Cherry Choke “Raising the Waters” (Elektrohasch Schallplatten)
Dai Family ai Kasabian, passando per Pesky Gee / Black Widow e poi Deep Freeze Mice e Volcano the Bear, la geografia musicale di Leicester (UK) offre paesaggi sonici in rappresentanza di una terra alchemica nei nuovi atlanti 
underground a cui ora possiamo aggiungere le esplorazioni del chitarrista Mathew Bethancourt nella materia rock-blues esposta a fenomeni hard-psyche-heavy-space che interagendo tra di loro ne modificano continuamente l’aspetto. Temi cari anche alle cronache stoner e ribaditi da Bethancourt a partire dai primi 2000 con Josiah e poi con The Kings Of Frog Island (più una piccola parentesi con gli svedesi Dexter Jones Circus Orchestra) lungo una decina di albums, espressioni di creatività costante proseguita nel 2008 con la fondazione dei Cherry Choke per attuare nel consueto power trio e debuttare l’anno successivo con un album omonimo. La formazione che include il bassista Gregg Hunt e il batterista Daniel Lockton (ex The Dérailleurs, autori nel 2007 di una garagepsych-gemma 7 pollici), prosegue nel 2011 con “A Night In The Arms Of Venus Leadsd to a Lifetime on Mercury” confermando un solido rapporto con l’etichetta tedesca Elektrohasch Schallplatten e 
le splendide grafiche dei Sons of Saturn ribadite anche in due favolosi singoli (sulla locale Blackhand Records, limited editions 99 copie!!). In questa fase iniziale la musica dei Cherry Choke sviluppa punk blues acidissimi in un’affascinante dimensione parallela tra Londra, Detroit e West Coast.
Il nuovo album “Raising the Waters” è decisamente più psichedelico, discendente di un suono che nasce da giganti come Jimi Hendrix e Cream e riconnette Cherry Choke alle precedenti formazioni di Bethancourt da cui significativamente si unisce il nuovo bassista Simon Beasley, ex Josiah.
Dopo 60 secondi le istruzioni di viaggio sono chiarissime, ‘Rage On’ esercita immediata attrazione con un crescendo caleidoscopico e sensuale in un ribollire fuzz-wah-wah affiancato dalle pennate acustiche di Stefan Koglek (produttore dell’album registrato nei suoi 
Colour Haze Studio di Monaco nonchè leader del gruppo Colour Haze). Atmosfere reiterate nelle stupende ballate ‘Used to Call You Friend’ e ‘Hypnotize Me’ che riprende il tema di ‘Rage On’ trascinandolo in un gospel cosmico per fondersi al calore stellare di ‘Where the Sun Rises’ dove contemplare l’orizzonte tra sciami di sitar e feedback. I tamburi all’idrogeno di ‘6ix & 7even’ innescano potenza underground (e significativamente) non solo nell’evocare gruppi inglesi fine 60 primi 70 (tra cui Andromeda e Steamhammer) ma anche nel creare composizioni originali in un laboratorio di libertà espressiva per inventarsi ‘Mindbreaker’, ‘Black Annes’ e ‘My Mind to Loose’.
Il finale è mozzafiato con ‘Discarded Hearts’, una ‘summer of love’ californiana dall’osservatorio dei Mighty Baby, base di lancio verso la ‘dark star’ generata da ‘Where The Sun Sets’ densa di effetti ultraelettrici in reverse. Il cerchio si chiude e tutto finisce come inizia ma procede rinnovandosi come l’energia liberata da “Raising the Waters” sotto forma di onde concentriche psichedeliche.
English translation on request, thanks!
Cherry Choke
“Raising the Waters”
(Elektrohasch Schallplatten)
From Family to Kasabian, through Pesky Gee / Black Widow and then Deep Freeze Mice and Volcano the Bear, the musical geography of Leicester (UK) offers sonic landscapes representing a land of alchemy in the new underground atlases to which we can now add the explorations of guitarist Mathew Bethancourt in the rock-blues matter exposed to hard-psyche-heavy-space phenomena that interacting with each other constantly modify its structure. Themes dear also to the stoner chronicles and confirmed by Bethancourt since the early 2000 with Josiah and then with The Kings Of Frog Island (plus a presence with the swedish Dexter Jones Circus Orchestra) on about ten albums, constant expressions of creativity continued in 2008 with the founding of Cherry Choke to implement in the usual power trio and debut the following year with a self-titled album. The band that includes bassist Gregg Hunt and drummer Daniel Lockton (formerly The Derailleurs, authors in 2007 of a garagepsych 7inch gem), continued in 2011 with” A Night In The Arms Of Venus Leadsd to a lifetime on Mercury ” confirming a solid relationship with the German label Elektrohasch and the beautiful graphics of the Sons of Saturn also reaffirmed in two fabulous singles (on the local Blackhand Records, limited editions of 99 copies!!). At this early stage the music of Cherry Choke develops some very acid punk blues in a glamorous parallel dimension between London, Detroit and West Coast.
The new album “Raising the Waters” is much more psychedelic, descendant of a sound that comes from giants such as Jimi Hendrix and Cream and reconnects Cherry Choke to the previous Bethancourt bands from which significantly joins the new bassist Simon Beasley, former Josiah. After 60 seconds the journey instructions are very clear, ‘Rage On’ exercises instant attraction with a kaleidoscopic and sensual growing in a fuzz-wah-wah burst joined by acoustic chord progressions of Stefan Koglek (producer of the album recorded in his Colour Haze studio in Monaco as well as leader of the group Colour Haze). Atmospheres reiterated in the beautiful ballad ‘Used to Call You Friend’ and ‘Hypnotize Me’ that takes up the theme of ‘Rage On’ dragging in a cosmic gospel and merge at the stellar heat of ‘Where the Sun Rises’ from which to contemplate the horizon between swarms of sitar and feedback. The hydrogen drums of ‘6ix & 7even’ trigger underground power (and significantly) not only evoking late 60s early 70s British groups (including Andromeda and Steamhammer) but also to create original compositions in a laboratory of expressive freedom to invent ‘Mindbreaker’, ‘Black Annes’ and ‘to Loose My Mind’.
The finale is stunning with ‘Discarded Hearts’, a Californian ‘summer of love’ from the observatory of Mighty Baby and launch pad towards the ‘dark star’ generated by ‘Where The Sun Sets’ full of ultra-electric effects in reverse. The circle is closed and everything ends as it begins, but proceeds renewing itself like the energy released by ‘Raising the Waters’ in the form of concentric psychedelic waves.