Electro – Page 50 – 7th Level Music

Review: LADYMONIX – Club Nowhere

Back in October, when we were in full COVID-19 doldrums, wondering how we were going to safely hand out Halloween candy and being baffled by everything happening (or not) in Washington D.C., LADYMONIX released Club Nowhere – a four-track EP that is made to make you move and forget your troubles. Turns out we still need this EP three months later…Boy, do we ever.

The opening title track is a house music dream, bringing to mind warm night clubs in European towns with its lovely, piping synths and thick bass. It grabs your attention, and you’re thankful for the pick-me-up. “Mood” is a lush track almost in the “chill vibe” category, but with enough dance beats to keep you bopping on your way and from getting a gin and tonic.

On the B-side, “Gonna Let” is even more hypnotic. It curls around you like a happy cat and will have you creating a dance club in your kitchen, living room, bedroom, or driveway. LADYMONIX’s sampling (and the chopped-up restructuring of a single vocal sample) is top-notch…as is that killer bass groove. “Movin’ On” encourages you to leave the past, the drama, the anger, and anything else keeping you down behind…and to dance your way out of the MF’ing room.

You can’t help but be happy listening to this EP, which is a tremendous blessing in these crazy times.

Keep your mind open.

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Review: Too Free – Love in High Demand

Hailing from Washington D.C., Too Free (Awad Bilal, Carson Cox, and Don Godwin) got together to make a record that blended multiple genres (R&B, electro, house, synthwave) and to get people to move and love themselves and each other. They also decided to force nothing about the album. The record, like their friendship and collaboration, would naturally emerge and be a full team effort. The result, Love in High Demand, sounds like they’ve been making albums for years instead of it being a debut.

Opening track “Gold” blends Tears for Fears synths with nearly industrial / goth bass and beats while Bilal sings to his crush that he could be his one and only if his lover would accept not only Bilal but his own true nature. “Elastic” has Bilal putting his foot down, saying, “Boy, I’m not a clown.” and declaring he won’t wait all night (let alone his whole life) for his lover to get his head straight. Cox and Godwin’s beats on it are sharp as tacks, and the guest guitar of G.L. Jaguar of Priests is a nice touch.

“Touch Upon Touch” is a sultry track with Bilal’s vocals weaving a sexy tale as his bandmates almost recreate an Art of Noise sound. The beats on “ATM” are nothing short of outstanding. Bilal’s vocals almost sound like they’ve wandered in from another song, and it works. It works very well, making you want to dance and yet stand still at the same time so you can just absorb the whole thing. “X2” races with near-punk speed and layers Bilal’s vocals over each other to point where you’re not sure which set of lyrics is the lead one. It’s a cool effect.

His vocals on “The Void” echo back and forth with gospel-style passion and trip-hop styling before the album moves onto the longest track on the album, “Breathing Underwater” (at just over five minutes). Godwin’s simple, groovy bass line roots the song and the electro beats and Bilal’s sampled breathy sighs provide the rest of the rhythm. Bilal sings about touching “all the right stuff” and letting himself drown in ecstasy.

On “Wanna Let Me Know,” Bilal delivers a smoky performance as he encourages his lover that he’s ready to his next Big Thing. It’s a short R&B / synth appetizer for the closer, “No Fun” – which is actually a lot of fun. “…change your life, make up your mind,” Bilal sings. His lyrics and Cox and Godwin’s make-out dance music beats encourage all of us to “go for broke” and pursue the love we want and deserve. You can’t ask for a much better message to go out on than that.

Love is indeed in high demand nowadays. Too Free’s debut album not only acknowledges this, but gives us the (loving) shove we need to go after it – on the dance floor, across the street, through a webcam, or anywhere else.

Keep your mind open.

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Review: King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard – KG

As they are often happy to do, prolific psych-rockers King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard have released an album enshrouded in mystery and riddles. I’m sure that the cover, with its imagery of a collapsed structure, has produced many Reddit discussions about hidden messages within it. Is that a totem pole on the bottom left corner? Are those snakes to the right? What does the block with nine holes in it on the upper right represent? What’s with the crosses? Finally, where’s “volume 1” if K.G. is “volume 2?” It wouldn’t surprise me at all if KGATLW’s next album is called A.T.L.W. and it’s listed as “volume 1” on the cover for reasons unknown to anyone but the band.

To further stir the pot of witches’ brew, the first track on K.G. is “K.G.L.W.” The short instrumental harkens back to themes heard on Murder of the Universe and it drifts like incense smoke into “Automation” – a track that returns the band to their psychedelic roots (a much welcomed return at that) and some of the microtonal sounds they brought us on Flying Microtonal Banana. “Minimum Brain Size” is even better as it pushes the psychedelic elements a bit further with its Middle Eastern-tinged guitars and spiritual song vocals.

“Straws in the Wind” reminds me of some of the stuff KGATLW released on Sketches of New Brunswick East with its mellow tones, excellent acoustic guitar work, sitar touches, and slightly krautrock timing. “Some of Us” continues our trek through a starlit desert while KGATLW sing about the “destruction of everything” and enlightenment.

“Ontology” picks up the pace. It sounds and feels like we’re heading down a river that slowly grows more rapid by the moment. Then, to throw us out of the mandjet and into the Nile for a wild tumble, along comes “Intrasport” – an electro dance track that any DJ could drop into any set and fill the floor. Thumping synth bass, disco drums and synths, 1970s porn film guitar…it’s all there.

“Oddlife” then mixes the disco synths with psychedelic vocals (“It’s an oddlife, ’til you get it right.”) and killer drumming. The harmonica and acoustic guitar on “Honey,” one of the first singles from the album, make it a standout. It sounds like a fun bike ride around the back forty of a mint farm in the late summer (complete with harp flourishes).

The first time I heard the closer, “The Hungry Wolf of Fate,” the local tornado siren test started just before the song’s intro ended. It was a perfect mix. A warning of danger and a song about a fierce beast with heavy drums and howling guitars.

K.G. works quite well and is a nice return for the band to shorter songs with concise songwriting. Mind you, I love their epic ten-minute-plus jams, but here they show they can cut in, cut up, and cut out.

Keep your mind open.

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Top 35 albums of 2020: #’s 15 – 11

We’re more than halfway through the list now. Let’s not waste time.

#15: Ela Minus – Acts of Rebellion

Part-electro, part-goth, all great. Ela Minus made us move, stand up and fight, and otherwise get off our collective duffs during a year when we needed to be shaken out of our funks.

#14: October and the Eyes – Dogs and Gods

Have you ever seen Cult of the Cobra from 1955? In that movie, a woman who can turn into a cobra tracks down the men who, for kicks, infiltrated her cult’s rituals, and kills them one by one. She falls in love with one of the men, however, and you can guess the rest. This album is pretty much what the Cobra Woman would have playing on her ear buds as she stalked and seduced her victims.

#13: Falle Nioke and Ghost Culture – Youkounkoun

“Barké,” a song from this EP, stopped me in my tracks the first time I heard it. The record mixes Afrobeat and electronica in perfect amounts, resulting in slick dance tracks and hypnotic songs.

#12: Kelly Lee Owens – Inner Song

Kelly Lee Owens makes electronic music that can make you dance, sigh, relax, or meditate – all sometimes in the same track. Her second album continues to set the bar high for others behind her. I say it many times, but I don’t mind repeating it – She’s both an inspiration for me to make my own electronic music and at other times throw my digital turntables out the window due to thinking, “Damn, that’s just not fair.” after hearing her tracks.

#11: Public Practice – Gentle Grip

Trust me, this post-punk debut album is as intriguing and sexy as its cover. I’d been waiting for a full-length Public Practice album since 2019 when they released a few singles and I saw them live in Chicago. The wait was well worth it. Gentle Grip is outstanding and leaves you eager for more.

The top 10 are next!

Keep your mind open.

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Top 35 albums of 2020: #’s 20 – 16

We’re into the top 20 albums of 2020 (out of the nearly 80 new albums I reviewed last year). Who made the cut? Read on…

#20: Matt Karmil – STS371

This EDM record is full of throbbing bass, oil slick beats, and ambient / psychedelic synths. It works its way under your skin and moves your bones.

#19: Ultraflex – Visions of Ultraflex

Cover that looks like a 1980s New Age CD? Check. Synthwave keyboards that could fit right into a sci-fi film? Check. Sexy Replicant vocals? Check. Visions of Ultraflex manages to be both a neat synthwave album and one of the best make-out records of 2020 at the same time.

#18: Oh Sees – Metamorphosed

This album is “only” five tracks in length, and the first three are under two minutes each. The other two, however, make up for the rest of the album’s time length of over forty minutes. It’s a mix of punk rockers and prog-psych-krautrock jams that shows how deftly Oh Sees can move back and forth between styles.

#17: Holy Wave – Interloper

Holy Wave came back with a fine addition to their catalogue. Interloper blends psychedelia with some shoegaze and surf elements and is full of songs about not fitting in or being comfortable anywhere. That alone could sum up 2020.

#16: Oh Sees – Live at Big Sur

Yes, two Oh Sees albums in this list. Live at Big Sur was their second live-streamed show of 2020. They played at the Henry Miller Library and dove deep into their back catalogue to play stuff they hadn’t played live in years. The encore was a barrage of covers, many of them Black Flag tunes.

We’re over halfway through the list! Come back tomorrow for more!

Keep your mind open.

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Top 15 singles of 2020: #’s 10 – 6

We’re already at my top 10 singles of 2020. Time’s already flying by!

#10: Liam Kazar – “Shoes Too Tight”

This came out of nowhere and turned out to be one of the catchiest, sharpest singles I heard all year. Mr. Kazar can’t come out with a full-length album soon enough for my liking. This song shows a level of playful artistry sorely lacking in a lot of music right now.

#9: Matt Karmil – “210”

This house track drops like an empty Red Bull can onto a dance floor full of sweaty, sexy people. I’m not sure I can sum it up better than that.

#8: Protomartyr – “Processed By the Boys”

This track from Ultimate Success Today is a great example of what Protomartyr do so well – blending mysterious lyrics and vocals with rock chops that border on psychedelia.

#7: Heartless Bastards – “Revolution”

This surprise single came out of Erika Wennerstrom being frustrated with damn well everything in 2020. She summed up how we all felt and gave us a rallying cry for 2021.

#6: Teenager – “Good Time”

Listening to this is some of the best music fun I had all year. It was stuck in my head for days after first hearing it. It’s a song about how love is fleeting to a sweet groove that is nothing short of smile-inducing.

Only five left to go! Who makes it to the top? Come back tomorrow to learn!

Keep your mind open.

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Top 15 singles of 2020 – #’s 15 – 11

Yes, the beginning of the year means the avalanche of “Best of…” lists from me. This year’s will include singles, albums, and albums of the last five years. Unfortunately, the only concert I got to this year was seeing BODEGA and The Wants in Chicago. It was a good gig, so at least the one show I attended was a blast (even though I might’ve caught a mild strain of COVID-19 there).

Let’s get on with the singles, shall we?

#15: October and the Eyes – “All My Love”

Good heavens, what a sexy track. This cut from October and the Eyes‘ excellent debut album, Dogs and Gods, instantly brought to mind Dum Dum Girls, Bauhaus, and Siouxsie and the Banshees – but somehow with more sweaty lovemaking.

#14: Khruangbin – “Time (You and I)”

This track off Mordechai is so funky you can hardly believe it. Listening to this while walking will instantly put a strut into your step.

#13: The Chats – “Pub Feed”

Coming from High Risk Behaviour, his is one of the most fun punk tracks I’ve heard all year. It’s brash, brazen, and a salute to eating and boozing in pubs. What’s not to like?

#12: Kelly Lee Owens – “Night”

This is one of two Kelly Lee Owens’ songs from Inner Song that made my top 15 singles of 2020. This one, like pretty much anything else she puts out there, almost makes me want to throw my digital turntables in the trash because, good grief, why should I even bother?

#11: Too Free – “No Fun”

This Washington D.C. band came out of nowhere for me and, like Ms. Owens, dropped two of my top 15 tracks of 2020. This one, despite its title, is a lot of fun.

Who makes the top 10? Come back tomorrow to find out.

Keep your mind open.

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Top 35 albums of 2020: #’s 35 – 31

Why thirty-five albums in this list? I reviewed almost eighty albums released last year (and many others released at least a year ago). I always recap the top half of the list, so thirty-five was about right. Everyone agrees that 2020 was a crappy year, but we had a lot of good music. A lot of bands and artists had nothing else to do but create amazing music to keep them and us sane.

#35: Rituals of Mine – Hype Nostalgia

This is a sharp album about being an outsider, love and lust, and knowing when to draw a line in the sand. It mixes electronica and synthwave well and constantly intrigues you.

#34: Sofia Kourtesis – Sarita Colonia

This EP is one of the best electro / dance records I heard all year. It wasn’t on my radar until I stumbled onto it via Bandcamp. It was a breath of fresh air as lovely as it sky on its cover this year.

#33: Melkbelly – PITH

These Chicago punks / post-punks / rockers / do they really need a label? came out swinging with their new album. It’s one of those records that make you think, “Damn, they’re not screwing around.”

#32: Oh Sees – Protean Threat

Am I the only one who thinks that if you cut up the album cover for Protean Threat into four squares and rearranged them in the right pattern that it would reveal a secret image? The album is one of many releases from Oh Sees / Osees this year, who might’ve been the most prolific band of 2020. It’s a wild, fun time, of course, full of blazing rockers and krautrock jams.

#31: New Bomb Turks – Nightmare Scenario (Diamond Edition)

This is easily my favorite re-release of the year. Ohio punk legends New Bomb Turks released a raw version of their classic mid-1990s album Nightmare Scenario for the album’s twenty-fifth anniversary. It shreds and was a much needed adrenaline boost in a year when we didn’t have much to be excited about in terms of entertainment and did have a lot of anger to expel.

Who cracks the top 30? Come back tomorrow to find out!

Keep your mind open.

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Special Interest announce remix of “The Passion of…” album due next month.

Following the release of their album ‘The Passion Of…‘ earlier this year, New Orleans-based punk band Special Interest have announced a new 12″ release ‘Street Pulse Beat‘, which features remixes from Boy Harsher, Ruth Mascelli and DJ Haram. The record is set for release on Jan 8th via Nude Club Records and is available for pre-order and today the “Street Pulse Beat (Boy Harsher Remix)” is streaming online.

As well as the ‘Street Pulse Beat’ Maxi 12″, Special Interest will also digitally release ‘The Passion Of: Remixed‘ on Jan 8th, which is made up of 11 tracks, including the remixes on the 12″ & various other reworks by artists such as Hide & w00dy. People who purchase the Maxi 12” on Bandcamp, will receive a free download of ‘The Passion Of Remixed’ too.

All proceeds will go to House of Tulip (https://houseoftulip.org), which was co-founded and is currently co-led by 2 Black transgender women. House of Tulip provides trans and gender-nonconforming communities in New Orleans, Louisiana with economic stability and safety through zero barrier permanent housing and pathways to education, healthcare, employment, and homeownership.

“This remix of ‘Street Pulse Beat’ came from the depths of springtime lockdown. In a bleak and uncertain world, Special Interest was keeping our creative spirit alive. This remix was made entirely with the OB-6, SH-101, and the JV-1080. Trading in distorted guitars for plucky bent synths, Boy Harsher’s remix offers their signature melancholy sound. Ali Logout’ confidently controls the energy, reminding us that synthwave can still have a backbone and can hang with the punks.” – Boy Harsher

Adding to this, Special Interest vocalist Alli Logout said the track is “A ballad for lovers delusions of grandeur in the depth of the terror that is codependency.”

Listen to “Street Pulse Beat (Boy Harsher Remix)” here: https://youtu.be/WtwwtZHcxFw

Pre-order here: https://specialinterestno.bandcamp.com/album/the-passion-of-remixed

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Frankie at Stereo Sanctity.]

Miss Grit announces new EP for February 2021 and invites us to the “Dark Side of the Party” on her new single.

Miss Grit, moniker of Korean-American musician Margaret Sohn, announces her Impostor EP, out February 5th, and presents its lead single “Dark Side Of The Party.” Sohn makes relatable songs that masterfully dissect the feeling of self-doubt. Her songs can drastically shift from delicate to explosive as they show her technical prowess as a guitarist and melodist, and her evocative lyricism. On the heels of her Talk Talk EP, a “truly awe-inspiring first work” (NME), Impostor is a six song collection that’s more cathartic, resolute, and fully documents the array of talents she brings as a multi-instrumentalist, singer, and producer.

Throughout Impostor, Sohn explores the titular “impostor syndrome” that so often characterizes the insecurities of the early 20s. The songs address her life-long navigation through the racial impostor syndrome she experienced as a half-Korean girl “trying to fit into the white space” of the Michigan suburbs where she grew up. Not even a move to New York City, where she studied music technology at NYU and began to dream of creating effects pedals for a living, could ease her internal conflict. Part of that uneasiness for Sohn was her initial success with Talk Talk and the feeling “she was someone who was impersonating a musician.” Her solution was producing the EP by herself at Brooklyn’s Virtue and Vice Studios so that she had complete creative control.

Throughout Impostor, the sound moves from dirty and aggressive to hypnotic and ethereal. The inventive “Dark Side Of The Party” boasts fuzzed-out riffs and synth theatrics, and is an anthem for feeling out of place at a party full of surface-level conversations and ulterior motives. She sings, “I can’t tell hearts apart from spare parts/I try, I try, I try/Why can’t I?” “I’ve gone my whole life feeling really uncomfortable defining myself,” Sohn says. “I realized that a lot of the time, I’m more comfortable with other people defining me and making up their mind about who I’m supposed to be.” Writing this EP helped her understand that futile pattern. Miss Grit is a project that allows Sohn to break through self-bias, creating a version of herself that doesn’t need to be limited. Expressing herself through her powerful, confident music while still being vulnerable about her insecurities is a dynamic that characterizes her work, with all of its pushes and pulls of emotion. Ultimately, Sohn says, the Impostor EP is about feeling self-doubt, working through it with music, and letting it all subside.
Listen to “Dark Side Of The Party”

Pre-save Impostor EP

Impostor EP Tracklist
1.Don’t Wander
2. Buy The Banter
3. Blonde
4. Grow Up To
5. Dark Side Of The Party
6. Impostor

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Jessica and Jim at Pitch Perfect PR.]