rides Southwards last year, and now the duo are back with their first full length album.
Straight from the get go you can hear how the guys have progressed since the EP. Having cultivated their own style of instrumental stoner post blues, this time around they've upped their game and given the whole effort more... body? Everything feels fuller and more layered. Where before they sounded like a duo, now they have taken on ambiance of a full quartet. Post rock harmonics meet the unique desert/southern rock twang more associated with bands from the likes of Tennessee or the west coast. It's like God Speed You Black Emperor meets Yawning Man. It's a pretty flawless display of technical ability, as the entire record evokes a certain surreal, slow and impending feel of slightly upbeat melancholy. It twists, turns and meanders through a truly moody post rock affair but just neglects to succumb to that usual familiar post rock tone. It's unorthodox but it actually works surprisingly well, although I imagine it won't be to everyones liking. As the occasional chugging guitar riff does rear its head, it is used more sparsely that I think most would wish. Which is really a shame because through those few heavy glimmers of thunder the guys do prove that they can really nail a good heavy groove. But who am I to tell them what direction to head in? If you like your bluesy post rock and anything remotely desert rock then I think Tumbleweed Dealer may just tick some of your boxes. Roll up some of the green or throw back a mushroom or two and loose yourself, because this would serve as a fantastic soundtrack.
~ Jay

For Fans Of; Yawning Man, 1000mods, Sungrazer, Palm Desert, Tuber

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Tumbleweed Dealer (320kbps)

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Blame It On The Chronic...

Tumbleweed Dealer - Death Rides Southwards EP (2012)

Boasting a name more worthy than most for playing stoner rock, Tumbleweed Dealer actually play a pretty unique mix of 70's inspired psych infused with modern stoner, desert and even a subtle hint of post rock. But forget that for the moment, lets give you the guys background...
Sometime in June of 2012, Seb Painchaud (member of The Last Felony, former member of Ion Dissonance, Nefastus Dies & Vatican) decided to indulge in the greeny goodness for the first time in years. Never one to do anything half way, in a few hours a three and half was turned into smoke and the inspiration hit him. He decided to write and record right then and there on his home studio some tracks inspired by bands like Earth and Horseback. Three songs were created that night and the following night he went at it again, creating two more songs, this time incorporating post-rock and math-rock influences. A few weeks went by, and the inspiration hit again and Seb, who had now returned to his old chronic self of yore, wrote and recorded a few more songs. All these songs were rough demos with simple drum loops and never meant for public consumption, but when he wrote and recorded Death Rides Southwards, he knew he had something. He knew he had found his sound.
In another drug filled evening with good friend and fellow The Last Felony band member Felix Roberge we’re rocking the tracks and decided to combine their efforts, and Felix would take over drum programming and supervise Seb’s hectic and drug laden recording sessions. Out of this collaboration came this Death Rides Southwards EP. Now the band is in the midst of recording its first full length album, entitled Dirt, once again in their home studio, and plan to release it and start doing the live rounds in early 2013. The guys have also now recruited Vincent Houde of Dopethrone as their drummer for both live shows and studio, and swear to keep drum tracks as is and avoid the over-editing that is plaguing the music scene these days.

For Fans Of; Earth, Mountain Witch, Horseback, Dixie Witch, Roadsaw

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Death Rides Southwards (320kbps)