“Hydronaut” by Shiva the Destructor – another #HastyMusicReview to #SupportUkraine

Some of you may be trying to support Ukrainian musicians with the #Music4Ukraine Challenge, but maybe you don’t know where to start. I’m here to help. I will be publishing a series of mini blog posts about some of the great Ukrainian music I’ve found, and I’ll give tips about the types of listeners I think might enjoy it. If that description matches you, then I hope you’ll dig further into the artist to learn more and share what you find with your music-loving friends!

“Hydronaut”

By Shiva the Destructor

The first thing I notices was the stunning psychedelic temple artwork.  It gave me a sense being drawn into an epic story, and the music delivered!

The song starts with a swirling with delay effect accentuated by modulation creating an underwater feeling.  Eventually a gnarly and present bass lick sludges through the bottom end foreshadowing the journey that is to come.

Guitar riff slides up the neck then abruptly gets choked off gives just a moment of respite, allowing the tune to gasp for breath before it digs back in.

Eventually the tune dies off again, but instead of starting back up as it was, it restarts with series of bright arpeggios. This creates a slightly more optimistic vibe for just a moment until the heavy guitars assault the low end again- this time they crush with increasing pressure.

You might be lulled into thinking that this is a purely instrumental tune, but so you may be surprised when the lyrics start 3:26 into the song.  Be patient.  The voice is haunting and at times trippy- spinning in the swirling into and out of the guitar lines. 

The lyrics are poignant and dark- it’s one of the few songs I’ve listen to that has a full set of discernable lyrics, sung in English.

After the vocals tell their story, the guitars pick up the intensity again and wander through a harmonized solo, ultimately arriving in the land of ambience, where they joined by an organ that opens a gap for the lyrics to rejoin the mix one final time.

Hydronaut is a beautiful soundscape that envelops a heavy griding rock tune. I think it’s likely to be enjoyed by the subset of Tool fans that don’t need everything to be super heavy (sorry, I know some of you need it to be ultraheavy and this isn’t for you), grunge fans, psychedelic rock, fans of dark complex grooves, stoners

If you’re looking for other great Ukrainian music, I encourage you check out the playlist below. As I find more tunes, I’ll add them there.  I plan on publishing more “Hasty Music Reviews” like this to help you find the artist that bests suits your style. Also, if you’re interested in learning more about #Music4Ukraine be sure to check out my Listen for A Cause post.

“I’m the Mountain” By Stoned Jesus – A Hasty Music Review to Support Ukrainian Musicians #Music4Ukraine

Some of you may be trying to support Ukrainian musicians with the #Music4Ukraine Challenge, but maybe you don’t know where to start. I will be publishing a series of mini blog posts about some of the great Ukrainian music I found and I’ll give tips about the types of listeners I think might enjoy it. Be sure to listen to the song below and if you like it share it with your loved ones.

“I’m the Mountain”

By Stoned Jesus

• The A section begins with minor acoustic guitar arpeggios, with a looming bass drone.
• This is one of the few songs I’ve come across sung in English, the lyrics are dark – bemoaning a love gone wrong and accentuated with tight moaning harmonies.
• After the second verse the song stops abruptly and is restarted with a new acoustic lick, which is eventually joined by an acoustic drum set and bass.  It slowly evolves until the acoustic guitars are overtaken by spitting fuzzed out guitar.
• Until that point, it’s clear that the song is dark but the connection to 1990s grunge music becomes undeniable.
• At times the song has hints of a low-fi Soundgarden/Tool demo track, but it’s much rougher around the edges. 
• That is, with the exception that the vocalist doesn’t resemble Chris Cornell’s voice (no one does).  He’s got a deeper tone, more like Eddie Vedder in range but without the gravely tone.  In all fairness though, that is still a weak comparison, the singer of Stone Jesus has a sound that is all his own.
• This song is great for fans of grunge music or anyone looking for a soundtrack to accompany their feelings of isolation.

If you’re looking for other great Ukrainian music I encourage you check out the playlist below. As I find more tunes I’ll add them there and I plan on publishing more “Hasty Reviews” like this to help you find the artist that bests suits your style. Also, if you’re interested in learning more about #Music4Ukraine be sure to check out my Listen for A Cause post.

This playlist will be updated periodically as I find more great Ukrainian songs. I encourage you to make a similar list and share it with your friends and family.