7th Level Music

Elephant Stone release new single, “Hollow World,” and upcoming European tour dates.

Elephant Stone has announced a new concept album, Hollow, about people fleeing the Earth after destroying it only to find the beliefs, biases, and illusions that drove them to ruin their first home have followed them to the new one. As frontman Rishi Dhir explains:

“This is a straight-up concept album. If social media has taught us anything, it’s that there are a lot of unhappy people out there who are trying to find a way out. They are looking for meaning and something to believe in… or nothing to believe in. We all want the same thing but are trying to achieve it in different ways. With this in mind, we wrote and recorded our 6th full-length, Hollow. I set forth writing a song-suite telling of a world of unhappy souls who have lost connection with each other.” The result is an ambitious, dystopian sci-fi concept album inspired by The Who’s ‘Tommy’, Pretty Things’ ‘S.F, Sorrow’ and Abbey Road side 2.

“From Side A (‘The Beginning) through to Side B (‘The Ending’), the story takes place immediately after mankind’s catastrophic destruction of the Earth and what happens when the same elite responsible for the first world-destroying climate disaster touch down on New Earth, a recently-discover planet sold with the same life of prosperity as the one they’d just destroyed. As soon as the chosen few step off the Harmonia ship built for the journey, it’s clear that all is not what it seems and humanity appears destined to make the same mistakes: the storyline touches upon the plundering/poisoning of their home, the elite, demagogues, false idols, the truth as seen by children, and, ultimately, the fight for the survival of their species.”

The album is available for pre-order with lots of neat bundles for your enjoyment (T-shirts, buttons, hot pink vinyl, and more). “Hollow World,” a new single from the album, can be heard here. The band has also announced a tour through Europe this winter, dates are below.

Keep your mind open.

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All Them Witches unload heavy new single, “1×1,” ahead of European tour.

Nashvilly psych-rockers All Them Witches have released a new single, “1×1,” ahead of a European tour with Ghost and Tribulation and well as three shows to finish the year at Nashville’s Exit/In. Tour dates are below.

The new single is almost doom metal in its weight and is available on most streaming services. Give it a listen. It’s great.

NOV 16 – Motorpoint Arena – Nottingham, United Kingdom
NOV 17 – Motorpoint Arena – Cardiff, United Kingdom
NOV 18 – SSE Hydro – Glasgow, United Kingdom
NOV 20 – 3Arena – Dublin, Ireland
NOV 22 – The SSE Arena, Wembley – London, United Kingdom
NOV 23 – First Direct Arena – Leeds, United Kingdom
NOV 25 – Black Box Pangea – Kobenhavn, Denmark
NOV 28 – Hartwall Arena – Helsinki, Finland
NOV 30 – Spodek – Katowice, Poland
DEC 1 – Universum – Prague, Czech Republic
DEC 3 – BSA – Budapest, Hungary
DEC 4 – Močvara – Zagreb, Croatia
DEC 5 – Palabam – Mantova, Italy
DEC 6 – Halle 622 – Zürich, Switzerland
DEC 8 – Palau Sant Jordi – Barcelona, Spain
DEC 10 – Altice Arena – Lisboa, Portugal
DEC 11 – WiZink Center – Madrid, Spain
DEC 13 – Zenith Of Strasbourg – Strasbourg, France
DEC 14 – Stattbahnhof – Schweinfurt, Germany
DEC 15 – Zenith – München, Germany
DEC 17 – Rockhal – Esch Sur Alzette, Luxembourg
DEC 18 – Zenith Nantes Metropole – Saint-herblain, France
DEC 19 – Zénith de Toulouse – Toulouse, France
DEC 27 – Exit/In – Nashville, TN
DEC 28 – Exit/In – Nashville, TN
DEC 29 – Exit/In – Nashville, TN

Keep your mind open.

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Jacques Greene announces 2020 tour dates to promote “Dawn Chorus.”

“You get the sense that exploring unfamiliar equipment in new spaces has helped him find new possibilities in his own work—that by plunging himself into guitar pedals and classic French-house compression modules, he’s ushered in a new era for Jacques Greene without losing sight of his unique sentimentality.” — Pitchfork

“The dozen tracks on ‘Dawn Chorus’ capture the hazy, ambient feeling of joyful exhaustion. It’s an elegant soundtrack to a real moment in many ravers’ lives, and rather than create the music you might listen to then, he scores the scene as if it were a movie.” — Billboard

“‘Dawn Chorus’ hangs together as a cohesive work, even when Greene is pushing genre omnivorousness to giddy new extremes.” — Bandcamp

“Coagulating in the form of a sprawling 12-track collection of diversified cuts, the project maintains the producer’s idiosyncratic arsenal of club-heavy textures, albeit repurposed for listening outside of the normative dancefloor atmosphere.” — Hypebeast

Fresh off the release of his “intimate and immense” (Pitchfork) new album, Dawn Chorus, via LuckyMe, Jacques Greene is pleased to announce a slew of 2020 European and North American tour dates. Last week he debuted a sold out run of launch parties in Berlin, London, Manchester, New York, LA and Montreal. In early 2020 he returns to Europe and North America (Boston, Brooklyn, Detroit, Portland, Vancouver, and Oakland). A full list of dates is below.

In conjunction with this announcement, Greene also released the video for “Stars” – the second part of a narrative which started outside a warehouse party in his “Do It Without You” video. The track features spoken word from Canadian artist Sandrine Somé – who reconciles memories from her childhood over understated kik drums and synths. An evocative closer to the album, Mathieu Fortin’s piece of impressionistic cinema seeks to express early AM euphoria as we settle back into reality after a night out. It’s an apt conclusion for an album which has been applauded for his cinematic atmosphere.

Watch Video For “Stars” –
https://youtu.be/ZmXuiFluhB4

Jacques Greene Tour Dates:
Wed. Jan. 29 – London, UK @ Studio 9294
Thu. Jan. 30 – Manchester, UK @ YES (Pink Room)
Fri. Jan. 31 – Dublin, IE @ Lost Lane
Sat. Feb. 1 – Belfast, IE @ The Menagerie
Tue. Feb. 4 – Glasgow, UK @ Stereo
Wed. Feb. 5 – Leeds, UK @ Headrow House
Fri. Feb. 7 – Paris, FR @ Badaboum
Thu. Feb. 20 – Boston, MA @ Middlesex Lounge (DJ Set)
Fri. Feb. 21 – Brooklyn, NY @ Elsewhere (DJ Set)
Sat. Feb. 22 – Detroit, MI @ The Red Door
Thu. Feb. 27 – Portland, OR @ Holocene
Fri. Feb. 28 – Vancouver, BC @ The Beaumont
Sat. Feb. 29 – Oakland, CA @ Starline Social Club

Purchase Dawn Chorus – https://jacquesgreene.com/

Watch/Listen/Share:
“For Love” video – https://youtu.be/GzdMcHhM7tQ
“Do It Without You” video – https://youtu.be/ftBguTzzVYI
“Do It Without You” stream – https://bit.ly/2mRYy8n
“Night Service” b/w “Silencio” (Feat. Cadence Weapon) – https://youtu.be/S1JaoIYJ-PE
“Night Service” (Whatever/Whatever Night Version) – https://youtu.be/_x3Ysk3po4k
“Night Service” (Whatever/Whatever Day Version) – https://youtu.be/iltM5sg-f8g

Keep your mind open.

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Review: The Schizophonics – People in the Sky

San Diego’s husband-wife duo of singer / guitarist Pat Beers and drummer Lety Beers, otherwise known as The Schizophonics, are legends in their hometown for good reason. Their live shows are bat-shit crazy. Their second album, People in the Sky, is equally so.

The album starts with “Something’s Got to Give,” and it might be your speakers. Pat Beers’ voice already sounds like he’s been up all night drinking and smoking and Lety Beers is beating her kit like she’s angry about that damn dog next door that won’t stop barking all night…and it’s only the first track. “Steely Eyed Lady” is like a gas guzzling muscle car burning up miles while blasting The MC5 on the tape player. The comparisons of the Schizophonics to The MC5 are unavoidable. Pat Beers’ vocal stylings and Lety Beers’ beats are clearly influenced by the Detroit legends, while Mr. Beers’ guitar work combines garage, surf, punk, and psychedelia.

“Nine Miles” has a lot of crunchy guitar riffs to back Mr. Beers’ lyrics about hard work and the sacrifices one makes for love. The title track discusses mind expansion and controlling one’s emotions. “The One I Want” is a hot cut about a hot lover. “Battle Line” has some of Mr. Beers’ best shredding, and the track that follows it, “Not Gonna Change My Mind,” has a Hendrix-like solo that sizzles like a hot skillet sauteing habanero peppers.

“Long Way to Go” has a great dirty blues groove to it that reminds me of backroom jam sessions Howlin’ Wolf might have played. “Every day’s a lifetime, baby. We got a long way to go,” Pat Beers sings before unleashing a short but furious solo. The beat on “Show Me Your Eyes” mixes so well with the guitar fuzz that I’m not sure which one is playing lead (which is probably the point). I love that they included a song like “Like a Mummy,” which combines 60’s garage rock speed and “monster rock” grooves on an album that was released on Halloween. Also, Pat Beers goes nuts on it with his guitar. Every time you think you’ve heard him burn up all his energy on one track, he unleashes another hidden reserve from somewhere and makes your jaw drop.

“Down, I’ve been so down and out about you. Out, I’ve been so out of mind for you,” he sings on “Down and Out.” It’s a solid cut and one of the best tracks on a record full of impressive tunes. The closer, “She’s Coming Back,” has Pat Beers trying to convince himself that a lover will return, but even he’s not sure he believes it.

This is a top-notch rock record. If you’ve been looking for an album to blast away the cacophony of the 24-hour news cycle or the banality of the rat race, start here.

Keep your mind open.

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Dead Ghosts release first single, “Drugstore Supplies,” from upcoming album.

Canadian garage rockers Dead Ghosts have released the first single off their recently announced upcoming album Automatic Changer. The track,“Drugstore Supplies”, is available to stream on all major platforms. Automatic Changer comes out April 24, 2020 and is available to preorder now on vinyl, cassette, CD. The album will be Dead Ghosts’ third release with southern California independent label, Burger Records.

“Drugstore Supplies” is an uptempo garage track with psychedelic undertones. A perfect blend of 60’s and 90’s wobbly garage power-pop. Fans can check out the new single, plus several other tracks from the upcoming album Automatic Changer, live during the band’s Pacific Coast tour happening right now. Tour dates are below.

Oct 31 – LA – Minty Boi Presents Halloween @ El CID

Nov 1 – Phoenix – Psyko Steve Presents @ Lunchbox

Nov 3 – SF – Folk YEAH Presents @ The Chapel

Nov 4 – Portland @ Star Theatre

Nov 5 – Seattle – The Crocodile presents @The Sunset

Nov 6 – Vancouver – MRG Presents @ The Biltmore

Keep your mind open.

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Review: King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard – Infest the Rats’ Nest

I once read a comment on a YouTube video of “Planet B,” a track from King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard‘s newest album, Infest the Rats’ Nest, that said the following:

“Interviewer: What genre do you play? / King Gizzard: Yes.”

That comment refers to how the Australian psych-rockers went from releasing a blues boogie / synthwave record, Fishing for Fishies, earlier this year to Infest the Rats’ Nest – one of the best thrash metal albums of the year. They’ll play whatever they feel like playing.

The album is a companion piece of sorts to Fishing for Fishies in its environmental message. The first half of Infest the Rats’ Nest is all warnings about how we’re trashing the Earth and the second half is a story of people trying to flee our dying planet but being stonewalled by rich elitists.

“Planet B” gets the album off to a crunchy, angry start with fierce double drumming and dire warning vocals like “Paralyzation, scarification, population exodus…There is no planet B! Open your eyes and see!” “Mars for the Rich” has a cool groove to it (wicked bass licks, Grateful Dead-like drumming), showing that KGATLW didn’t want to completely abandon their psychedelic roots. Lead singer Stuart Mackenzie sings the tale of a child seeing images of Mars on television and wishing he could go there to escape the poisoned Earth, but knowing only the rich will escape environmental doom.

“Organ Farmer” is bonkers. You can barely keep up with the energy of it. It’s all runaway train guitars and drums that sound like they’re about to collapse. “Superbug” switches to stoner metal jams reminiscent of Sleep while Mackenzie sings about a super virus sweeping across the planet.

“Venusian I” has epic shredding behind a tale of trying to flee to Venus because the Earth is doomed. “Space is the place for the new human race,” Mackenzie sings at the beginning of “Perihelion” – a space rock with crushing drums. He and the rest of KGATLW want to escape the Earth, but will their efforts to reach Venus be successful? “Venusian 2” hits you like a spaceship trying to survive re-entry burn as it blazes across the Venusian sky, so it’s difficult to say if the trip is a safe one.

The mosh-inducing “Self-Immolate” is as fiery as its name would imply. The whole band sizzles across it while the lyrics tell a tale of blazing heat on Venus and the agony of leaving one dying planet for another that’s a perpetual inferno. The album ends, fittingly, with “Hell.” Mackenzie, now dead, is terrified as “Satan points me to the rats’ nest.” and everything, like Earth and Venus, is burning all around him.

Heavy stuff, but it’s a bit tongue-in-cheek, so don’t worry. KGATLW made Infest the Rats’ Nest to not only warn us of the effects of climate change, but also to salute their appreciation of thrash metal and have some fun playing stuff that they have admitted is hard to play. As a result, they put out a thrash metal record that can hold its own with heavyweights in the genre.

Keep your mind open.

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Rewind Review: Palm Daze – Controls (2017)

I became aware of Palm Daze when I saw them open for Bayonne in Tucson, Arizona earlier this year. They played a cool blend of electro and psychedelia that I enjoyed. Controls is a five-song EP they put out two years ago that sounds like it could’ve been released yesterday.

The weird warping synths of “Angles Pt. 1” get the EP off to a trippy start, and then “Company Calls” takes us into full synth wave mode with bright keys, distant vocals, and sharp beats. “Angles Pt. 2” seems to nod at Vangelis‘ Blade Runner score, and why not? The synths move like slow waves across a mountain lake and the vocal effects turn the lyrics into alien communications. The title track has near hip hop drum beats behind video game synths, and “Everything, Everyday” ends the EP with big, bold synths that fade into sounds like a dwindling Morse code message.

It’s an interesting EP and one that produces different thoughts upon multiple listens.

Keep your mind open.

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Review: Vapors of Morphine – Lyons, Colley, Dupree Live at the Lizard Lounge 5/25/2007

Recorded before they were officially known as Vapors of Morphine, Jeremy Lyons, Dana Colley, and Jerome Dupree were playing and recording dark delta blues tracks and mixing in low rock touches. This live album, recorded twelve years ago, sounds like it was performed last week.

Their version of “Worried Life Blues” has a bit of swing to it that showcases some of Lyons’ musical influences gained while living in New Orleans. “Screamin’ and Hollerin'” is the first track to let Dana Colley’s baritone saxophone cut loose, and we’re all better for it. The groove of “Red Apple Juice / Waiting for My Baby” is downright infectious. You’ll be humming the song for days after you hear it.

“Hard Times Killing Floor” shows why low rock and blues go so well together. Colley’s saxophone puts down the rails for Lyons sad vocals and Dupree’s subtle drums keep a hint of danger floating around the room. “Ain’t Gonna Marry” has a great swing to it as Lyons sings about sending a “Dear Jane” letter to a lover as he moves on down the road. His guitar solo is also sharp as a knife on the track.

“Know” is one of my favorite Vapors of Morphine tracks, and this version is as good as any of them. All three members have a swinging good time on it. “Hurricane” is another song of theirs that’s become somewhat of a classic by now. Colley’s saxophone reverb effects bring to mind a swirling storm as Dupree’s drums roll in the thunder and Lyons’ guitar is the driving rain.

Lyons’ guitar is in full swampy blues mode for “Louisiana Blues,” which is a sizzling rocker. “Special Rider” ends the set with a true low rock tune. The drop-tuned guitar, the warped saxophone sounds, and the slow, almost buzzed-drunk drums produce a great feeling. The album ends with the soundcheck version of “Red Apple Juice,” which is a nice addition.

It’s a cool record, and like their collaboration as The Ever Expanding Elastic Waste Band, a neat piece of history in the band’s formation.

Keep your mind open.

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Review: Sleater-Kinney – The Center Won’t Hold

Sleater-Kinney‘s newest record, The Center Won’t Hold, is, unsurprisingly, a wallop to the senses. It covers anger over the current political climate, the never-ending onslaughts of media and advertising, and the often fragile nature of relationships.

The title track starts off the record with slinking industrial beats before erupting into fiery anger and Carrie Brownstein‘s vocals reaching shriek levels. “Hurry On Home” is a sexy tune accentuated by electro beats about missing a lover and wanting something real and tangible in a world of fake social media profiles and Second Life avatars. The electro touches continue on “Reach Out.” They’re peppy and then the lyrics of “When I looked down, I was a mess.” reach you, making you wonder what’s coming. The song is another about wanting to find a human connection amid internal and external chaos. “With one sharp breath, my chest expands. My body is my own again,” Corin Tucker sings the joy of finding that connection.

“Everyone I know is tired, and everyone I know is wired to machines. I just scream ’til it don’t hurt anymore,” Brownstein sings on the excellent “Can I Go On” – a song about how easy it is to get down in this day and age. “Restless” has brutal lyrics about love like “My heart wants the ugliest things, but I’ve learned to love the ugliest things like you and me.” “Do you feast on nostalgia? Take please from pain?” Brownstein asks in “RUINS” – a near-industrial track that explores a crumbled relationship. “LOVE” starts with video game beats before Janet Weiss puts down a wicked drum groove and Brownstein sings about embracing the adventure that love can be.

“We’ve been rehearsing our whole lives,” Brownstein says on “Bad Dance.” It’s a song about the seductive worlds pushed on us by mass advertising and the idea of pushing back against them. “The Future Is Here” has Tucker wishing for a human connection in a world of online relationships. “I met my date on a tiny screen. I reach for you in the empty sheets,” she sings. Anyone who resists her is a fool. The snappy bass on “The Dog / The Body” roots the song as it swells back and forth between soft verses and big choruses.

“But I’m breaking in two, ’cause I’m broken inside.” are the last lyrics of “Broken,” which is the last song on the album. It’s a sad song about the loss of a relationship or at least a human connection in our increasingly digital world. The song and the lyrics (and the album’s title) are even more poignant now due to drummer Janet Weiss leaving the band not long after the album was released and before Sleater-Kinney started their current tour. Brownstein has said the band will continue with her and Tucker, who started the band without Weiss. At least Weiss left on a good album. She didn’t phone in anything on it, and neither did her former bandmates.

Keep your mind open.

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Review: Khruangbin – Hasta El Cielo

The newest record from Khruangbin, Hasta El Cielo, is a dub version of their excellent album Con Todo El Mundo. Khruangbin’s beautiful psychedelic world music is ripe for dub remixing, and Hasta El Cielo (“See you in heaven.”) is lovely.

“With All the World” is sends you along a warm river cruise with the first track, stripping away your cares. “Sisters & Brothers” has a crisp drum groove and some of Laura Lee‘s funkiest bass riffs. “Mary Always,” the dub version of “Maria Tambien” from Con Todo El Mundo is suitable for Italian spy thrillers.

Donald Johnson’s drums on “Four of Five” are so slippery that the song almost sounds like it was recorded underwater. “How I Love” uses delay and echo effects well (as any good dub recording should), with Mark Speer’s guitar sounding a hundred miles away and yet right in the room with you. The organ work on “Sunny’s Vision” is a nice lead-in to a top shelf tequila smooth tune. “A La Sala” has some neat ambient electro touches. “The Red Book” and “Order of Operations” are other trippy tracks that take away your day-to-day worries.

The title track is a snappy track that not only relaxes you but also makes you feel like a bad ass at the same time. The digital version of the album comes with two extra tracks – “Rules” (with superb echoed vocal sounds) and “Como Te Quiero” (a soft track with sharp as a razor drums).

This is such a cool, mellow record that trying to describe it is nearly useless. It’s best if you hear it. It’s best if everyone hears it.

Keep your mind open.

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