7th Level Music

Warish unleash new single – “Woven.”

Southern California trio Warish recently released a new single, “Woven,” and also wrapped up a tour with The Black Lips. “Woven” is available on all platforms.

Hear & share via YouTube, Bandcamp and Spotify.

Rolling Stone previously hailed Warish as a Song You Need To Know feature HERE.

Warish hit the road this week supporting The Black Lips on the East Coast. Please see all upcoming dates below. Imagine if early, weird Aberdeen Nirvana were crossed with low budget horror-obsessed garage-punks. You’d have sinister vibes with a visceral, twisted weirdness and bludgeoning riffs. Some might call it nightmarish, we call it Warish.

Warish formed in early 2018 when guitarist/vocalist and pro-skater Riley Hawk (son of skating legend Tony Hawk) and drummer Nick (Broose) McDonnell decided they wanted to try their hand at something more distinct than they’d done previously.
“We wanted to do simpler riffs and a fun live show,” Riley explains. “A little more punk, a little bit of grunge… a little evil-ish.”

Their sound takes cues from a variety of cool underground sounds and twists it all into an energetic and exciting fist to the face of dark fury. Hawk’s effect-laden vocals hearken to 90s industrial monsters Ministry and David Yow‘s tortured caterwaul in Scratch Acid. The guitars are heavy and powerful, though decidedly not straightforward cookie cutter punk; more like Cobain‘s and Buzz Osbourne‘s wiry contortions. The rhythms bash and pummel right through it all with aggressive force ensuring that nothing gets overly complicated and the horrors keep coming throughout the band’s uh, warlike assault.

The band’s debut album, Down In Flames, is available on LP, CD and download, was released on September 13th, 2019 via RidingEasy Records. Available to order in all formats HERE.

Keep your mind open.

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Review: Randy Holden – Population II (2020 reissue)

Randy Holden, former guitarist and vocalist of metal pioneers Blue Cheer, debuted his first solo album, Population II (because it was just Holden and his drummer / keyboardist Chris Lockheed – and it’s also a term for a star cluster with heavy metals in it), in 1969 to stunned audiences. He recorded the proto-doom metal record with sixteen 200-watt Sunn amps in an opera house and troubles with releasing it bankrupted Holden. The album was bootlegged and copied many times, but RidingEasy Records has unleashed it in a new, high quality remaster that sounds like, as Holden once put it, “Godzilla walked into the room.”

The album opens with the cosmic sludge of “Guitar Song.” Holden moves back and forth between heavy stoner psych and gold old-fashioned metal shredding. Lockheed keeps the drums minimal, letting Holden’s guitar take center stage. Don’t ask me to figure out the meaning of “Fruit Icebergs,” just enjoy the epic riffs and iceberg-heavy drums as they come at you like an unstoppable force. The song (with lyrics about enjoying colors and heaven, among other things) is so massive that there’s a groovy break in it entitled “Between Time” in which Holden sings about loving his guitar before “Fruit Icebergs (Conclusion)” comes back for nearly another two minutes.

“Blue My Mind” could refer to Holden’s time in Blue Cheer or a woman who once gave him a wild ride. Either way, Lockheed thumps out the heartbeats of a titan while Holden’s guitar seems to be the marching music of an orc army. The album ends with the stunning ten-minute long “Keeper of the Flame.” Holden compares women to beautiful blue skies and rainbows, but don’t let the lyrics make you think the track is some sort of acoustic hippie love jam. It’s a chugging blues-influenced rocker that sounds like an out of control big rig truck at some points.

This could easily be one of the top reissues of 2020, and it’s a treasure if you’re a fan of cosmic / stoner / doom rock. Many thanks to RidingEasy Records for giving it a proper release.

Keep your mind open.

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Review: The KVB – Submersion

Submersion is a great name for this EP from The KVB (Kat Day and Nicholas Wood). Listening to it is like indulging in a night of psychedelic shoegaze music and then sinking into a warm pool, or lying down on a comfortable bed, or finding a comfy couch in the back of a nightclub.

The title track opens the EP with shimmering synths and simple guitar strums as Day and Wood’s vocals almost chant to us from behind a wall of mist. The synth bass builds and Wood’s guitar lights up the room like a mirror ball. “Outlands” has a great synth-bass groove throughout it that gets your toes tapping and torso writhing.

The alternate version of “Into Life” (from their 2018 album Only Now Forever) is a sultry, breathy make-out track you’ll want to permanently keep on a playlist for such activity. The next two tracks, “Above Us” and “On My Skin,” are also from the same album but remixed by The Holydrug Couple and Miniami Deutsch, respectively. The Holydrug Couple’s mix is, at you might expect, full of trippy synths and heavy reverb on the vocals. Minami Deutsch’s, also as you might expect, turns the song into a krautrock dance track that brings to might sun breaking through gray clouds.

Submerse yourself into this EP. You’ll be better off for it.

Keep your mind open.

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Pitchfork announces 2020 lineup.

The Pitchfork Music Festival will celebrate its 15th anniversary this summer, Friday, July 17 through Sunday, July 19, at Chicago’s Union Park. Today, the Festival announces the full 2020 lineup, including headliners Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Run The Jewels, and The National. Leading up to the Festival weekend, there will be a week of special 15th Anniversary Events commemorating 15 years of the Pitchfork Music Festival and the city of Chicago. Further details will be announced soon.

The festival opens on Friday with Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Angel Olsen, The Fiery Furnaces playing their first show in 10 years, Jehnny Beth, Deafheaven, Waxahatchee, Tim Hecker & The Konoyo Ensemble, SOPHIE, Fennesz, Hop Along, Dehd, SPELLLING, KAINA, and Femdot.

On Saturday, the festival hosts Run The Jewels, who had a formative moment in 2013 during which they were originally booked as solo artists before joining each others’ sets. They will be joined by Sharon Van Etten, Twin Peaks, Danny Brown, Thundercat, Cat Power, Tierra Whack, BADBADNOTGOOD, Dave, Oso Oso, Divino Niño, Boy Scouts, Ezra Collective, and Margaux.

Sunday will feature The National, who played Pitchfork Music Festival’s first year in 2006, Big Thief, Kim Gordon, Phoebe Bridgers, Yaeji, Caroline Polachek, DJ Nate, Maxo Kream, Rapsody, Faye Webster, Mariah the Scientist, Dogleg, The Hecks, and Dustin Laurenzi’s Snaketime.

For 15 years, the Pitchfork Music Festival lineup has spanned genres and generations, consistently placing contemporary cutting-edge artists alongside some of the most influential acts of our time. Year after year, this significant balance has made the event stand out as one of the most enjoyable festivals and celebrated weekends in music.

“For the 15th anniversary of Pitchfork Music Festival, we’re excited to showcase musicians who have been formative to our readers and pivotal to their respective communities,” said editor-in-chief Puja Patel. “It’s in Pitchfork’s DNA to seek out rising talent and the best new music out there, and this year’s lineup exemplifies that across all three days. We always hope that fans will come to see their favorite band and leave the weekend having found a new one as well.”

Pitchfork Music Festival tickets are on sale now. Currently, three-day passes are $185 and single-day passes are $75. The Pitchfork PLUS upgrade, including a range of exclusive amenities, is $385 for a three-day pass and $160 for a single-day pass. Payment plans will be available for all tickets over $100. More details are available here.

PURCHASE TICKETS HERE

FRIDAY
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Angel Olsen
The Fiery Furnaces
Jehnny Beth
Deafheaven
Waxahatchee
Tim Hecker & The Konoyo Ensemble
SOPHIE
Fennesz
Hop Along
Dehd
SPELLLING
KAINA
Femdot

SATURDAY
Run the Jewels
Sharon Van Etten
Twin Peaks
Danny Brown
Thundercat
Cat Power
Tierra Whack
BADBADNOTGOOD
Dave
Oso Oso
Divino Niño
Boy Scouts
Ezra Collective
Margaux

SUNDAY
The National
Big Thief
Kim Gordon
Phoebe Bridgers
Yaeji
Caroline Polachek
DJ Nate
Maxo Kream
Rapsody
Faye Webster
Mariah the Scientist
Dogleg
The Hecks
Dustin Laurenzi’s Snaketime

For more information, including lineups, event news, and the latest updates, please visit PitchforkMusicFestival.com, facebook.com/pitchforkmusicfestival and follow Pitchfork Music Festival on Instagram and Twitter.

Keep your mind open.

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RJD2 announces new album due April 17th.

RJD2 is pleased to announce his return with new album, The Fun Ones, out April 17th on RJ’s Electrical Connections, alongside lead single, “Pull Up On Love,” and its accompanying video. His first album since 2016’s Dame Fortune, The Fun Ones is the seventh solo album in the constantly expanding RJD2 catalog. Assembled as a mixtape using samples taken from a number of conversations with his contemporaries, including Phonte Coleman, J-Zone, Kid Koala, Mr. Lif, and Son Little, The Fun Ones draws largely from the basic DNA of hip-hop and funk music, with heavy brass, plenty of thump, and slick chord changes.

Though The Fun Ones largely emphasizes modern funk and instrumental music, RJ still occasionally flirts with vocal stylings across the album. On “One Of A Kind,” RJ links up with Homeboy Sandman, pushing the levels of syncopation into the red. “A Genuine Gentleman” sees RJ and the king of west coast abstract rhyming, Aceyalone, reuniting on record for the first time since 2006 over a Meter’s-esque groove.

Longtime RJD2 collaborators, STS and Khari Mateen, reconvene on lead single, “Pull Up On Love,” to bring the spirit of James Brown to the quintessential Atlanta rib shack. Jordan Brown steps in to bring a falsetto lilt over a cacophonous drum break that would leave Ginger Baker scratching his chin. “This tune started with some Zigaboo-inspired drums, a nice little sweeping guitar lick, and a bass line that left plenty of space for wherever Slim (aka STS) was gonna take the track,” says RJ. “I purposely left some room to fill out the track once the vocals were in place. So when Slim sent it back to me, and Khari had did his thing on it, it had such a great vibe to it that I didn’t want to drench the track in production tricks and overdubs. I wanted the vocal performances to shine, so I basically cleaned up the mix, did a few breakdowns, and left it as is. It was great for the three of us to link up once again, since it had been years since we did ‘See You Leave’.”

RJ, STS, Mateen, and Brown all appear in the song’s accompanying video, filmed at the Ogden Theatre in Denver, alongside Chuck Palmer on drums, and Stephen Greenberg on bass.

Watch RJD2’s Video for “Pull Up On Love” –
https://youtu.be/8uxL0xhRQBk

RJD2 will play select dates in support of The Fun Ones this spring, including dates in Seattle, San Diego, Austin, Columbus, Brooklyn, and Boston at Boston Calling Music Festival. A full list of dates are below, with all shows on-sale now.

Pre-order The Fun Ones –
https://orcd.co/rjd2thefunones

The Fun Ones Tracklist:
01. No Helmet Up Indianola
02. Indoor S’mores
03. 20 Grand Palace
03. One of a Kind
05. High Street Will Never Die
06. Pull Up On Love
07. All I’m After
08. Flocking To The Nearest Machine
09. And It Sold For 45k
10. The Freshmen Lettered
11. A Genuine Gentleman
12. Itch Ditch Mission
13. My Very Own Burglar Neighbor
14. A Salute To Blood Bowl Legends

RJD2 Tour Dates:

Fri. March 20 – Seattle, WA @ Nectar Lounge
Sat. March 21 – San Diego, CA @ Music Box
Thu. April 9 – Austin, TX @ Empire Control Room & Garage
Fri. April 10 – Boulder, CO @ Boulder Theatre
Sat. April 25 – Columbus, OH @ Otherworld
Sun. April 26 – Cincinnati, OH @ Urban Artifact
Fri. May 22 – Brooklyn, NY @ Elsewhere
Sat. May 23 – Boston, MA @ Boston Calling Music Festival

Keep your mind open.

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Review: Forever – Close to the Flame

As the story goes, singer-songwriter June Moon (also known as Forever) had just left a terrible relationship and was inspired to write her new EP, Close to the Flame, by a ghost. I’m not sure I can write something that will make you more intrigued by the EP than that, but I’ll give it a whirl.

The opening song, “Blur,” is a Portishead-like groover that details the murder of the woman who would become the aforementioned ghost. It hides a sad story amid bedroom grooves. “Make It Happen” (featuring guest vocals by Just John) is a sharp house cut with Moon’s vocals bouncing around the room like a happy sparrow.

“Devotion” has these cool organ chords throughout it and weird beats that sound like they’re underwater. Speaking of such things, “Diving Bell Blue” has Moon saying goodbye to her ex and assuring herself that “everything is going to be better.”

Moon’s falsetto is nicely matching with synth-bass and chill beats on “Brad.” The ghost at the beginning of Moon’s story has become an angel by the time we reach the closer, “Adonis.” The slow, subtle beats of the track are like the wind pushing the fluffy cloud of Moon’s vocals.

For a record made after a bad relationship ended, this EP sure is lovely – but that’s probably the point. Moon found new life and peace while making it, and she’s kind enough to share it with us.

Keep your mind open.

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Review: Khruangbin & Leon Bridges – Texas Sun

Psychedelic jazz rockers Khruangbin and soul crooner Leon Bridges have come together to create a lovely four-song EP called Texas Sun. It’s a tribute to their home state and the reduction of the self that can happen if you spend a lot of time in the American southwest.

The title track opens the EP and begins with country acoustic guitar before Mark Speer‘s distinctive guitar sound comes in as a perfect match with Bridges’ vocals about driving along warm Texas highways at dusk. Speer puts down some romantic charm on “Midnight,” so much so that I wouldn’t be surprised if the track has scored him a hundred dates by now. Plus, Laura Lee‘s bass groove on it is as seductive as the devil.

Speaking of grooves, the one cooked up by Ms. Lee and drummer Donald Johnson on “C-Side” is so slick that you should probably put a “Caution: Slippery Floor” sign in your living room when you play it. The EP ends with “Conversion,” which brings in some gospel touches to Bridges’ vocals about finding freedom in love.

This EP is a steal at a mere four bucks and a nice way to relax for a little while as you deal with the last days of winter.

Keep your mind open.

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Public Practice’s first LP, “Gentle Grip,” due May 15, 2020.

On their debut full length, Gentle Grip, Public Practice reanimate the spirit of late ‘70s New York with their playfully angular yet thoughtful brand of no wave-meets-funk and dark disco.

Magnetic singer and lyricist Sam York and guitarist and principal sonic architect Vince McClelland (who previously played together as members of the meteoric yet short-lived NYC post-punk outfit WALL) come to the table with an anarchic perspective that aims to eradicate creative barriers by challenging the very idea of what a song can be. Paradoxically, Drew Citron, on bass/vocals/synth, and drummer/producer Scott Rosenthal (both previously of Brooklyn indie-pop favorites Beverly) are uncannily adept at working within the framework of classic pop structures. But instead of clashing, these contrasting styles challenge and complement one another, resulting in an album full of spiraling tensions and unexpected turns.

Lyrically, York explores the complexities and contradictions of modern life overtop dance-inducing rhythms and choruses that disarmingly open up the doors to self-reflection. “You don’t want to live a lie / But it’s easy” York sings on “Compromised,” the record’s brisk, gyrating lead single. As York puts it, “No one’s moral compass reads truth north at all times. We all want to be our best green recycling selves, but still want to buy the shiny new shoes — how do you emotionally navigate through that? How do you balance material desires with the desire to be seen as morally good?” Towards the slinkier end of the album’s aural spectrum, songs like the supremely danceable “My Head” — which is about tuning out the incessant influx of external noise and finding your own internal groove — are more personally political while still hearkening the last days of disco.

But whether they are poking holes in commonly held ideas centered around relationships, creativity, or capitalism, Public Practice never lose sight of the fact that they want to have fun, and they want you to have fun too. After all, who wants to stand on top of a soapbox when there’s a dark, sweaty dancefloor out there with room on it for all of us?

Keep your mind open.

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Review: Karney – Better

This five-song EP from San Francisco’s Karney (sometimes also known as the Karney Band) is led by singer-songwriter-guitarist Anna Karney and was a surprise delivery to me by her label.

The title track, “Better,” is gets things off to a good start with hard-hitting drums from Jeff Herrera and Karney’s lyrics about taking charge of our lives in dark times. “Trust” is another uplifting track, not unlike a gospel song with its strong themes of acceptance and trust in something greater than the self.

Karney’s faithful cover of Led Zeppelin‘s “Ramble On” is a good one that takes on a hint of country flavor that works well (since, after all, country and blues are strongly linked). “Snake Oil Salesman,” has a bit of a psychedelic surf flair and lyrics (and a poem by Haji Hajimicheal) that I think reference a deceitful lover or the Grim Reaper (or possibly one and the same being). The closer, “Round and Round,” is a slightly mournful tune (with nice accordion work by Julie Wolf) that highlights Karney’s road-weary vocals.

Better is a nice little rock EP that would’ve escaped my radar were it not for Karney’s label sending it to me. I thank them for the gift, and Ms. Karney for the fine work indeed.

Keep your mind open.

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Review: Gary Wilson – Tormented

Bedroom rock maestro Gary Wilson has returned with one of his best albums in a while – Tormented. Since the painting of Wilson on the cover shows him wearing a Carnival of Souls shirt (a ghost story movie about a woman pursued by a mysterious man as she’s drawn to a beach-side park, which could be the theme of an entire record by Wilson), I can’t help but wonder if the title of the album refers to the Roger Corman film of the same name. In that movie, a man is haunted by the ghost of his former lover, and that is certainly a theme present in all of Wilson’s work – including this record.

The album ends with the short, weird “A Special Day,” in which Wilson and other ghostly voices mention it’s his girl’s birthday again and he’s planted a tree in her honor. “Happy Birthday to My Girl” follows it, and Wilson, with a jaunty keyboard groove behind him, sings a birthday song to his lover after she’s moved far away from him, oblivious to the fact that he’s bought new shoes for a date with her that will now never happen.

The synths on “The Sin Eater” are Donald Fagen-esque and Wilson’s vocals are a plea for his mysterious girl to not be afraid of the one who can take away her pain. “Oh that sounds real nice,” he sings at the beginning of “You Looked Cool in Outer Space.” He’s right. The tune is one of his funkiest and smoothest in a while.

“The Merry Go Round” is a piano-backed poem about Wilson spending another lonely night at his favorite park, where he goes every single night to think about the girl he mentions in “Midnight and You.” She’s another girl he can’t have or who he knew once but has long forgotten him. “I Married Lisa Last Night” is a brief instrumental that reminds you that Wilson is a fine pianist indeed.

“It’s Almost Midnight” is another ode to the nightlife Wilson loves so much, but he promises he’ll have his girl home before then. “Frank Roma Is Tormented” is a plunge into saxophone riffs and eerie madness. “Where Did You Go?” reminds us that “Every night is Friday night” when you’re with Mr. Wilson as it bops along a quiet, lonely road into outer space or through the North Side Park in Wilson‘s hometown of Endicott, New York (which, in case you didn’t know, is a very small town).

The title track is another creepy poem that drifts into a question Wilson asks on every record – “Where Is Linda?” It’s a hip track with more smooth synth work from Wilson, and once more the question goes unanswered. ‘The Wind” is the third poem on the album, with Wilson calling for various women as he hears their voices from afar.

The title of “Gary Lives in the Twilight Zone” could be an understatement. His albums indicate he lives in a mysterious place that shifts from dreams to reality until they are blurred and merged. Each one of his records lets us explore this odd place with him. His synth solo is great and the drums on the track are particularly snappy. The album closes with the fourth poem – “A Sad Town” – in which Wilson tries to swim to Toronto but ends up at an amusement park, tries again, but doesn’t make it – leaving us to wonder if he drowned in Lake Ontario and if Tormented is actually an album made by a ghost (a ghost who is currently touring, by the way).

I’d be fine with that. Ghosts follow Wilson around all the time, so I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s been one all along.

Keep your mind open.

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