Month: August 2025

Ganser share “Stripe” from their upcoming “Animal Hospital” album.

credit: Miles Kalchik

Next month, Chicago’s Ganser will release their third LP Animal Hospital (due out August 29th on felte). Produced by Liars’ Angus Angrew, the album has been previewed with two singles, “Black Sand” and “Discount Diamonds,” which have earned an enthusiastic critical response, earning praise from outlets like Rolling Stone, Pitchfork, FADER, Stereogum, Alternative Press, and BrooklynVegan.

Today, the band are sharing a third single from the LP, a track entitled “stripe,” along with a video created by band member Alicia Gaines.  

Recorded at Jamdek Studios by Doug Malone (with additional recording by Nick Broste at Electrical Audio) and producer Andrew (Liars) between January and March of 2025, Animal Hospital is a masterwork of Ganser’s long-honed craft. Songs from the album began life as notes scratched as far back as 2020, though “stripe” dates back even further, having first been demoed in 2001), as Gaines explains. 

This one dates back to October 2001, one of my earliest experiences recording with a computer after years of suffering through noisy cassette recorders and 4-track machines. It’s a testament to the durability of digital recording that much of the instrumentation that made it onto the album is from the original demo session. The lyrics and melody, added this year, describe everyone living in their own narrative– where what can be perceived as wrong or right can vary from individual to individual, and how in reality the truth is sometimes more of an evolving idea than a fixed concept, for better or worse. A compass points true until you follow it far enough to get lost.

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Tom at Terrorbird Media.]

Rewind Review: Vacation (self-titled) (2011)

Vacation‘s self-titled album is a wild one and chock-full of wild guitar, crazy drumming, roaring bass, punk attitude, and gritty garage-rock chaos.

“Fake It” is a ripper about imposter syndrome (“Well, you’d better be straight if you’re calling the shots, or you better fake it when you get to the top.”). Evan Wolff‘s bass on “Better Days” is so heavy that it feels like it’s going to knock down the walls. “Pile Up” seems to be about getting satisfaction when long-overdue karma catches up with someone. It’s as wild as a car crash, whereas “Try Harder” is almost an acoustic blues track with its subject matter and pace.

Don’t worry if that track puzzles you, because “Bleach Buzz” picks up the mania again and we’re bouncing around the dingy club and crashing into people and things in the process. If that track doesn’t induce a mosh pit, then “Co-Workers” certainly will. Peyton Copes goes bonkers with his guitar on it, practically causing an electrical overload. “People Watching” is almost an area rock anthem about regret and one of the biggest tracks on the record.

“Cop Knock” is about bullies and the disguises they barely keep up (if at all) to hide their inadequacies. “Golden Handcuffs” is a salute to blue collar workers breaking their backs and ankles to provide for their families. “Christopher Columbus Was Not a Hero” takes a hard look at the miseries of suburbia. “Sun and Moon (Wasted)” is, believe it or not, a love song, as is “Talk with Yer Hands” – which seems to be about craving a human connection instead of a cyber one (“You know we’ve got the infection when we’re dying to stay connected. You know we show no affection when we dwell in other dimensions.”).

“Cellophane” is a short one about adapting to change in a relationship (or about prescription meds…or both), and the closer, “Misbehavin'” is a call to a lover to engage in some fun trouble so as to create lifelong memories together. It’s a sweet way to end a loud, raucous record.

Vacation were recommended to me by Screaming Females, and I can see why. Both bands write and play loud, wild songs about the strange maze of relationships across the board. The band has been through a couple lineup changes since 2011, but this is a good ground-level entry point for them.

Keep your mind open.

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WSND DJ set list: Manic Monday – August 04, 2025

Thanks to all who listened and gave suggestions for my latest all-80s music show on WSND. Here’s the set list:

  1. When in Rome – The Promise (1987)
  2. The Sound – I Can’t Escape Myself (1980)
  3. Joy Division – Dead Souls (1981)
  4. Ivan – Fotonovela (12″ maxi single) (1984)
  5. Dead or Alive – You Spin Me Round (Like a Record) (requested) (1985)
  6. Tears for Fears – Everybody Wants to Rule the World (alternate mix) (1985)
  7. The Doobie Brothers – South Bay Strut (1980)
  8. Michael McDonald – I Keep Forgettin’ (Every Time You’re Near) (1985)
  9. Frank Zappa – Valley Girl (1982)
  10. Johnny Clegg – Dela (requested) (1989)
  11. 10,000 Maniacs – Like the Weather (1987)
  12. The Clash – London Calling (live) (1982)
  13. Hüsker Dü – Call on Me (live) (1980)
  14. Hüsker Dü – What Do I Want? (live) (1982)
  15. 38 Special – Chain Lightnin’ (1982)
  16. Ratt – Lay It Down (1985)
  17. A-ha – I’ve Been Losing You (extended mix) (1986)
  18. The Silencers – Shiver and Shake (1980)
  19. Ambrosia – Biggest Part of Me (1980)
  20. Gladys Knight & The Pips – Landlord (1980)
  21. Rick Pinette & Oak – King of the Hill (1980)
  22. Rockie Robbins – You and Me (1980)
  23. Ted Nugent – Wango Tango (1980)
  24. The J. Geils Band – Just Can’t Wait (1980)
  25. The Kingbees – My Mistake (1980)
  26. Paul Davis – Cry Just a Little (1980)
  27. Average White Band – Let’s Go ‘Round Again (1980)
  28. Bananarama – Cruel Summer (requested) (1984)
  29. Julian Cope – World Shut Your Mouth (1986)
  30. Yaz – Situation (12″ dance mix) (1988)
  31. The Rolling Stones – Rock and a Hard Place (requested) (1989)
  32. The Rolling Stones – Sad Sad Sad (requested) (1989)
  33. Prince – Purple Rain (1984)
  34. The Who – Eminence Front (1982)
  35. Scorpions – Rock You Like a Hurricane (1984)
  36. Autograph – Send Her to Me (1984)
  37. Judas Priest – Breaking the Law (1980)
  38. Giuffria – Call to the Heart (requested) (1984)
  39. EZO – Flashback Heart Attack (requested) (1987)
  40. Mai Yamane – Tasogari (1980)
  41. Bruce Springsteen – Hungry Heart (1980)
  42. Modern Talking – You’re My Heart, You’re My Soul (1985)
  43. Madonna – Lucky Star (new mix) (1983)
  44. Depeche Mode – Behind the Wheel (1987)
  45. Howard Jones – What Is Love (1984)
  46. Devo – Theme from Doctor Detroit (requested) (1983)
  47. Talking Heads – Girlfriend Is Better (live) (1984)
  48. Irene Cara – Flashdance…What a Feeling (1983)
  49. Dave Grusin – Theme from The Goonies (1985)
  50. Gerhard Heinz – Verfolgung am Strand (1981)
  51. Larry Carlton – Theme from Magnum P.I. (1980)
  52. Beastie Boys – Brass Monkey (1986)
  53. Cameo – Word Up (1986)

Be sure to tune in for my next show!

Keep your mind open.

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Review: King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard – Phantom Island

By now, if you were to hear “King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard is releasing a new album they recorded with a full orchestra,” you’d think, “Yeah, of course they are.”

KGATLW don’t shy away from pursuing new ways to bring their ideas to life, and Phantom Island is another example of this. The cover has weird Lovecraftian elements (the weird fish-men) and scenes of an anthropomorphic band playing as their ancient temple / city / house burns and crumbles above them. Is “Beauty can be found in chaos” the album’s theme?

It certainly sounds like that in the title track opening song, with fun beats, lush strings, and Stu Mackenzie singing about losing and finding sanity. The second half of the song takes off into fast rock with Ambrose Kenny-Smith taking on the urgency of the charging horses on the album’s cover. “Deadstick” is a wild jazz-rock blend.

“Lonely Cosmos” is a tale of a wandering astronaut, ending in string arrangements that sound like the astronaut’s craft is either falling back to Earth or drifting around the edge of a black hole. “Eternal Return” has the band confronting the idea of reincarnation and wondering about their place in the universe in a funky jam-rocker. The groove of “Panpsych” is a lot of fun, reminding me of some Allman Brothers songs at first and then turning up the psychedelic touches.

“Spacesick” has our astronaut feeling sick and tired of being sick and tired in the vast emptiness of space. The guitars crunch and the strings highlight the astronaut’s tension, but you can’t help thinking the explorer will get home and taste real food and soon smell sea air. “Aerodynamic” follows this theme as the astronaut follows a siren-like being and wonders, “I have always wondered if I could step out of my body. Would I be like a fish out of water?”

“Sea of Doubt” might reflect the band’s process of recording and performing their songs with an orchestra behind them, as it was yet another challenge (i.e., “Let’s make a thrash metal album!”, “Let’s make an album only using microtonal instruments!”, “”Let’s make an album that can be played on a continuous loop!”, Let’s make an album that’s entirely in seven-four time signature!”, “Let’s put out five albums in one year!”) they’d accepted and weren’t sure how it was going to sound in the end. It’s a catchy tune, with a subtle guitar solo hidden in it.

The closing track, “Grow Wings and Fly,” calls for us to “Get real high…Transcend this life.” “I want to drift from the beehive.” is a great lyric, encouraging us to stop being drones and go play in the fields. It follows up on a theme brought up in “Aerodynamic,” in which the band explore the idea of shedding the ego and engaging in the moment.

A lot of KGATLW records are like this. They’re not so much albums as they are experiences. They’re currently touring a lot of cities and playing with full orchestras, which is a must-see event if you ask me, and this is yet another must-hear album from them.

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Jacob at Pitch Perfect PR!]

No Joy announces new album out August 08, 2025 – “Bugland.”

No Joy is the project of Jasamine White-Gluz. First coming to wide attention as a three piece band around the release of their 2011 debut LP Ghost Blonde, the project has morphed into Jasamine’s solo project, and she has consistently evolved in unexpected ways over 4 LPs and a handful of EPs. Her most recent LP, 2020’s Motherhood, which featured Tara McLeod of the prominent early ‘oughts nu metal band Kittie, was perhaps the most critically-acclaimed of No Joy’s career, receiving an 8.0 from Pitchfork who described it as “a shoegaze album with a rare scope and an even rarer sense of fun and imagination.“

Today, No Joy is back with another re-invention and another unexpected collaborator, as she announces her follow up to her 2020 LP. Produced with the much buzzed about Chicago experimental artist Fire-Toolz, No Joy’s latest album is entitled Bugland and will be released on Hand Drawn Dracula and Sonic Cathedral on August 8th. To mark the announce No Joy is sharing the album’s titled track “Bugland.” 

In some ways, Bugland feels more like a collaborative album than a producer/artist relationship, with both Jasamine and Fire-Toolz pushing each other to find new horizons within the other’s sonic world. It takes the adventurous genre mashing of No Joy’s previous album as a starting point, but pushes so far beyond any genre’s accepted confines, and in such imaginative ways, that it feels like it creates something entirely new.

“The collaboration really felt limitless,” says Fire-Toolz (aka Angel Marcloid). “I didn’t have to adhere to a certain vision in a way that made me feel like I couldn’t be Fire-Toolz. I could easily relate to this album because Jasamine and I liked a lot of the same music, and I was able to be creative in ways that were freeing as if I was making my own album.“

The album’s title track was also the genesis of their collaboration, and neatly encapsulates the way their styles have melded. Some of the heavy elements of Motherhood remain, but are tempered by a tapestry of glitchy electronics that make up the track’s constantly shifting arrangement.

White-Gluz says of the track:

This was the first song Fire-Toolz & No Joy produced together, initially without any plan to ever release it. Our production styles melded so well together on this track that we decided we should make a whole album. The song came together super organically, from the Korn-esque bass lines to the earworm vocal, it’s the welcome sign of the album letting you know you’ve officially entered our world.

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Tom at Terrorbird Media.]

Review: GoGo Penguin – Necessary Fictions

Part-classical, part-jazz, part-krautrock, part-techno, and part-funk, GoGo Penguin‘s newest album, Necessary Fictions, is a neat blend of styles that’s difficult to pin down, but an enjoyable listen. The band (Nick Blacka – bass, Chris Illingworth – piano, and Jon Scott – drums) explore some new territory on their seventh record, mainly synthesizers.

“Umbra” is a bumping track with rich bass and subtle synths to evoke a slight sense of darkness, but not skimping on creativity. Illingworth’s piano on “Fallowfield Loops” is a delight to hear, as it sounds like he was having a fun time playing it. “Luminous Giants” features a rarity on a GoGo Penguin album – vocals. They’re provided by singer-songwriter Daudi Matsiko.

“What We Are and What We Are Meant to Be” is a standout, with the band embracing synths and creating neat textures suitable for a new Blade Runner movie. Blacka’s bass almost becomes vocals on “The Turn Within.” Apart from having a cool name, “Living Bricks in Dead Mortar” has some of Scott’s hardest drumming on the record, swelling up with the synths to create a brief industrial riff. “Naga Ghost” refers to a pepper that builds in heat when you eat it, and the track builds in speed and intensity as it goes along.

Rakhi Singh‘s guest violin on “Luminous Giants” is beautiful. “Float (Loi Krathong, 2003)” is a bass-led track about Blacka attending a floating lantern festival in Bangkok. The eight-piece string ensemble Manchester Collective joins the band on “State of Flux” – a cool, sharp track in which GGP rocks out a bit while the strings dance around them. The closing track, “Silence Speaks,” takes the band, and the album, from electronica to acoustic and brings everything to a nice close.

It’s a lovely record, and I hope GGP continues this trend of blending jazz with electronics. It’s a good mix.

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to George at Terrorbird Media!]

Wrecka Stow: Le Laboratoire – Toulouse, France

Don’t pass up this place if you’re ever in Toulouse.

Located at 9 Rue de la Bourse in Toulouse, France, Le Laboratoire Vinyles is a must-stop in France’s fourth-largest city if you’re a music fan and looking to add to your collection. The selection is enormous, and I knew I was going to like the place when I walked in and heard them playing this.

The place is full of great new and used vinyl, and from a wide variety of genres and countries.

All four KISS solo albums next to Daft Punk.

Looking for jazz? They have it. They have blues, electro, punk, you name it.

Adrock and MCA check out the cool jazz collection.
Hawkwind on the left, David Guetta on the right.

Of course, they have a great selection of French artists. I probably would’ve dumped most of my cash in this section if I were a vinyl collector.

Another favorite section of the store was this stunning selection of soundtracks and other film music.

I mean, good heavens, look at that. There’s even a Smurf record on the bottom right. I would’ve been broke between this and the “French New Wave” section.

I walked out of there with two CD compilations: Rockabilly Psychosis & The Garage Disease (featuring artists from Hasil Adkins to Link Wray) and the double-CD collection of The Curtom Story: Curtis Mayfield’s School of 20th Century Soul (featuring not only Curtis Mayfield, but also legends like Jesse Anderson and Fred Wesley). My wallet is lucky that’s all I scored.

Again, don’t skip this place. You’ll love it.

Keep your mind open.

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