7th Level Music

Don’t pass over Art Feynman’s new single – “Passed Over.”

Art Feynman — the eccentric alter ego of accomplished visual artist and producer Luke Temple — presents the new single, “Passed Over,” from his forthcoming album, Be Good The Crazy Boys, out November 10th on Western Vinyl. “Passed Over” explores struggling with FOMO — “I’m ok to be passed over // Let them have it // I don’t care” — a narrative that would be relatable if the song didn’t sound so completely unhinged. Across a vast psychedelic palette, “Passed Over” features a robotic instrumental breakdown and an out-of-this-world saxophone performance from Nicole McCabe. Following the “synth-pop jam” (FLOOD) “All I Can Do” and the “breezy” (Brooklyn Vegan) “Desperately Free” — “Passed Over” is another thrilling glimpse at the tropical contours of Be Good The Crazy Boys. “It can be refreshing to decide to eat last, it’s stressful if you’re always needing to be at the front of the line,” explains Feynman.

Until now, Art Feynman has strictly been a solo act, a way for Temple to explore surprising sonic landscapes without the burdens of identity. Slightly twisted takes on Kosmische musik, worldbeat, and art pop can all be found scattered across the Art Feynman discography, but with Be Good The Crazy Boys, Feynman fully immerses himself into pools of collective madness. Unlike the first two Art Feynman albums, Be Good The Crazy Boys was recorded live in-studio with a full band. The result captures a spirit of restless anxiety, and recalls the most frenetic work by Talking Heads, or Oingo Boingo at their darkest.

“To me,” Temple explains, “there was a lot of energy that needed to be released as the result of living in isolation for 6 years. It also seems to speak to a general anxiety we’re all holding, but it’s expressed in a cathartic way.” It’s this acknowledgement of general anxiety that separates Feynman from the other fictional personas that have been cropping up in the music world lately. Feynman doesn’t sound suave, confident, or even heartbroken in these songs; it sounds like he’s on the verge of a panic attack.

With Be Good The Crazy Boys, Art Feynman proves to be more than just a character. He represents the part of the modern, collective consciousness that’s struggling to maintain balance in a toxic, chaotic world. In less skilled hands, that concept could result in a very somber listen. Fortunately, when Art Feynman gets his hands on the chaos of the modern age, it simply makes you want to dance.

Watch the “Desperately Free” Visualizer

Listen to “All I Can Do”

Pre-order Be Good The Crazy Boys

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Patrick at Pitch Perfect PR.]

Review: Lindstrøm – Everyone Else Is a Stranger

The New Yorker once dubbed Norwegian DJ and producer Lindstrøm as “the king of space disco.” That’s as good a description for him as any I could dream up, and it’s epitomized in his latest record, Everyone Else Is a Stranger, which is full of neat rhythms, pulsing synths, and a vibration to it that seems to defy gravity.

The first few seconds of “Syreen” alone are designed to fill dance floors with the synthwave beats and inspiring electric piano notes. “Nightswim” is perfect for just such an activity at your lake house or a Las Vegas rooftop pool. It instantly makes you feel cool and sexy, but not so much that you turn into a “trying too hard to be cool” d-bag. He finds that sweet spot of “Let’s have fun and be sexy and cool with each other. No bad vibes here, just love.” The whole record is like that, really.

I can’t help but think Lindstrøm was influenced by Giorgio Moroder (and who isn’t, really?) when I hear the opening synths of “The Rind” – a neat synthwave track that prepares you for dancing, sparring, or shagging with an android (possibly all three). The ending title track is like a ten-minute cool-down meditation after the dance fest that’s been happening for the previous three songs. Lindstrøm has always excelled at evoking dreamy imagery in his music, and the title track is a fine example of that craftsmanship.

I also like the title of Everyone Else Is a Stranger. Except whom? Well, you, of course. You know who you are. You’re whomever is touched and moved by this record in anyway. He made it for you. Don’t refuse the gift.

Keep your mind open.

[Don’t be a stranger to the subscription box.]

[Thanks to Jessica at Pitch Perfect PR.]

Venera projects “Hologram” – their new single from their upcoming album.

Venera, a newly formed experimental electronic outfit featuring James Shaffer (Korn) and Atlanta-based composer/filmmaker, Chris Hunt, release their self-titled, debut album on Oct. 13 via Ipecac Recordings.

Venera enigmatically launched their debut song “Swarm” (https://venera.lnk.to/swarm) late last month. No information, no pre-sale, simply the three-minute single released in tandem with a mysterious screed and a pulsating black-and-white video directed by EFFIXX.

Today, the pair step out from the shadows, revealing who and what Venera is, as well as releasing their first single, and video, for the track “Hologram” (https://venera.lnk.to/hologram). A song that features guest vocals/piano from Rizz of VOWWS.

In a joint statement from Shaffer and Hunt, they explain: “’Hologram’ emerged quickly from our first session together. A nearly unchanging drum machine pattern nested in warbling guitars. We don’t interact much with holograms but they seem to offer an image of an alluring emptiness and light, which resonates well with the universe we are driven to explore.”

Several guests join Hunt and Shaffer on Venera. Drummer Deantoni Parks (Mars Volta, John Cale) plays on “Erosion” and “Disintegration,” HEALTH’s Jacob Duzsik contributes vocals on “Ochre” and Alain Johannes lends his voice to “Triangle.” The album was self-produced.

Album pre-orders (https://venera.lnk.to/venera) are available now, with Venera available digitally, as well as physically on CD, and an assortment of vinyl, including limited-edition red, snowy white and skull gold variants.

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Monica at Speakeasy PR.]

Melody Fields sings “Hallelujah” on their new single.

Swedish psychedelic band Melody Fields returned with their latest single ‘Hallelujah,’ on 18th August 2023. Additionally, they have announced two albums 1901 and 1991 that are both set to arrive later this year via Coop Records and Nudie Records.

Merging velvety synths, bouncy house piano, pounding bass lines, and funky bongo drum beats, ‘Hallelujah’ stands out as an infectious neo-psychedelic dance anthem. The band’s hazy, hypnotic vocals adds a shoegaze touch, creating a refreshing twist to the psychedelic genre.

Melody Fields said of the single, “Drawing inspiration from iconic bands like Primal Scream and Happy Mondays, the track transports you to the glory days of early 90s dance-oriented rock. ‘Hallelujah’ is a tantalizing preview from the upcoming album 1991, set for release on Coop Records (EU) and Nudie Records (US). Get ready to surrender to the irresistible allure of Melody Fields’ sonic ecstasy and let ‘Hallelujah’ ignite your dancing spirit.”

Melody Fields’ forthcoming albums 1901 and 1991 are a testament to their exploration of the neo-psychedelic realm. 1901 will arrive on 13th October 2023, with 1991 dropping on 10th November 2023. Building upon their signature sound, they will delve deeper into the realms of sonic experimentation, incorporating elements of electronic psychedelia and atmospheric soundscapes. The result is a mesmerizing fusion of vintage and contemporary influences, where retro-inspired melodies collide with innovative production techniques.

Hailing from the vibrant musical enclave of Gothenburg, Sweden, Melody Fields is a band that seamlessly weaves elements of modern psychedelia, indie rock, and shoegaze into their captivating sonic tapestry. With a sound that pays homage to the pioneers of the psychedelic rock movement while forging a distinct path of their own, they have become a force to be reckoned with within the psychedelic music scene. Drawing inspiration from influential bands such as Spiritualized, Moon Duo, and La Düsseldorf, Melody Fields create a sonic landscape that balances vintage psychedelic nostalgia with a fresh and modern approach. Their enchanting harmonies, swirling guitars, and ethereal textures immerse listeners in a kaleidoscopic world of sound, where the boundaries between reality and dreams blur.

As Melody Fields carve their path within the global psychedelic scene, Melody Fields has garnered attention and acclaim for their innovative sound and captivating live performances. Melody Fields’ newest single will be released on 18th August 2023, and their two upcoming albums 1901 and 1991 will be delivered later this year.

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Thomas Windholm.]

Plattenbau check into the “Best Western” on their new single.

Following the band’s second studio Album Shape / Shifting [Dedstrange Records 2022] comes their unforgiving 3rd album Net Prophet, releasing on Dedstrange September 8th 2023.

“Neural transmissions of crisis on the eve of WEB 3.0”

The band states, “Best Western stumbles into the saloon we call ‘late capitalism’ and points its drunken finger at the ‘virtues’ of progress. Imagine line-dancing to the gun club at McDonalds with a thin deranged guitar creeping into your conscience.”

Net Prophet finds the band moving deeper into the vaporous territory of 21st-century excess, where power casually corrupts even more absolutely and the mental netscape is more deranged in the membrane than we ever knew possible. A world on the edge, where imminent ecocide and violent social upheaval lurk beneath every minute mental distraction. The doomscroll gets longer and the attention span shorter as a disconnected global internet life takes over with its scepters of promise and looming evasiveness.

The sound is rich in variety from the darkwave pulsing synths of “Lichtenberg Monologue” reminiscent of Shape / Shifting’s “Tomahawk” to the growling, slow-driving bass of “A New Dawn” which harks back to the band’s S/T 1st record, albeit with a synth instead of guitar. Even with the stark contrasts of murder-punk “AR-15” and jangle-pop “Purgatory Mall” the record never strays from the prime colors of the band: Vox, Drums, Bass, Guitar, Synth.

Recorded live in the Berlin studio Monoton, the record demonstrates the band in its prime – tightened up and influenced by their extensive touring, who have honed their sound from simple elements into a rich wall of noise.

Net Prophet will be released on September 8th, 2023 through Dedstrange Records.

“We didn’t have to go far to find the garish and incessant symbols of late capitalism, towering above our Berlin doorstep: The near-complete Amazon Tower, the East Side Mall, the luxury lofts lining the Spree. To complete the puzzle we cast the perfect urban cowboy: Loz, the frontman and mastermind of Dedstrange band The Pleasure Majenta. He performs a day in the life, waking up at sunset and sliding down the grimey alleys of Berlin, confined to the walls of this rising city skyline. Meanwhile Plattenbau perform the song on TV, broadcast from The East Side Mall. Who is well-adjusted? What is deranged? In the context, the Krishnamurti quote repeated throughout the song rings more true than ever: “It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society”.

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Alex at Terrorbird Media.]

Duvet bring fun back to post-punk with their new single “Girlcow.”

Today we’re excited to introduce you to new Manchester-based band Duvet who are set to release a split 7″ ‘Girlcow / Sweaty Dog’ on October 6th via Fear of Missing Out Records. Today the band are sharing the first single “Girlcow“. Duvet’s jagged post-punk tales conjure sleazy cowboys, bone-dry badlands, and grotty indie discos in northern England.

Speaking about new single, the band said ‘“‘Girlcow’ is a song that includes a bit of fictional story telling about a confident cowboy pursuing a play girl bunny type character. The lyrics are a bit scattered, stream of conscious and all over the place, with the verse and chorus switching from the two perspectives. Given that, it only felt natural to write something that’s quite erratic to go with the words. It’s a very up and down song and that was kind of our intent, to put together something that’s slightly nauseating but still catchy.”

Listen to “Girlcow” on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/ldAhKIXTVlY?si=69HoDn4N2HJTzEnO
Listen via other streaming services here:https://lnk.to/duvet

Self-released earlier this year, previously single “Rodeo” takes these markers and gallops full steam ahead, kicking up a dust storm of dissonance and teflon-tough drumming fortified by howls from lead singer Grace Walkden. The song lays into armchair activists who “jump on the rodeo” and “complain about topics they never actually act on”, according to the band.

First forming in 2022, Duvet dipped their toes in dream-pop and riot grrrl before landing on the driving basslines of post-punk. The band’s debut offering “Clown Clown Clown” cuts a hard-hitting figure of scabrous riot grrrl energy in thrall to the 1990s. Duvet assembled their current lineup of vocalist Grace Walkden, guitarists Tasmin Stephens and Seth Lloyd, bassist Jimmi Brown and drummer Victoria Melling and settled on a post-punk sound indebted to the genre’s new wave of artists like Shame, Warmduchser, and Viagra Boys.

Released as a split 7” with “Sweaty Dog,” new single “Girlcow” is flecked with specks of noisy grunge and was written from the perspective of “a pervy cowboy”. The haunting track showcases the band’s knack for crafting stories, as they flip the script and hand over the narrative reins to a female protagonist. “We all mutually find cowboys quite funny,” offers Tasmin Stephens. “I think we all live through cowboys – somehow.”

On the flipside, “Sweaty Dog” channels the band’s cider-drenched commitment to having a good time. The propulsive track is “basically just about being really sweaty and dancing”, according to Walkden. Meanwhile, guitarist Seth Lloyd has designs on transforming “Sweaty Dog” into a dance. “There are sweaty dogs inside all of us,” he jokes.

It’s this uninhibited sense of humour that shines through the band’s songwriting and at their riotous live shows with which they have been building their reputation over the past few years. “The reason we tend to write songs more of the fun side of life is because myself and Grace had many conversations at the start about how people only expect us to only talk/sing about harsh topics that affect a lot of women,” explains Stephens. “We tried it, but it didn’t work for us. Maybe in the future it will, but we came to the conclusion that we are here to have fun with the band and escape that side of life.”

“You come to the practice room with a smile on your face because this is meant to be fun, and that’s why we hopefully write songs that we think are fun,” says Lloyd. “We are here to distract from the shit things in life.”

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Frankie at Stereo Sanctity.]

WSND set list: Nocturne – August 13, 2023

Thanks to everyone who listened to my last Nocturne show of the 2023 summer on WSND. Here’s the set list:

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club – All Rise
The New Pornographers – Another Drug Deal of the Heart
The Beths – Expert in a Dying Field
Buzzcocks – Look at You Now
The Jam – That’s Entertainment
French Vanilla – Lost Power
Klaus Johann Grobe – Ein Guter Tag
Buddy Guy – When My Left Eye Jumps
The Damned – You Take My Money (live)
All Them Witches – Call Me Star (live)
Duran Duran – The Seventh Stranger (live)
The Stooges – 1970 (live)
Ian Drury – Sex &n Drugs & Rock & Roll
Wolfmother – Phoenix
Billy Idol – L.A. Woman
Cee-Lo Green – The Lady Killer Theme
Okay Kaya – Ascend and Try Again
Muddy Waters – Walkin’ Blues
ZZ Top – My Head’s in Mississippi (requested)
Coco Mamas – Trouble in My Way
Sharon Jones and The Dap-Kings – How Long Do I Have to Wait for You?
Flasher – Pink
The Cure – Fascination Street
The Cure – Pictures of You
Faithless – The Garden
Alt-J – Left Hand Free (requested)
Jacques Greene – For Love
Jacques Greene – Drop Location

Keep listening to WSND and all the student shows! I’ll be back on air this winter!

Keep your mind open.

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WSND set list: Deep Dive of The Beatles’ “Help!” album and soundtrack.

Thanks to all who listened to my Deep Dive of The Beatles‘ Help! album and all the trivia around it. It was my last Deep Dive of the 2023 summer, and a lot of fun. Here’s the set list:

The Beatles – Help!
The Beatles – Help! intro
John Barry – The James Bond Theme
The Beatles – The Night Before (live)
The Beatles – You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away
Ken Thorne – From Me to You Fantasy
Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers – I Need You (live)
Dave Berry – The Crying Game
Paul McCartney – Another Girl (live)
The Beatles – You’re Going to Lose That Girl
The Ramones – You’re Gonna Kill That Girl
Ken Thorne – In the Tyrol
Vanilla Fudge – Ticket to Ride
Pink Floyd – Brain Damage / Eclipse
The Beatles – Act Naturally
Gary U.S. Bonds – It’s Only Love
Ken Thorne – Another Hard Day’s Night
The Beatles – You Like Me Too Much
The Beatles – Tell Me What You See
Elvis Presley – Trying to Get to You
Ken Thorne – The Bitter End / You Can’t Do That
Paul McCartney and Wings – I’ve Just Seen a Face (live)
Ray Charles – Yesterday
Frankie Lane – Answer Me, Lord Above
Ken Thorne – The Chase
Larry Williams – Dizzy Miss Lizzy
The Beatles – Wait

Thanks for all those who tuned in over the summer! The Deep Dive should return this winter!

Keep your mind open.

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Lathe of Heaven are “At Moment’s Edge” with their new single.

**Photo credit: George C. Gildersleeve**

Today NYC based band Lathe of Heaven share their new single “At Moment’s Edge“, which is taken from their upcoming debut album ‘Bound By Naked Skies’ out Sept 1st via Sacred Bones.

When writing “At Moment’s Edge”, Lathe of Heaven initially intended the song to be a one-off, poppy departure from the otherwise depressive and urgent atmosphere of their debut record ‘Bound by Naked Skies’. Once recording the track however, the band found it to contextualise perfectly, the dualistic nature of the record and the band as a whole, proving itself to be a prime candidate for the album’s second single. Laden with dreamy synths and enchanting vocal melodies, “At Moment’s Edge” invokes within the listener a current of visceral elusion, ebbing towards a total re-imagination of any prior notions they may have had about the band.

“Existing in the lyrics are themes of process, change and complexity on a very personal level,” remarks the band’s vocalist Gage Allison, “which we believe is indicative of the recurring themes represented in the album.”

The video accompanying the track was directed by Emma Penrose and Zach Shorrosh, who aptly cultivate the surreal and absurd atmosphere the song was meant to invoke. When asked to comment on the video Penrose stated “Gage reached out to us asking if we wanted to make a music video for Lathe of Heaven and showed us maybe the most thought-out mood board I’ve ever seen, referencing Man Ray, Caravaggio, Marcel Duchamp as well as classic and contemporary science fiction. Inspired by the monochromatic imagery, we shot At Moment’s Edge entirely on 16mm black & white film & print stock and developed it by hand ourselves. We processed the 900’ of film at Mono No Aware using an eco friendly developer consisting of coffee, beer & vitamin C powder. The results turned out exactly as we’d hoped.”

“At Moment’s Edge” on YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGV_vcwe3FM

With little more under their belt than a relentless string of live performances, and a twice pressed (subsequently sold out) Self-Titled Demo, NYC based band Lathe of Heaven have proved themselves to be a potent and cohesive element amidst the torrent of hardcore punk and synth-driven pop revival currently proliferating throughout the U.S. underground. Formed in 2021, the band features members of noteworthy Brooklyn based projects such as People’s Temple, Porvenir Oscuro, Pawns, Android, Hustler and more.

Though this roster of past and alternate musical endeavors exposes a diverse range of genre and skill sets, Lathe of Heaven can only be understood as a departure from such influences, exploring a sound entirely of its own.

Now nearly two years later, LoH are finally prepared to unleash their debut Full Length Bound by Naked Skies. With careful consideration, this eleven track LP blends elements of British New-Wave and Finnish Post-Punk into a nuanced juxtaposition of 80s sonic mania. Incorporating themes of classic and contemporary Science-Fiction, Bound by Naked Skies indebts itself as much to its literary influences as it does to the music that informs its unique and deliberate sound. Paying powerful homage to the uncanny worlds of authors Arthur C. Clarke, Octavia Butler, Ken Liu and of course Ursula Le Guin (whose novel the band is named after), themes of cosmology (Ekpyrosis), simulation (Heralds of the Circuit-Born), mental illness (Moon-Driven Sea), and ontology (Entropy, The Spider.), weave implicitly throughout the arch of the record, providing a sense of insight into the minds of those plagued by the ambiguous nature of humankind’s terrifying and not-so-distant future.

Lathe of Heaven tour dates:
18th Aug – Union Pool (w/ Temple of Angels), Brooklyn,, NY (Tickets)
7th Sept – TV Eye (w/ Witness and Eyedrops), Brooklyn, NY (Tickets)
13th Sept – The Dirty Bird (w/ The Poisoning and The Exile), Santa Ana, CA
14th Sept – Knucklehead ( w/ The Exile and Shrouds), Los Angeles, CA
15th Sept – Zebulon (w/ Diode), Los Angeles, CA
16th Sept – Stork Club (w/ Vulture Feather and Vague Lanes), Oakland, CA
17th Sept – Enzyme, San Francisco, CA
18th Sept – Naked Lounge (w/ Vulture Feather and Exposure Therapy), Chico, CA
19th Sept – Coffin Club, Portland, OR
21st Sept – 23rd Sept – Varning Festival, Montreal, MTL (Tickets)

Keep your mind open.

[I’m on the edge until you subscribe.]

[Thanks to Frankie at Stereo Sanctity.]

Review: Club Coma (self-titled)

Hailing from Austin, Texas and playing sold-out shows before they even released any music, Club Coma (Geoff Earle – synth, bass, and vocals, Scott Martin – guitar and vocals, and Aaron Perez – drums) play a neat mix of experimental rock, dance rock, and shoegaze on their debut, self-titled album.

Opener “Give Me a Chance” sounds like something Thundercat might cook up, and I’m sure he’ll be jealous that he didn’t create something so funky when he hears it. “The Mirror” has a bit of a dance-punk sound to it, and “New Cruelty” even adds goth-synth touches. “I’m frightened of my TV screen. I’m scared of the things it’ll do to me. I’m scared of the phone in my pocket. I keep checking, and I don’t know how to stop it,” Martin sings on “TV Screen.” Seriously, dude, we’re all with you on this (and the addictive beats of the song only help the imagery).

“I went through that bad shit, and now I’m immune,” they sing on “Immune,” an empowering track that has Perez knocking out a steady beat perfect for your bicycling playlist, Earle getting his groovy synth groove groovin’, and Martin reminding us that we’ve come through a lot in the past few years, and we can, and should, think of ourselves as bad asses from this day forward.

Their cover of The James Gang‘s “Collage” is sharp. They turn it into a synthwave stunner. “It hit me hard like a lightning bolt,” they sing at the start of “Anesthesia,” a song that might be about addiction, or it might be about, finally, getting a rest after all the stuff mentioned in “Immune.” The looping string section in it takes the track up a few notches. It’s a wild touch. “Keep It Together” gets dreamy for the final song, making you feel like the gentleman on the cover, an image of a modern Icarus, falling into the arms of people who seem happy to see him. You’re falling, or perhaps floating, into a calmer state in that club where being in a coma for a little while might do you good.

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Dave at US / THEM Group.]