Rock – Page 127 – 7th Level Music

Mikal Cronin’s releases “Shelter” from upcoming album due this October.

Mikal Cronin releases a new single, “Shelter,” from his forthcoming album, Seeker, out October 25th via Merge. Following the lead single/video, “Show Me,” “Shelter” features buzzy guitar and blooming string arrangements. “This is a song about searching for answers in an uncertain world,” says Cronin. “It’s about the observer reluctantly stepping out of their comfort zone and looking around, while trying to keep their head straight. Musically, it’s dense and polyrhythmic. The string line weaves it all together for me. When writing a song with a lot of additive looping rhythmic parts, I think of Brian Eno.”

Following a period of heartbreak and writer’s block, Cronin packed up and retreated to Idyllwild, a small town in the mountains of southern California, where he spent a month in the cabin, alone. The bulk of Seeker was written during this time period. After a series of fires sparked by an arsonist forced Cronin to evacuate, he returned a few days early to LA and began the recording process at Palmetto Studios. There, engineer Jason Quever and a crew of close friends helped bring the album together. The record was backed by Ty Segall’s Freedom Band. Nature fresh on his mind, he was driven to use organic sounds. “I wanted to bring you into the room. Jason and I talked about the Beatles’ White Album a lot when placing mics,” says Cronin. “I brought a charred pine cone from the woods to the studio, just in case it would help. Fire—specifically its cycle of purging and reseeding the landscape—is a central theme to the record. Death and rebirth.”

This fall, Cronin will bring his live show across North America in support of Seeker. Then, he will tour Europe. All tour dates are on sale and can be found below. Additionally, Mikal has launched the Mikal Cronin Fan Club. Fans who sign up will receive tour updates and access to exclusive tracks for fan club members only. Mikal has recently shared some amazing covers, including Neil Young’s “Heart of Gold” and Sharon Van Etten’s “All I Can.” Only fans signed up for the fan club receive these, so sign up here.

Listen to “Shelter” – https://youtu.be/IEk9UL19GS4

Watch the video for “Show Me” – https://youtu.be/GAC9bZjGv-U

Pre-order Seeker – https://smarturl.it/MC-Seeker

Seeker tracklist: 1. Shelter 2. Show Me 3. Feel It All 4. Fire 5. Sold 6. I’ve Got Reason 7. Caravan 8. Guardian Well 9. Lost a Year 10. On the Shelf

MIKAL CRONIN TOUR DATES Fri. Oct. 25 – Los Angeles, CA @ Teragram Ballroom Wed. Nov. 6 – San Francisco, CA @ The Independent Fri. Nov. 8 – Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios Sat. Nov. 9 – Vancouver, BC @ Fox Cabaret Sun. Nov. 10 – Seattle, WA @ Tractor Tavern Mon. Nov. 11 – Missoula, MT @ The Badlander Thu. Nov. 14 – Saint Paul, MN @ Turf Club Fri. Nov. 15 – Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall Sat. Nov. 16 – Detroit, MI @ Deluxx Fluxx Sun. Nov. 17 – Toronto, ON @ Horseshoe Tavern Mon. Nov. 18 – Montreal, QC @ Bar Le Ritz Tue. Nov. 19 – Boston, MA @ Great Scott Wed. Nov. 20 – New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom Fri. Nov. 22 – Philadelphia, PA @ Underground Arts Sat. Nov. 23 – Washington, DC @ U Street Music Hall Sun. Nov. 24 – Durham, NC @ Motorco Music Hall Mon. Nov. 25 – Atlanta, GA @ The Earl Tue. Nov. 26 – New Orleans, LA @ One Eyed Jacks Wed. Nov. 27 – Austin, TX @ Barracuda Sat. Nov. 30 – Tucson, AZ @ 191 Toole Sun. Dec. 1 – San Diego, CA @ Casbah Mon. Feb. 10 – Munich, DE @ Milla Tue. Feb. 11 – Cologne, DE @ Bumann & SOHN Wed. Feb. 12 – Berlin, DE @ Kantine am Berghain Thu. Feb. 13 – Aarhus, DK @ TAPE Fri. Feb. 14 – Copenhagen, DK @ Loppen Sat. Feb. 15 – Stockholm, SE @ Nalen Mon. Feb. 17 – Oslo, NO @ Ingensteds Tue. Feb. 18 – Gothenburg, SE @ Oceanen Wed. Feb. 19 – Hamburg, DE @ Molotow (SkyBar) Thu. Feb. 20 – Amsterdam, NL @ Bitterzoet Fri. Feb. 21 – Brussels, NE @ Botanique Sat. Feb. 22 – Paris, FR @ Petit Bain Mon. Feb. 24 – Bristol, UK @ The Louisiana Tue. Feb. 25 – London, UK @ Moth Club Wed. Feb. 26 – Manchester, UK @ Soup Kitchen Thu. Feb. 27 – Glasgow, UK @ The Hug & Pint Fri. Feb. 28 – Leeds, UK @ Brudenell Social Club Sat. Feb. 29 – Brighton, UK @ The Hope & Ruin

Keep your mind open.

[Seek shelter in the subscription box.]

Review: Ezra Furman – Twelve Nudes

Upon hearing Ezra Furman’s new album, Twelve Nudes, for the first time in its entirety, my first thought was, “That’s a scorcher.”

Furman himself has claimed this is his band’s “punk record” made in a time of furious anger at the current political landscape. It’s also an embrace / exploration of his sexuality. The album cover features someone peeling back their face / façade to reveal a mental image of a bevy of somewhat androgynous, nude figures having a languid moment on a rocky landscape. Furman’s mind, it seems, can be a rough place, but he’s learning to be at peace with it and to find his inner beauty.

The opening track, “Calm Down AKA I Should Not Be Alone,” has Furman barely able to contain his rage at what’s happening in the world around him (“I should not be alone, the way things are going.”). The bass line carries the whole tune while Furman shouts not just to the back of the recording studio, but also to the parking lot behind the building. “Evening Prayer AKA Justice” is a rallying call for his fellow oddballs and outcasts (“I wasted my twenties in submission. I thought I was outside the system. I was rollin’ over for wealthy power, as if they really cared about me. The kids are just getting started. They’ve only just learned how to howl, and most of them have thrown in the towel before they have turned twenty-three.”). Furman’s vocals throughout it are somehow fiercer than the previous track. Furman has mentioned how he sometimes had a sore throat after recording the tracks on this record, and I believe him.

“Nobody cares if you’re dying until you’re dead,” he sings on “Transition from Nowhere,” which reminds me of Dan Bejar songs in its sound and Furman’s vocal style. “Rated R Crusaders” is practically an early Devo cut with its rapid post-punk lyrics and wild, weird guitar riffs. “Trauma” is a hard-hitting, Lou Reed-like rocker (Furman has spoken of Reed’s songwriting influencing his.) about rich white dudes literally getting away with rape and murder.

“Thermometer” has Furman proclaiming his love for rock and roll and how it changed him forever. The 1950’s-flavored “I Want to Be Your Girlfriend” has Furman singing a love song to someone who isn’t interested in him (“Honey, I know I don’t have the body you want in a girlfriend. What I’m working with is not ideal, but maybe, baby, it’s not about what you thought that you wanted, it’s about what I can make you feel.”). It’s a pretty oasis in a middle of a sea of rage, which we’re right back at sea on with the loud, fuzzy, shredding “Blown” (which sounds like a lost Nirvana demo) and “My Teeth Hurt.”

“I’m alone in America,” Furman sings in “In America,” a song that both lambasts the country’s hatred and racism, but also praises what it can be if we’d put our differences aside and focus on our commonality. The album ends with sage advice on what to do when The Man is bringing you down – “What Can You Do but Rock ‘n’ Roll.” It’s a banger to send the album, and us, out on a high note.

Which is what Furman has been encouraging us to do all along – take the high road, even when that road leads to a rocky desert in your mind. You will find the high notes there. You will find beauty and love there.

Keep your mind open.

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Deeper cover John Maus’ “Bennington” on their upcoming 7″ single.

Deeper release a cover of John Maus rarity, “Bennington,” ahead of their upcoming tour with labelmates and fellow Chicagoans, Dehd. The song is the B side of the band’s upcoming 7”, “Run,” due October 4th via Fire Talk.

Following the previously released single, “Run,” their cover of “Bennington” is astutely scientific. The track has a vivacious energy, featuring intricate guitar lines and urgent percussion. Here’s what the band had to say about the cover:

“John Maus is one of our favorite artists and ‘Bennington’ always struck us because of how he captured the feeling of an unsettling obsession for someone.We played this out once earlier this year as part of a Planned Parenthood fundraiser and ended up so happy with it, we decided to record a version during the sessions for our single ‘Run.’ While the original captures this eerie sense of longing, we wanted to re-frame that sentiment into one more focused on trying to find a feeling that’s passed – less focused on one person in particular.“

Deeper is comprised of Shiraz Bhatti, Nic Gohl, and Drew McBride. Throughout “Run,” they take a thoughtful and direct approach with their songwriting, yielding spry melodies and inventive structures. It’s a clever combination of jagged post-punk and refined indie rock. A tightly wound rhythm section teeters on the edge, but it’s anchored by intricate guitar interplay and saturated with an enigmatic spirit. Their first album, 2018’s Deeper channeled the anxiety of change in everyday life and navigating the unhinged political atmosphere. “Run” takes a more existential approach, reaching down past the emotion and staring back at the inner.

Deeper has made their mark touring with acts such as Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever and The Districts, while also sharing the stage with Deerhunter, Protomartyr, Jeff Tweedy, and Whitney. They’ve sold out their own headlining shows and official after parties at Pitchfork Festival and Lollapalooza.
Listen to Deeper’s “Bennington” (John Maus Cover)
SoundCloud Stream
YouTube Stream

Listen To Deeper’s “Run”
– SoundCloud Stream
– YouTube Stream

Pre-order Run 7″ Here

Deeper Fall 2019 Tour Dates:
Mon. Sep. 9 – Montreal, QC @ Brasserie Baubein #
Tue. Sep. 10 – Toronto, ON @ Monarch Tavern #
Thu. Sep. 12 – Indianapolis, IN @ State Street Pub
Sat. Sep. 14 – Minneapolis, Minnesota @ Seventh Street Entry with Hatchie
Fri. Oct. 18 – Rotterdam, NL @ Left of the Dial Festival
Sat. Oct. 19 – London, UK @ Shacklewell Arms
Sun. Oct. 20 – Norwich, UK @ Wild Paths Festival
Mon. Oct. 21 – Glasgow, UK @ Broadcast
Tue. Oct. 22 – Leeds, UK @ Headrow House
Thur. Oct. 24 – Bristol, UK @ Crofters Rights
Fri. Oct. 25 – Ipswich, UK @ Smokehouse
Sat. Oct. 26 – Lille, FR @ La Malterie
Sun. Oct. 27 – Ghent, BE @ Kinky Star
Mon. Oct. 28 – Paris, FR @ Supersonic

# = with Dehd

Keep your mind open.

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Review: Beehive – Depressed + Distressed

Hailing from northern California, Beehive is one of the most appropriately named bands I’ve heard so far this year. Bassist Bud Amentia and vocalist / guitarist Jake Sprecher (and a drum machine, which they apparently don’t turn off between songs during their live sets) make music that buzzes with energy and danger. Listening to their debut EP Depressed + Distressed is like standing near a beehive. You’re on the edge of danger all the time.

The instrumental into of “Tick Tock” delivers this message right away. It’s just over a minute of menace with poppy drum machine beats that belie something heavy about to land in your lap. That heavy thing is the song “Get Off My Back,” which has Sprecher’s guitars howling like a chainsaw in a thunderstorm and Amentia’s bass coming at you like an unrelenting rain.

“You’re So Fascinating” is a funny track about the fake images we create in hopes that people will like us. Sprecher’s vocal delivery brings Glenn Danzig to mind, but with more post-punk attitude instead of goth rage. The funniest track on the EP is “90’s Trash,” in which Sprecher talks about buying a CD of the songs that form the “graveyard of his youth” that make him both nostalgic and depressed. He and Amentia play a riff that sounds exactly like every 1990’s rock song you’ve heard as Sprecher name checks the Smoking Popes, Spacehog, Soundgarden, third wave ska, Save Ferris, Flaming Lips, and (the one that most makes Sprecher ill) Ugly Kid Joe.

“When Can I See You Again?” is a punk rager expressing the panic, rush, and angst all of us have felt in a new relationship. “Don’t Try” is almost a rallying cry to do just the opposite. Beehive are pissed about everyone telling them (and all of us, if you watch enough news) not to bother, so they’re responding with a sonic boot stomp to the chest. The EP closes with “Wasting Our Time.” Beehive have no time for people who drain their energy with drama (“You’re wasting my time, I’m wasting my time with you.”). Amentia’s bass on this track is particularly heavy and is a great mix with Sprecher’s Jon Spencer-like riffs.

The EP’s title sums up not only Beehive’s feelings about Millennial life, but also the lives of practically everyone else. Everyone’s depressed or distressed about something – usually things that don’t matter (as evidenced in the last track of the EP). If Beehive have to sting us to wake us up from our doldrums, they will. You can’t escape a swarm, and you won’t be able to escape this record once you hear it.

Keep your mind open.

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Live: King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, ORB, and Stonefield – Aragon Ballroom – Chicago, IL – August 24, 2019

I’d read that the King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard / ORB / Stonefield show at Chicago’s Aragon Ballroom was on the verge of selling out. I’m pretty sure it did, judging by the line to get into the venue.

The line was so long that the Aragon had to put an employee (guy in white shirt behind car) in a parking lot two blocks away to manage it.

People were laughing in disbelief when they reached this corner and saw the line went on for another block and a half.

The top photo there is from the back of the line, which was over two blocks from the Aragon’s front door. The second photo shows the line along the Red Line El track wall on the west side of the Aragon. I’ve never seen a line this long to get into the Aragon. As one guy put it as he walked past me to get to the end of the line, “Take that all of you who say ‘Who?’ whenever I mention this band!”

The line was so long that, unfortunately, I missed Stonefield’s set. They were so loud, however, that you could hear them outside the venue when a Red Line train wasn’t passing by. I might get to see Stonefield at this year’s Levitation Austin festival, so it could still work out okay for me.

ORB, who have added a guitarist since I last saw them, put on a solid set of stoner-psych that included a lot of fuzz, metal riffs, and avalanche drumming.

I knew King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard’s set was going to be nuts when people were already chanting, clapping, and cheering during the soundcheck. Plus, KGATLW’s new album, Infest the Rat’s Nest, is a thrash metal record, and I was sure songs from it were going to cause a frenzied mosh pit.

Sure enough, they opened with “Self Immolate” and “Mars for the Rich” off the new record and the crowd immediately compressed by about thirty percent as two pits broke out – one on each side of the stage. I figured they wouldn’t play too much off the new record, as thrash metal is hard to play and they had an entire show to do that would probably cover everything from psychedelic hippie music to blues.

They proved me right by following the metal with the swing of “Plastic Boogie” off the first album they released this year, Fishing for Fishies, which is a blues record. Three cuts off Polygondwanaland followed – “Inner Cell,” “Loyalty,” and “Horology.”

“We’re gonna play an old one,” lead singer Stu Mackenzie said. “How old?” said the guy behind me. “Old for them is like an album from last year.” True, considering KGATLW put out five albums in 2018. The “oldies” turned out to be “I’m in Your Mind” and “I’m Not in Your Mind” from 2014’s I’m in Your Mind Fuzz. “The Balrog” from Murder of the Universe got everyone jumping again, and I was in the pit by the time they got to “Evil Death Roll” from Nonagon Infinity. The whole crowd was jumping during “Rattlesnake,” which lead to other cuts from Flying Microtonal Banana including “Sleep Drifter” and “Billabong Valley.”

Nonagon Infinity opens the door for infinite lizards.

They swung back into a boogie set with more cuts off Fishing for Fishies and even threw in their synth-single “Cyboogie” before ending the night with a wall of death-inducing “Planet B” and “Hell” from Infest the Rat’s Nest. They began the night with metal and ended the night with metal, leaving everyone sweaty and giddy.

“Thanks for coming. Thanks for getting crazy. You guys are fucking crazy. It’s great,” Mackenzie said at one point. It was a crazy crowd, probably the craziest I’ve been in since I saw Thee Oh Sees in Austin last year. The mosh pit was friendly, too. Twice the pit I was in stopped so people could turn on cell phone lights to look for, find, and hold up dropped stuff like someone’s glasses and a wallet. A woman walked by me wearing a shirt that read, “They only walls be build are walls of death.” on the back.

That’s metal, all right, as was this show.

Keep your mind open.

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Black Belt Eagle Scout goes to prom with her new single “Run It to Ya.”

“Black Belt Eagle Scout…is one of my favorite indiepop songwriters of late, in the vein of Palehound or Jay Som—tight, soft vocals placed high in the mix, competing with and complimenting an anxious guitar riff.” – Jezebel

“[At The Party With My Brown Friends] highlight Paul’s vocals more than they do her guitar work—she still knows how to shred, but there’s a pronounced confidence in vocal-forward tracks” – The AV Club

“[‘My Heart Dreams’] features Paul’s signature delicate vocals, fervent guitar playing and romantic, poignant lyricism.” – Paste

Black Belt Eagle Scout – the recording project of multi-instrumentalist Katherine Paul – presents a video for “Run It to Ya,” the final pre-release single from her new album, At the Party With My Brown Friends. Following “My Heart Dreams” and “At the Party,” “Run It to Ya” is about the gentleness of love and how wondrous it can feel at times from the point of view of a queer Indigenous womxn. The video was directed by Evan James Benally Atwood.

“It felt natural for the ‘Run It to Ya’ music video to star queer indigenous womxn and show their love story unfold. The setting is a queer Indigenous prom, a space where we can truly be ourselves without the ridicules of white settler colonialism. It’s a realm where we can reimagine what our lives look like as queer Indigenous people; what is normally a heteronormative space turns into a magical place where people have the freedom to safely love how they choose.

“Throughout my work, I intend to show the thriving lives of Indigenous people, and how we are often excluded from mainstream rock music and the media. This exclusion is detrimental to our health and our existence. I am trying to show what my life is like so that other people can see how we have the right to thrive in this world and have the ability to decolonize.”

Where her 2018 debut, Mother of My Children, was a snapshot of loss and landscape and of Paul’s standing as a radical Indigenous queer feminist, this new chapter finds its power in love, desire and friendship. At the Party With My Brown Friends is a profound and understated forward step. The squalling guitar anthems that shaped its predecessor are replaced by delicate vocals and soft keys, sentiments spoken and unspoken, presenting something shadowy and unsettling; a stirring of the waters. The end result presents a captivating about-face that redefines Paul’s beautifully singular artistic vision.

Black Belt Eagle Scout was named a favorite new artist of 2018 by NPR Music, Stereogum, Paste and Under The Radar, and Pitchfork named her debut a Best Rock Album of 2018. She will continue to tour extensively, playing headline dates this fall before supporting Devendra Banhart later this year.

Watch Black Belt Eagle Scout’s “Run It to Ya” video – https://bbes.ffm.to/atpwmbf

Listen to “At the Party” – https://youtu.be/gk3FLRe4tAM

Watch “My Heart Dreams” video https://youtu.be/cmGP7WZO4Pw

Pre-order At the Party With My Brown Friends https://bbes.ffm.to/atpwmbf

Black Belt Eagle Scout tour dates: Sat. Sept. 7 – Sun. Sept. 8 – Portland, OR @ XOXO Fest Mon. Oct. 21 – Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios Thu. Oct. 24 – Seattle, WA @ Tractor Tavern Wed. Oct. 30 – Boulder, CO @ Boulder Theater * Fri. Nov. 1 – Omaha, NE @ Slowdown * Sat. Nov. 2 – Minneapolis, MN @ Varsity Theater * Sun. Nov. 3 – Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall * Tue. Nov. 5 – Memphis, TN @ The Hi-Tone * Wed. Nov. 6 – St. Louis, MO @ Foam Thu. Nov. 7 – Lawrence, KS @ White Schoolhouse Fri. Nov. 8 – Fort Collins, CO @ Surfside 7 Sat. Nov. 9 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Diabolical Records Sun. Nov. 10 – Boise, ID @ Neurolux Thu. Nov. 12 – Reno, NV @ Holland Project Wed. Nov. 13 – San Francisco, CA @ Cafe Du Nord Thu. Nov. 14 – Los Angeles, CA @ Bootleg Bar Fri. Nov. 15 – San Diego, CA @ Ché Café Sat. Nov. 16 – Tucson, AZ @ Club Congress Sun. Nov. 17 – Las Vegas, NV @ The Bunkhouse Saloon Tue. Nov. 19 – Mesa, AZ @ The Nile Wed. Nov. 20 – Albuquerque, NM @ Sister Fri. Nov. 22 – Austin, TX @ Barracuda Sat. Nov. 23 – Dallas, TX @ The Foundry Sun. Nov. 24 – Houston, TX @ Satellite Tue. Nov. 26 – Fayetteville, AR @ George’s Majestic Lounge Wed. Nov. 27 – Nashville, TN @ DRKMTTR Sat. Nov. 30 – Detroit, MI @ Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit * Sun. Dec. 1 – Toronto, ON @ Danforth Music Hall * Tue. Dec. 3 – Montreal, QC @ L’Olympia * Wed. Dec. 4 – Boston, MA @ Wilbur Theatre * Thu. Dec. 5 – Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Steel * Sat. Dec. 7 – Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club * Sun. Dec. 8 – Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer * *= w/ Devendra Banhart

Keep your mind open.

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Modern Nature announces first North American tour and new single – “Nature.”

“…the music shares some of the ache and inscrutability of Fairport Convention and Incredible String Band. Everything—from the swirling cello of ‘Criminals’ to the pulsing motorik throbs of ‘Footsteps’ and ‘Seance’—is held together by Cooper’s quiet voice and his sweet yearning for a different plane.” – Pitchfork

Modern Nature presents the video for “Nature” taken from their debut album, How To Live, out now on Bella Union and announces their first-ever North America tour in early 2020.

“‘Nature’ plays a part in the album and has a point of view that isn’t necessarily what I believe (not all the time), but is generally a sort of fatalistic version of what I think about modern nature (behavior),” says Jack Cooper. “The outlook is really to provide some shade to the light and optimism of the last song ‘Devotee’. It’s hard watching the news or navigating life in a city not to get awfully despondent but often when your despair is at its peak, people can amaze you… I think it’s a sort of romantic nihilism.”

“I’d been out filming Brighton Day of Dance earlier in the year, where Morris Teams from all over the country come and spend the day dancing and drinking outside various pubs in Brighton,” says the director Conan Roberts. “It was more out of curiosity of this slightly bizzare British tradition than anything else. Jack saw some of the footage and thought it could be a great accompaniment to one of the tracks from the album. I cut the Morris footage and then independently cut the landscape footage before compositing the two. It was more an experiment in how the two images may or may not work together, exploring the synergy of the dancers movements alongside the shapes of nature.”

Watch “Nature” Video – https://youtu.be/h7Hc5hakErY

Modern Nature tour dates: Fri. Sept. 13 – Leeds, UK @ Brudenell Social Club Sat. Sept. 14 – Flintshire, UK @ Good Life Experience Sun. Sept. 15 – Glasgow, UK @ Freakender Festival Tue. Sept. 17 – Manchester, UK @ YES Wed. Sept. 18 – Liverpool, UK @ The Shipping Forecast Thu. Sept. 19 – London, UK @ The Courtyard Theatre Fri. Sept. 20 – Margate, UK @ Elsewhere Sat. Sept. 21 – Bristol, UK @ Louisiana Thu. Jan. 9 – Washington, DC @ Comet Ping Pong Fri. Jan. 10 – Philadelphia, PA @ Boot & Saddle Sat. Jan. 11 – Brooklyn, NY @ Rough Trade Sun. Jan. 12 – Boston, MA @ The Lilypad Mon. Jan. 13 – Burlington, VT @ The Monkey House Tue. Jan. 14 – Montreal, QC @ Bar Le ‘Ritz’ P.D.B. Wed. Jan. 15 – Toronto, ON @ The Monarch Thu. Jan. 16 – Detroit, MI @ Deluxx Fluxx Sat. Jan. 18 – Minneapolis, MN @ 7th St. Entry Mon. Jan. 20 – Columbus, OH @ Ace of Cups

Keep your mind open.

[It’s natural to subscribe, so embrace nature.]

Partner further prove how awesome they are by announcing massive tour and covering Rush.

Canadian rock duo Partner have announced a huge tour for this autumn spanning the globe from their home country to Czechoslovakia. The U.S. tour even teams them with Titus Andronicus. All the shows are sure to be a good time. Partner alone are killer live.

As if a new tour isn’t enough, Partner released their cover of Rush‘s “Limelight.” It’s great.

“We watched a documentary about RUSH and we fell in love with the band. They seem like such nice guys. It caused us to hear the music in a new way, with a much deeper appreciation. By doing the cover, we hoped to pay tribute to our newfound appreciation and to expand our horizons as musicians by learning these unique and complex arrangements.” – Partner

Partner’s cover of “Limelight” is available to watch on YouTube and stream on SoundCloud.

Keep your mind open.

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Review: Skull Practitioners – Death Buy

Skull Practitioners make post-punk that I can best describe with one word – immediacy. Their first EP in five years, Death Buy, is a wild record of squawking guitars, urgent drums, and wall-shaking bass.

Take the the title track, for instance. Jason Victor‘s guitars on it threaten to blow out your speakers almost as soon as he begins playing. He lets you finally breathe close to the four-minute mark, but Kenneth Levine‘s bass never lets you relax. “Grey No More” is a pedal-to-the-metal garage rocker with lyrics like “Last stop to nowhere, dreams are dead and gone, lost in the ether.” to remind you not to look back as you run down zombies in a desert wasteland with your spike-covered Mack truck.

“I was born into a head of confusion,” Victor sings at the beginning of “The Beacon” – a song about the baffling nature of identity in modern culture. Drummer Alex Baker puts down seriously hot chops throughout it, and Victor’s guitar roars like a jet engine. It’s over before you have time to lace up your running shoes and lock the door behind you.

Levine’s bass groove and Baker’s snappy beats are a great foundation for “Miami” – a ten minute-plus instrumental track that has Victor upping the reverb on his guitar. Victor experiments with different soundscapes while Levine and Baker never miss a beat and keep us and Victor from floating out of orbit. The breakdown and then the comeback around the six-minute mark is outstanding.

It’s a great EP, one of the best I’ve heard in 2019.

Keep your mind open.

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Review: Here Lies Man – No Ground to Walk Upon

Marcos Garcia, the founder / vocalist / guitarist / multi-instrumentalist of Here Lies Man says his band is “…very conscious of how the rhythms service the riffs.” That principle is indeed the driving force the HLM’s new album – No Ground to Walk Upon.

The album opens with the fuzzy, funky “Clad in Silver,” which has Garcia singing spiritual lyrics over a groove that might induce a trance in you (so be careful if you’re operating heavy machinery while listening, especially to the last third of it). “Swinging from the Trees” has wicked hand percussion throughout it, taking lead even from the strong bass riffs and 1970’s action movie guitars.

“Long Legs (Look Away)” immediately makes you feel like a bad ass in one of those above-mentioned action movies. The groove is inescapable and will have you feeling invincible. The drum work on “Washing Bones” is just as good, with a harder rock feel than previous tracks.

The Santana influences on “Get Ahold of Yourself” cannot be denied. Listen to those congas and “no need to rush” guitar licks if you don’t believe me. “Iron Rattles” rattles and rolls with a spooky feel to it that curls up next to you in the dark. The album ends with “Man Falls Down,” the title of which reflects a common theme in HLM’s work – nature will always win. Man can strut around all he likes, but in the end, nature will have the final say. Man falls down, gets up, continues on, but nature always waits to reclaim us.

Every song on this album ends by drifting into instrumental experiments, and the last one sends us away wondering what’s to come next from Here Lies Man, and for us all. There is no ground to walk upon when we are floating in a dream or away from our corporeal bodies through meditation or, yes, death. Nature is nothing to fear, as are death, truth, and disillusionment. This album reminds us of that.

Keep your mind open.

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