Psychedelic – Page 27 – 7th Level Music

Death Valley Girls and Peaches combine their super powers.

Los Angeles’s Death Valley Girls have shared a remix of their new track “When I’m Free” by the legendary multi-disciplinary artist Peaches via Suicide Squeeze Records.

For nearly a decade, Death Valley Girls have made it their mission to remind the punks, psych rockers, garage aficionados, and desert mystics of the communal, transcendental, and triumphant power of music, as evidenced most recently in the riotous affirmations of their 2022 track “When I’m Free.”

The song fuses Bonnie Bloomgarden’s passionate vocals, Larry Schemel’s anthemic guitar chords, rousing sing-along choruses, and feverish organ lines into a perfect three-minute shot of adrenaline and dopamine. Despite the old-school nature of their instrumentation, Death Valley Girls are well aware of the revolutionary power of the dance floor, so they approached one of their heroes — Peaches — to help re-envision “When I’m Free” for the club crowd.

What better way to reinforce the liberating spirit of the song than to give it to Peaches, an artist who continues to push boundaries in a career that spans over two decades, and who has helped so many people navigate sexuality, gender, identity, and being comfortable in one’s body in the new millennium.

Under Peaches’ meticulous care, “When I’m Free” transforms from a scrappy rock song to a throbbing, minimalist club banger. The musical key switches from major to minor, taking the song from celebratory mode into a leaner and meaner message of empowerment. Bloomgarden’s impassioned vocals remain in place along with a few organ glissandos, though the rest of the original is excised in favor of stark four-on-the-floor beats and pulsing synth bass. The sound may prompt a different type of gyration than the original, but the spirit of freedom and revelry remains and takes on a whole new angle under Peaches’ masterful manipulations.

Listen / share “When I’m Free (Peaches Remix)” on YouTube.

See Death Valley Girls and Peaches both on tour this spring/summer:

Death Valley Girls:

May 13 San Pedro, CA @ The Sardine

May 19 Everett, WA @ Fisherman’s Village Music Fest

May 31 Paris, FR @ Supersonic

June 2 Aix-en-Provence, FR @ 6MIC

June 3 Bourg-en-Bresse, FR @ La Tannerie

June 4 Angers, FR @ Levitation Fest

June 6 Koln, DE @ Sonic Ballroom

June 7 Munster, DE @ Gleis 22

June 8 Berlin, DE @ Urban Spree

June 9 Malmo, SE @ Plan B

June 10 Copenhagen, DK @ Loppen

June 11 Goteborg, SE @ Showdown

June 13 Le Havre, FR @ Mc Daid’s

June 14 Birmingham, UK @ Hare & Hounds

June 15 Leeds, UK @ Brudenell Social Club

June 16 Newcastle, UK @ The Clunny

June 17 Nottingham, UK @ The Bodega

June 18 London, UK @ The Lexington

June 19 Brighton, UK @ The Hope & Ruin

June 21 Barcelona, SP @ Upload

June 22 Valencia, SP @ Loco Club

June 23 Madrid, SP @ Wurlitzer Ballroom

June 14 Vigo, SP@ La Iguana Club

June 25 Oviedo, SP @ La Salvaje

June 26 Sopelana, SP @ La Triangu

June 28 Ravenna, IT @ Hana-Bi

June 29 Perugia, IT @ Fat Art Club

June 30 Livorno, IT @ Ultima Cecina

July 1 Padova, IT @ Sub Cult Fest

July 15 San Francisco, CA @The Chapel

July 16 Santa Cruz, CA @ Crepe Place

July 17 Cayucos, CA @ Schooners

August 5 Indianapolis, IN @ Back Alley Ballyhoo Fest

The Teaches of Peaches Anniversary Tour 2022:

May 15 Vancouver, BC @ Harbour Event Centre

May 16 Seattle, WA @ The Showbox

May 17 Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom

May 20 San Francisco, CA @ The Masonic

May 21 Pasadena, CA @ Just Like Heaven Festival

May 22 San Diego, CA @ The Observatory North Park

May 25 Montreal, QC @ MTelus

May 26 Toronto, ON @ Rebel

May 28 Brooklyn, NY @ Great Hall at Avant Gardner

May 29 Boston, MA @ House of Blues

June 4 Bergen, NO @ Bergen International Festival

June 5 Stockholm, SE @ Berns

June 6 Malmö, SE @ Malmö Live

June 10 Brighton, UK @ Brighton Dome

June 11 London, UK @ Grace Jones’ Meltdown Festival

June 13 Glasgow, UK @ SWG3 Galvanizers

June 14 Manchester, UK @ O2 Ritz Manchester

June 15 Liverpool, UK @ Invisible Wind Factory

June 16 Bristol, UK @ Marble Factory

June 19 Amsterdam, NL @ Paradiso

June 20 Paris, FR @ Le Trianon

June 21 Brussels, BE @ AB

June 26 Dublin, IE @ The Mother Pride Block Party

July 1 Porto, PT @ GBT+ Music Festival

July 9 Bilbao, SP @ Bilbao BBK Live

July 16 Graz, AT @ Elevate Festival

Sept 1-3 Lisbon, PT @ Kalorama Festival

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON PEACHES, VISIT:

TWITTER | INSTAGRAM | FACEBOOK

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON DEATH VALLEY GIRLS, VISIT:

TWITTER | INSTAGRAM | FACEBOOK

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Stephanie at Indie Publicity.]

King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard climb “Magenta Mountain” on their new single.

King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard have released “Magenta Mountain,” a new track/video from their forthcoming album, Omnium Gatherum, which will be released April 22nd via the band’s KGLW label, and is available for pre-order now. It follows the majestic lead single, “The Dripping Tap.” Some tracks on Omnium Gatherum return to the synth-psych visions of Butterfly 3000, like the neon pop of “Magenta Mountain.” King Gizz’s Ambrose Kenny-Smith elaborates on the track: “You know when you have a really weird vivid dream and it sticks with you like glue? One day I came into the studio and Stu was trying to write one of them down. He kept banging on about this paradise called Magenta Mountain that he had seen but none of us believed him. Every day since then he’s been still trying to convince us all that it’s real and one day he will.”

The band has played the track at their shows before, but this is the official studio recording release. This video, directed by John Angus Stewart, is synched to one of the band’s live performances in Melbourne. “‘Magenta Mountain’ is a new track, which can always be a tricky one to film live as people are yet to have digested the song on their own,” says Stewart. “So we decided to use the normally unseen infrastructure of a gig to guide us through the performance. Giving the audience a ‘protagonist’ for a live show, in this case the watchful and sometimes forceful eye of a security guard. The brute in hi-vis clearing a path through sweaty fans is a beautiful thing to behold.”

WATCH KING GIZZARD & THE LIZARD WIZARD’S VIDEO FOR “MAGENTA MOUNTAIN”

Following 2020’s KG and 2021’s LW and Butterfly 3000, Omnium Gatherum was the first time King Gizzard recorded together as a band since the COVID pandemic hit, and Melbourne placed its citizens under a series of prohibitive lockdown measures. Omnium Gatherum’s sprawling 16 tracks of gonzoid prog jams, dizzying pop nuggets, rubber-legged hip-hop odysseys and passages of pure thrash-metal abandon offer plenty for Gizzard fans and neophytes alike to chew on. Typically, Gizzard albums pursue a single theme or style – for example, Infest The Rat’s Nest’s eco-themed metal barrage, or Butterfly 3000’s new age trance-pop, or Nonagon Infinity’s endless garage-prog contortions – and part of the thrill of Omnium Gatherum for the group was the opportunity of new ideas without committing to deliver an entire album in that vein. It’s the perfect entry point for newcomers, and a solid treat for the faithful as well.

Omnium Gatherum feels like a Greatest Hits album, in its variety and the strength of the songs – only you’ve never heard any of these tracks before. It’s the sound of a group operating at their absolute peak, a group motivated by a deserved confidence that they could try their hands at anything. It’s also the sound of a group ready to return to the road after two fallow years – a handful of live shows in Australia, performed in the brief windows between lockdowns, has reawakened King Gizzard’s taste for live action.

They’ll kick off their North American tour next month. Following, they’ll play shows across Europe and then return to the states this fall. Tickets are on sale now and a list of shows can be found below. To say that they’re “up for it” would be a dizzying exercise in understatement.

OMNIUM GATHERUM TRACKLISTING: 1. The Dripping Tap 2. Magenta Mountain 3. Kepler-22b 4. Gaia 5. Ambergris 6. Sadie Sorceress 7. Evilest Man 8. The Garden Goblin 9. Blame It On The Weather 10. Persistence 11. The Grim Reaper 12. Presumptuous 13. Predator X 14. Red Smoke 15. Candles 16. The Funeral

KING GIZZARD & THE LIZARD WIZARD TOUR DATES

Fri. April 22 – Indio, CA @ Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival
Sun. April 24 – San Luis Obispo, CA @ Madonna Inn $ SOLD OUT
Tue. April 26 – Sonoma, CA @ Gundlach Bundschu $ SOLD OUT
Wed. April 27 – Petaluma, CA @ Phoenix Theater $ SOLD OUT
Thu. April 28 – San Francisco, CA @ Bimbo’s 365 Club ? SOLD OUT
Sat. April 30 – Atlanta, GA @ Shaky Knees Festival
Wed. May 4 – Monterrey, MX @ Showcenter
Fri. May 6 – Mexico City, MX @ Quarry Studios
Sun. May 8 – Ixtapa Zihuatanejo, MX @ Loot/Musa
Sat. May 14 – Queretaro, MX@ Jardin Hercules
Sun. May 15 – Guadalajara, MX @ Teatro Estudio Guanamor
Fri. May 20 – Cleveland, OH @ Agora Theatre & SOLD OUT
Sat. May 21 – Columbus, OH @ KEMBA Live! Outdoor &
Sun. May 22 – Millvale, PA @ Mr. Smalls Theatre & SOLD OUT
Tue. May 24 – Rochester, NY @ Water Street Music Hall & SOLD OUT
Wed. May 25 – South Burlington, VT @ Higher Ground & SOLD OUT
Thu. May 26 – South Burlington, VT @ Higher Ground &SOLD OUT
Sat. May 28 – Boston, MA @ Boston Calling Music Festival
Tue. May 31 – Athens, GR @ Gagarin 205
Wed. June 1 – Athens, GR @ Gagarin 205
Fri. June 3 – Barcelona, ES @ Primavera Sound – SOLD OUT
Sun. June 5 – Barcelona, ES @ Primavera in the City SOLD OUT
Mon. June 6 – Barcelona, ES @ Primavera in the City SOLD OUT
Tue. June 7 – Barcelona, ES @ Primavera in the City SOLD OUT
Thu. June 9 – Barcelona, ES @ Primavera Sound – SOLD OUT
Sat. June 11 – Mannheim, DE @ Maifeld Derby Festival
Sun June 12 – HIlvarenbeek NL @ Best Kept Secret
Tue. June 14 – Berlin, DE @ Tempodrom
Fri. June 17 – Manchester, TN @ Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival
Sat. June 18 – Miami, FL @ Space Park &
Sun. July 31 – Waterford, IE @ All Together Now
Tue. Aug. 2 – Šibenik, HR @ St. Michael’s Fortress √
Wed. Aug. 3 – Šibenik, HR @ St. Michael’s Fortress √
Fri. Aug. 5 – Prague, CZ @ Archa Theatre √
Sun. Aug. 7 – Vienna, AT @ Arena Wien (Open Air) √
Tue. Aug. 9 – Leipzig, DE @ Parkbühne √
Wed. Aug. 10 – Munich, DE @ Tonhalle √
Fri. Aug. 12 – Sion, CH @ Palp Festival
Sun Aug 14- Helsinki, FIN @ Flow Festival
Wed. Aug. 17 – Paredes de Coura, PT @ Paredes de Coura Festival
Fri. Aug. 19 – Gueret, FR @ Check-In Party Festival
Sat. Aug. 20 – Saint-Malo, FR @ La Route du Rock Festival
Sun. Aug. 21 – Hasselt, BE @ Pukkelpop
Tue. Aug. 23 – Cologne, DE @ E-Werk √
Wed. Aug. 24 – Hamburg, DE @ Markthalle √
Fri Aug 26- London, UK @ All Points East
Sat. Aug. 27 – Málaga, ES @ Canela Party
Sun. Oct. 2 – Berkeley, CA @ Greek Theatre * SOLD OUT
Tue. Oct. 4 – Portland, OR @ Roseland Theater* SOLD OUT
Wed. Oct. 5 – Vancouver, BC @ PNE Forum*
Thu. Oct. 6 – Seattle, WA @ Paramount Theatre *
Mon. Oc. 10 – Morrison, CO @ Red Rocks Amphitheatre* SOLD OUT
Tue. Oct. 11 – Morrison, CO @ Red Rocks Amphitheatre* SOLD OUT
Fri. Oct. 14 – St Paul, MN @ The Palace Theatre* SOLD OUT
Sat. Oct. 15 – Chicago, IL @ RADIUS* SOLD OUT
Sun. Oct. 16 – Detroit, MI @ Masonic Temple*
Tue. Oct. 18 – Toronto, ON @ History* SOLD OUT
Wed. Oct. 19 – Montreal, QC @ L’Olympia*
Fri. Oct. 21 – New York, NY @ Forest Hills Stadium*
Sat. Oct. 22 – Philadelphia, PA @ Franklin Music Hall* SOLD OUT
Sun. Oct. 23 – Washington, DC @ The Anthem at The Wharf*
Mon. Oct. 24 – Asheville, NC @ Rabbit Rabbit*
Wed. Oct. 26 – Atlanta, GA @ The Eastern*
Thu. Oct. 27 – New Orleans, LA @ Orpheum Theater *
Mon. Oct. 31 – Oklahoma City, OK @ The Criterion #

^ w/ Mildlife
~ w/ Mildlife, DJ Crenshaw
% w/ Amyl and the Sniffers, SPELLLING, DJ Crenshaw
! w/ The Chats, SPELLLING, DJ Crenshaw
$ w/ SPELLLING, DJ Crenshaw
? w/ SPELLLING
& w/ Jess Cornelius
* w/ Leah Senior
# w/ The Murlocs, Leah Senior
√ w/ Grace Cummings

Keep your mind open.

[Don’t forget to subscribe before you go.]

[Thanks to Jacob at Pitch Perfect PR.]

Rewind Review: Black Sabbath – Paranoid (1971)

I don’t know what I can write about Black Sabbath‘s classic sophomore album, Paranoid, that hasn’t already been written. It’s a metal classic, a doom classic, a rock classic, and a British classic. I think the only thing I can write about regarding the album is how, until I finally got around to listening to it in its entirety, it’s also a psychedelic classic.

I mean, the opening track, “War Pigs” (originally titled “Walpurgis” – a song about witches but later altered to reflect the horrors of the Vietnam War), is a doom anthem, of course, but the opening riff and air raid sirens are an instant mind trip. Tommy Iommi‘s solo in the middle of it is the glint in the eye of doom metal’s father, but all of his work on the track has a trippy quality to it that’s hard to define.

The title track is the start of thrash metal, and, as the story goes, came about from the band goofing around in the studio. Little did they know it would become their first mega-single. Ozzy Osbourne‘s slightly fuzzed vocals balance well with the cranked fuzz of Iommi’s guitar and Terry Butler‘s bass and Bill Ward‘s relentless, yet precise drumming.

“Planet Caravan” then does an abrupt left turn into full-blown psychedelia. Osbourne’s vocals are barely perceptible, and the whole thing sounds like it was somehow sung and played through a lava lamp. Everything about it is warped and weird. I thought, “Why isn’t this song considered one of the classics of the psych genre?” when I first heard it. Mind you, I’m sure it is, but it seems like it’s a sadly overlooked Sabbath gem.

Probably because the next track is “Iron Man,” which has been featured in everything from Marvel movies to The Simpsons by now. Everyone remembers the riffs, but how many remember the song is about an astronaut who sees the Earth’s future, returns to warn us about it, is ridiculed by humanity for doing it, and then decides to trash us for mocking him?

Iommi makes full use of his effects pedals on “Hand of Doom,” which again has heavy riffs but part of their weight comes from the psychedelic touches the band puts on it. It’s creepy, sure, but also mind-altering – especially when they get to the bridge and it almost turns into a prog-rock track. The slick “Rat Salad” continues the brain-melting effects by starting off with adder-like slithering bass from Butler that explodes into a panther pouncing on you when the whole band kicks into gear. The song does this over and over, leaving you unsettled and somehow exhilarated. The closer, “Fairies Wear Boots,” is a dig at Nazi skinheads who were coming to their shows, is chock-full of great hooks, and even has a groovy intro (known as “Jack the Stripper”) with a somewhat bonkers Ward drum solo.

I know many fog hats were worn while listening to Paranoid and many “left-handed cigarettes” were rolled on its cover. I know I shouldn’t be surprised that it’s an album that easily moves back and forth between doom and psychedelia, but yet I still am. That’s a testament to the album’s craftsmanship.

Keep your mind open.

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Review: Alien Lizard – Lucid Dream Machine

Blending words from Phillip K. Dick, Kurt Vonnegut, Edgar Allan Poe, and other famous authors and thinkers with shoegaze, synthwave, and fuzz-rock, Alien Lizard‘s Lucid Dream Machine has a perfect name for its effect on you.

The instrumental “Terminal” starts off the album sounding like it was recorded in a steel mill owned by My Bloody Valentine. “Lotus Eaters” is eastern-tinged psychedelia with guitars that sound like bees working in the aforementioned steel mill. “Obserwacja Obserwatora” is even trippier, bringing Brian Jonestown Massacre tracks to mind as it winds around you like a sexy snake.

“Los Naranjos” loops acoustic Spanish guitar riffs around synths that remind me of fog horns. I can relate to “Sympathy for the Luddite,” as I am a bit of one, and I love the dreamy, hazy vocals. They remind me of some Love & Rockets tunes with Daniel Ash‘s vocals. “Eyes Eye the I in You” is a smoky instrumental, and “The Bird” is a slow, almost languid, track that could’ve been a Black Rebel Motorcycle Club tune in a previous life.

“Romantyczność” takes you into a strange headspace with strange, droning guitar chords, and the closing track, “Wombat 9,” takes you out of that headspace and into a dreamspace for over seven minutes- thus, the title of this album. The whole thing is like a dream that leaves you thinking about it for the rest of the day.

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Alien Lizard.]

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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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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Jon Spencer and the Hitmakers announce new album and tour.

Get ready for JON SPENCER & the HITmakers to BURN your playhouse down with their new long-player, SPENCER GETS IT LIT! The incredible, indelible Jon Spencer (Blues Explosion, Boss Hog, Pussy Galore, Heavy Trash, etc) is back with the incendiary HITmakers  - and with his HOTTEST record yet! 

Spencer Gets It Lit is classic Jon Spencer taken to the extremis – electro-boogie, constructivist art pop, a psychedelic swamp of industrial sleaze and futurist elegance. It is an epic master work of freak beat from the world’s weirdest garage. Across brain-boggling layers of fury, fuzz guitar, and a crash-bang battery of phaser blasts, photon torpedoes, and otherworldly zounds, he frantically spits, croons, rhapsodizes, and seduces.

Spencer Gets It Lit is his most complex and groovy record in years, a dark, danceable odyssey – both a studied take-down of the early 21st century, and a celebration of the place where electricity meets the mind. Thirteen wicked hot songs of love, loss, lust, life — from the Farfisa-fueled,warped psycho -punk rave-up of “Junk Man,” to the intimate lover’s plea of “My Hit Parade,” to the outer-space end-of-days country funk of “Worm Town,” Spencer Gets It Lit delivers all of the friction, excitement, and post-modern depravity one could ever ask for!

Says Spencer, “Send out the Hit Signal! This is the most uncompromising album I’ve ever made!” And the HITs just keep on coming! THIS JUST IN! Taking over drum duties for the HITmakers on their upcoming spring tour will be superstar of skins Janet Weiss of Sleater-Kinney, Quasi, Wild Flag, The Jicks, Slang, etc. etc!!! Wait… What’s that? There’s more? Every show will be opened by a full set from Janet and HITmaker Sam Coomes championship tag-team, Quasi! Guaranteed to be a tour for the ages!!! True heroes of the underground! Freak forces combined and multiplied in this indie-rock dream bill!

TOUR: 4/11 Buffalo, NY Rec Room

4/12 Toronto, ON Lee’s Palace

4/13 Detroit, MI El Club

4/14 Chicago, IL Schubas

4/15 Milwaukee, WI Back Room at Colectivo

4/16 Minneapolis, MN 7^th Street Entry

4/18 Omaha, NE Waiting Room

4/19 Denver, CO Globe Hall

4/20 Salt Lake City, UT Urban Lounge

4/21 Boise, ID Neurolux

4/22 Portland, OR Dantes

4/23 Vancouver, BC Fox Cabaret

4/24 Seattle, WA Madame Lou’s (The Crocodile Second Stage)

4/26 San Francisco, CA Bottom of the Hill

4/27 Los Angeles, CA The Echo

4/28 San Diego, CA Casbah

4/29 Tucson, AZ 191 Toole

4/30 Phoenix, AZ Valley Bar

5/01 Santa Fe, NM Tumbleroot Brewery & Distillery

5/02 Colorado Springs, CO The Black Sheep

5/03 Wichita, KS Wave

5/04 Kansas City, MO Record Bar

5/05 St. Louis, MO Blueberry Hill Duck Room

5/06 Indianapolis, IN Hi-Fi

5/07 Louisville, KY Zanzabar

5/08 Charlottesville, VA The Southern

Keep your mind open.

[Don’t forget to subscribe before you split.]

[Thanks to Jo Murray.]

Review: A Place to Bury Strangers – See Through You

A Place to Bury Strangers has a new rhythm section (the husband and wife team of John and Sandra Fedowitz on bass and drums, respectively) and with it Oliver Ackermann‘s most personal album to date – See Through You. The album is full of nods towards the band’s past sounds, continuing explorations of familiar themes (i.e., the insidious way technology continues to separate us), and movements to the future and new ways of pushing the sonic envelope.

The references to Ackermann’s past bandmates are inescapable, and he’s made it no secret that the lineup change, the pandemic, and the world lockdown changed his perspective on pretty much everything. The album’s opener (with its cool, robotic bass lick from John Fedowitz), “Nice of You to Be There for Me,” might be a sarcastic jab or it might be a genuine acknowledgment. It’s up to us to decide, as much of APTBS’ music is always open to multiple interpretations. Ackermann’s guitar work on it is somehow disjointed and jazzy at the same time.

“I’m Hurt,” however, pretty much tells you how Ackermann’s feeling. Sandra Fedowitz’s beats in it are pure industrial, perfectly backing up the dark, heavy feel of Ackermann’s mind. The song belongs in a modern giallo film. “Let’s See Each Other” might be the friskiest song Ackermann’s ever written. “Open your heart to me. Explore the fantasy, we’ve got the chance to be together. Let’s meet up late tonight, indulge in pure delight…” I mean…come on! Then again, knowing Ackermann, the song is probably about online fantasies and how they never pan out to be what you think they will.

“I never thought you’d get so low,” Ackermann sings on the fuzzy “So Low.” One interesting thing about See Through You is how the album has some of Ackermann’s clearest vocals yet it doesn’t slouch on the raw, loud power of APTBS’ catalogue. “So Low” is a good example of this. You can make out pretty much every word, but it’s still as loud as a saw mill. Just to surprise you, however, “Dragged in a Hole” is almost the opposite on the vocals, as they’re almost melded with the monster growls of Ackermann’s guitar and John Fedowitz’s bass.

“There’s no way to make it right. It wasn’t even done on purpose. You should know it’s not your fault, and I know no one deserves this.” Those are the opening lyrics of “Ringing Bells,” a track in which Ackermann apologizes to someone (Past bandmates? A former lover? Deceased relatives?) and Sandra Fedowitz goes completely nuts on her drum kit, being the yang rage to Ackermann’s yin grief. “I Disappear (When You’re Near)” has a cool, warped darkwave vibe to it that makes it a standout.

“Anyone but You” is surprisingly peppy with happy dance rhythms provided by Mr. and Mrs. Fedowitz. I can’t help but wonder if “My Head Is Bleeding” is a sort of sequel to “To Fix the Gash in Your Head,” one of APTBS‘ earliest tracks. “My back’s against the wall,” Ackermann sings on “Broken” – a track with frenetic energy to reflect his state of mind. John Fedowitz cranks up his bass on “Hold on Tight,” which you need to do throughout the entire track because it might knock you flat.

Synths and guitars meld well together on “I Don’t Know How You Do It,” almost to the point where you’re not sure where one ends and the other begins. It’s a strong shoegaze track, and a tip of the hat to The Jesus and Mary Chain with its sound. This sound continues on the uplifting closer, “Love Reaches Out,” with Ackermann singing, “I’ll always have the warmest thoughts of you.”

See Through You is one of APTBS’ most interesting releases as of late, even improving on the Hologram EP released not long ago that started exploring these themes of loss and hope. Ackermann is always exploring and innovating, and this record sets his bar even higher for the next.

Keep your mind open.

[Don’t forget to subscribe before you go.]

[Thanks to Patrick at Pitch Perfect PR.]

Trip Villain have “Won” with their new single.

Trip Villain is a Brooklyn-based power duo that fuses synth-laden psychedelia with the prehistoric stomp of doom metal. Trip Villain is Josh Musto (Tragedy, ex-ShitKill, ex-Netherlands) and Damien Moffitt (Leach, ex-ShitKill, ex-Netherlands).
Today, Trip Villain released their new dance-punk single/title track “Won.” This is the third single off their upcoming debut LP, Won, which drops February 22nd. Accompanying the single is a live in-studio performance of the song shot at Rad Hazard Studios.

Watch “Won”HERE!

Guitarist Josh Musto and drummer Damien Moffitt share “The title track, ‘Won’ was the first jam we came up with as Trip Villain. The prompt we gave ourselves was ‘heavy, sexy, dancey,’ and once our friend, Trip-Pop artist, Leach recorded a guest vocal, it gelled beautifully. Lyrically, ‘Won’ is about breaking free from bad relationships and controlling your own destiny.

Preorder details: Digital album and 7” Flexi-Disc preorders open on Jan 21st. https://tripvillain.bandcamp.com/album/won

An instant digital download via Bandcamp of the three singles “Won”/ “The Villain”/”Is This Love?” comes with a preorder of either the digital album Won or the two-track 7″ flexi-disc of “The Villain” & “Ego Death.”

The 7” Flexi-Disc is two tracks (The Villain, Ego Death) and comes with a full album download via Bandcamp. 7” Flexi-Discs will not ship until late-March.

Trip Villain explains“Won is the culmination of the two of us playing together in various bands since we were thirteen. We wanted to make an album that punches as hard as the riffy metal bands we grew up with, but with the emotional depth and synthy sparkle of the psychedelic music we’re influenced by as adults. Since most of these songs were born out of improvised jams, our seventeen years of musical chemistry is front and center. The sound we ended up with lands somewhere between the metallic grooves of Helmet and the tripped out ecstasy of The Flaming Lips, all with a deep reverence for the almighty RIFF.”

Two previously released singles from the upcoming album, Won, “Is This Love?” and “The Villain”are also currently streaming HERE on Spotify

Check out the animated video for “The Villain” by visual artist duo Gregory Stovetop & B.A. Miale: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eyqE7TtfnI0

Keep your mind open.

[Score a win by subscribing.]

[Thanks to Maria at Adrenaline PR.]