Category: Reviews

Review: Jon Hopkins – Music for Psychedelic Therapy

How do you follow up releasing two records of house music, club beats, and dub tracks? If you’re Jon Hopkins, you do it by releasing Music for Psychedelic Therapy – a gorgeous record of ambient meditations that doesn’t have a single beat on it.

As Hopkins said in the liner notes from the press release I received for this album, “I feel I explored that particular sound (house and club music) as much as I could. Next, I wanted to make something that faced the opposite direction, something very far away from a cosmic party or a set of festival-ready bangers…Something looking inwards, something egoless, with no attempts made to ‘fit in.’ It felt like time for a total reset, to wait for music to appear from a different place.” 

I don’t think I can put it better than that, and this album is already difficult to describe. It’s more of an experience than a record. “Welcome” sets you up for chakra alignment and to get you into your meditation space. After that follow three tracks called “Tayos Caves, Ecuador,” which put you into a cool, quiet place suitable for dreaming, sleeping, or the “total reset” he mentioned.

The entire record is a reset for whatever is bothering you at the time. “Love Flows Over Us in Prismatic Waves” feels like light hitting you through a window as you watch a rabbit bounce across your lawn. “Deep in the Glowing Heart” reflects the place we all hope to find and reside in at some point in our lives, hopefully in this plane and the next. These are the first two tracks of a thirty-five-minute uninterrupted journey that continues with the hopeful “Ascending, Dawn Sky,” the cosmic energy-tinged “Arriving,” and the beautiful, tear-inducing “Sit Around the Fire” – in which music is set to a recording of the spiritualist Ram Dass.

It’s a record that’s stunning with its simplicity and subtlety. Let it calm and warm you.

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Jessica at Domino Records.]

Review: BODEGA – Broken Equipment

BODEGA, the Brooklyn post-punk outfit, has long been fascinated with technology and all its goods and ills. Their new album, Broken Equipment, references this many times, first in the album’s title. Broken gear is a source of worry, anguish, and / or rage in this day and age due to our over-dependence on technology. BODEGA knows this, and openly discuss how they, too, fall victim to these glitchy woes.

Opening track (and the first single released from the album), “Thrown,” has lead singer Ben Hozie singing about how he has a Bermuda Triangle within him that sucks him into situations where he’s not sure how he got there or how to get out (“I was thrown here by chance…I was targeted by big rock ads…”). “Doers” is a poke in the eye of tech-bros and people who think their moving and shaking is actually going to amount to something in the grand scheme (“Ten minutes planning my next ten minutes!”).

“Territorial Call of the Female” has Nikki Belfiglio taking on lead vocals, which always means you’re in for a treat. Belfiglio’s vocals are often a great mix of snarky and sweet, and this track about ladies sometimes unintentionally sabotaging each other is a great example. “NYC (Disambiguation)” takes a brutal, honest look at NYC’s history – warts and all. “Statuette on the Console” ups the punk in their post-punk, taking off like a hot rod from the green light in an illegal street race. Belfiglio embraces her love of Patti Smith, Wendy O. Williams, and Poly Styrene, and the guitar solo on it by Dan Ryan is top-notch.

“C.I.R.P.” takes a shot at media elitists (backed by a wicked bass line from Adam See). “Pillar on the Bridge of You” is a delightful love song Hozie wrote to Belfiglio in which he claims all he wants to do is support her. “I have so many things to offer,” Hozie sings on “How Can I Help YA?” – a song that seems to be about self-proclaimed influencers. Ryan unleashes another solid solo right in the middle of it. “No Blade of Grass,” influenced by the bleak (but excellent 1970 disaster film of the same name), has Hozie and Belfiglio singing about how we’re constantly pummeled by disasters both real and imagined, mainly to benefit those with more wealth than us (“We need strength and discipline…So, give more power to the rich, they say. Inequality, it is natural.”).

The band’s fondness for The Velvet Underground comes through on “All Past Lovers,” which has that cool, driving beat (provided by Tai Lee, who sizzles on the entire record, really) and almost-drone guitar that is hard to do without sounding like a damn mess. Hozie dreams of rest and escaping loneliness on “Seneca the Stoic.” The album ends with “After Jane,” an acoustic ode to Hozie’s mother – with whom he admits he had a rocky relationship at times, and that her battle with mental illness was one of the hardest challenges of their life together, but he acknowledges that he now can “channel your hurt when I sing my songs.”

Broken Equipment is another sharp record from a band that has taken critique and self-critique to Zen levels and can make you pogo while doing it.

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Patrick at Pitch Perfect PR.]

Rewind Review: Frankie and the Witch Fingers – Levitation Sessions (2020)

Released in the middle of the pandemic and when everyone needed to just crank some psych-garage rock and let out a bunch of pent-up energy in their living room, Frankie and the Witch Fingers‘ Levitation Sessions is a great slice of the band’s always-solid live sets and bursts with energy for its entire length.

“Activate” is perfectly named and played to start off the set with beats that get your feet tapping right away and riffs to knock you back on your heels. “Reaper” is always a standout with its dreamy build-up to crushing power. “Sweet Freak” has this cool, looping groove to it that evolves into wild, frenetic, psychedelic guitar solos that are like a crow calling from a high tree when you walk by.

“Where’s Your Reality?” is another FATWF that absolutely cooks live or otherwise. Something is wrong with you if it doesn’t get you jumping and / or crowd surfing. The song melts into “Michaeldose,” a trippy and funky instrumental. The driving, hammering beats and bass of “Realization” are likely to induce you to bounce around your living room so hard you’ll be knocking over lamps and freaking out your pets.

The drums on “Dracula Drug” are especially sharp. All respect to Caster Black, who recorded and mixed the whole session. Another good example of the mixing is how well “Can You Hear Me Now?” eases into the rocking “Simulator” – another cut that always floors any audience. Likewise, “Cavehead” blends perfectly into the peppy, trippy “MEPEM…” – which is over eight minutes of thumping, bumping garage-psych.

Levitation Sessions is a great taste of a live FATWF show – a taste that leaves you wanting to dive face-first into their psychedelic buffet.

Keep your mind open.

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Review: Sisters of Your Sunshine Vapor – Good Goddamn

Appropriate of its title, Sisters of Your Sunshine Vapor‘s new album, Good Goddamn, is sometimes loud, bold, and a bit unhinged.

It starts off with a bit of deception on “She Makes a Great Parade.” The song sounds like a record that was left on a windowsill in late June and used as a sleeping mat for a cat. I mean that in the best possible way, because I don’t know how else SOYSV get the trippy, warped sound on it. Both Eric Oppitz‘s bass and keyboards are floating in space, Sean Morrow‘s guitar goes from rocket thrusters to spaghetti westerns, and Rick Sawoscinski‘s drums are a mix of chaos and order like they’re played by Harvey Dent.

“It’s Good to Be Alive” is a natural follow-up, as its title is referenced in the lyrics of the opening track. The song, and especially Morrow’s guitar work, slips back and forth between shoegaze fuzz and dreamy psych-rock. I also love the electronic beats that sound like something from a 1990s hip hop B-side. Trust me. It works, as do the lyrics about being brave enough to “step in the light.” The title track is as crazy as you hope it will be, with Morrow calling out motherfuckers who haven’t paid their dues. Sawoscinski sounds like he’s having a blast on it, jumping back and forth from, again, beats that would work in hip hop or house to near-metal pounding. There’s a ripping sax solo on this cut, too, elevating it to something like a Stooges proto-punk rager.

“Never Comin’ Over” reminds me a bit of some Love and Rockets cuts with its swirling guitar riffs. Oppitz’s love of synthwave comes through on “Walk of Sobriety,” as his keyboard work is perfectly suitable for a nightclub patronized by androids. Morrow sings / shouts to people who need to wake up from their illusions, and even more so from the ones projected onto them by others. His vocals are often frantic throughout the whole record, channeling his (and his pals’) rage and frustration with the world in general for the last two years.

“Taser Blue” and “A Little Sweetness” slow things down for a bit so you can settle in for a nice drift down a sunny river or chilling in your apartment with a tasty slice of leftover pizza while the cat decides to sleep on your lap instead of that record on the windowsill. Both options are valid. The closer, “Specimen Jar,” has Morrow bringing back some of the vocal hooks and lyrics that are spread throughout the record, giving the album a bit of a looping effect as Sawoscinki builds the beats into a mind-altering cadence until the song, and the album, ends with the lyric “It’s good to be alive.”

It’s a nice, hopeful send-off for everyone. It’s a reminder to stay present, even in the chaos and in suffering. It’s a hell of a record.

Keep your mind open.

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Rewind Review: The Smithereens – Meet the Smithereens (2007)

A Smithereens cover album of a classic Beatles album?! Yes, please!

It’s no secret that The Beatles are one of the biggest influences on The Smithereens (along with The Who, The Kinks, and many others from the UK), so hearing this American rock band have fun with these tracks is a delight from beginning to end.

They’re a little subdued on their version of “I Want to Hold Your Hand,” and it’s an effective in touch – pushing the love in the song more than the riffs. They push the riffs harder on “I Saw Her Standing There,” rocking it for all it’s worth. “This Boy” soothes things down a bit before the rocking, underappreciated Beatles’ classic “It Won’t Be Long” – a song they load with Jim Babjak‘s killer guitar riffs.

“All I’ve Got to Do” has a blues touch to it that’s perfectly suited to Pat Dinizio‘s voice. Severo “The Thrilla” Jornacion‘s bass is all over “All My Loving.” They perfectly capture the 1960s garage rock sound on “Don’t Bother Me.”

“Little Child” flies right by you at fast beats laid down by Dennis Diken, and then “Till There Wsa You” comes in with almost a Tiki lounge comfort to it. They make playing “Beatles swing” sound easy on “Hold Me Tight.” They unleash “I Wanna Be Your Man” on you after you’re all cozy from the previous track, with Babjak taking on lead vocals and having a blast with it. The albums ends with a fade-out on “Not a Second Time,” leaving you with a smile and fond memories.

It’s a fun record, and one that led to other fun cover albums by then. You’ll dig it if you’re a fan of either band.

Keep your mind open.

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Review: Mdou Moctar – Afrique Victime

Good heavens, this album is stunning.

Mdou Moctar returns to once again shred on guitar, spread the love and joy of Tuareg music, and spread the word of struggles in his Algerian homeland on Afrique Victime.

Opening track “Chismiten” bursts with so much energy that any sound system, no matter how hi-fi, can barely contain it. Moctar’s guitar swirls around you like a dust devil that eventually grows strong enough to lift you off the ground. He adds a cool echo effect to his guitar on “Taliat,” and the group vocals are immediately uplifting.

“Ya Habibti” backs the mantra-like vocals with hand claps and hand percussion while Moctar plays slightly amped acoustic / electric chords. “Tala Tannam” is downright dreamy. “Asditke Akal” is a stunner with its psychedelic riffs reaching to the heavens. Moctar and his band then switch it up on “Layla,” which (thankfully) isn’t a cover of the vastly overrated Clapton tune, but rather an acoustic, hypnotic song you might hear around a desert fire.

The title track is a powerful one about the plight of women in Algeria (as noted by the album’s cover depicting a crying woman), with some of Moctar’s most soaring guitar work that stretches its mighty wings for over seven minutes. The closing track, “Bismilahi Atagah” is beautiful in its simplicity as Moctar and his bandmates sing what sounds like a song of praise for blessings received and ones to come.

This might be Moctar’s best album yet, and that’s saying something when you consider the first two were excellent in their own right.

Keep your mind open.

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Review: Anika – Change: The Remixes

Anika has openly discussed how much she loves the dance floor as well as the dark corners of a night club, so putting out a remix album of her killer 2021 record, Change, was a no-brainer for her.

The “Planningtorock remix” of “Planningtochange” drops the pitch of her vocals and ups the beats to create a track that’s perfect for dancing in a dark basement full of sexy, sweaty people. Dave Clark‘s remix of “Never Coming Back” is somehow darker than the original. Lauren Flax‘s remix of “Critical” becomes slightly hardcore make-out music. Maral at the Controls‘ dux mix of “Finger Pies” is outstanding, mixing dub with industrial like a sexy glitch-bot.

PDBY‘s remix of “Freedom” strips the song down to a haunted house drone, like something you’d hear in a dimly lit ballroom with peeling wallpaper and warped floorboards. Lauren Flax comes back for a remix of “Change,” and it’s the closest one to a straight-up house music banger on the whole EP.

Don’t miss this is you’re a fan of Anika. It’s an interesting look at her different influences and how she’s influenced (and influencing) others.

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Patrick at Pitch Perfect PR.]

Review: Imarhan – Aboogi

Named after a studio space they built in Tamanrasset, Algeria, Imarhan‘s new album, Aboogi, instantly transports you to a different world where everything slows down, the tea is delicious, and you spend nights listening to music and dancing around a fire now and then.

Opener “Achinkad” sets this tone right away with its simple guitar chords, hand percussion and claps, and meditative vocals. “Derhan” builds on this theme of communal bliss. “Temet” (not to be confused with their 2018 album of the same name) is a haunting warm wind as the sun comes up on a desert cooled overnight. “Tindjatan” is a tale of a great battle in which many Tuaregs were killed. “Asof” is nothing but vocals, simple hand percussion, and guitar chords that drift into windswept dunes, and it’s lovely.

“Assossam” spins a tale of economic disparity in southern Algeria, all the while keeping some optimism with its beats and lively guitar work. The lyrics of “Taghadart” are ones of grief, but hope within that grief (i.e., “Please safeguard my trust from now until the end of time.”). “Laouni” is like a lazy stroll along the crest of a desert hill. It flows so well into “Imaslan N’Assouf” that it’s almost hypnotizing. I don’t have a translation of the lyrics for “Tamiditin,” but the guitar and vocal delivery on it makes it sound like Tuareg blues. The album ends with “Adar Newlan,” a song about the increase in youth imprisonment rates in the band’s native land and how these sentences affect families and communities.

Aboogi is a powerful record in its peaceful delivery. Imarhan have every right to rage and shred, but they decide to deliver prayers and meditations instead.

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Yuri at Pitch Perfect PR.]

Review: Jake Xerxes Fussell – Good and Green Again

My taste in folk music, not unlike doom metal, is hit or miss. There has to be a certain combination of elements for me to enjoy an album in either genre. I’m not sure if I could tell you what all those elements are, but I can tell you that one of the most crucial is that the artist or band, while being good at their craft, doesn’t try too hard. They don’t force anything.

Jake Xerxes Fussell is such an artist. His guitar playing and vocals are simple, haunting, and the work of an expert craftsman – and none of it is forced. None of it is for show. It simply is, and his new album Good and Green Again continues his string of top-notch folk music that instantly transports you to different times and places that resonate with lessons needed in modern time.

“Love Farewell” is the sound of the sun rising or setting, depending on your mood when you hear it. It can be a song of moving forward after the loss of love or realizing a love is ending. “Carriebelle” adds solemn horns to a solemn song about the perils of booze and heartbreak. The horns continue their lonely cries on “Breast of Glass,” in which Fussell sings about wishing how he could keep a memory inside him forever – all the while knowing his hold on it would be fragile.

“Frolic,” “What Did the Hen Duck Say to the Drake?”, and “In Florida” are three lovely instrumentals on the album, something I hadn’t heard from Fussell before this record, and they’re all great additions. Fussell is great at writing, playing, and singing songs about the plight of the working class (or finding obscure songs about the subject and reinterpreting them in a new way), and “Rolling Mills Are Burning Down” is one such track. He sings about workers watching their jobs being reduced to ashes, knowing their way of life and means of earning bread are gone.

“The Golden Willow Tree” is a nine-minute-long tale of a scuttled ship, betrayal, and the loss of wealth and glory. The album ends with “Washington,” Fussell’s tribute / satirical salute to the first President of the U.S. and the way we, as Americans, tend to deify the Founding Fathers.

It’s another lovely record from Fussell with strength in its subtlety.

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Sam at Pitch Perfect PR.]

Review: Endearments – Father of Wands

Kevin Marksson, otherwise known as Endearments, makes spacey dream pop seem easy, even though at least two of the songs on his Father of Wands EP are about heartbreak.

I mean, opener “Ocean” starts with the lyrics, “You could make me nothing. You could be the ocean. I’m inside you drowning.” Meanwhile Marksson’s synth and guitars are as bright as the high noon sun bouncing off the surface of Caribbean beach waters.

“How could we love each other endlessly?” He asks on “Empress,” a song in which he speaks of knowing a lover could treat him well if only she would stop focusing on just herself. The song bursts with optimism, though. Marksson’s instrumentation is too bright to ignore and too lovely to deny.

That being said, “Hymnal” has Marksson singing about how he can’t understand his girl’s thinking and how she can’t understand how he’s lost without her (“I don’t think you understand where I go when I’m not here with you.”). The closing track, “Delicate,” has Marksson resigned to the fact that things might not work out after all and he just needs to accept that (“I thought I was yours, but I could never be enough for you like this.”).

Still, the EP has that optimism I mentioned earlier. Marksson lets us know that love can be rough, but there is always some hope that, if we can’t find love, it might find us.

Keep your mind open.

[I’ll find it endearing if you subscribe.]

[Thanks to Taylor at Clandestine Label Services.]