-valis Pick of the Week

Hail Voyagers! Our Pick this week calls Brussels, Belgium, home and launching spot: Moaning Cities! Thier debut long-player, Pathways Through The Sail, is out now on vinyl & CD via Mottow Soundz.

"Moaning Cities is a psychedelic Rock-n-Roll band formed in Brussels in late 2011 with an urge to play music together and blending blues roots, gritty rock guitars with sitar-driven psychedelia. Combining electric guitars and oriental instruments like the Sitar, Saz or Oudou was the natural way to combine Western and Eastern sounds, old and contemporary influences into one flow of inspiration that would reflect the contrasted and diverse characteristics of the cities that we live in and travel to." Citing a diverse range of influences, from "The Doors, The Velvet Underground, 13th Floor Elevator, The Sonics and more recent bands such as The Black Angels, BRMC, or Dead Meadow, the Black Diamond Heavies, as well as North African and Middle-Eastern traditional music," it's apparent upon delving into this great debut they've consumed more than their influences to deliver a solid, accomplished first release.
I certainly hear the influences and would add Elephant Stone to the list, whether they're aware or not. Like Rishi Dhir and Co., they've a knack for creating and combining radio-ready tracks straddling the rock- and psychedelia-loving camps. Comforting to know the world-wide spore has cropped up in Belgium! We're going to want MORE!

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You can listen to the archived stream here; or, hear it this Friday, on The Dead Man's Turn Me On, Dead Man show on Live365, where it's heard every Friday at noon eastern time, as well as Mr. Atavist's Sunrise Ocean Bender show, heard every other Thursday from 11pm to 1 am eastern, on WRIR in Richmond, VA.

Note:
Adding the Pick of the Week to their show is Dogs Got A Bone out of Edinburgh, Scotland, from 10pm to midnight, Mondays, U.K. time, (adjust accordingly,) on Belter Radio. Thanks Col Chant!