Rock – Page 199 – 7th Level Music

Rewind Review: Strange Lot – Walk of the Sun (2014)

[Rewind Reviews are reviews of albums that are over a year old by the time I hear them.]

Strange Lot’s debut EP, Walk of the Sun, is a portent of great things to come. Made when the band was a two-piece with Dominic Mena on bass, guitar, and vocals and Tim Lormor on drums, all four tracks are excellent psych-fuzz.

“Upside Dwners” starts like trippy mellow stuff you’d hum around a hippie campfire, but it soon bursts into glorious shimmering power pop (but with heavily reverbed vocals). “Stompr” is appropriately named because Lormor stomps out a killer beat on it while Mena gets weird and bluesy with his guitar licks. “Fiction” sounds a bit like early (as in Mongoloid Years) Devo cuts – sizzling rock drums backing distorted guitars and wild vocals. The title track is a full blast of psychedelia that needs blared from the speakers of your Vanagon.

I’m glad these guys released a full-length album (Another Mind) after this, because to not follow-up on such a good record would’ve been a travesty.

Keep your mind open.

[Take a walk with us by subscribing.]

A gift from the Duke Spirit.

It pays to pledge your support.

I discovered earlier this year that one of my favorite bands, The Duke Spirit, had a PledgeMusic campaign to support their new album, Kin (review coming soon). Apart from buying a digital download or physical copy of the record, they had other fun perks such as guitars, drums, one-of-a-kind notebooks handmade by lead singer Liela Moss, and lyric sheets hand-written by Ms. Moss. The notebooks were sold out, but I was happy to discover the lyric sheets were not and also at a stunningly affordable price.

This arrived in the mail yesterday.

I must admit that I hesitated to open it, because I knew the song I had chosen. It was the title track off the Duke Spirit’s first album – “Cuts Across the Land.”

You ask why I hesitated to open something I’d bought, had shipped from England, and eagerly awaited to frame and hang on my wall? It’s because “Cuts Across the Land” nearly made me weep when I first heard it. It’s not because the song is maudlin or reminds me of a past relationship or the loss of a loved one. It’s because the song is so damned good it almost made me cry.

I’m fairly certain I first heard “Cuts Across the Land” on the greatest radio station on Earth – BBC 6 Music. I remember that I stopped doing whatever I was doing at the moment and just listened. I was transfixed. It was perfect mindfulness. I realized after the first chorus that I was misty-eyed. I thought, “Where has this band been my whole life?”

So I got misty again when I opened this and read it. I will always treasure this because it is not only something made by one of my favorite bands, but it reminds me of how music can move us and take us out of the ordinary.

Keep your mind open.

[It pays to subscribe. Drop us your e-mail and you’ll get new posts sent to your inbox.]

The Blind Owls – Say Goodbye

Bop, mod, and rockabilly aren’t dead, despite what you might think, because Corpus Christi’s The Blind Owls (Josh De Leon – guitar and vocals, Jesse De Los Santos – guitar and vocals, Carlos Garcia – bass and vocals, Dylan Romel – drums and vocals) are not only keeping it alive, they’re blaring from the clubs to the house across the street.

“Goodbye” shows off the band’s obvious early Beatles influences, but don’t dismiss that wicked surf guitar in it and almost punk styling on the chorus. “This Ain’t True” has Buddy Holly-like vocals and guitar work, and “Don’t Bother” is a bellowing mod-rocker with a bass lick so good from Garcia that it’s probably gotten him laid numerous times.

“Hypnotized” brings psychedelia into the mix, which is always cool with me. “That Girl Is Mine” has great guitar work from all three axe-men and Romel’s tick-tock drumming shows how sometimes simple techniques are best. “Come On” is pure fun power pop that would make Buzzcocks proud. The bluesy rock of “Unwanted Man” gets better with each listen, and “Cold Hearted Woman” has Romel cutting loose with some of his best chops.

The Blind Owls are keeping a sadly neglected genre of rock alive while others in their age bracket are whining about how terrible the Warcraft movie is. Keep at it, lads.

Keep your mind open.

[Don’t leave us feeling unwanted. Subscribe to us for updates sent directly to your e-mail.]

Rewind Review: Vaadat Charigim – Sinking as a Stone (2015)

It’s intriguing that Israeli shoegaze trio Vaadat Charigim (Yuval Haring – guitar and vocals, Yuval Guttman – drums, Dan Bloch – bass) would make an album about boredom that is actually mesmerizing. Sinking as a Stone is about various types of boredom and ennui felt by young people living in Tel Aviv (work, life, relationships, waiting for coffee, etc.), but the album is so lush and dreamy that you can’t be bored by it. It’s a panacea for its theme.

For example, the opener, “Neshel,” is almost eleven minutes long – about the time you’d wait for a halfway decent chai – but it swirls around you with such ghostly guitars and vocals that the song goes by before the barista has your order ready. “Hadavar Haamiti” is power shoegaze in the vein of the Jesus and Mary Chain and will have you tapping your foot at the bus stop while you wait for your ride to work.

“Klum” takes you out of your doldrums by lifting you into orbit with precision drumming and spaced-out vocals. “Ein Li Makom” has gothic touches, but not so many that they overpower the rock hooks (of which there are plenty). “Imperia Achrona” floats so well that it’s almost like a Slowdive track. The guitar comes at you from several angles, but it stays peaceful the entire time. It also has a great switch in the middle that almost makes it two songs in one. “At Chavera Sheli” combines Joy Division and Modern English into a dream-rock gem. The organ at the end of it drifts into the beginning of “Hashiamum Shokea,” which is a great slice of shoegaze and a powerful end to the record.

It’s not boring at all. Vaadat Charigim’s Sinking as a Stone is a journey down a lazy river with its shoegaze drone grooves, yes, but the boat is crewed by angels, mystics, shamans, and aliens. You’re too fascinated by it to be bored.

Keep your mind open.

[You won’t get bored with us. You can subscribe and get new stuff to your e-mail box nearly every day!]

The Rough Guide to a World of Psychedelia compilation

This collection of psychedelic world music from the 1960’s to modern times is nothing short of outstanding. It has fine grooves from around the world ranging from Asia to South America.

Cambodia brings us tinny, freaky grooves on Ros Seresyothea’s “Jam 10 Kai Theit (Wait Ten Months More)” and a Yos Olarang garage-psych cut (“Cyclo”) that was probably heard buzzing from jukeboxes in little bars all over the country in the 1960’s. I’ve been intrigued with 1960’s and 1970’s Indian music lately, so Ananda Shankar’s “Dancing Drums” is a welcome killer track with a beat (and flute solo!) made for an Indian hitman’s newest playlist. Indian singing legends Asha Bhosle and R.D. Burman weren’t immune to the thrill of psychedelic music in the 1960’s. “Piya Tu Ab To Aaja” is sensational, with James Bond-theme guitars, soaring strings, and sexy (yes, sexy) vocals from Bhosle.

Down in South and Latin America, Brazil’s Laranja Freak brings hard psych-rock with “Alergico De Flores.” Anarkia Tropikal’s “El Silbido Del Tunche” is like a lost Goat track if Goat was formed in Columbia. The guitar on it sizzles alongside percolator beats. Juaneco Y Su Combo from Columbia bring more cumbia-psych on “Perdido En El Espacio.” Wal Sant’Ana’s “Que Vide E Essa” is more delightful psych-samba that will get you moving, and M.A.K.U. Soundsystem’s “Canto Negro” is solid modern psych-cumbia with a heavy dose of trippy synths. It reminds me of old Morcheeba tracks. Iuri Andrade’s “Folia No Vento” is psych-samba and Bacalao Men’s “Japones” is psych-salsa. Ray Perez y Su Orquesta’s “Recordando Los Soneros” has these great muted horns, backward tracks, and other oddities underneath fun vocals. Traffic Sound’s “La Camita” has loud, fuzzy guitar any psych band from anywhere in the world would love on their record. Mix it with groovy Latin beats and you have a winner.

Africa isn’t left off this compilation either. Celestine Ukwu brings beautiful guitar work on “Obialu Be Onye Abiagbunia Okwukwe.” Mlimani Park Orchestra’s “Taxi Driver” is good, perky Afro-psych. Kalyanji – Anandji’s “Cabaret Dance Music” is almost a freaky psychedelic nightmare with screams, action movie percussion and horns, and orgasmic moans. Victor Uwaifo’s “Guitar Boy” is an Afro-psych classic from 1966 with crisp yet slightly fuzzy guitars.

This is a good primer for psychedelic sounds, both new and classic, crafted outside the U.S. and the U.K. Snag it if you can find it and start exploring.

Keep your mind open.

[We’d dance if you subscribed to us.]

Golden Dawn Arkestra – Stargazer

Part-funk, part-Afrobeat, part-1970’s Sinbad movie, Golden Dawn Arkestra have descended from somewhere beyond Alpha Centauri and delivered their new record – Stargazer.

The title track opens the record. It’s at first a gentle lift-off from the gravity of your job, your latest screwed-up relationship, and even this world. You’re off-planet and in orbit once their drummer, one of the best funk drummers I’ve heard in a long while, and the horn section kick in and encourage you to look beyond this earthly plane (and how about that saxophone solo?).

The groove of “Sama Chaka” immediately seeps into you and will not leave until you dance it out of your system. The xylophone and horns combine for a funky combination that will improve the mood of anyone listening.

“We walk on nothin’ but clouds,” the band sings on “Clouds” (taking us into psych-pop territory). Imagine the New Pornographers as a funk band and you might get the idea. “Space Waves” implores us to dance to the cosmic beats the band puts down on every track. The baritone sax and synth work on this cut is as smooth as the Silver Surfer’s board.

“Shabuki” belongs on a 1960’s Japanese spy thriller soundtrack. “Disko” belongs on a 1970’s Blaxploitation film soundtrack. Just listen to that wicked bass line, crisp guitar, and groovy horns if you don’t believe me. “Osaka” does have a bit of an Asian flair (mostly in the guitar riffs), but the rest of it is straight-up big, bold phat funk.

The closer, “All Is Light,” is a mesmerizing trip into another reality. It blends eastern Indian sounds with rock drumming and guitar reminiscent of 1980’s Zappa material.

Stargazer is the funkiest album I’ve heard in years. Take the journey with Golden Dawn Arkestra. The destination doesn’t matter. You’ll be different by the time this thirty-eight-minute journey ends, anyway.

Keep your mind open.

[You know what would be golden? You subscribing to us.]

Rewind Review: Dayluta Means Kindness – The Ground Is Lava (2014)

Dayluta Means Kindness is a five-piece prog / psych rock outfit from El Paso, Texas. They play big instrumental jams that evoke images of alien worlds and cosmic exploration. The title of their four-song debut, The Ground Is Lava, suggests childhood playground memories, space exploration. and shifting landscapes.

The title track opens the record with soaring guitars that border on drone rock. “Everywhere You Look There’s a Mountain” has a title like a Zen koan, drums like a tribal ceremony, and guitar work like a slow avalanche. This would be perfect for hiking at sunrise in the American southwest. I must remember to put in on such a playlist for my next trip out there.

“Young Savagery & General Debauchery” is a great name for a juvenile delinquency movie from the late 1950’s, but the song is a long, floating piece of beautiful guitar work and stadium rock drumming. This track will change your mood, slow your thinking, and inspire you. To do what? That’s up to you, but I suggest rock climbing, meditation, surfing, or creating any kind of art.

The closer, “The Sun’s True Brightness in Comparison with Other Stars,” is as epic as its title. It builds from tones that remind you of a sunrise to a soundtrack for navigating an asteroid field. It belongs on your “morning run” playlist, and the whole album belongs in your collection.

Keep your mind open.

[It would be kind of you to subscribe to us.]

Gary Wilson releases rare Lord Fuzz tracks from 1967.

Avant garde rock legend Gary Wilson has given us a cool gift. He’s released a 7″ single of two tracks from his first band, Lord Fuzz, from 1967. These psych-rock tracks are wild, weird, and wonderful. You owe it to yourself to pick up the limited edition vinyl record (only 300 copies) or download the digital files if you’re a fan of Gary Wilson (and if you’re not, what’s wrong with you?).

Keep your mind open.

[

Strange Lot – Another Mind

I discovered Phoenix, Arizona’s psych outfit Strange Lot (Dominic Mena – guitars and vocals, Tim Lormor – drums, David Dennis – bass ) when I attended the 2016 MR Fest in San Marcos, Texas. Their set was one of best I saw there.

Their first full-length album, Another Mind, is solid. They open big with “Into the Night.” The guitars bounce off each other like they’re in a mosh pit, and the vocals are layered in reverb to the point where they’re almost indecipherable. “The Horror” dives headfirst into trippy psych. “Wasted Fields” has wild, weird, and fascinating guitar work from Mena. “Supremium” might be an obscure reference to Marvel Comics’ version of kryptonite, but I think it’s probably about allowing your mind to open to a cosmic experience. Lormor’s drums almost sound drunk, Dennis seems to be playing a freestyle jazz tune on his bass, and Mena’s guitars float around like he’s in zero gravity. Trust me, it all works.

“Stone” bridges the gap between psych and shoegaze, while “Right with your Pain” is a raucous rocker. “Call My Name” is so full of fuzz that Ty Segall probably wishes he’d recorded it. After a brief instrumental break (“Sandwich”), “Erthquake” roars in like its namesake. Lormor and Dennis try to shake you to the ground and Mena tries to lift you from the chasm with excellent, soaring guitar work. The title track is the last one. It’s like something you’d find on an obscure early 1980’s goth rock compilation with its mournful vocals and lyrics, down-tuned guitars, and strangely peppy keyboards.

I like these guys. They’re doing odd stuff, loud stuff, psych stuff, and shoegaze stuff and it all works for them. It is a strange lot they’ve mixed, but a good one.

Keep your mind open.

[Spare yourself the horror of missing a post by subscribing to us.]

Misfits announce Riot Fest reunion shows.

Punk legends The Misfits are reuniting for Riot Fest this year. It’s the first time the original members will have performed together in nearly 34 years.

Early bird discount tickets for Riot Fest have been selling fast, meaning the prices keep going up as each tier sells out. The Misfits are the only band announced so far, and it will only cause tickets to sell faster. This will be the one of the biggest gigs of the year, so don’t miss it if you get the chance.

Keep your mind open.

[You won’t be a misfit if you subscribe to us.]