Levitation France has announced its full (?) lineup for 2025, and they’ve packed a lot of good bands into just two nights.
Vendredi (Friday) brings in Italy’s New Candys (whose new album, so far, sounds pretty cool), UK’s Ditz (a sharp new post-punk band), Spain’s Hinds (also promoting a new album), Danish metal giants Kadavar, and the U.S.’ own Blonde Redhead.
Samedi (Saturday) has Angers post-punkers Rest Up, UK’s mysterious HONESTY, goth-queen Heartworms, experimental psych-rockers Bryan’s Magic Tears, and psych-proggers bdrmm, plus the U.S.’ synthwave duo Boy Harsher, and finally French psych heavyweights The Limiñanas.
It’s a good lineup with some serious rock in it this year, and it’s in a new location – a pyramid on a lakefront, no less. Don’t miss it.
James Krivchenia (drummer and producer of Big Thief) announces his new album Performing Belief, out May 2nd via Planet Mu, and shares its lead single, “Probably Wizards.” This spring, Krivchenia will play his first ever live show on Tue. June 17 at Elsewhere in Brooklyn, NY (tickets are on sale this Friday and will be available here).
Featuring contributions from electric bassist SamWilkes (Wilkes/Gendel) and double bassist/multi-instrumentalist Joshua Abrams (Natural Information Society), Performing Belief builds rhythmic thickets from gathered sounds interwoven with synths, drum machines and other samples. At the core of Performing Belief is a lush, opulent matrix of percussion ranging from the familiar—hand claps and drum machines—to the mysteriously verdant, sampled largely from Krivchenia’s own field recording collection. Lead single “Probably Wizards” was created alongside Wilkes and carries a profoundly fresh sense of time, blurring the edges of the quantized grid and the boundaries of electronic music.
Krivchenia’s previous release, 2022’s hyperkinetic Blood Karaoke, was composed mostly from hundreds of tiny samples of unwatched YouTube videos. Performing Belief sees Krivchenia turning from online realms to the natural world. For years, Krivchenia would record his musical encounters with natural objects: performing on a particularly resonant log on a hike, throwing rocks into a pristine pond, tap dancing in the mud. This archive of sounds became the fertile soil out of which the tracks on Performing Belief grew. Having built these rhythmic nests, Wilkes and Abrams bring the presence of a grounding human witness to the undergrowth, providing a centering and even at times melodic voice to the gathering. This rhythmic language, set in Krivchenia’s long-fermenting electronic musical palate, feels like a revelation — it calls back not only to his wonderfully elastic timekeeping behind the kit, but also to his prior work in computer music as well as his deep study of the vast human archive of drumming.
Performing Belief is in good company in the rank and file of the legendary Planet Mu label. From the foundational early releases of the likes of Jega and Venetian Snares, to the contemporary envelope-warping work of Jlin and hundreds of brilliant releases in between, Planet Mu has been a beacon of forward-thinking rhythmic music for decades, informing Krivchenia’s own sense of the weird metaphysics of musical time since he was a kid. Krivchenia’s contribution to this history calls to mind the principle of organic danceability that subtends Mu’s whole catalogue, while bending our sense of rhythm in new and gracious dimensions.
“Jazz-funk” is a term that’s a bit overused, but it’s a perfect description for trumpeter Takuya Kuroda‘s impressive new album, EVERYDAY. Kuroda takes joy in blending and playing with multiple styles of music, and his commitment to practice and make music every day inspired the album’s title.
The title track blends hip hop drumming from David Frazier and funky keys from Takahiro Izumikawa. “Bad Bye” (with guest vocals from FIJA) is fun and funky and could’ve been a Thievery Corporation track in another timeline. “Car 16 15 A” absolutely sizzles for five straight minutes, even in the mellow bits.
“Must Have Known” slows things down, with Kuroda’s trumpet stepping back just a bit to let Corey King‘s vocals take front stage. “Off to Space” might well take you there. It’s almost a prog-rock track at points (i.e., Frazier’s drumming) and cool lounge jazz in others (i.e., Martha Kato‘s Rhodes organ). Kuroda trades hot solos with saxophonist Craig Hill on “Iron Giraffe.”
I’m not sure if the title of the snappy “Hung Up on My Baby” means Kuroda is hung up (wistful for) on his lover or if he cut a phone call short with them. I think it’s the former. The album ends with the cool-as-a-cat “Curiosity.” Everyone seems to get a chance to shine on it, especially Izumikawa on his piano solo.
It’s another slick record for Kuroda, who is quickly becoming one of my “Have you heard this guy?” recommendations for anyone who even gives me a hint that they enjoy jazz.
Keep your mind open.
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[Thanks to Gabriel at Clandestine Label Services!]
Los Angeles duo Sextile – celebrated for an unflinching, electronic punk sound injected with trance-pop grit – have announced their bold upcoming album, yes, please., out May 2, 2025 on Sacred Bones.
Much of yes, please. is being performed on a current North American run of dates supporting Molchat Doma into March. Sextile has also shared the single “Freak Eyes,” which pushes their dark, pulsing signature sound to new heights. It opens with a nasty bass growl, which abruptly gives way to a techno beat peppered with clanging cowbell and sharp hi-hat. “I feel the pressure / Man the pressure I feel when we’re together,” vocalist Brady Keehn cooly, albeit firmly yell-sings in the opening lines. Inspired by the ways in which pressure can provoke challenges and improvement alike, “Freak Eyes” conjures electrifying images of seedy Sunset Strip backrooms and leather clad warehouse dance floors.
On the track, Brady Keehn of Sextile shares: “”Freak Eyes” is aboutthe pressures of making art, living, and aspiring. The sound was inspired by house parties we went to in NY, where certain tracks had the conversation stopping power. If you were in the middle of convo with a friend and heard certain songs, it didn’t matter what you were talking about, you stopped and joined the party in the collective release of emotion, singing, dancing, and drinks flying everywhere. It was like in that moment, nothing else mattered but that energy that we all collectively felt. And I felt like I hadn’t seen that at a party, or anywhere in a while, and wanted to try to bring that feeling back into the world again.”
Keep your mind open.
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Triathalon — the New York-based trio of Adam Intrator, Chad Chilton and Hunter Jayne — announces its new album, Funeral Music, out May 16th on Lex Records, and presents the lead single/video, “RIP.” Funeral Music, the band’s fifth album, began taking shape when the band imagined what they’d like played during their memorials. Continuously referencing “play this at my funeral” throughout writing and recording, the album became a realization of this concept. Lead single “RIP” is a 90s-influenced rock track inspired by artists like Pixies, Deftones, and Nirvana. Adam Intrator says, “The aim for ‘RIP’ was to kick start feelings on what it felt like to listen to a late 90s rock song for the first time as a kid in your parents car in the backseat and asking to hear it louder. ‘RIP’ has a double meaning; it’s about both dying and being reborn.”
Born out of a period of heartbreak, growing pains, and self discovery, Funeral Music showcases a darker, more vulnerable side of the band. With a more minimal approach, every element within the album is highlighted, from cleaner guitar tones, to live-tracked drums, to first-take vocals mixed with singular piano playing and experimental production. Funeral Music not only reflects the band’s sonic shift but also reinvents the overall dynamics between their sound, energy, and workflow. These songs were written, demoed, recorded, and mixed in various places, bedrooms, studios, and houses over the course of two years and is the band’s strongest and most cohesive work to date.
First, I need to give The Death Wheelers a thumbs-up for the Ennio Morricone joke with titling their new album The Ecstasy of Möld. The Death Wheelers are big fans of cult films and cinema in general, and the riff on Morricone’s classic “The Ecstasy of Gold” from The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly is brilliant.
As is the album. Opening with the short but heavy “Loud Pipes Take Lives,” and a man declaring he’ll purify the world with blood, the album lets you know right away that this is going to be a wild ride. Need further evidence? Well, the thrash metal banger “Homicycle Maniac” (which my computer’s autocorrect wants to write as “Hemicycle Maniac,” which works just as well) will convince you. “Hella Hammered” continues the thrash metal shredding, proclaiming that the motorcycle gang of the band’s moniker are a “bunch of real psychopaths.”
“Un Pneu Dans La Tombe — Aide Musicale À Mourir” dips a bit into psychedelia before it turns into a riff-raging rocker. The title track claims “There is only one ecstasy…Death!” and then launches into pounding punk rock. “Blood, Bikes and Barbiturates” has more heavy cymbal crashes than I could count.
“Bleu Nuit (Les Plaisirs De La Chair)” is one of the trippiest tracks on the record as the band goes looking for pleasures “more primitive” than what you’d find in a strip club. The groove on it is top-notch. The distortion and reverb are cranked on “Way of the Road” for you and your neighbor’s enjoyment (and don’t miss the salute to Led Zeppelin in it).
“The Heretic Rites of Count Choppula,” apart from having a great title, adds touches of horror-surf rock to the album that show another side of The Death Wheelers you didn’t expect at first, but think, “Oh yeah, that tracks.” when you hear it. Finally, “Get Laid…to Rest” ends the album on a Pink Floyd-like mind trip to give your brain a chance to reset after all the chaos you just heard.
It’s another fine instrumental rocket blast from The Death Wheelers. Get in on this roadtrip or get the hell out of the way.
Keep your mind open.
[I might reach ecstasy if you finally subscribe today.]
Lust for Youth & Croatian Amor looked to the stars for inspiration on their new album, All Worlds. Specifically, they focused on the idea of the “Golden Record” set into outer space by NASA in 1977 to greet anyone who might find it. They wanted to create a portrait of a world in where each song evoked a sense of place and time.
Starting with “Friendzone,” the album gets off to a trancey-dancey start with arpeggiating synths and thumping bass. A lot of the songs on All Worlds are about belonging and the quest to find community and kinship. “Friendzone” is a wake-up call for those put in it. The smart ones accept the assignment. “Passerine,” with guest vocals from Emma Acs, adds shoegaze guitars to snappy electric beats as Acs sings about being disconnected to the world around us.
“Dummy” reminds us that “It’s all right. These hearts were built to fight.” It’s an uplifting track. “Everything changes,” they say. Things can turn around if you give them the chance. “Akkadian” reminds me of early Orbital tracks with its vocal loops, trip-hop beats, and clockwork synth riffs.
“Lights in the Center” adds Alan Watts Zen philosophy to soft synthwave. A woman claims, “I don’t know where I went.” at the beginning of “Kokiri.” She might’ve gone to the dance floor, judging from the great house beats in it. “Nowhere” feels like a cat stretching in the sunlight beaming in from a living room window as it dreams of strolling through a park as busy humans run to and fro.
“Fleece” would be a good song to play while drifting along the Voyager spacecraft carrying the Golden Record, because it feels like zero gravity under your feet. “Velella Velella Wind Sailors” is minimalist techno as a woman speaks about animals washed up on a beach and schools of jellyfish that resemble blue coral. Closing with “Still Here,” the song reminds us that we can persevere. We can survive. We can thrive.
It’s a neat experiment by a cool team. Each track has its own pulse. They paint several pictures for you. It’s easy to get lost in them. Go ahead and try it.
Lonnie Holley unveils the new single, “That’s Not Art, That’s Not Music,” from his new album, Tonky, out March 21st via Jagjaguwar. Following Holley’s “deeply moving, genre defying” (NPR Music) single “Protest With Love,” “That’s Not Art, That’s Not Music” is about Holley’s early experiences in the art world and larger institutions’ apprehension in accepting Black self-taught art as fine art. Holley is once again joined by Jacknife Lee, The Legendary Ingramettes, Kelly Pratt, and Jordan Katz. Budgie also contributes here. Atop atmospheric horns, flute, and marimba, Holley sings: “Gathering our arts / Gathering our music / Incorporating it into song / Us being rejected / They were saying, ‘That’s not good enough’/Not good enough / That’s not art / That’s not music.”
Tonky is a work born out of the delight of finding a sound and pressing it up against another found sound and another until, before a listener knows it, they are awash in a symphony of sound that feels like it stitches together as it is washing over you. The layers of sound found on Tonky are the result of decades of evolving experimentation. Tonky takes its name from a childhood nickname that was affixed to Holley when he lived a portion of his childhood life in a honky tonk. Lonnie Holley’s life of survival and endurance is one that is required – and no doubt still requires – a kind of invention. An invention that is also rich and present in Holley’s songs, which are full and immersive on Tonky.
Portions of this press release are pulled from the Tonky bio written by Hanif Abdurraqib.
I discovered Vuelveteloca at the 2017 Levitation Music Festival where they played a great show at the now long-gone Barracuda club. I hadn’t heard them before then, but their Chilean version of metal, psych, krautrock, and stoner metal was something to behold. I snagged their Sonora album from their merch table…and it got lost in a stack of CDs in my office for years. It’s a shame I’m finally getting around to reviewing it eight years later, because it’s a slick record.
First, you should know that the band’s name translates as “Go crazy.” in English. That lets you know what you’re in for with this record. It’s a fitting name.
The album’s title translates as “Sonorous” – which implies something deep and powerful. Opening track, “La Niebla” (“The Fog”), stomps the gas pedal to the floor and charges through the titular weather with reckless abandon. The brief moment of coasting (around the 3:30 mark) lets you feel the wind on your face for a bit before the guitars from Marcos De Iruarrizaga and Tomás Olivos come back to melt it.
“Alta Montaña” (“High Mountain”) displays their love of stoner metal and cosmic rock, as Juan Gili hammers out mantra-like beats to induce rhythmic head-nodding. “Ataque Masivo” isn’t necessarily a tribute to the band “Massive Attack,” but I wouldn’t be surprised if Massive Attack were an influence on them. The track has krautrock leanings, but also synth touches that lean it a bit in Massive Attack’s direction.
The fuzz returns in full force on “Carnaval,” sending us on a trippy journey down streets full of masked people who might have dark intentions. “L.A.” slows things down into 1960s psych-rock. It’s a neat change in tone from the heavy stuff that’s come before it as the song builds in power and volume. “El Lado Frio” (“The Cold Side”) takes that power and volume and uses it to cause your brain to swirl in your skull.
“Tormento” (“Torment”) is a song you’ll want to blast while competing in a demolition derby. “Chepical” dives back into krautrock, but adds soaring cosmic rock guitars to the mix. Ending with the interestingly titled “Cientologia & Altiplano” (“Scientology & Plateau”), the album uses Jose Navarrete‘s bass grooves to maximum effect and creates a great jam track with limited vocals and maximum head-trip riffs.
It’s a wild record, and one I slept on for too long. Don’t do the same.
The Jesus and Mary Chain‘s 1989 album (their third), Automatic, is the second one to be made by the Reid brothers, William and and Jim, with backing from a drum machine and synth-bass. Some fans derided this back in the day, but the album is now considered another classic from them.
Opening track “Here Comes Alice” is a full-out rock ode to a hot lady on a hot summer day. “Coast to Coast” is another sizzler and perfect for fast driving down long highways (“I got a cat-scratch engine, takes me on the road. Wheels get back rolling to the world I know. Take me just as far as I can go.”). The guitars on this are great – roaring one moment and squealing the next.
“Blues from a Gun” is one of TJAMC’s biggest hits, even reaching the top spot on the U.S. “Modern Rock” charts back in 1989. It’s about someone misreading a situation that they think is romantic but is strictly platonic (“If you’re talking for real, then go cut a deal. You’re facing up to living out the way that you feel.”). It’s no surprise it was a big hit, because it hits all the right notes. The chugging guitars and sharp but simple electric drum beats perfectly mix together.
“Between Planets,” a song about a woman who might be schizophrenic, is so catchy it could’ve been the theme to an MTV show in the late 1980s. The programmed drums are heavy on “UV Ray,” and the machine-like guitar riffs (mixed with a bit of surf!), give the song a bit of an industrial dance club feel. “Her Way of Praying” has Jim Reid singing about a woman who drives him crazy with her “hip dippin’ trick of all time done right.”
“Head On” was so popular that Pixies went on to cover it on their Trompe Le Monde album. It’s easy to see why it was an influence on them: Quieter verses mixed with loud choruses and louder guitars. “Take It” is about giving yourself to a lover and not worrying about anything else.
“Catch me ’cause I’m falling apart,” Jim Reid sings on “Halfway to Crazy” – a song about, you guessed it, going mad in a world that’s even crazier than you are. “Gimme Hell” is appropriately heavy as Jim Reid sings / growls about a cantankerous relationship that threatens to singe both parties. The drug reference of “Drop” is hard to miss, as William Reid sings about seeking solace after a breakup (“I should have guessed when I took that pill. Do I love her still?”). The album ends with the drum-heavy instrumental “Sunray.”
It would be interesting to hear these tracks with live drums and bass, but they’re all good and all influenced generations of musicians.
Keep your mind open.
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