Reviews – Page 84 – 7th Level Music

Tinariwen – Live in Paris 2014

Recorded on December 13, 2014 at the end of their world tour, Tuareg musicians Tinariwen (Ibrahim Ag Alhabib – vocals and guitar, Abdallah Ag Alhousseyni – vocals and guitars, Hassan Ag Touhami – vocals and guitar, Iyad Moussa Ben Abderahmane – vocals and guitar, Elaga Ag Hamid – background vocals and guitar, Eyadou Ag Leche – background vocals and bass, Said Ag Ayad – background vocals and percussion) recorded a fantastic album of their blend of desert rock, traditional music, spiritual songs, and poetry. Renowned Tuareg singer and poet Lalla Badi, who hadn’t performed in France in three decades, joined them.

Badi performs the first traditional poem in the opener, “Tinde,” which sets a near-sacred tone to the record. “Tamiditin” brings in the traditional crisp guitars you expect from Tinariwen and is mellow enough to relax you but snappy enough to make you tap your toes. The band ramps it up a bit on “Koudedazamin,” which will add head bobbing to your toe tapping.

“Imidiwan Ahi Sigidam” is full of wonderful percussion and swirling, snappy guitars that induce full-body swaying to the dance the band creates for you as the record progresses. The guitar work on “Tamatant Tiley” is almost like a riff from a Bo Diddley record while the percussion keeps the song firmly in the Tuareg tradition.

Another rousing “Tinde” with Lalla Badi follows and then comes “Azawad” – a song that would be perfect for a motorcycle trip across an African plain. The guitar work on it is as almost like a piano solo. “Chaghaybou” is as hot as the band’s homeland can get from time to time. The percussion instantly gets you moving and the guitar work takes on a rougher edge. The song speeds up to whirling dervish pace before blissfully fading out into the wind. “Toumast Tincha” induces happy trances and dancing every time I hear it. The bass on it also comes to the front now and then, which is a nice touch.

“Tiwayyen” could’ve been a Jimi Hendrix song in another dimension, as the guitars in it are reminiscent of Hendrix’s psychedelic blues riffs. “Emin Assosam” continues the uncanny blues flavor thanks to the heartfelt vocals that sound like something from an old Mississippi Delta blues B-side, even in a foreign tongue.

The album fittingly ends with “Tinde Final,” which brings the audience and listener back from the wonderful spiritual journey this performance creates. My wife and I were lucky enough to see Tinariwen at Austin Psych Fest (now known as Leviation Austin) three years ago. They played a great set under a blue sky while people of various ages, races, religions, and, admittedly, states of mind danced with each other. This band heals spiritual wounds, and this album is a delightful tonic for a bad day.

Keep your mind open.

Sisters of Your Sunshine Vapor – Desert Brain

Sisters of Your Sunshine Vapor’s (Sean Morrow – guitars and lead vocals, Eric Oppitz – bass and keyboards, Rick Sawoscinski – drums) Desert Brain is the first album from the Detroit psychedelic trio that is one flowing piece of art instead of an album of individual tracks that stand apart from each other.

“We’ve always wanted to make an album that was one continuous flow,” Oppitz told me when I saw SOYSV in October 2015. “We felt like we had the clout to do it after the first two records.”

He’s right. Desert Brain is a fine piece of work that reminds me of early Pink Floyd records that were part-rock albums, part-metaphysical journeys. “Seventh Scene” opens the album with a spacey feel SOYSV do better than most. It flows into the organ-heavy “Major Medicine,” which has become one of their wildest cuts at live shows because it dissolves / evolves into the mind-bending chaos of “What’s Your Cloud nine, 37?” and “Magic Mother’s Tongue / A Little Jaunt into the Light.” “Little” is an understatement, considering this “jaunt” is full of Morrow’s wall-flattening guitar, Oppitz’s thudding bass, and Sawoscinski’s Detroit auto factory-precision power drumming before it becomes something you might hear in a giallo movie by the end.

There’s a brief break of silence before “Girl of a Thousand Voices” when you flip over the vinyl and start the second leg of the journey. It’s a lovely track with distorted vocals and more of those guitar riffs that Morrow seems to pull out of dreams or mystic rituals, whereas the frightening follow-up, “The Prettiest Sounds of Purgatory,” sounds like something out of a Lovecraft story.

“Long Lovers Sun” shows the band’s Doors influences with jangly guitar, ethereal synths, and cryptic vocals about a beautiful woman. The title track showcases Sawoscinski’s drumming as he lays down beats fit for Apache warriors charging on horseback and then switches to near silence just before the song almost spins out of control and drops into “Like a Forest Runs” – a near-shoegaze cut that would be great for walks through bleak Detroit streets or while gazing across a frozen lake with your “Highly Enchanting Eyes.” This last track is something you might hear on a Captain Beefheart record – guitars and synths that mesh so well that they’re often difficult to tell apart, drums that sneak up on you, and slightly skewed vocals that intrigue you almost to the point of giving you the creeps.

I’m a big fan of SOYSV, so it’s no surprise I love this record. It’s a great move for the band as they get weird and pull us down the rabbit hole with them. They are on the verge of being one of the “Next Big Things,” so don’t miss any chance you get to see them. They’re also good chaps, so give them your support.

Keep your mind open.

King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard – Paper Mache Dream Balloon

Australian psych rockers King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard (Stu Mackenzie – piano, vocals, bass, sitar, flute, Lucas Skinner – piano and bass, Joey Walker – guitar, vocals, and bass, Cook Craig – percussion, guitars, vocals, Ambrose Kenny-Smith – vocals and harmonica, Michael Cavanaugh – percussion, Eric Moore – “Nothing.”) have returned with perhaps the hippiest record I’ve heard in years – Paper Mache Dream Balloon.

“Sense” almost sounds like a modern rap track at the beginning until it slides into a mellow plea to take care of Mother Earth. “Bone” is a clever song about the afterlife with lyrics like “If heaven is a place I know, I won’t be taking my bones. Will all my stitches be unsown? And when I’m gone and I’m dead, what will be inside my head?” Mackenzie’s flute carries the track and makes it fun instead of maudlin. “Dirt” is about ditching a relationship that’s toxic for both involved and it sounds like something you’d hear strummed in a southern California park on a summer day.

The title track encourages us to let go of troubles. They aren’t worth it. The song walks along at an easy pace before jumping up to a happy dance tune best suited for waving a bubble wand and hugging whoever gets close enough to seize. “Trap Door” is a quick, weird rocker about keeping our anger under control. “Cold Cadaver” is another tune about death and trying to keep the Grim Reaper at bay. The vocals are distorted just a bit, but to good effect, and the background harmonica and sitar add nice touches.

Then comes “The Bitter Boogie,” a song about the pain of drug addiction that dives headlong into the great subgenre of blues-psych. The whole band lays down a groove best suited for dry Arizona roads and sexy, possibly demonic hitchhikers. Kenny-Smith’s harmonica is particularly good here, as is the acoustic guitar work and the slithering bass line. “N.G.R.I. (Bloodstain)” seems to be about a man waking up to find himself in a crime scene, but the song is jumpy and toe-tapping instead of dark and brooding.

The next two songs mirror each other. “Time = Fate” is about the importance of living in the present (“Pondering things in the past makes you blind.”). “Time = $$$” is a trippy psychedelic track with blues lyrics (“Why is time money? ‘Cos it sounds funny to give me so much time and no money nearby.”).

“Most of What I Like” is both a ballad and a song of lament. The lyrics speak of a man who can’t live without his lover (“Most of what I like is given to me by the one that I love, bears the onus every time.”), but knows that his dependency is killing the relationship (“You always shut your eyes when you look me in the eyes.”).

The whole album is full of these neat combinations – psychedelic rock and blues, death and life, love and lament. King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard will be returning to the Levitation Austin music festival this year, and I look forward to seeing them again. I was lucky enough to see them two years ago when they played their first U.S. gig there. They came to rock and didn’t disappoint. I’m sure they’ll knock it out of the park again.

Keep your mind open.

The Dead Weather – Dodge and Burn

Just when you thought Jack White was going to do nothing but solo projects and produce obscure vinyl singles for his favorite bands the rest of his life, he got back together with his comrades in The Dead Weather (Alison Mosshart – vocals and keyboards, Dan Fertita – guitars, Jack Lawrence – bass, White on drums and vocals) and put together the group’s third record – Dodge and Burn.

The opener, “I Feel Love (Every Million Miles),” is a sharp, hot rocker with Fertita’s guitar licks being somewhere between psychedelia and metal. “Buzzkill(er)” doesn’t spare the echo effects, which doesn’t bother me at all. White and Mosshart have great voices for rock, and I love how both of their vocals are often distorted or drenched in reverb on Dead Weather records. This one is no exception.

“Let Me Through” has the fuzziest guitars on the record. They sound like they were played through amps bought from a failed punk band’s garage sale. “Three Dollar Hat” is sort of a rap song and sort of a Captain Beefheart song before it becomes a ball-busting banger that proves yet again what a bad ass Alison Mosshart is.

“Lose the Right” has that “Jack White feel” throughout it. It would be fit as well on a White Stripes, Raconteurs, or solo record as it does here. The keyboards on it give it extra punch. “Rough Detective” deserves to be on the soundtrack of your next favorite action movie. Lawrence’s bass on it is massive and White and Mosshart have a blast with the back and forth lyrics.

Mosshart’s vocal style on “Open Up” isn’t far off from Patti Smith’s (one of her main influences). “Be Still” goes by so fast (under three minutes) that it’s almost like an introduction to “Mile Markers.” The whole band is sharp on this track as Mosshart is at her sexy best, going from soothing seductive vocals to dominatrix-like commands. She continues it on “Cop and Go” with lyrics like “You’re caught like a cop in a cookie jar. Get what you want. Take it all.” The song dissolves into almost punk rock fervor with Fertita’s riffs fueling it.

“Too Bad” is so good that it demands multiple listens. White’s drumming is probably the best on the record here. Fertita’s guitar comes at you from all directions, Lawrence grooves like he doesn’t give a damn what everyone else is playing, and Mosshart moves into rock goddess mode with her voice.

“Impossible Winner” closes the record, and does so without distorting, echoing, or otherwise altering Mosshart’s excellent voice. It’s lovely and a great underscore to her talents.

The Dead Weather have no plans to tour, which is bad news for us, but at least we have this fine record. It’s better than no Dead Weather at all.

Keep your mind open.

David Bowie – Blackstar

David Bowie’s death shocked and saddened the world. A friend of mine in Vienna was at a coffee shop on the day Bowie’s death was announced. The guy behind my friend in line asked if the shop accepted credit cards. They didn’t, and he didn’t have enough to pay for his coffee. The barista told the guy, “It’s okay. Pay next time. David Bowie died today.”

Bowie left us with one final record, the magnificent Blackstar. It’s difficult to listen to it now without putting one’s own psychoanalysis on its lyrics and tone, but you can’t avoid the multiple tips of the hat to family, friends, fans, and the Grim Reaper.

The opening title track is nearly ten minutes long. Not many artists could get away with such a bold move, but Bowie does it like a walk in the park. It’s layered with electronic drumbeats, echoed vocals, and acid jazz saxophone that I’m guessing he loved (being a saxophonist himself). The lyrics speak of “a solitary candle” and “the day of execution” before changing gears halfway through to sing of someone taking his place in the spotlight. “I can’t answer why, just go with me. I’m going to take you home,” he sings. My favorite lyric is “You’re a flash in the pan. I’m the great I Am.” I take that as Bowie chuckling at his own mortality and creator.

Bowie, Creator love him, didn’t want the whole record to be doom and gloom, so he made “’Tis a Pity She Was a Whore” the second track. It’s a cool rocker with squealing saxophones all over it and a bass line that sounds left over from the Let’s Dance album.

The first line in “Lazarus” is “Look up here, I’m in heaven.” – so I wouldn’t worry about David Bowie being afraid of death. He sings, “I’ll be free.” multiple times. I swear it’s a lost Morphine track. It has reverbed saxophone and groovy bass throughout it, with the guitar mostly used to jolting effect while a jazz drummer plays for a stadium instead of a smoky nightclub.

“Sue (Or In a Season of Crime)” is practically the plot of an action thriller, with its lyrics of business deals, medical test results, dark intentions, hasty travel, questioned motives, love, and murder. It moves as fast as a chase scene. His band must’ve had a blast playing it.

“Girl Loves Me” is weird, but that’s means it’s great. I’m not sure it’s a love song. Some of the lyrics are almost rapped. Luscious strings dance around tick-tock drumming and a bass riff that would make John Carpenter jealous. It’s easy to be sad during “Dollar Days” as Bowie sings, “If I never see the English evergreens I’m running to, it’s nothing to me. It’s nothing to see.” The song is too lush and grand to keep you blue for too long, however.

The last track is “I Can’t Give Everything Away.” To say it is a beautiful send-off for the Starman is an understatement. The drums in it are upbeat while Bowie sings of final messages and legacies.

We might not see someone like David Bowie for generations. He might not have given everything, but he gave more than most of us can dream of giving others. He gave one of the greatest gifts any of us can give – inspiration – and he gave us this final, excellent record before he went back to Mars.

The Lumberjerks – Four More

I was pleasantly surprised to receive an envelope in the mail from Joliet, Illinois’ punk rockers the Lumberjerks. It contained their newest EP – Four More – and a letter stating the album was recorded on good ole fashioned reel-to-reel analog tape. The name of the band was enough to peak my interest, especially when I considered it might’ve been taken from the Looney Tunes cartoon of the same name in which the proper English-speaking chipmunks Mac and Tosh run afoul of a lumber mill.

The power trio belt out four tunes in less than ten minutes. “Trailer Trash,” with its better-than-an-alarm clock drumming, sticks a middle finger back at Uncle Sam and gives shout-outs to the Misfits and Sex Pistols. “Schizo Episode,” with its near-metal riffs and angry vocals captures bipolarity better than any mopey emo band could ever hope to try. “Somthin” has some of the best guitar work on the record and must be one of their best live tunes. The closer, “Garage Hopping,” is about wanting to break out of the rut of delinquency yet being tempted by the occasional thrill of it. It also proves that the Lumberjerks aren’t just snotty punks who enjoy booze and the occasional “bag of shake in cellophane.” They are good musicians. The bass work carries the track while the guitars slam throughout it and the drums change directions when you least expect it.

You can find the Lumberjerks on Bandcamp, where you can get Four More and their first EP, First Three, at ridiculous prices. A full album by these cats will be something to snag once it’s released.

Keep your mind open.

Chelsea Wolfe – Abyss

I haven’t picked up a dark wave record in a long while. The last record that might come close is a Bauhaus collection, and that’s actually a goth record. Chelsea Wolfe’s Abyss is a great way for me to get back into the dark wave game. It’s a stunning, sexy, scary debut.

“Carrion Flowers” slides into your ears with bass and drums you might hear from the armies of Mordor as they cross the Misty Mountains. It grabs your attention and won’t let go. “Iron Moon” moves from Wolfe’s near-lullaby vocals to some of the heaviest doom metal riffs you’ve heard since your last trip to Norway. “Dragged Out” is a great title for the third track, as the bass and pace sound like some…thing dragging itself out of the primordial ooze to bellow at the moon. “Maw” opens with Wolfe’s Dario Argento film-style vocals before floating into a pretty space that reminds me of cathedrals and dust seen in the light through stained glass.

“Grey Days” introduces some cello to excellent effect and keeps the album from having too much low-end guitar as the main force behind Wolfe’s vocals. “After the Fall” could be about a fallen angel. It definitely belongs on the soundtrack to that new Lucifer show because it’s dark and brooding.

“Crazy Love” seems to be Ms. Wolfe’s tribute to Mazzy Star. Her vocals curl around the track like clove cigarette smoke and the instrumentation reminds me of a creaking haunted tall mast ship. “Simple Death” is another quietly disturbing, yet lovely track that shows off Wolfe’s vocal talents. It needs to be on the soundtrack for the Twin Peaks relaunch. “Survive” might be the most haunting song on the record. Wolfe’s vocals are often layered in reverb as the drums and synths build to ritualistic fervor.

“Color of Blood” pays tribute to another woman who has obviously influenced Ms. Wolfe – Siouxsie Sioux. The song is like a snake in a dark corner – dangerous, menacing, and mysterious. The title track closes the record, and it’s complete with creepy, slightly out of tune piano that’s right out of that creepy clown dream you have at least once a week.

The Abyss is a great name for the record, because it’s easy to fall into it and get lost. Wolfe has spoken openly about her struggle with sleep paralysis and how this record is her exploration of her affliction and dreams. It’s like pitching over the edge of the Marianas Trench – terrifying at first and then strangely peaceful as you let it consume you.

The Besnard Lakes – A Coliseum Complex Museum

The Besnard Lakes’ (Jace Lasek – guitar and vocals, Olga Goreas – bass and vocals, Sheen Ko – keyboards, Robbie MacArthur – guitar, Kevin Laing – drums) last record, Until in Excess, Imperceptible UFO, is one of the most beautiful records of 2013. Their new album, A Coliseum Complex Museum, is already running high on my list for the most beautiful album of 2016. It’s lush with Beach Boys-style harmonies, smooth bass, epic drumming, and guitars that float throughout it like warm desert winds caressing a red rock formation.

“The Bray Road Beast” is the album’s opener. It immediately tosses you into their smooth lake of shimmering psychedelia. The first single, “Golden Lion,” chugs along like a Grateful Dead track until it blossoms into a glorious bit of arena rock. “You are the golden lion.” is the chorus. The Besnard Lakes want us to know we are majestic and strong (much like the guitar solo on the track).

“All the pressure of our plans together make our hearts turn to shades of gold,” claim the Besnard Lakes in “Pressure of Our Plans” – a stunning love song with dual male-female vocals and levitation-inducing synthesizers. The vocals on “Towers Sent Her to Sheets of Sound” almost get lost behind the drums at first, but kick in with lovely precision just when you think the track is going to be menacing. The bass work on it is superb as well, rolling you along as smooth as a skateboard.

I’m still not sure what “The Plain Moon” is about, but I do know it has the biggest bass and drums on the record. It’s like a thunderstorm you hear miles away on a summer night. The male-female vocal harmonies on it are superb. I know that “Necronomicon” refers to the fabled Book of the Dead (popularized by the Evil Dead movies), but the song is far too pretty to raise any Elder Gods from Stygian depths. I also know what a “Nightingale” is, and that the song named such is a bit sinister (although the bass line in it is almost a blues walk).

The closer is “Tungsten 4 – The Refugee.” The guitar work throughout it is quite good (The end solo is killer.), and the track sounds like a Tom Petty song if Tom Petty’s main influence had been Roky Erickson instead of Bob Dylan.

This is a gorgeous album. Wander through its complexity like a museum, and lose yourself in the coliseum-sized sound of it. The Besnard Lakes will soon embark on a tour of the UK and Europe. I hope they’ll be back to North America in time to play Levitation Austin this year.

Keep your mind open.

All Them Witches – Dying Surfer Meets His Maker

A friend of mine introduced me to All Them Witches (Ben McLeod – guitar, Michael Parks, Jr. – bass, vocals, guitar, Robby Staebler – drums, Allan Van Cleave – keyboards, violin) when she sent me their 2014 album Lightning at the Door and said, “I think you’ll like these guys.” I’m not sure if she thought I’d like them because their name involved witches and she figured that would go along with my love of old horror movies or if their psychedelic desert rock would intrigue me. She was right on both accounts.

Their new album, the intriguingly titled Dying Surfer Meets His Maker, rises and ebbs like waves and can easily lull you into some sort of trance. The opener, “Call Me Star,” builds to an almost menacing drone and slips right into “El Centro,” which is over eight minutes of psychedelic greatness. McLeod pulls in riffs that could’ve been used in Alejandro Jodorowsky’s Dune movie if it had ever been made. Van Cleave’s synths add a touch of weird playfulness that is somewhat disturbing (in a good way), Parks’ bass sounds like a ghost, and Staebler beats his kit like it will power a rocket launch.

“Dirt Preachers” is the first single off the record. It starts with a weird bass dirge and then moves out at a pace best suited for late night high speed driving. It has a great Led Zeppelin-like breakdown in the middle that is outstanding. “This Is Where It Falls Apart” might be about a relationship. The blues harmonica, sad drums, and distant vocals seem to relate that something is coming to an end, but it may be the end of this reality for all I know. The track is like a half-awake dream.

“Mellowing” lives up to its title, and McLeod’s work on it is excellent. Van Cleave is all over “Open Passageways” with spooky synths and even better violin work that makes the track sound like something you’d hear on a Scottish moor just before a banshee steps out of a tree next to you. “Instrumental 2 (Welcome to the Caveman Future)” would be great for a live-action Thundarr the Barbarian movie considering the title and how it drifts from thudding rock to mystical tones. “Talisman” sounds like a mix of Black Rebel Motorcycle Club and the Jesus and Mary Chain.

The closer is “Blood and Sand / Milk and Endless Waters.” I have a feeling the first half is war-themed, with the second half being the images seen by a wounded or dying soldier on a stormed beach. It’s definitely trippy enough for that.

This is a great way to start off your psychedelic music collection for 2016. All Them Witches are about to take off on a tour of Europe for the spring. Catch them if you can. They’ve moved up high on my list.

Keep your mind open.

Motorhead – Bad Magic

Motorhead’s excellent, final, and much-needed new album, Bad Magic, opens with Lemmy Kilmister yelling “Victory or die!” It’s tempting to feel weird or sad upon hearing this, knowing Lemmy will never grace us with his gravely growl again, but after this the album proceeds to take off and blast you back into your chair. I imagine it isn’t much different than being the passenger in a nitro-burning funny car tearing off the line. You don’t have time to be morose.

“Thunder & Lightning” needs to be on the soundtrack of the next Mad Max movie because it sounds like something that would blare from the cassette deck of a War Boy’s car. Phil Campbell’s guitar seamlessly blends metal shredding with punk rock chugging. “Fire Storm Hotel” sounds like it could’ve been recorded twenty years ago, as the band has lost nothing in all this time. Kilmister’s bass groove on it is particularly good.

“Shoot Out All of Your Lights” reminds you that Mikkey Dee is one of the best drummers alive. I’m sure Dave Grohl considered breaking his drumsticks upon hearing it because Master Mikkey schools every rock drummer alive on this track.

Want some doom in your metal? Don’t worry, because Motorhead brings you “The Devil,” and I have to wonder if Campbell got the riff from the gentleman named in it because it is so damn good. “Electricity” and “Evil Eye” are two rockers under three minutes long and remind us of Motorhead’s craftsmanship. You come in, you do the job well, and you get out.

“Teach Them How to Bleed” could be Motorhead’s battle cry to all the pretenders trying to take the metal crown from them. Campbell’s guitar work on it sounds like he had a blast laying down the riffs and they are some of the most sizzling on the whole record. It’s so scalding that the slow build of the next track, “Till the End,” is a bit jarring. Kilmister sings on this rock ballad that he’s the “last one you can trust until the end.” I believe him. Did he or Motorhead ever let us down? In fact, the next track is called “Tell Me Who to Kill,” so Motorhead again went above and beyond the call of duty for us. Kilmister’s bass on this is both powerful and menacing, just as you want it to be.

“Choking on Your Screams” is the creepiest track on the record. Kilmister sounds like he’s singing from a dark pit, Campbell plays like he’s heralding the arrival of an elder god, and Dee’s beats are like machine gun fire from the shoulders of a giant robot smashing London. “We are your masters. We feel no remorse. You have no chance against us,” Kilmister sings. Again, are you listening metal-wannabe bands?

The band ventures a bit into arena rock with “When the Sky Comes Looking for You,” but I’m not sure an arena could hold this track as it soars high on Campbell’s guitar and then pounds you with some of Dee’s hardest drumming and Kilmister’s most punishing bass.

If Motorhead was to cover the Rolling Stones, which song do you think they’d pick? That’s right, “Sympathy for the Devil.” It is, as you might expect, outstanding. Dee’s primal drumming kicks Campbell’s hot-as-Cerberus’-breath guitar into high gear and Kilmister’s vocals sound like they were recorded during a strange ritual held in a mausoleum. It’s the best cover song I’ve heard in years.

This is also the best metal album I’ve heard in years. Bad Magic deserves to be ranked high among Motorhead’s other records and is a great send-off for Lemmy. All of us should dream of creating something this powerful at age 70.