new wave – 7th Level Music

Turn to Crime – Secondary

Detroit’s Turn to Crime have given us a cool record, Secondary, that I’ve read described as “record store clerk rock.” It’s not a bad description, because the whole album is full of stuff that would make you stop in your tracks and ask, “What is this?” if you heard it in a record store.

Starting with the funk bass and krautrock guitars of “Dead Man,” Secondary brings to mind beatnik dance parties and art happenings. Remember happenings? We need more happenings, and Turn to Crime seem to be providing the soundtrack for them with this record. “Chasing” is part-industrial, part-Warren Zevon and about being fed up with love, relationships, and drama (“I don’t feel like chasing you around,” they sing.).

“Get Your Pills from Tony,” a song about a drug dealer, has dark wave synths, distorted guitars, and sounds like an early Devo track. “Fall Down” brings psych-synths into the mix, showing that Turn to Crime is willing to give anything a go if it sounds good and is pure to their vision (and wait until the drums kick in!). The title track is outstanding with its hypnotic guitar riffs and late 70’s new wave synths.

“Her Love” is almost a Gary Wilson track (in terms of the lyrics about “real love”), except that it has underlying fuzz that’s absent in Wilson’s work. It’s a nice switch from the psych / no-wave guitar-driven material on the earlier tracks. “Don’t Let Go” is similar in theme (Don’t let love go once you’ve found it.), but the weird, warped guitars and vocals take the song deeper into no-wave rock. The album ends with “Mary Jean’s Chocolate Pie,” a song about a special dessert only served once a year. It’s weird and just what you’d expect from Turn to Crime by the time you get to the end of the record – a strange ending for an interesting record.

This is the quirkiest and most intriguing record I’ve heard in months. I need to track down more stuff by these guys, and I think a live show by them would be cool to say the least. Turn to Turn to Crime.

Keep your mind open.

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Gary Wilson releases excellent new single – “When Mary Comes Home Tonight.”

As if his excellent Christmas album wasn’t enough of a gift this year, avant-garde rocker / maestro Gary Wilson has released a new single before the end of 2016. “When Mary Comes Home Tonight” has a cool 1950’s Phil Spector sound to it, but with more fuzzy guitar than I’ve heard on other tracks by Mr. Wilson. It’s excellent and hopefully a glimpse of another full-length release from him soon.

Plus, he’s selling it for only a buck. You can’t miss.

Keep your mind open.

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Gary Wilson – It’s Christmas Time with Gary Wilson

Gary Wilson releasing an album of original Christmas music? No standards? I’m there. I’m there all through the holiday season.

After a brief introduction that features cackling geese, Wilson’s distorted voice repeating “holiday” over and over, and warped synths, It’s Christmas Time with Gary Wilson brings “A Christmas Tree for Two.” Wilson sings about buying a silver Christmas tree for his love. “I don’t wanna cut down a Christmas tree. It makes me sad when it starts to bleed,” Wilson sings. Would you expect Gary Wilson to have anything but a swanky reflective tree with a spinning multi-colored light under it?

“I Saw Santa Dancing in the Dark” has Wilson singing about his eager return to his hometown (Endicott, NY) and taking his girl to the famous (to him and his fans) north side pool before a return home for drinks and dancing, but the mysterious Linda is “crying in the park.” Will Gary’s date go as planned? Here’s a hint: It rarely does.

As evidenced on “A Sled Ride Tonight,” in which Wilson’s been dumped during the Christmas season and all he wanted was to take his lady on a sled ride. It’s a song that would fit on any of his records, let alone a Christmas album. The chaotic synth instrumental “The Snow” is a perfect musical accompaniment to the hypnotizing, weird visuals you get when looking at blowing snow in the headlights of your car at 2am. “Holiday” is a jaunty tune in which Wilson tells his girl he’s going to introduce her to “the chromium clown.” It might be a bit creepy, but the song is nothing but bouncy lounge fun.

It wouldn’t be a Gary Wilson album without him singing about his lost loves, and “Cindy Wants to Cry” certainly qualifies. Don’t miss the nice saxophone work and quirky percussion while he sings, “Linda wants to cry, Karen wants to cry, Cindy wants to cry on Christmas.”

“Wintertime in Johnson City” has Wilson excited about yet another upcoming date, but he admits that Johnson City is “a town that has no pity” and knows that she might not show up. Meanwhile, “It’s Snowing in Endicott.” “Sounds so nice, so sad,” Wilson says at the beginning of the tune. The town is forever linked with Gary Wilson, as are its painful memories known only to him. He has his house and Christmas tree ready, doing his best to cut through the gray skies and loneliness. Maybe he’ll get his Christmas wish this year, but you doubt it.

Wilson’s girl doesn’t make it to his house because she’s “Lost in the Snow.” He can’t find her, yet again, but he never gives up hope. This never-ending optimism is one of the best things about Wilson’s music. There are themes of loss, loneliness, and bad luck, but he always gets up from the couch after another lonely night in Endicott. He never gives up hope of a fun Friday night with Linda, Karen, Cindy, or others.

There’s wonderful jazz lounge piano in “She Danced Near the Frozen Lake.” “Let’s take a walk into outer space,” Wilson sings on “A Date for New Year’s Eve.” I can’t imagine a better way to start 2017 than that. I don’t know what Wilson’s going to with the “pound of baking flour” he mentions buying in the song, but I’m sure it will end up everywhere. Check out one of his live shows and you’ll understand.

“Santa Claus Is Coming to My Lonely Town” keeps hope alive once more. Wilson’s met a new girl he kissed on the planet Mars. Is this after Santa Claus conquered the Martians? He’s brought Wilson’s wish list and it’s all walks in the park, kisses in outer space, beautiful snow, and every night being Friday night. It’s a wish list we’d all take and far better than more junk you’ll hate in four months.

The album closes with the instrumental “Lonely Holiday,” linking it back to the beginning of the record. The Christmas spirit, like Wilson’s perpetual optimism and search for love, should last all year.

Keep your mind open.

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Gary Numan’s new PledgeMusic campaign chronicles his next album from beginning to end.

Rock / industrial / new wave / no wave / electro legend Gary Numan is putting together his 21st record. He’s chronicling the entire writing and recording process through a PledgeMusic campaign, and he’s asking for fans to help him through the creative process.

Numan plans to keep contributors updated through videos, music clips, and campaign updates. He admits he has no preconceptions for the record, according to the campaign’s page: “I have no idea how I want it to sound, or who will work on it with me, if anyone. It doesn’t even have a working title as yet. It’s as blank a canvas as I’ve ever had and everything that happens will happen with you as part of it.”

Most of the perks are already sold out, and there are still over 200 days until the album’s scheduled release date. It will be worth the price of the download alone to watch his creative process…or pitch in a grand for a private listening party!

Keep your mind open.

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Gang of Four – Live…in the Moment

Recorded live on November 06, 2015 at London’s Islington Assembly Hall, Gang of Four’s (Jonny Finnegan – drums, Andy Gill – guitar and vocals, Thomas McNeice – bass, John “Gaoler” Sterry – vocals) Live…in the Moment is a fine documentation of the edgy, post-punk legends’ raw power.

It begins with the fuzzy, almost frightening “Where the Nightingale Sings.” Gill’s guitar seems to double back on itself at points, and McNeice’s bass pounds out a killer beat. One of their biggest (and still truest) hits, “History’s Not Made by Great Men,” follows. McNeice and Gill get it off to a great start, and Finnegan puts down that slick groove that makes the song so good. Sterry sings to the back of the hall, urging the attendees and the rest of us to step up and move things forward instead of letting political opportunists get the best of us.

The squeaky and sultry sound of “I Parade Myself” is like something you’d hear as a bunch of strippers decided to beat up a rude customer outside the back of the club. The great beat on “Paralysed” is dub-like, but Gill’s guitar and vocals are almost shoegaze style. Sterry’s vocals on “What We All Want” are sharp and Finnegan’s groove is so good that he sounds like a human drum machine.

It wouldn’t be a Gang of Four show without “Love Like Anthrax,” one of the greatest post-punk songs of all time. Gill begins with guitar chaos that threatens to dissolve into madness before the rhythm section moves in to keep us and the song grounded. “Do As I Say” has Gill on lead vocals and he soon has the crowd chanting the chorus. “Stranded” is a modern post-punk gem, and “Damaged Goods” is another classic. Finnegan’s beats are dance floor-ready, and the rest of the band cooks like an Iron Chef right behind him. “Isle of Dogs” is a favorite with the London crowd, and you can’t go wrong with “At Home He’s a Tourist,” a classic song about man teetering on madness. Gill’s guitar is as bonkers as the song’s main character, and Finnegan beats his snare like it cut him off in traffic.

Gang of Four’s “To Hell with Poverty” is still one of the best post-punk songs ever written. McNeice’s bass work is especially good on it. Gill claims “Why Theory?” is his “feminist masterpiece” and “totally stolen from other people,” but that squelching, distorted guitar belongs to no one else but him. The album finishes with the solid rocker “I Found that Essence Rare.”

Live…in the Moment also comes with a DVD of the band’s performance in New York City in March of 2015. It’s a great bargain and a fine addition to Gang of Four’s discography.

Keep your mind open.

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Rewind Review: Early Indiana Punk and New Wave: The Crazy Al’s Year(s) 1976-1983 (2014)

I’m a Gen X’er, which means I grew up in the 1980’s, and I was among the first and last true punk rockers at East Noble High School. I was in a garage band (Stranger Yet) and spent my Sunday nights at a punk rock club (after which this blog is named) in a dive bar attached to a seedy hotel on the east edge of Fort Wayne, Indiana. So, the Early Indiana Punk and New Wave: The Crazy Al’s Year(s) compilation is right up my alley.

It’s a stunning collection of rare singles and live cuts from bands that mostly played in the Bloomington, Indiana area (the location of the short-lived club Crazy Al’s). Where Time Change Records found some of these cuts is beyond me, but I’m guessing they had a lot of friends involved in the punk and new wave scenes back then who contributed some of the recordings. I’m also guessing Time Change Records employs some of the best crate diggers of all time.

The two-disc set has many standouts. The Jetsons’ “Genetically Stupid” sums up how many people felt about us punk freaks back then, and Dow Jones and the Industrials’ “Can’t Stand the Midwest” sums up how us punk freaks felt about everyone else back then. Your Grocer’s Freezer’s “We’re All Gonna Die” is a perfect example of the nihilism that was always on the edge of the scene, especially when we all thought nuclear war was coming any second.

Want pure punk? Repellents have two solid punk cuts on the collection – “Technorama” and “AFC!” – and the Slammies’ “P-U-S” is another good choice. Cheeses from France’s “Heart of Gold” is wonderfully weird and almost a krautrock track. The Gizmos proudly display their love of the New York Dolls on “Mean Screen” and “Mommy’s in the Kitchen.” Joint Chiefs’ “I Hate Pretty Girls” is an anthem for awkward guys who were spurned or insulted by the cute girls in school.

It wouldn’t be an Indiana punk collection without the Zero Boys, and they have two fine tracks here – “Commies” and “I’m Absent.” We’re Jimmy Hoffa were a punk band that loved John Carpenter movie soundtracks, and their song “Rock ‘n Roll” is something you’d expect to hear at a club in Carpenter’s future NYC as Snake Plissken cracks heads on the dance floor.

I can’t help but think that the parents of the lead singer of the Panics were laughing as he sang “I Wanna Kill My Mom,” because the song is pure snotty punk hilarity. Dancing Cigarettes’ “Pop Doormat” sounds like the Kinks if the Kinks decided to become a new wave band. Last Four (5) Digits bring in a goth touch on “Don’t Move” that is somewhere between Bauhaus and early Wall of Voodoo. Cast of Thousands brings an angry Brit-punk sound on “War Maker.”

Amoebas in Chaos bring back the fun with “Have You Slugged Your Kid Today?” and “Ronald Reggae” (which is live punk chaos with saxophone and plenty of guitar feedback). E-in Brino’s “Watch Alarm” is fine post-punk with heavy synths and and near-frantic vocals. Vibrato Fetish rounds out disc 1 with the rocking “Surf Bandits.”

Yes, all that’s just on the first disc.

There are plenty of prime cuts on disc two. The New Avengers’ “Mary’s in a Coma” is a lost 1980’s track you swear you’ve heard before and is even better than you remember it. The Positions’ “Follower of the Space Race” is great new wave, sounding like a mix of Devo and the B-52’s. Your Parents’ “Whiplash” is heavy post-punk, and “No Substitutions” shows their Ramones influence. The Race Records’ “Baby Take Me Back” brings rockabilly into the mix.

Lip Service’s cover of “Money (That’s What I Want)” is full of skronky guitar and peppy organ, and MX-80 Sound’s cover of “Paint It Black” is a slick instrumental. The Obvious’ “Feelings of Love” sounds like an early Blondie track. Hugo Smooth’s “Won’t Play Bumpum Cars” is so new wave that it wanders into a jazz lounge hosted by Frank Zappa. Club Pressure’s “Slinkin’” is fine punk-reggae, and the Shouts’ cover of “Gloria” (which seems to have always secretly been a punk song) is outstanding.

It’s an essential mix of Midwest punk and new wave acts, and God bless Time Change Records for putting it out there for us old schoolers and new fans alike.

Keep your mind open.

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Gary Wilson to release Christmas album.

File this under: Best News You’ve Heard Today.

Avant-garde psych-lounge master Gary Wilson is releasing a Christmas album three days before Halloween. It features 14 tracks of Wilson’s take on the holiday season. The titles reflect a lot of Wilson’s favorite themes – love (“A Christmas Tree for Two”), breakups (“Santa Claus Is Coming to My Lonely Town”), desire (“A Date for New Year’s Eve”), the town of Endicott (“It’s Snowing in Endicott”), and the mysterious women he references on his albums (“Cindy Wants to Cry”).

This will probably be my go-to gift for many people on my Christmas list this year. Be sure to put it on yours.

Keep your mind open.

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Gary Wilson – It’s Friday Night with Gary Wilson

I’ve been mildly obsessed with Gary Wilson’s music since seeing him perform at Levitation Chicago earlier this year. It’s to the point where I’m probably dressing up as some variation of him for Halloween. I’ve been awaiting his new record of avant-garde lounge music, Friday Night with Gary Wilson, for months.

It starts with the brief, chaotic, and weird “A Tree Cries in the Wind.” It’s some sort of tape-looped fever dream of a car crashing through a swanky bowling alley lounge and then into the recording studio next door. It moves into “I Want to Hold Your Hand Tonight,” which gets us back to familiar Gary Wilson material – A guy just wants the chance to treat his lady (the ever-mysterious Linda, in this case) right. “Every night is Friday night,” Wilson sings as he lays down peppy electric organ grooves. Every night can be Friday night with Wilson’s music if you open yourself up to it.

Wilson tells Linda “I’m Going to Take You to a Thousand Dreams,” including flying to the moon, walking through the park, and making sweet love to the sound of a rather hot guitar solo. “You’re the Coolest Girl Tonight” isn’t about a girl who’s cool as in Miles Davis / Fonzie / Joe Cool-type of cool. It’s about a girl who’s cold to everyone around her, but Wilson can’t resist her beauty and the chance to thaw out this fine lady and show her a good time.

Gary Wilson’s Fridays aren’t always smooth, however. “Sick Trip on Friday Night” has him too timid to talk to Linda, even though he knows he’s the right guy for her. He goes through it every weekend. The quirky synths on it bounce like the thoughts and dreams in his head.

“Yeah, let’s swing,” says Wilson at the beginning of “We’ll Dance into the Stars.” Dancing on the moon and through the galaxy is a common theme on the record, and this groovy lounge cut is perfect for a slow dance (or an all-skate) aboard your favorite starcruiser.

Wilson’s obsession with Linda continues on “Like a Scene from a Movie Long Gone.” It even starts with the lyric, “Gary loves Linda.” Wilson sings about himself in the third person and then in the first, so you’re never sure how much of his songs are fantasies and how much is something that really happened to him. The song has some of his best electric piano work on the record.

“The Mermaid Song” is about a dream in which a mermaid sings for Wilson from the ocean, possibly luring him to either the love of his life or his doom. Wilson drops Linda, Cindy, and Cheryl’s names, but is any of them the mermaid, or is the mermaid a composite of all of them? Wilson’s synth work on it is outstanding. Beck wishes he had grooves this good.

The drums on “Soon I’ll Be Kissing Sandy” almost sound reversed, but the song is too playful to be weird. “Linda” returns after that, with some nice strings accompanying her. Wilson name checks his band (the Blind Dates) in it, and even one of his best hits, “Linda Wants to Be Alone,” in it. The groove on this is so sick that it needs antibiotics.

Even a song with such a blue title as “You Made Me Feel My Misery” can’t avoid Wilson’s ultra-lounge grooves. Wilson pines for a lost love, even though the relationship was miserable. “I Thought of You Last Night” is a weird mix of crowd noise, ambient piano, drunk synths, and something a bit nightmarish. It quickly fades into “I’ll Make You My Dream Girl,” which makes me wonder about Wilson’s obsession with the girl mentioned in the song.

The album ends with “Sometimes I Cry Late at Night,” an instrumental that showcases what a damn good pianist Wilson is. His skills are easy to miss in many of his songs as you listen to his quirky lyrics or dance to his lounge grooves, but Wilson is a fine jazz player who can put it down with the best of them.

You could spend your Friday night watching bad TV and eating those leftover chicken wings, or you could spend it with Gary Wilson, the Blind Dates, Linda, Sandy, Cheryl, Cindy, and a bunch of other fine ladies. I know what I’d pick.

Keep your mind open.

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Rewind Review: Gary Wilson – You Think You Really Know Me (2002 reissue)

I got to Gary Wilson late, so shame on me. I, like many Gen X’ers, first heard his name dropped by Beck but I had no idea who he was. He was Beck’s cool next-door neighbor for all I knew. Having Gary Wilson as your neighbor probably would be the coolest thing on Earth, because the guy’s an avant-garde music legend who has influenced more musicians than we can probably ever know, and he started this musical tidal wave with his debut album You Think You Really Know Me.

The album starts with “Another Time I Could Have Loved You,” which is a quick instrumental mix of electric piano and distorted guitar. It’s like Steely Dan and the Blade Runner soundtrack got in a car crash. Just when you think the album’s going to be all weird noise rock like Lou Reed’s Metal Machine Music, along comes “You Keep on Looking” with its peppy synthesizers, fat synth-bass, and Gary Wilson’s love-lounge vocals.

“6.4 = Make Out” is one of his classics. It’s a slow jam about a familiar theme – Gary craving for (and yet at his wit’s end with) a mysterious woman. “I don’t kiss on my first date,” he tells us, but you don’t really believe him as the song dissolves into what sounds like distorted thunderclaps before that slick groove returns.

“When You Walk into My Dreams” is so damn funky that it should’ve been one of the greatest hits of 1977. The groove on it rivals Boz Scaggs’ “Lowdown,” the guitar solo is tight, and the lyrics are even more fun than the ones in Scaggs’ hit.

“Loneliness” is haunting, weird, and unsettling. It reminds me of Ennio Morricone’s lesser-known slasher film score work. It’s full of running water sounds, dissonant organ, and scratchy, slowed vocals.

“Cindy” is one of many women often featured in Wilson’s lyrics (Karen, Linda, Debbie, and Cathy being some of the others). “Pick me up around 9:20, but you better call first,” Cindy tells him, and he sings and dreams about making out with her for most of the night. “You Were Too Good to Be True” is a break-up song, sure, but it’s such a ferocious lounge-jazz jam that it’ll help you get over that lost relationship pretty quick.

“Groovy Girls Make Love at the Beach” is about Wilson wishing he could take Debbie down to the beach for an epic make-out session, but she’s “out of reach,” as is Cathy. He’s alone on another Friday night, but the song’s too fun to make you think striking out with two ladies crushes him. He’ll get back on the horse next Friday.

“I Wanna Lose Control” is Wilson playfully giving his lady some pillow talk about all the cool things they’re going to do on date night (swimming, hanging out with friends, etc.), but he does warn her he wants to go bonkers for fifteen minutes first. The title track is a precursor of vaporwave with great psychedelic touches and a beat structure that doesn’t seem to make sense at first.

“Chromium Bitch” is another of Wilson’s greatest hits. It has get-your-freak-on synths as Wilson sings about making kinky, sweet love to his girl. “I wanna make you my chromium bitch. My bitch. My bitch! Hey, I’ll be kissing you tonight.” He’s not a complete Dom, however. “And when you wanna go to the dance, I’ll be there, too. I’ll be smiling. I’ll be smiling, ‘cause I love you.”

The album ends with Gary Wilson finally getting to make out with Karen, Linda, Debbie, or Cathy on “And Then I Kissed Your Lips.” The whole album is like a diary of Wilson’s swinging weekend with hopeful plans (“6.4 = Make Out”), plans that went wrong (“Loneliness”), ones that look promising (“Cindy”), and ones that pan out to his delight (“Chromium Bitch”).

Again, shame on me for taking so long to find this masterpiece. Shame on you if you still haven’t heard it. Mr. Wilson has a new album due out this summer. I’m glad he’s still at it, and I hope he’s taking time to hang out with groovy girls at the beach. He deserves it.

Keep your mind open.

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