Rock – Page 67 – 7th Level Music

Motörhead set to unleash new version of their “Bad Magic” album – “Bad Magic: Seriously Bad Magic” – with bonus tracks and a full live album.

Motörhead, the iconic Godfathers of heavy metal, released their 23^rd (and final) studio album Bad Magic in 2015. Instantly hailed as one of the best the beloved trio had recorded in many years, Bad Magic: SERIOUSLY BAD MAGIC enjoys a bonus-packed refresh, adding two previously unreleased tracks from those furious sessions:

“Bullet in Your Brain” and “Greedy Bastards” as well as a snarling, fangs-out live performance from that subsequent tour at the giant Mt Fuji Festival in Japan in 2015. Fans will also get “War, Love, Death and Injustice”, an audio interview with Lemmy conducted by Motörhead expert Robert Kiewik during the tour, and should the desire to have a chat with Lem or anyone beyond this mortal coil arise, the box-set will exclusively contain a MURDER ONE ouija board (complete with the Ace of Spades planchette to spell out the conversation).

A new video for “Bullet In Your Brain”, featuring exclusive, never before seen footage of Motörhead in the studio for the Bad Magic sessions, is available right now. A foot-down, fist-pumping, Lemmy-bass-driven stomper with a deliciously dirty Campbell riff, and Dee-driven dynamics, both the song and footage are a tremendous treat for fans who have craved new Motörmaterial.

Watch/Listen to “Bullet In Your Brain” here

At the time of its release back in 2015, Bad Magic arrived as a massive kick in the teeth for anyone who believed Motörhead were going to amble along into a peaceful little pasture containing fluffy little lambs, folk music and perhaps the odd medieval lute here and there. Big-rig head crushers such as “Thunder & Lightning” and “Teach Them How To Bleed” brought such people to their knees begging for forgiveness, as the album unfurled into their toughest, leanest, meanest and most uncompromising album in aeons. Much of this came down to long-time producer Cameron Webb getting the band to record live at NRG North Hollywood, Maple Studios and Grandmaster in California together for the first time in the Kilmister/Campbell/Dee era, and from the crackling punk energy of “Electricity” to Brian May of Queen’s scintillating guest-appearance on “The Devil”, a vast wealth of aggression, attitude, and excellent songwriting was cultivated in that furious working environment. Phil Campbell didn’t just record possibly his finest guitars, he threw down most certainly his best solos for decades, while Mikkey Dee’s drumming found new tribal resonance with the Motörhead sound he had helped nurture. There was also one of Lemmy‘s rawest lyrical life reflections on “Till The End”, and a cover of The Rolling Stones’ “Sympathy For The Devil” which made the song feel like one of their own. One of the hidden gold-dust additions to Bad Magic: SERIOUSLY BAD MAGIC, is Motörhead’s famous, and internationally acclaimed, version of David Bowie’s classic “Heroes”. Originally slated for inclusion on the last release only to be withdrawn at the last minute, it was a cover version which Lemmy had a great affection for, and as such its inclusion here is both fitting and just.

As the title says, this is Motörhead delivering some SERIOUSLY BAD MAGIC.

Bad Magic: SERIOUSLY BAD MAGIC will be released on Double 12” Vinyl, CD Digipak with Bonus Disc, Limited Edition Boxset, Digital Download and Streaming. The Limited Edition Boxset will contain the CD Digipak with Bonus Disc, Double 12” Vinyl, exclusive Lemmy War, Love, Death and Injustice audio interview on 12” vinyl and exclusive edition Motörhead – MURDER ONE Ouija Board and Planchette. Pre-order all formats at this location

Bad Magic: SERIOUSLY BAD MAGIC Track List:

1. Victory Or Die

2. Thunder & Lightning

3. Fire Storm Hotel

4. Shoot Out All of Your Lights

5. The Devil

6. Electricity

7. Evil Eye

8. Teach Them How To Bleed

9. Till The End

10. Tell Me Who To Kill

11. Choking On Your Screams

12. When The Sky Comes Looking For You

13. Sympathy For The Devil

14. Heroes

15. Bullet In Your Brain

16. Greedy Bastards

Live at Mt Fuji Rock Festival 2015 – Sayonara Folks! Track List:

1. We Are Motörhead

2. Damage Case

3. Stay Clean

4. Metropolis

5. Over the Top

6. String Theory

7. The Chase is Better Than the Catch

8. Rock It

9. Lost Woman Blues

10. Doctor Rock

11. Just ‘Cos You Got the Power

12. Going to Brazil

13. Ace of Spades

14. Overkill

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Maria at Adrenaline PR.]

Failure to stream their first concert film on December 15, 2022.

Failure, the Los Angeles trio of Ken Andrews, Greg Edwards and Kellii Scott, have announced their first ever streaming concert film: “We Are Hallucinations.”

The concert film features a set list that spans the band’s six albums and captures the magic of Failure’s live performance.

The one-time only event debuts on Dec. 15 at 12:00 pm pacific/3:00 pm eastern/8:00 pm UK/9:00 pm EU, and remains available through Dec.18. Viewers have three full days from the time of purchase to watch the film at any time, and as often, as they would like. Tickets as well as a limited-edition commemorative poster, newly released vinyl variants for each of the band’s six albums, as well as various merch items, are available now via linktr.ee/failureband.

“This film is comprised of performances from our Summer 2022 Wild Type Droid tour of North America,” explains Greg Edwards. “It’s crazy that we have never made a concert film before, but I think this will really stand as a definitive document of the dynamic between the three of us on stage and the connection we have with our fans.”

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Monica at Speakeasy PR.]

Review: The Black Angels – Wilderness of Mirrors

The Black Angels don’t get enough credit for the design of their album covers. The artwork is always mind-bending on them. Take, for instance, the cover of their newest record, Wilderness of Mirrors. It looks like a bunch of repeating right angles in various patterns, like a gigantic maze you can neither enter or exit. You feel like something is there, however. Then, you look at it just right, or look at it while you move it one way or another, and the message in the art reveals itself.

It’s the same with their music. Their songs are often multi-layered or have things you seem to hear only when in certain states of mind, in certain environments, or during certain types of weather.

“With a Trace” starts sounding muted and then bursts forth with hypnotizing fuzz. “History of the Future” has both a wonderful title (a meditation on how something will be perceived before it even exists) and some of the heaviest guitar riffs and drums on the record. It’s difficult at times to determine if Stephanie Bailey‘s beats or Christian Bland‘s guitars are dominating the song because they swing back and forth like Godzilla fighting King Kong.

“We can watch it all go to hell,” Alex Maas sings on “Empires Falling” – a song about the rage and cries for justice (“Our country’s bleeding from street to bloody street.”). It swirls and roars, serving as both a call to action and a warning. “El Jardín” is a psych-rock love song, the kind that The Black Angels do so well – a tale of love, mystery, probably death, and acceptance of whatever outcome the universe has planned.

On “La Pared (Govt. Wall Blues),” they sing about the impermanence of things that seem indestructible at first, and the rage they felt at a border wall being built in their home state of Texas (“You can build this wall of hate, but we’ll never separate.”). “Firefly” includes sexy French vocals in another song about lost love. “Make It Known” and “The River” are cool psych-drifts, the latter of which names Syd Barrett, Roky Erickson, and other psychedelic legends.

The title track has a dangerous swagger to it and sounds like it belongs in an A24 Studios horror film. “I’ve been trying to warn you, here and now, and always,” Maas sings on “Here & Now” – a dire warning about what we’re doing to Mother Earth. “100 Flowers of Paracusia” has an ethereal feel to it that floats back down to Earth with Morricone-like guitar chords.

“A Walk on the Outside” is a lyrical riff on Lou Reed‘s “Walk on the Wild Side,” and the heavy bass and wild synths spin around you like a kitten chasing a shoestring held by a little kid. “Vermillion Eyes” lifts you off the ground and lets you float there without worry. The soaring guitars on “Icon” then send you into outer space as Maas mentions Nico and The Velvet Underground (from whom the band get their name, in case you weren’t aware) and you’re soon lost in a neat state of being that’s difficult to describe. The album ends with “Suffocation,” an interesting name for a final track on an album about facing what’s within us (whether we want to or not) and breaking free of illusion. The track isn’t suffocating at all. It’s uplifting by the end. The Black Angels leave us with hope that we can remove our metaphorical masks and walk out of the wilderness we’ve created into something real and meaningful.

It’s their best album in a while – and that’s saying something since they’ve yet to release a bad record.

Keep your mind open.

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Midnight Oil to release rare, raw 1982 live recording for Support Act’s Roadies Fund.

Midnight Oil are the 29^th act to throw support behind Support Act’s Roadies Fund through the Australian Road Crew Association (ARCA)’s awesome Desk Tape Series.

The Series was created by ARCA to raise funds to provide financial, health, counselling and well-being services for roadies and crew in crisis.

The recordings are made off the sound desk by a crew member. MIDNIGHT OIL LIVE at the OLD LION, Adelaide 1982 was recorded by Mark Woods, and is another fantastic tribute to the great sounds engineers produced for the early Aussie pub rock scene. This live tape is released on ARCA’s Black Box Records through MGM Distribution and on all major streaming services.

THE BAND

Peter Garrett – lead vocals
Peter Gifford – bass, vocals
Rob Hirst – drums, vocals
Jim Moginie – guitars, keyboards
Martin Rotsey – guitars

CREW

Mark Woods (sound)
Michael Lippold (stage/ production manager)
Ron “Wormy” James (lights)

TRACK LISTING

1 Written In The Heart
2 Brave Faces
3 Armistice Day
4 I’m The Cure
5 Bus To Bondi
6 Quinella Holiday
7 No Time For Games
8 Burnie
9 Cold Cold Change
10 Powderworks
11 Koala Sprint
12 Back On The Borderline
13 Don’t Wanna Be The One
14 Wedding Cake Island
15 Stand In Line
16 No Reaction

The MIDNIGHT OIL LIVE at the OLD LION Adelaide 1982 live tape and all the ARCA Desk Tape Series recordings are available through Black Box Records – ARCA (australianroadcrew.com.au) and the following: Amazon, Anghami, Apple Music / iTunes, Boomplay, Black Box Records, Deezer, MGM, Pandora, Shazam, Spotify, TenCent, Tidal, TikTok, YouTube Music.

The Old Lion show on Friday March 26, 1982 was part of a two-week run through Victoria and South Australia. At that stage, the band were doing 180 shows a year, and firing on all eight cylinders.

Rob Hirst admits: “I’m exhausted listening back to the tape, it’s relentless! We were, excuse the pun, a well-oiled machine, angry young men against the world.”

Mark Woods, who filled in as sound engineer on the run, called it the “Speed and Dust Tour.” It was hot and the tour moved at a frantic pace. Woods had just finished a run with Men At Work, with two weeks off before MAW’s first US visit. When the Oils’ run ended in Whyalla in regional South Australia, he drove 14 hours overnight without sleep back to Melbourne, in time for the Los Angeles flight with Men At Work.

Woods didn’t mind: he was a massive fan. “I thought they were the best band in the world. On this run they were at their absolute peak. Much of the set was from Place Without A Postcard, which was just released four months before, so the songs sounded fresh. It wasn’t that they were loud, it was the power. They weren’t ‘screamy’ or harsh listening, they just had a very full solid big fat sound.”

“They were all red hot players”, Woods recalls, citing how Jim Moginie and Martin Rotsey’s guitars intertwined, and how the Peter Gifford/ Rob Hirst rhythm section locked in.

“I loved Giffo’s playing, he was the perfect bass player for them and at his best on this tour. There was something about his beat which worked well with Rob’s drums, they were right on the beat, really driving it forward.”

Gifford left a few years later to become a businessman in Byron Bay. Michael Lippold spent as much time on stage as the band, unravelling Pete’s mic leads from the guitarists’ legs as he danced manically about. Hirst’s drum kit had to be nailed down. Not only did he attack them with exuberance, breaking pedals and sticks, but he’d also jump into the air off his stool for greater power when he landed.

Listening to the Old Lion tape, Hirst chuckles, “It reminds me of the breakneck speeds we used to play those songs! The album versions chugged along but the live versions were 30% to 40% faster, if not faster. It’s almost as if we couldn’t wait to get to the (hire cars) and fishtail out of there!”

Also giving him a buzz on the tape were how the guitars sounded so distinctive and Garrett’s onstage patter recalling which politician or issue was irritating him in 1982. The tape shows how the Oils were starting to musically move around at that time. In 1981 when famed English producer Glyn Johns (Stones, Who) saw an Oils show at Selinas in Sydney, he invited them back to England to record in his new studio in Surrey.

“It was supposed to be our big break,” Hirst relates. “It wasn’t.” Hirst says Johns expected them to arrive with 12 fully formed songs, but he and Moginie, as the Oils’ main writers, had been unable to write songs due to the band’s hectic touring schedule. Even worse, Johns failed to capture the Oils’ live roar on the record.

Hirst: “The creativity and the song writing was getting stronger. But we were frustrated with the sound on the albums so far. They didn’t grab you by the throat and wrestle you to the ground. It was only working with Nick Launay (in 1982, on the 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 album) and disassembling the Midnight Oil live sound in the studio and starting again that we started to understand studio craft.”

Johns had a deal with A&M Records in America to release his productions. A&M wanted the Oils to go back to the studio and cut a single for the American market. The Australians gave them a two-finger salute and returned to Sydney.

The Old Lion tape captures how some of Postcard songs should have sounded. “Armistice Day” was an example of their new found song writing depth.

“I’ve always been obsessed with my family’s military history,” the drummer explains. “Songs like ‘Forgotten Years’ were about my father and grandfather’s military service. We knew as soon as we recorded ‘Armistice Day’ that no matter what happened to the rest of the album, it was going to be the lead track.”

“I Don’t Wanna Be The One” was in the spotlight when the Oils were inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame in 2006.

LIVE At The Old Lion Adelaide 1982 is the latest initiative by the Oils to support roadies and crews in crisis. Hirst readily admits that the members relied heavily on their crew, “we had the best sound and lighting guys in the business. It is the crew that helps with any band’s success.”

On their farewell tour in 2022, Hirst’s drum tech for nine years, Clem Ryan, wanted to sit it out. Rob rang him, “I’m not doing this tour until you’re doing this tour.” Long-time front of house Colin Ellis wanted to retire before the run. They talked him out of it. “Retire? You’re younger than us!”

LIVE At The Old Lion Adelaide 1982 also highlights how dedicated the fans were.

Woods recalls: “Big lads, well charged up, a happy blokey crowd which sang along, boisterous, rowdy but never unpleasant.”

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Midnight Oil’s press crew.]

Review: The Anomalys – Glitch

“Raw” might be the best way for me to describe The Anomalys‘ newest record, Glitch.

Hailing from Amsterdam and touring around the world, The Anomalys have a simple mission – to rock your socks off and maybe frighten you a bit while doing it (in a good way, like a classic Universal Studios monster film).

Rémi Pablo‘s opening drum salvo on “Smart Patrol” gets things off to a roaring start, and then Looch Vibrato and lead singer Bone unleash guitar fury. “Trooper” has a growl throughout it and bounces around like a hopping rhinoceros in your living room. “Anomalys Rise” is a fierce instrumental, which I always appreciate. It blends their love of surf with goth / monster rock.

“Dead Friends” is a lament to those who have gone on before us and wondering when we’ll all be able to have another drink together. “Panic” is a straight-up shot of surf without a chaser. Just hold on for dear life and hope you don’t get crushed by it. “Everything’s gonna be okay,” Bone sings on “Ready to Die” – a swaggering, groovy cut. Speaking of cuts, “Bleed for Me” is dangerous with its snarling guitars and vocals.

You can practically hear Vibrato and Bone’s guitars protesting in “Far Ahead” as they seem to bend them like professional wrestlers trying to make them tap out. “Steppin’ Out” isn’t a Joe Jackson cover (although that would be wild), but rather a jagged, punchy track to send the album out on a sweaty note.

Garage rock doesn’t get much fiercer than this.

Keep your mind open.

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Weeping Icon releases new single, “Two Ways,” ahead of a new EP due November 18th.

Last month, Weeping Icon returned after a nearly three year absence to announce their Ocelli EP (out this Friday on Fire Talk). The EP was announced with a single called “Pigs, Shit & Trash“, their first new music since the 2019 release of their thrilling self-titled debut, which generated considerable excitement, earning praise from outlets like FADER, Stereogum, FLOOD, BrooklynVegan and Revolver, who made comparison to Sonic Youth while describing the track as “so sick“.

Today, Weeping Icon are sharing a second track from the three track EP ahead of its Friday release, a single entitled “Two Ways.”

WATCH:
Weeping Icon’s “Two Ways” video
on YouTube

“‘Two Ways’ is about people who want to appear virtuous in their public facing personality, but live a contradictory shadow life in which they do whatever they please, no matter how harmful their actions are to others,” explains Sara Fantry. “It’s told through the voice of a man named Todd (yes, that’s his real name!) who I encountered a few years back. He used a harmful term towards a woman he was angry with, then accepted a long explanatory talk from me, appeared to reflect, enthusiastically told me he’d appreciated me taking the time to educate him and agreed to change his behavior, and then immediately found that same woman and started calling her harmful sexist names without a moment between. I was truly in shock at how comfortable he was with his personality being stratified into two layers – the outward-facing kind, modern man, looking to learn from the necessarily rapid changes in society – and the sinister, selfish sadist beneath who believes in his own entitlement to act with impunity.”

“The video we made (directed by Rafeal Joson & Mike Andretti, all editing and effects by MikeVideopunk) explores the stratified personality of the daytime talkshow host, who wants to appear kind, empathetic and sincere to his viewers, while goading his guests into salacious fights for his own profit, regardless of the personal and public damage done to those guests. With some humor in there, we hope to hold a conversation around the shadow of nefarious intent that lurks below so many supposedly ethical personalities in our world.”

To mark the release of the EP the band will be playing at Alphaville this Friday, November 18th. Tickets can be purchased here.

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Tom at Hive Mind PR.]

Review: King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard – Laminated Denim

One of three albums released by King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard in the same month (and four albums released this year), Laminated Denim consists of just two tracks – each fifteen minutes in length. The songs were recorded so they could be played during intermissions of their epic three-hour live sets at the Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado, but they’re not the original tracks made for those sets.

Those tracks were recorded and released on the half-hour, two-track album Made in Timeland released earlier this year. The Made in Timeland tracks were never played during the Red Rocks intermissions because those 2019 shows never happened due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The tracks sat unused for nearly three years before the band, know for their endless energy and prolific output, decided to release Made in Timeland at a three-hour hometown gig.

The problem that then arose was, “What do we play at the upcoming Red Rocks intermissions now?” The answer to that was to record two new long tracks, and thus Laminated Denim (an anagram of “Made in Timeland”) was born.

The first track, “The Land Before Timeland,” gets off to a quiet start that builds into a lengthy jam session of happy guitars over soft jazz drums. Ambrose Kenny-Smith‘s harmonica weaves in and out of the song quite well.

“Hypertension” brings in some of the microtonal elements that KGATLW are known to love. It’s a faster jam that the previous track, probably designed that way to slowly build the audience’s anticipation for what’s to come after intermission.

These two tracks pick you up, carry you away, and let you drift along with them for a nice half-hour jaunt.

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Jacob at Pitch Perfect PR.]

Circles Around the Sun take us to the “Outer Boroughs” on their new single.

Psychedelic-jam-rock-experimental group Circles Around The Sun have officially revealed the details of their fourth full-length studio album, Language, set to release this coming spring via Megaforce Records. The group – comprised of Adam MacDougall (keyboards & synths), Dan Horne (bass), Mark Levy (drums) and John Lee Shannon (guitar) – has released a new single alongside the announcement of the album. Listen to “Outer Boroughs” HERE.

As guitarist John Lee Shannon explains: “‘Outer Boroughs’ was initially composed when the track emerged from an impromptu jam in the studio around a four-chord sequence Adam was playing around with. Dan’s bassline is one of my favorites, and is unusual in that he initially heard the ‘1’ in a different place than intended, giving extra emphasis to the downbeat of the second measure.” He continues, “It’s a breezy groove that paints several landscapes in vivid color before departing into deep space for an extended middle jam. Originally titled ‘Ouroboros’ for its cyclical nature, it was later changed to “Outer Boroughs” for a bit of mondegreen and a nod to the greatest city in the world.”

On Language, Circles Around The Sun will traverse even deeper into the annals of outer-spacial dance grooves that first surfaced on 2020’s self-titled release. The new material finds them oscillating through hybrid strains of disco-funk, soul jazz and psychedelic rock, harnessing their stylistic lanes into a singular, intoxicating brew.

The four reconvened in the studio to lay down a record that offers a window into what and where Circles Around The Sun are today. Language is the sound of a rock band confidently writing the next chapter of their story. CATS is a unit brought closer and made stronger having persevered through unthinkable tragedy, weathering the stormy seas to continue onward and upward with humble grace and subtle swagger.

“There’s a bit of a different arc to Language. The first couple songs are gonna put you in a certain headspace, and then the party happens later on.” notes bassist Dan Horne.

Shop Language vinyl & other exclusive merchandise HERE.
TRACKLIST
1. Third Sunrise Over Gliese 667 (6:24)
2. The Singularity (5:13)
3. Outer Boroughs (7:28)
4. Away Team (6:36)
5. Wobble (6:04)
6. Language (Album Mix with Mikaela Davis) (7:54)

The band continues their Language Tour, revealing dates to close out this year and more in 2023. Tickets go on sale this Friday, 11/11/22 at 10am Pacific / 1pm Eastern.

TOUR DATES
Dec 29, 2022 – Roanoke, VA – 5 Points Music Sanctuary
Dec 30, 2022 – Winston Salem, NC – The Ramkat
Dec 31, 2022 – Richmond, VA – The National *
Jan 20, 2023 – Albany, NY – Lark Hall
Jan 21, 2023 – Brooklyn, NY – Brooklyn Bowl
Jan 22, 2023 – Ardmore, PA – Ardmore Music Hall
Jan 25, 2023 – Pittsburgh, PA – Thunderbird Music Hall
Jan 26, 2023 – Harrisburg, PA – XL Live
Jan 27, 2023 – Asbury Park, NJ – Wonder Bar
Jan 28, 2023 – Fairfield, CT – StageOne
Jan 29, 2023 – Cambridge, MA – The Sinclair

* with The Infamous Stringdusters

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Kevin at Calabro Media.]

Rewind Review: Protomartyr – No Passion All Technique (2019 reissue)

Recorded somewhat by accident in 2011, Protomartyr‘s debut album, No Passion All Technique, was originally supposed to be a 7″ single. As the story goes, however, they were convinced to record as much material as possible within the four hours of studio time they’d booked, and they ended up with twenty-one tracks. The result became a 2012 release of a post-punk modern classic that quickly sold out and is now a collector’s item.

Thankfully, the Detroit quartet reissued the album a few years ago (with bonus tracks if you get the digital download) for those of us who missed the boat in the last decade. It’s a fiery, raw, and sometimes humorous record fueled by a case of beer and Detroit attitude.

Greg Ahee‘s opening guitar riff of “In My Sphere” gets the record off to a jagged, wobbly start, and soon vocalist Joe Casey shows up to rant and rave before Scott Davidson and Alex Leonard come crashing in on bass and drums like bandits robbing a bank in an Old West town. The aggression continues on “Machinist Man,” a song about how the daily grind of Detroit factory work can drive a man to madness. “Hot Wheel City” is another post-punk poem about their hometown (“This city is a stray dog.”).

“3 Swallows” covers one of Protomartyr’s favorite subjects – barflies, lushes, and others who drown their sorrows in Hamm’s at the local watering hole. “I used to light my cigarette on the fire that you had in your eyes, and I was the king of hanging around with wastes of time.” Damn. “Free Supper” is a punk rager about people just wanting basic needs (food, freedom) while skirting the edge of entitlement.

The first time I played “Jumbo’s” (a song about barflies who keep returning to the same pub for booze and gambling despite always swearing they’ll never do it again) for a friend of mine, he replied, “That is some urgent shit.” The song has since become a favorite of the crowd at their live sets. “Ypsilanti” is about patients at the closed mental health asylum in Ypsilanti, Michigan.

“Too Many Jewels” creeps up to you (thanks to Davidson’s wicked bass line) and then Casey’s spoken / yelled street corner preacher-like vocals (and lyrics) give you a jump scare. “(Don’t You) Call Me Out My Name” is a fast, feral punk thrasher that blasts by you at near-light speed. “How He Lived After He Died” might be a precautionary tale of Casey wondering how he’s going to end up when he’s old. Will he be sitting in a chair, surrounded by books? Or will he be so alone that he can’t even bother to set his clock back for daylight savings time?

“Feral Cats” is even more bleak, with Casey warning of how society’s falling apart and most of us will just watch it happen and wait to pick up the scraps. The furious chorus almost blindsides you every time you hear it, even when you know it’s coming. “Wine of Ape” seems to be a story of Casey being confronted by a random stranger (who might be drunk or high) who tries to tell him a dirty joke, but Casey has no time for it and just wants to be left alone, walking away while the guy yells at him. “Principalities” could very well be the drunk guy’s ramblings, or Casey’s bottled up frustration with Detroit as it tried to deal with the aftermath of the burst housing bubble and thousands fleeing the city in search of better opportunities…leaving everyone else in their little neighborhoods to figure out how to manage.

The band has gone on record about how they didn’t expect their debut album to be this good. The title is a bit misleading. The album is full of passion, and the band’s techniques are in their early stages, which sound great.

Keep your mind open.

[It doesn’t take much technique to subscribe, you know.]

Levitation Austin 2022 recap: Day Four

The last night of Levitation 2022 took us back to Stubb’s for more psychedelic freak-outs. It was the night before Halloween, so plenty of people were still in costume – including some rather elaborate ones such as an astronaut and multiple witches decked out in exotic costumes and makeup.

Those witches probably appreciated the wild set by Frankie and the Witch Fingers, who only get better every time I see them live. They had painted their faces like ghouls for the occasion and ripped through a lot of roaring fuzz.

Up next, and all the way from France, were La Femme. They played a fiery set of electro-psych mixed with a lot of sex appeal and vocals in French. The crowd wasn’t sure what to make of them at first, but they gained many fans by the end of their set.

Closing out the Stubb’s show were The Black Angels – hometown heroes and curators of the festival. They never disappoint, and they played some extended versions of classic tracks and heavy stuff from their newest album, Wilderness of Mirrors.

The end of their set wasn’t the end of the festival, however. We made the ten-minute drive to Feels So Good Records to catch Moon Duo perform a set in their “lightship” – a cube of screens that had projections coming through the back of it toward the crowd instead of the other way around with the images going onto the stage and band. Moon Duo would sometimes melt into the images. It was a hypnotizing effect and a beautiful blend of light and sound.

After their set ended, a guy near us said, “Levitation’s over.” with a bit of sadness in his voice. It was for him and for us. It had been a fun weekend, as always, with good vibes all around and a lot of excellent music. It remains one of the best festivals for music lovers.

See you next year.

Keep your mind open.

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