Category: Rewind Reviews

Rewind Review: Death Valley Girls – Darkness Rains (2018)

Death Valley Girls‘ third album has an interesting title – Darkness Rains. It’s not “Darkness Reigns,” as you might think if someone told you the name of the album. After all, DVG are known to be explorers of oddities, the unexplained, and things the prowl in shadows, but they chose “Rains” instead. Does it convey an image of environmental disaster, a heavy thunderstorm overpowering a bright summer sky, or impending death?

My guess is on the last one, as the album starts with the hard-hitting “More Dead” and flows right into the heavy fuzz of “(One Less Thing) Before I Die.” The latter reminds me that I need to keep de-cluttering my house and the trend of “Swedish death cleaning” that grows more popular each year. Why burden ourselves and our descendants with our crap? Why live a life unfulfilled? If you’ve seen DVG live or had the pleasure of meeting them, you’d know they were living in a way that would produce no regrets. They encourage us to do the same before darkness rains upon us, like we know it will but try to forget that it will.

“Disaster (Is What We’re After)” is great Stooges-style skronk meant to shake things up wherever you are, and “Unzip Your Forehead” is 60’s horror-psychedelia that makes me imagine Frankenstein’s monster opening the stitches on his square head and literally opening his mind. “Wear Black” could be the dress code for a DVG show. It also has these cool organ chords throughout it that make it hypnotizing (as does Larry Schemel‘s echoing guitar work).

“Abre Camino” is one of DVG’s biggest hits, and often the opener for their live sets. Each listen seems to unveil more layers you hadn’t heard before then, much like finding a book with strange scribbles and arcane symbols that reveal power messages to you after falling asleep. Laura Harris‘ drums hit hard on “Born Again and Again,” driving you to a near panic at one point. “Street Justice” is almost a punk rager with some of Bonnie Bloomgarden‘s most frantic vocals.

“Occupation: Ghost Writer” makes me want to write at least a short story based on the title. It has a dreamy quality to it, like a spirit floating around you while writing a blog post. “We’ll be together, somewhere forever,” they sing on “TV in Jail on Mars” – another song title that deserves an entire short story. The vocals repeat and echo like a trippy mantra or a broadcast from the red planet sent by things living deep within the canals there. It’s the sound of darkness raining down in a slow shower rather than a pounding torrent.

Darkness rains all over this record, but there are moments of sunlight that peek through the clouds to remind us that what lies beyond the veil is something we can’t comprehend, but shouldn’t fear.

Keep your mind open.

[I’ll feel more dead if you don’t subscribe.]

Rewind Review: GOAT – Fuzzed in Europe (2017)

Fuzzed in Europe is a six-song live EP from Swedish psych-voodoo rockers, GOAT, that compiles some of their favorite tracks from a European tour in the autumn of 2016. The tracks were picked due to them being alternate versions of album releases or even “normal” live cuts. As a result, we get to hear GOAT further expanding their cosmic sound into new dimensions.

The opener, “Talk to God,” is over seven minutes of hypnotizing psychedelia that takes on a bit more drone than the album version. The same goes for “Time for Fun,” which practically turns into a mantra by the end of it. “I Sing in Silence” transforms from a blissful dance into a trance-inducing vision of something much like the album cover.

The guitars on “Gather of Ancient Tribes” (possibly also known as, you guessed it, “GOAT”) are almost like magic wands casting spells as the female duo lead singers keep singing / chanting, “Into the fire!” “The Sun the Moon” speeds up in this live version, becoming a frantic voodoo-disco track.

A ten-minute-plus version of “Run to Your Mama” ends the EP, being heavier than other versions and no less head-spinning. You might end up dancing around shirtless and seeing visions of Egyptian gods riding boats across the sky while listening to it. I didn’t, but the fact that the image came to mind while writing this suggests otherwise.

The whole EP is full of moments like this. Don’t let it slip by you.

Keep your mind open.

[Fuzz out your e-mail inbox by subscribing.]

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.

[Don’t forget to subscribe while you’re here.]

Rewind Review: My Delicious Spaghetti Western film score collection (1998)

This fun compilation released in the US by Runt Records (and originally in Italy by Abraxas) showcases the work of Francesco De Masi, Bruno Nicolai, Lallo Gori, Mario Migliari, and Vassil Kojucharov. The first three composers make up most of the compilation, with Migliari and Kojucharov only getting one track each on the album.

The sixteen tracks span films ranging from many of the Sartana franchise including Nicolai’s gorgeous title tracks to C’e’ Sartana…Vendi la Pistola e Comprati La Bara! (There is Sartana…Sell the Pistol and Buy a Coffin!) and Buon Funerale Amigos…Paga Sartana (part 1) (Have a Good Funeral, Friends…Sartana Will Pay). “Stranger,” with its bold vocals, is a fun track.

Many of the DeMasi pieces are collaborations with famous Italian guitarist and composter Alessandro Alessandroni, whose fine guitar work is all over tracks like “Monetero’s Plan” and “Vento e Whisky” (which has a great horn section that sounds like it wandered from the set of an Italian crime thriller to play on the score for Stranger).

Migliardi’s title track for Prega il Morto e Ammazza il Vivo (Pray for the Dead and Shoot the Living) sizzles like a rattlesnake on a warm rock. Nicolai’s title track for Gil Fumavano le Colt…Lo Chiamavano Campsanto (They Call Him Cemetery) is a classic with its expert whistling, symphonic strings, hollow-body guitar work, and vocal chorus all mixing together for a perfect blend. The vocals on DeMasi’s “Gold” are so bold they’re almost over the top and ridiculous, but they hold back just enough to make them amazing in their own right. His title track for 1963’s Il Segno del Coyote (The Sign of the Coyote) could fit on practically any John Ford film.

It’s a collection that’s over too soon, even with sixteen tracks on it, and a good reminder that Ennio Morricone (God rest his soul.) wasn’t the only formidable composer of spaghetti western soundtracks.

Keep your mind open.

[Don’t forget to subscribe before you go.]

Rewind Review: Astrud Gilberto – 5 Original Albums Verve Collection (2016)

I scored this lovely and bargain-priced (twenty bucks!) mini-set of five classic albums by bossa nova queen Astrud Gilberto while on a late winter trip to California. The set covers records released by Gilberto (Yes, the first wife of Brazilian composer João Gilberto and stepmother to Bebel Gilberto.) from 1965 to 1969. In particular, they are her first (The Astrud Gilberto Album – 1965), third (Look to the Rainbow – 1966), fourth (A Certain Smile, A Certain Sadness – 1966), sixth (Windy – 1968), and seventh (I Haven’t Got Anything Better to Do – 1969) records, and all of them are delightful.

The first album pairs her with the legendary Antonio Carlos Jobim, who wrote her famous hit “The Girl from Ipanema.” Like that song (which is not on this record, but rather on the other classic Getz / Gilberto), this album is an instant mood-changer. Starting with “Once I Loved,” and Gilberto singing that “love is the saddest thing when it goes away,” everything around you adapts to her voice. Her duo with Jobim on “Agua De Beber” is another song that brings a smile to your face, and Joao Donato‘s piano on it is a delight while Jobim’s subtle guitar strumming hits harder than most metal records. Gilberto sings about the nerves associated with new love on “And Roses and Roses” while snappy percussion sizzles and soothes behind her. “How Insensitive” is heart-breaking yet alluring. “Dindi” is a bossa nova standard, and Gilberto does a great version of it here.

Look to the Rainbow is full of stunning arrangements by Gil Evans. Opener “Berimbou” would fit into a 1960’s Bond film with its lush horn section and exotic strings. The horns on “Fervo” might inspire a wild party in the streets. “Maria Quiet” is, I’m sure, being played in a Tiki bar somewhere right now. “Bim Bom” is peppy and bouncy, sure to flood a dance floor in that Tiki bar. “El Preciso Aprender a Ser So (Learn to Live Alone)” is one of those songs Gilberto pulls off so well – longing and yearning mixed with Zen-like detachment.

A Certain Smile, A Certain Sadness teams Gilberto with the Walter Wanderley Trio. Wanderley was an organ maestro who played on “The Girl from Ipanema,” and his band (Jose Marino – bass, Bobby Rosengarden – percussion, Claudio Slon – drums) are all sharp pros. The first two tracks are the double title tracks and both are bossa nova lounge classics. Wanderley’s organ riffs on “Nega” are the sounds of a hundred drive-in intermission countdowns, and Gilberto’s playful vocals on it are a delight. “So Nice (Summer Samba)” is another bossa nova classic, and it’s great to hear Wanderley strut his stuff on it while Rosengarden adds some spicy beats Any melancholy you might be feeling is wiped out by “Goodbye Sadness (Tristeza).” If the closer, “It’s a Lovely Day Today,” doesn’t cheer you up, I don’t know what will.

Windy was cut while Gilberto was living in Philadelphia and raising her and João’s son, Marcelo (with whom she shares vocals on “The Bare Necessities”). A lot of the songs are the album are big and bold, suitable for a Las Vegas nightclub or your party’s hi-fi. Opening track “Dreamy” is a perfect example with its lively brass section. “Never My Love” exudes soft 1960s psychedelia. She nails the title track (a cover of the classic hit by The Association), taking on the identity of the mysterious, playful woman as her own. Her cover of The Beatles‘ “In My Life” is also lovely.

According to the liner notes, Gilberto calls I Haven’t Got Anything Better to Do her “fireplace album.” She wanted to make a record that moved away from the aggressive sounds dominating the 1969 airwaves and could be listened to while curled up next to a fire. She did it. “He’s got a problem if he thinks I need him,” she sings on the opening title track. She had divorced João by this point, so you can’t help imagining her singing that in his direction. The soft, subtle horns on “Wailing of the Willow” mix perfectly with Gilberto’s haunting voice. “The Sea Is My Soil (I Remember When)” again makes you wonder why Gilberto never sang the theme to a Bond film. Everyone can relate to “World Stop Turning” at one point or another as Gilberto wishes time would stop so she could stay in bed with her husband just a bit longer.

It’s a wonderful collection, and a great way to be introduced to her music and bossa nova.

Keep your mind open.

[It would be so nice if you subscribed.]

Rewind Review: King Buffalo – Live at Freak Valley (2020)

Recorded in 2019, Live at Freak Valley by King Buffalo is a well-mastered and engineered document of a powerful set at that year’s Freak Valley Festival. It’s a great introduction to King Buffalo’s live sound if you’ve never heard it before and will make you want to seek them out at the nearest venue as soon as possible.

“Sun Shivers” sets off the show by launching us away from Earth’s gravity and into the endless sea of stars leading to the sun and beyond. They waste no time and get right to the cosmic riffs. “Longing to Be the Mountain” is a reference to a Chinese story about a stonecutter working on a mountain who desires to become the grand mountain that seems to be above all people, things, and concerns. He’s granted his wish but soon feels a tapping at his base. He looks down to see another stonecutter there chipping away at him. The stonecutter was caught by his own ego and delusions The song is a powerful as the lesson.

“Every day is the same,” they sing on “Repeater,” a fourteen-minute mind-melting experience that covers both existential ennui and Zen presence. By the time you get to “Orion” (“Can you hear me through the smoke and the haze?”), it feels like you’re drifting past his belt of stars. It’s a stunning track that must’ve been quite an experience for the lucky Freak Valley attendees.

“Kerosene” twists and turns around itself like some kind of heavy metal Escher drawing. They mention that A Place to Bury Strangers is up after them (which you can see here) before they get to the closer, “Eye of the Storm.” It’s a great closer that bridges the gap between stoner rock and desert rock for over ten glorious minutes. They encourage us to embrace the void without fear, for the eye of the storm is often the safest place.

Keep your mind open.

[Don’t forget to subscribe before you go.]

Rewind Review: Psycholona – Venus Skytrip (2020)

If you’re looking for a good way to start off your trippy, heavy space rock record, why not do it with a song called “Blast Off?” That’s what Psychlona does on their cool Venus Skytrip album.

The opening track builds with guitar notes sounding like a countdown clock that blend into actual rocket launch countdown recordings and rocket fuel-hot riffs and drum hits. The band’s love of Black Sabbath is evident from the opening riffs of “10,000 Volts,” which hits as hard as its namesake one moment and lulls you into a dreamy headspace the next as they sing about voices in their heads confusing their souls. “Blow” adds stadium rock riffs to the mix.

“Star” punches the accelerator the band’s starship to the floor and plunges us straight toward a red dwarf about to go nova. “Edge of the Universe” practically takes you there. You can probably guess the inspiration behind “Resin,” and it’s as trippy as you hope it will be. The reverb-laden vocals, the echoing guitars, and the cool yet heavy drums all combine to make a satisfying blend.

“Tijuana” seems to be a story about the band encountering dangerous women, dangerous drinks, and other dangerous substances and people while on a trip south of the U.S. border. The whole thing sizzles like an annoyed rattlesnake on a hot rock. The album closes with “The Owl,” a grand, thundering piece that casts a bird of prey’s shadow over you and almost makes you quiver like a mouse in an open field.

This is a cool record, and I hope Psychlona gets us more new music soon. I’d happily go on another sky trip with them. How about Saturn next time, lads?

Keep your mind open.

[Blast over to the subscription box while you’re here.]

Rewind Review: Failure – The Heart Is a Monster (2015)

Coming eighteen years after their (at the time) overlooked masterpiece, Fantastic Planet, Failure‘s The Heart Is a Monster picks up where Fantastic Planet (and the 1990s) ended. Ken Andrews, Greg Edwards, and Kellii Scott created an album in 2015 that linked to their past (and the past of their fans) and also showed what a stunning future could be had if we all came together and chose to pursue it.

Opening with the instrumental “Segue 4” (again, picking up after “Segue 3” on Fantastic Planet), The Heart Is a Monster jumps up in volume and beat with “Hot Traveler” – a song about begging for forgiveness after an accidental wrong (“I didn’t mean to hurt you. I had to make a snap move, but now I see your purpose.”). The powerful Failure guitars, soaring synths, and sharp drum chops are all here right away, assuring fans that Andrews, Edwards, and Scott hadn’t lost anything in over a decade – and in fact had only grown in power. “A.M. Amnesia” is a stand-out, which Scott pounding hard beats and drilling fills that make your jaw drop while Andrews and Edwards sing about a woman who exists in both darkness (“You were born on the bottom of the ocean.”) and in the the infinite light of space. Cosmic space is a common theme in Failure’s work, and it’s great to hear them continue to explore that theme on this record.

“Snow Angel” has a heavy, almost doom groove to it, which makes me wish Failure would make a doom metal record. The groaning, squealing guitar of “Atom City Queen” only reinforces that wish. “Counterfeit Sky,” a song about realizing most of your problems (if not all of them) are self-inflicted, has layers of Andrews’ and Edwards’ guitars constantly switching with Scott’s drums for the lead.

I can’t help but wonder if “Petting the Carpet” is a sequel to their classic song “The Nurse Who Loved Me,” which contains the lyrics, “Say hello to the rug’s topography. It holds quite a lot of interest with your face down on it.” “Petting the Carpet” starts with the lyrics, “Petting the carpet. Saliva flows strong.” Both songs blaze with sun-bright guitar chords and thick bass. “Mulholland Dr.” blends sci-fi themes of aliens and mutants with trippy “Sgt. Pepper’s”-era Beatles chords (courtesy of Troy Van Leeuwen – who was in Failure for a short time and went on to become a full-time member of Queens of the Stone Age).

“Fair Light Era,” with its lyrics of “What’s all this space junk? These gems behind my eyes?” might be a sly reference to the “one hundred stones that sparkle in darkness” on Fantastic Planet‘s “Sgt. Politeness.” “Come Crashing” hits with crashing cymbals and power chords before it drops, weightless, into “Segue 7,” and then “The Focus” kicks open the door with a killer bass line that isn’t screwing around. The guitars on “Otherwhere” sound like the calls of robotic birds of prey. “I Can See Houses” tells a haunting tale of a man, possibly Andrews, seeing the world fall away from him as the airplane he’s on rises into the sky and he realizes he has to let go of things binding him to earthly illusions. The album closes with “Segue 9” to leave us in a trippy headspace.

The Heart Is a Monster was a great return for Failure, who have since released three more albums, will begin another tour, and have a documentary film about the band coming soon. Go to space with them. You’ll come back changed.

Keep your mind open.

[Don’t fail to subscribe!]

Rewind Review: The Smithereens – 2011 (2011)

Saluting the past and embracing the current moment, The Smithereens‘ 2011 album, 2011, is a nod to their classic 11 album and was their first album of all-original material since 1999’s God Save the Smithereens. It was a fine return to form with catchy hooks, heartfelt lyrics, and ample shredding.

Take the opener, “Sorry,” for example. Jim Babjak‘s powerful guitars come at you right away and Pat Dinizio‘s strong vocals about being both sad and angry about a breakup show he’d lost none of his chops. “One Look at You” is the opposite in terms of lyrical content, as Dinizio tells the story of swooning after once glance at a lady, but keeps up the snappy beats by Dennis Diken and solid bass work by Severo Jornacion. “A World of Our Own” is the kind of song that The Smithereens do so well – toe-tapping beats, lyrics about love, Beach Boys-like harmonies, and chugging garage rock guitars.

“Don’t listen to the things they say, you just take my hand and we’ll just keep on running,” Dinizio tells his lover on the solid, strong “Keep on Running.” The whole band is firing on all cylinders here, working in great union with each other as Babjak’s guitar seems to melt and solidify from one note to the next in his solo. “Rings on Her Fingers” could’ve been a Beau Brummels song in a previous life.

“As Long As You Are Near Me” has what I’d consider a “classic” Babjack guitar solo – somewhat bluesy, somewhat gritty, and all shredding (and Jornacion’s walking bass line sounds like it’s easy to play but is deceptively tricky once you examine it). “Bring Back the One I Love” has Dinizio lamenting a lover who left him. Jornacion’s bass takes front stage on “Nobody Lives Forever,” giving the song a pulse you can’t ignore.

The haunting “Goodnight Goodbye” has great vocals from the whole band and this almost doom metal pace to it that I love. It’s a standout on the record. “All the Same” displays the band’s love of the Mersey Beat sound. “Viennese Hangover” belongs in a romantic comedy that takes place in Austria. Diken’s drums are in fifth gear on “Turn It Around,” and the added tambourine and jingle bells only increase the punch. The closer, “What Went Wrong,” sends us off on a fast note like a hot rod not bothering to slow down after it crosses the finish line in a street race.

2011 showed that The Smithereens still had plenty of fire in them, and it still sounds good eleven years later.

Keep your mind open.

[Your e-mail inbox is sorry you haven’t yet subscribed.]

Rewind Review: Frankie and the Witch Fingers – Levitation Sessions (2020)

Released in the middle of the pandemic and when everyone needed to just crank some psych-garage rock and let out a bunch of pent-up energy in their living room, Frankie and the Witch Fingers‘ Levitation Sessions is a great slice of the band’s always-solid live sets and bursts with energy for its entire length.

“Activate” is perfectly named and played to start off the set with beats that get your feet tapping right away and riffs to knock you back on your heels. “Reaper” is always a standout with its dreamy build-up to crushing power. “Sweet Freak” has this cool, looping groove to it that evolves into wild, frenetic, psychedelic guitar solos that are like a crow calling from a high tree when you walk by.

“Where’s Your Reality?” is another FATWF that absolutely cooks live or otherwise. Something is wrong with you if it doesn’t get you jumping and / or crowd surfing. The song melts into “Michaeldose,” a trippy and funky instrumental. The driving, hammering beats and bass of “Realization” are likely to induce you to bounce around your living room so hard you’ll be knocking over lamps and freaking out your pets.

The drums on “Dracula Drug” are especially sharp. All respect to Caster Black, who recorded and mixed the whole session. Another good example of the mixing is how well “Can You Hear Me Now?” eases into the rocking “Simulator” – another cut that always floors any audience. Likewise, “Cavehead” blends perfectly into the peppy, trippy “MEPEM…” – which is over eight minutes of thumping, bumping garage-psych.

Levitation Sessions is a great taste of a live FATWF show – a taste that leaves you wanting to dive face-first into their psychedelic buffet.

Keep your mind open.

[Why not levitate over to the subscription box while you’re here?]