Category: Rewind Reviews

Rewind Review: Elephant Stone – Back into the Dream (2024)

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.

Keep your mind open.

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Rewind Review: Mavis Staples – Only for the Lonely (1970)

Mavis Staples‘ second solo album, Only for the Lonely, is a heartfelt, heartbreaking, and heart-lifting record, with the songs expressing a lot of emotions and moments Staples was living through at the time.

“I Have Learned to Do Without You,” with its slow-dance guitar and drums and soulful string arrangements, automatically lets you know this album is going to be full of songs to which anyone who’s been through heartbreak can relate. Staples sings, “I got over you!”, but you’re not sure if that’s 100% accurate. “How much water can you pour in a boat before that boat begins to sink?” Staples asks on “How Many Times” – in which her exasperation with a lover comes through in every note.

She finds better times on “Endlessly,” as she sings, “You were made for my arms to surround.” to a lover to whom she’ll be “as faithful as the sunrise.” The horn section on “You’re the Fool” is a great backup to Staples’ powerful and soulful voice. On “Since I Fell for You,” her gospel vocal training shines and makes you pay attention.

“What Happened to the Real Me” is a powerful anthem for jilted lovers everywhere, with Staples’ backing band putting down a solid groove while horns and strings charge behind her voice. “Since You Became a Part of My Life” and “It Makes Me Wanna Cry” are back-to-back, going from praise of a lover and how they changed Staples’ outlook on life to Staples being crushed after his departure. It shows how well she can sing either type and make you feel all those emotions. The closer, “Don’t Change Me Now” has Staples thanking her lover for taking the time to build the love they have, and pleading that he doesn’t screw it up. You’ll think, “Yep. That guy’s an idiot if he thinks he’ll find better.”

Only for the Lonely is a perfect title for the record, as Staples sings to those of us (all of us?) who have felt that emptiness and hope cycle of love again and again.

Keep your mind open.

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Rewind Review: Esquivel – More of Other Worlds, Other Sounds (1962)

Somewhere between the late 1950s and the mid-1960s was an aesthetic of design that was known as the “space age bachelor pad.” It was partially inspired by James Bond films, speculation on a glorious, automated future that was to come after World War Two ended, and thrilling adventures in space exploration.

Of course, if you were going to live in a space age bachelor pad, you needed space age music to play on your hi-fi stereo, and that’s where Esquivel entered the scene. More of Other Worlds, Other Sounds is the sequel to 1958’s Other Worlds, Other Sounds, which blew people’s minds back then. More does the same with blends of Latin jazz, big band swing, beautiful piano work, and plenty of odd sounds that come out of nowhere.

“The Breeze and I (Andalucia)” is almost a John Barry Bond movie theme (Dig those horns!), but Barry is happily drunk and goofing around in the studio. The weird hand percussion and surf guitar on “Chant to the Night” are trippy compliments to the great trumpet playing on it. “Canadian Sunset” builds to a thrilling point and then drifts into comfortable warmth (or is it cool dark?).

“Street Scene” has plenty of low-end piano bass to get you prowling, while the middle keys provide sultry glances from across the road. Esquivel (and His Orchestra) does a fun, luxurious spin on the classic “I Get a Kick Out of You” with great piano flourishes. “Primavera” is a song you’ll think you’ve heard in hundreds of elevators, airports, and train stations…and you probably have.

“Street of Dreams” has sublime and subtle percussion behind Esquivel’s plucky piano work, and another trumpet solo that you can practically frame and hang on a wall. “La Mantilla” is layered with Latin acoustic guitar, piano riffs, and hand percussion, instantly transporting you to a place that only exists in dreams. Esquivel’s version of “One for My Baby (and One for the Road)” takes a song popularized by Frank Sinatra and makes it even woozier.

The percussion on “Dancing in the Dark” almost sounds out of whack, almost like Esquivel is playing piano in one room while a samba band plays in another and the recording equipment is set up in the hallway between the two rooms (and a jazz trumpeter is on the veranda outside). You’ll want “Snowfall” on your Christmas playlists this year and every year afterwards. It’s bright and perfect for a cozy night of snuggling in your satellite bachelor pad. The album ends with “Travelin’.” It’s a good finisher, as it’s perfect for putting on as you start on a new journey to some exotic place, even if it’s only a couple miles down the road.

This is a lounge classic, like all of Esquivel’s work, and shouldn’t be missed. Your date will thank you.

Keep your mind open.

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Rewind Review: Various artists – Disco Italia: Essential Italo Disco Classics 1977-1985 (2008)

The importance and sound of Italo disco from the mid-1970s through the mid-1980s cannot be underestimated. The disco scene in Italy at this time was something unlike anyone had seen on either side of the Atlantic and it influenced DJs, club owners, club goers, and bands across the world.

Disco Italia: Essential Disco Classics 1977-1985 from Strut Records is an excellent compilation of such music. It begins with Five Letters‘ “Tha Kee Tha Tha” from 1980, in which you can still hear disco and also hear just a touch of the New Wave of music to come. The bass plucks and pops alone are worth a listen. Kasso‘s “Brazilian Dancer” from 1982 is a great disco house track with fun, goofy lyrics about a man so handsome he might be an alien because no one on Earth could be such a stud.

Number One Ensemble‘s “Flor de Coca” is such a slick disco track from 1980 that you might fall on the dance floor when you hear it. “Now Baby Now” by Kano somehow adds early Devo and krautrock sounds to 1983 disco…and it works. Jumping back to 1979, we get the fabulously named Freddy the Flying Dutchman & The Sistina Band with their bass-popping, post-punk saxophone honking “Wotjyla Disco Dance (Part 1).” Firefly barely attempts to hide their stealing of Chic‘s “Good Times” on 1983’s “Live (Is Gonna Be on Your Side),” and it’s thus a lot of fun.

The cowbell-forward “Burning Love” by D.D. Sound is over nine minutes of funk from 1977. It’s amazing – full of hot bass licks, low-end male vocals, breathy female backing vocals, some sort of falsetto vocals, and more grooves you’ll find on an interstate roadway. When Revanche tells you it’s “1979 It’s Dancing Time,” you believe them. The percussion-heavy “Let Me Be Your Radio (Part 1)” by Red Dragon Band from 1980 would make Bow Wow Wow‘s jaws drop.

Rainbow Team‘s 1983 groover, “Dreaming,” follows a path laid down by Diana Ross with its lovely female vocals and tight drumming. 1978’s “Do It Again” by Easy Going is “What if Steely Dan made disco records?” It’s great. The bass on the “Maxessa Edit” of Tullio De Piscopo‘s “‘E Fatto ‘e Sorde! E? (Money Money)” from 1985 is so thick it feels like the song it going to tip over at any moment. Valentine asks “Tina Are you ready?” at the beginning of this weird 1983 track that is more new wave than disco, which is fine by me.

Don’t skip out on this collection if you love disco or odd European stuff from the 70s and 80s.

Keep your mind open.

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Rewind Review: Various artists – French Electro (2008)

I found this two-disc collection of great French techno, house, and jungle tracks in a record store’s used CD bin for less than five bucks. It practically felt like I was shoplifting it. The Wagram Music collection from 2008 has thirty-one tracks on it from heavyweights of the genre and covers a wide ground of EDM.

Dim Chris starts us off with jungle (“Sucker”) and then big-time DJ David Guetta drops “Baby When the Light” on us to get the floor jumping. Charles Schillings‘ “Be Gone” is pure house, while the “Mike 303 & Baxter Baxter radio edit” of Superfunk‘s “Electric Dance” has so much thick electro-bass that it might clog your speakers. “Samplemousse” by Brian Arc is a fun house jam that builds just like you want a house jam to build. You’ll definitely want to get down to Antoine Clamaran‘s “Get Down,” and David Vendetta‘s “Bleeding Heart” (the “Arno Cost remix”) is quirky, funky, and junk-in-the-trunky.

Kiko‘s “Requiem for a Dream” brings in a touch of synthwave to the mix. Arias‘ “Flynn” practically reinvents “The Percolator” for 2008. Jaochim Garraud‘s “Street’s Sound” is a house track that’s both lush and a bit creepy. Are you looking for a naughty song to put on the next bedroom mix you’re planning for your lover? Look no further than DJ Gregory‘s “Breeze.” “Naughty” barely describes it. It borders on “filthy, almost to the point of absurdity.”

Alex Gopher goes big beat on us with “Aurora,” bouncing loud, bright synth sounds off the walls. “Punk” by Etienne de Crecy is a salute to Daft Punk, who appear with the “Para One remix” of “Prime Time of Your Life” after Surkin‘s “White Knight Two.” There’s even a bonus remix of ZZT‘s “Lower State of Consciousness” by Justice to round out disc one.

Yes, all that is just on the first disc. The second disc is a collection of fifteen “classics” (from way back in 2000, just eight years earlier than the tracks on disc one). “Intro” by Alan Braxe and Fred Falke starts it off with a great bass-heavy house track, and Cheek‘s “Venus (Sunshine People)” continues the house party feel. Bob Sinclair‘s “Visions of Paradise” ups the disco beats to keep you moving. Martin Solveig‘s “Heartbeat” takes that disco groove to Italy and back.

Julian Jeweil‘s “Air Conditionne” is a cool introduction to Super Discount‘s bossa nova-touched “Prix Choc.” The “Todd Edwards Vocal Radio Edit Mix” of St. Germain‘s “Alabama Blues” is a showcase of mixing techniques that will leave you impressed. The bass groove on “Use Me” by Alex Gopher with Demon Presents Wuz is infectious to say the least. Daft Punk returns with a fun remix of I:Cube‘s “Disco Cubism.” Arno Cost then returns, along with Arias, for their synthwave banger “Magenta.”

Da Fresh drops a “Fuckin Track” on us that’s as heavy as the growling synth bass on it. Didier Sinclair‘s “Lovely Flight” sounds like (and, by now, is) an old school house track. Speaking of old school, Sebastien Leger harkens back to old school raves when he suggests you “Take Your Pills.” If this song doesn’t take you back to dancing in an old high school gym with a leaky roof and the floor covered in straw, then Jack de Marseille‘s track will “Bring Back That Feeling.” The compilation wraps up with Laurent Garnier‘s “Wrap Up,” which will give you enough energy for the afterparty.

This whole thing is solid, and a fun mix of old school, house, jungle, and even synthwave. Start crate digging for it.

Keep your mind open.

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Rewind Review: Black Sabbath – Sabbath Bloody Sabbath (1973)

What do you do if you’re in a legendary doom metal band, but all of your members (especially your guitarist) are doing cocaine and / or chugging booze almost nonstop, are exhausted from a massive tour, and are also running out of ideas for your fifth album?

If you’re Black Sabbath, your go back to Gloucestershire, England and record Sabbath Bloody Sabbath in a haunted castle.

Tommy Iommi‘s opening riff on the title track is the sound of ancient monsters awakening from a long slumber, and the song drifts into psychedelia at the right points to keep the shredding from overwhelming you. “A National Acrobat” is a song about DNA, believe it or not, and what determines who we become. Bill Ward keeps his drums simple, almost jazzy at some points, to good effect.

The lovely “Fluff” is pretty much a lullaby, which you’d never expect from that album cover…but you might from the back cover.

“Sabbra Cadabra” shreds on every level. Geezer Butler‘s bass roars and struts, while Ozzy Osbourne goes for broke with his vocals, having a great time behind the microphone. As if that’s not enough, along come Yes‘ Rick Wakeman to play a Minimoog on the track (and he was paid in beer!).

“Killing Yourself to Live” has soaring guitar work from Iommi. He creates a sound both majestic and heavy. The synths on “Who Are You?” ooze with creepy menace as Osbourne calls out cults of personality and the people who lead them. The groove of “Looking for Today” is top-notch. The album ends with “Spiral Architect,” a song about death (go figure) that includes lush string instruments and bright synths (and applause) to send us out on an uplifting note.

Like the other first six Black Sabbath albums (the only ones you can trust, according to a T-shirt I saw worn by Nick Aguilar of Frankie and The Witch Fingers), Sabbath Bloody Sabbath was sometimes derided upon its release but it now considered a metal classic. It’s impressive that it was completed and turned out so well, considering all the band was dealing with in 1973.

Keep your mind open.

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Rewind Review: Kalyanji-Andandji – Bombay 2: Electric Vindaloo (2001)

If that cover alone doesn’t make you want to buy this album, I’m not sure what will.

Bombay 2: Electric Vindaloo is the sequel to the wild, weird, and wonderful Bombay the Hard Way: Guns, Cars and Sitars collection. Both feature Bollywood film music by the composer duo of Kalyanji Virji Shah and Anandji Virji Shah and remixed by multiple DJs and producers. The first collection featured 1970s James Bond-riffing film music and Bombay 2: Electric Vindaloo focuses on Bollywood in the 1980s, with all the glitz, glamour, and garishness of that decade. Imagine Miami Vice filmed in New Delhi and you’ll get the idea.

Urusula 1000‘s “Ram Balram” would fit into any techno set even today. DJ Me DJ You‘s “Bionic Kahaan” is layered with weird, warped sounds of calling geese, horror movie film synths, strange vocal samples, and gloopy, oozy bass. “Theme from Twin Sheiks” is a delightful minute and eight seconds of Bollywood bliss.

Kid Koala and Dynomite D‘s “Third World Lover” is a grand mix of sweeping strings, traditional Indian instruments, and hip hop beats. “Rah-Keet” has this cool mix of synthwave and stuff that sounds like opening credits music you’d hear on an obscure VHS tape you found at a Goodwill store. Mixmaster Mike‘s “Hydrolik Carpet Ride” features his trademark turntablism that will leave you dumbfounded. “Bollywood B-Boy Battle” is as intense and fun as you hope it will be.

DJ Me DJ You return for “Mr. Natwarlal,” which has great dub bass and synth effects in it to further confound your brain. Dynomite D then returns for “Basmati Beatdown” – a track that almost sounds like it’s playing backwards and somehow keeps a wicked groove throughout it. “T.J. Hookah” is ready for action (or video games, your choice). DJ Me DJ You takes us on a third trip with the horn and turntable-led “Disco Raj.”

“Sexy Mother Fakir” drifts into Spic-Beatz and Pak-Man‘s “Inspector Jay’s Big Score,” which is practically space age bachelor pad music and practically gives you an entire spy film’s plot in under six minutes. Steinkski‘s scratch-a-licious “Electric Vindaloo” is a stunning display of his skill on the decks.

“Dil Street Blues” is a fun riff on the famous Hill Street Blues theme, and I love how the album ends with an almost traditional-sounding track, “Chakra Khan,” complete with male-female duo vocals but fat disco bass and swanky horns added to the mix.

I don’t know if a third collection of this stuff will ever appear, but I hope so. Everyone needs more stuff like this. Something might be wrong with you if you don’t find at least a bit of enjoyment out of it.

Keep your mind open.

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Rewind Review: Black Sabbath – self-titled (1970)

I can’t understate how much Black Sabbath‘s self-titled debut from 1970 changed the game. Many words have been written on this fact, so I’m not adding anything new by declaring that no one had heard anything like this before 1970. Sure, there had been heavy psychedelic rock, and some of it downright spooky (Looking at you, 13th Floor Elevators.), but this was spooky and heavy.

The opening title track alone has Ozzy Osbourne singing about some sort of dark…thing, Satan himself, arises out of smoke to point a black finger at him and possibly doom him for all time. Osbourne pleads to God, and us, for help while Tommy Iommi‘s guitar sounds like weird chants, Bill Ward‘s drums are like rolling thunder that rumbles at distance and then overwhelms you moments later, and Geezer Butler‘s bass is like cloven footsteps approaching you from the dark.

Just when you think there’s no light in this pit, along comes “The Wizard,” a song about Gandalf and loaded with enough blues harmonica from Osbourne to power a Howlin’ Wolf track. It’s one of their best early cuts, and just a lot of damn fun. Finishing up Side A is the four-song medley of “Wasp / Behind the Wall of Sleep / Bassically,” and “N.I.B.” Clocking in at nearly eleven minutes, the four tracks have a great swagger to them that keeps you hooked the entire time, even as Osbourne sings about your body turning into a corpse. Don’t worry, though, because the morning sun will break the spell and awaken you from this horrible dreams. Geezer’s solo on “Bassically” leads into the thudding “N.I.B.” (named after Geezer’s “pen nib” goatee) and Osbourne singing a warning about how deceptive the devil can be.

“Wicked World” starts Side B with wicked, almost jazz-chop drums from Ward, who was clearly having a blast in the recording studio that day. Osbourne sings about social injustice with lyrics that, unfortunately, are still relevant (“People got to work just to earn their bread while people just across the sea are counting the dead.”). The second side ends with another medley, this one of “A Bit of Finger” / “Sleeping Village” / and “Warning” that almost four minutes than the medley on Side A. Most of it is a creeping, menacing instrumental (“Sleeping Village”), while the end is a song about staying away from a potentially dangerous (and mystical?) woman.

It’s a classic album, and an important one not just in the history of metal, but of music in general. It flattened people back in 1970 and still hits as hard as a battle axe.

Keep your mind open.

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Rewind Review: The Jesus and Mary Chain – Stoned & Dethroned (2009 reissue)

Coming off the 1993 Lollapalooza tour (back when it a tour and still had good lineups), The Jesus and Mary Chain went into the studio in 1994 to record what was originally supposed to be an acoustic record for their fifth album, but making Stoned & Dethroned took longer than they’d expected and was also the first time since Psychocandy that they used a full band in the sessions instead of brothers Jim and William Reid doing everything.

“Dirty Water” (a sort of lament mixed with a sort of challenge) has those acoustic guitars, but the electric guitars and bass, and Ben Lurie‘s harmonica and Steve Monti‘s shuffling drums almost push it into psychedelic country territory. “Bullet Lovers” continues this love affair with the dusty west (I mean, look at that main cover image…).

Mazzy Star‘s Hope Sandoval joins Jim Reid on vocals for “Sometimes Always,” which has Reid begging for Sandoval to let him back into her life after he’s left her yet again. “Come On” is a lovable track with a cool groove and simple, yet completely relatable lyrics about trying to convince a lover that things will eventually turn around and be all right. The electro-acoustic guitar on “Between Us” is a nice touch, once again bridging the gap between western psych and shoegaze.

“Hole” is a dark one, with Jim Reid wishing he had some motivation (“All I want is a dream. Give me something to dream.). Monti’s simple drum beat is perfect for the track, while the guitars grumble like Oscar the Grouch deep inside his trash can. “Never Saw It Coming” might be a song about the end of the world, with William Reid telling us there will be no need of money, clothing, or even running when it comes. The bass groove on this by Lurie is top notch.

“She” is an interesting track (with nice guitar work throughout it) as Jim Reid tries to figure out a woman who “spends her time out of space and out of line, planning some unholy crime that comes to nothing.” Meanwhile, his brother wishes he and a woman could make it work on “Wish I Could.” “Save Me” and “Till It Shines” go heavy on the acoustic guitar chords, with “Till It Shines” again delivering a (mostly) hopeful message (“Junk the junk, love the love.”).

Shane McGowan from The Pogues takes over lead vocals on the sad (Notice the initials of the album’s title?) “God Help Me,” which is a straight-up prayer of someone at the end of their rope. Jim Reid tries to talk a lady friend out of going back to her old addict habits on “Girlfriend” (“We done our time and we had some fun. I want to get things done.”). He expands this to wonder what’s going on not only with her, but people in general on “Everybody” (“Everybody I know is falling apart.”) – a song which I’m willing to bet Radiohead has on a couple playlists. On “You’ve Been a Friend,” Jim Reid is missing someone who’s left him – possibly because of his actions.

William Reid, at least, feels a bit better on “These Days,” in which he claims, “I feel immune to the sadness and gloom.” On the closing track, “Feeling Lucky,” he’s finally found “someone who knows me, and she still wants to hold me.” The Brian Jonestown Massacre probably play this on repeat while on tour.

This album doesn’t have a lot of the loud, fuzzy riffs you might expect from TJAMC, but it does have the introspective lyrics, the good guitar work, and the interesting mix of American southwest vibrations.

Keep your mind open.

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Rewind Review: Iguana Death Cult – Echo Palace (2022)

Hailing from The Netherlands, Iguana Death Cult both blend and defy genres on their 2022 album Echo Palace.

Opening with funky post-punk on “Paper Straws,” IDC instantly reminded me of !!! with their quirky dance grooves and solid bass lines from Justin Boer. The title track brought some of Parquet Courts‘ groovier stuff to mind, and Tobias Opschoor‘s frenetic guitar riffs on it are great.

“Pushermen” is a good example of the band clicking together in the studio, as they wrote it in about an hour. It seems to be a song about escaping the constraints of the urban grind (“Living in a box of concrete, how do you keep occupied?…Maybe I’ll take you anywhere. Don’t believe the hype. Maybe I’ll take you anywhere. Freedom’s in the mind.”).

“Sunny Side Up” is a quirky garage rock track, not unlike early Devo, about how trying to make it through a typical day of work and the “superficial spectacle.” (“I’d give you all of my money if I could borrow some time.”). Benjamin Herman‘s guest saxophone solo on “Sensory Overload” is outstanding. “Conference to Conference” once again tackles the banality of the corporate life.

“I Just Want a House” is a great post-punk track with great back-and-forth vocals between Jeroen Reek and his bandmates as they pine for a simpler life away from the hustle and bustle (“I’ll admit I’m confused on how we even got here. Just want a house where I can lay back.”). “Oh No” is like a lit fuse racing toward a pound of dynamite. Boer’s bass borders on panic, and Reek blasts out trombone honks to inspire more wild dancing in the clubs.

“Rope a Dope” is a good example of Arjen van Opstal‘s “sounds easy but is deceptively difficult for others to place” drumming ability and the keen and subtle use of Jimmy de Kok‘s synthesizers. You realize that a lot of the tracks on Echo Palace wouldn’t sound right without them.

van Opstal’s hi-hat work is on-point on “Heaven in Disorder,” and I love the slight echo effect on Opschoor’s guitar in it – and the neat sense of menace in the last quarter of the song. The album ends with the garage / new wave (How did they mix those genres so well?) rocker “Radio Brainwave.” It’s a great way to wrap up the record.

I discovered IDC when I saw them open for Osees last October. They won over the crowd right away, and I’m keen to see where they go next.

Keep your mind open.

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