Psychedelic – Page 52 – 7th Level Music

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/

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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.

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.

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

On The Web:

hereliesman.com

facebook.com/hereliesman

hereliesman.bandcamp.com

ridingeasyrecs.com

Keep your mind open.

[You’ll know plenty about music when you subscribe.]

A Place to Bury Strangers release new single, “Too Tough to Kill,” and U.S. summer tour dates.

A Place To Bury Strangers Share “Too Tough To Kill” Video
Watch Here

North American Headline Tour Begins This Week

Pinned Out Now On Dead Oceans

[still from “Too Tough To Kill” video]

A Place To Bury Strangers are sharing a video for new single “Too Tough To Kill” from their recently released album, Pinned. The director Colin Marchon says, “The project is a kind of America-sploitation video in response to the frustratingly stagnant state of the country. The song felt like the perfect context to speak to that. Technically speaking I don’t really consider myself an animator. It just feels really fun and cathartic to cut up images that speak to me or make me laugh and play with them in front of a camera. The editing is a little more complicated but as a full time commercial filmmaker the medium is just a very easy outlet to let out my subconscious after work.”

Watch A Place To Bury Strangers’ “Too Tough To Kill” Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jjc6-ALiRb4

For well over a decade now, A Place to Bury Strangers— Oliver Ackermann, Dion Lunadon, and, officially, drummer Lia Simone Braswell—have become well known for their unwavering commitment to unpredictable, often bewildering live shows, and total, some might say dangerous volume. They don’t write set ists. They frequently write new songs mid-set. They deliberately provoke and sabotage sound people in a variety of cruel yet innovative ways. They can and will always surprise you.

Pinned, the band’s fifth full-length, finds A Place To Bury Strangers converting difficult moments into some of their most urgent work to date. It’s their first since the 2016 election, and their first since the 2014 closing of Death By Audio, the beloved Brooklyn DIY space where Ackerman lived, worked, and created with complete freedom. It’s a clear and honest statement of intent, not just for everything that follows, but for this band as a whole.

A Place To Bury Strangers will tour in support of Pinned beginning this week. A full list of dates is below.

Watch:
“Too Tough To Kill” video – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jjc6-ALiRb4
“Frustrated Operator” video – https://youtu.be/FMY04c8yrZE
“There’s Only One Of Us” video – https://youtu.be/ZkRebfgTLNc
“Never Coming Back” video – https://youtu.be/rij8qYpT1S0

A Place To Bury Strangers Tour Dates:
5/24/18 Washington, DC – DC9 w/ Prettiest Eyes & Buck Gooter (tickets)
5/25/18 Baltimore, MD – Metro Gallery w/ Prettiest Eyes & Thrushes (tickets)
5/26/18 Raleigh, NC – Kings Barcade w/ Prettiest Eyes & Lacy Jags (tickets)
5/27/18 Asheville, NC – The Mothlight w/ Prettiest Eyes & Lacy Jags (tickets)
5/28/18 Atlanta, GA – The Earl w/ Prettiest Eyes & Nest Egg (tickets)
5/30/18 New Orleans, LA – Gasa Gasa w/ Prettiest Eyes & Trashlight (tickets)
5/31/18 Houston, TX – The Secret Group w/ Prettiest Eyes & Narcons (tickets)
6/01/18 Austin, TX – Barracuda w/ Prettiest Eyes & Xetas (tickets)
6/02/18 Dallas, TX – Club Dada w/ Prettiest Eyes & Dendrons (tickets)

6/03/18 San Antonio, TX – Paper Tiger w/ Prettiest Eyes & My Education (tickets)
6/05/18 Santa Fe, NM – Meow Wolf w/ Prettiest Eyes & Heather Trost (tickets)
6/06/18 Phoenix, AZ – Valley Bar w/ Sextile & Strange Lot (tickets)
6/07/18 San Diego, CA – The Casbah w/ Sextile & Keepers (tickets)
6/09/18 Los Angeles, CA – The Regent w/ Sextile & Prettiest Eyes (tickets)
6/10/18 San Francisco, CA – Great American Music Hall w/ Sextile & Prettiest Eyes (tickets)
6/12/18 Portland, OR – Mississippi Studios w/ Sextile & Tender Age (tickets)
6/13/18 Vancouver, BC – Fox Cabaret w/ Sextile & Dopey’s Robe (tickets)
6/14/18 Seattle, WA – The Crocodile w/ Sextile & Haunted Horses (tickets)

10/12/18-10/14/18 – Joshua Tree, CA @ Desert Daze (tickets)

Pinned artwork

Purchase Pinned – https://aptbs.lnk.to/pinned

Keep your mind open.

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Here Lies Man unleash new single, “That Much Closer to Nothing,” from upcoming album.

Here Lies Man share new single from forthcoming album You Will Know Nothing

Antibalas members “if Black Sabbath played Afrobeat”

Hear & share “That Much Closer To Nothing” (YouTube) (Bandcamp)

Los Angeles quintet Here Lies Man share a new single from their forthcoming anticipated sophomore album today via Bandcamp and YouTube. The album, You Will Know Nothing will be released June 15th via RidingEasy Records.

Back in March, the band dropped the first song, “Fighting” via YouTube.

Here Lies Man play the prestigious Primavera Sound festival in Barcelona, Spain later this month 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?

“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.”

You Will Know Nothing will be available on LP, CD and download on June 15th, 2018 via RidingEasy Records.

HERE LIES MAN LIVE 2018:

05/22 San Diego, CA @ Soda Bar

05/23 Visalia, CA @ Cellar Door

05/27 Palm Springs, CA @ Ace Hotel

05/31 Barcelona, ES @ Primavera Sound Festival

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

On The Web:

hereliesman.com

facebook.com/hereliesman

hereliesman.bandcamp.com

ridingeasyrecs.com

Keep your mind open.

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Blackwater Holylight – self-titled

Portland, Oregon is home to many things – big, foggy forests, dark coffee, gray skies, cliffs pounded by the relentless ocean, and now sludge-psych rockers Blackwater Holylight (Allison Faris – bass and vocals, Cat Hoch – drums, Laura Hopkins – guitar and vocals, Sarah McKenna – synths).

Their self-titled debut starts with the bass heavy “Willow,” which somehow mixes goth, psychedelia, and groove rock. The burst of drums and synths about thirty seconds in is exhilarating. You’re grooving with them like a 1960’s super-spy / vampire two-and-a-half minutes later. Hopkins’ guitar work on “Wave of Conscience” reminds me of early Cream, and McKenna’s synths remind me of some of Frank Zappa‘s work.

Faris’ bass takes front stage on “Babies,” and it sounds like she learned the craft from David J. of Love and Rockets. Her vocals and McKenna’s circus sideshow synths give the track a demented touch that you can’t shake out of your head. “Paranoia” starts out with appropriately intimidating reverb on Hopkins’ guitars, and they only get louder and creepier as the tune builds. Everything bursts forth when Faris’ sings, “Here comes the sunrise.” on “Sunrise.” It’s a lovely little gem in the middle of the darker previous track and the sludge metal of “Slow Hole” (which almost does sound like a sinkhole forming in the middle of a forgotten road).

Hoch’s beats are downright danceable on “Carry Her,” while Hopkins’ guitar work at first sounds like something off a mellow Cure record and then turns into a crunchy, distorted wallop. The album ends with the kinky / creepy “Jizz Witch” – a slow burning doom track that seems to be summoning up…something, but ends before whatever “it” is can emerge. Whew.

Blackwater Holylight’s debut is full of these shadowy moments. It works into the back of your mind and lingers there. It intrigues and unsettles in just the right balance, as good art often should.

Keep your mind open.

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MIEN – self-titled

Consisting of members of the Black Angels (Alex Maas on guitar, bass, and vocals), the Earlies (John Lapham on synths), Elephant Stone (Rishi Dhir on sitar, bass, and vocals), and the Horrors (Tom Furse on synths), MIEN are a psychedelic supergroup who have been at least discussing their self-titled debut album since 2004. Now that it’s here, they (and we) can rejoice in a job well done.

Staring with the cosmic “Earth Moon,” Maas’ vocals are drenched in smoky reverb as he sings about how our beliefs can alter our reality. Where that track is a lovely stroll through a psychedelic meadow, the second cut, “Black Habit,” is downright creepy with Lapham and Furse’s synths providing a dark drone under Maas’ lyrics about addictions. “(I’m Tired of) Western Shouting” might be my favorite cut on the record. The drum beats are wicked, as are Maas’ lyrics about 24-hours news cycles, angry Internet rants, and people being proud to be rude or even bigoted. The whole band clicks on it, and it slays live.

“You Dreamt” layers on the synths and is pretty much a dark wave track (and a good one). The instrumental “Other” floats on Furse and Lapham’s synths and could’ve easily fit into the score for Blade Runner: 2049. “I feel so high,” Maas sings on “Hocus Pocus.” You might feel the same as it warps into distorted madness and heady freak-outs. Thee deep bass synths on “Ropes” fuel the urgency of Maas’ vocals about fear.

“Echolalia” is defined as mindless repetition of words or sentences as a symptom of a psychiatric disorder or as a repetition of words by a child learning to speak. Both definitions seem appropriate for the track of the same name, as it churns with an almost frantic energy and then comes to an abrupt start that surprises you. “Odessey” has brighter synths, and even female backing vocals, but they hide menace within them. The album ends with a reprise of “Earth Moon.” It’s a mellower version than the first and it creates a nice, dreamy ending to a mostly spooky record.

It’s a solid debut. MIEN are currently on their first live tour, so don’t miss them or this record.

Keep your mind open.

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The Flaming Lips to release first greatest hits collection on June 1st.

Just in time for their latest tour, the Flaming Lips are set to release their first greatest hits collection on June 01, 2018. The vinyl version of this contains 11 tracks from the second half of their catalogue. The CD version is three discs for a total of 52 tracks and covers a lot of their earlier material as well. They’re also offering shirts and posters featuring the wild album art. I haven’t heard a lot of the cuts on the CD version of this, so I’m probably going to snag that.

Keep your mind open.

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