The Arcsare the psychedelic, two drummer-having side project of The Black Keys‘ Dan Auerbach. Their new album, Yours, Dreamily, will be freshly out by the time Levitation Austingets here, so I’ll be hearing the material on April 29th while it’s still fresh and unknown to most. I like what I’ve heard so far and I’m happy that Auerbach is taking his blues guitar into the land of psychedelia.
Keep your mind open.
[After you put that flower in your pocket, why not put your e-mail address in our subscription box?]
You can call Federalea supergroup, really. Consisting of members of Spindrift, The Black Angels, and the Brian Jonestown Massacre, Federale makes spaghetti western psychedelic rock best suited for obscure European films of the late 1960’s. Seeing them under Levitation Austin’sLevitation Tent in the Austin, Texas sun on April 29th seems like a can’t-miss show. I love spaghetti westerns so I’m sure I’ll love their set.
Keep your mind open.
[We could use a fistful of subscriptions, so why not drop your e-mail in the box to your left before you go?]
Hailing from California, Amerikan Bear are masters of the psychedelic 1960’s California sound. I discovered these groovy cats when they discovered me by following me on Twitter. I was soon hooked on their cool mix of psychedelia, rock, and blues. They’re opening the Elevation Amphitheater at Levitation Austinon April 29th, so they’ll be the first band I see. It should be a good start to the festival.
Keep your mind open.
[We can’t bear the thought of you not subscribing to us. Drop us your e-mail address before you go.]
I will see Seattle, Washington’s Night Beatsany chance I get, so I was happy to see the Empire Garage main stage on April 28th at the Levitation Austinkick-off show there.
I just saw them at Levitation Chicago, and their set was in the top three I saw there. They get better every time I see them and they’re at the top of their game right now. See them before they take off on their tour of the UK. If you’re in the UK, don’t miss them.
Keep your mind open.
[Don’t miss your chance to subscribe to us. Drop your e-mail address in the box to your left.]
The Golden Dawn are one of those legendary bands who put out one great record and then disappeared. They formed in Austin, Texas around the same time as The 13th Floor Elevators and released their lone record, The Power Plant, before breaking up in 1968. Everything I’ve heard off The Power Plant is great, with a heavier edge than 13th Floor Elevators material. I missed these guys at Levitation Austin in 2014, so I’m keen to see them at the Thursday night pre-festival kick-off party at Empire Garage.
Keep your mind open.
[You know what would be golden? Subscribing to us, that’s what. Why not, huh?]
The Blind Owls are a four-piece rock act from Corpus Christi, Texas with obvious Beatles, rockabilly, Buddy Holly, and mod-rock influences, but they certainly aren’t derivative. These four have put in their time to develop their chops and can lay down a serious groove. They’re opening the Empire Garage stage at the Thursday night pre-festival kick-off party there. Come by and get your groove on with these cool cats.
Keep your mind open.
[Don’t be blind to the idea of subscribing to us.]
Fresh off the release of their new album, Freaks of Nuture, Holy Wave will be performing their groovy stoner-psych rock at Levitation Austinon April 29th. I loved their last record, Relax, so I look forward to hearing the new material (especially since I missed them the last time they played Levitation Austin a couple years ago). My wife also likes what she’s heard from these guys. I think you would, too.
Keep your mind open.
[Experience a holy wave of pleasure by subscribing to our e-mail list.]
Christian Bland and the Revelatorsis one of multiple side projects from the Black Angels‘ lead guitarist. They love early Pink Floyd records, and that’s all right with me. I saw them at Levitation Austina couple years ago and they put on a good afternoon set. I’ve met Mr. Bland at three different Black Angels shows (Detroit, Chicago, Indianapolis), and he was a cool cat and happy to sign my gig poster each time.
Keep your mind open.
[Don’t lose touch with us. Drop us your e-mail address in the subscription box to your left.]
French psych-rockers Wall of Deathare returning to Levitation Austin. I’ve seen them twice: Once at Levitation Austin 2013 (when it was still known as Austin Psych Fest) and then later that same year when they opened for the Black Angels in Indianapolis. They always put on a good show of loud psych, so I’m interested in hearing their new material.
Keep your mind open.
[Give us some love by subscribing to our e-mail list.]
I first heard The Duke Spirit (LielaMoss – vocals, keys, percussion, Toby Butler – bass, Luke Ford – guitars, Daniel Higgins – guitars, organ, Olly Betts – drums) on BBC 6 Music (the greatest radio station in the world) somewhere around 2010 when they played the title track from the Duke Spirit’s 2005 debut album Cuts Across the Land. I nearly wept and thought, “Where has this band been my whole life?”
I found their 2008 release, Neptune, in a bargain CD bin at a Bloomington, Indiana wrecka stow. It opens with a brief hymn that repeats the lines “I do believe in something you know.” You can take that a couple different ways: Either Moss is telling us she has faith in something we know as truth; or she’s defiantly telling someone, perhaps us, that she has faith despite what we might believe.
The first full track, “Send a Little Love Token,” sums up everything I love about the band: Powerful vocals that evoke Patti Smith, hammering piano, big drums, and shoegaze guitar. “The Step and the Whale” is about Moss realizing too late that she’s sabotaged a relationship. It’s a sharp song for her voice, Butler’s bass sounds like something from an old Cure record, and the rest of the band puts down stuff the Jesus and Mary Chain would envy.
“Dog Roses” might be Moss remembering why she sabotaged the relationship and remembering that it was a good idea after all: “I hope you stay in charge of your mouth…When nothing’s fluid you drink yourself through it. Outside you chalk-draw yourself.” “Into the Fold,” a good rocker, is about rebuilding a relationship (“This heart could heal, if you had courage just to say what you feel.”).
“This Ship Was Built to Last” is a combination sea shanty and shoegaze track. Trust me, it works. The combination of the distorted, echoing guitar (especially after the epic bridge), Moss’ chanting vocals, and coxswain drumming is excellent.
Someone must’ve pissed off Moss when she wrote “Wooden Heart,” because it’s a searing diatribe against a former lover, but delivered with a torch song blues feel. “I would understand your heart if I could feel it,” she sings as guitars reminiscent of My Bloody Valentine riffs snake around her.
She’s not angry in “You Really Wake Up the Love in Me.” Quite the opposite, actually. “You taste so good today you’d get love from anyone,” she sings as Betts puts down some of his best licks on the record and the guitars go into full psychedelic madness by the end. “My Sunken Treasure” is borderline power pop. “Lassoo,” with its nice horn section, is the excellent power rock the Duke Spirit does so well, combining fierce vocals with raw rock instrumentation. It continues with “Neptune’s Call,” in which Moss is feeling frisky again (“I tasted the salt on you. Now I have a tongue tattoo.”). The closer, “Sovereign,” is almost a lullaby.
The Duke Spirit have a new album, Kin, due out later this year. I look forward to it. The first three released tracks are a nice blend of their styles: shoegaze, soul, rock. Neptune picks up where Cuts Across the Land left off, and the band is still moving forward.
Keep your mind open.
[Be of good spirit and subscribe to us, won’t you?]
