Reviews – 7th Level Music

Rewind Review: Jean-Claude Vannier – Electro-Rapide (2011)

Jean-Claude Vannier is considered one of the greatest French pop and orchestral composers ever, having created a mountain of music in his time – much of it “library” music used as incidental music in film. He also released two albums with fellow legend Serge Gainsbourg (Histoire De Melody Nelson and L’Enfant Assassin Des Mouches).

Electro-Rapide is full of short, weird, funky tracks, many of which were never released until this 2011 compilation album from Finders Keepers Records saw the light of day. “Bombarde Lamentation” is such a track to open the album, immediately making this collection a treat for Vannier’s fans.

“L’Ours Paresseux” is a showcase for Vannier’s rhythm section (Pierre Alain Dahan on drums and Bernard Lubat on percussion). “La Girafe Au Ballon” was originally recorded for children’s TV shows but has a bass groove from Tony Rubio that you could drop into any sexy spy movie from the late 1960s. “Claquez Klaxons” is another previously unreleased track original made for death penalty protests in France.

Believe it or not, “Saturnin et Le Vaca Vaca” is a theme song to a children’s show about a real-life baby duck. The short and sweet “L’Automne À Barbès Rochechouart” is Vannier’s tribute to a Metro station in an African community in Paris. “Qu’est-ce Qui Fait Courir Les Crocodiles?” is Vannier’s attempt to write a theme for a comedic film. It works, and I’m surprised it hasn’t been reused as a sitcom theme by now.

“La Douleur De L’Orchestre” is another previously unreleased track. It’s a weird, somewhat melancholy tune using a full orchestra he kept around after recording other tracks. “Thème 504” was released as TV and film library music in 1968, but not used for such a thing until 1989’s Comédie d’été. “Le Ballet Des Accoucheuses” is a vocal track using a choir of pregnant women to snap, tap, chant, and breathe beats throughout it.

“Road to Cuba” was written, according to the album’s liner notes, “…in the taxy that drove me to the studio. I’ve never been to Cuba.” Indeed, there isn’t a hint of Cuban, Caribbean, or Latin music in it, but it’s still fun. “Je M’appele Géraldine” was another TV theme Vannier wrote that was later re-recorded multiple times, including one version with lyrics.

“L’Éléphant Équilibriste” is another children’s TV show theme that playfully lumbers around your speakers. The album ends with a reprise of “Bombarde Lamentation” recorded in 1973 and not released until 2011.

This is a fun collection and a neat addition to your library music archive if you’re into that sort of thing. If you’re not, this might spark your interest in that vast, still mostly unknown genre.

Keep your mind open.

[Don’t forget to subscribe!]

Review: Fling ii – iii

What if you made something for absolutely nobody? This is the question Fling ii asked before making their newest album, 3. They, like all of us, were exhausted by every click, view, and preference being commodified and resold to us and the world at large. Could they make an album that offered nothing to anyone? What could an album that, according to the press release I received, was inspired by “the vastness of parking lots, the prismatic strangeness of online advertisements for walking tai chi, and the passive performance of a basket of fruit sitting in a gas station” have to offer the band or anyone else?

As it turns out, a pretty cool record of krautrock / no wave electronica that borders on New Age music and vaporwave. Opening track “lau” pops and bubbles like the sound of a robot’s Zen alarm clock. “inke” drifts like a leaf on a stream that has no particular place to go and no timeline to get anywhere.

“bant” sounds like the opening to a weird VHS home course on meditation or computer science. “beem” takes on a slight country twang with its guitar tones but doesn’t lose the motorik beats or 32-bit synths. The electric piano takes the lead on “ilia,” creating a sound like an android’s morning commute radio station broadcast.

The album ends with “mago,” a trippy electro / krautrock cut that stretches to nearly sixteen minutes and takes you out of your current headspace and into some sort of forest that you’d find in the world of Tron.

This album immediately intrigues you and is the kind of record that will reveal something different every time you hear it…or maybe it won’t. After all, it was made to present you with nothing in particular. Again, from the press release, the band even states the album was “made especially for us and not for you, with all the gear we could get our paws on.” and that it “…stands as a quiet argument for surprise, accident, and the possibility of making something simply because it felt worth making.”

That’s accurate. Not everything has to be catered to your likes. Discovery, and being able to sit content with a discovery instead of seeking instant pleasure from the “next thing” is a lost passion. 3 proves this in every track.

Keep your mind open.

[You can subscribe. Or not. This blog is here for you if you want it, but no stress if you don’t.]

[Thanks to Dan from Discipline PR.]

Review: Wheelchair Sports Camp – Oh Imperfecta

Well, this is nuts.

How to describe Wheelchair Sports Camp? Are they a rap group? A punk band? A dance-rock band? A performance art duo? All of the above? I think that might be the answer, and their new album, Oh Imperfecta, is a wild ride of fuzzy beats, squeaky bars, and goofy jokes.

“Make It Make Sense” (guest starring Jello Biafra) is a plea for some kind of understanding from lead singer Kalyn Rose Heffernan in these weird times of 2026 across grungy beats from Greggy and guest guitar from Radio Pete. “You can’t make me want to change,” Heffernan proclaims on “Eat Meat!”- a song about going through the motions while the world is burning down around us. “Yess I’m a Mess” spins things around with a slow-jam groove and warped dream-psych guitars while Heffernan drops slick rhymes. I mean, it even has a horn section and organ riffs in it.

“They wanna lock me in a closet, wanna lock me in a box,” Heffernan growls on “Slumber Party.” She’s here to takedown people upset over her sexuality, gender, and / or health and those profiting off a system that’s destroying most of us. “Keep Scrolling” is a spoken word riff on social media making us dread each other.

“Denim” is a wonky, wooly experimental rap track. It’s almost acid jazz at some points, and guest-rapper RAREBYR$ provides extra sizzle with her verse. “Bring Some Room” is a quiet warm-up for “Dead” – another Biafra-team-up punk rager that will have the mosh pit bouncing whenever they play it.

“On Hold” is one of three tracks featuring Junia-T as a guest. It and the second one, “Summer in the City,” are trip hop slow burners. The third, “No Stopping No Standing,” is bigger, with heavier drum beats, angrier vocals (“If you can’t hang, get the fuck out of the way.”), and groaning, almost moaning synths.

I must note that the album is sprinkled with little interludes that are snippets of phone conversations between Heffernan and her mother, the funniest of which might be her pretty much ordering Heffernan to have grandchildren, and that Heffernan and her girlfriend’s cats don’t count.

It’s an odd record, but endlessly fascinating. There’s nothing really to “get” about it, which is kind of the point. It also hides a lot of talent under its queer-rock / glam-rap / wheelchair-punk hood. Don’t miss that. You’ll go from laughing with Heffernan and Greggy to thinking, “Whoa…There’s something deeper here.”

Keep your mind open.

[I’m a mess when you don’t subscribe.]

[Thanks to Dan from Discipline PR.]

Review: Almost Heaven – Raw Cranium EP

Hailing from Austin, Texas, Almost Heaven (Stefan Barazza – production and vocals, Jaelyn Valero – drums) have come to party on their debut EP, Raw Cranium, and they want you to join them. After all, one of their messages is “Dance or die.”

Starting with “Power Music (Electrik Revival),” the EP embraces its krautrock / Berlin-industrial / and dance punk love as Barazza sings about an “organutan spilling zombie juice all over the stage” and the perils and pleasures technology can bring. It will have you jumping right away. “Oscilation” starts off with crowd cheers, brings in fuzzy guitars and synths, and vocals that might belong to Valero or to Barazza. It’s difficult to guess because they could be altered with vocal effects. It works well either way to create an uplifting Justice-like dance track.

“Fever Trying to Blow” is a standout with Barazza asking anyone who wants to dance to the front because he wants to “let loose” after a long week at work. “I deserve this,” he says. We all do. Valero’s beats on this are downright wicked while Barazza’s synths and vocals skitter around the room like water thrown onto a hot frying pan.

“Wherever you are, come away from the TV and come to the dance floor,” Barazza implores on “Commotion,” a song that fully intends to cause such a thing. The wild beats of “Hypnoxia” echo around you while the synth-bass elevates your pulse and Valero’s post-punk beats make you twitch.

The EP ends with the lovely “Baby Teeth” – a song that borders on MGMT electro-house and synthwave. “Make sure it’s tough, so they never know your weakness,” Barazza suggests. It builds to a big, bright payoff that will have you bouncing with new breath.

Like any good EP, Raw Cranium leaves you wanting more. You’re a bit exhausted from all this dancing, but you’re ready for more. Dance or die, after all.

Keep your mind open.

[Why not subscribe while you’re here?]

[Thanks to Cheyenne Doerr!]

Rewind Review: Various Artists – Life Is Dance! compilation (2011)

Bollywood music gets a lot of attention, but do you know about Lollywood (Lahore + Hollywood) music? Life Is Dance!, another excellent collection of obscure music from outside the U.S. by Finders Keepers Records, seeks to expand your knowledge of music from Pakistani films in the 1970s.

Most of the songs on this collection are by Altaf Hassain Tafo (leader of a group of family musicians), Nazir Ali, Kamal Ahmed, and M. Ashraf, and nearly all the tracks feature the stunning and prolific Nahid Akhtar on lead vocals. Life Is Dance! practically is an Akhtar album.

Her voice (along with vocals by Mehdi Hassan and A. Nayyar and weird male backup vocalist chants and shouts) get in your brain and under your skin on the crazy “Zambo Zambo” (from the bizarre spy movie Jasoos from 1977). The song combines electronic percussion and hand percussion from Tafo and psychedelic bits that might freak you out. The compilation’s title track (from the 1976 film Society Girl) is next with Ali mixing happy accordion with sci-fi synths, bold horns, and trippy guitar as Akhtar and guest vocalist Mehnaz sing / purr / roar throughout it.

Ashraf’s first track on the album is “Dear I Love You” from the 1975 film Zanjeer. It’s a groovy one with accordion somehow blending with (at the time) state-of-the-art synthesizers and slick bass lines. Ahmed finally goes the party (with Mehnaz on lead vocals this time) with 1976’s “Aage Bhi” (from the film Blackmail). It’s one of the grandest songs on the record with big horn arrangements and thrilling hand percussion.

Tafo and Akhtar return for “Shalo Sa Bharka,” another track from Jasoos. It feels darker and grittier than the first, which is not a put-down by any means. Then, the duo flip you on your head with 1979’s “Naughty Boy” (from the film Adawat), in which Akhtar scolds a lover for having naughty thoughts…which might be the same ones she’s having. Sohali Rana‘s lone contribution to the album is the instrumental oddity “Cobra Sway” from the 1970 film Khyber Mail.

Ashraf and Akhtar return for “Sheeshy Ki Botal” (from 1975’s Surat Aur Seerat), which features a nifty saxophone mixed with guitars that sound like they were plugged in after being buried in an ash pit for about three weeks. Abdul Hameed steps in for one track with Akhtar, the sexy and fun “Catch Me If You Can,” one of a few in which Akhtar throws in English verses and phrases now and then to grab your attention. The horn section on it is a lot of fun, and I’m surprised it hasn’t been resurrected into a modern film soundtrack instead of just languishing on the 1978 soundtrack to Dil Ke Daag. Akhtar’s playful vocals on “Too Ne Pyar Se Dekha” (from 1976’s Shabana) are delightful, as is Ashraf’s blend of classical instruments and hand percussion. It makes you want to dance around the room.

Another track from the two of them follows, “O My Love,” from 1977’s Shama-E-Mohabbat. It’s a grand, lush tune with some of Akhtar’s loveliest vocals on the compilation. She teams back up with Tafo on “Wey Titly Non Par” (from 1978’s Cheeta Chalbaz). Tafo hands the mic to Jehan and Cheeku on 1975’s “Dil Be-Qara Mangda Ae Pyar” (from Nawab Zada). The mix of tinny guitar, rapid tabla beats, and jaunty accordion is bizarre and fun.

Ahmed comes back for two more songs, the first being “Don’t Drink” (another from Blackmail) with Akhtar opening the song with her breathy request of “Oh…Don’t be silly.” You’re under her spell right away. The second is “Jawani Meri Bijli” (from 1976’s Warrant) with Jehan belting out powerful vocals over sizzling hand percussion beats and groovy synth bass.

Finally, from 1976’s Society Girl, we have Ali teaming up with Akhtar and Mehnaz for a song that you’ll put on your holiday playlists from now on – “Happy Chrismis.” You have to hear it to believe it. You’ll love it.

You’ll love this whole thing, really. It’s full of gems.

Keep your mind open.

[Don’t be naughty. Subscribe today.]

Review: Various artists – DJ Notoya Presents Tokyo Pulse

Famous crate digger DJ Notoya has put together another excellent compilation of rare Japanese city pop and funk tracks from 1974 to 1988 – Tokyo Pulse. Some of these tracks were only released as a single or a demo, and never on a full album.

Starting with Naomi Chiaki‘s “Yoru E Isogu Hito,” the compilation drops you into the funky flotilla right away. It helps that Chiaki’s backing band is Godiego, a highly successful prog-rock band in 1978 Japan. Steve Fox‘s bass groove almost carries as much weight as Chiaki’s voice. Yumi Murata‘s “Ranhansha” is a great disco track that belongs in about a hundred movies from 1979. The horn, piano, and synth arrangements in it are all solid.

L-E-V-E-L were an all-female city pop trio who got help on their 1981 album eve and the track “Bagdad No Atari Nite” from none other than Masahide Sakum – creator of the legendary TR-808 drum machine. “Lake in the Forest” by GAM (Great American Music Band) is a weird blend of reggae and synthwave that somehow works despite all odds.

Nami Shimada‘s 1988 track, “Mitsumeteirunoni,” is bright city pop that makes you think that Japanese pop singers were light years ahead of U.S. ones in the 1980s. Tiffany wishes she had a single this cool. Bread & Butter cook up “Memory” from their 1974 album Barbecue. It’s fully of groovy hand percussion, porn music guitar, and even a wicked harmonica solo from Satsuya Iwasawa.

“After Image” is a stellar find, as it comes from Minoru Koyama‘s only album, 1980’s Hard to Be a Man. The bass walk on it by Mike Dunn is top-notch. “Island Cuckoo” by Chikara Ueda & The Power Station doesn’t team Ueda with the Robert Palmer-fronted 1980s band, but that doesn’t matter because it’s a solid jazz-funk track with sharp keyboard work from Ueda. The compilation ends with HIgurashi‘s “Anata Wa Doko Ni Irundesuka,” which could’ve been a Bond movie theme in another life.

This is a gold mine for city pop fans and might lead you down several rabbit holes to find other stuff like it. Be prepared.

Keep your mind open.

[Keep your finger on the pulse of music news and reviews by subscribing.]

Review: Vhyce – Romantic Visions EP

Looking for a fun record to spin at your next summer house party? Vhyce has you covered with his newest EP, Romantic Visions.

The title track opens the EP with almost seven minutes of heavenly house beats and dance piano. “And We’re All Connected” trades out the house music for trippy trance music that will fill the floor if it’s not already. “Eco Simulator” keeps the party going with great beats for your workout, post-workout pool party, and the drive back from the pool party. “Paradise” has a solid house piano line through it that makes you feel like you’ve gone to the hippest church revival ever.

“Perks of Daily Life” is another floor-filler with a thumping backbeat that allows it to be easily dropped into a dance mix. The soaring synths add a cool futuristic touch. The EP winds up with the Magari Goa “91 mix” of “Every Ending.” It sounds like could’ve been unearthed from a 1991 rave time capsule full of glow sticks, ring pops, coach’s whistles, and condoms.

All in all, this is a solid EP that will brighten up your summer playlist. Go grab it before Memorial Day gets here and the weather gets colder.

Keep your mind open.

[I have romantic visions of you subscribing.]

[Thanks to Inflyte!]

Live: The Human League, Soft Cell, Alison Moyet – Chicago Theatre – Chicago, IL – June 23, 2026

It was a sold out night at the Chicago Theatre for this triple bill of 1980s music giants. The crowd was full of Gen Xers and Boomers who were buzzing outside the theatre and giddy once they got inside the place. I saw two people in their twenties there. I’m sure there were more, but they were vastly outnumbered…which is a shame because synthwave is hot stuff right now among the younger crowd. Go watch Stranger Things if you don’t believe me.

Alison Moyet started the night sounding and looking fabulous. Her backing band was sharp, especially her guitarist who subtly put down some slick riffs for those paying attention. Moyet was all smiles throughout her set, telling stories and expressing her thanks to the crowd. She played a good mix of stuff from her solo albums and Yazoo (known as Yaz in the U.S. for some weird reason) records. “Changeling” and “Only You” were lovely, and ending your set with “Don’t Go” is always a power move.

The modern version of Soft Cell was up next. Marc Almond is still on lead vocals and personality. David Ball died last year but not before they finished a lot of new material for their upcoming record, Danceteria. The new lineup came out right away with “Memorabilia,” the B-side to their first single, “A Man Could Get Lost,” which they also played. It was a weird new wave switch from Moyet’s sultry disco set, and I loved both. “Nostalgia Machine” (a clever takedown in 2022 and now) and “Out Come the Freaks” were other standouts, and, of course, they ended with “Tainted Love” to get everyone on their feet. They mentioned they’d be back in the spring to do a full show.

The Human League came out in full synthwave force with “The Sound of the Crowd” and “Mirror Man” with lead singer Philip Oakley quieting any curiosity about the strength of his voice right away.

Here comes The Human League…and the Mirror Man.

“The Lebanon” was a good highlight, and even stronger in 2026. An interesting moment was when I spotted a couple slow-dancing to “Human”…a song about infidelity. There’s a story there, I thought.

“Love Action (I Believe in Love)” is already a great song, and it’s even better life. The same goes for their mega-hit “(Keep Feeling) Fascination.” Their encore included “Being Boiled” (their first single) and “Electric Dreams,” a collaboration Oakley did with Giorgio Moroder.

They had a fun energy for the whole show, including multiple costume changes for Oakley, Susan Sulley, and Joanne Catherall, good visual effects, and Oakley prowling around the stage like some mysterious wizard. They’ve said they plan to keep touring as long as people want to see them and they’re healthy enough to do it, so get to a show while you still can.

Keep your mind open.

[Don’t forget to subscribe!]

[Thanks to Brian!]

Review: Lowsunday – Low Sunday Ghost Machine – Black EP

Following up on their White EP, Lowsunday have continued their return of fine industrial shoegaze with the Low Sunday Ghost Machine – Black EP.

“You’re So Wired” (a song about the confusing state between dreaming and waking) opens the dark gates with heavy reverb vocals, fuzzy yet bold guitars, and snappy drum beats to either snap you out of your brain fog or plunge you back into it, depending on which you choose.

The bouncy, yet warped guitars on “Shattered” are fascinating. It’s prime shoegaze stuff with Shane Sahene‘s vocals echoing everywhere to the point where you’re never sure if he’s singing or just making vocal sounds. It’s good either way. “Someone to Talk to” continues the strange, jangly guitar work by Sahene and Bobby Spell‘s bass creepily crawls all around you.

“This Is Not Heaven” is a goth track you heard in a dream once after you spent the night with some cool people you met at a club who gave you a ride to an all-night diner in the middle of nowhere in their car that smelled like clove cigarettes and jasmine. It’s a song that would give A Place to Bury Strangers a run for their money.

The EP ends with “Don’t Want to Dream Again” and some of Spell’s best bass work on the record. Seriously, that groove is outstanding.

Lowsunday’s Black EP helps you find presence with its fuzzy hooks and dreamy vocals. Good shoegaze is always a treat, so don’t skip this.

Keep your mind open.

[I’ll feel wired if you subscribe.]

[Thanks to Shauna at Shameless Promotion PR.]

Review: Wooden Overcoat – Hello Sunbeam

According to Wooden Overcoat‘s frontman, Brant Hajek, “Recording this EP almost ruined my life, and I hope it sounds like it.”

Hajek wrote, played, recorded, mixed, and edited Hello Sunbeam by himself, wanting “…to make something that sounds old but fresh…something that sounds warm and dense, but somehow also airy.” Mission accomplished, sir, as the EP is psychedelic, dreamy, and fuzzy.

Opening with “Home,” you immediately get the sense of sunbeams waking you in the morning and moonbeams illuminating your late night party that same day. It’s delightfully hooky. “Finally Arrived,” a song about the frailty of human connection, is lush and almost misty. It’s like catching a jasmine smell on the wind and you don’t know its origin, but you want to find it so you can hang out there for hours.

“Heaven Right Now” continues to explore how frail we are and uses reverb-soaked guitars and vocals to show how many of us are always on the edge of the ledge and ready to fall and shatter…yet it’s still hopeful and captivating. It’s no secret that Hajek wrote the album during a dark period of his life. His mother was diagnosed with cancer, he was going through a breakup, and the world was both literally and figuratively on fire (even his band’s name is a nickname for a coffin).

The vocal harmonies on the closing track, “I Knew You Would,” blend well with the psych-surf guitar and soft beats. I’m willing to bet it’s about Hajek’s relationship turning sour and an outcome he saw coming and knew he couldn’t avoid. The guitar solo on it is a standout.

The title of the EP comes from a mantra that Hajek would say when he felt things crushing in on him. It was to remind him that the sun was still there and, as Gandhi once put it, “In the midst of darkness, light persists.” Hello Sunbeam acknowledges the dark, but also embraces the light.

Keep your mind open.

[Say hello to the subscription box.]

[Thanks to Shauna at Shameless Promotion PR.]