Rock – Page 33 – 7th Level Music

Chat Pile reminds us that we’re all dong a “Wicked Puppet Dance” on their new single.

There’s a sick irony to how a country that extols rhetoric of individual freedom, in the same gasp, has no problem commodifying human life as if it were meat to feed the insatiable hunger of capitalism. If this is American nihilism taken to its absolute zenith, then God’s Country, the first full length record from Oklahoma City noise rock quartet Chat Pile is the aural embodiment of such a concept.

Having lived alongside the heaps of toxic refuse that the band derives its name from, the fatalism of daily life in the American Midwest permeates throughout the works of Chat Pile, and especially so on God’s Country. Exasperated by the pandemic, the hopelessness of climate change, the cattle shoot of global capitalism, and fueled by “…lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots of THC,” God’s Country is as much of an acknowledgement of the Earth’s most assured demise as it is a snarling violent act of defiance against it. Within its over 40 minute runtime, God’s Country displays both Chat Pile’s most aggressively unhinged and contemplatively nuanced moments to date, drawing from its preceding two EPs and its score for the 2021 film, Tenkiller. In the band’s own words, the album is, at its heart, “Oklahoma’s specific brand of misery.” A misery intent on taking all down with it and its cacophonous chaos on its own terms as opposed to idly accepting its otherwise assured fall. This is what the end of the world sounds like.

Watch (+ share) the music video for “Wicked Puppet Dance” on YouTube

In just a couple of years, Chat Pile have made nothing short of a profound impression on the underground music discourse. Formed in the spring of 2019 by Raygun Busch (vocals), Luther Manhole (Guitar), Stin (Bass), and Captain Ron (Drums), the noise-rock quartet would release two EPs that same year, titled This Dungeon Earth and Remove Your Skin Please. Spurred on by both a hearty run of live performances and a swiftly growing online fanbase, Chat Pile became a staple name among its genre contemporaries thanks to its hellish synthesis of noise rock, sludge, industrial, and mid 90’s nu-metal. In 2020, the band would sign with San Francisco underground music label, The Flenser, to put out its upcoming full length debut. That following year, Chat Pile kept its roll going, with accolades including composing the score for the indie film, Tenkiller, as well as releasing a 7” split with portrayal of guilt in the summer.

Now, the world braces itself for the release of Chat Pile‘s Flenser debut God’s Country on July 29th. The album is available for pre-order here and Chat Pile will play select shows this summer and fall.

Chat Pile, live:

July 29 Oklahoma City, OK @ The Sanctuary (Records Release Show)

July 30 Austin, TX @ Chess Club

September 15 Oklahoma City, OK @ The Sanctuary

October 21 Brooklyn, NY @ St. Vitus *

October 24 Brooklyn, NY @ St. Vitus *

*w/ Scarcity

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Stephanie at Indie Publicity.]

Live: The Psychedelic Furs and X – Andrew J. Bird Music Center – Cincinnati, OH – July 20, 2022

“This place is like the Borg cube of music venues.”

That’s how my friend described the Andrew J. Bird Music Center in downtown Cincinnati. It’s an interesting performance space with good acoustics, but the interior “has no personality,” as she put it. It has a stark industrial feel, and hosting some industrial or goth shows in the place would be ideal. The only fixed seats are in the multiple balconies. The main floor is open, but rows of seats were added for The Psychedelic Furs and X.

This was the second time I’ve seen the Psychedelic Furs. The first was on their “Singles Tour” and this one was promoting their latest record, Made of Rain. First up, however, were L.A. punk legends X. Bassist John Doe mentioned how they’d been playing in a lot of beautiful theaters, but “I keep expecting Tina Turner to come out and tell us we’re in the Thunderdome in this place.” They put on a fun set, with Billy Zoom still shredding both guitar and saxophone, Exene Cervenka blessing the crowd, and D.J. Bonebrake playing both drums and xylophone. People were dancing in the aisles the whole time, and one guy was pogoing front and center for nearly their entire set. Billy Zoom came back out after their set and signed a few autographs.

I knew we were in for a good set from The Psychedelic Furs when they opened their show with “I Wanna Sleep with You” – one of my favorite tracks that I wasn’t sure I’d ever hear live. “Mr. Jones” followed and then the first of many great tracks from Made of Rain, “You’ll Be Mine.”

Other sharp new tracks included Made of Rain‘s opener, “The Boy Who Invented Rock and Roll,” “Wrong Train,” “This’ll Never Be Like Love,” “No-One,” and “Ash Wednesday.” “Their new songs are beautiful,” my friend said. She’s right. Guitarist Rich Good puts more emphasis on the psychedelic part of the band’s sound on these new tracks.

They played plenty of classics, of course, with “The Ghost in You” being the loveliest and “Love My Way” being even more popular with the happy crowd than “Pretty in Pink.”

The encore included a solid version of “Heartbreak Beat” that had everybody dancing and a stunning, beautifully chaotic (as they’d describe it) version of “India” – the first track on their first album. It was another song I wasn’t sure I’d ever hear live, and it was a killer end to a great show. Saxophonist Mars Williams played so hard and with such frenetic passion that we all thought he was going to pass out on stage at one point.

Another highlight is how Richard Butler‘s voice never seems to age, or perhaps it just gets better. He’s still on top of his game, as is the whole band. His brother, Tim Butler, still has that rockstar style and slight menace about him, and the bottom end of his bass is the band’s secret weapon. Keyboardist Amanda Kramer doesn’t go overboard with her playing, which means she’s secretly doing a lot of stuff you can barely comprehend – and she adds a mystery to the band’s stage presence behind her ever-present shades (as does Tim Butler). The band’s new drummer, Zack Alford, has serious chops and ups the volume with pure rock beats.

Keep your mind open.

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Review: GOAT – Headsoup

Collecting B-sides, singles, re-edits, and new material, GOAT‘s Headsoup is a great release for fans of the band and fans of wild psychedelic rock.

“The Sun the Moon,” for example was the B-side to the “Goatman” single. The alternate version of “Stonegoat” sounds thicker than the original, making it even more mind-altering. “Dreambuilding” is also chock-full of distorted guitars, and the wild hand percussion on it is a perfect yang to the guitars’ yin. “Dig My Grave” tones down the fuzz so it can add more reverb.

The re-edit of “It’s Time for Fun” almost becomes a krautrock track with its electro-beats and pulsing synthesizers. “Relax” is a loud, yet hypnotizing instrumental. The alternate take of “Union of Mind and Soul” is just as bouncy as the original. “The Snake of Addis Ababa” could probably charm a cobra out of a wicker basket with its entrancing guitar work and rhythm.

“Goatfizz” is another cool instrumental, reminding me of late 1970s / early 1980s background jazz you’d hear in a hotel lobby or on an obscure late night cable TV channel. The new edit of “Let It Burn” is as heavy as a Black Sabbath B-side. “Friday Pt. 1” is soft and mellow to balance out the previous track, with a soulful saxophone solo to boot. “Fill My Mouth” is, as you might imagine from the title, the naughtiest song GOAT has written – and one of their funkiest as well. I mean, holy crap, the flute breakdown on it alone is worth the price of admission. “Fill My Mouth” and the following track, the sexy, psychedelic “Queen of the Underground” were GOAT’s first new tracks in several years, and showed they were still at the top of their game.

Let’s hope there’s more new stuff to come, because Headsoup only made us GOAT fans hungrier.

Keep your mind open.

[Fill my subscription box.]

Rewind Review: GOAT – Live Ballroom Ritual (2013)

Recorded in Camden’s Electric Ballroom in London on July 27, 2013, GOAT‘s Live Ballroom Ritual is a ripping album that captures the band of Swedish voodoo psych-rockers blowing people’s minds and taking them to other planes of existence.

The show starts simply enough, with the calm, soothing guitar strumming on “Dirabi” for over three minutes before the drums and hand percussion come in to let everyone know that they’re in for a mystical journey. “Golden Dawn” continues this levitation into some kind of sacred space between funk and psychedelia. “People get ready under the rainbow,” the ladies of GOAT sing on “Disco Fever” – a swirling, pulsing track that probably had the whole place bouncing and sweating after just three songs in the set.

“Stonegoat” was their new single at the time, and it’s a stomper that contrasts well with the mellower (but no less funkier, especially with its ripping saxpohone solo) “Let It Bleed.” The instrumental “Dreambuilding” is absolutely hypnotic, leading us to the sweaty, heavy “Run to Your Mama” that I’m sure floored the one thousand-plus fans in the audience.

Three “goat songs” follow: The somehow heavier “Goathead,” with its percussive bass,” the trance (and possibly hallucination)-inducing “Goatman, and “Goatlord” – a slow sizzler that sets the table for the eleven-minute “Det som aldrig förändras – Kristallen den fina.” It’s a massive track that fills whichever space in which you hear it. Every part of it crushes. The performance ends with the massively fuzzy “The Sun the Moon,” combining chants with frenetic drumming and sawmill guitars.

I consider myself lucky to have seen GOAT live here in the United States. I hope they will return soon. They are doing some European shows these days, but their shows here have become somewhat legendary, like this stunning performance.

Keep your mind open.

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Review: Regressive Left – On the Wrong Side of History

Blending post-punk, post-funk, and disco, Regressive Left‘s debut EP, On the Wrong Side of History, is four tracks of witty lyrics, bumping beats, and a bit of happy chaos that was recorded in five marathon days (11am to 1am recording sessions) during pandemic shutdown.

“I’m on the wrong side of history,” sings vocalist and electronics whiz Simon Tyrie as dance-punk beats build up behind him. He sings about being “desensitized to the taste of real life.” We all know that’s an easy trap to fall into, but Georgia Hardy‘s beats encourage us to climb out of it and dance with joy at our success in doing so. Tyrie asks those in power to take an honest look in the mirror and to carefully choose a side (“You’ve been ignoring the voices of others for far too long.”). “I don’t want to become a meme!” he and Hardy cry. “I only talk about free speech when it concerns my freedom to be a dick,” Tyrie continues, mocking the shouts of so many who mock those who just want to be heard. The whole song, and the whole EP, is full of scathing, sharp lyrics like this.

Will Crosby‘s guitars skitter and slide all over the place on “World on Fire,” and Tyrie’s vocals take on a bit of a David Byrne tinge as he takes shots at the failures of Reaganomics, rich elitists (“The world for a trust fund!”), and the economic system in general. “Bad Faith” teams them up with Mandy, Indiana to tackle the trend of people to automatically assume the worst in people, or that their statements are automatically wrong – mostly thanks to the internet. The EP closes with “No More Fun,” a song originally about how school kids in the UK were underfed at lunch but has since grown into a finger in the eye of British politicians grinding some people into the ground with policies that help no one but themselves.

It’s a wicked EP, and one that promises a lot of good things in the future. Let’s hope Regressive Left don’t wait long to bring us a whole album.

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to James at Prescription PR.]

When The Chats claim, “I’ve Been Drunk in Every Pub in Brisbane.”, you tend to believe them.

Aussie punk trio The Chats release a new single/video, “I’ve Been Drunk in Every Pub in Brisbane,” from their new album, GET FUCKED, out August 19th on Bargain Bin Records. Clocking in at just 89 seconds, the rip-roaring track is an entirely unironic celebration of frontman Eamon Sandwith’s first year or two in his new home city. The accompanying video was shot under the influence by the band and their house mate, Rick, who is also in a band with Eamon and Josh called Rick and the Sickos.

“Brisbane is quite a bit hotter than the rest of the country,” says Eamon, “so it’s one of those places where it’s more acceptable to start drinking earlier. I reckon there would be 900 or so pubs that you would have to hit, and I have actually been to a good chunk of them, but if you were go to all of them, it would be hard to even remember which ones you’d been to, and which ones you hadn’t, especially if you’d got fucking pissed.”

WATCH THE CHATS’ VIDEO FOR “I’VE BEEN DRUNK IN EVERY PUB IN BRISBANE”

GET FUCKED is an incendiary, hyper-adrenalized blitz from punk heaven, showcasing an electrifying all-killer-no-filler 13 tracks which perfectly capture the band’s explosive energy. The album, while tackling umpteen eminently relatable beefs ranging from surfer-dude racism to the usual dire impecunity, feels like a classic high-velocity punk-rock party album like they just don’t make ’em anymore – think early Ramones, think MDC’s debut, think invite your mates over and rock hard all weekend. It is, quite simply, another laugh-out-loud, pogo-through-the-floorboards stroke of motherfucking genius.

This fall, The Chats will open for Guns N’ Roses on a Australian and New Zealand tour. A full list of dates can be found below.

WATCH VIDEO FOR “STRUCK BY LIGHTNING”

WATCH THE “6L GTR” VIDEO

PRE-ORDER GET FUCKED

THE CHATS TOUR DATES
Fri. Jul. 22 – Adelaide, AU @ Adelaide Showground
Fri. Jul. 29 – Luxembourg, LU @ Rotondes
Sat. Oct. 8 – Sacramento, CA @ Aftershock Festival
Fri. Nov. 18 – Perth, AU @ Optus Stadium
Tue. Nov. 22 – Brisbane, AU @ Suncorp Stadium
Thu. Nov. 24 – Gold Coast, AU @ Metricon Stadium
Sun. Nov. 27 – Sydney, AU @ Accor Stadium
Sat. Dec. 3 – Melbourne, AU @ Melbourne Cricket Ground
Thu. Dec. 8 – Wellington, NZ @ Sky Stadium
Sat. Dec. 10 – Auckland, NZ @ Eden Park

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Jacob at Pitch Perfect PR.]

The Schizophonics have “Won Your Love” with their new single.

San Diego trio The Schizophonics share the video for “Won Your Love” from their forthcoming fourth album today via Punk News. Watch and share “Won Your Love” HERE. (Direct YouTube.)

The band previously issued the lead single “Desert Girl” via YouTube, Spotify and all other DSPs.

The band just recently wrapped up an extensive tour of Europe, and will be very busy for the next year with tour dates around the world. Please see current dates below.

Over the last few years, The Schizophonics have built up a formidable reputation around the world as an explosive live act. Tapping into the same unstoppable combination of rock ‘n’ roll energy and showmanship that fueled The MC5 in the heyday of the Grande Ballroom, their wild live show is heavily influenced by artists like James Brown, Iggy Pop, Jimi Hendrix, Little Richard, and The Sonics.

Singer/guitarist Pat Beers and drummer Lety Beers formed the band in San Diego in 2009 and have worked tirelessly since then, playing hundreds of shows around the globe. In 2013 they were recruited as the backing/opening band for El Vez, which helped the band make a name for itself in Europe. Since then, they’ve played in numerous countries, and supported tours by like-minded acts like Rocket From The Crypt, Little Barrie, The Woggles and have opened for the Damned, DEVO, The Hives and Cage The Elephant. Shindig Magazine described their live show “Like watching some insane hybrid of WAYNE KRAMER, JAMES BROWN, and the Tasmanian Devil.”

The band is more than just a live act; they’re also committed to writing great memorable songs. Their new album Hoof It on Pig Baby Records due in Fall 2022 was recorded by Dean Reis at Singing Serpent studio (Plosivs, RFTC) and mixed by Steve Kaye at Sun King Studios.

Hoof It will be available on LP, CD and download on September 2nd, 2022 via Pig Baby Records. Pre-orders are available HERE.

THE SCHIZOPHONICS LIVE 2022:

07/22 & 23 Saint Paul, Quebec, CA – Le Festif! De Baie Saint Paul

09/07 Boise, ID – Neurolux

09/08 Yakima, WA – Punks Bar

09/09 Seattle, WA – Substation

09/10 Portland, OR – Dante’s

09/11 Eugene, OR – Old Nick’s

09/13 Albany, CA – Ivy Room

09/14 San Jose, CA – The Ritz

09/15 Santa Cruz, CA – Moe’s Alley

09/17 Los Angeles, CA – Zebulon

09/23 San Diego, CA – The Casbah

10/21 Los Angeles, CA – Permanent Records Roadhouse

11/03 Indianapolis, IN – Lo-Fi

11/04 Cincinnati, OH – Motr Pub

11/05 Columbus, OH – Ace of Cups

11/06 Pittsburgh, PA – Club Cafe

11/07 Baltimore, MD – Ottobar

11/08 Washington, DC – City Winery

11/10 Philadelphia, PA – Kung Fu Necktie

11/11 Brooklyn, NY – TV Ete

11/12 New Haven, CT – Cafe Nine

11/13 Providence, RI – Alchemy

11/14 Boston, MA – Middle East

11/16 Montreal, QC – Casa Del Popolo

11/17 Toronto, ON – The Baby G

11/18 Rochester, NY – Bug Jar

11/19 Cleveland, OH – Beachland Tavern

11/21 Detroit, MI – PJ’s Lager House

11/22 Chicago, IL – Schuba’s

11/23 Milwaukee, WI – Shank Hall

11/25 Minneapolis, MN – Icehouse

11/26 Green Bay, WI – Lyric Room

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Dave at US / THEM Group.]

WSND set list – Deep Dive of Failure

Thanks to all who listened to my Deep Dive of Failure. Here’s the set list!

Failure – Stuck on You
The Cure – Fascination Street
Joy Division – Disorder
Failure – Count My Eyes (demo version)
Failure – Pro-Catastrophe
Failure – Macaque (live)
AC / DC – Girl’s Got Rhythm
Failure – Undone
Failure – Moth (demo version)
The Replicants – Just What I Needed
Failure – Saturday Savior
Failure – Another Space Song (live)
ON – Soluble Words
Year of the Rabbit – Last Defense
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club – Ha Ha High Babe
Chris Cornell – You Know My Name
Lusk – Backworlds
Autolux – Plantlife
Blinker the Star – Below the Sliding Doors
Failure – Come Crashing
Failure – Hot Traveler
Failure – Heavy and Blind
Failure – Headstand
Failure – Mercury Mouth

Next week’s deep dive will cover Kraftwerk! Come get weird!

Keep your mind open.

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Cold Gawd drop a shoegaze stunner with debut single, “Sweet Jesus Wept Shit.”

Cold Gawd is the flag under which California-based multi-instrumentalist Matt Wainwright creates stormy, wounded shoegaze music born of open tunings and R&B melodies. Inspired by these sounds, Cold Gawd presents a refined, modernized take on the genre.

Today, Cold Gawd announce details for their Dais Records debut album, set for release on September 23rd. The group’s second collection, God Get Me The Fuck Out Of Here, took shape in the winter of 2020 while Wainwright was working long solo shifts at a coffee shop in Chicago. Fueled by dreams of returning to his hometown of Rancho Cucamonga and reconnecting with old friends from past hardcore bands, Wainright holed up with his coveted pink Jazzmaster, an array of FX pedals, and a laptop, and wrote the entire album in a month. In March of 2021 he made the move, heading back west to the Inland Empire, where he booked sessions with Gabe Largaespada at Open Ocean to track and mix.

Despite recording every instrument himself, the results have the lived-in feel of a practiced live band (which Cold Gawd now are, fleshed into a six-piece). Cascading walls of guitar churn, surge, and ripple, framed by sunken rhythms and Wainright’s distant, defeated voice, veiled in violet haze.

Watch (+ share) the video for God Get Me The Fuck Out Of Here‘s first single “Sweet Jesus Wept Shit” on YouTube.

Wainwright cites the thematic common ground between shoegaze and R&B as a central muse, both obsessively fixated on love, lust, and longing, in forms alternately grandiose and minor key. Lyrically, the album sways between oblique and desperate, yearning and resigned – with the exception of “Comfort Thug,” a brooding, largely improvised spoken word piece inspired by the notable lack of black musicians in shoegaze.

Cold Gawd is here to change that. God Get Me The Fuck Out Of Here channels malaise and melancholy into gauzy, galvanized anthems of escape, change, and introspection. The crushing closing cut, “Passing Through the Opposite of What It Approaches,” heaves and hovers like looming storm clouds, beneath which Wainright sings (and bandmate Arturo Ramirez screams) as close to a mission statement as the album offers: “leave what you know / and get grown / everyday / remember / why you left.”

Pre-order God Get Me The Fuck Out Of Here here and look for more music and news to surface soon from Cold Gawd.

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Stephanie at Indie Publicity.]

Third Man Records releases a book about the history of drone music – Harry Sword’s “Monolithic Undertow: In Search of Sonic Oblivion.”

Out now from Third Man Books, Monolithic Undertow alights a crooked path across musical, religious and subcultural frontiers. It traces the line from ancient traditions to the modern underground, navigating archaeoacoustics, ringing feedback, chest plate sub-bass, avant-garde eccentricity, sound weaponry and fervent spiritualism.

From Neolithic beginnings to bawdy medieval troubadours, Sufi mystics to Indian raga masters, cone-shattering dubwise bass, Hawkwind‘s Ladbroke Grove to the outer reaches of Faust and Ash Ra Temple; the hash-fueled fug of The Theatre of Eternal Music to the cough syrup reverse hardcore of Melvins, seedy VHS hinterland of Electric Wizard, ritual amp worship of Earth and Sunn O))) and the many touch points in between, Monolithic Undertow explores the power of the drone – an audio carrier vessel capable of evoking womb like warmth or cavernous dread alike.

Watch (+ share) the trailer for Monolithic Undertow: In Search of Sonic Oblivion on YouTube.

In 1977, Sniffin’ Glue verbalized the musical zeitgeist with their infamous ‘this is a chord; this is another; now form a band’ illustration. The drone requires neither chord nor band, representing – via its infinite pliability and accessibility – the ultimate folk music: a potent audio tool of personal liberation.

Immersion in hypnotic and repetitive sounds allows us to step outside of ourselves, be it chant, a 120dB beasting from Sunn O))), standing front of the system as Jah Shaka drops a fresh dub or going full headphone immersion with Hawkwind. These experiences are akin to an audio portal – a sound Tardis to silence the hum and fizz of the unceasing inner voice. The drone exists outside of us, but also – paradoxically – within us all; an aural expression of a universal hum we can only hope to fleetingly channel…

Monolithic Undertow: In Search of Sonic Oblivion is out now and is available for purchase here. The North American edition of the book features an exclusive cover and a new foreword by author Harry Sword.

Distributed Exclusively in North America by Consortium Books/Ingram Content Group.

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[Thanks to Stephanie at Indie Publicity.]