Rock – Page 125 – 7th Level Music

Live: Shonen Knife, Bev Rage and the Drinks, and Clickbait – Subterranean – Chicago, IL – October 01, 2019

This was a fun lineup that combined post-punk, queer core punk, and pop-punk in one show in a small venue in downtown Chicago. When I saw that Japan’s now-legendary Shonen Knife were playing alongside Chicago’s Bev Rage and the Drinks, I knew this would be a show to see.

Opening the show was another Chicago band – Clickbait. I hadn’t heard them before, but they put on a fun set of no wave post-punk that combined slick bass lines, precision drumming, and quirky guitar riffs with plenty of snarky attitude (in the best possible sense). They were intriguing and are definitely a band to watch. I have a feeling they could be going places soon.

Following them were fellow Chicagoans Bev Rage and the Drinks, who I’ve wanted to catch since hearing their first full-length album, Cockeyed, last year. It was a fun set, complete with free snacks, that tore through a lot of material. The guitarist mentioned they were too old to play songs longer than two minutes, but I suspect the truth is that Ms. Rage and her band are having so much fun and bringing so much fury that they don’t care if the audience can’t keep up with them. They also put out a lot of sound – there were three guitars, bass, and drums all going at once on multiple tunes while Ms. Rage raged about her dating life. They’re a must-see band if they’re near you.

I hadn’t seen Shonen Knife since I happened to be in Tucson the same night they were playing at 191 Toole. It was a blast to see them again. They came out shredding with “Konnichiwa” and then tore through new and classic material that covered some of their favorite subjects – candy, ice cream, furry animals, classic rock.

Shonen Knife were having a good time, as was the crowd. I’ve mentioned this many times to many people, but I believe it’s physically impossible to be blue when hearing a Shonen Knife song, and that’s certainly the case when seeing them live. They played at least four tracks from their new album, Sweet Candy Power (review coming soon), and all of them are good – especially the title track. Oh yeah, they played a Hardee’s in Springfield, Illinois the previous night and packed the parking lot and even scored free milkshakes after the show.

Sisters Atsuko (bass) and Naoko (guitar) always put out a stunning amount of power while singing songs about banana chips and capybaras, and their drummer Rosa is a powerhouse. It’s easy to get caught up in her adorable nature while she’s singing songs about cookie ice cream sandwiches, but she is a beast behind the kit.

They haven’t lost a step after so many tours and albums. Don’t miss them.

Keep your mind open.

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Review: CHAI – Punk

Creating their own niche and their own definition of “cute,” Japan’s CHAI are making great music to go with their aesthetic of “Everyone is adorable / beautiful / great in their own way, no matter what society and Madison Avenue may tell you.”

Their newest album, Punk, is a fun mix of post-punk, electro, J-pop, and other things that are difficult to define. Opener “Choose Go!” encourages all of us to embrace our inner power (and that phat bass line). “Get power fresh feeling!” they chant on “Great Job” – a salute to the power of housework and simultaneously a slap in the face to its drudgery. “I’m Me” sums up CHAI‘s philosophy as they sing, “Everybody’s wonderful.” amid bright synths and and lovely pop hooks.

“Wintime” is another lovely pop tune and “This Is CHAI” combines what sounds like anime music themes with Devo-like drumming and fuzzed vocals to produce one of your new favorite rave tracks. “Fashionista” is their rocking push-back against fashion culture and the burdens it puts on many of us who fall into its trap. It’s one of my favorite singles of the year. “Family Member” is another tune that lifts your spirits immediately upon hearing it. The handclaps encourage you to move along with them and the “wave your hands in the air” nature of it is unavoidable.

The cymbals on “Curly Adventure” seem to come at you from every direction, but never to the point where they overwhelm you or the song. “Feel the Beat” is good for both lazy bike rides and a spin bike workout, your choice. The build-up of its bright synths and lifting vocals is a pretty combination. “Future” starts off with Gary Numan-like beats and synths and CHAI singing about following dreams for a brighter future.

It’s a good goal for all of us. Following dreams, even ones we had as children, can be enriching. Enriching the self increases our ability to enrich others. In this day and age, there’s not much more punk than that.

Keep your mind open.

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BODEGA leaves us a “Knife on the Platter” to go with their upcoming EP.

Brooklyn-based BODEGA releases a new single, “Knife On The Platter,” from their forthcoming EP, Shiny New Model, out October 11th on What’s Your Rupture?. Following the “pirouetting guitar line and an intimate bass groove” (Paste) of the title track, “Knife on the Platter” charges forward with resounding bass and sharp, nearly-shouted vocals.

“‘Knife On the Platter’ is a narrative song. I was imagining a top notch Gena Rowlands-esque actress who is cast in a mediocre gothic who nonetheless elevates the script’s schlocky material through her absolute commitment to authentically live each moment of the play,” says Ben Hozie. “She performs as if the gods are watching – she ‘acts’ as if each gesture will be set in stone for the future to see. That’s a show business trick – when performing imagine your heroes are in the room. You will no longer mess around. Twice in the song Zeus responds via the lightning striking from Madison’s guitar. That’s the thing: even when you are totally alone and lost – someone is (or will always be) watching your actions. Choose wisely.”

Following Endless Scroll, their “debut full of danceable, pop-smooth punk” (The AV Club), the Shiny New Model EP marks a lush new sonic direction for the group – widescreen multi-tracked guitars and a giant sounding rhythm section complement sharp songwriting and yearning vocal melodies. With wild minimalism and laughing wit, they revitalize the rock and roll vocabulary under the influence of post punk, hip-hop, kraut rock, and folk-derived narrative songwriting.

BODEGA is comprised of Ben Hozie (conductor, vocals, guitar), Nikki Belfiglio (art director, vocals, samples, hi hat), Heather Elle (bass), Madison Velding Vandam (lead guitar, producer), and the new addition of Tai Lee (stand-up percussionist). The EP is the band’s first recording done with Tai Lee, its first session at a proper studio, and the first BODEGA release produced within the group (production was handled by Vandam).

The band will tour across North America, kicking off next week at O+ Festival in New York. All dates can be found below and tickets are on sale now.

Listen to “Knife on the Platter” – https://youtu.be/cR9AlXgvNSc

Watch the “Shiny New Model” video – https://youtu.be/h7_A8fqHNBQ

Pre-order Shiny New Model – https://bodegabk.bandcamp.com/

BODEGA Tour Dates: Fri. Oct. 11 – Kingston, NY @ O+ Festival Wed. Oct. 23 – Somerville, MA @ Once Ballroom * Thu. Oct. 24 – Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg * Sat. Oct. 26 – Philadelphia, PA @ Boot & Saddle * Sun. Oct. 27 – Washington, DC @ Pie Shop * Mon. Oct. 28 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Club Cafe * Fri. Nov. 1 – Atlanta, GA @ Aisle 5 * Sat. Nov. 2 – New Orleans, LA @ Gasa Gasa * Tue. Nov. 5 – Austin, TX @ Barracuda * Fri. Nov. 8 – Phoenix, AZ @ Valley Bar * Sat. Nov. 9 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Fonda Theatre * Mon. Dec. 2 – Toronto, ON @ Adelaide Hall & Tue. Dec. 3 – Brooklyn, NY @ Elsewhere & Thu. Dec. 5 – Philadelphia, PA @ Kung Fu Necktie & *= w/ Starcrawler &= w/ Yummy Fur

Keep your mind open.

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Dry Cleaning release “Viking Hair” from upcoming new EP.

UK quartet Dry Cleaning share the second single off their forthcoming EP Boundary Road Snacks and Drinks (their second EP in just over 4 months), entitled “Viking Hair.”

Trademark repetitive, melodic guitar motifs ring out over an energized rhythm section that builds to a gradual crescendo. The result is invigorating and driven yet thoughtful and emotive.

Lyrically, Viking Hair is inspired by romantic ideas about someone you’re attracted to but don’t know well, and distracting things seen in the street. The ‘oooohs’ are intended to sit somewhere between a heart monitor flat-lining and feedback from a microphone.

The song is accompanied by a video shot and edited by the band and Pedro Pina. The band provides the following context:

“Cactus Club is a weekly LGBT line dancing class and club where everyone is welcome. Based in Clapham, South London, it was established in 1993 and is run by Michael, Anne and Peter. Whilst recording ‘Viking Hair,’ we noticed the mood and rhythm of the song brought line dancing to mind. We found Cactus Club online and approached them to see if they would be interested in helping us to make a video. Dry Cleaning wish to thank the Cactus Club organizers and all the dancers who took part for sharing the fantastic atmosphere at their club with us, and for their enthusiasm and expertise.”

WATCH “VIKING HAIR” VIDEO https://youtu.be/d5MNSuhiIGM

LISTEN TO “SIT DOWN MEAL” https://youtu.be/2zd2K4_UykQ

Both EP’s, July’s Sweet Princess and October’s Boundary Road Snacks and Drinks, will be compiled together for a 12″ vinyl release on October 25th and can be pre-ordered HERE.

DRY CLEANING TOUR DATES: Oct. 17th – Dublin, IE @ Workman’s Club Oct. 19th – Bristol @ Simple Things Festival Oct. 20th – Cardiff, UK @ SWN Festival Oct. 23rd – London, UK @ The Lexington Nov. 23rd – Glasgow, UK @ Great Western Festival Nov. 24th – Sheffield, UK @ Picture House Social Wed. Feb. 12 – Manchester, UK @ Gulliver’s Thu. Feb. 13 – Edinburgh, UK @ Sneaky Pete’s Fri. Feb. 14 – Glasgow, UK @ The Hug and Pint Sat. Feb. 15 – Leeds, UK @ Hyde Park Book Club Thu. Feb. 20 – Cambridge, UK @ Portland Arms Fri. Feb. 21 – Liverpool, UK @ The Shipping Forecast Sat. Feb. 22 – Birmingham, UK @ The Sunflower Lounge Fri. Feb. 28 – Brighton, UK @ Green Door Store Sat. Feb. 29 – Bristol, UK @ The Louisiana Sun. March 1 – Southampton, UK @ Heartbreakers Tue. March 3 – London, UK @ Village Underground

Dry Cleaning online: https://drycleaning.bandcamp.com/ https://www.instagram.com/drycleaningband/ https://www.facebook.com/drycleaningband/ https://pitchperfectpr.com/dry-cleaning/

Keep your mind open.

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Review: Moon Duo – Stars Are the Light

I might have given you an odd look in the last year or so if you’d told me that the psychedelic rock pairing of Moon Duo were making a new record that was going to include a lot of stuff that you could easily slip into a house music set.

Sure enough though, and in keeping with their nature to explore any kind of music they like, Moon Duo (Ripley Johnson and Sanae Yamada) made Stars Are the Light, a fine record of grooves influenced by 1970’s disco, krautrock, synth wave, and, naturally, psychedelia.

The opening track, “Flying,” immediately makes you feel like you’re floating not only off the ground, but through the roof of your house. The vocals never outweigh the trippy instrumentals, they only enhance them. The title track continues our drift around the Earth with bubbly synths and Moon Duo’s lyrics reflecting how all of us are unique stars in this universe.

“Fall (in Your Love)” brings in spaghetti western guitars to the slippery electronic beats. “The World and Sun” is one of the funkiest cuts on the record, mixing spaced-out synths with South American hand percussion and reverb-laced vocals to produce a sweet sound. “Lost Heads” is psychedelic bliss taking you out of orbit and floating toward the star cluster of your choice.

“Eternal Shore” boosts the krautrock influences a bit with the beats, but keeps the vocals firmly in psychedelic territory. The touch of steel drum-like synth stabs is a nice one and reflects the image of a never-ending beach on an idyllic planet. “Eye 2 Eye” brings in fuzzy guitar to race alongside EDM beats for a fast track that belongs on your next favorite anime action film. “Fever Night” slows down the album for the close, but it’s nothing maudlin. It’s a perfect end to a groovy time, almost like slipping into a hot tub after you’ve had great sex.

Stars are indeed the light, and so are we. Each of us are divine beings connected on this small orb in the middle of space. We are connected with each other and what lies beyond our senses. Moon Duo seek to remind us of this cosmic connection and acceptance that is there for us to embrace. Stars Are the Light is like a singing bowl, providing us the tones to remember who we are and who we are to each other.

Keep your mind open.

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Live: The Black Keys and Modest Mouse – United Center – Chicago, IL – September 27, 2019

I had loaded three CD’s by the Black Keys into my car’s CD player (Remember those?) for the rainy trip to Chicago on September 27, 2019 to catch them live at the United Center. I had many other albums and EP’s of theirs in mp3 format that I didn’t bother to upload to my phone before the trip because I knew I couldn’t listen to all of them in the two and a half-hour drive to the Windy City. As I listened to Magic Potion, Thickfreakness, and Turn Blue, I couldn’t help but think, “Why has it taken me so long to see these guys live?”

They’d been on my “must-see” list since at least 2011, but I could never make it to any of their tour dates. Lead singer / guitarist Dan Auerbach‘s psychedelic side projects, the Arcs, was scheduled to play at the cancelled 2016 Levitation Austin festival, so I wasn’t even able to catch that band just three years ago.

The stars finally aligned and I was able to get a decent price ticket for a seat at this level of the United Center.

That seat cost just a little more than this bad ass show poster, which most people didn’t seem to be noticing at the merch table I visited.

Signed and numbered by the artist to boot!

I didn’t catch the opening band, or even find out who they were, because I was famished by the time I got into the United Center. I munched on a small stuffed pizza (only $8.75, compared to ten bucks for a bag of gourmet popcorn smaller than an average beer stein) while they played. They didn’t sound half-bad.

The second opener was indie rock fan-favorites Modest Mouse. I had no idea what to expect from them, and was surprised to learn they were an eight-person band that included two drummers and a violinist.

They had a lot of fans at the show. I only knew one song they played in their mix of Americana and quirky rock with interesting time signatures. It wasn’t my thing, but their fans loved their set and I saw many people dancing throughout it.

The Black Keys, Mr. Auerbach and drummer Patrick Carney, came out with two backing guitarists and a bass player. The bass player and one of the backing guitarists (who also sang backing vocals) were brothers Andrew and Zachary Gabbard, and the other backing guitarist was, much to my surprise and delight, Delicate Steve – whose album Till I Burn Up is one of my favorite discoveries of the year.

Opening with an oldie but goodie, “I Got Mine,” they put on a great show mixing stuff from their new record with plenty of cuts from their large back catalogue, like “Gold on the Ceiling” (a crowd favorite) and “Fever.”

“Next Girl” followed, which sounds much heavier live than it does on an album. I have to give a lot of respect to the Black Keys’ touring sound engineers. Dan Auerbach’s guitar tones were crisp and yet had all the right fuzz (and volume!). It sounded great in a large arena, almost like they were playing in a small club. I also love how Auerbach’s guitar is plugged directly into onstage amps instead of using a wireless rig.

“Howlin’ for You” was another crowd favorite, and I was happy to hear “Ten Cent Pistol.” They closed the set with another crowd-pleaser, “Lonely Boy” before heading off stage so their stage crew could set up a giant inflatable electric chair.

This was the set for most of their encore, which included “Lo / Hi,” new single “Go,” and ended with the loud, dirty “She’s Gone.

It was a fun show, and worth the wait. It’s also good to see these two goofy guys filling an arena with people who love rock and blues. They’re calling this the “Let’s Rock” tour. I’m glad. All of us need to rock more.

Keep your mind open.

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The Schizophonics’ new single, “Steel Eyed Lady,” is the rock song of your wet dreams.

San Diego trio The Schizophonics share a new single from their forthcoming sophomore album, People in the Sky, today via The Talkhouse. The song, “Steely Eyed Lady,” and the band, gets a fittingly astounding introduction courtesy of beloved performance artist El Vez (a.k.a. Robert Lopez): “Hits you like a train with all the passion of a young Little Richard floating through the clouds with so much raw energy. Your new favorite band should hit you like a campaign slogan. Like a religious cult or an anti-hero movie star that you fall in love with.”

BrooklynVegan recently premiered the first single “Battle Line” available to hear and share via BrooklyVegan, YouTube, Bandcamp and Spotify.

The band takes its jaw-dropping live show on the road for headlining dates throughout North America this October. Please see current dates below.

Over the last few years, The Schizophonics have built up a formidable reputation around the world as an explosive live act. Tapping into the same unstoppable combination of rock ‘n’ roll energy and showmanship that fueled The MC5 in the heyday of the Grande Ballroom, their wild live show is heavily influenced by artists like James Brown, Iggy Pop, Jimi Hendrix, Little Richard, and The Sonics. Singer/guitarist Pat Beers and drummer Lety Beers formed the band in San Diego in 2009 and have worked tirelessly since then, playing hundreds of shows around the globe and winning 7 (SEVEN!) San Diego music awards.

In 2013 they were recruited as the backing/opening band for El Vez, which helped the band make a name for itself in Europe. Since then, they’ve played in fourteen countries, and supported tours by like-minded acts like Rocket From The Crypt, Little Barrie, and The Woggles and have opened for The Damned, The Hives and Cage The Elephant. Shindig magazine described their live show “Like watching some insane hybrid of Wayne Kramer, James Brown, and the Tazmanian Devil.”

“One of my favorite live bands ever,” proclaims Tim Mays, who has run the Casbah in San Diego for 30 years and has seen literally thousands of live bands come through his doors. “The Schizophonics bring the goods every time they play,” he enthuses.

The band is more than just an outstanding live act, they’re also committed to writing great, memorable songs.

After releasing 2 singles and an EP over the last few years on Munster, Ugly Things, and Pig Baby Records, they put out their first full-length album in July 2017 titled Land of the Living on the label Sympathy For The Record Industry with famed record man Long Gone John. In January of 2019 they started work on their second LP recruiting Dave Gardner (Hot Snakes, RFTC) mixing engineer Stephen Kaye (JD McPherson, Mike Krol) and Pierre De Reeder (Rilo Kiley) to put their live, raw sound to tape. The album, titled People in the Sky, will be released on October 31st, 2019 on Pig Baby Records. Pre-orders are available HERE.

THE SCHIZOPHONICS LIVE 2019: 10/10 Los Angeles, CA @ Harvard & Stone 10/11 San Diego, CA @ Casbah 10/12 Long Beach, CA @ Alex’s Bar 10/13 Phoenix, AZ @ Rhythm Room 10/14 El Paso, TX @ The Neon Rose 10/17 Denton, TX @ Harvest House 10/18 Austin, TX @ Nicolaza’s/Far Out 10/19 Houston, TX @ Rudyards 10/20 New Orleans, LA @ TBA 10/23 Miami, FL @ Gramps 10/24 St. Petersburg, FL @ The Bends 10/25 Orlando, FL @ Wills Pub 10/26 Atlanta, GA @ Star Bar 10/27 Memphis, TN @ DKDC 10/30 New York, NY @ Union Pool 10/31 Baltimore, MD @ Otto Bar 11/01 Washington, DC @ The Pie Shop 11/02 Philadelphia, PA @ Ortlieb’s 11/03 New Haven, CT @ Café Nine 11/04 Providence, RI @ Dusk 11/05 NYC, NY @ Illegal Mezcal Private Party 11/06 Pittsburg, PA @ Get Hip 11/07 Toronto, ON @ The Baby G 11/08 Detroit, MI @ The Outer Limits 11/09 Chicago, IL @ Liars Club 11/10 Madison, WI @ Mickey’s Tavern 11/12 Appleton, Wi @ The Cold Shot 11/15 Wenatchee, WA @ Walley’s 11/16 Seattle, WA @ Freakout Festival 11/17 Portland, OR @ Twilight Café

Keep your mind open.

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Blackwater Holylight take us into “Death Realms” with their new single.

Portland, OR quintet Blackwater Holylight have shared the second single from their forthcoming sophomore album Veils of Winter (RidingEasy Records). Hear and share the pop-hook laced “Death Realms” via YouTube and Bandcamp.

The band previously dropped the immediately classic lead track “Motorcycle” via YouTube and all streaming platforms last month. Blackwater Holylight hit the road later this month, supporting Thou for a handful of Southern dates, followed by the full US with former RidingEasy label mates Monolord in November. 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: # 09/28 Gainesville, FL @ The Atlantic # 09/29 Pensacola, FL @ Chizuco # 10/10-13 Lake Perris, CA @ Desert Daze Festival 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 * 12/05 Seattle, WA @ Neumos ^ 12/06 Eugene, OR @ WOW Hall ^ 12/07 Portland, OR @ Bossanova Ballroom ^ # w/ Thou * w/ Monolord ^ w/ Yob

Keep your mind open.

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Review: King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard – Fishing for Fishies

For their first album of 2019, Fishing for Fishies, prolific and unpredictable psych-rockers King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard wrote a blues record and an album promoting environmentalism.

The title track instantly puts down a happy grove while the lyrics suggest that our oceans need rescued and maybe we should lay off fishing for a while. The album’s cover features a robot (Han-Tyumi from Murder of the Universe?) casting a burning fishing line into a fiery lake that might be covered in a blazing oil spill. Stu Mackenzie and Ambrose Kenny-Smith sing about the cruelty of commercial fishing and how it would be better to just let the fishies swim.

“Boogieman Sam” has a heavier groove that gets your head bobbing and toes tapping. It also lets Kenny-Smith cut loose with his harmonica, as do many of the tracks on this record. It’s fun to hear his playing in the forefront. The jazz swing of the back-to-nature ode “The Bird Song” (which gets into existential philosophy – “To a bird what’s a plane?…To a tree what’s a house?”) is great. It’s like a Steely Dan or Doobie Brothers track.

“Plastic Boogie” is another solid groove cut with Mackenzie and Kenny-Smith sharing lead vocals throughout it as KGATLW discuss how space age polymers are ruining our oceans and polluting everything in sight. “The Cruel Millenial” has Kenny-Smith singing lead while the rest of the Wizards sound like they’re having a blast playing behind him with pub-rock beats and riffs. “Real’s Not Real” bring back that cool 1970’s jazz-rock swing thing that is hard to describe, but recognizable once you hear it. They add some psych-fuzz and blues harmonica to it, which makes it even better.

Speaking of blues harmonica, it’s front and center on the sweet rocker “This Thing” (which also has a fine bass line from Lucas Skinner). “Acarine” brings in a touch of the Middle Eastern rhythms found on their album Flying Microtonal Banana as it floats along in a bit of a psychedelic haze and discusses how even the smallest of creatures are worth saving. The song slides into synthwave sounds and beats that flow well into the closing track – “Cyboogie” – which blends synthwave pulses, robotic (Han-Tyumi again?) vocals, and boogie jams.

It’s a fun record, one of KGATLW‘s most accessible in a while for listeners who haven’t heard their stuff before, and a great set up for their second album of the year – Infest the Rats’ Nest (review coming soon) – which continues the environmental themes of this one.

Keep your mind open.

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Review: Partner – Saturday the 14th

Always one to follow their creative whims, Partner (multi-instrumentalists Josee Caron and Lucy Niles) released Saturday the 14th earlier this year. It’s a five-song EP that lets them stretch their creative muscles and embrace multiple influences.

“Fun for Everyone (Minions)” is an electro-laced dance tune that has Caron and Niles telling everyone to “dance like a Minion and not give a care about anyone’s opinion.” It’s a shame if this hasn’t been remixed by multiple DJs by now, and it will be an even bigger shame if the next Despicable Me film doesn’t feature it on the soundtrack.

Partner having a song called “Stoned Thought” shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone who’s a fan of the band, since they have openly sang of their love of the herb (i.e., “Hot Knives,” “Everybody Knows You’re High”). It’s a witty song about cool things they thought of (song ideas, high philosophy, etc.) while high and now can’t remember.

“Tell You Off” is a tongue-in-cheek country tune complete with dobro and Niles rocking a harmonica solo in-between lyrics about chewing out a neighbor over their bad behavior. “Long & McQuade” is a salute to the band’s favorite music equipment store in Canada. Caron’s solo on it is outstanding.

The album ends with the downright beautiful “Les Ailes d’un Ange” (“The Wings of an Angel”) – a French vocal ballad that Partner have admitted is their attempt to write a song that fellow Canadian Celine Dion might sing.

It’s a fun EP that is a welcome appetizer for their next full-length album (which they have claimed will be a rocker. I have no doubt of this.).If you’re feeling down and need your luck to change, try Saturday the 14th.

Keep your mind open.

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