Portland, Oregon’s STRFKR strives to make danceable pop music, and they’re succeeding.  Their stuff combines electro, disco, rock, new wave, and a little funk.  They don’t take themselves too seriously, which is a rare delight in the music industry nowadays.  They’ll be playing Mamby on the Beach June 25th, so check out their set if you want to party with a bunch of people who don’t really care about labels, your hang-ups, or mainstream music.
Keep your mind open.
[We’re not too serious either, so don’t be afraid to subscribe.]
SLOWDIVE ANNOUNCE MORE US TOUR DATES;
WATCH NPR MUSIC’S FIELD RECORDING
SLOWDIVE IS ONE OF THE BEST REVIEWED ALBUMS OF THE YEAR
Slowdive‘s self-titled album, released last month via Dead Oceans, is one of the best-reviewed albums of the year so far. Following a sold out North American tour in advance of its release, the band are announcing a return to the continent in the fall, to perform in cities both new and old. Prior to that, they’ll be appearing at FYF Fest in Los Angeles on July 21st.
Also, today saw the release of an incredible stripped back NPR Music Field Recording that the band filmed while in New York in May. Watch below.
SLOWDIVE TOUR DATES (new dates in bold) Fri. June 16 â Sun. June 18 â Mannheim, DE @ Maifeld Derby Sat. July 1 â Roskilde, Denmark @ Roskilde Festival Thurs. July 6 â Trencin, Slovakia @ Pohoda Festival Fri. July 7 â Madrid, ES @ Mad Cool Festival Sun. July 9 â Six Four Les Plages, France@ Pointu Festival Fri. July 21 – Los Angeles, CA @ FYF Fest Fri. July 28– South Korea @ Valley Rock Festival Sun. July 30 â Tahar Shi, Japan @ Fuji Rock Festival Sat. Aug. 19 â Trondheim, Norway @ Pstereo Festival Fri. 25 Aug. â Switzerland @ Nox Orae Festival Sat. Aug. 27 â Paris, France @ Rock En Seine Festival Thu. Aug. 31 â Salisbury, UK @ End of the Road Festival Sat. Sept. 2 â Milano, Italy @ Un Altro Festival Thu. Sept. 7 â Tel Aviv, Israel @ Barby Club Fri. Sept. 15 â Sat. 16 Sept. â Angers, France @ Levitation Fest Sun. Sept. 17 â Birmingham, UK @ Beyond the Tracks Festival Fri. Sept. 29 â Dortmund, Germany @Way Back When Festival Sat. Sept. 30 â Copenhagen, Denmark @ DR Koncerthuset Mon. Oct. 2 â Warsaw, Poland – @ Palladium Tues. Oct. 3 â Berlin, Germany @ Huxleyâs
Weds. Oct. 4 â Hamburg, Germany @Uebel & Gefaehrlich Fri. Oct. 6 â Amsterdam, NL @ Paradiso Sat. Oct. 7 â Brussels, Belgium @ Botanique Mon. Oct. 9 â Glasgow, UK @ ABC Tues. Oct. 10 â Manchester, UK @Albert Hall
Weds. Oct. 11 â Leeds, UK @ Town Hall Fri. Oct. 13 â London, UK @ Roundhouse Mon. Oct. 23 – Vancouver, BC @ The Commodore Wed. Oct. 25 – Seattle, WA @ The Neptune Thu. Oct. 26 – Portland, OR @ Crystal Ballroom Sat. Oct. 28 – Oakland, CA @ Fox Theater   Wed. Nov. 1 – Denver, CO @ The Ogden Sat. Nov. 4 – Madison, WI @ Barrymore Theatre Sun. Nov. 5 – Chicago, IL @ Vic Theatre Tue. Nov. 7 – Columbus, OH @ Newport Music Hall Wed. Nov. 8 – Detroit, MI @ Majestic Theatre Thu. Nov. 9 – Buffalo, NY @ Town Hall Fri. Nov. 10 – Toronto, ON @ CANADA @ Massey Hall Sat. Nov. 11 – New Haven, CT @ College St Music Hall Sun. Nov. 12 – New York City, NY @ Terminal 5  Tue. Nov. 14 – Boston,MA @ Paradise Wed. Nov. 15 – Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer Thu. Nov. 16 – Baltimore, MD @ Ram’s Head Fri. Nov. 17 – Asheville, NC @ The Orange Peel
“A precise and altogether gorgeous showcase of their peerless ability at production, mood, and songcraft.” – Pitchfork [Best New Music]
“Listening to Slowdive is like watching the sunrise and sunset at once â an awe-inspiring chorus of the galaxy.” – NPR Music
“Slowdive carries all the right baggage from the bandâs past, but the album leaves no question about the direction theyâre traveling in. Theyâre carrying this sound towards the future.” – Stereogum
“Throughout Slowdive, the band use foggy images and slippery transitions as a soothing sort of dĂŠjĂ vuâyou feel like youâve been here before, even though you obviously havenât.” – SPIN [SPIN Essential]
“With this self-titled record, their first in 22 years, Slowdive definitively prove that some bands have enough creative juice to get back together and make some incredible music.” – Vulture
“The result is as beautiful and stilling as ever.” – AV Club
“Dreamy vocals, thick melancholia, heavy guitar treatments. And ‘Slomo,’ the opening track, is a goddamn minor miracle. Welcome back, shoegaze friends.” – Newsweek
Psychedelic freaks MGMT (Andrew VanWyngarden and BenGoldwasser) will be closing the Beach Stage at Mamby on the Beach on June 24th. MGMT are known for loud, reverb-laced, synth-driven psychedelia and their show is sure to be a mind trip. They’ve been nominated for multiple Grammy Awards and sound not unlike a younger Flaming Lips. Don’t miss out on the freak-out.
Keep your mind open.
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NEW ALBUM ORC, OUT AUG. 25TH ON CASTLE FACE; LISTEN TO “THE STATIC GOD“
OH SEES CELEBRATE 20 YEARS OF UNFETTERED EXISTENCE WITH 19TH ALBUM
Oh Sees are the latest incarnation of songwriter, singer, guitarist (and Castle Face fearless leader) John Dwyerâs ever-evolving rock-pop-folk psychedelic group. Dwyer has been active since the late â90s, working with several bands, including the Coachwhips, Pink & Brown, Yikes, Up Its Alive, and Swords & Sandals, among others, and he formed OCS (which is an acronym for Orinoka Crash Suite, Orange County Sound, or whatever Dwyer decided it was on any given day) initially as a vehicle for the experimental instrumentals he was producing in his home studio. The project entered its 20th year of existence in 2017.
In time OCS morphed into an actual band, and worked under the usual flurry of names, most notably as The Oh Sees or The Ohsees, and eventually as Thee Oh Sees. The band’s lineup has spawned and  re-spawned a few times before reaching their current incarnation featuring Tim Hellman on bass, Dan Rincon and Paul Quattrone on drums.
And now, the newly shorn Oh Sees waste no time in racing headlong into nightmarish battle with their mighty new record Orc (Dwyerâs 19th album as OCS/Thee Oh Sees/Oh Sees, etc.), and wouldnât ya know it, theyâve clawed even farther up the ghastly peak last yearâs A Weird Exits stormed so satisfyingly. The band is in tour-greased, anvil on a balance beam, gut-pleasingly heavy form, nimbly braining with equal dashes of abandon and menace on this fresh batch of bruisers and brooders, hypnotically stirred into to the cauldron of chaos youâve come to expect from, ahem, Oh Sees. Quattrone and Dan Rincon form a phalanx of interlocking double drums, alternately propelling and fleet footing shifting ground to pinion Dwyerâs cliff-face guitars to the boogie. Tim Hellman keeps it swinging like a battle-axe to the eyebrows. More evilâŚ.more complex, more narcotic, more screech, more roar, more whisper, thereâs even more Brigid Dawson. Less âTheeâ, but more of everything else, Orc isout on Castle Face Records August 25th. Listen to the blistering first track “The Static God.” LISTEN TO “THE STATIC GOD” http://bit.ly/2s27Yix
ORC TRACKLISTING
1. The Static God
2. Nite Expo
3. Animated Violence
4. Keys To The Castle
5. Jettison
6. Cadaver Dog
7. Paranoise
8. Cooling Tower
9. Drowned Beast
10. Raw Optics
OH SEES TOUR DATES
Thu. June 7 – Milano, IT @ Magnolia
Fri. June 8 – Ravenna, IT @ Beaches Brew Sat. June 9 – Dudingen, CH @ Bad Bonn Sun. June 10 – Nimes, FR @ This Is Not A Love Song Mon. June 11 – Bordeaux, FR @ le block Tue. June 12 – Tours, FR @ le temps machine Thu. June 14 – Manchester University, UK @ Transformers Sat. June 17 – San Francisco, CA @ Phono Del Sol Festival Sat. July 22 – Sun. July 23 – Los Angeles, CA @ FYF Sun. Aug. 6 – Katowice, PL @ OFF Festival Tue. Aug. 8 – Hamburg, DE @ Molotow Thu. Aug. 10 – Oslo, NO @ Oya Festival Fri. Aug. 11 – Gothenburg, DW @ Way Out West Festival Sat. Aug. 12 – Copenhagen, DK @ Pumpehuset Fri. Aug. 18 – Saint Malo, FR @ La Route du Rock Sat. Aug. 19 – Brecon Beacons, UK @ Green Man Festival Fri. Sept. 1 – Phoenix, AZ @ The Crescent Ballroom Sat. Sept. 2 – Albuquerque, NM @ Sister Bar Mon. Sept. 4 – Austin, TX @ Hotel Vegas Outside Tue. Sept. 5 – New Orleans, LA @ One Eyed Jack’s Wed. Sept. 6 – Atlanta, GA @ Variety Playhouse Fri. Sept. 8 – Philadelphia, PA @ Trocadero Theater Sun. Sept. 10 – Brooklyn, NY @ Warsaw Wed. Sept. 13 – Cambridge, MA @ The Sinclair Thu. Sept. 14 – Montreal, QC @ La Tulipe I Le National Fri. Sept. 15 – Toronto, ON @ Danforth Theater Sat. Sept. 16 – Cleveland, OH @ Beachland Ballroom Sun. Sept. 17 – Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall Tue. Sept. 19 – Milwaukee, WI @ Turner Hall Fri. Sept. 22 – Missoula, MT @ Monk’s Sat. Sept. 23 – Seattle, WA @ Neumo’s Sun. Sept. 24 – Vancouver, BC @ Commodore Ballroom Mon. Sept. 25 – Portland, OR @ Crystal Ballroom
One of the best albums of 2017 is a full-length debut by a band that broke up before it was released.
No one seems to know, or is telling, why New York post-punks WALL (Vanessa Gomez – drums, Vince McClelland – guitar, Elizabeth Skadden – bass, Samantha York – lead vocals, guitar) broke up after releasing one critically acclaimed EP (WALL), wowing crowds at the 2016 South by Southwest festival, and recording what appears will be their only full-length record – Untitled. Perhaps they felt theyâd said all they wanted to say. Perhaps they found out the music businesses wasnât what they wanted after all. Perhaps it was the classic âartistic differences.â Iâm not sure weâll ever know, but there are hints on Untitled – a scorching post-punk testament to desperate times and desperate measures.
The first lyrics on Untitled are âEveryone looking âround, looking to get high. I was looking âround, looking to get high.â on âHigh Ratings.â The band drills out the jagged punk angles they had mastered so early around a song about people looking for validation in a world in which others are easily obscured by our narcissism.
âShimmer of Factâ unveils WALLâs love for Joy Division. The reverbed vocals about a relationship gone wrong after moving from the friend zone to the lover zone include âSomething went wrong.â and âWe crossed those lines.â The song âSave Meâ has shared male and female vocals (âYou wanna walk away, now thatâs it over?â / âSave me from myself.â) and powerful riffs that underline the frantic lyrics about danger and the thrills it can bring.
â(Sacred) Circusâ continues the Joy Divison-like bass, but the guitars float into shoegaze glory, and then crash into punk rock, as they sing about love, lust, and jealousy. Part of the chorus is âNothing in this life is sacred.â That includes, by the way, our expectations of WALL and what they had planned for their musical career. âWounded at War,â with its guitars that sound like theyâre melting in the sun, is both a salute to homeless veterans and a punch in the gut to the institutions that trained them. âGo home, soldier. Back to the war that bred you, soldier,â they sing.
âEverything In Betweenâ sounds like it belongs in a rare 1980âs VHS vampire movie. Trust me, youâll understand when you hear the heavy bass, racing pulse beat, and distorted guitars. âCharmed Lifeâ (a Half Japanese cover) has a great saxophone riff throughout it. âWatch everything you do and everything you say,â they sing as they mix surf rock, post-punk, no wave, and 50âs love songs. The song ends with an abrupt stop by the band and York saying, âI guess Iâm leavinâ.â
On âWeekend,â she sings, âThe weekend, the weaker I am.â Partying has become too much of a chore. âI canât live this way,â she sings while the band (who sizzle for the whole track) agrees to go with her and âskip town.â âTurn Aroundâ has York telling an admirer to âpull yourself togetherâ and forget about even trying to chat her up or risk death.
The album ends with âRiver Mansion,â a gorgeous piece of post-punk shoegaze that has the band wishing for good things ahead but knowing they might end up not getting them. âWe built this dream on a hillâŚA storm is brewing. Iâm safe in the house, locked in a dream.â Perhaps WALL realized theyâd already achieved the dream of expressing their art (and getting critical success for it) and knew it was time to leave the mansion theyâd created before success flooded and drowned them (âIâm laying in the river and the rain is getting thicker,â York sings). Maybe WALL sensed that success wasnât going to be good for them. Maybe there was infighting (âWhen our eyes meet, and youâre lying through your teeth. When our eyes meet, and Iâm lying through my teeth.â). Maybe they knew going out on top was going to be the best, safest option.
Or maybe itâs all a lark. We wonât know until they or their label decide to tell us, if they ever do. Until then, we have Untitled to give us clues and questions without answers. Sometimes the mystery is more exciting than the solution, and perhaps that was WALLâs message the whole time.
Keep your mind open.
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QUOTES “Featuring a slight stoner vibe — a perfect companion to the laid-back guitar jangling of the tune.”
– The 405
Toronto’s Goodbye Honolulu may fall into the “slacker rock” category, but they’re hard workers when it comes to churning out new tunes.
– Exclaim!
Announcing No Honey EP out September 01, 2017 via Fried Records, produced by Mike Turner (Our Lady Peace).
RIYL – The Black Lips, Ty Segall, New Swears, Cage the Elephant, Beck
We all know how these band biographies go, right? Friends meet in high school, start jamming, form band in parentsâ garage and everyone lives happily ever after.
Well Goodbye Honolulu DID meet in high school but they didnât just form one band. They formed 5 individual projects and started their own record label while still in school, the 100% local Toronto label Fried Records. While other kids were cramming for exams or wasting away playing video games, the Goodbye Honolulu boys were busy playing in bars (attempting to sneak their underage friends in), honing their live skills, writing songs and self releasing multiple albums a year.
These teenage years were laying the foundations and as they hit their 20s Emmett, Jacob, Fox and Max decided to join forces and focus their song-writing and energy to one project, say âhelloâ to Goodbye Honolulu.
Goodbye Honolulu, evoke a 90s slacker vibe mixing vintage garage rock n roll history with modern elements, itâs not exactly pop and itâs not exactly punk.
Goodbye Honolulu is best known for their live shows and in best form when every member is screaming their heads off with shout along choruses. Whether itâs Emmettâs fuzz-layered guitar, Jacobâs gnarly vocals, Foxâs Bowie-inspired vocal inflections or Max beating his drum kit to death, Goodbye Honolulu make their audience the VIP guests to their rock n roll party.
Highlights of Goodbye Honoluluâs ride so far include a USA tour supporting their pals Hinds and releasing their debut album Heavy Gold in 2016.
Goodbye Honolulu
Emmett Webb (Guitar/Bass/Vocals)
Fox Martindale (Guitar/Vocals)
Jacob Switzer (Guitar/Bass/Vocals)
Max Bornstein (Drums)
Tour Dates: June 21 – Divan Orange, Montreal QC July 15 – Lee’s Palace, Toronto ON w/ New Swears
“Kids rock” legends Feltworth were kind enough to let me interview them recently about their inevitable foray into serious rock music.  I learned a lot about their influences, how they met, and what kind of barbecue Cozy prefers.
7th Level Music: I’ll start with one for Manny and Dezi. How did you two decide to start a band and how did you meet Morris and Cozy?
Dezi (left) and Manny with their new single – “You Turn Me On”
DEZI: Manny and I have been playing together for as long as we can remember. Cozy answered an ad we put out in a music paper. We thought he was too crazy to be in our band but he brought Morris with him and when we heard Morris play we begged him to join. He didnât want to but we said we would take Cozy if he joined so he agreed.
7LM: Cozy, I know you played some saxophone on Feltworth’s “Super Duper” album, so do you plan on bringing it back with the new rock-oriented material?
DEZI: That was just for the photo shoot. That whole album is predominantly MIDI sounds. If you think you hear a sax on the first record, itâs a fake.
COZY: Bring it back? Bring it back??? Have you not heard of The SaxpocalypseŠ? Every song in the 50’s: sax solo. Every song in the 80’s: sax solo. If you follow my math you’ll realize that the SaxpocalypseŠ is nigh! Every thirty years the sax takes over for 10 years. All artists/all genres. This is no different for Feltworth. I’d be shocked and disappointed if the band erased all of the major sax I blew all over our next LP. MANNY: Ctrl-Alt-Delete-Sax. Ok, actually I don’t mind a little sax…Little Richard, Springsteen’s Born To Run album, “Let’s Dance” by Bowie. Dezi says sax makes all music sound like the Saturday Night Live band. What was Steve Albini’s quote? “New York’s alright if you like saxophones?”
7LM: Your agent has stated that you guys are performing and putting your music out there for free. Is this right? I think it’s great to see people making art for the sake of art. How did this decision come about, and was it a difficult one?
DEZI: I was initially defiant when we were being booed by kids and moms but I did have a bit of a freak out when it hit me that we had closed the doors on a lot of our money making opportunities. I think I have arrived at a place of acceptance. COZY: Wait, I’m not being paid for this? MANNY: I like to think we’re in our “investment period.â
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MORRIS:  It could be argued that we have been releasing childrenâs music under duress. Lately weâve been composing and recording our music freely.  âFreelyâ is not quite the same as gratis, if you catch my drift.Â
Cozy (left) and Morris
7LM: How has the crowd response been so far?  Was it difficult to make the transition from playing to crowds of children and their parents to crowds of hipsters, old school rockers, and music bloggers like yours truly?
DEZI: As I said, there was an excitement in the chaos of the bad press and poor reaction. I guess we are hoping to reach music bloggers like you. We are currently at 230 Instagram followers so go tell your nerd friends.
COZY: It’s weird. The moms still come backstage after the shows to meet (and greet!) us it’s just this time around they get a little more dolled up – no more worries about baby barf!
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MORRIS: Â If I never have to play to another whinging three-year-old again, I certainly wonât complain.
7LM: A follow-up to that: Are you surprised that people are surprised you guys decided to make a rock record? It seems like you guys have been hinting at this all along with your cover of the Rolling Stones’ “Monkey Man” and how the cover of your self-titled album was a parody of Boston’s self-titled debut.
DEZI: The Boston parody was for our 4th album, Beanbagtown, which I think is musically the best of our records. We had the most freedom to produce it the way we wanted. It wasnât as big a seller as the first few, but it did get some good critical reaction. Maybe that gave us the confidence to take the step. MANNY: Right, I guess there have been hints through our children’s records that we appreciate rock and pop history, so perhaps some parents may have caught on. I attempted to do a more kid-centric version of an early Velvet Underground track by renaming it “All Tomorrow’s Birthday Parties” for Beanbagtown, but that was left in the can.
7LM: Do you tend to write grooves first or lyrics first? Or does it depend on the song?
DEZI: Who says âgroovesâ? Ew! Anyway, music first most of the time although songs where you start with the lyrics often tend to be the best. Itâs just harder to do. I have more musical ideas. I donât often find myself in a coffee shop with a journal. MANNY: I sometimes see Morris in a coffee shop with a journal. Or maybe that’s the wine list. But yes, usually music first for me as well.
MORRIS:Â Understandably, most of my lyrical contribution has been cloistered within the bound confines of my diary. Â With that in mind, even the most untrained ear can hear the inherent tension as I express myself on the keyboards.
7LM: Morris, is it just me or do I hear touches of Jerry Lee Lewis in some of your playing on “Forget This Feeling?” I also wondered if you were influenced by some of the great French jazz pianists like Martial Solal or Jacques Loussier since you grew up in France?
DEZI: I think Morris is more influenced by Jerry Lewis than Jerry Lee. He is originally from France after all.
MORRIS:  I will always have a soft spot for the music I grew up on, but I will not lean back on the fundamentals of greats like Solal and Loussier. America in all of itâs youthful bravado and naĂŻve innocence has unveiled its charms clumsily.  “He shook my nerves and he rattled my brain⌔  Does that make sense when I express it in English?
7LM: I know you’ve done some gigs with Animal Eyes, Situation Bad, and a few other indie acts. Are there other bands you’re hoping to jam with soon?
DEZI: We share a rehearsal space with those bands. I wouldnât say we are fans per se. Most of our favourite bands have human beings in them.
COZY: Quite frankly I’m hoping to take over for Gregg Allman in the Allman Brothers Band. Rest easy, MidnightRider. MANNY: Hmmm…I’m not big on jamming. I guess it’s fun though. Animal Eyes are a half-decent KISS cover band. Not alot of room for jamming with those guys. The only brothers I’m interested in are the Hudson Brothers…kids music to rock cross-over geniuses.
7LM: You guys have a wide variety of influences ranging from the Beach Boys and Beatles to the Clash and Joy Division, so I’m wondering what range of material we might hear on a future full-length album?
DEZI: I like those groups. I donât know much about Joy Division, but I know about them and I know a few songs. I would say we are less nihilistic. Cheap Trick is a good example of a band I wouldnât mind being confused with. If you ask me, Robin Zander is the best singer in the world. COZY: Cheap Trick YEAH! Anybody that has a drummer named after bread (Bun E. Carlos) is okay in my book! I would also like to write more songs that are closer in style to the band Bread. They are so mellow it’s HEAVY. Heavy mellow! MANNY: I think the material on our album will kinda bridge the gap between pop/rock and rock/pop. I prefer New Order to be honest.
MORRIS:Â I think that we shall have to strike a happy balance between “agreeing to disagree” and “having our cake and eating it, too.”
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7LM: Speaking of influences, Cozy you mentioned barbeque is a major influence on you. Do you prefer Kansas City style, Texas style, Memphis dry rub, or another type?
COZY:Â Texas all the way! I mean, you’d be a fool to think otherwise. My idea of heaven on earth is the family special at Salt Lick BBQ, Driftwood, Texas. ALL YOU CAN EAT for $24.95!!!! I have an endorsement deal with those guys. Twice a year they slather me up in their Whiskey Barrel BBQ Sauce and all I have to do in return is mention them in interviews. Â Mission accomplished?
7LM:Â Which Indiana Jones film is the best?
DEZI: I saw the second one but not the third one. So, the first one – Raiders of the Lost Ark. Karen Allen is the shit!
COZY: Who? MANNY: When I was a kid, my friends were all going to see Poltergeist, but I was nervous to see such a scary film so I tried instead to convince them to see Raiders of the Lost Ark… for the third time. No luck. But yes, the first is the best.
MORRIS:Â Am I the only one who finds the late River Phoenix captivating in “The Last Crusade?”
7LM:Â Lastly, is everything okay between you guys and Tame Impala?
DEZI: They are one band we can agree on on the tour bus. Except when we saw them play live, the dude had bare feet.Â
COZY: We plan on getting our manager Skip to drop the hammer on ’em. See you in court guys, may the best lawyer win!
MORRIS:Â Okay!? Â We’ve already got two domesticated rabbits, a monkey (?), and a cat. Â I think there’s plenty of room for Impala in the Feltworth camp.
7LM: Thanks for your time. I wish you all the best.
In other words, itâs one of the most fun records of the year. That shouldnât be a surprise when itâs something cooked up as a goofy music project by GOASTTâs Sean Lennon and members of Fat White Family. The Moonlandingz were a fictional band in this project, and now that band has come to life.
Opener âVesselsâ is a song about sex, possession, and / or addiction. The heavy back beat and 1980âs no wave synths give the whole song a dark, smarmy feel. Lead singer Lias Saoudiâs vocals get louder and more frantic as the song progresses, and the Waitresses-like saxophone cacophony only helps. âSweet Saturn Mineâ was the first single released by the band when they kind of, sort of existed. It has a wicked drum beat and synths Gary Numan would love. Saoudi sings about strange happenings in strange places and, Iâm pretty sure, orgasms that donât necessarily bring relief. The Eccentronic Research Councilâs synthesizer work and drumbeats on this are sharp as a knife.
âBlack Hanzâ is great psychedelia, and one of those songs that is apparently bonkers live (judging from YouTube videos Iâve seen). Itâs something youâd hear in a weird curio shop in San Francisco that has a secret disco in the basement. âI.D.S.â begins with spooky female vocals from Charlotte Kemp before Saoudi starts a chant and then a Sigue Sigue Sputnik-like beat rushes at you. âThe Strangle of Annaâ could be a long lost Raveonettes track with its fuzzed-out guitar, Phil Spector rhythm, and heavy reverbed vocals.
After the brief, creepy circus music instrumental of âTheme from Valhalla Dale,â the Moonlandingz deliver âThe Rabies Are Back,â which is just as wild as you hope it will be. âI turned my back on Paris, when I heard their dogs do bite,â Saoudi sings at the beginning before he goes into a bit of a frenzy singing about werewolves. âNeuf Du Papeâ is just as weird and funky, combining new wave with industrial.
You can guess the subject of âGlory Hole.â You might not guess that it seems to involve sex across the galaxy or that it has such a wicked beat. âLufthansa Manâ is cool space / lounge / synth rock. It deserves to be on your next playlist (or mixtape if youâre still old school) named âDamn Funky Tunes.â
The album ends with the apocalyptic, epic, and crazy âThis Cities Undone.â Iâm sure it slays live and inspires crowd chants and spastic dancing as the band sings about the end of the world and puts down killer beats and cuts. If the world is going to end, you might as well party to something like this.
You might as well crank this whole damn record. Itâs one of the best, funkiest, and weirdest albums of the year. I hope this fictional band doesnât disappear into the ether. I hope they stay outside the fourth wall for a while. Break your own fourth wall by letting this album into your head. It will do the rest for you.
FELTWORTHÂ (Canadian Puppet Power-Pop)
*Premiere debut music video “Forget This Feeling”
*Release AA-side 7-inch “Forget This Feeling / You Turn Me On”
FELTWORTH –“Forget This Feeling” / “You Turn Me On” 7-inch (out June 02, 2017)
Share new video “Forget This Feeling” YouTube // Brooklyn Vegan “Both songs are super-catchy pop, reminiscent of The Beatles or The Sweet, or Canadian bands who like The Beatles and The Sweet.” – Brooklyn Vegan
“There’s no Juno category for Best Musical Performance By a Puppet â but if there were, Feltworth would likely have it locked down.” – CBC “Forget This Feeling” is a rollicking slice of pure power-pop built on an insistent piano part from Morris and stellar brotherly harmonies, all loving smothered in appropriately fuzzy guitars. For Feltworth the near future is brightâŚorange.”
– The Line Of Best Fit Feltworth is a 4-piece rock band consisting of Dezi Feltworth (bass, vocals), his brother Manny Feltworth (guitar, vocals), Morris Katzenburd (piano, keyboards) and Cozy Balboa (drums, tambourine). You may, of course, know of them already if you have children at armâs length. Feltworth has been an outrageously successful act on the childrenâs music scene for many years. They burst into the limelight early in their career with their first album of music for youngsters called Super Duper. They followed that smash record with both Felty, Felty Places and Weâre Feltworth, a pair of multi-platinum releases that saw the âfabric fourâ begin to add more original material to their repertoire of tried and true childrenâs classics. Their game changing fourth album, Beanbag Town, was their first album of all original songs for kids. Itâs still considered a high water mark on the spectrum of adolescent entertainment.
Though regarded as financially and commercially successful, the fellows of Feltworth didnât feel creatively satisfied by being pigeon-holed as childrenâs act. So, against their managerâs wishes, theyâve embarked on making a real pop/rock record that reflects their own personality and their influences – be it The Sweet, Paul McCartney, Brian Eno or Rupert Holmes. With the change in direction, they are challenging their core audience and seeking new listeners. Itâs been a tough-sell to their manager and label, so the band has decided to self-finance the new recordings that will be released via their own Dezman Productions label. The first release from this brand new batch of activity is a limited edition orange coloured 7â single featuring the rocking âForget This Feelingâ (lead vocals by Manny) and the longing romanticism of âYou Turn Me Onâ (lead vocals by Dezi). Thereâs more music to come. The past is behind them. The future awaits-ish.
The Districts Share New Single, âIf Before I Wakeâ Listen HerePopular Manipulations Out August 11th On Fat Possum
Photo by Pooneh Ghana
ââOrdinary Dayâ is the first chapter of a new book in the bandâs creative growth.â – NPR Music
âThe album’s chock-full of emotional anthems.â – Noisey
Last month, The Districts announced their new album, Popular Manipulations, and shared the video for lead single âOrdinary Day.â Today, theyâre back with another anthem, âIf Before I Wake,â premiering via NME.
Rob Grote from the band says, “The lyrics were written the morning after actually waking up during a storm that felt like it was right over my room. It was refreshing to work on as a band because we had been talking about ideas of restraint and contrast, removing chord changes and toying with droning notes, and this one felt like we synthesized some of those ideas more by second nature as we had been exploring those ideas for a while at this point.”
The distinctly intense sound of Popular Manipulationsâcharging guitars, thunderous drumming, and Groteâs searing vocalsâwas brought on by a few cited influences, from shoegazeâs aggressive swirl to the Velvet Undergroundâs impeccable drone-rock sound. But donât mistake easy comparisons for a lack of originality: on Popular Manipulations, the Districts are in a lane entirely their own, exploring lyrical themes of isolation and abandonment in a way that ups the musicâs already highly charged emotional quotient.
For such weighty thematic material, though, Popular Manipulations is purely life-affirming rock music, bursting with energy that cuts through the darkness of the world that surrounds us. âWeâre a much better distillation of who we wish to be as a band,â Grote reflects on the journey that has led the Districts to this point. âWeâve figured out how to distill the things weâve been trying to accomplish as a band, musically and lyrically. Weâve always viewed making music as something weâre trying to do better the whole time.â
The Districts tour throughout the coming year in support of Popular Manipulations including dates with My Morning Jacket. Theyâll make stops at Lollapalooza, Osheaga, Reading and Leeds Festivals, and more. Their live show is not to be missed. Every song is epic and heart-stopping. A full list of dates is below.
The Districts Tour Dates:
5/22 – Paris, FR – La Maroquinerie
5/23 – London, UK – The Dome
5/25 – Berlin, DE – Badehaus Szimpla
5/26 – Amsterdam, NL – London Calling @ Paradiso
6/4 â Lancaster, PA â Longâs Park Amphitheater
6/21 – Charlotte, NC – Visualite
6/22 – Charleston, SC – Royal American
6/23 – Orlando, FL – The Social
6/24 – Athens, GA – Georgia Theatre
6/26 – Houston, TX – Raven Tower
6/27 – Austin, TX – Sidewinder
6/29 – Santa Fe, NM – Meow Wolf
6/30 – Tucson, AZ – Club Congress
7/01 – Los Angeles, CA – Troubadour
7/03 – San Francisco, CA – The Independent
7/06 – Portland, OR – Doug Fir
7/07 – Seattle, WA – Tractor Tavern
7/08 – Vancouver, BC – Cobalt
7/10 – Salt Lake City, UT – Kilby Court
7/11 – Denver, CO – Globe Music Hall
7/13 – Kansas City – Record Bar
7/14 â St. Louis, MO â Off Broadway
7/15 â Indianapolis, IN â The Hi-Fi
8/04 – Chicago, IL – Lollapalooza
8/04-06 – Montreal, QC – Osheaga
8/07 – Cambridge, MA – The Sinclair
8/08 –Â Hamden, CT –Â The Ballroom at The Outer Space
8/10 – Columbus, OH – Express Live *
8/11 – Philadelphia, PA – Union Transfer
8/12 – North Adams, MA – Mass MoCA *
8/16 – New York, NY – Bowery Ballroom
8/18 – Washington, DC – 9:30 Club
8/25 – Reading , UK – Reading Festival
8/26 – Leeds, UK – Leeds Festival
8/27 – Hull, UK – Fruit
8/29 – Newcastle, UK – Cluny
8/30 – Edinburgh, UK – Caves
8/31 – Glasgow, UK – King Tuts
9/3 – Cambridge, UK – Portland Arms
9/5 – Nottingham, UK – Bodega
9/6 – Manchester, UK – Gorilla
9/7 – Cardiff, UK – Clwb Ifor Bach
9/11 – Brighton, UK – Haunt
9/14 – Monthey, CH – Pont Rouge
9/15 – Milan, IT – Serraglio
9/17 – Darmstadt, DE – Golden Leaves Festival
9/18 – Zurich, CH – Werk 21
9/19 – Munich, DE – Strom
9/20 – Vienna, AT – Flex
9/25 – Brussels, BE – Rotonde
