The Skygreen Leopards - LP Discography (2000's)

The Skygreen Leopards seemingly have the recipe for excellent psych-folk down pat. Glenn Donaldson and Donovan Quinn have released 4 LPs and a bunch of EPs since they formed the group in 2001. They each have their own solo projects in addition to this, Glenn Donaldson with the Giant Skyflower Band (see post below) and Donovan Quinn with the 13th Month. It amazing to me that these guys dont receive any attention at all, even though all of their albums have received great reviews from many sources and they have such a unique approach to this often monotonous genre. Due to the fact that all of their albums are pretty similar to each other in their fuzz-folk psychedelic nature, i decided to post links to all of their LP's that i could find. They have been my obsession for the past few weeks, and although it took me awhile to get used to the soft, wavey/warbley vocals, it is well worth the effort. For fans of Elephant 6 bands, new-weird America, freak folk, and psych folk, these guys are definitely worth checking out.

I would listen to Life and Love in the Sparrow's Meadow to get started with their vibe, although my favorite is Disciples of California with its catchy and well structured songs.

One Thousand Bird Ceremony (2002)

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Life and Love in the Sparrow's Meadow (2005)

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Disciples Of California (2006)

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Gorgeous Johnny (2009)

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Giant Skyflower Band - Blood of the Sunworm (2007)

Giant Skyflower Band are a supergroup of sorts containing various band members from various other "new weird america" psychedelic bands such as the Skygreen Leopards and Flying Cannon. Glenn Donaldson fronts this group and if i hadent found out this album was put out in 2007, i would have guessed that it had been released somewhere from 1969-73. This excellent acid folk album sounds very out of place with all the synthed out shittiness that passes for "freak folk" these days. This dreamy sounding record has great instrumentation which stays true to its late 60's roots with inclusion of traditional pysch instruments like sitar. Donaldson's voice at first was off putting to me, but after a few spins i realized that it fits perfectly with the overall "coming up" mood of the entire album. Some of the best tracks don't even feature his voice and only rely on in your face psychedelic hooks that i would put up there with the best of them from back in the day. Im very surprised that this album hasn't made waves, they really do deserve the recognition.

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Entrance - Wandering Stranger (2004)

When i first heard of Entrance naturally i listened to his first album. Its full of great minimalistic freak folk songs, then i listened to his third album it was full of hard stoner rock. With a discography with such variety in musical styles, his second album Wandering Stranger is no exception to his modus operandi. In this album he presents himself as a folkly blues musician, crafting many of his own songs and covering many public domain delta blues tunes. He often only accompanies himself with an acoustic guitar and his masterful blues styling with occasional accompaniment by a fiddle and electric guitar. This channels a blend of freak folk and old delta blues acoustic guitar players such as Robert Johnson or Big Bill Broonzy. A great find among all the freak folk artists coming out of the woodwork these days.

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pAX_LYI939g