7th Level Music

Rewind Review: Various artists – French Electro (2008)

I found this two-disc collection of great French techno, house, and jungle tracks in a record store’s used CD bin for less than five bucks. It practically felt like I was shoplifting it. The Wagram Music collection from 2008 has thirty-one tracks on it from heavyweights of the genre and covers a wide ground of EDM.

Dim Chris starts us off with jungle (“Sucker”) and then big-time DJ David Guetta drops “Baby When the Light” on us to get the floor jumping. Charles Schillings‘ “Be Gone” is pure house, while the “Mike 303 & Baxter Baxter radio edit” of Superfunk‘s “Electric Dance” has so much thick electro-bass that it might clog your speakers. “Samplemousse” by Brian Arc is a fun house jam that builds just like you want a house jam to build. You’ll definitely want to get down to Antoine Clamaran‘s “Get Down,” and David Vendetta‘s “Bleeding Heart” (the “Arno Cost remix”) is quirky, funky, and junk-in-the-trunky.

Kiko‘s “Requiem for a Dream” brings in a touch of synthwave to the mix. Arias‘ “Flynn” practically reinvents “The Percolator” for 2008. Jaochim Garraud‘s “Street’s Sound” is a house track that’s both lush and a bit creepy. Are you looking for a naughty song to put on the next bedroom mix you’re planning for your lover? Look no further than DJ Gregory‘s “Breeze.” “Naughty” barely describes it. It borders on “filthy, almost to the point of absurdity.”

Alex Gopher goes big beat on us with “Aurora,” bouncing loud, bright synth sounds off the walls. “Punk” by Etienne de Crecy is a salute to Daft Punk, who appear with the “Para One remix” of “Prime Time of Your Life” after Surkin‘s “White Knight Two.” There’s even a bonus remix of ZZT‘s “Lower State of Consciousness” by Justice to round out disc one.

Yes, all that is just on the first disc. The second disc is a collection of fifteen “classics” (from way back in 2000, just eight years earlier than the tracks on disc one). “Intro” by Alan Braxe and Fred Falke starts it off with a great bass-heavy house track, and Cheek‘s “Venus (Sunshine People)” continues the house party feel. Bob Sinclair‘s “Visions of Paradise” ups the disco beats to keep you moving. Martin Solveig‘s “Heartbeat” takes that disco groove to Italy and back.

Julian Jeweil‘s “Air Conditionne” is a cool introduction to Super Discount‘s bossa nova-touched “Prix Choc.” The “Todd Edwards Vocal Radio Edit Mix” of St. Germain‘s “Alabama Blues” is a showcase of mixing techniques that will leave you impressed. The bass groove on “Use Me” by Alex Gopher with Demon Presents Wuz is infectious to say the least. Daft Punk returns with a fun remix of I:Cube‘s “Disco Cubism.” Arno Cost then returns, along with Arias, for their synthwave banger “Magenta.”

Da Fresh drops a “Fuckin Track” on us that’s as heavy as the growling synth bass on it. Didier Sinclair‘s “Lovely Flight” sounds like (and, by now, is) an old school house track. Speaking of old school, Sebastien Leger harkens back to old school raves when he suggests you “Take Your Pills.” If this song doesn’t take you back to dancing in an old high school gym with a leaky roof and the floor covered in straw, then Jack de Marseille‘s track will “Bring Back That Feeling.” The compilation wraps up with Laurent Garnier‘s “Wrap Up,” which will give you enough energy for the afterparty.

This whole thing is solid, and a fun mix of old school, house, jungle, and even synthwave. Start crate digging for it.

Keep your mind open.

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Rewind Review: Black Sabbath – Sabbath Bloody Sabbath (1973)

What do you do if you’re in a legendary doom metal band, but all of your members (especially your guitarist) are doing cocaine and / or chugging booze almost nonstop, are exhausted from a massive tour, and are also running out of ideas for your fifth album?

If you’re Black Sabbath, your go back to Gloucestershire, England and record Sabbath Bloody Sabbath in a haunted castle.

Tommy Iommi‘s opening riff on the title track is the sound of ancient monsters awakening from a long slumber, and the song drifts into psychedelia at the right points to keep the shredding from overwhelming you. “A National Acrobat” is a song about DNA, believe it or not, and what determines who we become. Bill Ward keeps his drums simple, almost jazzy at some points, to good effect.

The lovely “Fluff” is pretty much a lullaby, which you’d never expect from that album cover…but you might from the back cover.

“Sabbra Cadabra” shreds on every level. Geezer Butler‘s bass roars and struts, while Ozzy Osbourne goes for broke with his vocals, having a great time behind the microphone. As if that’s not enough, along come Yes‘ Rick Wakeman to play a Minimoog on the track (and he was paid in beer!).

“Killing Yourself to Live” has soaring guitar work from Iommi. He creates a sound both majestic and heavy. The synths on “Who Are You?” ooze with creepy menace as Osbourne calls out cults of personality and the people who lead them. The groove of “Looking for Today” is top-notch. The album ends with “Spiral Architect,” a song about death (go figure) that includes lush string instruments and bright synths (and applause) to send us out on an uplifting note.

Like the other first six Black Sabbath albums (the only ones you can trust, according to a T-shirt I saw worn by Nick Aguilar of Frankie and The Witch Fingers), Sabbath Bloody Sabbath was sometimes derided upon its release but it now considered a metal classic. It’s impressive that it was completed and turned out so well, considering all the band was dealing with in 1973.

Keep your mind open.

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Lawn release “Sports Gun” after signing with a new label – Exploding in Sound.

For the past decade, the New Orleans band Lawn has thrived on the palpable chemistry between co-lead singers and songwriters Mac Folger and Rui De Magalhaes. Though each boasts distinct sensibilities—Folger’s songs are breezy, jangly, and personal while De Magalhaes’ are biting and propulsive post-punk—they’ve seamlessly blended their idiosyncratic styles over three unassailable indie rock full-lengths, while becoming a fixture in a thriving New Orleans scene, and sharing stages with artists like Momma, Hovvdy and Omni.

De Magalhaes had moved to Chicago following the release of the 2022 Bigger Sprout, and released an acclaimed solo LP under the name Rui Gabriel via Carpark Records, which earned praise from folks like Pitchfork, Stereogum and Paste, but Lawn, despite recently uniting in New Orleans, have been quiet.

Today, following the announce of a recent run of tour dates with Momma, the band are announcing their return, signing to Exploding In Sound and sharing their first new music since their 2022 LP, a single called “Sports Gun.”

Engineered by Greg Obis (of Stuck) at Chicago’s Palisades Studio and mixed by Dave Vettraino (Dehd, Deeper), “Sports Gun” simmers with intensity thanks to its pummeling bass riff, layers of feedback-laden guitars. It’s galvanizing, loud, and unrelenting.

De Magalhaes says of the track:

“Sports Gun is supposed to be written from the point of view of a coach/parental figure who

pushes the subject to their absolute limit without regard for them otherwise. It came from a shortstory I wrote pre-pandemic. The idea was that any trauma – long or short term notwithstanding -would only be implied, if that, and that we only get to experience the narrative through a very thin, biased lens. It’s a frail attempt at writing something inspired by Julio Cortazar, but I still thought it fit the drive of the song. It is supposed to be more about the lengths some people go to accomplish something, conflating happiness with ambition, and overall being inept at being content.

I knew that we were going to an actual studio this time around, so we built the song around the idea that it would sound “heavier” for us. We had wanted to record with Greg [Obis] and really loved the sound he was getting from his own music, so we were open to the notion of layering as much noise as we could. The original demo had a slightly different beat and I sort of rapped the lyrics. Once we got into the studio and everyone started adding their own take, I just went for the yell instead.”

Tour Dates

9/15 – Indianapolis, IN – Hi-FI

9/16 – Milwaukee, WI – The Rave Bar

9/18 – Urbana, IL – Rose Bowl Outdoor

9/19 – Kansas City, MO – Bottleneck

9/20 – St Louis, MO – Blueberry Hill

w/ Momma

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Tom at Terrorbird Media.]

Sophia Kennedy shares an “Imaginary Friend” with you on her new single.

Baltimore-born and Hamburg/Berlin-based, Sophia Kennedy shares new single ‘Imaginary Friend’ where she explores what it means to let go of a persona you’ve created yourself. Taken from new album Squeeze Me out 23rd May via City Slang, which follows the release of DJ Koze’s album Music Can Hear Us where Sophia is featured on two tracks. “Imaginary Friend is a song that has come a long way. It’s gone through many different stages to become what it is: a pop song”, Sophia says. “The song is also about a kind of transformation or metamorphosis of the different stages of coping with grief. It is about longing for reality and saying goodbye to an imagined idea of a person. Memories and longing can become obsessions, the imagined friend becomes an enemy. The decision to let go is therefore a liberating blow.” Director Timo Schierhorn said on making the video, “I’m not only a huge fan of Sophia Kennedy’s future-predicting pop songs, I also deeply admire her unique acting abilities. When we began developing ideas for the video, it quickly became clear that she needed a very specific kind of stage — something massive, hard to control, and a little bit dangerous. So we rented a 5.8-ton lift and moved it within just two millimetres of a three-million-euro glass facade. It gave her a performance space suspended 24 meters above the ground, where we could only communicate by radio.” He adds, “Cinematographer Tom Otte filmed from inside a shopping mall, through layers of glass, as Kennedy performed between six and nine characters in a single take. Every take was brilliant, but we had to choose just one. I still wonder who she was looking at. Far in the background, always present: the Atlantic.”

Watch / Listen to ‘Imaginary Friend’ HERE

Stripped down compared to her previous works, Sophia embraces her talent for catchy melodies with pop appeal and psychedelic flourishes on Squeeze Me. A cinematic quality runs through the entire album’s 10 tracks — it’s no surprise, given Kennedy once studied film. Rigor and beauty, humor and melancholy, fatalism and strength – Squeeze Me inverts everything about Sophia Kennedy, echoing the album cover. Either she or the rest of the world is upside down, depending on each of our perspectives. More focused and more pop than ever, Squeeze Me is Kennedy’s most cohesive album, perhaps even a kind of artistic manifesto. It’s a multilayered, self-assured statement that thrives despite—or perhaps because of—all the inner and outer crises around and across it. Squeeze Me doesn’t ignore the world outside but instead counters it with one of its own—one we somehow recognize but have never glimpsed quite this way before.

Following her self-titled debut (2017, Pampa Records), a radiant dance between the glamour of the Great American Songbook, electronic textures, and clubland influences, earning her international acclaim, Kennedy released her second album, Monsters (2021, City Slang), and delved deeper into surrealism and transcendence. Now on Squeeze Me, Kennedy and her long-time musical collaborator and co-writer Mense Reents sketch a more disillusioned commentary on the status quo of the world at large. The complexity of interpersonal relationships, questions of power dynamics, and the quest for self-determination —longstanding themes for Kennedy—run as a cohesive narrative throughout the album.

More minimalist than her previous works, Squeeze Me brims with Kennedy’s gift for catchy melodies with a certain pop appeal and psychedelic hues: repetitive piano chords, shimmering synth bass lines, strangely flickering choirs, and even a scream set the sonic stage. The songwriting on Squeeze Me thrives in its stark simplicity, finding beauty in paring back. Over the hum of an organ and steady drum-machine beats, Kennedy casts off a stale, supposed dream state with irresistible charm and effortless cool. Sophia will play her second ever London show on 19th November at Shacklewell Arms – her first was almost 8 years ago in 2017. Tickets on-sale now.

Squeeze Me is out 23rd May via City Slang Records Pre-save / Pre-order

Tour Dates
May 30th DE – Neustrelitz – Immergut Festival
October 8th DE- Cologne- Bumann & Sohn
October 9th DE-Offenbach – Hafen 2
October 10th DE-Stuttgart – Merlin
October 11th CH-St. Gallen – Palace
October 13th DE-Munich – Kranhalle
October 14th AT-Vienna – Flucc
October 15th DE-Dresden – Tonne
October 16th DE-Leipzig – Conne Island
October 19th DE-Berlin – Lido
October 25th DE-Hamburg – Knust

November 19th UK-London – Shacklewell Arms

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Amy at After Hours PR.]

Live: The Bob Mould Band and Winged Wheel – May 12, 2025 – Bell’s Eccentric Café – Kalamazoo, MI

It’s odd that I haven’t seen a full concert in almost five months, so opening my 2025 concert season with one of my rock heroes seemed appropriate. The Bob Mould Band was playing an easy drive from my house, so seeing them for the third time, and in a small venue, was an easy decision.

First up were Winged Wheel, who described themselves as being “from multiple cities” and thus rarely getting opportunities to play and tour together. They played an interesting brand of psychedelia that mixed synthwave with trippy guitars, a violin, and even lap steel guitar.

They had a great sunset to provide a light show, and I thought, “They could play Levitation.” Their sound is unique and they all look like someone you know.

After about a twenty-minute gear switch, The Bob Mould band came out and got straight to business. It was the last show of their current tour, and they emptied the gas tank on the Bell’s outdoor stage.

They tore through the first group of tracks so fast that you could barely breathe. The crowd, mostly aging hipsters like yours truly, seemed a bit low key. The trio of Mr. Mould, Jason Narducy (bass), and Jon Wurster (drums) were roaring and few people were dancing at first. I think some were just overwhelmed by the tidal wave of sound coming at them. There were a couple songs when it felt like a mosh pit could, and should, have broken out. Three guys tried to start one for a moment, but one of the trio soon stopped it and calmed his pals down before it could form.

The Bob Mould Band was undeterred by this, thank heavens, and ripped through a lot of good stuff from their catalogue, both new (from their Here We Go Crazy album) and even a short set of tracks from 2020. Wurster was dropping some killer fills the whole night, and Narducy’s bass grooves were locked in the whole set.

Mould, go figure, shredded the entire evening with both his guitar and his voice. It’s wild to see and hear him create that much sound.

A highlight for me was them playing the theme from The Mary Tyler Moore Show near the end of the night. If you’re a fan of Hüsker Dü, then you know that cover was a staple of their early shows so it was a blast to hear that gem brought out to shine.

It’s great that these guys are still crushing it and that Mould is still putting out great music and showing youngsters how it’s done.

Keep your mind open.

Thanks to the chap who let me snap a photo of this set list he scored.

[Thanks to Jim and Mia at Big Hassle for the press pass!]

Lammping return with title track from upcoming album “Never Never” featuring Bloodshot Bill.

Toronto psych-rock experimentalists LAMMPING return with “Never Never,” a full-tilt collaboration with Montreal rockabilly legend Bloodshot Bill, out May 6 via We Are Busy Bodies. The track supports their upcoming album Never Never, set for release on June 27, which marks the first installment of an ambitious four-album journey that will span genres, collaborations, and sonic time-travel over the next year.

After remixing Badge Époque Ensemble’s Clouds Of Joy album, Lammping’s Mikhail Galkin found himself re-immersed in the kind of sample-heavy hip-hop production he’d explored years earlier under the name DJ Alibi. Drawing on a style rooted in early ’90s East Coast rap but layered with live instrumentation and offbeat textures—somewhere between Pete Rock and The Avalanches—Galkin began blending those techniques into Lammping’s heavy psych-rock foundation.

The spark for Never Never came when the band reached out to Montreal rockabilly legend Bloodshot Bill, whose voice—gritty, elastic, and totally distinctive—felt like the perfect wildcard. The two had crossed paths over a decade earlier, and when Bill came to Toronto for a show, they booked a quick session. One track turned into three, and the album took shape around Jay Anderson’s breakbeat-style drumming, live jams, and flipped samples.

“‘Never Never’ was the first song that came out of this series of sessions, and it felt like a reset,” says Lammping producer Mikhail Galkin. “I was getting back into sampling, digging through records, pulling loops, then flipping them into songs. There are certain voices that always stood out to me. I always liked Bloodshot Bill’s voice and how he manipulates it and felt it would be a really cool instrument, so to speak, to feature on our stuff. It’s pretty harsh at times, but then he can drop it super low when needed. It generally has this animated feel.”

Originally built around a saxophone loop unearthed by bandmate Jay, the song became a springboard for collaboration. “I think the loop was kinda mischievous and rhythmically interesting, and it was recorded quite hot so it had a little bit of distortion. BB gravitated to it and used it as a springboard to write the song. He also shares a love of ’80s rap—when we were driving in his car, he had LL Cool J, Run DMC and Ultramagnetic MCs playing and all that, so it made sense that this project happened.”

Layer by layer, guitars, drums, and other samples were stirred into the mix, resulting in a gritty, genre-bending track that feels both chaotic and strangely cohesive. “I feel like BB is almost rapping on it,” Galkin adds, “but it still doesn’t become a hip-hop track. How weird the result became is what I love about the songs—I never get tired of it.”

Paired with a hallucinatory video directed and edited by Galkin himself, “Never Never” acts as a portal into the first chapter of Lammping’s upcoming 4 part series—a celebration of psychedelic music, hip-hop, the DIY punk aesthetic, and unfiltered creativity. It’s a record that doesn’t just reference influences, it inhabits them with total sincerity.

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Jenn at No Rules PR!]

Sally Shapiro’s new single asks, “Did You Call Tonight?”

Today Swedish italo disco / synthpop duo Sally Shapiro share new single “Did You Call Tonight” from their upcoming album ‘Ready To Live A Lie’, which is due May 30th via Italians Do It Better.

On the track, the band said “Microcheating is the theme of this new single. Musically it’s inspired by 80s electro breakbeat, a bit slower and funkier than our usual style.”

“Did You Call Tonight” on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=vYtgddi4xps
“Did You Call Tonight” on other streaming services:https://idib.ffm.to/didyoucalltonight

Made up of producer Johan Agebjörn and an anonymous female vocalist who uses the pseudonym Sally Shapiro; the duo are known for their dreamy, melancholic sound and nostalgic homage to 1980s Italo disco and gained international recognition with their debut album Disco Romance (2007), which was then followed by My Guilty Pleasure (2009), Somewhere Else (2013) and their debut for Italians Do It Better Sad Cities (2022).

The name “Sally Shapiro” has always referred to both the duo, as well as the enigmatic anonymous singer whose real name is something else. But “Sally” is also a third entity: the fictional character singing about her love stories. It’s now been 18 years since Sally Shapiro’s debut album Disco Romance, that took influences from italo disco and indie pop with a naive and youthful flavor, as if everything “Sally” did was to “walk in the moonshine thinking about my love affairs”, as she once put it.

Ready To Live A Lie may, however, be the duo’s darkest album yet. The lyrics have shifted from the euphoria of first love to exploring “Sally’s” struggles in long-term relationships—love triangles, boredom, resentment, and the lingering sense of loneliness.

Ready To Live A Lie is out on Italians Do It Better on May 30th and includes the duo’s acclaimed Pet Shop Boys cover Rent.

Taking inspiration from synthwave, italo disco, nudisco, indie pop and bossanova, the album becomes their fifth studio album & their second for Italians Do It Better – again mixed together with label founder Johnny Jewel (Chromatics, Glass Candy, Desire).

Sally Shapiro’s forthcoming album ‘Ready To Live A Lie’ is now available for preorder on vinyl 2LP (pink vinyl or transparent electric blue vinyl), CD and digital from their Bandcamp page.

Pre-order album: https://sallyshapiro.bandcamp.com/album/ready-to-live-a-lie
Pre-save album\: https://idib.ffm.to/readytolivealie

Keep your mind open.

[Did you subscribe tonight?]

[Thanks to Frankie at Stereo Sanctity.]

The Beths get “Metal” on their new single and announce a new world tour.

The Beths — the New Zealand-based quartet of vocalist Elizabeth Stokes, guitarist Jonathan Pearce, bassist Benjamin Sinclair, and drummer Tristan Deck — announce signing to ANTI- and release the new single/video, “Metal.” “Metal” is the first taste of new music from the band since the release of 2023’s Expert In A Dying Field (Deluxe), the expanded version of their beloved 2022 album.

Following Liz Stokes’s recent, sold–out solo show at Largo in Los Angeles with special guests Courtney Barnett and Bret McKenzie (Flight of the Conchords), The Beths announce a world tour across North America, the UK and Europe this fall. The band returns to the U.S. for the first time since playing Coachella, Bonnaroo and Newport Folk Festival, and supporting The National, Death Cab for Cutie and The Postal Service in 2023-2024. They’ll headline some of their biggest venues to date including The Wiltern in Los Angeles, The Fillmore in San Francisco, The Salt Shed in Chicago, Brooklyn Paramount in New York City, Union Transfer in Philadelphia, 9:30 Club in Washington, DC and more. Tickets go on sale Fri. May 2 at 10am local and are available here.

Today’s single “Metal” was born out of a time of rigorous touring, mental health struggles, and several diagnoses for Stokes. “In some ways ‘Metal’ is a song about being alive and existing in a human body,” she explains. “That is something I have been acutely aware of in the last few years, where I have been on what one might call a ‘health journey’. For parts of the last few years, I kind of felt like my body was a vehicle that had carried me pretty well thus far but was breaking down, something I had little to no control over. All of the steps in the Rube Goldberg machine of life are so unlikely, and yet here we are in it. I have a hunger and a curiosity for learning about the world around me, and for learning about myself. And despite all the ways that my body feels like a broken machine, I still marvel at the complexity of such a machine.”

“I can hold that knowledge in one hand, and yet with the other hand I can point to my reflection and just be like ‘you are shit’. Or ‘ugly’. Or ‘worthless’. I can reliably respond to any suggestion that I might be able to achieve any small thing with ‘no’. And these are variations of the ‘short word’ referenced in the song.”

Sonically, the track sees The Beths fully embracing jangle rock. Stokes says, “There was a propulsion to the acoustic strumming pattern on the original demo. Tristan’s drums meet that feeling so perfectly, the feeling of a train pushing up the tracks. Jonathan got to play his Burns 12 string guitar as sparkly as he wanted, and Ben as usual can’t be contained to the lower register. I think we ended up with an arrangement that embodies the frenetic intricacy of an engine in action. There’s a lot going on, until there isn’t.”

Watch the Video for “Metal”

2023’s Expert In A Dying Field (Deluxe) expanded upon the brilliance of The Beths’ acclaimed 2022 album, “another collection of tunes that cements their status as one of the great guitar-pop bands of this present moment” (Stereogum). The third studio album from The Beths, Expert In A Dying Field was released to a wealth of critical praise, and was named one of 2022’s best releases by the likes of Pitchfork, The Ringer, Stereogum and more. Surrounding its release, The Beths were profiled by Rolling Stone, made their U.S. television debut on CBS Saturday Morning, and performed a NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert, The Beths are undeniably one of the most exciting indie rock bands to emerge in recent memory.

The Beths Tour Dates:
Thu. Sept. 18 – Dublin, IE @ Button Factory
Sat. Sept. 20 – Manchester, UK @ Albert Hall
Sun. Sept. 21 – Glasgow, UK @ SWG3 TV Studio
Mon. Sept. 22 – Leeds, UK @ Project House
Wed. Sept. 24 – Bristol, UK @ O2 Academy
Thu. Sept. 25 – Birmingham, UK @ XOYO
Fri. Sept. 26 – London, UK @ Roundhouse
Sat. Sept. 27 – Brighton, UK @ CHALK
Mon. Sept. 29 – Tourcoing, FR @ Le Grand Mix
Tue. Sept. 30 – Paris, FR @ Le Trabendo
Wed. Oct. 1 – Brussels, BE @ Botanique
Fri. Oct. 3 – Cologne, DE @ Kantine
Sat. Oct. 4 – Amsterdam, NL @ Paradiso
Sun. Oct. 5 – Hamburg, DE @ Krust
Tue. Oct. 7 – Stockholm, SE @ Slaktkyrkan
Wed. Oct. 8 Oslo, NO @ Parkteatret Scene
Thu. Oct. 9 – Copenhagen, DK @ Pumpehuset
Sat. Oct. 11 – Berlin, DE @ Lido
Sun. Oct. 12 – Munich, DE @ Strom
Mon. Oct. 13 – Zurich, CH @ Plaza
Wed. Oct. 15 – Barcelona, ES @ Razzmatazz 2
Thu. Oct. 16 – Madrid, ES @ Nazca
Fri. Oct. 17 – Lisbon, PT @ LAV
Thu. Oct. 30 – Asheville, NC @ The Orange Peel*
Fri. Oct. 31 – Atlanta, GA @ Variety Playhouse *
Sat. Nov 1 – Nashville, TN @ Brooklyn Bowl *
Mon. Nov. 3 – Dallas, TX @ The Studio At The Bomb Factory *
Tue. Nov. 4 – Austin, TX @ Emo’s *
Thu. Nov. 6 – Phoenix, AZ @ The Van Buren *
Fri. Nov. 7 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Wiltern * ^
Sat. Nov. 8 – San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore *
Wed. Nov. 12 – Sacramento, CA @ Ace of Spades *
Fri. Nov. 14 – Portland, OR @ Crystal Ballroom *
Sat. Nov. 15 – Seattle, WA @ The Moore Theatre *
Sun. Nov. 16 – Vancouver, BC @ Commodore Ballroom *
Tue. Nov. 18 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Metro Music Hall *
Wed. Nov. 19 – Denver, CO @ Ogden Theatre *
Fri. Nov. 21 – Kansas City, MO @ The Truman *
Sat. Nov. 22 – St. Paul, MN @ Palace Theatre *
Sun. Nov. 23 – Chicago, IL @ The Salt Shed (Indoor) * +
Tue. Nov 25 – Cleveland, OH @ Globe Iron *
Wed. Nov. 26 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Roxian Theatre *
Fri. Nov. 28 – Toronto, ON @ Danforth Music Hall *
Sat. Nov. 29 – Montreal, QC @ Beanfield Theatre *
Tue. Dec. 2 – Boston, MA @ Royale *
Wed. Dec. 3 – Providence, RI @ Fete Music Hall *
Fri. Dec. 5 – Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Paramount * #
Sat. Dec. 6 – Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer *
Tue. Dec. 9 – Washington, D.C. @ 9:30 Club *

* w/ Phoebe Rings
^ w/ Bret McKenzie
+ w/ Squirrel Flower
# w/ illuminati hotties

Keep your mind open.

[Don’t forget to subscribe before you go.]

[Thanks to Jacob at Pitch Perfect PR.]

Annie-Claude Deschênes drops hot (and slightly weird) new single – “Main de Fer.”

Montreal based multidisciplinary artist Annie-Claude Deschênes returns with new single “Main de Fer“, out now via Italians Do It Better & Bonsound.

On “Main de Fer”, Annie-Claude Deschênes fuses minimal techno with avant-garde to trigger a disorienting exploration through emotional isolation. An invisible grip engulfs the mind and erases the contours of the self, leading to a silence where breath is extinguished as the soul dissolves in the shadow of control. Its disturbing soundscapes and fragmented textures challenge the blindness of the self and others, offering us the opportunity to free ourselves from our inhibitions in a controlled chaos.

Listen here on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZ6UcsJQ9UM
Listen here on other streaming services:https://bonsound.co/maindeferRP

As a key figure on the Montreal independent music scene for the last two decades, she has left her mark as a performer & visual artist with Duchess Says & PyPy; two bands that are renowned as much for their electrifying live shows as they are for their artistic sensibilities. Always forward, her exploratory approach takes her into uncharted territory with her debut as a solo artist. The urgency that characterises her work remains, but frustration & aggression give way to introspection & vulnerability.

Over the course of her career, Annie-Claude Deschênes shared the stage with a number of renowned bands, including The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Teenage Jesus & the Jerks, The Black Lips, The Hives, The Hot Snakes & Buzzcocks, among others. Her debut solo album titled ‘LES MANIÈRES DE TABLE’ was released last year via Italians Do It Better & Bonsound.

Keep your mind open.

[Don’t forget to subscribe!]

[Thanks to Frankie at Stereo Sanctity.]

Rewind Review: Kalyanji-Andandji – Bombay 2: Electric Vindaloo (2001)

If that cover alone doesn’t make you want to buy this album, I’m not sure what will.

Bombay 2: Electric Vindaloo is the sequel to the wild, weird, and wonderful Bombay the Hard Way: Guns, Cars and Sitars collection. Both feature Bollywood film music by the composer duo of Kalyanji Virji Shah and Anandji Virji Shah and remixed by multiple DJs and producers. The first collection featured 1970s James Bond-riffing film music and Bombay 2: Electric Vindaloo focuses on Bollywood in the 1980s, with all the glitz, glamour, and garishness of that decade. Imagine Miami Vice filmed in New Delhi and you’ll get the idea.

Urusula 1000‘s “Ram Balram” would fit into any techno set even today. DJ Me DJ You‘s “Bionic Kahaan” is layered with weird, warped sounds of calling geese, horror movie film synths, strange vocal samples, and gloopy, oozy bass. “Theme from Twin Sheiks” is a delightful minute and eight seconds of Bollywood bliss.

Kid Koala and Dynomite D‘s “Third World Lover” is a grand mix of sweeping strings, traditional Indian instruments, and hip hop beats. “Rah-Keet” has this cool mix of synthwave and stuff that sounds like opening credits music you’d hear on an obscure VHS tape you found at a Goodwill store. Mixmaster Mike‘s “Hydrolik Carpet Ride” features his trademark turntablism that will leave you dumbfounded. “Bollywood B-Boy Battle” is as intense and fun as you hope it will be.

DJ Me DJ You return for “Mr. Natwarlal,” which has great dub bass and synth effects in it to further confound your brain. Dynomite D then returns for “Basmati Beatdown” – a track that almost sounds like it’s playing backwards and somehow keeps a wicked groove throughout it. “T.J. Hookah” is ready for action (or video games, your choice). DJ Me DJ You takes us on a third trip with the horn and turntable-led “Disco Raj.”

“Sexy Mother Fakir” drifts into Spic-Beatz and Pak-Man‘s “Inspector Jay’s Big Score,” which is practically space age bachelor pad music and practically gives you an entire spy film’s plot in under six minutes. Steinkski‘s scratch-a-licious “Electric Vindaloo” is a stunning display of his skill on the decks.

“Dil Street Blues” is a fun riff on the famous Hill Street Blues theme, and I love how the album ends with an almost traditional-sounding track, “Chakra Khan,” complete with male-female duo vocals but fat disco bass and swanky horns added to the mix.

I don’t know if a third collection of this stuff will ever appear, but I hope so. Everyone needs more stuff like this. Something might be wrong with you if you don’t find at least a bit of enjoyment out of it.

Keep your mind open.

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