Rock – Page 41 – 7th Level Music

Review: Cavaran – Nights at Josan

Returning after three years since their last album, Belgium’s Cavaran remind us that stoner / desert rock is alive and well in Europe with their new album, Nights at Josan.

I don’t know where Josan is. The cover makes it appear to be some sort of Southwestern U.S. ghost town. As far as I can tell, there are only five places named Josan in the world, and none of them are in the United States. They’re in North and South Korea, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Croatia. Of course, it could just be a cool place Caravan made up, or visited while shredding riffs that became out-of-body experience – because there are plenty of those on this record.

“It Gives” revs up the motor of your dust-covered motorcycle and launches you down a highway that stretches across mountains and seemingly upward into the sky. Patrick Van Der Haegen‘s bass on “Dying Whales” is the sound of giant marine mammal hearts. “Bad Roads and Mountains” is a stand-out with Lieven Tronckoe‘s metal guitar riffs leading the charge.

“Way Down Low” sends your motorcycle ride down a steep hill and into a dark, possibly werewolf-infested valley, and then “Snail Horns” has you swinging a chain at those same monsters as you blast down the main street of their creepy town. It is anything but slow like a snail. “Storm” is a banger. The groove on it is undeniable and hooks you right away. Your desert road heads into a thunderstorm that will either refresh you or pummel you, possibly both.

“Strawberry Butt” might have a silly title, but it might also be the hardest-hitting track on the album. Everything about it slams into you like hot wind coming down from a sacred mountain. “Black Trip” is a great groover that shows off Gert D’hondt‘s dexterity on a drum kit, and “Bullface” is a great way to close the record – as it practically launches you off a cliff like Evel Knievel over Snake River Canyon. The whole band clicks like a well-tuned engine and leaves you with wind-blown hair and sand-blasted skin.

Again, I don’t know where Josan is, but I want to visit there. You will, too, after hearing this.

Keep your mind open.

[Don’t forget to subscribe!]

[Thanks to Polder Records!]

Review: Art Feynman – Be Good the Crazy Boys

Recording for the first time with a full band, Art Feynman (Luke Temple) took on new energy after relocating to Los Angeles from northern California and decided to create a record that dives into why he, and so many of us, have a fear of missing out (FOMO) and not a joy of missing out.

“Early Signs of Rhythm” bumps and clicks with Talking Heads-like beats, and they are a fully acknowledged inspiration on the album. Temple sounds like he’s looking for signs of true fun in a world that pushes false narratives of what joy really is as he spots a woman so lovely she can melt the frozen ground. Shane McKillop‘s bass on “In CD” is great, pushing the song into a happy mania. The post-punk paranoia of “Therapy at 3pm” is delightfully catchy.

“All I Can Do” has Temple singing about how he’s barely getting by at the rat race runs all around him. Kosta Galanopoulos‘ drums on it are razor sharp and the secret weapon of the whole track. “He Dances” might as well be called “You Dance,” because McKillop puts down a Barney Miller theme-like bass lick and the next thing you know you’re at least tapping your toes and nodding your head in his rhythm.

“Don’t have light to burn,” Temple sings on “Passed Over” – but he might actually be singing “Don’t have life to burn.” Both lyrics fall into the FOMO theme of the record, and the beats encourage us to dance before the end of the night, or our lives, gets here. “Chasing My Life” has Temple trying to catch up with something he can’t define. He likens it to a precious diamond he’s searching for in the dark. It’s the struggle of the ego, an ultimately fruitless task we all stumble into now and then. You can’t help but think he’ll find it, however, as the song is so peppy you end up cheering for him.

By the time we get to “Desperately Free,” Temple is worried about how he’s going to adapt to leaving his ego behind (“Desperately free, I don’t wanna be.”) or how he’s still trapped in FOMO and choice paralysis. The closer, “I Do,” brings us back to Temple’s love of Talking Heads with its simple beats, chimes, keyboard chords, and lyrics about love, hope, and release from stress that’s ours for the taking if we’ll just reach for it.

Reach for this album as well. It’s worth your time.

Keep your mind open.

[Don’t forget to subscribe!]

[Thanks to Patrick at Pitch Perfect PR.]

Review: The Hives – The Death of Randy Fitzsimmons

Returning after eleven years when we needed them most, The Hives emerged from their Swedish tombs and brought us The Death of Randy Fitzsimmons to remind us that they are one of the fiercest rock bands on the planet.

The album starts off like a pipe bomb exploding with “Bogus Operandi” – a powerful, strutting rocker, and then takes off like the Road Runner on “Trapdoor Solution,” which proves that The Hives have lost none of their punk rock flair since their first album. “Countdown to Shutdown” shows off the heavy bass of newest member The Johan and Only as the band sticks their fingers in the eyes of 1%ers.

“Rigor Mortis Radio” has lead singer Howlin’ Pelle Almqvist letting everyone know he has no time for bullshit (“I got your e-mails say you’re warnin’ me. I got your e-mails. Delete, delete.”). “Stick Up” sounds like it has some New Orleans blues influence to it, which shouldn’t surprise us considering the frequent themes of death throughout the album. “Smoke & Mirrors” skewers illusions, and “Crash into the Weekend” has great handclap percussion that gets you fired up for that party, concert, or roadtrip you’ve been craving all week.

“Two Kinds of Trouble” has that distinctive Hives swagger, as does “The Way the Story Goes.” Nicholaus Arson‘s guitar work on “The Way the Story Goes” is especially fuzzy and gritty, which means it sounds great. “The Bomb” lets us all know that we’re all going out to party with The Hives and none of us are going home until we’re done getting down. Chris Dangerous‘ drums on it are flat-out frantic.

“What Did I Ever Do to You?” brings in programmed drums and spaghetti western guitar to a song in which Almqvist sings about just wanting to chill while some random dude goes off on a rant and blames him for everything. The album ends with “Step Out of the Way,” which could be a gauntlet thrown down to younger bands trying to emulate The Hives. Just get out of the way, young’un. You’re likely to be trampled by The Hives’ spotless dress shoes as they head into the club for the sole purpose of leveling it to the ground.

Keep your mind open.

[Don’t forget to subscribe!]

Review: CHAI – self-titled

I don’t know what’s happening on the cover of CHAI‘s self-titled album, but it looks like they’re having a blast. My guess is that it’s them portraying their fans as they cheer on themselves at a rock show. CHAI are all about self-expression and being true to who you are, so why shouldn’t they love themselves? Isn’t that a goal we all want to achieve?

I’ve been a fan of CHAI since their debut album, and they only further cement my love for them by putting out a song called “MATCHA” (one of my favorite drinks) to start their newest record. It has the slip and slide of an R&B slow jam as they sing about drinking tea and taking time to enjoy it. “From 1992” has a delightful beat that probably inspires synchronized handclaps and dancing by their audience.

“PARA PARA” (a song about a popular dance in Japan) is a perfect mellow jam for summer pool parties or rollerblading along a beach. “I’m ready to rejoice,” they sing on “GAME” – a peppy dance track with synth-bass that sounds like it was pulled from a 16-bit video game. “We the Female!” is a bumpy, bouncy reminder to ladies everywhere that they rule the world. “Don’t try to be somebody,” they say. Again, stay true to yourself. “We the female. Just love us and listen.”

Yuna‘s drums on “NEO KAWAII, K?” could be dropped into any post-punk album or hip hop record. The song is the band’s philosophy of being cute and worthy of love in your own way, not according to others’ expectations or images of what “cute” is. The blippy, bloopy synths of “I Can’t Organizeeee” reflect the song’s title and the band’s (really, any band’s) hectic schedule. Likewise, “Driving22” is a fun song about something all bands experience – the frequent drudgery of getting from gig to gig without going mad from the boredom of all…that…driving.

Mana‘s synths on “LIKE, I NEED” start off in synthwave land and then move into synth-pop territory without missing a beat. “KARAOKE” closes the album with the band singing about how much fun it is to get goofy with your friends at a karaoke bar.

CHAI’s love of Japanese culture and being modern Japanese women is a running theme throughout the record, thus the self-titling of the album. It’s an album about them, but to which anyone in any country, or any sex or sexual identity, can relate.

Keep your mind open.

[You can win the music game by subscribing today!]

[Thanks to Jacob at Pitch Perfect PR.]

Review: Auralayer – Thousand Petals

Part-doom, part-post-punk, part-prog rock, part-Buddhist mantra, Auralayer‘s (Vladimir Doodle – drums, Thomas Powell – guitar and vocals, Jake Williams – bass) debut album, Thousand Petals, is a wild ride and one of the catchiest metal albums of the year.

“The Lake” opens the album with powerful double kick drums from Doodle and enough guitar fuzz from Powell and Williams to knock down a castle wall. It and the following track, “All My Time,” remind me of some of The Sword‘s early tracks with heavy riffs sometimes purposefully overwhelming the vocals. Powell’s solo on “All My Time” soars like a bird of prey swooping down on an unsuspecting mouse. “Christ Antler” roars all the way through, and “Faith to Reason” fakes you out for a moment with a short, soft intro before it unloads with cosmic rock fury. It becomes difficult to determine which of the band members is hitting their instrument the hardest during the chorus. Powell’s vocals sound like he’s shouting them from the top of a wizard’s tower.

“Shelf Black” reveals some of the band’s prog-rock influences and the vocals bring classic Agent Orange records to my mind. They ask us to give peace a chance on “Peacemonger,” but the song is anything but peaceful. It’s more like John Cena-as-the-Peacemaker kind of peace which might involve knocking you through a wall with the power of rock.

You’ll probably want to mosh during “You Walk,” a stomping, romping track that has Doodle clanging cymbals and thumping his kick drums like a happy kid as the song moves out of orbit and straight for the sun. You’ll definitely want to mosh to “Dance to Thrash” from the title alone, and Williams’ heavy bass will turn the floor to lava if you don’t get your ass moving soon. “Monstrum” closes the album with funky, fuzzy bass, a bunch of wild drum fills, and guitar work that sounds like it would be on the playlist of that weird guitar-playing dude in Mad Max: Fury Road.

This is a helluva debut, and I love how their name could be taken two different ways: “Aura Layer,” as in a layer of someone’s aura, or one of the seven chakras (and the album’s title is a reference to the crown chakra after all), or “Aural Layer,” as in a layer of sound – of which there are plenty.

Keep your mind and your chakras open.

[Don’t forget to subscribe while you’re here.]

[Thanks to Dave at US / THEM Group.]

Mandy, Indiana release new remix and tour dates for this winter.

Today, i’ve seen a way — the acclaimed debut from Manchester quartet Mandy, Indiana released via Fire Talk Records — was named one of Rough Trade’s Best Albums of 2023. In conjunction with today’s announcement, Mandy, Indiana present “Sheared (Pinking Shears Rework),” a clipping. remix of album standout “Pinking Shears.”

clipping.’s rework of “Pinking Shears” filters the politically charged track through a US lens. “The dream is all crooked cops, retail mark-up on basic goods, an ex-president getting away with treason,” raps Tony and GRAMMY Award winner Daveed Diggs. Rough Trade’s exclusive 12”features the clipping. remix alongside the original “Pinking Shears” and an instrumental version of the track.

Next month, Mandy, Indiana will bring their ”physically — yet brilliantly — overwhelming” (NME) live show to the US for their debut tour, featuring stops in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and a newly announced date in Chicago. Mandy, Indiana thrive in the unexpected, and their performances have become a vehicle to explore the boundaries of tension and release. A full list of dates are below and tickets are on sale now.

Listen to “Sheared (Pinking Shears Rework)”

Mandy, Indiana Tour Dates [New Date in Bold]:
Sat. Dec. 2 – New York, NY @ Baby’s All Right [SOLD OUT]
Tue. Dec. 5 – Chicago, IL @ The Empty Bottle
Thu. Dec. 7 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Echo
Fri. Dec. 8 – San Francisco, CA @ Popscene – Brick & Mortar
Fri. Feb. 9 – Dublin, IE @ The Workman’s Cellar
Sat. Feb. 10 – London, UK @ Village Underground
Thu. Feb. 22 – Nijmegen, NL @ Merleyn
Fri. Feb. 23 – Utrecht, NL @ EKKO
Sat. Feb. 24 – Groningen, NL @ Hybrid Festival
Wed. Feb. 28 – Berlin, DE @ Kantine Am Berghain
Sat. July 6 – Roskilde, DK @ Roskilde Festival

Stream/Purchase i’ve seen a way
Watch “Pinking Shears” Video
Watch “Drag [Crashed]” Video
Watch “Injury Detail” Video

Keep your mind open.

[Don’t forget to subscribe while you’re here.]

[Thanks to Ahmad at Pitch Perfect PR.]

Sleater-Kinney announces new tour dates with Palehound and Black Belt Eagle Scout.

I wouldn’t wait much longer if you plan on seeing Sleater-Kinney‘s “Little Rope” tour, as two dates on the east coast are already sold out, and I’m sure other venues already have low ticket warnings in place. Joining them will be Black Belt Eagle Scout and, it was recently announced, Palehound.

Tickets are on sale for all shows now, so grab them while you can.

Keep your mind open.

[Don’t forget to subscribe before you go.]

Live: Be Your Own Pet and Birthday Girl – Headliners – Louisville, KY – October 29, 2023

I was on my way back from a road trip to Atlanta and had time to stop in Louisville, Kentucky on the return route to catch the recently reunited Nashville punters Be Your Own Pet. I was late to the news that they’d reformed, let alone were touring and had a new album, so I was happy to have the chance to see them for the first time.

Unfortunately, I didn’t get there in time to see local rockers Zerg Rush, and Birthday Girl were already a few songs into their set. Birthday Girl play a wild mix of post-punk, power pop, and some kind of art rock. I mean, they even have a cellist in the band – who adds a great extra bass line to all the tracks.

Be Your Own Pet came out blazing, with classic tracks like “Zombie Graveyard Party,” “Food Fight,” and “The Kelly Affair,” and tracks from their new album like “Hand Grenade,” “Goodtime!”, and “Worship the Whip” (the title of which was emblazoned on lead singer Jemina Pearl‘s shirt).

Not only was BYOP’s set fiery, crazy, and downright frenetic, it was also free of any set list. A good portion of it was done on the fly, with band members suggesting songs to each other as they went or taking audience requests. This led to guitarist Jonas Stein saying, “Call it out.” to Pearl, who immediately said, “Girl U Want,” and then they launched into the Devo cover as easily as crossing the street.

Don’t miss them if they’re near you. It’s a wild show, and it’s great to have them back after fourteen years.

Keep your mind open.

[Don’t forget to subscribe before you go.]

Live: Mac Sabbath, Cybertronic Spree, and Playboy Manbaby – The Vogue – Indianapolis, IN – October 19, 2023

I took a friend to see three crazy bands in Indianapolis not long ago. Those bands were new wave / no wave punk rockers Playboy Manbaby, Transformer rockers The Cybertronic Spree, and “drive-thru metal” giants Mac Sabbath. He had no idea what to expect, and is pretty much a 1980s metal guy. He’d heard from another friend that Mac Sabbath were some sort of killer clown band, but that’s about it.

I hadn’t heard Playboy Manbaby either until this evening, and they were great. They came out looking like average dudes and then tore up the stage with a wild punk set and even held a mini-election in the crowd decided by a game of rock-paper-scissors.

“Oh wow…” was all my friend could say when The Cybertronic Spree came onstage in their Transformer outfits. He was even more stunned when they shredded for their entire set, playing originals from their new album, Ravage, and covers of fun tunes like AC/DC‘s “Thunderstruck” and Weird Al‘s “Dare to Be Stupid.” You have to be able to play well if you’re going to have a gimmick like this, and The Cybertronic Spree play very well. At one point, co-lead singer Arcee was hitting such high notes that my friend said he thought his eardrums were going to rupture.

“We’re the toy in your happy meal!” – Hot Rod on bass (3rd from left)

The “main course” was Mac Sabbath’s weird and wild rock / comedy show, full of heavy Black Sabbath parodies like “Sweet Beef” and “Frying Pan,” bad fast food-rock band puns (“Dokken Donuts,” “Dairy Queensryche,” “International Bauhaus of Pancakes,” etc.), water sprayed on the crowd, bizarre characters, and even a tribute to David Lynch‘s Blue Velvet and Roy Orbison.

Again, you have to be able to play well to do stuff like this, and Mac Sabbath have no problems doing so. Slayer McCheese can change riffs on a dime, The Catburglar is a sharp drummer and comedian, Ronny Osbourne never stops moving, singing, or joking when he’s onstage, and I don’t know how Grimalice plays bass in that outfit.

My friend was happy and dumbfounded by the end of the show. “I’ve never seen anything like that before,” he said. I hadn’t either, and I loved it. This was the last show of the first leg of their “More Than Meats the Eye” tour with the other bands, so don’t miss your chance to catch the second half.

Keep your mind open.

[Thanks to Annie at Adrenaline PR for the press passes!]

Live: Claudio Simonetti’s Goblin – Copernicus Center – Chicago, IL – October 15, 2023

This was my fourth time seeing some iteration of Goblin, the third time I’d seen a version including founding member Claudio Simonetti, and the first time I’d seen the film Demons (properly known as Demoni in Italy, where it was made). Simonetti and his crew were performing a new prog-rock version of the film’s score to a live screening of the film – the first time they’d done this in the United States.

It was a fun show right out of the gate, with good sound quality the whole time. Simonetti announced that the original score was synth-based, but hoped we’d all enjoy this new take on it by him and his band.

In case you haven’t seen it, Demons, is flat-out nuts and is about a bunch of people trapped in a movie theatre while most of the patrons turn into blood-thirsty monsters. I can’t tell you more than that, not because I’d spoil it, but because there isn’t more than that. Simonetti said he loves the film, stating, “I think it’s very funny.” It is, actually. It’s a wild ride, and so was their new score.

After that came a brief intermission and then they returned for another full set of Goblin classics and even some rarities – including the theme to Ruggero Deodato‘s crazy action / horror film Cut and Run.

And, of course, there was plenty of music from Dario Argento‘s films, including the themes to Opera, Tenebrae, Deep Red, and Suspiria.

Simonetti’s current band includes Daniele Amador on guitar (who played a great solo during the Opera theme), Federico Maragoni on drums (who delivered double-kick drum beats so fast that I thought they were programmed tracks), and Cecilia Nappo again on bass.

It was a fun night all-around, and a fun way to kick off the Halloween season. The crowd was made up of prog-rock fans, horror fans, and movie buffs. It felt like a bunch of friends (including the band) just hanging out to watch movies and listen to good music.

In other words, it was a fun party.

Keep your mind open.

Don’t forget to subscribe before you go.