Psychedelic – Page 3 – 7th Level Music

Top 25 concerts of 2025: #’s 15 – 11

More great live shows for you from last year! Who’s in the top half of the list?

#15: Johnny Jewel – September 25, 2025 – Levitation Austin, Austin, TX

Mr. Jewel opened for his own band, Desire, and, for my money, put on the best show of the night at the first day of Levitation Austin last year. It was a showcase of his film scores and covers of other film music ranging from his score to Drive to a David Lynch tribute and giallo-horror tracks.

#14: The Black Angels – September 28, 2025 – Levitation Austin – Austin, TX

The Black Angels always play Levitation. It’s their festival, after all. They help curate it. It was another fine set from them that included many tracks they don’t play often – one of the advantages of not having to promote a new album.

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

These Dutch funk-rockers played their first gig in the U.S. ever at Levitation Austin last year and had the entire place jumping by the end of it. This was easily the grooviest show of the entire weekend, and everyone was buzzing the rest of the day afterwards.

#12: DITZ – June 27, 2025 – Levitation France – Angers, FR

This was blistering post-punk in a heat wave that had gripped almost the entire county. You can see the dust being kicked up from the mosh pit in that photo due to the arid conditions of the park in Angers where Levitation France took place last year. The lead singer had run off-stage, into the nearby lake, and returned covered in seaweed by the end.

#11: A Place to Bury Strangers – September 28, 2025 – Levitation Austin – Austin, TX

The Palmer Event Center in downtown Austin, where Levitation Austin took place last year, is a big venue…and it still wasn’t big enough to keep the volume of APTBS from flattening you as soon as you entered the place. Lead singer and guitarist Oliver Ackermann used the high ceiling to his delight by tossing his now-famous “half-guitar” sky high multiple times. Two friends who’d never seen them until now were left stunned by the end. “That’s like an assault,” my friend Wes said, wide-eyed and not knowing how else to describe it.

Who’s in the top ten? Come back tomorrow!

Keep your mind open.

[Don’t forget to subscribe!]

Top 25 albums of 2025: #’s 15 – 11

We’re now halfway through my list of favorite albums from last year. Who’s here? Read on!

#15: Lammping – Never Never

Take a trip-hop duo (Lammping) and combine them with a Canadian rockabilly one-man-band who was described by John Waters as “Roy Orbison with a head injury” (Bloodshot Bill), and you get the neat Never Never EP. It sounds like something you’d find in a dusty record bin among “2000s Music – Misc.”, and is well-worth seeking out. It’s the first of four EPs from Lammping, so they’re off to a good start.

#14: King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard – Phantom Island

Would it be a “best of” year list without a King Gizz album by now, since they release at least one album a year? Phantom Island combines the Aussie psych-rock / thrash metal / rave music giants with an orchestra because…why not? It’s a lush album with as much mystery as its cover.

#13: pôt-pot – Warsaw 480km

Here’s a post-punk band that emerged from seemingly nowhere to knock me back into my chair. “Damn, that’s good,” was my first thought after hearing it. I’m delighted that so many good post-punk bands are still appearing, and this is one of them.

#12: John Also Bennett – Ston Elaióna

This is a lovely ambient record mostly made of synths and field recordings John Also Bennett made around Greece. One song is inspired by the oldest known written song found on a stone pillar.

#11: Paddang – Lost in Lizardland

It’s a French psych-rock concept album about a future world dominated by evil lizard people and a lone heroine in the wasteland trying to defeat them. What more do you need to know?

Come back tomorrow to see who made the top ten!

Keep your mind open.

[Don’t forget to subscribe!]

Rewind Review: Melenas – Dias Raros (2020)

All-female Spanish psych-shoegaze? I’m all in.

Melenas‘ Dias Raros (Strange Days) gets off to a great start with “Primer Tiempo” (“First Time”) – a song that hums and buzzes (thanks in great part to synths and keyboards from members Oihana and Maria Melenas). “No Puedo Pensar” (“I Can’t Think”) hits the theme of the album – days when you’re questioning decisions and even if you should worry about them. Oihana’s guitar strumming on it is top-notch.

The soft reverbed vocals and guitars of “29 Grados” (“29 Degrees”) are outstanding. Laura Torres‘ drums on “Despertar” (“Wake Up”) will certainly shake the cobwebs out of your head…but be warned that the synths and psychedelic guitar effects might lull you back into dream land. “El Tiempo Ha Pasado” (“Time Has Passed”) has lovely vocal harmonies from Oihana and bassist Leire Melenas and beautiful church organ-like sounds from Maria.

“Los Anemales” (“The Animals”) brings in krautrock elements and shows how well the Melenas can pull off mantra-like beats and bass (Leire’s groove on it is slick.) and mix them with psych-rock riffs. “3 Segundos” (“3 Seconds”) is one of the best rockers on the record. Leire locks down the track with her heavy bass tone and Laura drives it like she’s racing through the Pyrenees. Meanwhile, Maria’s keyboards and Oihana’s guitar chase after you like wailing police cars.

“Ciencia Ficción” (“Science Fiction”) does this cool switch about halfway through it from krautrock riffing to Lindsey Buckingham-like guitar work. “En Madrid” (“In Madrid”) has this lush feel to it that reminds me of Dum Dum Girls tracks. “Ya No Es Verano” (“It’s Not Summer Anymore”) will go on your “End of Summer” playlist from now on, because it has a brightness to it but the vocals have you pining for the start of summer now that you were just in the groove of having fun in the sun.

The album ends with the Velvet Underground-inspired “Vals” (“Waltz”), a great way to send us off with almost a caress and hopeful dreams.

It’s a beautiful record that feels otherworldly at times. We’re all living in strange days. This album will help with that if you need it.

Keep your mind open.

[I think about your subscription.]

Review: Skloss – The Pattern Speaks

You can interpret the cover of Skloss‘ debut album, The Pattern Speaks, in a couple different ways. Is the cover image light and matter being drawn into a black hole by its massive gravity well, or is it light and matter bursting from a void? Either option alters all reality around, within, and beyond it.

So does this album.

Husband and wife duo Karen Skloss (drums and main vocals) and Sandy Carson (guitars and backing vocals) create tremendous power that seems to change physics. Gravity feels heavier, colors look brighter, clouds move in strange patterns, trees loom larger, and sounds almost become solid masses. The opening title track is a reminder that patterns exist among the chaos of the universe. Knowledge is there for the taking if you give yourself the time to observe without judgement. The patterns will speak to you. The roar of the song shakes you like re-entry from orbit.

“Mind Hive” is almost the opposite. You’re not re-entering the Earth’s atmosphere – you’re leaving it. Carson’s guitar sounds like jet engines at multiple points in the song while Skloss’ echoing vocals are the thoughts in your mind sliding out and being left behind on the ground as your brain opens to the stars. On “Imagine 100 Dads,” Skloss puts lyrics aside for vocal sounds to create a hypnotic feel that leans the “cover image debate” toward the “It’s light emerging, not falling, from the void.” side…until the second half when Carson’s riffs are so big that they feel like they’re causing sinkholes under your house.

“Dead Bone” is your new favorite stoner / doom instrumental cut and might be the one that makes you think, “How is this just two people?” the most. “Snorkels Ask” mixes the sound of buzzing cicadas with angry hornet guitars. “Upper Attic” is just as fuzzy and suitable for a haunted house run by the ghosts of a metal band killed in a freak accident on Halloween. “Plugged into Jupiter” has us drifting around the giant planet, unsure if we’ll be able to escape its gravitational (guitar-induced) pull or if we’d be better off just hanging out for a while or maybe cruise along the surface of one of its moons.

Wrapping up with the heavy and haunting “Ghosts Are Entertaining” ends the album with another double-meaning. Are the ghosts entertaining guests, or are ghosts fun to watch in general? If it’s the former, then the sonic assault of the song makes you think that the ghosts are having a great time, but their guests might be terrified. If it’s the latter, then the fuzzy roar and cymbal crashes make us imagine we’re all thinking, “This is pretty damn cool.” while standing in the foyer of a haunted house as the ghosts rock out on a drum kit made of tombstones and a guitar made out of a cemetery gate.

So, what is the pattern? What is it telling us? Are we falling into a void or emerging from one? I’m still not sure. Skloss are able to pull us into the gravity well or slingshot us around the sun with equal skill. That might be the pattern: Two people, two instruments, two opposite yet equal forces creating one powerful record.

Remember the E.F. Hutton commercials of the 1970s and 1980s? Their slogan was, “When E.F. Hutton speaks, people listen.” When The Pattern Speaks, people transform.

Keep your mind open.

[Why not subscribe?]

Review: The Limiñanas – Faded

French psych-rock / yé-yé enthusiasts The Limiñanas have returned with a new album, Faded, that includes an impressive lineup of friends helping them pay tribute to many forgotten (faded) film stars of a bygone era.

The opening track, “Spirale,” brings you back to smoky, sexy 1960s French nightclubs with simple, elegant piano tones and guitar fuzz. They team up with Primal Scream‘s Bobby Gillespie on “Prisoner of Beauty,” in which Gillespie sings about women being thrilled with the exotic worlds of modeling and film and later feeling trapped there as time takes its toll. Their team up with French actor / musician / composer Bertrand Belin on “J’adore le Monde” (“I Love the World.”) is a gritty, groovy rocker, as is “Shout” featuring another Frenchman, Rover. “Shout” moves back and forth between trippy verses and a sharp call-and-response chorus while Lionel Limiñana uses his guitar to create a weird atmosphere around you.

Penny joins the band on the title track, and her lovely vocals evoke memories of long-gone girl groups and classic country singers. Anna Jean‘s breathy vocals on “Catherine” will leave you wondering, “Catherine who?” and “Where can I find these women?” You can tell there’s a fascinating story here.

“The Dancer” is an instrumental tribute to Lionel and Marie Limiñana‘s friend frequent video collaborator Foulques de Boixo, known as “The Dancer” or “The Dancing Man” in so many of The Limiñanas’ music videos. Appropriately, it has a great beat from Marie that will have you dancing with de Boixo in spirit.

“Space Baby” is one of two collaborations with Jon Spencer and Pascal Comelade on the album and it has Spencer singing about a woman who’s so far out of his reach she might as well be in space. “Tu Viens, Marie?” (“Are You Coming, Marie?”) can be taken a few different ways. Does it refer to Marie Limiñana herself? That’s a good guess, as the vocals are back and forth between her and Lionel. Does it refer to a journey or something, ahem, else? I like the mystery of it, so I’ll leave it as such.

Their cover of “Louie Louie” is the type of cover only they could pull off, as they turn the weird garage rock classic into a whispered, yet loud, psychedelic freakout. The couple give us a tour of their house, and the stuff from all over the world throughout it, on “Autour de Chez Moi” (“Around My House”). Again, it seems like only they could perform a song like this, turning a walk-through of their place almost into a meditative mantra.

Mr. Spencer and Mr. Comelade return on “Degenerate Star” with Spencer singing about forgotten fame and how fast one can fall from the public eye when the next big thing appears (“All I’ve got is this picture, and your smell. Where did you go?…I was a star, the biggest, brightest star. Don’t you remember? Have you forgotten everything?”).

The album ends with their cover of Françoise Hardy‘s “Ou Va la Chance?” (“Where Does the Luck Go?”). Hardy was a yé-yé icon in the 1960s, who, like de Boixo, died in recent years. She often sang about heartbreak and missed opportunities for love, and the album fading out with a song written by her is a perfect way to end a record about fading stardom.

Faded is a lovely and groovy record that assures us that the Limiñanas aren’t fading just yet and that those who came before them will stay with us a while longer.

Keep your mind open.

[Don’t fade away without subscribing!]

Tombstones in Their Eyes release “Alive & Well” from their upcoming new album.

LA-based indie rock outfit Tombstones In Their Eyes presents ‘Alive and Well’, a beautifully raucous psychedelic rock revival hymn, following the brooding lead track ‘Under Dark Skies’. This unexpectedly fierce and defiant declaration of strength is the second taste of their ‘Under Dark Skies’ album, to be released viaLittle Cloud Records (for North America) and Shore Dive Records (for the UK and EU). This 2-track offering also includes the radio edit.

This song is dedicated to TITE guitarist Paul Boutin, who recently lost his battle with cancer. As Paul Lovecraft, he was a prolific musician, releasing music even after an operation nicked his vocal chords. Having met Tombstones’ main-man John Treanor at Kitten Robot Studios about 10 years ago while working on his own projects, they fell into the same orbital realms until Paul eventually joined the band.

The song features John Treanor on vocals and guitar, Paul Boutin on guitar, Nic Nifoussi on bass, Paul Roessler on keyboards, Stephen Striegel on drums and percussion), and Courtney Davies, Clea Cullen and Joel Wasko on backing vocals,

“When our beloved friend and guitar player lost his life on 10/18/25, we were shocked, confused and incredibly saddened. Paul was so kind, generous, intelligent and always optimistic. Being in TITE was a source of pride and joy for Paul. He was so easy to be around and was dedicated, driving many hours for practices and shows, always bringing his cheerfulness and optimism. We miss him greatly and are glad he is all over this record,” says John Treanor.

“We were initially going to scrap ‘Alive and Well’ as a single after Paul’s passing (for obvious reasons), but because it was one of Paul’s favorites and a song on which he played guitar, we are going ahead with the release. The lyrics are about rising out of desperate circumstances with newfound strength – something Paul himself experienced, having dragged himself out of his own difficulties to ultimately rebuild a life full of joy and purpose. While not planned that way, ‘Alive and Well’ ended up being a statement of intent – a story of a journey from despair to strength.”

The accompanying video was created by Italian multi-arts visionary Francesca Bonci, known for her work with Federale (BJM’s Collin Hegna), British bard Philip Parfitt,The Dandy Warhols’ Peter G. Holmström a.k.a. Pete International Airport and Slowdive’s Rachel Goswell.

A year on from their ‘Asylum Harbour’ album, this record emerged during a year of intense personal change, before finally moving into a place of light and gratitude. Recorded and engineered by Paul Roessler (The Screamers, Nina Hagen, 45 Grave) at Kitten Robot Studios, this album was co-produced by John Treanor and mastered by multi-platinum engineer Alex DeYoung at DeYoung Masters (Michael Jackson, BTS, Macy Gray, The Linda Lindas, TSOL).

As of November 11, ‘Alive and Well’ is available everywhere, including Spotify, Apple Music and Bandcamp, where the ‘Asylum Harbour’ album can also be found on CD and red vinyl. On December 5, the ‘Under Dark Skies’ album will be released digitally and on vinyl via Little Cloud Records (US) and Shore Dive Records (UK and EU).

Keep your mind open.

[Don’t forget to subscribe!]

[Thanks to Shauna at Shameless Promotion PR!]

Blackwater Holylight ask, “Heavy, Why?” on their newest single.

Blackwater Holylight have carved a heavy niche in the Los Angeles underground, following their dispatch from Portland, Oregon. Today, the hard rock trio announce the full-length Not Here Not Gone, out January 30, 2026 via Suicide Squeeze Records. The album is shaped by location change, refining a strain of heavy, ethereal doom and shoegaze. Nowhere is this stronger than lead single “Heavy, Why?” Pondering the experience of being disembodied, moody riffs build to an electric climax. The fierce outcome is timeless and innovative.

On the track, singer Sunny Faris shares: “‘Heavy, Why?’ Is a lyrically light and instrumentally heavy arrangement that cryptically but intentionally speaks to the experience of being disembodied and poses the question, simply, of: ‘Why? Why is it such a hard, lonely, agonizing and heavy experience to be turned away from Self.'”

Along with the news, comes a headline tour announcement throughout North America and Europe / UK starting in February through May of 2026.

See all details below.

UPCOMING 2026 LIVE DATES

2/13 – San Diego, CA @ Casbah
2/14 – Phoenix, AZ @ Last Exit
2/15 – Albuquerque, NM @ Sister
2/17- Austin, TX @ Radio/East
2/18 – Houston, TX @ White Oak
2/19- New Orleans, LA @ No Dice
2/20 – Pensacola, FL @ Handlebar
2/21 – Atlanta, GA @ Drunken Unicorn
2/22 – Asheville, NC @ Eulogy
2/24- Charlottesville, VA @ Southern Cafe
2/25 – Baltimore, MD @ Metro
2/26 – Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda’s
2/27 – Brooklyn, NY @ Meadows
2/28 – Braintree, MA @ Widowmaker Brewing
3/02 – Youngstown, OH @ Westside Bowl
3/03 – Indianapolis, IN @ Black Circle
3/04 – Chicago, IL @ Sleeping Village
3/06- Denver, CO @ Hi-Dive
3/07 – Denver, CO @ Hi-Dive
3/08 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Aces High
3/10 – Seattle, WA @ Nuemos
3/11 – Portland, OR @ Aladdin Theater
3/12 – Sacremento, CA @ Starlet
3/13 – San Francisco, CA @ The Chapel
3/14 – Santa Cruz, CA @ Moe’s Alley
3/21 – Los Angeles, CA @ Pacific Electric
4/18 – Tilburg, NL @ Roadburn Fest
5/06 – Brussels, BE @ Ancienne Belgique
5/07 – Hamburdg, DE @ MS Stubnitz
5/08 – Copenhagen, DK @ A Colossal Weekend Fest
5/09 – Oslo, NO @ Desertfest
5/10 – Gothenburg, SE @ Monument
5/12 – Poznań, PL @ Pod Minoga
5/13 – Leipzig, DE @ UT Connewitz
5/14 – Berlin, DE @ Desterfest
5/15 – Nuenkirchen, DE @ Stummsche Reithalle
5/16 – Brussel, BE @ Obsidian Dust Fest
5/17 – London, UK @ Desterfest
5/18 – Newcastle, UK @ The Cluny
5/19 – Glasgow, UK @ Stereo
5/20 – Manchester, UK @ The Deaf Institute
5/22 – Helsinki, FIN @ Sonic Rites Fest

Keep your mind open.

[You’re not subscribing? Why?]

[Thanks to David at Suicide Squeeze!]

Dion Lunadon releases new gritty and sizzling single – “Gold Standard Love.”

“Gold Standard Love” is the latest single from Dion Lunadon. It comes out as a limited edition 7″ flexi disc inside the Fall issue of America’s only Rock ‘n’ Roll magazine, CREEM. 100 flexi’s inside 100 copies.

150 copies will be available only at shows while stocks last.

“Gold Standard Love” is a futuristic rocker that crackles and grooves out of a thought crime, foregoing any current trends within the 2025 rock ’n’ roll genre.

“The FBI, The CIA, can’t take my dreams away, will you supply, GOLD STANDARD LOVE”.

Keep your mind open.

[Set the gold standard by subscribing today!]

[Thanks to Dion!]

Review: pôt-pot – Warsaw 480km

The debut album from Irish / Portuguese quintet pôt-pot, Warsaw 480km, is an album about feeling adrift during dark hours but also knowing that light eventually will come.

Lead singer / songwriter / multi-instrumentalist Mark Waldron-Hyden wrote most of the album while bouncing around different landscapes and residences…all the while dealing with grief over the death of his father. What emerged was a pretty damn cool post-punk / krautrock / Ennio Morricone (and, believe it or not, James Brown)-inspired album.

“22° Halo” opens the record with a fierce bass lick from Joe Armitage and guitars that you think are going to overwhelm you for a moment but then fade into the shadows. “Sextape” started out as a jam session and became your next favorite song to put on a psych-rock mixtape. The blend of male and female harmonies between Waldron-Hyden and Elaine Malone and Sara Lelsie and near-surf rock guitars from Waldron-Hyden and Mykle Oliver Smith are instantly hypnotizing, and Malone’s harmonium is like incense in your meditation chamber.

“WRSW” was inspired by the road sign mentioned in the album’s title as Waldron-Hyden was riding in a car with his father’s ashes. As the story goes, he saw the sign emerge along the road on a dark night and it gave him the sense that he’d get through both the night and his grief (even in the latter would remain to some degree for a lifetime). The upbeat krautrock rhythm gives you (and Waldron-Hyden) the power to keep moving forward. “Fake Eyes” is a haunting track that seems to just…hover.

The press release I received for Warsaw 480km mentions how “I AM!” is indebted to Lou Reed. That’s correct, as it sounds like a groovy Velvet Underground track you forgot existed. Waldron-Hyden’s swaggering beat on “Can’t Handle It” reminds me of Cramps records – as do the repeated lyrics of “Tell me, baby, do you feel all right? Tell me, baby, would you take my life? Because I just can’t handle it.”

The guitar work on “The Lights Are On” is a great mix of psych-garage and dark country twang. “Hot Scene” continues that Morricone influence and adds a bit of Delta 5 post-punk flair as it builds to a loud buzz in your head. The album ends with “Change Your Life,” which could be a suggestion made by Waldron-Hyden to us, a friend, a lover, or himself. I’m not sure…or if it matters.

What does matter is that you give this album a spin. It’s a great debut and portends more good things to come from them.

Keep your mind open.

[Don’t forget to subscribe!]

[Thanks to Kate at Stereo Sanctity.]

Review: Osees – Abomination Revealed at Last

Osees‘ latest (Their thirty-second?) album, Abomination Revealed at Last, is a rager against the current state of affairs in the U.S.: Trump, religious leaders, tech companies, you name it – all of them are smacked around by John Dwyer and his crew.

The opener, “Abomination,” sounds like early Devo at times and near-thrash metal at others as Dwyer sings / yells about our phones poisoning us and horrible things corrupting us with violence. “Sneaker” has Tim Hellman alternating his bass riffs from funk to fury while Dwyer sings about how insidious everything seems and feels now. “I don’t buy that you have words with God,” Dwyer says on “God’s Guts,” giving televangelists and religious hypocrites a punch in the gut.

“Infected Chrome” might be an Osees tribute to Chrome (whom they’ve covered many times) and a cry for everyone to wake up and maybe take a look around with sober eyes for a change (“Can we not drive around on a dope run?”). Dwyer’s solo on it is short and superb, as it is on “Glue” (A love song! Well, a song about obsession, I suppose.). “Ashes 2” has Osees warning us of “a quiet overthrow” and how people obsessed with politicians can’t see how those they idolize and worship are screwing over all of us.

“Coffin Wax” is a karmic warning to those same politicians and has Paul Quattrone and Dan Rincon going nuts on their drum kits while Tom Dolas creates a freaky synth sound around them. Quattrone and Rincon continue their bonkers assault on “Ashes 1” and “Fight Simulator” (in which Dwyer tells you it’s his – and our – responsibility to tell you what’s wrong with the world). On “Protection,” they call out Mark Zuckerberg, (“Fuck Zuck.” is the first lyric.), Elon Musk, and “Emperor” (You probably can guess.), letting them all know “Revolution’s coming!”

“Glass Window” (which, to my delight, contains a Suspiria reference) is a call-out to folks younger than Dwyer who are too busy being distracted to be enraged at what’s happening around them. For example, the entire subject of “Glitter-Shot,” in which Dwyer reminds us “We are info. We are bait…They own our memories and DNA.” and that “Lies keep the Capitol alive. The tyrant needs attention to survive.” It’s a great closer, with Dwyer’s vocals almost a soapbox rant with a rock-solid groove behind them.

It’s another winner from Osees, and I can’t help but think the title infers it’s a sequel to 2015’s Mutilator Defeated at Last – which had songs named after horrible monsters and references to death. “Mutilator’s” identity might be a few people or institutions from a decade ago, but it’s easy to figure out who and what the “Abomination” is. It’s not Emil Blonsky. It’s someone you see on TV or your phone every day.

Keep your mind open.

[Subscribe at last!]