Psychedelic – 7th Level Music

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.

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You can find a “Holy Grail” with Vacations’ new single.

Vacations—the Australian indie rock band of lead songwriter and vocalist Campbell Burns, bassist Jake Johnson, guitarist Nate Delizzotti, and drummer Joseph Van Lier—announce their new album, Pursuit of Anything, out October 2nd on Nettwerk, and release the lead single/video, “Holy Grail.”

Pursuit of Anything captures Vacations at a turning point as Burns reflects on the disorienting, often contradictory experience of growing up, tracing his path from Newcastle (Australia) to Los Angeles and New York—caught between ambition and the more traditional lives unfolding back home. Written by the band and produced by Burns, the album finds Vacations operating as a fully creative force with Burns drawing constant inspiration from his bandmates’ lives and perspectives: exploring how they’re each living out different lives yet share a common experience, all in their own “pursuits.”

Mixed by Beatriz Artola (Geese, Caamp), the result is a richer, more intricate, and emotionally expansive sound. Pursuit of Anything arrives as the band solidifies their place as one of the most globally resonant indie acts of their generation with sold-out world tours, double-platinum certified hits, and over 3.5 billion streams. The record turns inward, driven by the push and pull of devotion to music, relationships, and self-discovery. It is this tension that fuels an earnest, dreamy pop album that feels instantly classic.

This is on display on today’s single, “Holy Grail,” a diamond of a pop song, the sort of music you want to listen to while lying out in the sun. The track is impressionistic and melancholy: “How can I fool myself,” Burns sings in the song’s opening moment. The synths around him twinkle and the song lilts.

“‘Holy Grail’ was based on a stressful Zoom call we had together as a band last year,” Burns reflects. “We were in this period of wanting to write and record new material, but then also being stuck in a loop of unsustainable touring. So many people I know have devoted their entire lives to music, and yet, at times it can feel as if you’re in pursuit of anything just to make it work for you. This push and pull dynamic of something I love so much is fascinating to me. I may struggle at times, but I will always return to it because it brings so much joy and fulfillment and ultimately outweighs any negative.”

Watch the Video for “Holy Grail”

Pursuit of Anything is a labor of love, the product of a group of friends who have been making music together since they were barely out of their teenage years. On it, there are weddings, families, reflections on the past, and hope about the future. “It’s about happiness as a feedback loop,” says Burns of the record’s title, “How you keep chasing the next thing.” It’s a record that feels classic the first time you listen to it, it feels like chasing that rush, that sense of self discovery and rediscovery. And it shows Vacations at the height of their songwriting powers. It’s a pop record that takes pop music seriously. Lovely, earnest, dreamy and hopeful as they come.

This summer, Vacations will embark on their Holy Grail Tour across the U.S., Asia and Australia. The run of dates also includes the band’s very own MATES Festival with the third installment taking place at Knockdown Center in NYC on Saturday, June 20th. The all-day, full-building, multi-stage event will take over the Main Hall and Ruins at Knockdown Center, and feature Vacations, grentperez, girlpuppy, Mamalarky, Alex Lahey, Horse Jumper of Love, Thelma Plum, and Winter. Tickets for all dates are on sale and available here.

Pre-Order Pursuit of Anything

Vacations Tour Dates:
Thu. July 9 – Jakarta, ID @ M Block Live House
Sat. July 11 – Perth, AUS @ Freo.Social
Sun. July 12 – Adelaide, AUS @ The Gov
Thu. July 16 – Brisbane, AUS @ The Triffid
Fri. July 17 – Melbourne, AUS @ 170 Russell
Sat. July 18 – Sydney, AUS @ Metro Theatre
Sun. July 19 – Newcastle, AUS @ The Act at Earp Distillery

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Patrick at Pitch Perfect PR.]

Rewind Review: Bollywood Bloodbath compilation (2011)

I knew I was going to buy Bollywood Bloodbath as soon as I saw the cover and read “The B-Music of the Indian Horror Film Industry.” That cover image, by the way, is from the 1981 monster film Janni Dushman (which is readily available on YouTube if you’re interested).

The collection is packed with great Bollywood psych-disco-horror music ranging from 1949 to 1985. It starts with the spooky laughter of Rajesh Roshan‘s theme to 1981’s Sannata (The Silence), which adds synth wind sounds and ghostly vocals to the mix. Pulsing beats lead the charge on Hemant Bhosle‘s funky phantom track, “Sasani Khez Koi Baat” from another 1981 film – Sansani (The Sensation). Bappi Lahiri‘s “He Met Me in the Guest House” (from 1980’s Guest House) is a rare Bollywood track with English vocals (by Preeti Sagar) that’s a mighty fine lost disco track. Lahiri’s horn-filled (and monster roar-including) “Meri Jaan” is another cool gem from another 1981 movie about a weird snake monster called Dahshat (Shock) and has lovely vocals by Sulakshana Pandit, freaky synths, and almost spaghetti western guitar sounds.

Up next are the prolific team of Laxmikant Shantaram Kudalkar and Pyarelal Ramprasad Sharma with “Aa Jane Jaan” from the giallo-like Intaqam from 1969. It combines bells, spy movie-like horn blasts and hand percussion beats, and mysterious sounds you can’t quite place…and it ends with what sounds like a fight or murder taking place on screen. More mysterious sounds abound in Ratandeep Hemraj‘s “Birha Ki Maari Koi” (from 1979’s Shaitan Mujrim (Satan’s Culprit)) as Jyoti, the lead actress, sings alongside howling dogs, creaking coffin lids, screeching cats, and a horn section that sounds like it might be drunk.

Lahiri returns with the simply titled “Dance Music” from 1982’s Maut Ka Saya – a film about a swamp monster. It’s a rather bouncy track (with sexy, nearly orgasmic laughing) that could be mistaken for a cumbia instrumental upon the first listen. Apparently, this swamp monster is a cool cat. So are the duo known as Sapan Jagmohan, who display their jazz-funk chops on 1978’s “Aji Kahan Gum Ho” from the occult film Darwaza (The Door).

The duo of Laxmikant-Pyarelal return on the theme for 1967’s psychological thriller Anita. The simple hand percussion instruments highlight the lead character’s paranoia. Usha Khanna (Bollywood’s first female music director) provides “Tere Jaisa Pyara Koi Nahin” from the 1981 movie Hotel (the plot of which was pretty much ripped off by Poltergeist a couple years later). Khanna uses a funky bass groove and strange synth notes to craft a slick track.

Roshan comes back to another track from Sannata, this one being “Marjaban Too Kuthe Part 1.” It’s a fun love song hidden in a movie about a series of brutal murders. Sapan Jagmohan’s “Sote Sote Adhi Rat,” from 1984’s Siskeyan is a standout on the record with its great guitar work, funk bass, disco beats, and lush vocals from Salma Agha.

After the short instrumental “Ab Kahan Jayenge Ham (Sad)” by Bhosle (another track from Sansani), we get the exciting theme to 1980’s Andhera (The Darkness) by Sapan Jagmohan. The movie blends a vampire film with a crime thriller, and the “crime” sound is prominent here. You’re expecting a chase scene or a fight to break out any moment. Lahiri’s title to Dahshat follows it with more bat-snake-who knows monster sounds combined with fast tabla beats and warped synths and guitars that sound broken.

Roshan delivers the (in terms of title) out-of-place “Superman, Superman” from Sannata. Two detectives are trying to find the serial killer in this film, not intrepid reporter Clark Kent, so why a song with Udit Narayan, Alka Yagnik, and Ursula Vaz singing about the Man of Steel is in this movie’s soundtrack is anyone’s guess. Nonetheless, it’s a blast and needs to be in the next Superman movie.

Another nice inclusion is “Dance Music” by Khemchand Prakash from what is considered to be the first Indian horror film – 1949’s Mahal (The Mansion). It’s not dance music for the nightclub crowd. It’s dance music for a strange ritual or for ghosts…or both. Another track from Maut Ka Sava by Lahiri is next, titled “Aafat,” and it combines surf guitar with city pop saxophone and Kraftwerk-like synths. I don’t how it works, but it does.

Laxmikant-Pyarelal’s “Chal De Rol” from Jaani Dushman is the most meditative track on the compilation with its excellent tabla work and swirling string instruments. My guess is that its supposed to call the crazy beast killing young brides in the film, but I could be far off base. Roshan’s “Marjaban Too Kuthe Part 2” is another lovely cut, and then we have “Dekho Dekho Dekho Magar Pyar Se” from 1985’s Cheekh (The Scream) by Nadeem Saifi and Shravan Rathod that could almost be video game music and has fun vocals by Alga Yagnik and wicked guitar riffs, tabla beats, and horn blasts.

The compilation appropriately ends with “Bindya Tarse Kajra Barse” by Rahul Dev Burman from the 1980 psychological thriller Phir Wohi Raat. Burman is sometimes known as the “Indian Ennio Morricone” for his massive output, experimentation, and talent.

Finding stuff like this is like finding a treasure chest of money in your backyard. It baffles you at first and then you’re elated by it.

Keep your mind open.

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Riviera Gaz release “Monomania” ahead of their sophomore album, “Catacroma.”

Riviera Gaz — the multinational trio of guitarist/vocalist Gustavo Riviera (leader of long-running Brazilian rock outfit Forgotten Boys), multi-faceted bassist/keyboardist Paulo Kishimoto (Pitty, Forgotten Boys) and drummer Steve Shelley (Sonic Youth) — have announced the release of their second studio album Catacroma, due August 21 via Shelley’s imprint, Vampire Blues. Weaving together a psychedelic collective consciousness where fuzzy riffs, glam rock energy, fearless studio experimentation, and Can-inspired grooves all melt together to form new mercurial elements, the 11-track collection presents an elevated expression of sound, stretching straight-ahead rock songs into strange and sprawling cosmic experiences. First single, “Monomania (Edit),” an abbreviated mix of the longer album track, is out now and accompanied by a video directed by Tomas Spicolli.

“The song ‘Monomania’ evokes the soundtrack to a road movie, with constantly transforming landscapes, shifting colors and a steady rhythm that takes the listener from earthly horizons to a post-industrial future,” says Riviera. “It’s a celebration of obsession. It presents a world where irrational desires, impossible dreams and personal fixations are encouraged. Within the territory of obsession, of mania, an invitation to surrender to your ‘psychotic dreams’ and trust in the impossible.”

While earlier Riviera Gaz material was largely Riviera’s songs fleshed out by the group, Catacroma is a more completely balanced collaboration, with multiple sessions where everyone contributed from start to finish. Additionally, the band intentionally distanced themselves from the sterile digital aesthetic of modern recording, opting out of using click tracks, pitch correction, or instrument plug-ins, yet embracing the mixing phase of production as a means to organize the wild sound of the record. Extensive editing directly informed by techniques absorbed from famed producer Roy Cicala (John Lennon, Jimi Hendrix, Forgotten Boys), the subtractive atmospheres of the ‘Elemental Remixes’ of Lennon’s Mind Games, and Brazilian rock pioneer Erasmos Carlos whose most far out material became a central factor of how the songs were composed, resulting in moments like when “Lonely Moon” shifts unexpectedly between earthly heaviness and black hole spaciness, the emphasized tension between stoic acoustic chords and malicious layers of fuzz on “Name the River,” and drawing out of multicolored textures on the slow-blooming instrumental “Crime Scene.”

Lyrically, Catacroma moves through the same waves of the surreal and the unknown as the music. The album title itself is a word made up by the band, assembled from “Cata” (from the Greek katá, something that crosses, that goes downwards or inwards) and “Chroma” (color, tone, tint). This is meant to represent a core of color that expands into sound, but also has a political meaning when color symbolizes territories of dispute — not only sensory elements, but also tools of resistance, affirmation, and confrontation. The word carries the gesture of traversing the chromatic spectrum, dismantling invisible hierarchies that order what can or cannot be seen and heard. This is the starting point for lyrical pictures that summon up haunted hotel rooms, hyper-realistic poetry, a crime in the Hudson Valley where a son believed his mother was Medusa and would turn him to stone, and other shards of abstract thought.

Taken in its totality, Riviera Gaz‘s sophomore effort Catacroma is an aesthetic world of its own design. Its eleven tracks are a hall of fun house mirrors where killer songs break apart and come back together organically, never taking expected turns and always ending up somewhere even more interesting than where they began.

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Kevin at Calabro Music Media.]

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.

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[Thanks to Shauna at Shameless Promotion PR.]

Top 25 concerts of 2021 – 2025: #’s 10 – 6

We’ve reached the top ten of concerts I saw over the last five years, and it includes more bands I wasn’t sure I’d ever get to see. Starting with…

#10: Les Claypool’s Fearless Flying Frog Brigade – Kemba Live!, Columbus, OH – May 31^st, 2022

Les Claypool’s side project, The Fearless Flying Frog Brigade, put out one album and a cool double-live album many years ago. I didn’t think he’d revive the project and knew I had to see this tour as soon as it was announced. Sure enough, it was a cool show full of weird psychedelic rock, Sean Lennon on lead guitar, and them covering Pink Floyd’s Animals in its entirety in the middle of the show.

#9: Viagra Boys – Salt Shed – Chicago – February 24, 2023

This was bonkers. It was, according to Viagra Boys’ lead singer Sebastian Murphy, their biggest show in the U.S. so far. It was packed, sweaty, loud, and crazy. The entire indoor stage at the Salt Shed felt like it was shaking and that a drug-fueled orgy might break out at any moment.

#8: TV on the Radio – September 27, 2025 – Levitation Austin – Austin, TX

Here’s the next band I wasn’t sure I’d ever get to see. TVOTR didn’t have a new album to promote, but they were touring and headlining one night of the Levitation Music Festival. I would have gone to the festival just to see them, and they didn’t disappoint. They brought everything I wanted: Energy, fury, power, and joy.

#7: Orbital – Radius – Chicago – March 23, 2024

Here’s the third band in this part of the list I wasn’t sure I’d ever see. Orbital’s tour was another surprise and it was great to see them in a reasonably small venue. They sounded excellent, and the show felt like being transported back in time to a 1993 rave. I hadn’t danced that much in a long while.

#6: Elton John – Soldier Field – Chicago – August 05, 2022

It was a hot and humid night at Soldier Field when Sir Elton John played his final Chicago show on his final tour. It was a big, fun, and emotional show, and he and his band sounded great. In terms of sound quality, this probably is the best show I heard of the last five years. Every note was clear.

Up next, the top five, and they’re all bands I wasn’t sure I’d ever see.

Keep your mind open.

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Top 25 concerts of 2021 – 2025: #’s 15 – 10

Ranking the shows I attended for the last five years into just twenty-give top concerts was difficult, and it was especially so for the middle of the list. Who’s in the top fifteen? Let’s find out.

#15: Moon Duo – Levitation Austin / Feels So Good Records – October 30, 2022

Moon Duo closed the 2022 Levitation Music Festival with one of their special “light ship” shows. They play inside a projection screen box with the psychedelic light show being projected from behind them onto the screens. They end up silhouetted and the visuals emerge from their music rather than being cast onto it. No joke, I went into a trance at one point during this show and it was a perfect ending to a great festival.

#14: Castle Rat – September 26, 2025 – Levitation Austin – Austin, TX

Castle Rat set a massively high bar to begin the 2025 Levitation Music Festival, combining stoner metal with a live-action Dungeons & Dragons campaign that included a battle with a death goddess, a druid playing drums, and all of us helping protect a book containing wayward souls. Their merch line after this show lasted twenty minutes per person for hours.

#13: Osees – Old National Centre – Indianapolis – October 22, 2025

This list would be incomplete without at least one Osees show, as they are perhaps the best touring rock band in the country. This show was in a small performance space no bigger than a wedding reception hall and had minimal air conditioning. I knew it was going to be loud and sweaty as soon as I walked into the place, and I was proven right. The mosh pit was surrounded by four stone pillars, one on each corner, and somehow I avoided being slammed into one of them. Osees blasted the place, leaving a lot of people who’d never seen them before in shock.

#12: Slift – Levitation Austin / Elysium – October 27, 2022

Speaking of blasting a place, Slift wrapped up their first U.S. tour at the 2022 Levitation Music Festival and left nothing in the tank. I don’t know how the stage didn’t collapse during their set, nor how any of us weren’t launched into orbit. Everyone knew we’d just seen, heard, and felt something transformative.

#11: Weird Al Yankovic – Lerner Theatre / Elkhart – July 26, 2022

This tour showcased Weird Al’s “non-parody” songs because he wanted to highlight his amazing band. It’s easy to forget how good they are. They can play multiple genres, sometimes in the same song, with ease. This was part-comedy show (with the great Emo Phillips opening), part-musical showcase. They didn’t play a single parody until the encore, and those were in a medley, and it was still one of the best shows I saw in all of 2022.

The top ten is looming! Come back tomorrow to see who made the list!

Keep your mind open.

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Live: The Black Angels and L.A. Witch – Thalia Hall – Chicago, IL – May 28, 2026

If you weren’t aware, The Black Angels are currently on tour to celebrate the 20th anniversary of their debut album, Passover. They’re playing the whole album front to back and a second set of favorites and new material. Their recent return to Chicago’s Thalia Hall was a sold-out affair with spooky psych-rockers L.A. Witch opening for them.

I think this kind of lighting follows L.A. Witch wherever they go.

L.A. Witch played a smoky, spooky set of psych-rock mixed with California garage rock and a bit of doom metal. Their drummer, Ellie English, is sharp and puts down heavy krautrock rhythms at times. They also have a cool wall-of-sound vibe to them that washes over you and can induce a hypnotic state.

Same thing with The Black Angels, really.

Passover launched the careers of the Austin, Texas psych-heavyweights, and the album is still powerful in its message of the insanity of war…which is, unfortunately, also still relevant twenty years later with even just the first two tracks: “Young Men Dead” and “The First Vietnam War.”

“Black Grease” has always been a favorite of mine, so it’s a treat to hear it live, and “Manipulation” has grown into one of their best live pieces as Christian Bland and Alex Maas trade lead vocals throughout it and everyone gets trippy with it. After seeing Stephanie Bailey pound her kit during the back-to-back endurance contests of “Empire” and “Better Off Alone,” my guess is that she carb-loads like a triathlete before each show. By the way, she came out on stage on crutches and still rocked the entire set.

After a brief break, they came back with the ever-cool “Bad Vibrations” and then multiple new tracks: “Push It” (not a Salt & Pepa cover), “Daisies,” and “Turkish” among them. Their new album is going to be a stunner if these are any indication of its sound.

The bad vibrations are actually pretty good.

Don’t skip this tour. The new edge to the Passover songs is heavy and sometimes menacing, and the new songs will amaze you.

Keep your mind open.

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Top 25 concerts of 2021 – 2025: #’s 20 – 16

The numbers get smaller, the concerts get bigger. Here are more of the best shows I attended in the last five years.

#20: Frankie and the Witch Fingers – The Brass Rail – October 08, 2021

FATW always brings the fire, and the small stage in Ft. Wayne, Indiana (a little over an hour drive from my house) could barely contain it. They were still somewhat unknown back then and are rocking major festivals and releasing double-albums by now.

#19: Deap Vally – Thalia Hall – Chicago – February 10, 2024

How could I not see Deap Vally’s final tour, let alone at one of my favorite venues? The duo unleashed a roaring set that left everyone wanting and hoping for more at some future date. Will it happen? No one but Deap Vally knows, but they left us with a great gift if that was the final curtain.

#18: LCD Soundsystem – Aragon Ballroom – Chicago – May 26, 2024

This wasn’t the first time I’d seen LCD Soundsystem, but it was the first time I’d seen them with my fiancé, who’d become a fan of them early in our dating life. Seeing them after a few years of absence and seeing her joyful reaction to their fun, danc beat-filled show was a lovely moment.

#17: Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs – Sleeping Village – Chicago – March 28, 2023

Holy crap. This was the first time Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs played in Chicago and I almost didn’t go to this show. I didn’t decide until a day before it, as I felt like I needed to be there. I’m glad I listened to my gut because this was such a strong set that I was surprised the back wall was still standing by the end. They were a bit surprised by how many showed up to see them and I became a big fan that night.

#16: The Damned – Concord Music Hall, Chicago, IL, June 02, 2024

Here’s another band I wasn’t sure I’d get to see live…enough though I’d seen them before this show. Confused? That’s because The Damned reunited their 1980s lineup that included Paul Gray and Rat Scabies for this tour. This lineup, with Dave Vanian and Captain Sensible, was the lineup of The Damned I’d heard when I discovered them back in high school. They put on a great set that had me smiling and moshing the entire time, and Rat Scabies’ heartfelt reaction to the crowd cheering for him was lovely.

We’re almost halfway through the list? Who lies ahead? Come back tomorrow!

Keep your mind open.

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Top 25 concerts of 2021 – 2025: #’s 25 – 21

Just like my list of the top 25 albums I reviewed over the last five years, I decided to create a list of the top 25 concerts I attended in the same time. It was a harder list to make, although the top five were fairly easy to choose. Who put on the best shows? Let’s find out.

#25: The The – Salt Shed, Chicago, IL, October 25, 2024

There are many bands on this list that I wasn’t sure I’d ever get to see live. The The is one of them. This show included two sets. The first had them playing their newest album, Ensoulment, in its entirety. The second was a “time traveler” set that included all older material, starting with “Infected” and ending with “This Is the Day.”

#24: Yin-Yin – September 27, 2025 – Levitation Austin – Austin, TX

This was Yin-Yin’s first show ever in the United States, and they won over the entire crowd at Levitation last year. Their blend of funk, Euro-disco, and psych-rock was an instant hit. Everyone on and off the stage had a great time.

#23: Jon Spencer – Stockroom East, South Bend, IN, July 11, 2024

Jon Spencer and his backing band featuring two members of The Bobby Lees played about forty minutes from my house in a tiny venue and in front of maybe fifty people. They completely shredded the place, hitting it as hard as they would a big theatre and leaving many who’d never seen his live show slack-jawed by the end of it.

#22: A Place to Bury Strangers – Empty Bottle – Chicago – May 30, 2022

Any APTBS show is an experience, and this one in my favorite Chicago dive bar was especially wild. They were feeding off the crowd’s energy and crushing everyone and everything in sight. A friend of mine, a bassist for a Chicago death metal band (Aphixiator), was impressed by the power they generated. I think the walls shook for hours afterwards.

#21: Gang of Four – Far Out Lounge – Levitation Austin, November 01, 2024

Here’s another band I wasn’t sure I’d ever see live. Gang of Four showed that they were still powerful, relevant, and sharp. Seeing so many other GOF fans going bonkers with me was a highlight of the Levitation Music Festival that year.

Whew. It’s already heavy and loud. Who makes the top twenty? Come back tomorrow to find out!

Keep your mind open.

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