Written By: Chris Parsons

Welcome back from the holidays! We’ve already undergone the mysterious transition into the “14th Baktun,” and are looking very much towards the prospects of 2013 on the horizon. Because of this in-between period, I’ve decided to draft up a retrospective for 2012. Fear not, this is not the typical ranking of the year-end “Best of…” or “Top 10, 20, 30” lists of bands and/or musical projects. Instead, I am very happy to squeeze 5 impressive artists from 2012 into this featured serial release over the weekend, before the slew of 2013 releases beginning pouring through the ozone. Since my inception into The Process Records/Think Like a Label back in April, my music collection and network has largely, and tastefully exploded and these psychedelic bands are ones that I’ve been particular smitten by, the only delay in their features being either the result of catching wind of the releases a bit too late or the increasing athletic trend of projects which are intent on producing an overwhelming output of multiple full-length releases in a single year. (Part 1) | (Part 2) | (Part 3) | (Part 4)

The RocKandys

Here is the final installment of TPR-Mag.com’s five part, 2012 retrospective holiday series. October 2012 saw the release of The RocKandys‘ debut LP, “The Breaking Dawn Will Crown the One Who Let the Morning Glint to Come,” the title seemingly exuding the brilliance of epic prose in and of itself. This psych outfit seems to be split between Grenoble (France) and Berlin (Germany), while their record was cut in Berlin at the Anton Newcombe Studio. Having such a legendary ear and mind (Newcombe, founder of The Brian Jonestown Massacre) personally invested in and supportive of the project should convince you with enough reason and curiosity to go ahead and indulge: click “play.” The album has been touted as an alternative and psychedelic rock masterpiece, and I would even go a step further to call The RocKandys‘ sound “psychedelic pop” as each of the 11 tracks are perfectly composed and arranged so that everything single second sounds deliberate, yet natural; every piece just falls right into place and your ears can’t get enough after just one listen. While every part is crucial to The RocKandys sound, notable ear candy is supplied by a 12-string guitar, organ, as well as great detail executed in the vocals and lyrical composition.