Category: Psychedelic

Diagonal – Tomorrow

Chicago’s Diagonal have released their newest record, Tomorrow, and it’s such a good shoegaze record that my wife said it might make her like shoegaze music (which she just doesn’t understand).

Starting with “Find the Sun” (and Chris Detlaff‘s wicked beats), the album shimmers right away.  Three different guitarists (Alex Brumley, Dan Jarvis, and Silas Mishler) merge together to form some sort of super-robot, and Dale Price‘s bass chugs along with the precision of a bricklayer.  Andy Ryan‘s vocals on the big, spaced out “Wide Eyed” are appropriately drenched in reverb, and the whole band unloads with walls of sound.  It’s one of my favorite tracks of the year so far.  It’s been in my head for days.

“Control” ups the psychedelic touches but keeps the fuzz.  “Jump Back” reminds me of Julian Cope tunes from the late 1980’s with its groovy bass licks and the crisp, yet distorted guitar riffs.  The guitars on “True” are crispier, but the bass picks up the fuzz.  It sounds like a Cosmonauts track.  “Descend” could be a Black Angels tune, especially with that slight hint of Middle Eastern influences and the subtle reverb on the vocals.

“All We Need” breaks open with shining riffs and more sick beats from Detlaff.  Jarvis add some cool keyboard flourishes that give it a space-rock feel.  Price’s love of the Cure comes through on his bass line for “Shattered Glass,” and I like how Ryan’s vocals on it sound like they’re coming at you from the end of a long hallway.  “Stay Awake” has a fun groove to it with more than a subtle hint of surf rock.  The fuzz on “Feels” hits a bit harder after the mellowness of the previous track.  It’s one of the loudest cuts on the record.  The title track closes the record, and it’s a wild trip into the cosmos with dual vocals from Ryan and Misher that are barely discernible, bass so fuzzy it resembles an angry bumble bee, enough guitar distortion to power an eighteen-wheeler, and drums that go for broke and beyond.

Don’t wait until tomorrow to get Tomorrow.  It’s one of the best shoegaze records I’ve heard in 2018.

Keep your mind open.

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Desert Daze 2018 lineup released…and it’s almost more psychedelia than you can handle.

The annual Desert Daze music festival in Lake Perris, California has unveiled a whopper of a lineup for their October 12-14th event.  Tame Impala are headlining while promising new material in 2019.  Shoegaze legends My Bloody Valentine are also playing new material nowadays.  Unstoppable touring machines King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard are continuing their roll across the United States.  Other must-see acts include Ty Segall, A Place to Bury Strangers, Earthless, Follakzoid, All Them Witches, True Widow, Imarhan, and Here Lies Man.

I don’t know if I can make it to this one, but you should if you can.  It might be a new annual destination for me.

Keep your mind open.

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Introducing one of your new favorite artists – Black Belt Eagle Scout

INTRODUCING BLACK BELT EAGLE SCOUT

DEBUT ALBUM, MOTHER OF MY CHILDREN,
OUT SEPTEMBER 14TH ON SADDLE CREEK

LISTEN TO LEAD SINGLE, “SOFT STUD”
https://youtu.be/LXsfiYigeg4

photo credit – Jason Quigley

“Having this identity—radical indigenous queer feminist—keeps me going. My music and my identity come from the same foundation of being a Native woman.” Katherine Paul (aka KP) is Black Belt Eagle Scout, and Mother of My Children is her debut album, out September 14th on Saddle Creek. Recorded in the middle of winter near her hometown in Northwest Washington, Paul’s connection to the landscape’s eerie beauty are palpable throughout as the album traces the full spectrum of confronting buried feelings and the loss of what life was supposed to look like. Paul reflects, “I wrote this album in the fall of 2016 after two pretty big losses in my life. My mentor, Geneviève Castrée, had just died from pancreatic cancer and the relationship I had with the first woman I loved had drastically lessened and changed.” Heavy and heartbroken, Paul found respite from the weight of such loss in the creation of these songs that “are about grief and love for people, but also about being a native person in what is the United States today.”

On Mother of My Children, the songs weave together to capture both the enduring and fleeting experiences of loss, frustration, and dreaming. The structures are traditional, but the lyrics don’t adhere to any format other than what feels right in the moment. Mother of My Children begins with lead single  “Soft Stud,” which Paul describes as her “queer anthem.” It’s “about the hardships of queer desire within an open relationship.” “It’s a sprawling six minutes that feels surprisingly compact, tight nerves and circuitous guitars and muddy drums building and breaking” (Stereogum). “Indians Never Die,” a call out to colonizers and those who don’t respect the Earth, follows. As Standing Rock was happening, many people in Paul’s life were coming together to fight for the most basic necessity to sustain human life: water. “Our treaty rights weren’t being honored. Imagine hearing on the news that the government doesn’t support you as a human being and never has. They don’t care about the water, they don’t care about how they are destroying what is around them. Indigenous people are the protectors of this land. Indians never die because this is our land that we will forever protect in the present and the afterlife.”

Paul grew up in a small Indian reservation, the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community, surrounded by family focused on native drumming, singing, and arts. From an early age, Paul was singing and dancing at powwows with one of her strongest memories at her family’s own powwow, called the All My Relations Powwow. Paul reminisces, “When I was younger, my only form of music was through the songs my ancestors taught the generations of my family. Singing in our language is a spiritual process and it carries on through me in how I create music today.” With the support of her family and a handful of bootleg Hole and Nirvana VHS tapes, Paul taught herself how to play guitar and drums as a teenager. In 2007, she moved to Portland, Oregon to attend college and get involved with the Rock’n’Roll Camp for Girls eventually diving deep into the city’s music scene playing guitar and drums in bands while evolving her artistry into what would later become Black Belt Eagle Scout.

Mother of My Children is a life chapter gently preserved. The access listeners have to such vulnerability feels special and generous.

Listen To Black Belt Eagle Scout’s “Soft Stud” —
https://youtu.be/LXsfiYigeg4
Mother of My Children Tracklist:
1. Soft Stud
2. Indians Never Die
3. Keyboard
4. Mother of My Children
5. Yard
6. I Don’t Have You In My Life
7. Just Lie Down
8. Sam, A Dream
Pre-order Mother of My Children —
Black Belt Eagle Scout Tour Dates:
July 23 – Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios
July 24 – Seattle, WA @ Barboza

Mother of My Children cover art
Keep your mind open.
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Pitchfork Music Festival artist spotlight: Tame Impala

Australian psych-rockers Tame Impala have a huge following.  They’ve been together since 2007 and have produced quite a bit of material in the last 11 years.  I missed them in Austin a few years ago when they played the Levitation festival there, but they’re closing the Pitchfork Music Festival on Friday.  I’m sure it will be a packed set and a big freak-out for a crowd dehydrated, sunburned, and fuzzy from alcohol, fried chicken, and other odd substances.

Keep your mind open.

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Blackwater Holylight release new single and announce west coast tour dates.

BlackWater HolyLight share first video from RidingEasy debut album, announce West Coast tour dates
 Rewiring “heavy music” w/ hints of Sonic Youth, Chelsea Wolfe, Raincoats, Stooges, Beefheart, et al.
  Watch “Wave of Conscience” video (YouTube)
Hear & share Blackwater Holylight album (Bandcamp) (Brooklyn Vegan)
“Flat out it’s one of the best heavy psych debut albums you’ll hear in 2018.” — The Obelisk
“This quartet has been burning up stages all around their hometown, fueled by their abrasive blend of doom metal, psych rock, goth and a tangy soupçon of pop music… They landed a spot on the 2018 Best New Band poll in alt-weekly Willamette Week, but could quickly take over the world.” — Paste Magazine
“They mesh elements of doom, Krautrock and atmospheric indie into one bewitching rock whole.” –Classic Rock Magazine
Portland, OR quartet BlackWater HolyLight share the first video from their breakout debut album today. Watch and share “Wave of Conscience” via YouTube.
BlackWater HolyLight also announce West Coast tour dates starting August 3rd. Please see current dates below.
 
Their self-titled RidingEasy Records debut has received unanimous press praise and continues to grow. Brooklyn Vegan recently streamed the entire album HERE. (Direct YouTube.)
The notion of “heavy music” is continuing to expand of late, with many intrepid artists finding new ways to incorporate the power of traditional metal into new music, but without all of its trappings. Enter Portland, OR quartet BlackWater HolyLight to further swirl musical elements into a captivating hybrid of emotional intensity. Heavy psych riffs, gothic drama, folk-rock vibes, garage-sludge and soaring melodies all collide into a satisfying whole with as much contrast as the band’s name itself.
“I wanted to experiment with my own version of what felt ‘heavy’ both sonically and emotionally,” says founder and vocalist/bassist Allison (Sunny) Faris. “I also wanted a band in which vulnerability of any form could be celebrated.” BlackWater HolyLight — Faris, guitarist/vocalist Laura Hopkins, drummer Cat Hoch and synth player Sarah Mckenna — formed upon the breakup of Faris’ longtime band and she sought a fresh start. “In my last band I was the only female in a group of 6, so I wanted to see how my song writing and vulnerability could glow taking the drivers seat and working with women.”
The band’s self-titled debut begins with a simple, almost grunge-like riff as a chorus of voices introduce a melodic line in call-and-response until the band kicks in, slowly building into crescendo like a lost outtake from Led Zeppelin‘s Houses of the Holy. Elsewhere, “Sunrise” begins with a chorus-drenched post-punk groove until a sonic boom of heavily distorted guitar skree erupts out of nowhere. Nearly as suddenly, the song returns to its lulling core, subtly building the tension until it ruptures completely in a blast of noise. Likewise, “Carry Her” establishes a dark, sparse melody and distinctly thin sounding drums not far removed from early work of The Cure. However, BlackWater HolyLight’s penchant for surprise attack finds a sudden shift into a doom-like dirge, colored with eerie synth notes and pounding shards of fuzz. Throughout the album, their songs shirk traditional verse-chorus-verse structure in favor of fluid, serpentine compositions that move with commanding grace. The band expertly, yet subconsciously, incorporates hints of Chelsea Wolfe, Celebration, Captain Beefheart, The Raincoats, The Stooges, Pink Floyd, Jane’s Addiction and more to form their unique brand of dark’n’heavy transcendence..
BlackWater HolyLight was recorded by Cameron Spies at Gold Brick Studios and The Greenhouse, and with Eric Crespo at Touch Tourcher Recording in Portland. The album is available on LP, CD and download, released April 6th, 2018 via RidingEasy Records on LP & CD at www.ridingeasyrecs.com and digital at blackwaterholylight.bandcamp.com.
BLACKWATER HOLYLIGHT LIVE:
08/03 Nevada City, CA @ Cooper’s
08/04 Oakland, CA @ Elbo Jack London
08/07 Las Vegas, NV @ Bunkhouse
08/08 Los Angeles, CA @ Zebulon w/ Zig Zags
08/09 Oceanside, CA @ Pourhouse w/ Red Wizard
08/10 Fresno, CA @ Full Circle

08/11 Arcata, CA @ Alibi

Artist: BlackWater HolyLight
Album: BlackWater HolyLight
Label: RidingEasy Records
Release Date: April 6th, 2018
01. Willow
02. Wave of Conscience
03. Babies
04. Paranoia
05. Sunrise
06. Slow Hole
07. Carry Her
08. Jizz Witch

On The Web:

Keep your mind open.
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Rewind Review: Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band – The Mirror Man Sessions (1999)

Recorded sometime between 1965 and 1967 and originally released in 1971, Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band‘s Mirror Man album was a bit of a hot mess when it was released.  It was compiled of four tracks taken from a recording session that was supposed to be for a double album called It Comes to You in a Plain Brown Wrapper that was never finished or released due to them being dropped by their label (Buddha Records).  According to John Platt’s liner notes for this 1999 re-release, “In 1971 someone at Buddha reviewed all the extant tapes, and a decision was made to issue a single album’s worth of material under the title Mirror Man.  What they chose were the three live-studio cuts plus ‘Kandy Korn.'”  The Mirror Man Sessions includes those four tracks as well as five more previously unissued cuts by the good Captain and his lads.  The four original tracks were also placed in an alternate order than the original album “for aesthetic reasons” that Buddha Records claims “for the time being at least…is as close as we can reasonably get to the Captain’s original intentions.”

The four original tracks are (in this album’s order) “Tarotplane,” “25th Century Quaker,” “Mirror Man,” and “Kandy Korn.”  I’m not sure anything I can write would do justice to “Tarotplane.”  It’s a nearly twenty-minute psychedelic freak-out masterpiece with the Captain’s harmonica, shinei, and vocals sounding like a warped, scratched 78rpm record you found in the back of an old blues honkytonk.  “25th Century Quaker” is so freaky that its beats from John French sound like a bag of oranges rolling down the stairs.

“Mirror Man” starts out with some of Captain Beefheart’s signature grungy harmonica work before Jeff Cotton and Alex St. Clair Snouffer‘s guitars let loose with warped chords that sound like they’ve been left out in the sun all day.  The Captain’s vocals are either distant and funky or sound like they’re coming through a damaged megaphone.  “Kandy Korn” is, on its face at least, about the waxy, sugary Halloween snack (“They look so good, I wanna eat ’em.”).  I’m willing to bet it’s about something else, but I’ll let you make the call.  It melts like candy on the roof of a VW van, and it practically sends you into a trance around the three-minute mark.

“Trust Us (Take 6)” has the Captain encouraging all of us to trust not only him and the Magic Band, but also people outside our comfort zones.  The rhythm of it is more urgent than you realize at first.  It becomes a toe-tapper and lingers a bit in jam band land.  It also has a neat fake fade out and fade in that I’m sure has fooled many DJs in its time.  It gets more warped the longer it goes.  “Safe As Milk (Take 12)” is one of the Magic Band’s biggest hits.  It has a cool, weird groove to it that’s hard to describe and the right amount of fuzz without being overwhelming.  The Captain’s vocals are playful and you can tell that his singing style influenced everyone from Tom Waits to Mike Patton and Les Claypool.

“Beatle Bones N’ Smokin’ Stones” is an obvious poke at the Beatles and the Rolling Stones.  The Captain has fun with “Strawberry Fields Forever” lyrics (reverbed and stuttering) and Keith Richards’ blues riffs (turning them into almost calliope music).  “Moody Liz (Take 8)” has near-country guitar licks that transform into psychedelic oddities.  The lyrics are barely recognizable, but that’s okay because the track is more a showcase for Cotton and Snouffer’s bizarre yet fascinating guitar work.  The album ends with “Gimme Dat Harp Boy,” and the Captain getting to strut his stuff on harmonica while the Magic Band drives the funk bus.

This might not be the best place to start your Captain Beefheart musical journey, but it’s essential listening if you’re a fan of his work and psychedelic blues.

Keep your mind open.

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A Place to Bury Strangers to release “Re-Pinned” – a remix of their newest record – this October.

A Place To Bury Strangers Announce Remix Album, Re-Pinned,
Out October 5th Via Dead Oceans

Listen To Slowdive’s “Frustrated Operator” Remix
https://youtu.be/vCyRkpLYTVg

Fall North American Tour Dates Added

[Re-Pinned artwork]

A Place To Bury Strangers released their new album, Pinned, earlier this year via Dead Oceans. Today, they announce Re-Pinned, a remix record coming out October 5th via Dead Oceans. Re-Pinned features remixes from Slowdive, Trentemøller, No Age, METZ, Eric Copeland, Roly Porter, Davy Drones, and TBO. “We’re so thrilled to be able to curate this remix record,” explains Oliver Ackermann. “Re-Pinned has such a cool mix of bands we’re friends and fans of and musicians we’ve loved for years. It really helps paint a picture of where Pinned descended from and is a nice combination of our peers and influences.”

“It is also such a dream come true and an honor to have our label mates Slowdive remix ‘Frustrated Operator,” which is being shared today. “Slowdive was such an influence on A Place To Bury Strangers as there really is no artist that does epic, scary and beautiful soundscapes like them. In fact, this band started when my friends Tim and Dave were asking if I wanted to play drums in a band that sounds like Slowdive. So, there it is set in stone as it has come full circle! I can die now,” continues Ackermann.

The vinyl version of Re-Pinned will be available for purchase at A Place To Bury Strangers’ live dates leading up to its release, including next month’s performance in New York City with Os Mutantes and the subsequent European tour. Upon the release of Re-Pinned, A Place To Bury Strangers will tour North America starting October 6th. A full list of dates is below.

Listen To Slowdive’s “Frustrated Operator” Remix:
https://youtu.be/vCyRkpLYTVg
Re-Pinned Tracklist:
1.  Never Coming Back (Trentemøller Remix)
2.  Frustrated Operator (Slowdive Remix)
3.  Situations Changes (Davy Drones Remix)
4.  I Know I’ve Done Bad Things (No Age Remix)
5.  Never Coming Back (Eric Copeland Remix)
6.  Execution (METZ Remix)
7.  Was It Electric (TBO Remix)
8.  Never Coming Back (Roly Porter Remix)
A Place To Bury Strangers Tour Dates:
Sunday, July 15 – New York, NY @ Le Poisson Rouge (Festival En Orbita w/ Os Mutantes, Martin Rev, Lee Ranaldo & Yonatan Gat)
Saturday, August 18 – Philadelphia, PA @ The Sound Hole
Friday, August 24 – Eindhoven, NE @ Effenaar (Fuzz Club Festival)
Saturday, August 25 – Utrecht, NE @ Ekko
Tuesday, August 28 – Paris, FR @ Le Petit Bain
Wednesday, August 29 – Bordeaux, FR @ Salle Des Fetes Du Grand Parc
Thursday, August 30 – Madrid, ES @ Moby Dick Club
Friday, August 31 – Porto, PT @ Hard Club
Saturday, September 1 – Lisbon, PT @ RCA Club
Sunday, September 2 – Barcelona, ES @ Sala Sidecar
Tuesday, September 4 – Zurich, CH @ Bogen F
Wednesday, September 5 – Acquaviva, IT @ Live Rock Festival
Thursday, September 6 – Milan, IT @ Circolo Magnolia
Friday, September 7 – Bologna, IT @ Freakout Club
Saturday, September 8 – Zagreb, HR @ Culture Factory
Monday, September 10 – Budapest, HU @ Durer Kert
Tuesday, September 11 – Vienna, AT @ Chelsea
Thursday, September 13 – Cologne, DE @ Gebaude 9
Friday, September 14 – Ostend, BE @ Leffingeleuren Festival
Saturday, September 15 – Rouen, FR @ Le 106
Monday, September 17 – London, UK @ Hoxton Square Bar & Kitchen
Saturday, October 6 – Seattle, WA @ Clock-Out Lounge (w/ Kraus)
Sunday, October 7 – Portland, OR @ Holocene (w/ Kraus)
Tuesday, October 9 – Oakland, CA @ Starline Social Club (w/ Kraus)
Friday, October 12 – Moreno Valley, CA @ Desert Daze
Monday, October 15 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge (w/ Kraus)
Tuesday, October 16 – Denver, CO @ Globe Hall (w/ Kraus)
Thursday, October 18 – St. Louis, MO @ Off Broadway (w/ Kraus)
Friday, October 19 – Chicago, IL @ Empty Bottle
Saturday, October 20 – Indianapolis, IN @ HI-FI Indianapolis (w/ Kraus)
Monday, October 22 – Nashville, TN @ The Basement East (w/ Kraus)
Tuesday, October 23 – Louisville, KY @ Zanzabar (w/ Kraus)
Thursday, October 25 – Columbus, OH @ Ace of Cups (w/ Kraus)
Friday, October 26 – Detroit, MI @ El Club
Sunday, October 28 – Toronto, ON @ Horseshoe Tavern
Monday, October 29 – Montreal, QC @ Theatre Fairmount
                                                                                                                        
Pre-order Re-Pinned – https://aptbs.ffm.to/re-pinned

A Place To Bury Strangers online:
http://www.aplacetoburystrangers.com/
https://www.facebook.com/aplacetoburystrangers/
https://twitter.com/aptbs
https://aplacetoburystrangers.bandcamp.com/
http://deadoceans.com/artists/aptbs/

Keep your mind open.
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Live – King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard – Chicago, IL – June 10, 2018

“Intense,” “hot,” and “fucked up” were all phrases I heard used to describe the sold-out King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard show in Chicago on June 10th.  Fans were lined up down the block in hopes to get early access to the Riviera Theatre’s general admission area for the best spots to watch the show or be in the mosh pit.

It was a cool yet humid afternoon and evening.  Fog was high and thick in the city.  You couldn’t see the tops of most buildings.  It was a bit of a surreal image perfect for a psychedelic rock show.  I felt bad for a group of four guys who were asking one of the bouncers for any unclaimed tickets.  They’d driven all the way from Ohio and didn’t know the show was sold out until they arrived.

Unfortunately, I missed Amyl and the Sniffers, as my friend attending with the show with me had a late appointment, but we got in after she went through a near TSA-level search at the door.  We immediately noticed the heat in the place.  A lot of bodies were in there, and the humidity crept in from the streets and into the theatre.  Security was already hauling a sweat-soaked woman who could barely walk out of the stage area as we walked down the foyer.

King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard didn’t seem to feel the heat, however.  They only increased it.

The mosh pit started quick.  I didn’t get into this one.  There were so many people there that moving from our spot (between the downstairs bar and the sound booth) to the main floor and pit was nearly impossible.  My friend told me that a lot of the people already looked dehydrated and / or drunk and / or high, and she then remembered that the Spring Awakening electronic music festival had been happening in the city all weekend.  Many had decided to wrap up their weekend with Australian psychedelia after going crazy with dubstep and trance for three days.

King Gizzard ripped through “Lord of Lightning” and got a big reaction for “Rattlesnake”.  One of the high spots of the night for me was hearing a slightly aggressive version of “Sleep Drifter.”  It had an edge to it that you won’t hear on Flying Microtonal Banana.

“Rattlesnake” gets everyone jumping.

The three tracks from Nonagon Infinity got a great response from the crowd, of course.  My friend was describing the show as “intense” by now.  She went to the restroom at one point and came back to tell me, “The real show’s out there (in the foyer).  Some girl is fucked up out there and they’re dragging her and other people outside.”  I made a break for the restroom at one point and discovered the humidity had turned the foyer floor and stairs down to the restroom into a Slip and Slide. I made it there and back without falling, but I’m not sure others were so lucky.

Nonagon infinity opens the door.

I was happy to see the four Ohio guys walk by me with drinks in their hands.  I clapped one on the shoulder and told him I was happy they made it into the show.  The whole crowd was buzzing, both naturally and through chemical means.  My friend was a bit freaked out by part of King Gizzard‘s projections that included a cartoon crocodile flying a biplane.  King Gizzard shows are always wild, and this one was no exception.

Catch them if you can while they’re in the U.S.

Keep your mind open.

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Here Lies Man – You Will Know Nothing

Here Lies Man was introduced to me via their label (RidingEasy Records) with the following question – “What if Black Sabbath played Afrobeat?”

I’m not sure I can sum up HLM’s sound better than that.  They’re from Los Angeles (and consist of members of Antibalas), so it’s tempting to say there’s a touch of southern California rock and surf in there.  However, the majority of their sound is a blend of heavy riffs and Afrobeat rhythms.  It works.  Good heavens, does it work.

The heavy organ and crunchy guitar of “Animal Noises” get things off to a great start.  It sounds like a couple wild boars grunting alongside jungle birds.  It also cuts out and then fades back in with delicate psychedelic brush strokes.  “Summon Fire” could probably do exactly that under the right circumstances.  The guitar licks are hot enough, and the drums are perfect for a dance around the fire while spinning a spear overhead.  The lyrics are belted out like something from Parliament Funkadelic.  “Blindness” is a mostly instrumental with great organ / keyboard work throughout it, especially on the gothic fade-out that would make Bauhaus proud.

“That Much Closer to Nothing” is a good, yet bleak, way to describe living.  The title and the sludge-like riffs are nihilistic at first, but then blossom with an infectious energy that let you know that letting go of all your trappings is a good thing.  Those Sabbath influences are front and center on “Hell (Wooly Tail).”  The bass slithers, the guitars chug, the drums bubble, and the keys melt.  The songs ends with a child’s voice telling us to “Look in the mirror.”  It lends a bit of creepiness to the title of the next track – “Voices at the Window.”   The song is like a fog through which you see what may or may not be a deer along the road as you’re driving at 65mph.  In other words, it’s misty and a bit frightening.

The choppy, fuzzy sounds of “Taking the Blame” are heavy and will get your neck moving like a bobble head figure.  “Fighting” was the first single off the record, and choosing it was a no-brainer.  The groove on it is excellent and belongs at the top of your next workout playlist.  “Floating on Water” follows, and its one of the best psychedelic dream-rock songs of the year.  It like concentric ripples in a mountain lake.  “Memory Games” brings Cream to mind with its floor-stomping blues-based groove.  The closer is the lovely “You Ought to Know” – an instrumental that puts together shoegaze, stoner rock, psychedelia, and space rock / lounge.

You Will Know Nothing is the type of album that you can put on a loop and listen to three times in a row without getting bored.  It’s funky, heavy, and a great cure for anything ailing you right now.

Keep your mind open.

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Here Lies Man release new single – “You Will Know Nothing” – from album due June 15th.

Here Lies Man share “Taking The Blame” from forthcoming album You Will Know Nothing
Antibalas members “if Black Sabbath played Afrobeat”
Hear & share “Taking The Blame” (YouTube) (Bandcamp)
“An evolutionary step forward for their sound.” – Metal Hammer
“A woozy wall of Afrobeat inspired fuzzbox riff worship and pounding circular rhythmic power, Here Lies Man connect the stoner rock underground straight to downtown Lagos.” – The Quietus
“This is a band ahead of their time.” — The Obelisk

Los Angeles quintet Here Lies Man share a new single from their forthcoming highly anticipated sophomore album today via The Obelisk. Hear and share “Taking The Blame” HERE and at Bandcamp and YouTube. The album, You Will Know Nothing will be released June 15th via RidingEasy Records.
Earlier in the month, the band released “That Much Closer To Nothing” via YouTube. Back in March, the band dropped the first song, “Fighting” via YouTube.
Here Lies Man play the prestigious Primavera Sound festival in Barcelona, Spain tomorrow before hitting the road with Earthless in June. Later in Fall, the band hits the massive Desert Daze festival in Southern California. Please see current dates below.
Here Lies Man took the music world by storm in 2017 with their self-titled debut positing the intriguing hypothesis: What if Black Sabbath played Afrobeat?
Rough Trade named Here Lies Man in their prestigious Top 10 Albums of 2017. BBC 6 & Classic Rock Magazine deemed it among the year’s best, as well as countless other press outlets singing its praises.
This June, the L.A. band comprised of Antibalas members quickly follow their auspicious debut with the even more thoroughly realized album You Will Know Nothing. Its 11 tracks expand upon the band’s exploration of heavy riff-based rock and psych within the ancient rhythmic formula of the clave.
“We’re very conscious of how the rhythms service the riffs,” explains founder and vocalist/guitarist/multi-instrumentalist Marcos Garcia (who also plays guitar in Antibalas) of the band’s sound. “Tony Iommi‘s (Black Sabbath) innovation was to make the riff the organizing principle of a song. We are taking that same approach but employing a different organizing principle: For Iommi it was the blues, for us it comes directly from Africa.”
Sonically, on You Will Know Nothing the dynamic range is thicker, crisper and more powerful. It glistens as much as it blasts. The songs are even catchier, more anthemic, and the production reflects that of a band truly come into its own. Lyrically, it’s an equally more conceptualized effort that reflects upon states of being and consciousness – a driving force that carries throughout the words and moods of all of the band’s releases, interconnected to their trancelike music. Here Lies Man have honed their sound and their focus, and soon, you will truly know Nothing.
“We wanted to go deeper with the sonic experience,” says Garcia. “Even though it sounds more hi-fi than the first record, it was important that it didn’t sound too polished.”
While You Will Know Nothing certainly maintains its gritty grooves, there’s an interesting conceptual mathematics to the entire proceedings. “There are interludes between each song that are 2/3 to 3/4 of the tempo of the previous song,” Garcia says. “The reason it breaks down to 2 over 3 or 3 over 4 is that everything in the music rhythmically corresponds to a set of mathematical algorithms known as the clave. The clave is an ancient organizing rhythmic principle developed in Africa.”
“We dove deep into the texture of the music, beyond the groove and the riff,” says HLM cofounder and drummer Geoff Mann (former Antibalas drummer and son of jazz musician Herbie Mann.) “Although something might sound like one instrument, there are subtle layers shifting through. It’s definitely a headphone album.”
Garcia and Mann recorded the album much like they did the debut, at their own L.A. studio on a Tascam 388 8-track tape machine. Congas were later recorded by percussionists Richard Panta and Reinaldo DeJesus. Then, Garcia went to NY to record interludes with former Antibalas keyboardist Victor Axelrod. Mixing took the most time in order to find the proper sonic space for each layer of musical detail, with first album engineer Jeremy Page mixing the drums and the band tackling the remainder while also juggling a hectic touring schedule.
Here Lies Man has already spent much of early 2018 on tour, with dates supporting Antibalas and Fu Manchu as well as a headlining trek through the EU & UK. Many summer festival dates and headline tours await later in the year as Here Lies Man continues its infectious charge onward.
You Will Know Nothing will be available on LP, CD and download on June 15th, 2018 via RidingEasy Records.
HERE LIES MAN LIVE 2018:
05/31 Barcelona, ES @ Primavera Sound Festival 
06/02 Dudingen, CH @ Bad Bonn Kilbi
06/05 Asheville, NC @ Mothlight *
06/06 Atlanta, GA @ Masquerade *
06/07 Spartansburg, SC @ Ground Zero *
06/08 Orlando, FL @ Wills Pub *
06/09 Tallahassee, FL @ The Wilbury *
06/10 Baton Rouge, LA @ Spanish Moon *
06/12 Houston, TX @ White Oak Upstairs *
06/13 Austin, TX @ Barracuda *
06/14 Ft Worth, TX @ Ridgela Room *
06/15 Memphis, TN @ Growlers *
06/26 Seattle, WA @ Nectar Lounge
06/27 Bellingham, WA @ The Shakedown
06/28 Vancouver, BC @ Fox Cabaret
06/29 Portland, OR @ Star Theater
06/30 Grant’s Pass, OR @ The Haul
07/01 Chico, CA @ Naked Lounge
07/02 San Francisco, CA @ The Chapel
07/05 Los Angeles, CA @ Resident DTLA
08/24 Hudson Valley, NY @ Huichica Festival
08/31 Los Angeles, CA @ Levitt Pavillion (MacArthur Park)
10/12-14 Lake Perris, CA @ Desert Daze 2018
* w/ Earthless

Artist: Here Lies Man
Album: You Will Know Nothing
Label: RidingEasy Records
Release Date: June 15th, 2018
01. Animal Noises
02. Summon Fire
03. Blindness
04. That Much Closer
05. Hell (Wooly Tail)
06. Voices At The Window
07. Taking the Blame
08. Fighting
09. Floating On Water
10. Memory Games
11. You Ought To Know

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