7th Level Music

Rewind Review: The Well – Pagan Science (2016)

Pagan Science, the second album by Austin, Texas’ doom rock trio The Well (Lisa Alley – bass and vocals, Ian Graham – guitar and lead vocals, Jason Sullivan – drums), has an interesting cover. The image at first appears to be a veiled angel (complete with halo), but closer inspection shows the halo is dim and crude, the silk veil is either a clear plastic tarp or a shower curtain, and the angel is either a store mannequin or a sweaty woman who is either exhausted or euphoric, or both – which is probably how you’ll feel by the time you’ve finished listening to it.

“Black Eyed Gods” (Maybe the ones who drew that crude halo?) opens with fiery riffs from Graham and Alley and Sullivan being in lockstep from the first beat drop. Graham sings about crimson skies and literal and metaphysical fires burning everywhere. A brief interlude called “Forecast” (“I think the golden age is ahead…Pagan science.”) proceeds “Skybound” – a song that chugs along like some sort of blood-fueled war tank.

The band’s love of Cream (and, to be sure, Black Sabbath) is on display in “A Pilgrimage” with its tuning and rhythm and Graham singing about his deep hate: “Can you feel the hate inside me? Hate that drags me on? Only happy with my sword beside me, keeping me strong.” To be blunt, how fucking metal is that? The back and forth vocals between he and Alley on the track are outstanding, as is the addition of Alley’s moans / cries to those black eyed gods mentioned earlier.

“The children of the forest didn’t know if they should dance or run,” Graham and Alley sing on “Drug from the Banks” – a song about something found in a creepy forest. I love how The Well doesn’t rush this song, they let it bubble like a witches’ brew until they’re ready to serve it hot and pungent.

“No mercy for the sinners, we’ve drawn a line in blood,” Graham and Alley sing at the opening of “Byzantine” while Sullivan hammers out a beat that sounds like chanting orcs. One could argue that this drawn line was done in challenge to other doom metal bands who might try to ape The Well‘s power. “One Nation” is a tale of war and what, if anything, is left behind after it.

The instrumental “Choir of the Stars” follows and drifts like a smoky haze into the fuzzy, heady “Brambles.” “Serpents on the land crossing paranoid sands,” Graham sings, perhaps reflecting a state of constant worry so many of us find ourselves in each day when we are faced with things beyond our control (or even comprehension). The groove of “I Don’t Believe” rocks with not a little bit of swagger, and Graham and Alley’s vocals have that same swagger…and a touch of menace as they face harsh reality (“I don’t believe in anything anymore.”) and “Sacrifice illusions to the sun.”

“I Don’t Believe” closes the album, but picking up the digital version of Pagan Science will score you the bonus track “Guinevere” – which is well worth it. It sounds like a dark(er) Alice in Chains cut and Alley’s vocals are prominent throughout it.

The sorcery / science of this album is powerful stuff, indeed. You should experience it head-on, lest it creep up on you from the shadows.

Keep your mind open.

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Review: Dead Ghosts – Automatic Changer

Dead Ghosts don’t waste time on their latest record – Automatic Changer. The Canadian psychedelic outfit gets freaky right away with opening track “Freak,” which is heavy on trippy guitars and most of the vocals are heavily reverberated shouts.

The first single from the record, “Drugstore Supplies,” has a fun, fast buzz to it that sounds more San Francisco than Vancouver. “Swiping Hubcabs” seems to bend back upon itself as swingin’ 60’s organ sounds swell around you. The beats, harmonies, and guitars of “Holdin’ Me Down” are positively Beach Boys, but with a lot more fuzz – which is not a bad thing.

“Blackout” packs a loud punch and brings in garage rock elements to great effect, and the breakdown on it (complete, I think, with coughing from someone smoking too much…something) is outstanding. “You Got Away” keeps the garage rock coming, and “Turn It Around” brings in some psych-country to the mix. Check out that lead guitar if you don’t believe me. “Merle” keeps this flavor, but also adds some groovy hippy road music to the mix. It brings to mind images of driving down a sunny road in your shaggin’ wagon with all the windows down and the 8-track blaring.

The weird, warped guitars on “Jerry’s Dead” are as liquid and thick as lava lamp goo, and that addition of distant saxophone squawks is a great touch. The chugging riffs of “It’s Been Too Long” push that shaggin’ wagon’s pedal to the metal as they sing about missing a girl (“It’s been too long since I saw you…”). Is it coincidence that the next song is called “In and Out” (a euphemism for sex in A Clockwork Orange), or that the song lasts under two minutes?

The opening drum fill on “Tell Me How” is worthy of a disco track and then the song becomes a booming psych-surf track. The title track moves along like a rickety but dependable truck hauling a bunch of surfers to the beach or hippies to a love-in. “Bad Vibes” is surprisingly upbeat with surf riffs hopping around the forefront of it. It flows (or perhaps, “oozes” is a better way to describe it) into the aptly named final track, “Say Goodbye” – a short, spaced-out fuzzy jam.

It’s a fun record filled with groovy guitars, indiscernible lyrics, garage rock drums, and solid bass that will automatically change your mood when you hear it.

Keep your mind open.

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Ric Wilson and Terrace Martin’s “Move Like This” will get you dancing.

Chicago-based hip-hop artist Ric Wilson and LA-based producer / musician Terrace Martin have released their new collaborative EP, They Call Me Disco (via Free Disco/EMPIRE/Sounds of Crenshaw), and present the video for standout track, “Move Like This”. “Move Like This” follows “funky feel-good” (HYPEBEAST) lead single, “Chicago Bae” (Feat. BJ The Chicago Kid).

Energetic and bouncing with a crisp beat, “Move Like This” is driven by a woozy synth and Wilson’s lively voice. The accompanying video, directed by A Solo Vision, was filmed in Chicago. Featuring Wilson and close friends, the video presents his vibrant, colorful aesthetic.

“For ‘Move Like This,’ me and Terrace literally were watching videos from the Chicago House Festival when he was making the beat,” says Wilson. “I was dancing and this song was made for moving.”

Watch Video For “Move Like This” –
https://youtu.be/57NT3t8Nlo8

They Call Me Disco is built on a retro backbone, seamlessly fusing funk-forward rhythms, Wilson’s playful and poignant lyrics, velvety vocal layers, and percussive beats. Following a string of singles and EPs, including Negrow Disco (2017), BANBA (2018), and last year’s summer single, “Yellowbrick”, Wilson’s funk/disco-infused take on rap lead to both Complex and NPR Music naming him a “Rising Chicago Rapper You Need To Know.”

With a mutual respect for each other’s work, Wilson and Martin, a Grammy-nominated artist who’s worked extensively with the likes of Snoop Dogg, Kendrick Lamar, Lalah Hathaway, Herbie Hancock, Kamasi Washington, and more, first linked up in 2019, starting work on the EP that would continue into 2020. “The disco-inspired funk never stops,” says Wilson. “Me and Terrace wanted to make something people can move to and free themselves.” Adds Martin, “This record is a beautiful reminder the disco never stops. Keep smiling, keep dancing, and keep loving.”

Listen to “Chicago Bae” (Feat. BJ The Chicago Kid) (Prod. by Ted Chung, Terrace Martin, J-Trx) –
https://youtu.be/ql-yoviDQas

Purchase They Call Me Disco –
https://empire.ffm.to/theycallmedisco

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[Thanks to Sam at Pitch Perfect PR.]

Rhye releases a “Beautiful” new single.

Rhye – the project of LA-based musician Michael Milosh – returns with “Beautiful” via Loma Vista Recordings. Known for his “reserved, understated and brilliant soul” (NPR Music), “Beautiful” is Rhye’s first proper single since the release of 2018’s JUNO-Award winning Blood. It’s sophisticated in its subtlety, opening with a flurry of strings and a taut percussive beat. Throughout, the song gently surges with humming organ and piano. Milosh’s voice shimmers over a mellow bass line and is instantly recognizable as he advocates for finding beauty in everyday life. This idea is being presented via A Beautiful Weekend on the Rhye website, where the song is paired with accompanying visuals of beauty.

“As we all share in this collective crazy moment that is quarantine, there are many ways to deal with the isolation, many ways we can truly fall into ourselves,” says Milosh. “For me, celebrating the beauty that is my partner has been a huge inspiration for me and a saving grace. Beauty is something we truly need to be open to in this moment. Find it in music, art, your loved ones, or yourself.”
Listen to Rhye’s “Beautiful” –
https://found.ee/Rhye_Beautiful

Milosh has been filling his isolation time recording new music and performing livestreams as part of Secular Sabbath, including a morning ambient performance with Joseph August and the Corona Sabbath with Diplo. Secular Sabbath, the LA based creative community founded by his partner Genevieve Medow Jenkins, initially focused on live ambient music events. During quarantine, it has blossomed with a range of offerings.

In conjunction with the “Beautiful” single release, Rhye is offering a limited edition Box of Beautiful care package which includes a tote bag, a custom scented candle by Joia, a vegan leather embossed notebook and pen, a postcard, engraved selenite, and a bandana. This custom box is available via the Rhye webstore. There will be more Rhye news in the coming weeks.

Keep your mind open.

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

Sudanese pop star Gordon Koang and Australian producer Ginoli drop one of the funkiest tracks of 2020 so far – “Mal Mi Goa.”

“All my songs [are] talking about love, unity and peace… From today it’s very important to love one another.” – The Guardian

Watch the Video for “Mal Mi Goa (Ginoli Remix)”
https://youtu.be/wNz6D9vV1Jk

Legendary South Sudanese pop star and 2019’s BIGSOUND Levi’s Prize winner Gordon Koang releases a new track/ video, “Mal Mi Goa (Ginoli Remix).” As remixed by Ginoli (moniker of James Ireland, Perth-based producer and drummer of Pond), is an eclectic mix of Koang’s joyful voice, thom (an East African stringed instrument that Gordon has modified to suit his unique style of playing), and danceable, swelling synth. It marks the first release from Music In Exile REMIXED EP, out June 5th, part of a series of collaborations between producers from Australia’s burgeoning electronic scene and artists from a refugee and migrant background.

Gordon Koang was born blind and began playing music from an early age, busking on the streets of Juba and producing his own self-released CD-R’s and cassettes. He became a crowd favourite and began recording a series of singles and music videos celebrating South Sudan’s cultural wealth. His music went viral, spreading throughout the country, and his reputation quickly grew as the poet and homegrown hero of the Nuer people, sometimes called the “Michael Jackson of South Sudan.”

In 2013, while Koang was performing to expatriate Nuer communities in Australia, renewed conflict broke out at home. He made a difficult and heartbreaking decision to not return to Sudan, applying to the Australian government for humanitarian protection. After six long years of waiting, living in a foreign country far away from his family, he now proudly calls himself an “Australian,” and eagerly awaits the day he will rejoin his wife and children in safety.

With “Mal Mia Goa (Ginoli Remix),” Gordon hopes to reach as many new listeners as he can in his adopted country, and around the world. He wants everyone, and he means everyone, to hear his message of peace and unity, regardless of religion or cultural differences. After a painfully first-hand experience of what these rifts between people can create, Gordon has devoted his life, and his music, to a simple message of peace, love and unity.

Download / Pre-order “Mal Mi Goa (Ginoli Remix)” –
https://orcd.co/ginoli

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Brid at Pitch Perfect PR.]

Jon Hopkins helps us meditate with “Singing Bowl (Ascension).”

Jon Hopkins presents “Singing Bowl (Ascension),” the first in a new series of “Meditations” that is available to stream now and appears on “Quiet,” his 24-hour long collaborative playlist for Spotify. Designed with deep meditation experiences in mind, “Singing Bowl (Ascension)” perfectly fits into Jon’s transcendent selections. To create this piece, Hopkins recorded a range of vibrations created by a 100 year-old singing bowl found in an antique shop in Delhi. He then fed these into a laptop running a simple, generative system that triggered the hits and drones at random. This would allow synchronicity to play a central part in the composition process, and remove as much “thinking” as possible from the writing. An earlier version of this generative piece was used as a sound installation at last year’s Helsinki Arts Festival.

Hopkins further explains the inspiration behind the track: “Like so many people I felt pretty paralysed by this situation when it first unfolded. All my plans for the year were cancelled, and everything felt so weird and dreamlike. But gradually I found I wanted to create something – to find peace and perspective through making music, as I have always done. It felt beautifully pure to just use one acoustic sound source, and no synths. It was liberating to write something without playing anything on a keyboard – to avoid the familiar diatonic scale for the first time, and thus avoid any of my own conditioned playing habits. There was a magic in setting this generative system in motion then just letting the vibrations of this bowl create their own world. I listened to harmonics layering on top of harmonics for hours and was transported.”

Watch Jon Hopkins’ “Singing Bowl (Ascension) – excerpt”
https://smarturl.it/JHSBAyt

Listen to “Singing Bowl (Ascension)” here
https://smarturl.it/SingingBowlAscension

Listen to the “Quiet” Spotify Playlist
https://smarturl.it/JHSBAsp

Jon Hopkins Tour:
Wed. Aug. 12 – Morrison, CO @ Red Rocks Amphitheatre w/ RÜFÜS DU SOL
Thu. Aug. 13 – Morrison, CO @ Red Rocks Amphitheatre w/ RÜFÜS DU SOL
Sun. Nov. 11 – Stockholm, SE @ Gota Lejon
Mon. Nov. 12 – Oslo, NO @ Sentrum Scene
Thu. Nov. 5 – Brussels, BE @ Cirque Royal
Mon. Nov. 8 – Copenhagen, DK @ DR Koncerthuset – Koncertsalen
Mon. Nov. 9 – Paris, DR @ Salle Pleyel
Wed. Nov. 11 – The Hague, NL @ Zuiderstrandtheater
Mon. Nov. 16 – Berlin, DE @ Philharmonie
Fri. Dec. 4 – London, UK @ Royal Albert Hall

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Jessica at Pitch Perfect PR.]

Kllo release “Insomnia” to help you get through long nights of self-isolation.

“[‘Still Here’ is] light and densely nuanced at the same time.” – Nylon

“[‘Still Here’] is delicate and rollicking and propulsive and lovely.” – Jezebel

“‘Still Here’ is built around a brisk, frenetic backbeat that seems like the foundation of a dancefloor banger, but the meat of the song is melancholy balladry on the indie-pop wavelength. The resulting contrast is deeply appealing…” – Stereogum
Kllo – electronic pop duo of Melbourne cousins Chloe Kaul and Simon Lam – will release their new album, Maybe We Could, on July 17th via Ghostly International. Today, they share the new single, “Insomnia,” which simmers in a similar melancholy of lead single “Still Here.” “Insomnia” skitters with steely beats and tender keys. It’s one of the few songs written from separate locations when both artists were in North America independently, and its feeling reflects a sense of jet-lagged joy and displacement, the “high highs, low lows” as one line goes.

“It’s one of our favourites off the album and is heavily influenced by our time in North America,” says Kllo. “The song is about laying in bed fantasizing that you’ll give your all to something and that someone else will too, but knowing deep down it will never happen. The moment of the night where you can’t switch off and differentiate your truth from your imagination.“

Stream “Insomnia”:
https://youtu.be/QJdm3I0gcnI

Following the release of their adored full-length debut Backwater, two years of global touring, a handful of singles, and a near-breakup, Kaul and Lam both took time away from Kllo to make solo work. The experiences served as a reset, giving them space to learn separately, and, ultimately, to appreciate what they have together. Largely written and recorded upon their return, Maybe We Could signals a new start for Kllo. Ten tracks pairing the rhythms of dance music to emotive chords and melodies; revealing two artists at their strongest yet most vulnerable, operating as their truest selves, honest with each other and their craft. Songs on Maybe We Could grapple with familiar dynamics: unrequited love, doubts, desires, and decisions. Musically, the album finds Kllo following their impulses, embracing a more subdued and nuanced tone.

Maybe We Could mirrors the progression and growth of the two artists behind a singular project. The title references a phrase they repeat often when recording. A collective strategy towards facing uncertainty, taking chances, and making choices. Ones that become more deliberate as time rolls on. Lam sums it up, “It’s like the album started off with ‘maybe’ and ended with ‘definitely.’”
Stream “Insomnia”:
https://youtu.be/QJdm3I0gcnI

Watch “Still Here” Video:
https://youtu.be/5qguVdZs27I

Pre-order/Pre-save Maybe We Could:
https://ffm.to/kllo-maybe-we-could

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Patrick at Pitch Perfect PR!]

Rewind Review: Rare Earth – Ecology (1970)

Rare Earth‘s third album, Ecology, picks up where Get Ready left off a year before it – with even more fuzzy funk that brings to mind the pinnacle of the hippie and psychedelic era.

“Born to Wander” is a great theme for the idea of chucking your day job, sticking it to the Man, and becoming a free spirit. Gil Bridges‘ flute solo on it is also a great touch. “Long Time Leavin'” was a big radio hit for the band, and it’s easy to see why. It’s both a nod toward young men being drafted in the military and going to Vietnam, possibly to never return (“I tried so yard, but we’re just livin’ in a grave.”), and toward youth culture at the time looking for something meaningful (“I’m been a long time gone searchin’ for my dreams.”). Kenny James‘ organ solo on the track is sharp, and the breakdown of the song into a brief, fuzzy psychedelic jam is groovy indeed.

Their cover of The Temptations‘ “(I Know) I’m Losing You” is legendary and elevates the original to places that blew people’s minds in 1970 and still does today. Bridges saxophone stabs during “Satisfaction Guaranteed” will get you moving, as will Pete Rivera‘s slick chops – which might be the best on the whole record.

Rod Richards turns up the fuzz on his guitar on “Nice Place to Visit” (written by bassist John Persh) and the band’s addition of Eddie Guzman on conga on this (and the entire album, really) is sharp. They go blend psychedelia and garage rock on “No. 1 Man,” with Richards playing to the moon and the band singing about winning a woman’s love. The album ends with their somewhat operatic cover of The Beatles‘ “Eleanor Rigby.” Rivera’s groove throughout it is rock solid and the additional lyrics of “Take a good look around. Tell me, what do you see? Everybody is lonely. Why must there be lonely people?” reflect the counter-culture movement of the time. The words still hold resonance today.

Like Get Ready, this is essential listening for lovers of psychedelic soul music and the last album with the band’s original lineup.

Keep your mind open.

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Review: Why Bonnie – Voice Box

Austin’s Why Bonnie have put out an EP that sounds like it could’ve been recorded this year or in the early 1990’s when bands were still experimenting with different ways to produce loud yet atmospheric sound instead of just blasting guitars and yelling lyrics about being angry at their fathers. Why Bonnie’s Voice Box is lush, a bit smoky, and intriguing, and the influence of Austin’s psychedelic music scene is evident at the edges.

The opening guitars of “Bury Me” reflect that Austin sound as singer / guitarist Blair Howerton sings about wishing her ex could bury her (metaphorically, that is) and the past and move on from something that was never going to work out in the first place. My favorite line in the song is “I based too much of my happiness on the site of your face.” Not “sight of your face,” but rather “site of your face” according to the EP’s lyric sheet. Howerton realizes se wasn’t so much dependent on her lover’s looks, but rather on her lover just being there – as normal a sight as a lamp or the refrigerator.

The title track has Howerton singing a lovely song about controlling her rage (“I don’t wanna yell. Take my voice box out. I can’t control myself.”). The growling bass of “Athlete” begins the great swagger of the tune pushed along by the drum beat. Howerton admits she can’t keep up with her lover, who doesn’t even want her on their team.

The guitars of “Jet Plane” sound a bit like a music box as Howerton sings about wishing her lover would stay behind but also knowing she can’t hold them in place forever. The rhythm of “No Caves” is intoxicating, and its lyrics about Howerton thinking of a lost lover while she performs at a gig are revealing and witty.

Howerton is a skilled songwriter and singer, and her band pack a strong punch behind her. Voice Box is one of the more intriguing EP’s of 2020 so far.

Keep your mind open.

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Rewind Review: Rare Earth – Get Ready (1969)

Rare Earth‘s Get Ready is their second album, but many consider it their first since it launched them into the stratosphere of popularity in the late 1960’s. The all-white psychedelic soul group signed to Motown was the first (and pretty much only) rock group to bring Motown hit records – to the point that Motown named it’s rock sub-label “Rare Earth” after the band (Gil Bridges – vocals, saxophone, and tambourine, Kenny James – vocals, organ, and piano, John Persh – vocals and bass, Rod Richards – vocals and guitar, and Pete Rivera – vocals and drums).

There are only six tracks on Get Ready, and all of them are good. I mean, the album did do Platinum-level sales, after all. It opens with “Magic Key” and Richards fuzzed-out guitar and Rivera’s wicked grooves and vocals about equality and mutual respect being the magic key to a better world. Their great cover of “Tobacco Road” is full of sweet solos: James’ great organ riffs, Bridges’ sax work, Rivera’s vocals that bring out the blues and don’t try too hard, and Richards’ quick, trippy solo is top-notch.

Rivera’s groove on their cover of Traffic‘s “Feelin’ Alright” is so tight that it could perform in a military parade. The funky, trippy “In Bed” is both a tribute to shagging and to life and death. Persh’s bass on “Train to Nowhere” is deceptively wicked.

The standout track is, of course, the title track / cover of The Temptations‘ “Get Ready” – all twenty minutes of it. It begins with a spaced-out instrumental jazz-rock solo with Bridges’ saxophone taking front and center stage while Persh slowly builds up to the groove of the track and you realize you’re listening to a live recording that proceeds to race off at eight miles per hour. The bass and drum breakdown around the six-minute mark is killer. Richards gets to stretch his muscles as well for a wild space rock solo that flows perfectly into Bridges’ sax solo. All these solos last about thirteen minutes before blasting back into the chorus.

Get Ready is a fine mix of funk, soul, and psychedelia and essential listening for fans of those genres.

Keep your mind open.

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