Reviews – Page 81 – 7th Level Music

The Duke Spirit – Sky Is Mine

How do you follow up one of the best shoegaze records of 2016? Well, if you’re the Duke Spirit, you do it by releasing a deeply introspective record called Sky Is Mine, which keeps some of the shoegaze elements of Kin, but also ups the dream-pop. Lead singer Liela Moss was pregnant during the recording of Sky Is Mine, and she’s admitted in interviews that carrying a new life definitely influenced her songwriting for this record.

It begins with “Magenta,” a one-two punch of fuzzed out guitars and Moss’ echoing siren-like vocals. “Who knows where the heart goes?” she asks, wondering how far love can reach when one is separated from a lover. “Bones of Proof” is proof that Ms. Moss is one of the best vocalists of her generation. She has a way of making a song sexy, sad, and slightly scary all at the same time. “Go now and seek the truth, you’ll know it when the bones of proof press against your body warm, the skin, the form, the idea born,” she sings, and you can’t help but think she wrote those lyrics while pregnant. The guitar in this is like a gentle buzzsaw. I know that’s an odd description, but you’ll understand once you hear it.

“See Power” moves from dream-pop verses to bold shoegaze choruses and back again like, well, waves of the sea. The heavy bass of “In Breath” mixes with ghostly guitars and hints of Celtic magic. “Houses” has Moss’ reverbed vocals bouncing off each other as the band churns out a solid shoegaze groove behind her. “How Could, How Come” is the stuff of dream-pop dreams and possibly a lost Cowboy Junkies track.

“Yo Yo” has wicked beats and sneaky, tricky guitars throughout it as Moss sings about (in my opinion, at least) staying in the present despite outside forces constantly pulling us back and forth. “The Contaminant” is textbook shoegaze, and the closer, “Broken Dreams,” wraps around you like a warm fog with Moss’ lyrics about peaceful patience and hypnotizing percussion.

This album doesn’t rock as hard as previous Duke Spirit albums like Neptune or Kin, but that’s okay. It’s the band’s further exploration of dreamscapes. It’s ideal for wandering, sitting, and looking up at the night sky, which is mine, theirs, yours, and ours.

Keep your mind open.

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Priests – Nothing Feels Natural

This album almost slipped by me in this crazy year of alternate facts and a lot of yelling. I’m glad I saw a recent article about it that reminded me to buy Priests‘ Nothing Feels Natural, because it’s a sharp post-punk record and one of the records 2017 needed most.

The album begins with drummer Daniele Daniele‘s urgent beats before lead singer Katie Alice Greer comes in with her vocal style that immediately grabs you by the throat. Soon, guitarist G.L. Jaguar and bassist Taylor Mulitz are slapping you around and Greer is singing, “It feels good to buy what you can’t afford.” She’s put her finger in the eye of American consumer culture in under two minutes. On “JJ,” Jaguar unleashes some clever surf rock hooks and Greer’s vocals go from menacing to playful while the lyrics keep twisting a knife into the culture of artifice we’ve created.

“Nicki” has some goth touches (mostly in Jaguar’s guitar and Mulitz’s bass) that catch you off guard before it flattens you with hard shoegaze riffs. “Yes, it’s true, I want more,” Greer sings. She’s just as easily seduced by consumerism and always projecting a perfect image as the rest of us, but the power behind her vocals lets us know she’s fighting temptation. “Lelia 20” offers us some of that strength as Greer sings, “Things could be much worse.” Never forget that (and you won’t forget Daniele’s great drumming throughout the whole track).

“No Big Bang,” with vocals by Daniele, is about disappointment and shattered illusions. “Your mind keeps running along the same narrow track of logic for what feels like forever…” is just one of the insightful lyrics in this near-spoken word piece. The title track has some of Greer’s best vocals and saddest lyrics. “Perhaps I will change into something,” she begins as the rest of the band puts down great riffs and beats behind her. Jaguar’s guitar soars on this cut, taking it to another level.

“Pink White House” is the first song I ever heard by Priests. It’s fiery, vicious, and yet completely danceable as Greer keeps chanting about “Anything you want. Anything, anything!” It’s a wake-up call to walk away from the temptations of a new SUV, mindless sitcoms, dwelling in nostalgia, and thinking money will solve everything. “Kneel at the feet of programming…You are just a cog in a machine,” she warns.

“Puff” has Greer saying she wants to start a band called Burger King (Who used to have the slogan “Have it your way.”) and use it to make others’ dreams come true. It is, of course, a slap in the face of people who look to the media to solve their problems and make up their minds. I love that the album ends with a song called “Suck.” It’s slick as oil (Daniele, Jaguar, and Mulitz fire on all cylinders throughout it) and has Greer singing, “Please don’t make me be someone with no sympathy.” She wants to care, but sometimes people make it so damn hard.

2017 was like that. It was hard to care, but Priests know we must. We are all each other have. Nothing Feels Natural, both in title and content, is a glass of cold water in our collective faces. Wake up. Snap out of it. Preach on, Priests.

Keep your mind open.

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Bebel Gilberto – Live at the Belly Up

Are the winter blues getting to you? Are you tired of snow? Is the Christmas season bringing you more stress than joy? Don’t worry, bossa nova legend Bebel Gilberto has a cure. It’s her new live EP – Live at the Belly Up.

Beginning with the lovely “Samba E Amor,” the album instantly relaxes you and brings to mind images of spending a warm night on a Brazilian beach with your lover. Thankfully, she has included her cover of Radiohead‘s “Creep,” which never fails to make my eyes misty.

“Momento,” the title track from one of her many fine albums, is dreamy and a bit mischievous as Ms. Gilberto and her guitarist play back and forth. “Bananeira” is even more playful as she gets the audience to clap and sing along with her before putting down some of her sexiest vocals.

She gets even friskier on her classic “So Nice,” which is about wishing for a lover even to just stroll with on any given day. The audience has fun with her, too. If your winter blues haven’t melted by now, they probably will during “Baby” – another one of her classics that belongs on every make-out mixtape.

You might want to save room on that mixtape for the closer, “Preciso Dizer Que Te Amo,” because it’s the type of song that can change the mood of an entire room to amorous in just a few chords.

Bebel Gilberto is a great performer, and this EP is a nice slice of her wonderful live shows. I think it’s impossible to be blue while listening to this. Get it and get out of your winter funk.

Keep your mind open.

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Live: Bebel Gilberto – Chicago, IL – December 20, 2017

Chicago’s City Winery is a wonderful intimate venue, and seeing a lively performer like Bebel Gilberto there is a treat that should never be missed. Thankfully, my wife and I got to attend her second performance there in as many nights, and Ms. Gilberto was in a playful mood.

Ms. Gilberto shimmied and shook all over the stage and worked through some of her bossa nova classics like “Aganju” and “So Nice,” stopping now and then to put on some more lip gloss or sample some of the venue’s white wine.

She was also a bit feisty, throwing in some political jokes like, “I’m glad this year is almost over, because that means we only have three more left…if you know what I mean.” Other highlights included her covers of Neil Young’s “Harvest Moon” and Radiohead’s “Creep.” Her cover of “Creep” brings my wife and I to tears anytime we hear it, and I felt bad for the couple across from us who went out for a smoke break before she and her two-man band played it.

She had the crowd singing and even bouncing multiple times throughout the night, calling on us to help her sing rhythms and uplift each other. “Uplifting” is probably the best way I can describe her performance. It was a delightful way to end a year that has been rough for many we know and a shining way to start the winter solstice. More light comes to this half of the world as of yesterday, and I can’t help but think Bebel Gilberto had something to do with it.

Keep your mind open.

[Thanks to Vickie Starr for bringing me and my wife some Christmas cheer with press passes to this show.]

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Gary Numan – Savage (Songs from a Broken World)

Gary Numan‘s new album is a cautionary tale about impending environmental disaster, political upheaval, and fighting to survive in a post-apocalyptic wasteland. Numan has never been one to shy away from bleak subjects (depression, dehumanization via technology, death, etc.), and Savage (Songs from a Broken World) is a powerful record that has him embracing these subjects once again with masterful skill.

“Ghost Nation” could be about Numan’s birth home (England) or his adopted one (the United States). “We live in a windswept hell,” he sings in the first lyric on the album while the synths and drums build to a powerful verse about an environmental catastrophe that wipes out most of humanity. “Bed of Thorns” starts off with quiet processed beats and almost Middle Eastern chants but slowly burns into a powerful track about wanting to be free of suffering. Numan’s daughter does guest vocals on “My Name Is Ruin” – a song about a powerful figure who brings about the catastrophe on Earth. The comparisons to Donald Trump are unavoidable, and Numan has admitted that the last U.S. presidential election provided some of the impetus for the album.

You’d think a song with a title like “The End of Things” would be at the beginning or end of such a concept album, but Numan puts it in the middle to signify (in my opinion) the turning of the tide in the battle for survival even when things seem bleakest. “And It All Began with You” simmers with unease before the bombastic “When the World Comes Apart” – an industrial powerhouse of a track with Blade Runner-like synths and foreboding bass and Numan singing that he’s no hero or confessor.

I like how “Mercy” starts off with what sounds like fighter jets zooming by. Numan used to fly jets and aircraft in air shows for many years. “I should’ve told you, be careful what you wish for,” he sings on the menacing track that builds like some sort of monstrous war machine approaching on the horizon. Numan takes on one of his favorite touchy subjects, religion, on “What God Intended.” I heard an interview with him in which he expressed admiration for those who find incredible peace in religion, but he cannot abide religion being used for intolerance or to justify violence. The song is heavy on soaring synths and Numan’s near-cries to the heavens. The theme continues a bit on “Pray for the Pain You Serve.” Numan claims, “I will be here when the storm ends.” He’s been through a lot and come out a bit tougher each time

The album ends with “Broken,” a somber synthwave track that has more Middle Eastern touches and is quite cinematic. Why Numan isn’t being hired to score films is beyond me. It drifts along until an almost abrupt ending, perfect for an album about the potential end of the world.

Numan is firing on all cylinders right now, and his live act is one of the best tours currently out there. Get this and get to one of his shows if you can.

Keep your mind open.

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Soulwax – From Deewee

Soulwax‘s latest album, From Deewee, would be impressive in any sense. It’s a wonderful blend of electro, synthwave, disco, industrial, and even a bit of trance. What makes it more impressive is that the entire album was recorded one in one take. Granted, they did multiple takes and picked the best one, but playing this entire album beginning to end with no apparent flaws is a stunning feat.

After a brief instrumental opening, the album flows into “Masterplanned” – a funky track with great synth bass and a sweet blend of electric and live drums (which will continue through the whole record). The live drums rip open “Missing Wires,” one of my favorite singles of 2017, before the wicked bass and analog synths put down a fantastic dance groove. “Conditions of a Shared Belief” has a brooding sense of industrial menace to it, proving that Soulwax loves Front 242 as much as Kraftwerk.

The drum solo at the beginning of “Is It Always Binary” is equally matched by the choppy yet highly danceable synth work. “Do You Want to Get Into Trouble?” mixes more industrial touches with hints of goth synths and John Carpenter synth bass. “My Tired Eyes” is practically an industrial ballad and “Transient Program for Drums and Machinery” could be the theme song to the album – drums,analog synthesizers, and drum machines that drift back and forth, merge, split up again, and reunite in different shapes.

“Open your eyes to the heavens,” Soulwax implores on “Trespassers” – a song that gets heavier and creepier as it rolls along to a great finish. “The Singer Has Become a Deejay” could be a takedown on musicians who attempt to operate outside their wheelhouse, or it could just be an excellent display of Soulwax’s rhythm section and Crystal Method-like programming. It flows right into the sharp dance track “Here Come the Men in Suits,” in which they warn these guys “will draw you in like moths” to their corporate culture, rampant consumerism, and shady economics.

The album ends with the subdued yet snarky “Goodnight Transmission,” with the lyric “There’s so much bullshit coming out of your mouth” sung in almost a slow jam R&B style before they encourage you to “put your weight on it.” Soulwax wants us to put up or shut up. You don’t have time for bullshit when you’re recording an entire album in one take.

You have time for this album, however. Make time for it if you have to do so. It’s one of the best of the year.

Keep your mind open.

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King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard – Polygondwanaland

The fourth album from King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard of this year, Polygondwanaland, is special for a couple reasons. One, to repeat the earlier point, is that it’s the fourth album they’ve put out this year. Many bands don’t put out four albums in a lifetime, let alone four in one year…with another one yet to come before the year’s end. Second, is that they are giving away this album for free.

Yes, you can download this album for free and, according to the band, use the tracks for anything you’d like. Many indie labels have already created their own rare pressings of the album on vinyl. KGATLW have stated that anyone can use the songs for their film, art projects, mix tapes, remix albums, or any other use. It’s a stunning gift to fans and the world at large.

The album is a neat mix of the many sounds KGATLW create. The opener, “Crumbling Castle,” is an epic song just under eleven minutes long that exemplifies the band’s cosmic psychedelia with echoed vocals, microtonal guitars, perfect double-drumming, and tricky guitar work. The title track is mellower and almost hypnotizing, as is “The Castle in the Air” with Stu MacKenzie‘s flute work.

“Deserted Dunes Welcome Weary Feet” and “Inner Cell” are equally haunting, especially the latter with its lyrics speaking of the dead, ghosts, and shadows. The bass line on “Loyalty” is one of the best KGATLW have put on a track all year. “Horology” and “Tetrachromacy” are neat companion pieces to each other with their complimentary guitar pieces and tick-tock drumming. The building groove of “Searching…” is outstanding, and the entire track simmers with synth wave menace that is new to KGATLW’s sound. I hope they explore more of this on the next record. It flows right into the album’s closer, “The Fourth Color,” which is a sizzling jam on all fronts – especially when it comes back from a fake fade-out.

Is this as good as the three previous releases from KGATLW so far? No, but it is still an excellent piece of work and is reminiscent of some of the band’s earlier material. This isn’t a bad place to start if you’re just now walking into the KGATLW camp. It blends many of their styles well.

Keep your mind open.

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Brother O’ Brother – Neon Native

Indianapolis rock duo Brother O’ Brother are busy making solid records in the middle of a state practically ignored by the music industry and touring bands. Their latest, Neon Native, is a prime example of a nearly secret vibrant music scene in the Hoosier state’s capital.

Opening with “R.O.S.E.,” the album immediately submerses you into Brother O’ Brother’s psychedelic blues and powerful riffs. You can hear influences ranging from the Black Keys to the Black Angels in the first few chords. “16 Flowers” brings in a slight punk edge and flattens everything around you. It’s one of the most powerful songs I’ve heard all year. “Sunshine” has a southern rock vibe before it blows up into something you might hear from Zen Guerilla, “Grab the Rope” gets off to a raucous start with soulful yet rough vocals and then a chugging beat that doesn’t let up for the whole track.

“I Got It” continues the rock and roll fury with guitar work that sounds like strings are going to break at any moment. “I Confess” has some psychedelic sludge that I love. “Cardinal” is, on it’s surface, a song about the beauty of a bird, but it’s also about the beauty of a lover, killer guitar work, and slam-tastic beats. “Fever” is just as powerful in its subtlety as we hear about a “sweet love” who inspires guitar chords that Jack White dreams about at night.

Even the acoustic guitar on “White Noise” has a fierce energy to it. “Take Me” brings back the electric fuzz and ups the blues influences. Their cover of David Bowie‘s “Life on Mars” ups the Mick Ronson fuzzed-out guitars and is almost unrecognizable at first (but it’s still great). “Widow Maker” could be a Thin Lizzy B-side.

Don’t let anyone tell you rock and roll is dead. It isn’t. Brother O’ Brother is living proof. They’re one of my favorite discoveries of the year.

Keep your mind open.

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King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard with Mild High Club – Sketches of Brunswick East

The year of King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard continues with their fourth album of 2017 – Sketches of Brunswick East. This is a collaboration with psych-rocker pals Mild High Club made while the bands were hanging out for a couple weeks.

It’s a mellower album that their previous release, Murder of the Universe, with a cool jazz fusion sound to the entire thing. “Countdown” is one of the more relaxing tracks in their entire catalogue. “D-Day” has a light sense of menace and even some guitar touches reminiscent of Flying Microtonal Banana. “Tezeta” has a sweet bass lick throughout it and could even be described as “jaunty” while it keeps its trippy touches (and vocals from Murder of the Universe‘s doomed cyborg Hyan-Tumi).

“The Spider and Me” could almost be the theme to a beloved and forgotten 1960’s cartoon. The instrumental “Sketches of Brunswick East II” brings to mind an afternoon spent at a closed and forgotten seaside resort. KGALTW’s front man Stu MacKenzie plays a lovely flute while warped electric piano (perhaps played by a ghost at the aforementioned resort) bounces along next to him. “Dusk to Dawn on Lygon St” is another happy trip, perhaps along a coastal road at sunrise. The bass work on this and the previous track is outstanding, by the way. It roots both songs.

“The Book” is a witty takedown on Bible thumpers and almost has a lounge jazz sound to it. “A Journey to (S)Hell” is a bit nightmarish, but in a way that would make you wake up wondering if what you dreamed was real and not in a way that would wake you up in a pool of sweat. “Rolling Stoned” is another great instrumental that flows out of your speakers in weird curves. “You Can Be Your Silhouette” is a catchy tune about embracing the idea of being a blank slate without the trappings of modern culture, and “Sketches of Brunswick East III” ends the album on a subtle psychedelic note.

Sketches of Brunswick East is a welcome departure from the heaviness of KGATLW’s last there records. Mind you, I love those records, but this foray into lighter, jazzier, trippier fare is a good choice by them. It’s a good choice by you to buy it.

Keep your mind open.

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Zombie Zombie – Livity

French synth wave / electro trio Zombie Zombie (Etienne Jaumet – synths and saxophone, Cosmic Neman – drums, vocals, and effects, and Dr. Schonberg – percussion, electronics, and trumpet) didn’t want us to walk out of 2017 without dancing, so they’ve brought a new album full of vintage analog synth dance grooves and mood-changing tracks on their new album Livity.

The title track alone is worth the purchase price. The title refers to a Rastafarian term for “life force.” It’s almost nine minutes of head-bopping beats, haunting synth bass, and synths that are straight out of your 1980’s dreams. Put this in your earbuds and your perception of the world around you will shift. “Ils Existent” moves along with hypnotizing sci-fi synth loops until Neman’s wicked drum licks almost turn the song into an action movie theme. The percussion on “Hippocampe” is so damn good it might make you lose your mind. Jaumet’s synths build and build to wind you up and the whole song morphs into a cosmic journey around the 2:40 mark.

Zombie Zombie were the highlight of Levitation Austin 2015 for my wife and I, and the funky, acid jazzy “Looose” is an example of why that was the case. “When you have nothing to lose, it gets groovier,” Neman sings as his drums seem to fall off their kit in the chaos of the song. “Acera” gets us back to the sci-fi themes of the album with spaceship dance club beats and alien menace buzzes and bleeps.

“Heavy Meditation” would’ve fit in perfectly on the Blade Runner 2049 score. It’s perfect for scoring some soba noodle soup in a rainy downtown future L.A. while flirting with a replicant prostitute. The closer “Lune Noire” is a dark, simulated rainy night on a lonely space station near a fading super nova encapsulated into a 4:52 song.

Livity is one of the best electro albums of the year. It’s especially impressive when you consider the seven tracks were recorded live in just seven days. Zombie Zombie continues to explore new ground in the synth world an experiment with sounds you don’t seem to have heard before now. Get into this groove and live.

Keep your mind open.

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