7th Level Music

Review: Mort Garson – Journey to the Moon and Beyond (2023 reissue)

I first heard of Mort Garson on an Amoeba Music “What’s in My Bag?” YouTube video featuring members of The New Pornographers. In it, bassist John Collins mentioned how bandmate Neko Case introduced him to Garson – a fellow Canadian who made weird electro music for television, films, and plants. Collins describes him as “a real studio cat.”

That studio cat’s albums are being reissued by Sacred Bones, and one of them is Journey to the Moon and Beyond – a collection of TV ad themes, film themes, and, yes, music he made to be broadcast during the 1970 moon landing. It’s a wild collection of electro oddities and fascinations.

“Zoos of the World” starts us off with an immediate drop into a world of 1970s electronic wonder. It sounds and feels like something you’d hear on a Disneyworld ride that’s long since closed and been turned into an overpriced restaurant. “The Big Game Hunters (See the Cheetah)” mixes Esquivel-like jazz (and sexy feminine vocals) with psychedelic synths and slick beats. “Western Dragon” comes in three parts: One a brief outro (part 3), one with a wild guitar solo (part 2), and one a cool meditative track (part 1).

The album’s centerpiece is “Moon Journey,” which simulates the sounds of space capsules closing, rockets launching, heroes being heroic, navigational systems bleeping and chirping, retro-rockets firing, and the strangeness of being in low gravity. There are three tracks titled “Music for Advertising” (numbers 6 through 8). Number 6 has a little bit of a bossa nova feel to it, number 7 is luxurious and thrilling, and number 8 is bold, adventurous, and robotic.

The inclusion of the main theme and end credits to the 1974 blaxploitation film Black Eye is pure gold, as is “Captain DJ (Disco UFO Part II)” – a groovy, sparkling disco dance track with Saturday morning cartoon lyrics and vocals (“Disco U-F-Oh-Oh-Oh! The faster you spin, the further you go!”). “Three TV IDs” is a collage of three TV jingles for cool stations you saw as a kid and then never again because they were bought out by some corporate monstrosity.

“Love Is a Garden” could be a follow-up to his entire Plantasia album (an electro record made for playing to your plants), as it’s soothing and almost an 8-bit version of floating down a jungle stream. “The D-Bee’s Cat Boogie” is a wonky, wild trip, and the album closes with the Black Eye end credits and its sexy, smoky vocals atop Garson’s slick arrangements (check out that 1970s jazz flute!).

This is a super cool record, and one of the best reissues I’ve heard in a long while, let alone one of the most fun electro records I’ve heard in a couple years. God bless Sacred Bones for putting Garson’s stuff back out there for people like me to discover.

Keep your mind open.

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

[Thanks to Alex at Terrorbird Media!]

Wrecka Stow: Music & Video Exchange – Greenwich, London

Located on one of the main streets in London’s Greenwich district, Music & Video Exchange is another place you can get lost in for hours, but go on a cool day. It was a hot day in London when I was there, and this store has no air conditioning (like most places in London, really).

Don’t let that keep you from visiting this place, though, as they have a ton of cool stuff there. I mean, look at this.

I love how they have a section of vinyl called “NOISE NOISE NOISE.”

They had a lot of cool, collectible vinyl there, and this wall of rare 45s was neat to see.

The Motörhead and Au Pairs discs alone are worth a look.

As if all this weren’t enough, there’s an entire basement full of CDs.

You can also see shelves of DVDs in that photo. There was a lot I wanted to dig through there, but the basement was so humid that I couldn’t stay long. I did find a cool score upstairs, however.

Ten pounds for ten Tangerine Dream albums? Uh, yeah. That’s a steal.

I’ll be sure to go back here if I’m ever in Greenwich again. I have a lot of bins to search there.

Keep your mind open.

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Holy Wave release “Nothing in the Dark” from upcoming “Five of Cups” album due August 04, 2023.

Today, Austin, Texas outfit Holy Wave continue to push their historically psychedelic sound with intricate, heady single “Nothing in the Dark”, premiering on post-trash. It’s accompanied by a beautifully-shot, atmospheric visual, directed by Vanessa Pla. The track follows airy “Bog Song,” and psych-tinged single “Happier” featuring Mint Field’s Estrella del Sol.

Both songs taken from their upcoming new album Five of Cups, out August 4, 2023 on Suicide Squeeze Records.

The band have also announced further US + UK/EU fall tour dates.

On the track, band member, Cook offers: “Nothing in the Dark is about how easy it is to let fear take over and control what you do and don’t do, how distractions can keep you from the things you want or disguise themselves as what you want. But when the light disappears from your life, like shadows, the distractions fade away, and you’re left with just yourself and the darkness. So I guess the song is about moving past the fear of the shadows; you can see in the light so that you don’t end up sitting alone in the dark.”

On the video, band member, Fuson offers: “We all acted in the video, but we also did the set design and all the props. Since it was a super small budget, we had to wear a bunch of hats to afford to pay the people who were good at their jobs, haha. The director Vanessa Pla also made some mean carnitas for the crew. They were fire.”

Tour dates
Live Dates
Aug 8 – Andy’s – Denton, TX
Aug 9 – Opolis – Norman, OK
Aug 11 – Back Alley Ballyhoo – Indianapolis, IN
Aug 12 – JJs Bohemia – Chattanooga, TN
Aug 13 – Upstairs at Avondale – Birmingham, AL
Aug 15 – Alabama Music Box – Mobile, AL
Aug 16 – Continental Club – Houston, TX
Aug 17 – Paper Tiger – San Antonio, TX
Oct 12 – Constellation Room – Santa Ana, CA
Oct 14 – Sister – Albuquerque, NM
Oct 15 – Hi-Dive – Denver, CO
Oct 17 – Sleeping Village – Chicago, IL
Oct 18 – Lager House – Detroit, MI
Oct 20 – No Fun – Troy, NY
Oct 21 – Mercury Lounge – NYC, NY
Oct 22 – Baby’s All Right – Brooklyn, NY
Oct 23 – Metro Baltimore – Baltimore, MD
Oct 25 – Gasa Gasa – New Orleans, LA
Oct 26 – Levitation – Austin, TX
Oct 29 – Love Buzz – El Paso, TX
Oct 30 – The Rebel Lounge – Phoenix, AZ
Oct 31 – Casbah – San Diego, CA
Nov 1 – Lodge Room – Highland Park, CA
11/7 – Lille, FR – L’Aéronef
11/8 – Groningen, NL – Vera
11/9 – Copenhagen, DK – Stengade
11/10 – Berlin, DE – Kesselhaus
11/11 – Halle, DE – Huhnermanhattan
11/12 – Prague, CZ – Cafe V Lese
11/13 – Munich, DE – Milla
11/16- Bucharest, RO – Control Club
11/17 – Belgrade, SE – Dom Onladine
11/19 – Zagreb, HR – Vintage Industrial
11/21 – Lyon, FR – Le Sonic
11/22 – Barcelona, ES – Sala Upload
11/23 – San Sebastian, ES – Dabadaba
11/24 – Madrid, ES – Wurlitzer Ballroom
11/28 – Vigo, ES – Kominski
11/30 – Bordeaux, FR – Allez Les Filles
12/1 – Paris, FR – Point Ephemere
12/2 – Brussels, BE – Botanique
12/3 – The Hague, NL – Hink Festival
12/4 – Amsterdam, NL – Paradiso
12/6 – Brighton, UK – The Hope & Ruin
12/7 – Bristol, UK – Crofters Rights
12/8 – Manchester, UK – YES
12/9 – Glasgow, UK – Stereo
12/10 Newcastle, UK – Cluny 2
12/11 – Leeds, UK – Brudenell Social Club
12/12 – London, UK – Moth Club

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Andi at Terrorbird Media.]

WSND DJ set list: Nocturne – July 16, 2023

Thanks to all who listened to my latest Nocturne show on WSND. As always, it was a fun time. Here’s the set list:

Pink Mexico – WSLY
Adem Dalipi – Through Another’s Eyes
Howlin’ Wolf – House Rockin’ Boogie (requested)
Vapors of Morphine – No Sleep
Primus – Those Damned Blue Collar Tweekers
Fishbone – Sunless Saturday (requested)
Deeper – Build a Bridge
Buzzocks – All Over You (live)
The Cramps – People Ain’t No Good (live) (requested)
Julian Cope – Beautiful Love
The Black Keys – Till I Get My Way
Radio ad for The Ventures Underground Fire album
The Ventures – Underground Fire
Kasabian – Club Foot
New York Dolls – (There’s Gonna Be a) Showdown
Sisters of Your Sunshine Vapor – Rainbow Scarecrow
The Flaming Lips – Sagittarius Silver Announcement
Ghost Wolves – Gonna Live
Pantera – Primal Concrete Sledge (live) (requested)
The Stooges – See That Cat
Hasil Adkins – Let Me Come In
Minami Deutsch – Your Pulse
Dengue Fever – Tap Water
Radio ad for Teenage Psycho Meets Bloody Mary
Ladytron – Flight from Angkor
The Robert Cray Band – Too Many Cooks
White Prism – Wishes
King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard – Shanghai

Be sure to tune in next week!

Keep your mind open.

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WSND DJ set list: Deep Dive of Betty Davis

Thanks to all who tuned in for my funky, sexy Deep Dive of Betty Davis on WSND. Here’s the playlist.

Betty Davis – Shut Off the Light
B.B. King – You Upset Me Baby
Big Mama Thornton – Hound Dog
Jimi Hendrix – Castles Made of Sand
Sly and The Family Stone – Everyday People
Betty Mabry – Get Ready for Betty
Betty & Roy – I’ll Be There
The Chambers Brothers – Uptown
Hugh Masekala – Riot
Betty Davis – Live, Love, Learn
Betty Davis – It’s My Life (alternate take)
Miles Davis – Orbits
Cream – Politican
Betty Davis – Born on the Bayou
Graham Central Station – It’s Alright
Pointer Sisters – Yes We Can Can
Tower of Power – This Time It’s Real (live)
Betty Davis – Steppin’ in Her I. Miller Shoes
Iggy Pop and Zig Zags – If I’m Luck I Might Get Picked Up
Betty Davis – Game Is My Middle Name (requested)
Betty Davis – Anti Love Song
Betty Davis – They Say I’m Different
Betty Davis – He Was a Big Freak (Record Plant Rough Mix)
Robert Palmer – Which of Us Is the Fool
Betty Davis – Dedicated to the Press
Betty Davis – Is It Love or Desire
Betty Davis – It’s So Good
Danielle Maggio – It’s a Little Bit Hot Tonight

Next week will be a Deep Dive of a living legend – Alison Krauss. Don’t miss it!

Keep your mind open.

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Deluxe version of DFL’s cult punk album “My Crazy Life” to be reissued August 11, 2023.

DFL aka Dead F*cking Last, the iconic ‘90s hardcore band that featured first wave punker Monty Messex, Adam Horovitz aka Ad-Rock of the Beastie Boys, and skater “Crazy Tom” Davis, will reissue their influential debut album, My Crazy Life. Originally released on the Beastie Boys’ own Grand Royal Records in 1994, the record turned heads as it was fueled by the savage power of first wave hardcore during a time when punk rock was heading in a poppier, radio-friendly direction. The reissue is the first time the album has ever been on 12-inch vinyl and is also the first printing of the album in 29 years.

The band brought in original producer Mario Caldato Jr. (Beastie Boys, Moby, Freddie Gibbs) to remaster the entire release. Further, the reissue contains expanded art, unreleased pictures, as well as a 10,000 word oral history of the band, as taken from interviews with the band members themselves, Grand Royal Records executives, and other contributors from the scene. As an additional bonus, the first run of the reissue will come with a complete, previously unreleased, live show titled Live at G-Son Studios. The live album was professionally recorded by Caldato at the Beastie Boys’ G-Son Studio during a party the day after DFL recorded the tracks from My Crazy Life and features eleven, savage live recordings.

My Crazy Life will be released via Trust Records on August 11, 2023 in stores and across all digital retailers. Trust is an archival record label whose mission is to preserve and present classic punk records as an iconic and important part of America’s cultural history, much in the same way as jazz, folk, and the blues have been celebrated. In order to pay tribute to the iconic records that it releases, each Trust pressing is presented as a deluxe release with premium vinyl, expanded and heavy-duty liner notes and jacket, as well other bonuses. Trust Records previously released deluxe reissues of Circle Jerks’ Group Sex and 7 Seconds’ The Crew, both which received massive critical acclaim.

Pre-Order / Pre-Save My Crazy Life Deluxe Reissue Here

More about DFL: Originally arriving in 1994, My Crazy Life faced a somewhat “polished” punk rock landscape. Due to the massive surge in popularity of bands like Green Day or The Offspring, punk had become poppier, more accessible, and more melodic. Meanwhile, each of DFL’s original members came from the earliest, most crazed days of first wave hardcore: Messex formed hardcore punk band the Atoms, which included Izzy Stradlin (pre-Guns n Roses) in 1981; Horovitz started in the early NYC hardcore scene with the Young and the Useless before joining the Beastie Boys during their initial run as a hardcore band; Crazy Tom was a seasoned skateboarder hailing from the Marina Del Rey skatepark.

Messex recalls, “In 1993, I was obsessively listening to Bad Religion’s ‘How Could Hell Be Any Worse’. I had this beat up cassette that I’d listen to over and over and over and over again on my Walkman. That record brought me back to the early 80s hardcore scene I grew up on- that included Circle Jerks, the Germs, The Adolescents. I wanted to make a record that called back to the initial rush I got from the early hardcore scene.”

Without much planning, Messex linked up with Adam Horovitz of the Beastie Boys, who, at the time, were recording the seminal Check Your Head album. Messex threw the idea of starting a hardcore punk band past Horovitz and DFL was born. Messex says, “I literally remember the moment when we started DFL. Adam dropped by my place in Echo Park and kinda half jokingly asked him if he wanted to start a hardcore band. To my surprise he was like, ‘uh… yeah!’ I had a few songs and we went over to G-Son. I played them for Adam and the band was born right there and then.”

Shortly thereafter, Messex and Horovitz drafted “Crazy” Tom Davis into the group. Hailing the SoCal skate scene, Davis was added as much for his explosive singing style and unpredictability. Along with drummer Tony Converse, the band recorded the volatile My Crazy Life album in the time it takes to listen to it: 20 minutes. Unlike the more polished records of the day, My Crazy Life was 15 tracks of raw and ragged hardcore punk that, while fueled by the same energy as first wave of California hardcore, was pushed into the present, addressing issues like mental health, ‘90s Hollywood, and the fact that pizza is tasty.

The record not only stood as a landmark release because it featured one of the Beastie Boys playing back-to-basics hardcore punk, but also because the record was composed of sub 60 second songs built off Messex’s smashing riffs and Davis’ deranged howl. While most records were getting bigger and more polished, DFL was one of the few that made their music shorter, faster, and rawer. Since the album’s release, My Crazy Life has remained a cult record, prized by the hardcore scene due to its ferocious sound and askew lyrics… and also because it is really, really, really good.

“The ‘My Crazy Life’ era was a real moment in time for me and I feel like the record captures that,” Messex tells. “There was so much shit going on. The Beasties and Grand Royal were blowing up. There were all these crazy parties with celebs and skaters and all sorts of people hanging out. It’s almost 30 years later, but that moment has never left me.”

Ahead of its release, DFL has shared a preview of “Pizza Man” and “America’s Most Hardcore” remastered studio versions; check them out below.

“Pizza Man” (Studio Version, Unreleased) Official Music Video + “America’s Most Hardcore” (Studio Version)

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Bailey at Another Side.]

The Beths to release a deluxe edition of “Expert in a Dying Field” on September 15, 2023.

The Beths — “one of the greatest indie-rock bands of their time” (Rolling Stone) — announce Expert In A Dying Field (Deluxe), out September 15th on Carpark Records, and present the new single, “I Told You That I Was Afraid (Acoustic).” Expert In A Dying Field (Deluxe) expands upon the brilliance of The Beths’ acclaimed 2022 album, “another collection of tunes that cements their status as one of the great guitar-pop bands of this present moment” (Stereogum), with three demos, two acoustic renditions, and the inclusion of previously shared standalone singles “A Real Thing” and “Watching The Credits.” The latter has already been deemed one of 2023’s best songs by Rolling Stone and Paste, who praised “Watching The Credits” as “a terrific, heat-seeking missile of glittering guitars and steadfast percussion work” that “speaks to how they endure as one of the most exciting rock bands in the world right now.”

Later this week, The Beths (and their beloved inflatable fish) will take to the U.K. for a string of select festivals and headline dates. Shortly after, they will return to North America for a full, almost entirely sold out tour including dates supporting The National, Death Cab for Cutie and The Postal Service. The Beths will also headline three nights at Los Angeles’ Lodge Room (surrounding their sold out show at the Hollywood Bowl supporting Death Cab for Cutie and The Postal Service), plus three nights at New York’s Music Hall of Williamsburg. Full dates are listed below and tickets are on sale now.

Listen to “I Told You That I Was Afraid (Acoustic)”

Expert In A Dying Field, the third studio album from The Beths, was released to a wealth of critical praise, and was named one of 2022’s best releases by the likes of Pitchfork, The Ringer, Stereogum and more. Surrounding its release, The Beths were profiled by Rolling Stone, Document Journal, The Big Takeover and more, and made their U.S. television debut on CBS Saturday Morning. The Beths are undeniably one of the most exciting indie rock bands to emerge in recent memory.

Pre-order Expert In A Dying Field (Deluxe)

Expert In A Dying Field (Deluxe) Tracklist

1. Expert In A Dying Field

2. Knees Deep

3. Silence Is Golden

4. Your Side

5. I Want To Listen

6. Head In The Clouds

7. Best Left

8. Change In The Weather

9. When You Know You Know

10. A Passing Rain

11. I Told You That I Was Afraid

12. 2am

13. I Told You That I Was Afraid (Acoustic)

14. When You Know You Know (Acoustic)

15. A Real Thing

16. Watching The Credits

17. Keep The Distance (Demo)

18. Expert In A Dying Field (Demo)

19. I Want To Listen (Demo)

20. 2am (Demo)

The Beths Tour Dates (New Dates In Bold):

Fri. July 14 – Utrecht, NL @ Ekko

Sat. July 15 – Rotterdam, NL @ Rotown

Sun. July 16 – Nijmegen, NL @ Valkhof Festival

Tue. July 18 – Liverpool, UK @ Hangar 34

Wed. July 19 – Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK @ Boiler Shop

Fri. July 21 – Southwold, UK @ Latitude Festival

Sat. July 22 – Steventon, UK @ Truck Festival

Sun. July 23 – Sheffield, UK @ Tramlines Festival

Fri. July 28 – Newport, RI @ Newport Folk Festival

Sat. July 29 – Omaha, NE @ Maha Festival

Tue. Aug. 1 – Philadelphia, PA @ The Met Philadelphia * [SOLD OUT]

Wed. Aug. 2 – Philadelphia, PA @ The Met Philadelphia *

Thu. Aug. 3 – New Haven, CT @ Westville Music Bowl *

Fri. Aug. 4 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Mr Smalls Theatre

Sat. Aug. 5 – Cleveland, OH @ Beachland Ballroom & Tavern [SOLD OUT]

Mon. Aug. 7 – Detroit, MI @ The Fillmore *

Tue. Aug. 8 – Madison, WI @ The Sylvee *

Wed. Aug. 9 – Minneapolis, MN @ The Armory *

Fri. Aug. 11 – Denver, CO @ Mission Ballroom * [SOLD OUT]

Sat. Aug. 12 – Denver, CO @ Mission Ballroom *

Tue. Aug. 15 – Nashville, TN @ Ascend Amphitheater *

Wed. Aug. 16 – Atlanta, GA @ Cadence Bank Amphitheatre at Chastain Park *

Thu. Aug. 17 – Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle [SOLD OUT]

Fri. Aug. 18 – Baltimore, MD @ Baltimore Soundstage [SOLD OUT]

Sat. Aug. 19 – Quincy, MA @ In Between Days Festival

Mon. Aug. 21 – Cincinnati, OH @ Woodward Theater

Tue. Aug. 22 – Kalamazoo, MI @ Bell’s Eccentric Cafe

Thu. Aug. 24 – Chicago, IL @ The Salt Shed #

Fri. Aug. 25 – Abiquiu, NM @ Ghost Ranch Festival ^

Sun. Aug. 27 – Seattle, WA @ THING

Sat. Sep. 30 – Austin, TX @ Germania Insurance Amphitheater ^

Sun. Oct. 1 – Grand Prairie, TX @ Texas Trust CU Theatre ^

Tue. Oct. 3 – Phoenix, AZ @ Arizona Financial Theatre ^ [SOLD OUT]

Wed. Oct. 4 – Las Vegas, NV @ The Theater at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas ^ [SOLD OUT]

Fri. Oct. 6 – Seattle, WA @ Climate Pledge Arena ^ [SOLD OUT]

Sat. Oct. 7 – Seattle, WA @ Climate Pledge Arena ^ [SOLD OUT]

Mon. Oct. 9 – Berkeley, CA @ Greek Theatre ^ [SOLD OUT]

Tue. Oct. 10 – Berkeley, CA @ Greek Theatre ^ [SOLD OUT]

Wed. Oct. 11 – Berkeley, CA @ Greek Theatre ^ [SOLD OUT]

Thu. Oct. 12 – Los Angeles, CA @ Lodge Room

Fri. Oct. 13 – Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Bowl ^ [SOLD OUT]

Sat. Oct. 14 – Los Angeles, CA @ Lodge Room [SOLD OUT]

Sun. Oct. 15 – Los Angeles, CA @ Lodge Room

Tue. Oct. 17 – Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg

Wed. Oct. 18 – Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg

Thu. Oct. 19 – Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg [SOLD OUT]

* w/ The National

^ w/ Death Cab For Cutie & The Postal Service

# w/ Beach Bunny

Watch The Beths’ Tiny Desk Concert

Watch The Beths on CBS Saturday Morning:

“Expert In A Dying Field”

“When You Know You Know”

“Your Side”

Purchase Expert In A Dying Field

Keep your mind open.

[Become an expert in the field of music news by subscribing.]

[Thanks to Patrick at Pitch Perfect PR.]

Review: Motörhead – Live at Montreux Jazz Festival ’07

Recorded during their “Kiss of Death” tour in 2007, Motörhead‘s previously unreleased Live at Montreux Jazz Festival ’07 is another powerful live recording of Phil Campbell (guitar and backing vocals), Mikkey Dee (drums), and Lemmy Kilmister (bass and lead vocals) firing on all cylinders.

The set list include lots of bangers and some cuts you didn’t hear often during some other sets. Opening with “Snaggletooth” for example, is a nice touch. It wasn’t a common opener for them, and they unload it with the subtlety of a flamethrower. “Stay Clean” doesn’t give you time to breathe, as you’re too busy holding onto your face to keep it from being blasted onto the wall behind you. “Be My Baby” is thick with sludge and reveals how much Motörhead influenced early Nirvana records.

“That was kind of jazzy, wasn’t it?” Kilmister jokes after “Killers.” “One Night Stand” swings and shreds. Speaking of shredding, Campbell does a lot of it on “I Got Mine” with a solo that might sear your ears. Kilmister dedicates “Sword of Glory” to soldiers “fighting in Iraq for no good reason.”

“Who likes Thin Lizzy?” Kilmister asks, and then talks about how Phil Lynott was one of his heroes, before they rip in to a cover of Thin Lizzy‘s “Rosalie.” He gives a warning before the epic version of “Sacrifice”: “If you dance to this, you won’t have children later in life.” It is brutal and unforgiving. The mosh pit during this version must’ve been like the Battle of Helm’s Gate, only stopped by everyone’s jaws hitting the floor during Dee’s drum solo. It’s hard to tell what’s moving faster, his hands on the snares, cymbals, and toms, or his feet on the double kick drums. “Just ‘Cos You Got the Power” is slower, “So Phil can show off his new guitar,” Kilmister says. He does. Quite well.

“Going to Brazil” blasts by you in a heartbeat, followed by the always-sinister, always-heavy “Killed By Death.” “Iron Fist,” appropriately, pummels you. Kilmister’s bass on it is as relentless as a belt-fed machine gun. The acoustic “Whorehouse Blues” is a refreshing bit of fun after it, and a moment to inhale, exhale, and then go nuts when they finally get to “Ace of Spades.” The closer, “Overkill,” is over eight minutes of raw power. Dee’s double-bass kick-drumming alone will make your jaw drop.

It’s another fine live album in an already impressive catalog. Don’t miss it.

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Maria at Adrenaline PR.]

Snõõper releases “Powerball,” and we all end up winning.

The Nashville-based DIY punk outfit Snõõper will release their highly anticipated debut album, Super Snõõper, on July 14th via Third Man Records.Today, they present another fully-charged single/video, “Powerball.” Clocking in at just over a minute, Snõõper max out the short and sweet run time on “Powerball” by packing it with frantic guitars, berserk drums, and the ever-cool vocals of Blair Tramel. The accompanying “Powerball” video — directed by Tramel and featuring puppeteering by Grace Hall — channels the song’s chaos delectably, and previews the playful mayhem of Snõõper’s storied live sets for those yet indoctrinated.

Tramel explains: “‘Powerball’ was written after a scratch-off winning streak. My mom called me to let us know that the Powerball jackpot was the highest it had been in years. It’s a funny thing to feel like you are going to win something so arbitrary – to feel like you are going to be the one in a billion winner. When our numbers were not announced, we decided to buy some scratch-offs and, to my surprise, I won $50 on a $2 scratch off. I kept buying scratch-offs from different gas stations around town and kept winning. It was a comical sort of high I hadn’t felt before and even when I started losing money I wanted to keep going.”
Watch Snõõper’s “Powerball” Video

Snõõper doesn’t play fast; they play at the speed of Snõõper. They maintain super precise instrumentals and skillfully melodic vocals, even though they’re flooring it almost the entire time. The project began in 2020 as a collaboration between local Nashville punk mainstay Connor Cummins (guitar) and Blair Tramel (vocals), an early education teacher with a sideline in wickedly funny animation and art. As their cassette tapes and homemade videos began to find scattered fans around the world, the duo brought the project to the live stage in late 2021 with the addition of Cam Sarrett (drums), Happy Haugen (bass), and Ian Teeple (guitar). Thus, Snõõper was born.

Snõõper is a band who, in a 33 ⅓ RPM world, make 45 RPM music they play at 78 RPM. Their debut album, Super Snõõper, was recorded at The Bomb Shelter in Nashville. It follows EPs “Music For Spies” (2020), “Snõõper” (2021), and “Town Topic” (2022), as well as the live album LIVE AT EXIT/IN 11-23-22released this past February. Given the brief glimpses into Snõõper’s music from their 7”s, EPS, and thrilling live performances, one might wonder if the group could hold the line for a full album. The answer is an enthusiastic yes. In the words of Henry Rollins, “Speaking selfishly, I want Snõõper to hurry up and make another album. Super Snõõper is a really cool record.” Snõõper are known for their raucous live show which integrates many different artistic mediums — music, video art, puppetry, assemblages, and more — to create a unique experience for each performance. The band is currently touring Australia and will return stateside for a handful of shows. A full list of dates is below, with more to be announced soon.
Stream “Powerball”
Watch “Pod” Video
Watch “Fitness” Video
Pre-order Super Snõõper

Snõõper Tour Dates
Sun, July 16 – Pomona, CA @ Viva Pomona
Fri. Oct. 13 – Sun. Oct. 15 – Austin, TX @ Austin City Limits Festival
Sun. Nov. 5 – Leeds, UK @ Brudenell Social Club
Mon. Nov. 6 – Gladow, UK @ Hug & Pint
Tue. Nov. 7 – Manchester, UK @ YES Basement
Wed. Nov. 8 – London, UK @ The Windmill
Fri. Nov. 10 – London, UK @ Pitchfork Festival (Roadhouse)
Sat. Nov. 11 – Bristol, UK @ The Lanes

Keep your mind open.

[I’ll feel like I’m winning if you subscribe.]

[Thanks to Ahmad at Pitch Perfect PR.]

Will Butler + Sister Squares frolic in the “Long Grass” with their debut single.

Will Butler + Sister Squares announce their new self-titled album out September 22nd on Merge and present its lead single/video, “Long Grass.” Sister Squares are Miles Francis, Julie Shore, Jenny Shore, and Sara Dobbs; what made them a musical unit was working with Grammy winner and Oscar nominee Will Butler. The resulting Will Butler + Sister Squares is a record with a warm, humane soul.

“I met Jenny—my wife!—in college, the year before I joined Arcade Fire,” says Will. “When I needed a band to tour Policy [Merge, 2015], I asked [Jenny’s sister] Julie to join because I trusted her musically. And I asked Sara, Jenny and Julie’s childhood friend, because I knew she was super talented,” says Will. “Antibalas (who I was drumming for) opened some Arcade Fire shows,” says Miles, who offered to play drums anytime Will needed. Will, Julie, Sara, and Miles jelled on tour and everyone worked on vocal arrangements. All along, Jenny contributed to recordings and general performance ideas, and she joined onstage in 2019.

“After Generations [Merge, 2020], I considered making a weird solo record. Me alone in the basement, etc., etc. Mostly I realized that what I wanted was the opposite,” says Will. He increasingly turned to the band for feedback on lyrics and song structures. He asked Miles if they’d produce the record.

“Will and I organically discovered our relationship as a production duo through making this album. We didn’t have to talk too much about things as they happened, because the music just flowed,” says Miles. “As a producer, working with Jenny, Julie, and Sara is the dream. They connect so innately. In one motion they can conjure a mood, or get at the root of a feeling.”

The band played a run of shows in August 2022, airing out studio ideas in live rooms. After coming home, the band regrouped at Figure 8 Studios in Brooklyn. The album, broadly, is equal parts from Figure 8, group experiments from Will’s basement, and sessions in Miles’ Synthia Studio.

“I had quit my band Arcade Fire very recently, after 20 years—maybe the most complex decision of my life. I had spent the preceding two years at home with my three children. I was 39 years old. I was waking up every morning and reading Emily Dickinson, until I had read every Emily Dickinson poem. I was listening to Morrissey, to Shostakovich, to the Spotify top 50. I had unformed questions with inchoate answers,” says Will. “But, honestly, I was feeling great about the record.”

The album projects widescreen emotional landscapes. Lead-off single “Long Grass” is like a Harry Styles song with 20 more years of life behind it. “I had read this novella called Jamila by a Soviet/Kyrgyz author named Chingiz Aitmatov from the ’50s,” says Will. “It’s about an artist looking back on his childhood in a small town in Kyrgyzstan in WWII. It’s about love, and becoming an artist, and melancholy, and vast landscapes with a single train track running through them. And it reminded me of young adulthood, of wandering moodily down the train tracks. Maybe the song is also about leaving behind the things that formed us, but trying to remember the world as it used to be?”

Will Butler + Sister Squares will tour in support of their new album this fall.

Watch the video for “Long Grass”

Pre-order Will Butler + Sister Squares

Will Butler + Sister Squares Tour Dates:

July 29-30 – Guelph, ON @ Hillside Festival

Sept. 23 – Brooklyn, NY @ Zone One

Oct. 3 – Los Angeles, CA @ Zebulon

Oct. 4 – San Francisco, CA @ The Independent

Oct. 6 – Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios

Oct. 7 – Seattle, WA @ Barboza

Oct. 8 – Vancouver, BC @ Biltmore Cabaret

Oct. 17 – Boston, MA @ Deep Cuts

Oct. 18 – Montreal, QC @ Bar le Ritz

Oct. 19 – Toronto, ON @ Lee’s Palace

Oct. 20 – Detroit, MI @ Loving Touch

Oct. 21 – Chicago, IL @ Sleeping Village

Oct. 22 – Cleveland, OH @ Grog Shop

Nov. 7 – Riga, LV @ Palladium

Nov. 10 – Berlin, DE @ Privatclub

Nov. 12 – Aarhus, DK @ VoxHall

Nov. 14 – Rotterdam, NL @ Rotown

Nov. 15 – Paris, FR @ Café de la Danse

Nov. 16 – Brussels, BE @ Botanique

Nov. 17 – London, UK @ ICA

Nov. 18 – Dublin, IE @ Whelan’s

Nov. 30 – Philadelphia, PA @ PhilaMOCA

Dec. 1 – Washington, DC @ DC9

Dec. 2 – Durham, NC @ Motorco Music Hall

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Patrick at Pitch Perfect PR.]