Psychedelic – Page 13 – 7th Level Music

Levitation Austin 2024 – Day One

It’s time to enjoy my favorite weekend of the year with another return to Levitation Austin. The weather on Day One was perfect for both the festival and Halloween. Downtown was packed to the gills with people in and out of costume, but the majority of the crowds were in the spooky spirit (For the record, my girlfriend and I were dressed as Shaggy and Velma.).

Up first was a stop at Stubb’s to catch Mdou Moctar and The Black Angels. We missed The Strange Lot‘s set, and caught part of Boogarins‘, but managed to get about halfway to the stage for Mr. Moctar and his band (who came out wearing wigs and fake beards).

The sound mix was a bit off during Moctar’s set at first, making his vocals a bit tough to hear, but they eventually smoothed out and the band had a great time. The crowd was roaring by the end of their set, and Moctar’s drummer was on fire.

The Black Angels are a new favorite band of my girlfriend, so we moved up closer to get her the best experience possible. They were performing the entire Phosphene Dream album as the first set, which is a favorite of mine since they were touring that album when I first saw them live in 2011.

They played a full second set, including many songs I’d never heard live until then (and I’ve seen them at least a dozen times by now). Lead guitarist Christian Bland did a lot of wild pedal effects during both sets, and their new bass player and keyboardist is sharp.

We snagged some mediocre falafel at a food truck after that and then heading over to Empire to see A Place to Bury Strangers. They were playing the inside stage, and it had been so long since I’d been at a show there that I’d forgotten how small the inside space is. “It’s going to be so loud in here,” I told my girlfriend, who was also seeing them for the first time.

After a great catch-up conversation with frontman / guitar and pedal whiz Oliver Ackermann, the band (all dressed as vampires) came out and, as predicted, flattened the place. Ackermann smashed one guitar and broke two strings on it by the second song (“We’ve Come So Far”). The stage was flooded with fake fog during “Ocean,” and Ackermann and Sandra and John Fedowitz emerged from it like, well, vampires, as their bulldozer of sound rolled over us.

A mosh pit broke out at one point, making my short girlfriend uneasy. I got her away from it while APTBS brought out their rolling synth-drum machine-cacophony maker into the crowd and Sandra and John Fedowitz played their respective drum and bass around it while Ackermann melted brains with weird sounds and weirder vocals. They returned to the stage where Ackermann decapitated a piñata with a guitar and they ended the night with enough feedback to make my girlfriend say, “I need a neck adjustment after that.”

It was a good start to the festival. Up next, several post-punk and rock bands at a place that has no parking and a late-night mini-rave.

Keep your mind open.

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Live: Osees and Iguana Death Cult – Thalia Hall – Chicago, IL – October 19, 2024

It was the second of two sold-out shows for Osees in what’s become an annual autumn tradition at Chicago’s Thalia Hall. The crowd was buzzing at the outset, and everyone knew a good, wild time was coming.

The party started with Iguana Death Cult, all the way from The Netherlands. I hadn’t heard of them until this night, and at first wasn’t sure what to make of them. Were they punk, funk, post-punk, post-funk, post-psych, pre-psych? I’m still not sure if I know, but I do know that they were a lot of fun, the songs were wild, and each one was better than the last.

The crowd was behind them all the way, and had a fun mosh pit going by the end of their set. I chatted with their lead singer, Jeron Reek, after the show, and he told me they’d played South by Southwest twice, and other clubs and events across the U.S. a few times, “but this was the best.”

Osees came out to a happy crowd and soon got underway with a no-frills, no muss, no fuss set of wild garage-psych that began with “I Come from the Mountain” and barely let up to give the mosh pit time to catch a breath.

No backdrop, no projections…just simple lights and heavy shredding.

As always, the band had enough energy to power a Formula 1 race car through 500 laps with double drummers Paul Quattrone and Dan Rincon leading the charge. “A Foul Form,” “Toe Cutter – Thumb Buster,” and “Animated Violence” had the front half of the crowd in a wild frenzy.

Lead singer and guitarist John Dwyer announced “Tidal Wave” as “an old one,” but everyone reacted like it was a brand new gift. He introduced “The Dream” as “Here’s a new one that nobody likes,” and the crowd proceeded to go bonkers.

“Warm Slime” was a great addition, and the night ended with two long psychedelic tracks, “C” and “Minotaur.” I love Osees’ longer psych-rock cuts, so I was digging it. I must, as always, give mention to Tom Dolas on keyboards and Tim Hellman on bass, who always keep the whole band grounded. Dolas is like a magician in the background putting in tones and sounds that would make the songs feel weird without them, and Hellman is one of the sturdiest bass workhorses in all rock music. That guy is solid all the time and never stumbles.

Both bands will be performing at Levitation Music Festival, with Osees doing a four-night residency at Hotel Vegas no less. Don’t miss either of them.

Keep your mind open.

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Live: Slift and Meatbodies – Reggie’s Music Joint – Chicago, IL – October 18, 2024

The first time I saw Slift was at the Levitation Music Festival in 2022. It was the last show of their U.S. tour, in a small venue, and they held back nothing. It was as if they blasted every drop of rocket fuel they had.

Now I was seeing them in an even smaller venue and with Meatbodies, no less, opening for them.

I’d been keen on seeing Meatbodies since I heard their newest album, Flora Ocean Tiger Bloom. Their live sets are as good as the record – trippy, heavy, and loud. It was a solid set, and the sold-out crowd loved it. The sound quality of their set was top-notch, too.

Slift was in full cosmic-psych mode to the point where they were selling posters at their merch table featuring schematics of the spaceship seen in the videos for their newest album, Ilion.

One thing you need to know about seeing Slift live is that every song sounds like a finale. They pack so much power and energy into their songs that you keep thinking, “It’s going to be tough to match that one,” and then they do it – every time.

They played a wall-shaking set of new and older material that had the whole place buzzing. The galactic nature of their lyrics and sound, and the near relentlessness of it almost becomes an out-of-body experience.

Don’t miss either of these bands. They’re touring all over the place, and will both be at Levitation Music Festival soon.

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Kate at Stereo Sanctity, Frank and Bekah at SubPop, and Slift for the press pass!]

Review: Goodbye Meteor – We Could Have Been Radiant

The brief bio on Haute-de-France’s Goodbye Meteor‘s Bandcamp page lists their sound as “immersive and solar post-rock” that’s created for “opening the way for harmony between humans and nature.”

I’m glad they included this, because I was unsure of how to describe their newest album, We Could Have Been Radiant. I knew it wasn’t quite shoegaze, ambient, or psychedelic. It was somehow all three, and yet none of those.

The theme of the album is humanity’s search for something more, and often being disappointed when we find “it” because we realize we had “it” all along here in the present moment.

Opening with “This Is Not Here,” the quartet unleashes soaring guitar sounds that would be appropriate for hang gliding through a mountain range. It awakens you and reminds you that what you think is important right now is probably not that at all. “No Signal” implies the worst nightmare of many in this age of internet addiction and dependence, but the snappy drums and expansive guitar sounds makes you think having no cellphone or computer for a while would be the greatest thing you’ve experienced in a long time.

“Destructuration” builds from a drift through space to flying through a heavy meteor shower by the end. “What Are We Here For?” is the longest track on the album, clocking in just over twelve minutes, and it uses the time to make you sit back and think on things as it creates a sound around you that brings to mind images of spotting a far shore after days lost at sea or the sun finally breaking over the horizon after a seemingly endless night in the dark.

The title track is full of power and also subtlety. It shifts your perspective rather than blow your mind. The album ends with “Phosphenes,” a short track to uplift you on a high note as you consider what’s happening right here and right now.

Did I mention this album (apart from the final track) is instrumental? It’s good stuff, and best heard as one continuous experience. Check it out if you want to change how things appear.

Keep your mind open.

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[Merci à Laurent de Goodbye Meteor!]

Review: A Place to Bury Strangers – Synthesizer

Not to get all “Gen X is cool” on you, but do you remember when cereal boxes used to include phonograph records in or on the box? Seriously, this was a thing. You could get a flexi-disc record in a box of Count Chocula that featured cereal mascots at the disco or even score a Jackson 5 record from a box of Alpha-Bits.

I don’t know if Oliver Ackermann (vocals, guitar, synths), John Fedowitz (bass, vocals, synths), and Sandra Fedowitz (drums, vocals, synths) were listening to a flexi-disc copy of Bobby Sherman songs found in a box of Honey-Comb when they got the idea for their latest album, Synthesizer, but it reminded me of these flexi-discs because the packaging is a musical instrument.

Yes, you can buy a vinyl copy of the record with a cover that includes dials, wires, and other bits of gear that can be used (with soldering tools and other simple devices) to turn the album cover in to a synthesizer. No joke.

When I heard they’d done this, I first thought, “That is the coolest idea I’ve heard all year,” and then thought, “Yeah, this is perfect for them.”

It’s perfect because APTBS are always pushing the envelope and finding new ways to immerse you in sound. Beyond the wild feat of having an album cover that doubles as a musical instrument, Synthesizer is also a really good record that blasts you into an altered state.

Opening track “Disgust,” for example, blares at you right out of the gate, and Ackermann has said that it’s a half-joke “to turn people off from listening to the record.” Only the daring will venture on after the opening salvo. Only the daring will be rewarded with this track about the pleasure and pitfalls of lust, let alone the rest of the album. The guitars on “Don’t Be Sorry” are like stabs in a giallo film.

The synth bass of “Fear of Transformation” will get the industrial fans to pay attention as Ackermann sings about overcoming fear as it sometimes overwhelms us through the simplest things. Mrs. Fedowitz’s live drums mix well with electronic thumps, creating a near-panic – which is what the trio wanted us to feel all along. The haunting “Join the Crowd” is like a slow slide into a shadowy world that always seems to be on the edge of your vision as Ackermann wonders when people stopped caring about each other (“And is it me? Am I the only one here who even cares? Now I know why. You never had a choice or care.”).

“Bad Idea” has Mr. Fedowitz (whose “bad idea” for something to work on that day in the studio became the sone) considering a reconnection, even though it might cause him to end up flat on his face in the street. Ackermann’s guitar sounds like an angry beetle skittering around in a tin can at one point and like a miter saw in others, while Mr. Fedowitz’s bass line grumbles like a paranoid android.

Romance is a not-so-hidden theme on Synthesizer, and it’s great to hear Ackermann and the Fedowitzs embracing it. “You Got Me” is upbeat and reminds me of some early Cure tracks in that it mixes gothic tones so well with lyrics like “In a world where the universe is crashing down and there’s no hope, I feel ok. You question life, but there’s one thing you’ll never have to ask me. You got me.”

“It’s Too Much” is a fascinating mixed of warped sounds and more lyrics about being overcome with good emotions you haven’t felt in a long while (“I go out, but didn’t know you’d be there, and all this time I thought I was fine, but now I’m high.”). Mr. Fedowitz gives Peter Hook a run for his money on “Plastic Furniture.” I mean, come on, his bass riff on this is insane.

“Have You Ever Been in Love?” is a wild one, with Mrs. Fedowitz crushing her drum kit and adding spooky yet lovely backing vocals and cries throughout it – helping Ackermann express his anguish over a breakup (“Knife in heart. I want to die, seeing you pass me by.”). The closing track, “Comfort Never Comes,” might end up being a new synth-psych classic as it builds with gorgeous notes, Wall of Voodoo-like guitar chords, A Flock of Seagulls-like synth flourishes, and hypnotic rhythms. Ackermann acknowledges his faults in a relationship that’s beyond repair and that he wishes he could amend things (“You and I are in pieces. You could lift me like a stone…You and I are in pieces. I could lift you like a rose.”).

I can’t recommend this album enough to you. I’m sure it’s an absolute sonic wall coming at you on vinyl, but I encourage you to give it a deep headphone / earbud listen. Like any synthesizer played well, it changes the feel of everything around you and within you.

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Patrick at Pitch Perfect PR.]

Khana Bierbood release super funky new single – “Fi Ran Sanae-ha.”

Today Thailand’s Khana Bierbood announce details of their second album ‘Monolam’, set for release on October 25th via Guruguru Brain. Along with the announcement, they have shared first single and accompanying video “Fi Rak Sanae-ha” – online now.

The music of Khana Bierbood is equal parts revival and revelation. The six-piece band was formed around 2012 in Thailand’s beach side sub-district Bangsaen by university friends who shared a love for the western psychedelic music of the 60’s-70’s. As they began writing songs they found a likeness in their sound and the Thai Funk, rock’n’roll imbued Luk Thung and traditional Lao Molam-inspired music styles of those eras. These are influences that the band says come from their simplistic reduction of generational stories and cultural experiences which envelope a hidden underlying wit. Their music is laced with a kind of Thai pop sensibility that lays the foundation for a truly kaleidoscopic frenzy of authentic fuzz and far east frequencies.

Following the release of their debut LP ‘Strangers From The Far East’ in 2019, in 2023 Go Kurosawa (of Kikagaku Moyo and the band’s label Guruguru Brain) joined the band at TMM studios in Bangkok and together they recorded this, their second studio album, ‘Monolam’ (meaning unique in sound and style).

While the album maintains the infectious rock’n’roll charm of their previous offering, it shows a departure toward an even more sublime and groovy psychedelic sound – a sound that pays homage to their passion for the past and their longing for a new cultural renaissance. Lyrically, the songs speak of the life experiences of the band, combined sometimes with stories from Thai movies and dramas, telling tales of love, loss and adventure.

Today they share the track “Fi Rak Sanae-ha”, meaning “Fire, Love and Enchanted” which they describe as being “a toxic love song”. The track is a funky take on Thai Lae – a mantric, stripped-back style of music used to covey Buddhist scriptures, usually sung by monks.

“Fi Rak Sanae-ha” official video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKsbC6TUmXY

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Kate at Stereo Sanctity!]

A Place to Bury Strangers release “Fear of Transformation” just in time for the spooky season.

A Place To Bury Strangers release the new single/video, “Fear Of Transformation,” from their forthcoming album, Synthesizer, to be released digitally October 4th and on vinyl October 25th via Dedstrange. Following lead singles “Disgust,” “You Got Me,” and “Bad Idea,” “Fear Of Transformation” is a snarling, gothic techno-punk track that feels like getting body slammed by a wave out at sea. The track delves into the struggle of overcoming internal barriers. As frontman Oliver Ackermann explains, “Sometimes fear builds up and pins you in a cage. A conversation occurs in my head where I have to convince myself to just fucking do something to break out of it.” “Fear Of Transformation” embodies that internal dialogue, capturing the battle between the compulsion to avoid fear and the push to confront it. The song is a raw, intense conversation with the devil within.

The accompanying video was created by Chad Crawford Kinkle, director of Dementor and Jugface. A teenage boy sneaks out from his parent’s house to go to his first Furry party, but he has a secret. He’s actually a werewolf.

Watch the Video for “Fear of Transformation”

Synthesizer is the title of A Place to Bury Strangers’ seventh album. It is also a physical entity, a synthesizer made specifically for you to own, too, if you buy the record on vinyl. You can watch Ackermann demonstrate how to play the circuit board and functional synth album cover here. In an era of making music where so little is DIY and so much is left up to AI, to never setting foot in a practice room or a home studio, making something that feels deliberately chaotic, messy, and human, is entirely the point. Synthesizer very much feels like a record of reinvention. And of course, to ever so slightly reinvent one’s sound, one must also build a new instrument, thus again the synth in question. The resulting record is one that is romantic, colorful, loud as hell, wild, and fucked up just like the instrument itself.

Pre-order Synthesizer

Watch the “Disgust” Video

Watch the Video For “You Got Me”

Watch the Video for “Bad Idea”

A Place To Bury Strangers Tour Dates:

Thu. Oct. 3 – Berlin, DE @ Berlin Metropol [Record Release Show] %

Fri. Oct. 4 – Copenhagen, DK @ Loppen %

Sat. Oct. 5 – Oslo, NO @ Goldie %

Sun. Oct. 6 – Gothenburg, SE @ Fangelset %

Mon. Oct. 7 – Stockholm, SE @ Slaktkyrkan %

Wed. Oct 9 – Wroclaw, PL @ Lacznik %

Thu. Oct. 10 – Warsaw, PL @ Hybrydy %

Fri. Oct. 11 – Poznan, PL @ 2progi %

Sat. Oct. 12 – Bmo, CZ @ Kabinet Muz %

Sun. Oct 13 – Jena, DE KuBa Jena %

Fri. Oct. 25 – Washington, DC @ Black Cat &

Sat. Oct. 26 – Raleigh, NC @ Kings &

Sun. Oct. 27 – Asheville, NC @ Grey Eagle &

Mon. Oct. 28 – Atlanta, GA @ The Earl &

Wed. Oct. 30 – Houston, TX @ White Oak &

Thu. Oct. 31 – Austin, TX @ Levitation &

Sat. Nov. 2 – Phoenix, AZ @ Valley Bar #

Sun. Nov. 3 – Los Angeles, CA @ Teragram Ballroom #

Mon. Nov. 4 – San Francisco, CA @ GAMH Psyched Fest #

Thu. Nov. 7 – Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios #

Fr. Nov. 8 – Seattle, WA @ Freakout Festival ^

Sat. Nov. 9 – Vancouver, BC @ The Pearl

% w/ Stella Rose

& w/ YHWH Nailgun

# w/ Pop Music Fever Dream

^ w/ The Black Angels, Martin Rev, The Black Lips & Shabazz Palaces

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Steven at Dedstrange!]

A Place to Bury Strangers have a “Bad Idea” for their new single.

New-York based band A Place To Bury Strangers release their new single/video, “Bad Idea,” from their forthcoming album, Synthesizer, to be released digitally October 4th and on vinyl October 25th via Dedstrange. Following lead single “Disgust,” described as “one hell of a feedback-ridden ride” (Consequence), and the “addictive” (New Noise) single “You Got Me,” “Bad Idea” showcases the raw creativity of bassist John Fedowitz. “He came to the studio with a simple looping drum beat, thinking he didn’t have any good ideas—thus, the song was his ‘bad idea,’” says frontman Oliver Ackermann. “We each penned some lines on paper, and he sang the ones that resonated. After a few instrumental passes, the recording was complete. The result is an innovative track born from spontaneous collaboration and a touch of self-doubt, turned into something uniquely captivating.”

The video director for “Bad Idea,” Nick Kulp says, “While touring with the band doing visuals and lighting since 2022, I’ve been lucky enough to experience the band perform new songs and see the development of Synthesizer. In 2023, they started performing ‘Bad Idea’ and I was immediately hooked. It’s one of those live songs that really just takes you along for the ride and is really fun to do visuals and lights for. As the year went on we started talking about videos and elements for the new album and I was approached to do a video for this song and was immediately happy and grateful. I’ve been filming the band on tour and in their practice studio since December of 2023 and have been taking my Hi8 camera on the road and filming the shows. I tried my best to capture as much of the chaos of seeing the band live that I could — it’s an intense journey!”

Watch the Video for “Bad Idea”

The writing sessions for Synthesizer started in 2022 in the band’s Queens studio, shortly after the release of See Through You. A Place to Bury Strangers re-formed with a new lineup, Oliver Ackermann still at the helm, now featuring friends John and Sandra Fedowitz. Synthesizer very much feels like a record of reinvention. And of course, to ever so slightly reinvent one’s sound, one must also build a new instrument, thus again the synth in question.

The resulting record is one that is romantic, colorful, loud as hell. This is a band that is meant to be witnessed in a live setting, where the songs take on a new energy in the presence of a crowd. Ackermann founded the storied DIY space (and now effects pedal factory) Death By Audio. DBA, as a venue, had a collaborative, creative spirit of chaos and collectivity. That essence appears all over the band’s work, and Synthesizer is a raw collection of songs, wild and loud and fucked up just like the instrument itself.

Pre-order Synthesizer

Watch the “Disgust” Video

Watch the Video For “You Got Me”

A Place To Bury Strangers Tour Dates:
Sat. Sep. 21 – Groningen, NL @ Vicefest
Mon. Sep. 23 – London, UK @ The Shacklewell Arms
Tue. Sep. 24 – Wed. Sep. 25 – London, UK @ No90 Live Hackney Wick
Thu. Sep. 26 – Manchester, UK @ Deaf Institute %
Fri. Sep. 27 – Dublin, IE @ The Grand Social %
Sat. Sep. 28 – Belfast, IE @ Oh Yeah %
Sun. Sep. 29 – Glasgow, UK @ Stereo %
Mon. Sep. 30 – Bedford UK @ Esquire %
Thu. Oct. 3 – Berlin, DE @ Berlin Metropol [Record Release Show] %
Fri. Oct. 4 – Copenhagen, DK @ Loppen %
Sat. Oct. 5 – Oslo, NO @ Goldie %
Sun. Oct. 6 – Gothenburg, SE @ Fangelset %
Mon. Oct. 7 – Stockholm, SE @ Slaktkyrkan %
Wed. Oct 9 – Wroclaw, PL @ Lacznik %
Thu. Oct. 10 – Warsaw, PL @ Hybrydy %
Fri. Oct. 11 – Poznan, PL @ 2progi %
Sat. Oct. 12 – Bmo, CZ @ Kabinet Muz %
Sun. Oct 13 – Jena, DE KuBa Jena %
Fri. Oct. 25 – Washington, DC @ Black Cat &
Sat. Oct. 26 – Raleigh, NC @ Kings &
Sun. Oct. 27 – Asheville, NC @ Grey Eagle &
Mon. Oct. 28 – Atlanta, GA @ The Earl &
Wed. Oct. 30 – Houston, TX @ White Oak &
Thu. Oct. 31 – Austin, TX @ Levitation &
Sat. Nov. 2 – Phoenix, AZ @ Valley Bar #
Sun. Nov. 3 – Los Angeles, CA @ Teragram Ballroom #
Mon. Nov. 4 – San Francisco, CA @ GAMH Psyched Fest #
Thu. Nov. 7 – Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios #
Fr. Nov. 8 – Seattle, WA @ Freakout Festival ^
Sat. Nov. 9 – Vancouver, BC @ The Pearl

% w/ Stella Rose
& w/ YHWH Nailgun
# w/ Pop Music Fever Dream
^ w/ The Black Angels, Martin Rev, The Black Lips & Shabazz Palaces

Keep your mind open.

[It’s a good idea to subscribe.]

[Thanks to Patrick at Pitch Perfect PR.]

John Cale announces reissues of two classic albums coming November 15, 2024.

Following the release of POPtical Illusion earlier this year, John Cale announces the Paris 1919 Deluxe Edition and The Academy in Peril reissue, out November 15th via Domino. Both remastered by Heba Kadry, this is the first artist sanctioned reissue of these beloved records. Paris 1919 includes previously unreleased outtakes and liner notes by Grayson Haver Currin, and features a brand new recording, “Fever Dream 2024: You’re a Ghost,” and The Academy of Peril includes bonus track, “Temper.” Both will be available on CD, vinyl and digitally.

“Revisiting work from the past is a double-edged sword for me. Of course, it’s bound to happen when you’ve been making music for 60 years or so. . . What’s unique about this process with Domino, is their desire to get it right. Not merely re-issue something for the sake of an anniversary or racking up a catalogue favorite – but finding new treasures and highlighting what made it special in the first place. After hearing the test pressings, it occurred to me that the new mastering was a major part of how these works will be presented, rather than simply being preserved. There are moments of clarity and even a laugh or two had by revisiting not only the music, but recalling the sessions (and antics) that made up what became these two recordings. It is my pleasure to share these with you . . . again.”
– John Cale, September 2024

John Cale was never very kind to his solo debut, Vintage Violence. Released in early 1970, Cale had been out of The Velvet Underground for less than two years, and had been wanting to prove he could be the songwriter behind which a band could work. “I was masked on Vintage Violence,” he wrote much later. “You’re not really seeing the personality.” Indeed, Cale’s personality as a polyglot seemingly interested in everything emerged more and more on his next two solo albums and only two for Reprise: 1972’s bracing and exploratory classical sojourn, The Academy in Peril, and 1973’s masterclass in anxious but accessible songcraft, Paris 1919. By reissuing both records in tandem, Domino—Cale’s home now for a dozen years—affirms the artistic fearlessness Cale then fostered at the edge of 30, when all of music seemed like one inviting playpen.

When Cale arrived in Los Angeles from New York in the early ’70s, he was a pinball in the world; out of The Velvet Underground, out of a marriage with designer Betsey Johnson, no longer a vital piece of a New York scene. He had just kicked heroin, too. In California, he entered a chaotic new relationship, starting his new industry gig, and found his West Coast drug of choice, cocaine. Despite its reputation as Reprise’s first classical album, The Academy in Peril indulges that extreme upper energy, bouncing among ambitious ideas with unguarded zeal. Warner Brothers spent $120,000 on The Academy in Peril, and Cale even enlisted the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra to play on several of its tracks. Still, there is an early punk energy to it all, with a frantic pace of making from idea to execution, where he created his own secret fusion and ignored the strictures of expectation.

The frantic pace of making The Academy in Peril, though, taught Cale an important lesson: take the time you need to make the album you want to hear. And that is precisely what he did on Paris 1919. Arriving at the studio with songs already written, he worked with Little Feat and bassist Wilton Felder at Sunwest Studios in Hollywood, and fully relinquished production duties to English producer Chris Thomas. This remastered and expanded reissue of Paris 1919 is a testament to the progress and the patience that engendered it. In previously unreleased tapes, Cale teases his new chemical habits as he tries to find his way through “Half Past France,” then attempts new vocal arrangements for its beginning in an alternate version. A brilliant “Drone Mix” of “Hanky Panky Nohow,” with Cale’s viola seesawing in hypnotic waves, shows just how much he and Thomas were willing to tinker with these tunes and test the bounds of songcraft. Appended at the end of these extras, “Fever Dream (You’re a Ghost)”—a new Cale composition that perfectly flows out of yet another mix of “Hanky Panky Nohow”—shows that he’s still doing just that into his 80s.

Pre-order Paris 1919 Deluxe Edition
Pre-order The Academy in Peril

As previously announced, John Cale’s POPtical Illusion tour begins in Europe on February 28th.

John Cale POPtical Illusion Tour Dates
Fri. Feb. 28 – Groningen, NL @ De Oosterpoort
Sat. Mar. 1 – Maasmechelen, BE @ CC Maasmechelen
Mon. Mar. 3 – Paris, FR @ Le Trianon
Tue. Mar. 4 – Brussels, BE @ Cirque Royal
Thu. Mar. 6– Karlsruhe, DE @ Tollhaus
Fri. Mar. 7 – Munich, DE @ Alte Kongresshalle
Sun. Mar. 9 – Stuttgart, DE @ Theaterhaus
Mon. Mar. 10 – Esch-sur-Alzette, LU @ Rockhal
Wed. Mar. 12 – Nurnberg, DE @ Markgrafenhalle
Thu. Mar. 13 – Leipzig, DE @ Haus Auensee
Fri. Mar. 14 – Berlin, DE @ Columbiahalle
Sun. Mar. 16 – Hamburg, DE @ Laeiszhalle
Mon. Mar. 17 – Utrecht, NL @ TivoliVredenburg
Tue. Mar. 18 – Cologne, DE @ Carlswerk Victoria
Thu. Mar. 20 – Nottingham, UK @ Playhouse
Fri. Mar. 21 – London, UK @ Royal Festival Hall
Sun. Mar. 23 – Birmingham, UK @ Town Hall
Mon. Mar. 24 – Glasgow, UK @ Pavilion
Tue. Mar. 25 – Newcastle, UK @ New Tyne Theatre
Thu. Mar. 27 – Bexhill on Sea, UK @ De La Warr Pavilion
Sat. Mar. 29 – Cardiff, UK @ Wales New Theatre
Sun. Mar. 30 – Liverpool, UK @ Philharmonic Hall
Mon. Mar. 31 – Dublin, IE @ Vicar Street

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Jessica and Patrick at Pitch Perfect PR.]

Review: GUM / Ambrose Kenny-Smith – Ill Times

Jay Watson, otherwise known as GUM, had a lot of ideas bouncing around his head while playing with Pond and Tame Impala. He had songs that didn’t fit with either band, or even other bands in which he wasn’t jamming or touring or producing. He wanted to do something with them, but wasn’t sure how to bring them to the world.

Enter his pal Ambrose Kenny-Smith of King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard and The Murlocs, whom Watson had known since both men were teenagers. Kenny-Smith’s bluesy vocal style was just what Watson wanted, and Kenny-Smith was looking for something to work on during winter downtime between festivals and gigs.

The album, Ill Times, turned out to be a cathartic experience for both of them. Watson was finally able to get these songs out of his head, and Kenny-Smith was able to sing about the deaths of his father and a close friend. Watson brought his funky production, Kenny-Smith brought his harmonica, and they ended up making one of the best albums of the year.

The lush, brilliant psych-synths of “Dud” uplift Kenny-Smith’s lyrics about experiencing, living with, and accepting grief over the loss of his father (“Father, I bid you adieu. The man out of time. I’ll see you soon.”). The song was even written with his father and fellow musician, Broderick Smith, but the senior Smith never got to hear it since he died before the track was finished. Still, the song (and the others dealing with loss) is uplifting.

The booming, downright funky-sick title track is about getting out of dark places in your head after suffering a big loss (“What’s it gonna take to shake ya and leave it behind?”). The shiny synths of “Minor Setback” inspire you to shake off the dust and move forward after you realize you don’t have to spend energy on negativity. “Fool for You” is a song about embracing love.

The groovy bass line of “Resilience” is almost slippery, and lyrics like “You know you’re one in a million. It’d be a shame to diminish your brilliance.” continue the positive energy permeating the album. “Powertrippin'” is a fun takedown of toxic masculinity.

“Old Transistor Radio” was the first track the pair created (through back and forth direct messages, no less), and it’s a fun one full of bumping bass and bluesy harmonica riffs. The simple “Keep it simple.” lyrics of “Emu Rock” almost become a mantra. “Marionette” is a clever look at people who choose to live in negativity instead of embracing happiness that is often right in front of them (“If he had it his way, he’d be alone in a cottage, rather than swimming in the Caribbean.” / “Marionette, analyzing in a rocking chair. Marionette, reconciling with his frail conscience.”). The closing song, “The Gloater,” is another takedown of people whose overinflated egos will eventually bring them misery.

Watson and Kenny-Smith haven’t confirmed if Ill Times will be a one-off project or not, but it’s a bright gem in a pile of the literal and metaphorical coal dust all over the world if it is.

Keep your mind open.

[I might experience ill times if you don’t subscribe.]

[Thanks to Jaycee at Pitch Perfect PR.]