7th Level Music

Review: Blanck Mass – Animated Violence Mild

Beginning with thirty-six seconds of mindless chatter recorded in a place that sounds like every pub, airport, coffee shop, and busy street on Earth, Blanck Mass‘ newest album, Animated Violence Mild, is a scathing rebuke on consumerism, the dehumanizing nature of modern technology, and the culture / love of fear permeating a majority of society.

“Death Drop,” with its screamed, Ministry-like vocals, is an industrial nightmare and amusement park ride mashed together for over seven minutes of sonic assault. It’s no coincidence that some of the synths in it sound like video game samples, as the album’s title references video game rating systems. Many see the world, their career, or their love life as games to be won, unaware of the perilous chasm that such a path can drop you into with little hope of escape.

“House Vs. House” has an intriguing title. Does it refer to different styles of house music? House elements are certainly in the song, but perhaps the title refers to a theme of “Keeping up with the Joneses.” Benjamin Power (AKA Blanck Mass) has stated that a majority of the themes in the album revolve around mass consumerism – which he likens unto a snake “which now coils back upon us. It seduces us with our own bait as we betray the better instincts of our nature and the future of our own world.”

Drop that mic, Mr. Power.

The video game-like beats return on “Hush Money.” We burn through money in vain attempts to suppress (hush) our fears and truth we don’t want to, but need, to hear. “Love Is a Parasite” is a somewhat bleak way to look at what the world needs most, but I have a feeling Power is referring to how media, corporations, and mass consumerism tend to make us feel about love. Love is fleeting, they may say, love can be found more in things than others. Love will only make you weak, so its better to avoid it and take solace it what you can consume. Things do not break your heart, but they do keep you trapped in the past. The song is a solid electro cut that builds fuzzy beat atop fuzzy beat until it’s a beautiful cacophony.

“Creature / West Fuqua” is a lovely, harp-led oasis from the danger Power has created (and reminded us of) throughout the record so far. “No Dice” has a great call-and-response “Hey!” throughout it as Powers rejects the lure of consumerism and the temptation of falling into a deep, dark place due to personal loss. The last track is “Wings of Hate,” a bold track that bubbles and roars like a volcano. It almost demands you hear it live, as a recording can barely contain it.

“I believe that many of us have willfully allowed our survival instinct to become engulfed by the snake we birthed [consumerism]. Animated — brought to life by humankind. Violent — insurmountable and wild beyond our control. Mild — delicious,” says Powers in the liner notes sent to me by his label (Sacred Bones).

He’s right. We’ve allowed our love of things to become a delicious poison we gleefully drink instead of finding love in nature, ourselves, and others. Powers is telling all of us to wake up before it’s too late. We need to heed and hear his warning – Animated Violence Mild.

Keep your mind open.

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Review: The Flaming Lips – King’s Mouth: Music and Songs

If you’ve ever considered writing a concept album about a mythological kingdom ruled by a giant whose rule was foretold by a sparrow, I’m sorry to inform you the Flaming Lips have already done it and I’m sure have done it better than any of us could’ve done.

Featuring narration by none other than Mick Jones, King’s Mouth: Music and Songs tells the tale of a queen who dies in childbirth and whose son, the aforementioned giant, will inherit the kingdom – as told in “The Sparrow.” “Giant Baby” is told from both the perspective of the future king’s subjects and the motherless child, who learns that “sometimes life is sad.” while the Flaming Lips play choppy electro beats and warping synths.

The instrumental (and lovely) “Mother Universe” drifts into “How Many Times” (the first single from the record), which is probably the best song about counting since something from Schoolhouse Rock. “Don’t you stop. You gotta keep on believin’,” Wayne Coyne sings as he encourages us to keep trying no matter how many times we fail.

Then, all of the stars in the universe converge on the giant baby and become “part of his giant head” on “Electric Fire.” Something like this is par for the course on a Flaming Lips record, as are the wild, sometimes dark synths. “All for the Life of the City” has the giant baby, now a giant king, preventing an avalanche from burying his subjects, even if it means his life. The bass heavy synths (and tuba?) simulate him lumbering toward the mountain. He’s eventually found in the spring with flowers growing from his toes.

They sneak a funky track in there with “Feedaloodum Beedle Dot,” in which we learn the king’s subjects have cut off his head and then carry it through the streets on the space-trippy “Funeral Parade.” The head is then “Dipped in Steel” so his former subjects will have a memorial to him and his final cry / laugh / shout before he died saving them.

“Even in death, the king seemed to be still alive,” Mick Jones says at the beginning of “Mouth of the King.” Some of the villagers aren’t sure how to move on without him, while others are taking his sacrifice and cosmic mindset as inspiration to live. “How Can a Head” do all this? Ask the Flaming Lips, or better yet, look within. “How can a head hold so many things?” Coyne asks. I once heard the Dalai Lama say the head, for being such a little space, holds many things (most of which are unnecessary for enlightenment and happiness).

The end of King’s Mouth: Music and Songs reveals we’ve been the king / queen they’ve been singing about all along. We have the entire universe within us. We’re made of stardust. It’s a miracle. Our treasure house is within.

Mind-blowing? Sure, but that’s the kind of stuff the Flaming Lips explore all the time, and so should we.

Keep your mind open.

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Elephant Stone announces November North American tour.

Canadian psych-rockers Elephant Stone have announced their first tour in a few years, hitting many west coast cities in the U.S. and their home country beginning November 5th. The tour includes two festival stops – Levitation Austin (November 8th) and Seattle’s Freakout Festival (November 16th). All tour dates are below.

Keep your mind open.

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Review: Dry Cleaning – Sweet Princess

British four-piece post-punkers Dry Cleaning (Nick Buxton – drums, Tom Dowse – guitar, Lewis Maynard – bass, Florence Shaw – vocals) have crafted one of the most intriguing EP’s of the year – Sweet Princess. What makes it intriguing is not only the cool guitar hooks, snappy drums, weird groove bass, and spoken word vocals, but the fact that Dry Cleaning have only been together since 2017 and played their first live gig just last year – yet they sound like they’ve been rocking clubs for at least a decade. They arrive so self-assured that you can’t help but tip your hat to them.

Let’s start with “Goodnight,” a tale of weird events that took place during “the [sarcastically] loveliest two months” of Shaw’s life. Shaw tells someone to shut up because she’s “going through a tough time” and reminisces about her childhood backyard swing set, happier times, and her grandmother while Buxton, Dowse, and Maynard put down serious grooves.

The instrumentation on “New Job” reminds me of early X tracks as Shaw talk-sings about a date she thought was going well but it turns out the guy across the table was just killing time. “Magic of Meghan” is about Duchess Meghan Markle, her charm, and the power of media. Dowse and Maynard play non-stop post-punk riffs while Buxton’s beats are salutes to Stephen Morris.

“Traditional Fish” is a down-tuned mind trip. “Phone Scam” has the great, crunchy angles I love in post-punk music, and Shaw’s spoken vocals about a phone scammer yelling at her yet reciting from a script are great. She sounds more intrigued with the experience than unnerved by it. The closer is “Conversation,” an apt title as most of Shaw’s vocals and lyrics sound like conversations between her and the listener or, in this case, someone on the other end of a telephone – as if we’re only hearing half of her conversation with someone we’ll never see or meet. Dowse’s early B-52’s guitar licks are nice throughout it.

If Sweet Princess is this good, a full-length from Dry Cleaning should be even more fascinating. Let’s hope for that soon. In the meantime, this record is a great start for them.

Keep your mind open.

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Blackwater Holylight take us on a “Motorcycle” ride ahead of their new album – “Veils of Winter.”

“An ambient blend of psychedelic vintage poppy hooks and crushingly heavy sludge.” — Metal Hammer

“This quartet has been burning up stages all around their hometown, fueled by their abrasive blend of doom metal, psych rock, goth and a tangy soupçon of pop music… They landed a spot on the 2018 Best New Band poll in alt-weekly Willamette Week, but could quickly take over the world.” — Paste Magazine

“They mesh elements of doom, Krautrock and atmospheric indie into one bewitching rock whole.” —Classic Rock Magazine

Portland, OR quintet Blackwater Holylight announce their forthcoming sophomore album Veils of Winter (RidingEasy Records) today, sharing the lead single. Hear and share the immediately classic hooks of “Motorcycle” via Bandcamp and YouTube.

Blackwater Holylight hit the road hard this Fall, supporting former RidingEasy label mates Monolord throughout the US in November, as well as Thou in September, plus a handful of hometown shows. Please see complete dates below.

Blackwater Holylight, as the name suggests, is all about contrasts. It’s a fluid convergence of sound that’s heavy, psychedelic, melodic, terrifying and beautiful all at once.

As a heavy band, their songs aren’t anchored to riffs, but rather riffs come and go in waves that surface throughout the band’s meditative, entrancing songs. It’s a hypnotic sound, with orchestral structures that often build tension and intrigue before turning the song on its head — not by simply getting louder or heavier, nor by just layering elements. They expertly subvert the implied heaviness of a part, dissecting it and splaying the song’s guts out to seep across the sonic spectrum.

Now, having toured extensively following the band’s wildly-successful breakout self-titled debut in 2018, Blackwater Holylight has honed their sound and identity to a powerfully captivating beast. Their live set is all about the slow build, seeming to combine the melodic tension of early Sonic Youth crossed with the laconic fever-dream blues of the first Black Sabbath album and wiry experimentation of post-punk and krautrock.

The lineup on this album is Allison (Sunny) Faris (bass/vocals), Laura Hopkins (guitar/vocals) and Sarah McKenna (synths), with new guitarist Mikayla Mayhew and drummer Eliese Dorsay fleshing out their sound in exciting ways.

“The process of this album was vastly different from our first record,” says Faris. “One, because we recorded it over the course of a few weeks, whereas the first record was over the course of about a year. And two, this album was a true collaboration between the five of us. Each of us had extremely equal parts in writing and producing, we all bounced ideas off each together, and we all had a say in what was going on during every part of the process.”

“One of our favorite things about this album is that because it was so collaborative, we didn’t compartmentalize ourselves into one vibe.” She continues. “It’s heavy, psychedelic, pop, shoegaze, doom, grunge, melodic and more. The whole process was extremely organic and natural for us, we were just being ourselves.”

Veils of Winter opens with fuzzed-drenched, drop-tuned bass and baritone guitar leading a dirge riff on “Seeping Secrets.” Faris’ lilting and funereal vocals drop in, adding to the mournful atmosphere until a short turnaround progression hints at changes to come, as Faris and Hopkins harmonize eerily and the tune suddenly turns into a krautrock charge. “Motorcycle” kicks off deceptively with a heavy grunge riff building up for about 40-seconds before the song abruptly shifts gears into a synth-led post-punk harmony, sounding something like Lush meets Syd Barrett era Pink Floyd. “Death Realms” is perhaps the poppiest track, based around soaring shoegaze guitars and interwoven light vocal harmonies. Soft piano notes, occasional woozy whammy bar dives and a driving tom-tom beat solidify its hooks. “Spiders” is a creepy-crawly guitar riff and counterpoint keys, while “Moonlit” explores prog-structures with a shredding guitar solo crescendo. The penultimate track, “Lullaby” is exactly that, a lulling, expansive tune exemplifying Blackwater Holylight’s genre smashing sound as it subtly moves across a vast sonic landscape atop a hypnotic 6/8 beat and repetitive 3-note motif. Throughout the album, their songs shirk traditional verse-chorus-verse structure in favor of fluid, serpentine compositions that move with commanding grace.

Veils of Winter will be available on LP, CD and download on October 11th, 2019 via RidingEasy Records. Pre-orders are available at www.ridingeasyrecs.com.

BLACKWATER HOLYLIGHT LIVE 2019: 08/24 Portland, OR @ Star Theater w/ Kadavar, Danava 09/23 Tallahassee, FL @ The Bark # 09/24 Tampa, FL @ The Blue Note # 09/26 Miami, FL @ Las Rosa’s # 09/27 Orlando, FL @ Will’s Pub # 09/28 Gainesville, FL @ The Atlantic # 09/29 Pensacola, FL @ Chizuco # 10/24 Portland, OR @ Star Theater – Album release show 11/05 San Diego, CA @ Brick By Brick * 11/06 Tucson, AZ @ Club Congress * 11/07 Albuquerque, NM @ Sister * 11/09 Austin, TX @ Barracuda – Levitation Fest – RidingEasy Stage 11/10 Lafayette, LA @ Freetown Boom Boom Room * 11/11 New Orleans, LA @ One Eyed Jacks * 11/12 Atlanta, GA @ 529 * 11/13 Asheville, NC @ Mothlight * 11/14 Richmond, VA @ Camel * 11/15 Baltimore, MD @ Metro Gallery * 11/16 Philadelphia, PA @ First Unitarian Church * 11/17 New York, NY @ Saint Vitus * 11/20 Chicago, IL @ Reggie’s * 11/21 Indianapolis, IN @ Black Circle Brewing * 11/22 St. Louis, MO @ Fubar * 11/23 Lawrence, KS @ The Bottleneck * 11/25 Denver, CO @ Marquis Theater * 11/27 Los Angeles, CA @ Teragram Ballroom * # w/ Thou * w/ Monolord

Keep your mind open.

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Review: Bayonne – Drastic Measures

Bayonne’s Bandcamp page describes each track on his new album, Drastic Measures, as being “orchestral in texture.” I’m not sure I can describe it better than that, because it’s evident from the opening notes.

The first song, “QA,” begins with string section-like synths and heartbeat rhythms as Roger Sellers (AKA Bayonne) sings like he’s coming out of a dream with the words still fresh in his mind. The title track is an instant toe-tapper that builds into a whole body-mover with Afrobeat-tinged percussion and joyful synths. “Same” is a lovely track that starts with soft piano and builds like a breeze beneath you that almost feels like it’s going to lift you off the ground.

“Gift” continues the orchestral / cinematic feel and by now one realizes how good a pianist Sellers is, and how well he melds piano chords with electronic beats. “Enders” is a slightly trippy instrumental, and “I Know” starts off with what sounds like creaky sounds from an old boat tied to a pier but then turns into a bright, bouncy love song. I couldn’t help but think of Christopher Cross while listening to “Kind” thanks to Sellers’ floating vocals and its smooth synths.

“Uncertainly Deranged” not only has an interesting title, but it also has interesting beats and a happily manic feel to it. “Abilia” reminds me of a horse galloping in a field on an early spring morning before the sun has thawed the frosted grass as Sellers sings to a lover he’s wronged in the past and is now, perhaps like that horse, running toward his ex in hopes her heart will thaw.

The album ends with “Bothering” – an interesting title for a closing track because Sellers certainly hasn’t been bothering us throughout the record. It’s a beautiful song (with more great piano work by Sellers) about hope and presence in a time or constant bother from outside forces. Sometimes drastic measures are needed to quiet the endless feed of white noise coming at us from all sides, but sometimes the simplest measures yield amazing results. Ending an album called Drastic Measures with a hopeful, simple song is both bold and subtle – as is this entire record.

Keep your mind open.

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Rewind Review: Clutch – Slow Hole to China: Rare and Re-released (2009)

Originally released in 2003, Clutch‘s Slow Hole to China was a collection of obscure singles, unreleased material, and cover tunes. They re-released it in 2009 as Slow Hole to China: Rare and Re-released and included three more previously unreleased tracks.

One of those tracks is the first one on this album – “King of Arizona.” It’s a solid blues rocker with harmonica by guest Eric Oblander and vocalist Neil Fallon making allusions to either an Arizona gold mine, a cemetery in Arizona, James Reavis (a con man who was nearly given ownership of most of Arizona and a good chunk of New Mexico), or, quite likely, all three.

The title track has some of Dan Maines’ heaviest bass lines. “Nickel Dime” almost has a fiery gospel feel to it. “Sea of Destruction” hits as hard, if not harder, than a lot of current metal tracks thanks to Jean-Paul Gaster‘s furious drumming and Tim Sult’s fuzzed-to-the-max guitar. Blues swagger comes in heavy on “Oregon,” “Easy Breeze,” “Hale Bopp Blues” (which is sung from the perspective of dinosaurs fearing the arrival of the Hale Bopp comet and the end of their lives on Earth), and “Four Lords.”

“Rising Son” scorches and has one of my favorite lyrics on the album – “Gravity is such a drag, and we will not obey.” I can’t help but wonder if “Guild of Muted Assassins” was inspired by one of Fallon’s old Dungeons and Dragons campaigns, because that title needs to be the name of a D&D game module. “Willie Nelson” is about Fallon’s home being raided by jackbooted figures searching for drugs, secrets, or both. It might be the former when you consider the chorus is, “I don’t know if I’m coming or going, if it’s them or me. But the one thing’s for certain, Willie Nelson only smokes killer weed.”

“Equinox” is an instrumental that has wild Santana-like percussion. “Hoodoo Operator” is a floor-stomper with Maines’ bass taking on angry bee-like quality. “Day of the Jackalope” has Fallon’s vocals distorted as if through a fault megaphone, making him sound like a madman yelling on a street corner. “Ship of Gold (West Virginia)” is an alternate version of the song of the same name that would end up on Clutch’s Elephant Riders album. It’s a bit darker and heavier than that one, and has more extended jams as well.

This is a solid collection and can stand alone as its own album instead of a collection of singles and miscellaneous tracks. It’s worth seeking out if you’re a fan of Clutch, or even if you’re not.

Keep your mind open.

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WSND DJ set list for August 12, 2019

It was another fun show last night, and my penultimate one for the summer. Thanks as always for listening. Here’s the set list.

Slaves – Acts of Fear and Love
The Shining main title
The Exorcist radio ad
Beth Hart and Joe Bonamassa – Black Coffee (request)
Chastity – Children
Patsy Cline – Ain’t No Wheels on This Ship
Frank Sinatra – The Shadow of Your Smile (live)
Fun Lovin’ Criminals – The Fun Lovin’ Criminal
Morphine – Good (live)
The Crystal Method – Busy Child
Thee Oh Sees – The Experimenter
Led Zeppelin – Black Dog (live)
The Goat Rodeo Sessions – Attaboy
Vintage radio ad for Paul Revere and the Raiders’ Spirit of ’67 album
Paul Revere and the Raiders – Louise
Drive-in intermission spot
The Black Keys – The Wicked Messenger
Julian Cope – If You Loved Me at All
Night Club – Requiem
Yumi Zouma – December
Masters of Reality – She Got Me (When She Got Her Dress On) (request)
The Losers radio ad
Underworld – Low Burn
Leonard Nimoy – The Ballad of Bilbo Baggins
Karsh Kale – Mallika Jam
Race with the Devil radio ad
Los Straitjackets – Itchy Chicken
Los Straitjackets – Pacifica
The Clash – Julie’s in the Drug Squad (request)
Dorian Gray radio ad
Bad Religion – Supersonic
Theater of Blood radio ad
The Besnard Lakes – The Specter
John Coltrane – Giant Steps

Next Monday (the 19th) will probably be my last show of the summer. I hope you give me a listen. This playlist is also on YouTube if you’d like to hear the tracks.

Keep your mind open.

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Live: Willie Nelson, Alison Krauss, and Ida Mae – Memorial Coliseum – Ft. Wayne, In – August 05, 2019

2019 is turning out to be a year of legends in terms of my concert viewing. First there was Sir Paul McCartney, then Jeff Lynne and his latest version of ELO, and now Willie Nelson – one of the greatest songwriters and country music legends of all time.

Opening for him were a new British country / blues husband (Chris Turpin) and wife (Stephanie Jean) duo Ida Mae, who put on a simple and effective set of dark country tunes using nothing but a foot pedal electric bass drum, a guitar, a tambourine, and matching vocals. They were elated to be on the tour and playing in the biggest venue they’ve played so far. According to Jean, the only other time they’d been in an arena was to see a hockey game.

Ida Mae playing the largest venue they’ve played so far.

Up next was none other than multiple Grammy Award-winner Alison Krauss. She’d put on a great show the first time I saw her, and I was sure she’d put on another great performance. She didn’t disappoint. Performing on a stage decorated with antique lamps, doll houses, benches, and even a bicycle, Krauss and her band played a lovely set of Americana, gospel, country, and blues that had everyone in the palm of her hand. Among the highlights were “River in the Rain,” “Forget About It,” “Ghost in This House,” “Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground,” and “Down to the River to Pray.”

Alison Krauss and her lovely voice hypnotizing the place.

The Red Headed Stranger was up next, and he came out belting “Whiskey River.” He had the crowd laughing and singing during his cover of Toby Keith’s “Beer for my Horses.” Nelson’s singing was a little quiet at first, but his acoustic guitar shredding made up for it. His voice was warmed up by the time he reached “If You’ve Got the Money, I’ve Got the Time” and crowd favorites like “Mama, Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys,” “On the Road Again,” and “You Were Always on My Mind.” He also made me giddy by doing three Hank Williams covers (“Jambalaya,” “Hey Good Lookin’,” and “Move It on Over.”).

He ended the show with a fourth Williams cover, “I Saw the Light,” as well as the classic “I’ll Fly Away” – both sung with Ms. Krauss who came back onstage wearing a jacket because it was chilly throughout the whole coliseum. It was nice to see them having fun and you could tell Krauss was joyfully singing with one of her idols.

Nelson has since cancelled his tour due to him experiencing “breathing problems.” I hope he recovers soon and get back on the road. Don’t miss him. He’s still touring at age 86, but I can’t imagine he’ll be doing it much longer.

Keep your mind open.

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Review: Comacozer – Mydriasis

If you’re starting a band and wondering how many songs you would need on your album to take the listener on a mind-altering journey of fuzzed guitars, reverb-drenched bass, and asteroid belt heavy drums, Australia’s Comacozer have answered the question for you: Three. You would need three songs.

Granted, they are going to last anywhere from eleven to twenty minutes each, and you will have to rock them as heavily as Comacozer do, so good luck.

The opening title track to Comacozer‘s solid new album, Mydriasis (the medical term for dilation of the pupil), opens your third eye as it drops you down a rabbit hole of face melting psych rock with little bits of doom metal sprinkled on top for good measure. The guitar work on the track by Rick Burke is particularly jaw-dropping, sliding effortlessly back and forth between psychedelic jams and battle axe-heavy riffs.

“Tryptamine” starts with what sounds like a monologue by Rod Serling, which is appropriate considering the mind-warping nature of the track’s synths by James Heyligers. These synths sneak around the entire track while Andrew Panagopoulos keeps the band (and us) from drifting out of this reality by maintaining a solid, gravity-induced beat.

I love how Richard Elliott’s opening bass line on “Kykenon Journey” is almost a sinister funk-disco lick. It promises groovy things to come, and the track certainly delivers. Kykenon, for those of you unaware, is a water and barley beverage that was popular among the lower class in ancient Greece. It was often mixed with other spices and compounds that gave it a psychoactive kick, much like Panagopolous’ beats and Burke’s riffs. The song (which takes up the entire second side of the EP, by the way) is a fine rocker for the first five minutes and then switches to an even finer psychedelic trip. It’s the kind of stuff that will make you convinced the goop in your lava lamp is dancing to it. Seriously, don’t stare at your lava lamp for too long while listening to this. It might check you out of reality without you realizing it.

It’s a solid EP of mind-warping psychedelia from Down Under. I hope these guys can do a tour of the U.S. soon. It would be great to hear these epic instrumentals live.

Keep your mind open.

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