New-ish Releases: Les Big Byrd

The downside of decades of obsessive music listening & collecting is that it becomes increasingly rare to have one of those "this is my new favorite band!" moments. So it's always refreshing when you randomly stumble across an artist you haven't heard before and spend a few days listening exclusively to their music.

Anyway, I recently came across the latest release from Swedish psychedelic act Les Big Byrd, Ruin Everything, which sent me scurrying back through their archives (this is their fifth full-length, along with myriad singles/EPs). Their music, for the most part, is heavy-groove stoner rock with Krautrock roots, slotting in nicely alongside similarly deep-space-mining acts like Wooden Shjips/Moon Duo, the Vacant Lots, and Vibravoid (another one I discovered earlier this year). Most their songs are in English, though there are some in their native tongue, but it's largely moot as much of their work is more about the trippy vibe than the lyrics. (That said, they do have some more traditional rock songs scattered about.)

You can find their latest album, and much of their catalog, over at Bandcamp. Your homework assignment for the weekend is to help yourself to an after-dinner gummy, or the relaxant of your choice, dim the lights, and crank up some Les Big Byrd. I've even thrown together a sampler of their most headphone-friendly grooves to get you started, at least if you're Spotify-enabled.