Coral Grief‘s debut album, Air Between Us, isn’t quite shoegaze, and it isn’t quite dream pop, but it’s somehow both at the same time…and it’s lovely.
Opening track “Starboard” is a rush of fuzzy guitars from Sam Fason and dreamy vocals from Lena Farr-Morrissey. “Rockhounds” is a much-needed song in this day and age, as it’s about finding beauty in the simplest things (like rocks along a beach). The title track floats around, over, and below you much like the cover image. “Latitude” has the band taking its time over the next four minutes to consider how we all need to change perspective now and then (“I go behind the door to change my mind.” – a quote from Fason’s grandmother).
“Avenue You” is a song about missing childhood places that no longer exist. Cam Hancock‘s drumming almost breaks into full-on rock mode at times on it, but he keeps it subtle as Fason’s guitar echoes around his bandmates. “The Landfall” is lovely and light. “Paint By Number” is led by Hancock’s snappy drums, with Fason’s jangly guitar having a fun time keeping up with him as Farr-Morrissey brings light to gray skies with her happy bass and optimistic vocals.
“Mutual Wish” reminds me of some of The Beths‘ dreamier cuts, and “Outback” almost has a goth tinge to it, but it never becomes maudlin. “Late Bloomer” is an acoustic track that would fit into a Twin Peaks episode, and the closer, “Almost Everyday” is an ode to Seattle’s Everyday Music record store, where Farr-Morrissey worked until it closed four years ago.
It, like much of the album, is a reflection on things that were and what they (and we) have become now. The reflection is often beautiful and shimmering, like light reflected on water. Those memories, those places and moments, are often just like the air between us…ephemeral yet present, dream-like yet solid…like this record.
Levitation France moved to a new venue in 2025. It was still in Angers, France, but no longer at the La Chabada location. It was now at the Lac De Maine park on the lovely lake in Angers, right by this massive pyramid structure that appears to be a reception center, restaurant, or maybe some kind of New Age retreat. The stage was placed in front of it, and it was off-limits to festival attendees, but that was fine. We were there for the music.
We weren’t sure we were there at first, as we got off at the wrong bus stop and had to walk through a dried-up park to get to the main path leading to the festival. Angers, and the rest of France, was in the middle of a heatwave. The grass throughout the park and the stage area looked and often felt like shredded wheat.
Once there on the first day, we arrived about halfway through New Candys‘ set. I’d seen them in France a couple years earlier, and looked forward to catching them again. Their newest record, TheUncanny Extravaganza, is impressive, and their 2025 Levitation France set matched it with strong hooks and solid rock to power everyone through the heat and relentless sun.
New Candys from Italy
Up next was DITZ, who wasted no time in crushing eardrums. The mosh pit was wild, kicking up a massive cloud of dust sometimes as thick as the stuff coming out of the stage’s fog machine. They had one of the wildest, strongest sets of the festival, and the one-two punch of New Candys and DITZ was great. Their lead singer led the crowd to the lake, dove in, and came back covered in lake weeds to finish the set.
DITZ pre-swim.
We took a much-needed break, scored some merch, water, and pizza (Pickles on pizza? It kind of works.), and found a small sliver of shade for a little while. My neck got sunburned as many others stood either in the shade of the two trees nearby or in the shadow of the tall sound booth at the back of the venue.
We came back for Kadavar. I hadn’t seen the German rock giants since the second Austin Psych Fest I attended in 2014. The lead singer mentioned it was their first time playing a Levitation festival since then. I yelled, “I was there!”, much to the amusement of a guy next to me. They blasted our faces off, of course, playing everything from doom metal to near-prog riffs.
A great return for Kadavar to Levitation.
We made sure to take more breaks on the second day to avoid further sunburn and dehydration. The first set we caught was by Heartworms, who put on a neat show of goth rock, psychedelic guitar work, dark wave (Theremin!), and a bit of performance art. They were my girlfriend’s favorite set of the festival.
Heartworms affecting hearts and minds.
We caught part of bdrmm‘s set, but had to get out of the sun for a little while. We enjoyed some chicken tikka masala, booze, and lemonade, and came back to check out Bryan’s Magic Tears – another band I last saw at Levitation France. They’ve only gotten better, creating snappy shoegaze and dream pop for an appreciative crowd.
Bryan’s Magic Tears mixed with audience sweat.
The big set of the night, and the festival, for me was from The Limiñanas. I’d wanted to see them for quite a while and they rarely, if ever, get across the Atlantic Ocean. The French psych-rock legends didn’t disappoint us. They played a great set complete with classics, tracks from their new album, Faded, and even a cover of The Cramps‘ “TV Set.”
When you get a chance to see The Limiñanas in France, you go see them.
We stuck around for the first half of Boy Harsher‘s set. They dropped heavy dance beats, dark bass, and sultry sounds across the night and the water. We would’ve stayed for the whole thing, but we had an early train to catch the next day and public transportation back from the venue was minimal that late at night.
Nothing harsh about Boy Harsher’s set.
It was another fun year in Angers, despite the heat. I hope they’ll bring in some man-made shade next year if they keep it on the lake. One of the best parts about Levitation France is the opportunity to see so many bands who don’t get to tour outside of Europe much, if at all. All Levitation festivals are great ways to discover your new favorite band. We already plan to go back next year to discover more if the dates work out for us. See you there?
I don’t know how Dusty Rose Gang (Josh Budiognan – guitar, Brett Donlan – bass, Blake Hill – drums, Dusty Rose – guitar and vocals) has done it, but apparently they have crafted a time machine and appeared in modern day Detroit straight from a late 1970s tour with MC5 with their album A-One from Day One.
Opening track “Love Bug” shreds on so many levels that it’s difficult to list them all. It kicks out the jams and kicks the walls down around you. It sounds like cosmic rock, Detroit metal, and garage grooves all at the same time. The slight echo effect on Rose’s vocals is great touch. Rose and Budiognan’s guitars on “Sticker” practically lift your speakers (and you) off the floor.
“Person of Light,” the longest track on the album (six minutes-plus) reminds me of some of Frankie and The Witch Fingers‘ wild tunes. The more I think about it, they and Dusty Rose Gang would be a great double-bill. Donlan’s bass runs all over this track, locking in a sweaty, heavy groove that you can’t ignore once you hear it. The weird filter effect on “Party Back Jack” is mind-warping, as is Hill’s drumming. Then the guitars kick in and it’s like you’re taking off on a rural Michigan drag strip.
“Leave It Alone” is full of fun AC/DC-like swagger rock. “Feel Me” somehow cranks that swagger up more and throws in psych-rock grooves for good measure.
This is one of the most fun rock albums I’ve heard all year. Don’t skip it. These guys are A1 from day one.
Mdou Moctar‘s most recent album, Funeral for Justice, was recorded after two years of touring with his band, hearing music from all over the world, and seeing injustices across the world. This all lit a fire under the band, resulting in a record that’s a mixture of Tuareg rock, psychedelia, and punk rage.
The opening title track wastes no time, bringing in Thin Lizzy-heavy riffs and then snappy, sizzling drums. “Imouhar” crushes on all levels. Moctar’s guitar burns hotter than the fires on the album’s cover, and his three-piece band is so locked in that even the Incredible Hulk couldn’t shake them loose. “Takoba” is excellent Tuareg desert-psych with percussion made for long walks across hot dunes.
Speaking of hot things, the opening guitar on “Sousoume Tamacheq” is like a flare going off to signal danger ahead. “Imajighen” pumps the brakes a bit, but still keeps you rolling at a smooth pace as a warm breeze moves over you. The vocals on “Tchinta,” particularly on the chorus, seem like praise, but might be cries of injustice (considering the theme of the album). Moctar’s closing solo on it is stunning.
“Oh France” has some of the wildest drumming on the record. It sounds like it’s being played by two people in a giant cavern with a secret temple in it. The album ends with the mind-altering “Modern Slaves,” a song about how slavery, somehow, still exists in this world and how many of us willingly become slaves to multiple masters.
Funeral for Justice feels like Moctar’s fiercest album to date. Use with caution. It might set your house on fire.
Imagine you’re in a bleak future where you’re unsure of the loyalties of those around you, as they might be allied with beings intent on your surrender and supplication. Wait…are we already in this place?
Toulouse, France’s Paddang certainly thinks so, as their new album, Lost in Lizardland, is a cautionary tale of sinister forces out to enslave and / or destroy us. The three-man band of Thomas Boquel (guitar and vocals), Rémi Fournier (drums and vocals), and Guirec Petton (bass, synths, and vocals) unleash a wild mix of cosmic rock, psychedelia, and punk chaos to warn us of not just things to come, but also things happening in real time.
“The End of Hanoumane” (an altering of “The End of Humanity?”) is an interesting start, because the “end song” is a setup for an epic journey ahead of us. “Pressure” reminds you of Osees grooves mixed with King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard trippy tracks. Heck, “Draconite” even mentions an “altered beast” as the world of our story begins to unravel and reptilian beasts emerge. The slight Middle Eastern touches on Boquel’s guitar are sharp.
“Predator” has the beasts chasing after all of us…or maybe not. “Are they monsters, or are they true? Are they like me, are they like you? Shall we resist or surrender? Brothers, I wish we never become predator(s).” “Lizardland” is about waking up in a world that sort of looks like yours, but you feel something isn’t quite right or know everything is wrong. The breakdown for the outro is great.
“Moros Journey” is the tale of the album’s heroine, Moros, as she tries to navigate the crazy Lizardland world, avoid beasts, and figure just what the hell is happening…and if the golden city she saw in a dream is a real safe haven or a fantasy. It’s a fun, fast track that stomps the gas pedal for the rest of the album. “The Astral Flood” is the album’s heaviest psychedelic track, with lyrics about floating into another plane of existence and the album ends with “Agartha” – a song about finding “energies I can’t ignore, something hidden at the core” (of humanity? Of ourselves? Of the universe? It’s probably all three.). It has plenty of fuzz and fast beats, but there’s a fun pop-rock groove to it you can’t deny.
It’s a wild record, and, I suspect, one that needs to be heard live whenever possible. Get lost in this. You’ll come out of it a bit different.
I’m late to Elephant Stone‘s last album, Back into the Dream, but they’re certainly not late to their always sharp psychedelic grooves and uplifting lyrics on it.
Robbie MacArthur‘s guitar work on opening track “Lost in a Dream” is outstanding, reaching shining heights above sparkling clouds at some points as even shinier synths bounce like sunlight off a warm lake. “The Spark” features more great guitar work, and “Going Underground” has hints of the band’s love of The Rolling Stones (check out that drum beat by Miles Dupire-Gagnon), with Jason Kent‘s Hammond organ taking a full step forward on the track.
“History Repeating” is almost a shoegaze track with those background guitars and Rishi Dhir‘s smooth bass line throughout it, and “bae” is a shoegaze track with its distorted vocals and enough layers of reverb to make a birthday cake for Roky Erickson. If that track doesn’t take you out of your body, then “Godstar” will as Dhir’s sitar and Shawn Mativetsky‘s tabla pretty much levitate your speakers off the floor, desk, or car doors.
“The Imajinary, Nameless Everybody in the World” is the kind of song that only Elephant Stone can seem to pull off – psychedelic, spiritual, lovely, rocking, and multi-layered without coming off as noodling or tying to force some kind of sound or reaction. It starts off almost meditative and then floats into cosmic jam territory. It’s the rightful centerpiece of the album and is over seven minutes of psych-bliss (and check out that Adam Kinner sax solo!).
“Pilgrimage” is another lovely one, with the band’s synths, piano, and saxophone putting down perfect sounds for a late night trip that’s taking you to a sunrise you’ve wanted to see for quite some time. “On Our Own” has the band embracing their admitted love of The Beatles, and album closes with the soft, short, subtle “Another Year Gone” as Dhir reminisces about past prophets, past choices, past loves, and future joys and mysteries to come.
Elephant Stone have another gem in their catalog with Back into the Dream. It’s both another fun record for us long-time fans and a good entry point if you’re new to them. Sit back and enjoy it.
It’s odd that I haven’t seen a full concert in almost five months, so opening my 2025 concert season with one of my rock heroes seemed appropriate. The Bob Mould Band was playing an easy drive from my house, so seeing them for the third time, and in a small venue, was an easy decision.
First up were Winged Wheel, who described themselves as being “from multiple cities” and thus rarely getting opportunities to play and tour together. They played an interesting brand of psychedelia that mixed synthwave with trippy guitars, a violin, and even lap steel guitar.
Winged Wheel
They had a great sunset to provide a light show, and I thought, “They could play Levitation.” Their sound is unique and they all look like someone you know.
After about a twenty-minute gear switch, The Bob Mould band came out and got straight to business. It was the last show of their current tour, and they emptied the gas tank on the Bell’s outdoor stage.
They tore through the first group of tracks so fast that you could barely breathe. The crowd, mostly aging hipsters like yours truly, seemed a bit low key. The trio of Mr. Mould, Jason Narducy (bass), and Jon Wurster (drums) were roaring and few people were dancing at first. I think some were just overwhelmed by the tidal wave of sound coming at them. There were a couple songs when it felt like a mosh pit could, and should, have broken out. Three guys tried to start one for a moment, but one of the trio soon stopped it and calmed his pals down before it could form.
The Bob Mould Band was undeterred by this, thank heavens, and ripped through a lot of good stuff from their catalogue, both new (from their Here We Go Crazy album) and even a short set of tracks from 2020. Wurster was dropping some killer fills the whole night, and Narducy’s bass grooves were locked in the whole set.
Mould, go figure, shredded the entire evening with both his guitar and his voice. It’s wild to see and hear him create that much sound.
A highlight for me was them playing the theme from The Mary Tyler Moore Show near the end of the night. If you’re a fan of Hüsker Dü, then you know that cover was a staple of their early shows so it was a blast to hear that gem brought out to shine.
It’s great that these guys are still crushing it and that Mould is still putting out great music and showing youngsters how it’s done.
Keep your mind open.
Thanks to the chap who let me snap a photo of this set list he scored.
[Thanks to Jim and Mia at Big Hassle for the press pass!]
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard announce their 27th album Phantom Island, out June 13th, and share its lead single “Deadstick.” If you’re worried that, 15 years and 26 albums into their epic quest, polymorphous psychedelic voyagers King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard might be running out of new frontiers to traverse, then let their latest opus set your mind to rest. The band’s second release on their own (p)doom records label, Phantom Island sees our intrepid heroes add a new dimension to their ever-evolving songcraft, embracing the symphonic and embroidering their tangles of lysergic riff and melody with strings and horns and woodwind.
The roots of the album can be traced back to the group’s legendary show at the Hollywood Bowl in June 2023. Gizz met some members of the Los Angeles Philharmonic backstage who urged them to take part in an annual series where the orchestra plays alongside rock and pop acts. Fast-forward to 2024, and the Gizz are hunkered down in their clubhouse, plugged into tiny practice amps and choogling to their hearts’ content. The results of these sessions yield that year’s Aria-nominated Flight b741. But these sessions yielded ten further songs that didn’t quite fit the Flight b741 vibe, and which, Mackenzie says, “were harder to finish. Musically, they needed a little more time and space and thought.”
Quickly, the group’s collective mind leapt to the LA Philharmonic. “The songs felt like they needed this other energy and colour, that we needed to splash some different paint on the canvas,” Mackenzie says. He reached out to friend, British historical keyboardist, conductor and arranger Chad Kelly. “He brings this wealth of musical awareness to his chameleon-like arrangements,” Mackenzie says. “We come from such different worlds – he plays Mozart and Bach and uses the same harpsichords they did, and tunes them the exact same way. But he’s obsessed with microtonal music, too, and all this nerdy stuff like me. Lead single “Deadstick” puts Kelly’s elaborate orchestrations on display, raising the graceful and complex song to the sublime, transforming it into a giddy jazz-rock riot.
On the song’s accompanying video, directorGuy Tyzack says: “I started off wanting to create a frame that looked like a landscape painting with many different people and set pieces dotted about. Deadstick refers to when a plane propeller stops midflight so I decided to have a massive plane made out of cardboard crash land into a beautiful location. The song is big and chaotic so then I went about casting swing dancers and eccentric extras to fill the landscape.”
If Flight b741 was an album of rambunctious adventure stories, Phantom Island picks up that thread, spinning its tales of quests and piracy out into the stars. But it’s a more interior album than its predecessor, more melancholy – more “introverted”, Mackenzie says. Sure, these are tales of high adventure in galaxies far, far away, but the focus is less on the action, and more on the interior lives of those adventurers, reflecting the kind of insight Gizz have gleaned from 15 years of travelling the world and leaving their homes behind to take their music to the people. There’s a wiser, more mature, more sensitive Gizz at play here, questioning their place within the universe, their responsibilities, the ties that bind. “When I was younger, I was just interested in freaking people out,” admits Mackenzie, “but as I get older, I’m much more interested in connecting with people.”
King Gizzard will embark on their 2025 Phantom Island orchestral tour this July. Featuring a different accompanying 29-piece orchestra in each city – and ably led by conductor & music director Sarah Hicks – the tour will see the group perform with some of the country’s most renowned ensembles, before concluding with Field of Vision, the band’s own 3-day residency camping event at Meadow Creek in Buena Vista, CO. This represents the band’s only U.S. tour of 2025, so don’t miss out on your fix for a full calendar year. A full list of dates are below with tickets available here.
KING GIZZARD & THE LIZARD WIZARD TOUR DATES (New dates in bold) Sun. May 18 – Tue. May 20 – Lisbon, PT @ Coliseu dos Recreios * Fri. May 23 – Sun. May 25 – Barcelona, ES @ Poble Espanyol * Thu. May 29 – Sat. May 31 – Vilnius, LT @ Lukiškės Prison 2.0 ^ Wed. June 4 – Fri. June 6 – Athens, GR @ Lycabettus Theatre City of Athens # Sun. June 8 – Tue. June 10 – Plovdiv, BG @ Ancient Theatre ^
Fri. June 13 – Sun. June 15 – Manchester, TN @ Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival
Mon. July 28 – Philadelphia, PA @ TD Pavilion At The Mann (w/ Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia) $ Wed. July 30 – New Haven, CT @ Westville Music Bowl (w/ Orchestra of St. Luke’s) $ Fri. August 1 – Forest Hills, NY @ Forest Hills Stadium (w/ Orchestra of St. Luke’s) $ Sat. August 2 – Forest Hills, NY @ Forest Hills Stadium (Rock ‘n Roll Show) $ Mon. August 4 – Columbia, MD @ Merriweather Post Pavilion (w/ National Symphony Orchestra) $ Wed. August 6 – Highland Park, IL @ Ravinia Festival (w/ Chicago Philharmonic) $ Fri. August 8 – Colorado Springs, CO @ Ford Amphitheater (w/ Colorado Symphony) $ Sun. August 10 – Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Bowl (w/ Hollywood Bowl Orchestra) $ Mon. August 11 – San Diego, CA @ The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park (w/ San Diego Symphony Orchestra) $
Fri. August 15 – Sun. August 17 – Buena Vista, CO @ FIELD OF VISION at Meadow Creek %
Fri. October 31 – Manchester, UK @ Aviva Studios (Rave Set) Sat. November 1 – London, UK @ Electric Brixton (Rave Set) Sun. November 2 – London, UK @ Electric Brixton (Rave Set) Tue. November 4 – London, UK @ Royal Albert Hall (w/ Covent Garden Sinfonia) Wed. November 5 – Paris, FR @ La Seine Musicale (w/ L’Orchestre Lamoureux) Thu. November 6 – Tilburg, NL @ 013 (Rave Set) Fri. November 7 – Den Bosch, NL @ MAINSTAGE ( w/ Sinfonia Rotterdam) Sun. November 9 – Gdansk, PL @ Inside Seaside Festival (w/ The Baltic Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra) Mon. November 10 – Berlin, DE @ Columbiahalle (Rave Set) Tue. November 11 – Prague, CZ @ SaSaZu (Rave Set) Wed. November 12 – Vienna, AT @ Gasometer (Rave Set) Fri. November 14 – Copenhagen, DK @ Poolen (Rave Set) Sat. November 15 – Gothenburg, SE @ Gothenburg Film Studios (Rave Set)
* w/ Etran De L’Aïr ^ w/ King Stingray # w/ King Stingray, DJ Crenshaw $ w/ DJ Crenshaw % w/ Babe Rainbow, Gaye Su Akyol, King Stingray, Mannequin Pussy, Memo PST, Pearl Charles, The Mystery Lights, The Songs For Kids Band!, White Fence, DJ Crenshaw
Paddang is a psychedelic rock trio formed in Toulouse (France) in 2020. With Osees and King Crimson all over the radio and a band name inspired by a surf spot in Indonesia, Paddang are speeding through a cosmic epic that sounds like a Herbert prophecy. Far from hiding behind a wall of fuzz or a mountain of reverb, the three voices dictate the tone and invoke an urgent need to do something in a world on the brink of chaos. Their debut album ‘Chasing Ghosts’ was released in March 2023, backed up by a fifty-date tour in France (including festivals such as Ecaussystème, Musicalarue, Montauban en scènes, Guitare en Scène, V&B Fest and support slots with bands such as MADAM, Pogo Car Crash Control, Psychedelic Porn Crumpets, and It It Anita).
Their second album will be released on June 6th 2025 on LE CÈPE RECORDS & STOLEN BODY RECORDS. After a first single, ‘‘PRESSURE’‘ released in April, the band will reveal on Friday a second track from the album, “PREDATOR” : youtube.com/watch?v=vudrz5XHbK8
Fierce and visceral, “Predator” explores the fragile boundary between human nature and primal instinct. It’s a raw track about survival, fear, and the predator that lies dormant within each of us. With powerful vocals and a relentless rhythm, it delivers an urgent message—where rock becomes a weapon against apathy. “Predator” is more than just a song; it’s a cry against the loss of our humanity. Shot like the final episode of a thrilling B-movie, the “Predator” music video picks up where Pressure left off. Deep within the belly of a cave, the Lizard Corp industrialists have gone too far, recklessly exploiting Draconite, a stone of mystical energy. Mutated into reptilian creatures, they launch a savage hunt for Moros through the scorched landscapes of a dying planet. Rescued at the last moment by a mysterious guardian inspired by Quetzalcoatl, Moros sets off for Agartha—a legendary city where she hopes to find a glimpse of peace.
The press release I got for Fugue State‘s new album, In the Lurch, described it as sounding like it’s “broadcast through a warped transistor radio from another dimension.” That’s a good way to put it. It’s a wild album that blends punk, jazz, garage rock, and other things I’m still trying to define…but should I bother?
After all, vocalist and guitarist Shane Bruno has said that the lead track (and single), “Moot Point,” is “not meant to be taken entirely seriously” — even though it’s a song about questioning your place in the universe. Perhaps that is the moot point: We’re all floating on a speck of dust in infinite space, so why are we so worried about everything?
Gage O’Brien‘s opening bass on the title track is like the sound of a muscle car engine roaring to life. The rest of the track is that same car tearing through a junkyard wall. “The Pipeline” combines surf and psych along with some weirdo rock and makes a somewhat spooky brew. “Mundane Man” is bonkers, as Bruno shreds his guitar and rolls his eyes at a dude who can’t stop talking about himself.
Drummer Jonathan Hanson goes nuts on the punky-funky “I’ll Keep It in Mind,” making you want to sign him up for your next punk band. “Facts” sounds like Osees making a weird surf album. “Joie de Vivre” is wonderfully warped. Bruno’s guitar sounds like he’s running it through at least three pedals and maybe even an old sewing machine.
“Connecticut Girls” reminds me of Dead Kennedys with its distorted vocals about picking up girls and surf-influenced garage punk sound. “I Don’t Wanna Be Here” could be the theme of the day, week, year, decade, country, and / or planet. O’Brien’s synths (and the horns!) on the closer, “Abscess,” are a neat touch, taking the song back and forth from Hasil Adkins weirdness to Julian Cope-level strangeness.
This is one of the wildest records I’ve heard all year so far. I need to see these guys live. It must be bonkers.
Keep your mind open.
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