7th Level Music

Dream Nails get fit and free with new single – “Jillian.”

London punks Dream Nails have been the subject of considerable excitement in the UK since they first emerged on the DIY scene. Releasing a stream of singles and an EP, they have earned high praise from places like VICE, DAZED, The Guardian, Clash, Nylon and i-D who called the band “the best all-girl punk queertet since Bikini Kill.” Noted for their strong emphasis on empowerment from a queer feminist perspective and their involvement in a host of political causes, the band’s budding reputation has seen them tour in the UK and Europe with Cherry Glazerr and Anti-Flag, and make three consecutive appearances at Glastonbury all before releasing their first LP. Today the band are announcing their debut self-titled full length, which will be released August 28th by Dine Alone (City & Colour, Alexisonfire, The Chats) in North America and UK indie Alcopop! (Art Brut, Kississippi, Tigercub) for Rest of World.

WATCH: Dream Nails – “Jillian” video on YouTube

The band have been compared to The Slits (VICE) and Elastica (The Guardian) in the past, and shades of both are present on their latest single “Jillian,” a song about queerness, body positivity and problematic TV fitness celebrity Jillian Michaels.

“This is a song about realizing you’re queer while you’re doing a workout DVD,” explains singer Janey Starling. “It’s a personal-power anthem about finding the strength to come out; that’s what the line ‘I feel the fear leaving my body’ is all about.

“Both [bassist] Mimi and I discovered strength training through Jillian Michaels’ ‘30 Day Shred’ home DVD, and the catch-phrases were too good to not make a song from! Since then, she’s said some uncool and unkind stuff to Lizzo, which we were really gutted to hear. This song is very much about finding your own strength, regardless of your body shape.”

Dream Nails self-titled LP is due out August 28th via Dine Alone and Alcopop! Pre-orders for ‘Dream Nails’ are live today and can be found HERE. Physical vinyl bundle includes a 40-page signed zine. In true punk DIY fashion, the zine is handmade by the band, featuring lyrics, articles and background to the songs on the album.

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[Thanks to Tom at Hive Mind PR.]

Levitation France announces dates and first wave of line-up.

Music festivals are still scheduled in countries that have figured out how to handle a pandemic, and one of them is Levitation France October 09-10, 2020. Levitation Austin has been postponed until 2021, but the French festival in the groovy town of Angers is already touting its first lineup announcements.

Fontaines D.C. and Squid are current alternative rock darlings, and Zombie Zombie are personal favorites that I would love to see at Le Quai. I’ve heard good stuff from Black Country, New Road, and Slift seems to be everywhere on YouTube right now.

I don’t know if travelers from the U.S. will be allowed in France by October, but I might have to change my vacation plans if they are.

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[Thanks to the Reverb Appreciation Society.]

EMBR releases heavy new single – “Where I’ve Been” from upcoming album.

Birmingham, AL quartet EMBR share a video for a new track from their forthcoming debut album 1823 via The Obelisk. The album is the band’s first release signed to UK label New Heavy Sounds (Mammoth Weed Wizard Bastard, Vodun, Blacklab).

Watch and share “Where I’ve Been” HERE. (Direct YouTube and Bandcamp.)

Revolver Magazine previously launched the video for “Your Burden” HERE. (Direct YouTube.) CvltNation shared the single “Eyes Like Knives” HERE.

Four musical kindred spirits have delivered a crushing, yet beautiful debut album in 1823. At this point, it is worth stating that the title 1823 has special significance. It’s not just a numerical title, it has substance. Eric Bigelow (drummer) has been on the list for a kidney for around 4 years. Eric received a kidney transplant in May of 2019. This happened right in the middle of writing the album. The kidney was from a deceased donor and all Eric and Crystal Bigelow (singer and Eric’s wife) know about the donor is that it was a young woman between the ages of 18-23. The album is dedicated to the donor and the surgeons at Vanderbilt hospital in Nashville TN. And what a fine tribute it is. Musically, 1823 could be categorized as ‘Doom’. However, on this debut it’s obvious that EMBR have range, drive and a desire to add to the genre, to broaden it whilst staying true to its core fundamentals. Rest assured, the band have all the nuts and bolts in place. Mark Buchanan (guitar), Alan Light (bass) and Eric Bigelow (drums) keep everything tight and weighty. Massive drop-tuned guitars, chest rattling low end, pounding drums, fuzzy distortion, it’s all there. But they also add in synths, a bit of grunge and alt rock flavors.

The vocal talents of Crystal absolutely soar and strengthen the music. Her range, patterns and harmonies transport the band’s music skyward. Crystal adds soul and an air of melancholia to the musical creations. If a pointer were needed, think Mastodon meets Witch Mountain with epic sweeps and a shade of gothic drama. Tracks like ‘Prurient’ and ‘Where I’ve Been’ combine thick heavy riffs with Crystal weaving through, powerful and epic, yet soulful and intimate. Musically, the bands core vibe is keep it slow and low’ but EMBR aren’t afraid to mix it up a bit. ‘Stranger’ takes it down, allowing Crystal’s voice to float over the softer elements and riffs in an almost folk-like manner. ‘Powder’ channels throat ripping growls and soaring clean vocals in one loping relentless journey. ‘Eyes Like Knives’ , ‘Your Burden’ and ‘Vines’ are epic doom fests, drenched in gothic veils and dripping with thick distortion. The lyrics are deep and are usually written collectively by Crystal and Eric with one of them sometimes taking the reins on certain songs that they identify with. For instance, “Powder” is a song Eric wrote about past struggles and trying to power through them with relentless determination and positivity. “Prurient” was written by Crystal and initially was based on the 2016 movie The Boy but also was inspired by her past experiences with a haunting figure in her life. The songs on 1823 are loud, brutally beautiful, aggressive, abrasive and at times atmospheric, uplifting and emotional. Welcome to the next chapter of EMBR.
1823 will be available on LP, CD and digital on July 17th, 2020 via New Heavy Sounds. Pre-orders are available HERE.

On The Web:

embrrockband.com

newheavysounds.com

instagram.com/embr_band

facebook.com/embrband

twitter.com/embr_rock_band

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[Thanks to Dave as Us / Them Group.]

Review: Kestrels – Dream or Don’t Dream

The first thing you notice about Kestrels‘ new album, Dream or Don’t Dream, is the wall of guitar that smacks you in the face and then the soft vocals of guitarist / singer Chad Peck. It’s a powerful one-two combination, but in reverse – like a boxer whacking you with the cross and then fading out with the jab.

This is apparent in the opening track, “Vanishing Point,” which flows back and forth between roars and whispers. The equally heavy “Grey and Blue” includes some frantic drumming from Michael Catano and a guitar solo by none other than J. Mascis (who, of course, shreds it).

“I wanna be where you are. Could I find you there?” Peck asks on “It’s a Secret” – a rocking song about unrequited love that wouldn’t be out of place on a Matthew Sweet album. “Don’t Dream” crashes like surf waves and then bursts back into heavy guitar chords that remind me of Hum tracks. “A Way Out” has some of Catano’s snappiest drumming and I love how it’s on equal footing with Peck’s impressive guitar work throughout the track.

The raw fuzz of “Everything Is New” mimics the energy Peck probably felt while constructing the album after his original backing band split up in 2016. “Dalloway” has a cool, deep bass groove throughout it that mixes well with straight-up shoegaze guitars. “Keep it close from the start. Watch it all come apart,” Peck sings on “Keep It Close” – a song about how fast things can dissolve, and how to recover from such a thing. “Feels Like the End” has some neat chops from Catano that zig and zag around Peck’s shredding. “Lost in the thought again, feeling like it’s all going to end,” Peck sings on the closing track, “Say Less.” It builds to a crescendo and then pulls the rug out from under you to drop you into a psychedelic rabbit hole that leads to another tunnel of fuzzy distortion that takes you to Peck’s biggest and best solo on the record. It’s a hell of an ending.

Dream or Don’t Dream is a nice bit of shoegaze and dream pop that gets in your head with solid grooves and blistering guitar solos.

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[Thanks to Conor at Hive Mind PR.]

Review: The Beths – Jump Rope Gazers

Most, if not all, of The Beths‘ new album, Jump Rope Gazers, was written while the New Zealand band (Tristan Deck – drums, Jonathan Pearce – guitar, Benjamin Sinclair – bass, Elizabeth Stokes – guitar and lead vocals) was touring North America and Europe. They were thrilled to be making a dream come true, but still missing everyone back home and across the world as they made new friends.

Opening track, “I’m Not Getting Excited,” has Stokes singing about the thrill of those dreams and the tenuous grasp she has on them (“I’m not getting excited, ’cause my fight and my flight are divided, and so I don’t enthuse, keep my grip on joy loose.”). Pearce’s guitar solo on it is a ripper, and the following track, “Dying to Believe,” has Stokes breathing easy after cutting the cord on a bad relationship (“There was a weight that you were weighing down on me. Six months ago I could hardly breathe, and now I’m lighter, finally.”). The beat on it is great. It will get you moving with a joy that sneaks up on you.

The title track has Stokes missing a love separated from her by time and distance (“I’ve never been the dramatic type, but if I don’t see your face tonight, I…well, I guess I’ll be fine.”). It’s a lovely track with bright guitar chords to keep it from being too melancholy. The power pop groove of “Acrid” is a great contrast to the song’s title. “Do You Want Me Now” has some of the boldest lyrics about missing someone while on tour – “Long distance is the wrong distance. There has never been a gulf quite as great as the one we wished into existence.” Damn. That is real.

Deck’s drum work on “Out of Sight” is excellent, knocking out wicked snare licks and rim taps so fast that he sounds like a typewriter (Remember those?) being operated by the Flash. “Don’t Go Away” is a song directed at a friend of the band who “flew north, left us in the south” and has the band unleashing heavy Weezer-like riffs made for blasting out of your dorm room windows.

“Mars, the God of War” is a great song of rage disguised in a power pop tune. Don’t believe me? Then you’ll probably believe Stokes’ lyrics of “I wish I could wish you well, instead I’m hitting my head and hitting backspace on ‘Can’t you just go to hell.’ Boom. “You Are a Beam of Light” is a beautiful acoustic track about seeking bright light and feelings in dark times. The closer, “Just Shy of Sure,” has Stokes tip-toeing back into the pool of love, but asking her lover to be patient. She’s been gone for a long while and has almost forgotten how to engage in the “real” world.

It’s another lovely record from The Beths. Stokes is a keen lyricist who gets better with each record.

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[Thanks to Patrick at Pitch Perfect PR.]

So long, Maestro.

Ennio Morricone was probably the greatest film director who never directed a movie. Morricone‘s approach to creating a film score was that the music was never just a supplement to a film. Music was a character in the film.

Morricone’s impact on music and film is immeasurable. His Internet Movie Database profile lists 520 films scored. It’s probably more than that. The Italian film industry in the 1960’s and 1970’s was churning out so many movies per month that it was difficult to keep track of them all. Film scholars and historians will probably discover lost Morricone film scores for years.

He’s best known for his work in the Sergio Leone “Dollars” trilogy, otherwise known as the “Man with No Name” movies – A Fistful of Dollars, For a Few Dollars More, and The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. He scored many other westerns apart from that, including A Pistol for Ringo, Bullets Don’t Argue, Seven Guns for the MacGregors, Navajo Joe, and others both great and obscure. He scored action films, sci-fi films, dramas (His score for The Mission is legendary.), comedies, giallo films (many for Dario Argento), and horror films – notably John Carpenter‘s remake of The Thing. Carpenter and his band played Morricone’s main theme to The Thing when I saw Carpenter perform in Detroit.

He also composed a lot of great Bossa nova music and orchestral pieces. His music is instantly recognizable. You’ve heard it not only in hundreds of films, but also in thousands of TV shows from Moonlighting to The Simpsons.

He will be greatly missed, but he had an amazing life and career. The world is better for him being in it.

Rest well, Maestro.

Also, if you ever wondered what song I want played at my funeral, it’s this.

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Review: King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard – Chunky Shrapnel

The cover of King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard‘s “first” live album (not counting the three live recordings they released earlier this year to benefit Australian wildlife charities), Chunky Shrapnel, features an image of a seven-headed hydra (the same number of guys in the band) surrounded by speakers hooked up to analog equipment to produce weird digital images signifying their already tremendous output of albums and songs, such as Infest the Rats’ Nest (bottom middle), “People Vultures” (bottom right), and even the cyborg Han-Tyumi from Murder of the Universe (second down from the top on the right).

It’s a neat image because it not only tells you what’s in store for you on this great live album, but also a nod to the blending of music and modern technology. The band released a Chunky Shrapnel concert film in a limited stream earlier this year. A full-blown theatrical / wide streaming release is in the works, but this album is a great taste of what to expect from it – and any live KGATLW show (which never disappoint).

The album is sprinkled with studio instrumentals (“Evil Star,” “Quarantine,” “Anamesis”) and the rest is stuffed with live tracks recorded in Luxembourg, Madrid, Manchester, Utrecht, London, Brussels, Milan, Berlin, and Barcelona) over the course of their 2019 world tour. The first live track is a wonderful, jazzy version of “The River.” It’s a neat choice to open your live album with a mellow track (that blooms into an epic jam around the three-minute mark) to get the listener grooving. “Wah Wah” gets the Madrid crowd chanting and jumping. “Road Train” is a nice, crazy follow-up, and the trippy “Murder of the Universe” lets them jam at will as Han-Tyumi’s vocals echo around them from some unseen machine.

The version of “Planet B” unleashed on the London crowd is downright dangerous, somehow sounding twice heavier and faster than the album version (which is already damn heavy and fast). “Parking” is a fuzzy two-minute drum solo that leads into the blazing “Venusian 2” and “Hell” that threaten to incinerate and / or flatten the Milan venue.

The bluesy, swaggering “Let Me Mend the Past” gets the Madrid crowd whooping and hollering. “Inner Cell” brings back a bit of menace. “Loyalty” and “Horology” both flow well together and ease us back down before nineteen minutes of “A Brief History of the Planet Earth” pieced together from four different shows. The song ebbs and flows, being manic one moment and euphoric the next. It’s full of noodling jams and more fuzz than a koala bear. There’s even a moment when they pass a beer through the crowd to their sound man accompanied by frenzied riffs.

It’s another great, stunning album from KGATLW – who by now are obviously unstoppable.

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Neon Coven “Blame It on the Drugs” with new single.

Neon Coven, the darkwave, alternative rock band from Los Angeles, CA, featuring Jacob Bunton (Mick Mars, Adler, Lynam) and Ace Von Johnson (LA Guns, Faster Pussycat) has released its brand new single “Blame It On The Drugs” today via New Ocean Media. The song is the first single from the band’s upcoming debut full-length album Future Postponed. The lyric video is available on the band’s official YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1hhGIA50jE

Neon Coven is comprised of Anthony Montemarano (vocals), Jacob Bunton (Keyboards/guitar/bass), Ace Von Johnson (guitar), and Kyle Cunningham (drums). The band’s debut full-length album Future Postponed will be released October 30th. Produced by Jacob Bunton, the album features 11 tracks ranging from songs about survival and balance to emotionally charged anthems of empowerment. The songs live in the space between challenging the need for certainty and, ultimately, learning to accept uncertainty. “Future Postponed is set to inspire, intrigue and terrify all at once,” states guitarist Ace Von Johnson. “The material within runs a musical gamut, in which we as a band proudly exercise our ability to take bold strides in diversity. From dance-pop to goth rock, each song will take you twisting down a new road. I’ve worked on a lot of albums in my career, and thus far, this is the one I’m most proud of.”

FUTURE POSTPONED track listing: 01. Blame It On The Drugs 02. Every Part Of Me 03. A World Without You 04. I’m The New Hit 05. Manic 06. Purgatory 07. Kiss Of Death 08. Spirits In The Hall (feat. Ramsey) 09. You’re Never Getting Out Alive 10. Dead To Me 11. The Other Side Of Nowhere

From Los Angeles, CA, Neon Coven abandoned much of the ethos of the tradition of heavy rock to create an intellectual and theoretical sound, linked to an emphasis on anthemic, synth-heavy dance-music. The band came together when Von Johnson, Bunton, Montemarano and Cunningham formed the band as a side project on the suggestion of a mutual friend. “We were all on the Monsters Of Rock Cruise,” explains Bunton. “Our mutual friend April Lee said, ‘you guys should start a band.’ Ace and I had been friends for years, and we both met Anthony on the cruise. After we got back to LA, we started writing songs whenever our schedules would align.” The band released their first EP Risen in 2017 containing the songs “Bleeding Love” and “No One Knows You’re Dead,” both appearing in the horror movie Hesperia. The band followed the EP with a cover of Depeche Mode’s “Never Let Me Down Again” in 2018. In 2019, the band released its second EP, The Haunting.

For more information: Facebook: www.facebook.com/neoncoven

Sound Cloud: www.soundcloud.com/neoncoven

Instagram: www.instagram.com/neoncoven

YouTube: www.youtube.com/channel/UC1tGFRXHUJGkQqeo2q-_oXA

Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/ycnmlpk5

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[Thanks to Gerard at New Ocean Media.]

Review: Automatic – Signal

I stumbled upon Los Angeles trio Automatic while listening to a radio station from somewhere in southwestern France. I was immediately hooked by their goth / no wave sound and had to find more. Luckily, their new album Signal was already available. I knew after one listen that I had to own it.

Halle Saxon‘s fretless, fuzzy bass opens the album on “Too Much Money,” and Izzy Giuadini‘s synths add a buzzy air of menace throughout it while Lola Dompé‘s drums are as precise as an auto assembly line. “Calling It” was the track I heard on French radio that made me sit up and think, “Who is this?” Dompé’s drums take center stage on the track and the echoed vocals are cold and sexy at the same time. “Suicide in Texas” is a goth-wave / David Lynch movie dream track. Automatic have cited Mr. Lynch and Dario Argento as major influences, so that already makes them great in my book.

“I Love You, Fine” is one of the best song titles I’ve heard all year, and the lyrics might be the best ones about female empowerment in a relationship since The Waitresses‘ “I Know What Boys Like.” “Highway” is a danceable industrial gem suitable for your next late night drive to an after-party. Saxon’s bass groove on the title track is undeniable.

“I see you turn into humanoid,” they sing on “Humanoid,” which I can’t help but think is influenced by Gary Numan‘s work. Giaudini’s synths and Dompé’s percussion on it sound like some of Numan’s work with Tubeway Army – which is never a bad thing. “Damage” is another killer goth-wave track as Automatic sing about walking away from a relationship that they know isn’t going to end well.

“Electrocution” has Dompé and Saxon in perfect synch on an upbeat track about what can be a downbeat subject – emptiness (“The sound of laughter, and then it’s over. There’s nothing after.”). “Oh no! We’re goin’ nowhere!” they sing on “Champagne,” which I think is a song about superficiality. The closer, “Strange Conversations,” is like something out of a goth prom night with its romantic bass line, slightly bright synths, and almost-slow dance drumming. Lyrics like “I thought I told you, I can’t stand anyone at all.” and “I’ve lost my patience. All you do is let me down.” also help boost the goth feel of the track.

The album mixes goth, synth wave, and no wave so well it’s difficult to tell where one influence begins and another ends, but who cares? Automatic blend everything so well that Signal becomes a lovely, hypnotic record that will surely be among my top releases of 2020.

Keep your mind open.

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Psycho Las Vegas to return August 19 – 22, 2021 with nearly the same lineup as the cancelled 2020 festival.

The Psycho Las Vegas music festival announced its return in 2021 at the Mandalay Bay Casino Hotel August 19th (if you count the Psycho Swim daytime events, and why wouldn’t you?) through August 22nd.

Most of the original lineup has been announced as returning in 2021. Unfortunately, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club and Ty Segall aren’t listed as being part of the 2021 festival, but losing just two big bands out of a big lineup like that is a pretty good deal. Tickets for the 2020 scenario will be honored in 2021, and you can probably still buy tickets for the 2021 festival since many people who’d planned to attend this year won’t be able to make it next year.

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