Reviews – Page 25 – 7th Level Music

Psycho Las Vegas 2021 recap: Day Four

We’d originally planned to start the final day of the 2021 Psycho Music Festival in Las Vegas at noon to see Warish, but they cancelled their performance before the festival started. So, we had nothing to do but lounge at the pool and spa after breakfast until we headed to the House of Blues venue to see Frankie and the Witch Fingers for the first time. I’d been keen on seeing them, as their last album is outstanding, and clips I’ve seen of their shows looked wild.

They didn’t disappoint. They practically flattened the House of Blues in “their first show in about two thousand years.” A lot of people in the crowd seemed to not know who they were, but were ardent fans by the end. Later in the day, I overheard a guy talking about them to friends: “Frankie and the Witch Fingers! I walked in not knowing what to expect! Holy shit!” He was right. They put on one of the best sets of the entire weekend.

Franke and the Witch Fingers casting Audible Glammer.

We had time for lunch and then headed to the beach stage to see Dengue Fever – a band we’d both wanted to see for a while. They play a neat version of Cambodian funk and disco and had a lot of the crowd dancing in the sand and the wave pool. Their saxophonist is top-notch as well.

We headed back inside to catch to the Rock & Rhythm Lounge, where Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears got on stage to bring some funky soul. Lewis is a sharp guitar player, and the crowd quickly picked up on what he was putting down.

Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears piling on even more funk.

My wife was exhausted by this point, so she went back to the hotel room while I returned to the beach to see Osees pound out one of the loudest sets I’ve seen them play. Part of the volume could’ve been from their usual power bouncing off the water of the beach and up at everyone standing on the beach, and part of it could be from them playing in front of a live audience again after so long. It was a wild set, with people in the pool kicking and splashing water everywhere and the security guards being somewhat dumbfounded by what was happening. Drummer Paul Quattrone was especially on-point during the whole set.

Osees bowling us over with the power of rock.

I also managed to catch some partial sets from Howling Giant, Sasquatch, Mothership, and Black Sabbitch during the festival – all of whom had large, happy crowds in front of them.

The entire festival had a happy vibe to it. Everyone was happy to be seeing live music again and partying with friends again.

Plus, it was nice to lounge at an outdoor pool for a while.

Tickets for the 2022 festival are already on sa le, and they’ve announced some of the bands already confirmed, including metal giants like Mercyful Fate, Emperor, and Boris, as well as prog-metal heavyweights Year of No Light.

Keep your mind open.

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Psycho Las Vegas 2021 recap: Day Three

We only had four bands on our itinerary for day three of the Psycho Music Festival in Las Vegas. One was a must-see for us (especially for my wife) and another was someone I, for some reason, had never seen before this festival.

First up were shoegazers Flavor Crystals, who played the early afternoon at the Rock & Rhythm Lounge to a small crowd, but a small crowd full of shoegaze fans. They dropped a heavy sound bomb on the place, flooding the casino with fuzz.

Flavor Crystals melting faces and minds.

They also added to my set list collection from the festival.

We took a break for a few hours and then came back for three consecutive shows at the Michelob Ultra Arena, which is connected to Mandalay Bay. Meanwhile, Summer Slam was happening at the stadium across the street, which made for a weird mix of T-shirts seen in the casino. You saw everything from shirts for wrestlers like John Cena and Rey Mysterio, Jr. to bands like Dying Fetus and Cephalic Carnage.

The first band at the Michelob Ultra Arena certainly weren’t the death metal category, but were rather Thievery Corporation, who put on a fun show combining bhangra, reggae, dub, rap, and funk. It was my second time seeing them, and the first time I saw them was also in Las Vegas (at the Cosmopolitan Hotel Casino rooftop pool), so it was an interesting return for me. They put on a fun set.

Sitar, drums, congas, bass, synths, and vocals from Thievery Corporation.

Next were The Flaming Lips, who are one of the best live bands going right now and one of my wife’s favorite bands ever. It was, as always, a delightful, uplifting experience. The usual spray of confetti into the crowd was minimal, and there were no giant, confetti-filled balloons launched into the crowd due to COVID concerns, but there was still plenty of fun to be had. It was fun to stand next to a guy who’d never seen them before then, and he gave me a happy thumbs-up during the show.

My wife went back to the hotel room after the show, and I stayed to see Danzig. I’d somehow gone my entire punk teenage years, college years, and post-college years without seeing Danzig, Samhain, or any variation of The Misfits. Danzig started a little late, but Glenn Danzig and his band came out to an appreciative crowd and played the entire Danzig II: Lucifuge album and then some of their favorite hits. It was an impressive set, and the guitarist was especially talented. Glenn Danzig wasn’t too concerned about possible COVID infection, however, as he tossed multiple used water bottles and face towels into the crowd – half of whom left before his three-song encore, which baffled me.

One funny conversation I overhead as I was leaving the Danzig show was between two guys. One was checking the set times on his phone. His friend asked who was currently playing. “Cannibal Corpse,” said the man with the phone. His friend replied, “Yeah! Let’s fucking get brutal!”

I made it back to the room after wandering the casino a bit and being a bit overwhelmed by all the visual and aural stimulation, not to mention all the smoke of various kinds I’ve been around all day. We had an easy morning planned for the last day, and then a night of wild rock, Cambodian funk, soul funk, and metal lined up for Sunday.

Keep your mind open.

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Psycho Las Vegas 2021 recap: Day Two

We started off the second day of the Las Vegas Psycho Music Festival with what would become our morning ritual over the next three days – lounging by the Luxor Casino Hotel’s pool in the dry heat after picking up a breakfast sandwich at one of the somewhat-overpriced restaurants in the hotel. We’d relax for a couple hours, wash off the sweat, and then go see some bands. It was a great way to save money because we had little time to spend at the gambling tables and slot machines.

Our musical entertainment began with Foie Gras and her industrial-goth set at the Mandalay Bay House of Blues venue. She put on a good set to an early crowd, and my wife loved her combination of a T-shirt and flamenco dancer sleeves.

Foie Gras with her rockin’ sleeves and blood-painted knees.

Up next was something completely different – a set by Deathchant, who I can probably best describe as sounding like a fuzzier Thin Lizzy. The played the “Rock & Rhythm Lounge,” which is in near multiple restaurants in the casino, so you can get your eardrums blasted while enjoying your expensive wine and French cuisine – or while shoving money into video slot machines. Deathchant were loud and rough and a wild afternoon wakeup call.

Deathchant playing like every song was their finale.

We took a five-hour break, more than enough time to get a nap and dinner before coming back to the Lounge to see British stoner metal quartet Psychlona. It was their first gig win Las Vegas and only their second show of their U.S. tour. “We are so fucking stoked,” their lead singer said, and they certainly played like it. Afterward, their singer told me their set was better than the one they’d just played in San Diego the previous night.

Shoegaze quartet Highlands were up next and brought a welcome change of sound to the Lounge and the festival in general. I’m a big shoegaze fan, and they didn’t disappoint. There was a nice, reverb-laden wall of sound coming from the stage for their whole set.

We then zipped across the casino and back to the House of Blues to see one of my most anticipated sets of the festival – a Bossa nova set from Claude Fontaine. The set was lightly attended, and I couldn’t help but think many were there from a previous metal set or waiting for the next metal band to play after her. The crowd wasn’t sure what to make of her at first, as they’d been so used to metal that a soft set of Bossa nova tracks with dub influences seemed alien to them. Ms. Fontaine put on the loveliest set of the festival (her first time playing in Las Vegas) and the small crowd did come around to appreciating the hypnotizing, alluring music she gave.

Our night ended at the Mandalay Beach stage, which sits opposite a man-made beach on a wave pool, where we saw Ty Segall and his band shred the place with their loud psychedelia – their first gig in two years. Segall’s wife even sang lead on one track. They sounded great, and the volume of the band was amplified not only by electronics, but also the water bouncing it all over the place.

Ty Segall and his crew partying at the beach.

It was our busiest day of the festival for bands – six in one day – but there were plenty more to come.

Up next, more shoegaze at the Lounge and three arena shows ranging from dub to goth metal.

Keep your mind open.

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Psycho Las Vegas 2021 recap: Day One

I wasn’t sure what to expect at the 2021 Psycho Las Vegas music festival. I’d bought tickets to the 2020 festival, but that was, like everything else, cancelled due to the pandemic. I kept the tickets in hopes that most, if not all, of the bands would return. Most did, but there were some absences that were bummers (Windhand, Mephistofeles, and Boris in particular). There were also additions that were quite welcome (Osees, Frankie and the Witch Fingers, Thievery Corporation).

I also had no idea what to expect in terms of healthy safety measures and how I, my wife, and people in general were going to react to be at a music festival again, or even in a casino and among large groups of people again. Nonetheless, we took our vaccinated bodies to Sin City and were happy to discover that the airplane, airport, and all businesses in Nevada are under a mask mandate.

My guess is that 70% of festival crowd was masked nearly all the time. The only person I heard complaining about it was Glenn Danzig (more on that later). The biggest health hazard complaint I had was due to the stunning amount of smokers. I’ve been gone from festivals for so long that I’d forgotten how many people smoke at them, let alone in casinos. Plus, marijuana is legal in Nevada, so the stank of the sticky-icky was everywhere. It’s illegal to smoke it in public, but the odds of you getting cited for it are slim to none.

The festival opened on Thursday, August 19th, with the “Psycho Swim” kick-off party. The festival is held at the Mandalay Bay Casino Hotel, and the “Psycho Swim” is at their Daylight Beach Club – where the security didn’t allow you to bring in a wallet chain or even gum. The pool was full of metal fans, psych-weirdos, music nerds, and, yes, some sexy people.

Everyone is sinking in this pool because the festival was so metal-heavy.

No, we didn’t get into the pool. It was too crowded by the time we got there, and we were mainly there to see bands for the first time in almost two years. The first was Here Lies Man, who opened the entire festival with their groovy, Afro-doom riffs.

For the record, I was the only one in the crowd with a Here Lies Man shirt (which I picked up from them at the last Levitation Music Festival in Austin). I got to thank many of the HLM members after the show, and J.P., the bassist, was kind enough to give me his set list.

It was their first show in two years. This would be a repeated theme from nearly every band we saw over the weekend. All of them were excited to be playing a live show in front of a crowd again.

Up next were Blackwater Holylight, who started off their set by saying, “Okay, we’re going to play some depressing songs for you.” Their doom-psych was appreciated by the crowd, and their upcoming album should be pretty good – judging from the songs they played from it.

Blackwater Holylight were perhaps the only band all weekend who appropriately dressed for the desert heat.

We left for a little while to enjoy some air conditioning and lunch at an Irish pub in the shopping center that connects Mandalay Bay and the Luxor (where we stayed for about half the price of a room at Mandalay Bay). I recommend the turkey burger. We returned in time for Death Valley Girls‘ set, which was the best of the night. They played a wild set of mystical psychedelia. Lead singer Bonnie Bloomgarden, seeming to draw power from the moon, wore a red dress that made her look like a ghost from a Dario Argento movie and a belt that looked like she won it in a professional wrestling match with a cyborg from the year 2305 (and, for all I know, she did). There were a few times when I wasn’t sure if she was wiping sweat from her face or tears from being so happy that they were performing their “first show in about three hundred years,” as she put it. Guitarist Larry Schemel was on fire as well, unleashing some heavy riffs throughout the set. I chatted with him afterwards for a moment, and thanked him for coming out to the festival. He thanked me and said, “This feels weird. It’s our first show after so long…It’s bizarre.” He also gave me his set list, which was a surprise gift.

“Look at the moon!” – Bonnie Bloomgarden (in red dress) points out her cosmic guide for the evening.

It was a good start to the weekend. We had good music, good food, everyone was being cool about each other’s health (the resorts had plenty of hand sanitizer stations and free masks), and we had plenty of time to sleep in the next day.

Up next, dirty metal, psych-rock, stoner metal, electro-goth, shoe gaze, and…bossa nova?

Keep your mind open.

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Review: Mano Le Tough – At the Moment

Recorded in Zurich during the pandemic, Mano Le Tough‘s new album, At the Moment, is a chronicle of him dealing with lockdown while raising a family and adjusting to the reality of not touring, not seeing fans, and having to just be in the moment.

The first words on the album are “On stormy nights, if you start to pray…” The sample is from from a documentary on the remote Irish island of Aran – a place that knows and embraces isolation. “Man of Aran” swells with blips and bloops and has a peaceful quality to it, as does “Empty Room” with its lyrics about listening to bees and learning to be present instead of dwelling on how much we missed everyone in 2020.

The sparse “Snow on Bamboo” leads into the thumping, danceable “Aye Aye Mi Mi.” The smooth lyrics of of “Moment to Change” drift into the dance-synths and bright pop of “Fadó Fadó.” “Pompeii” bumps and thumps with dance floor bass and heavenly synths while the gospel handclaps elevate you higher.

I will never turn down good dub music, and “No Road without a Turn” certainly qualifies. The echoing beats, tinny synths, and heady, thick bass are a great combination. “New / Cycles” has goth touches (creepy synths and slightly industrialized beats) and lyrics like “You hollow me out and fill me in.”

“So Many So Silent” reminds me of Art of Noise tracks with its mixture of synths, warped vocals, bells and xylophones, and echoing dance beats. The acoustic guitar “Short Cuts” eventually dissolves into a dial tone, or perhaps the sound of an old modem…which nicely bridges into the futuristic dance track “Together” to close the album.

At the Moment is an interesting record. It’s difficult to categorize, but I think that’s the point. It’s something Mano Le Tough made in the moment and without much thought to fitting everything into one box. It’s an album made in the present for the present.

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Patrick at Pitch Perfect PR.]

Rewind Review: The Rolling Stones – Sticky Fingers (1971)

Widely considered one of the best Rolling Stones albums ever and one of the best rock albums of all time, Sticky Fingers is a dirty, grungy, sweaty, horny record. I mean, how could it not be with that title and that infamous cover?

It’s full of mega-hits, to boot. The opener, “Brown Sugar,” is an instant classic recorded in the famous Muscle Shoals studio in Alabama and brazenly covered taboo subjects in that part of the U.S. – interracial sex, heroin, slavery, and cunnilingus among them. The album goes from what sweaty blues rocker to the slower, fuzzier “Sway.” Mick Taylor‘s guitar work on it is outstanding (and his lack of a writing credit on it would be among his reasons for leaving the band down the road).

“Wild Horses” is one of Mick Jagger‘s many songs about being emotionally fragile after a breakup (and about missing home while being on the road). Keith Richards‘ Nashville-style playing is so subtle and masterful that it’s easy to overlook. “Can’t You Hear Me Knocking” is one of the best one-take tracks in rock history, with Richards’ open-tuned guitar laying down sharp fuzz, Charlie Watt‘s pristine beats, Jagger’s pleading vocals, Taylor’s wild, jamming riffs, and Bill Wyman locking everything into place with his bass. The greatest part of it is the extended jam, which wasn’t intended, but started when Taylor decided to keep playing and everyone joined in with him…resulting in a wild, psychedelic trip that includes great saxophone playing from Bobby Keys (who almost makes the song his own), sweet conga from Ricky Dijon, and Billy Preston‘s outstanding organ work.

“You Gotta Move” is their version of the African-American spiritual standard, and Richards and Taylor crank up the fuzz and grit on it. “Bitch” is another instant-classic rocker with the bold horn work from Keys and Jim Price (on trumpet), and, as the story goes, Richards came up with the riff while eating a bowl of cereal. “I Got the Blues” is pretty much a Stones tribute to Otis Redding.

The title of “Sister Morphine” denied it airplay and release in the United Kingdom when the original version was first released by co-writer Marianne Faithfull. The Stones’ version is full of dangerous guitar from Richards and Taylor. “Dead Flowers” is one of the Stones’ many forays into country music…and it’s also a song about heroin. “Moonlight Mile” came about after a long night session between Jagger and Taylor and is an ode to love and sex…and possibly cocaine.

Sex, drugs, rock and roll…It’s all here. It’s all what you’d expect from vintage Stones, and it comes in an Andy Warhol-designed package. What more could you want (apart from a vintage vinyl copy with the working zipper on the cover)?

Keep your mind open.

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Review: King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard – Butterfly 3000

Released without any singles dropped ahead of time, King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard‘s newest album, Butterfly 3000, was a mystery up until its release…and still is in many ways. The cover alone has things hidden in it, the lyrics are full of introspection and philosophy, and it’s an electro record to boot. This from a band known mostly for its psychedelic sounds, or even thrash metal.

The album opens with a track called “Yours,” an indication that the album is a gift to all of us. The poppy, happy synths bump hips with Michael Cavanaugh‘s joyful drumming and you instantly know that this KGATLW album will be different from any you’ve heard before now. The album was made in quarantine by the band members sending each other samples, loops, and tracks via e-mail and digital download. Frontman Stuart Mackenzie has famously said the album cost nothing for them to make as a result.

The vocals on “Shanghai” blend into the synths to the point where you’re not such which is shadowing which. “Dreams” could be the track that sums up the whole album. Every track is about some kind of journey, growth, or peeling away of illusions. “I only want to wake up in my dream,” Mackenzie sings. Where does the dream end and reality begin? It’s difficult to tell at times, and sometimes you’d rather stay in one than return to the other. The song melts / morphs into “Blue Morpho,” which will probably end up in an Australian sci-fi movie soundtrack in the near future.

“Interior People” is the closest the band gets to a “classic” King Gizz-type of jam with its rolling beats and guitars, but those know when to step back and let the synths and electric piano move to the front. “Catching Smoke” is a standout, with electro-disco synths and hip-shaking beats. It reminds me of some of Bayonne‘s work. “2.02 Killer Year” is probably a treatise on 2020, but it’s so damn peppy that you can’t be sad while hearing it. I mean, it’s full of bright sounds, lasers, hungry hippo bass, and even harp plucks.

“Black Hot Soup” seems to harken back a bit to the psychedelia of Gumboot Soup, but still keeps synth effects on the vocals. “Ya Love” mostly repeats the title as the band jumps back and forth between happy puppy synths and rollercoaster rhythms. The electric heartbeat of the title track closes the album alongside a building synth riff that takes off like a new butterfly emerging from its cocoon and fluttering toward the sun.

The whole album is like that – a liftoff to a brighter future. We could all stand to follow KGATLW’s lead and move forward instead of letting 2020, or our past in general, weigh us down.

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Jacob at Pitch Perfect PR.]

Review: Arthhur – Occult Fractures

Looking at the cover of Occult Fractures – the new album from Chicago’s Arthhur – you might guess that it’s a psychedelic rock record, or perhaps a doom album with its images of a skull, bone, and some sort of black ooze creeping from under a door.

No, it’s a dance-rock record – and a good one.

It opens with “Antihistamine Money,” which is over eleven minutes long, and percolates with vintage synths, funk bass, and LCD Soundsystem-like beats while lead singer Mike Fox sings about the club scene, those who put on airs in such a scene, and learning not to give a damn about them while you’re having fun. It’s an amazing track and a bold burst out of the gate for Arthhur. Luke Dahlgren‘s bass on “Doom Journalism” sounds like it’s plugged into a Red Bull can while they sing about the twenty-four -hour news cycles (“Fear is the engine, and they are the wheels. We are the drivers.”).

“Ripped and Dumb” is a funny track about people wanting to improve themselves not to better themselves, but actually to impress other people (and not realizing those people don’t give a crap). Sure, the subject says, “I don’t like you or any of your friends,” but who else is he trying to impress? “(Immanentizing the) Eschaton” is another long track with tick-tock percussion from Matt Ciani and guitar work that moves around the room like an intriguing stranger at a party while Mike Fox sings about trying to bring about the post-afterlife in the here and now. Heavy stuff, indeed, but it’s full of krautrock grooves, so don’t let it worry you.

“Keep Moving” drips with funk and is full of lyrics about getting up when the chips are down (“When the dark closes in, don’t stop.”). “No Results,” with skronking, crazy saxophone work by Joe Duran and Noah Wood, is pretty much a straight-up punk rock tune that knocks you back on your heels. “Never Enuff” gets back to the soul / funk grooves and has those formerly angry saxophones now playing sexy bedroom grooves. The title track is a slow-building jam that reminds me of Ghost in the Machine-era Police mixed with a bit of yacht rock. “Ripped and Patient” closes the album with a slower instrumental version of “Ripped and Dumb” – almost like a record player winding down due to a power outage.

It’s a sharp record, and I’m keen on catching these guys live sometime. I’m sure they’d put on a fun show judging from this funky mix of styles.

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Matt Ciani.]

Rewind Review: Shonen Knife – Adventure (2016)

It’s amazing how relevant Shonen Knife‘s 2016 album, Adventure, is to a world emerging from a pandemic in which we were shut in our homes. Shonen Knife have always been one of the most optimistic bands on the planet, and I’ve always believed it’s impossible to be sad if one of their songs is playing. That enthusiasm is everything everyone needs as we leave our cocoons and get back to baseball games, the Dairy Queen, and hugging each other.

The album opens with “Jump into the New World,” with Naoko‘s lead guitar and bouncy vocals encouraging us to “Feel a bright light, yeh, yeh, with a happy song in your heart.” and “Challenge yourself, yeh, yeh, with a happy song in your heart.” “Rock ‘n’ Roll T-shirt” (with guest background vocals by Naru) is an ode to band shirts, and it’s amazing no one else before Shonen Knife thought to write a song about them. Naoko proudly declares that she wears them to bed, at shows, and everywhere else. “Calabash” has a great bass walk from Atsuko, and a saucy solo from Naoko.

“Dog Fight” (with Ritsuko on guest bass) is a story of Naoko visiting a beach and walking into a scene with two dogs engaged in a brawl. The beat and rhythm are too peppy to be depressing. “Wasabi,” with Atsuko on lead vocals, is one of many Shonen Knife’s songs about food; and, like so many others, it shreds. Risa (who is an absolute beast behind a drum kit) puts down a wicked surf beat and, thanks to Atsuko, I’ve learned that wasabi is good with avocado. Risa takes the lead vocals on “Green Tangerine (Kabosu),” which, on its face, is about eating the fruit, but, below the surface, is about embracing an unknown future.

“ImI (emoji)” is a salute to the “devil horn” sign of metal (“They say that it was created by DIO a long time ago. Keeping us away from evil harm. Now! You’ve got the power.”), and it appropriately rocks. Naoko sings about her dream vacation on “Hawaii” – a song that blends psychedelic surf guitar with Risa’s beach cook-out drums. Naru picks up the bass on “Tasmanian Devil,” another fun Shonen Knife song about a cute, furry animal that can be quite vicious. The album ends with “Cotton Candy Clouds” (with Ritsuko on backing vocals) – a lovely track about wanting to eat clouds because they look like the delicious fair food.

It’s a fun record, as is par for the course with a Shonen Knife album. They continue to make fun music and live the high life. We should all be so lucky to have an adventure like that.

Keep your mind open.

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Rewind Review: My Bloody Valentine – EP’s 1988 – 1991 (2012)

Released almost a decade ago, but sounding like it could’ve come out yesterday, My Bloody Valentine‘s collection of EP’s and rarities, appropriately titled EP’S 1988 – 1991, is a two-disc wallop of sound that collects the band’s four, rare EP’s and multiple bonus tracks.

The first five tracks on disc 1 come from 1988’s You Made Me Realise. The title track, with its punishing drums and bass, opens things with enough fuzz for an entire album (and reveals the massive influence MBV had on A Place to Bury Strangers). Debbie Googe‘s heavy bass propels “Slow” while Kevin Shields‘ guitar sounds like he left it in the sun too long. “Thorn” more than doubles the speed of the previous track and has some of Shield’s clearest vocals, which almost seem odd to hear when you’re used to so many tracks dripping with reverb and distortion. “Cigarette in Your Bed” does a neat balancing act with Bilinda Butcher‘s ethereal vocals and Colm Ó Cíosóig‘s voodoo drumming. “Drive It All Over Me” is one of MBV’s most upbeat tracks and makes you want to road trip with your friends.

The next four tracks are from the Feed Me with Your Kiss EP (also from 1988) . The title track also appears on their Isn’t Anything album from the same year. It’s a wild track with Shields and Butcher trading vocals while all four band members bounce around the room like a punch-drunk boxer intent on destroying everything in his path. “I Believe,” with its pounded piano keys, seems to indicate a love of The Stooges. Shields’ vocals on “Emptiness Inside” have a bit of a punk sneer to them, and Googe’s bass spares no mercy throughout it. “I Need No Trust” could’ve been a Velvet Underground track in a previous life.

MBV returned in 1990 with the Glider EP, and the lead single, “Soon,” became one of their biggest hits. It’s no surprise. The song is a shoegaze delight with Cíosóig’s beats sounding like early rave riffs, Googe’s hip-shaking bass, and Butcher and Shields’ twin wall-of-sound guitars and soft vocals. The EP’s title track sounds like it’s made up of parts of “Soon” played backwards. “Don’t As Why” brings in acoustic guitars to mesh with the fuzz and is a song Oasis probably wishes they’d written. “Off Your Face” has a bit of a psychedelic bend and some of Butcher’s loveliest vocals on any MBV track.

Disc 2 starts with the Tremolo EP from 1991, and the first cut, “To Here Knows When,” also appears on their classic Loveless album from the same year. It’s a swirling, fog-like track that seems to envelop you with its fuzzy, bright warmth. “Swallow” has Middle Eastern touches in its percussion and even adds a flute to the mix. “Honey Power” again puts Butcher on lead vocals and deftly moves back and forth between shoegaze pop and shoegaze power. “Moon Song” begins like some sort of death dirge, but soon turns into an incense smoke mind trip.

What follows are rare tracks and previously unreleased material. “Instrumental No. 2″ (the mellow one) and Instrumental No. 1” (the scorching one) are from a bonus 7-inch single released with Isn’t Anything. The full version of “Glider” (from 1990’s Glider E.P. Remixes) is over ten minutes of psychedelic drone. “Sugar” is from a rare 1989 split 7-inch flexi-disc and sounds like a Nine Inch Nails song if Trent Reznor were a lot happier in 1989.

The last three songs are the previously unreleased ones – “Angel” (seductive shoegaze with lead vocals by Butcher), “”Good for You” (a high-speed fuzz-fest), and “How Do You Do It” (a dangerous track with everyone playing their instruments like a professional hit squad). All of them are great treats to hear.

This stuff is essential if you’re a fan of MBV, shoegaze, noise rock, drone rock, or guitar rock…or even just rock in general. MBV are still a powerhouse and a band with whom you should not trifle. Approach with caution, but you’ll love them if you embrace the power.

Keep your mind open.

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