Elephant Stone – 7th Level Music

Rewind Review: Elephant Stone – Back into the Dream (2024)

I’m late to Elephant Stone‘s last album, Back into the Dream, but they’re certainly not late to their always sharp psychedelic grooves and uplifting lyrics on it.

Robbie MacArthur‘s guitar work on opening track “Lost in a Dream” is outstanding, reaching shining heights above sparkling clouds at some points as even shinier synths bounce like sunlight off a warm lake. “The Spark” features more great guitar work, and “Going Underground” has hints of the band’s love of The Rolling Stones (check out that drum beat by Miles Dupire-Gagnon), with Jason Kent‘s Hammond organ taking a full step forward on the track.

“History Repeating” is almost a shoegaze track with those background guitars and Rishi Dhir‘s smooth bass line throughout it, and “bae” is a shoegaze track with its distorted vocals and enough layers of reverb to make a birthday cake for Roky Erickson. If that track doesn’t take you out of your body, then “Godstar” will as Dhir’s sitar and Shawn Mativetsky‘s tabla pretty much levitate your speakers off the floor, desk, or car doors.

“The Imajinary, Nameless Everybody in the World” is the kind of song that only Elephant Stone can seem to pull off – psychedelic, spiritual, lovely, rocking, and multi-layered without coming off as noodling or tying to force some kind of sound or reaction. It starts off almost meditative and then floats into cosmic jam territory. It’s the rightful centerpiece of the album and is over seven minutes of psych-bliss (and check out that Adam Kinner sax solo!).

“Pilgrimage” is another lovely one, with the band’s synths, piano, and saxophone putting down perfect sounds for a late night trip that’s taking you to a sunrise you’ve wanted to see for quite some time. “On Our Own” has the band embracing their admitted love of The Beatles, and album closes with the soft, short, subtle “Another Year Gone” as Dhir reminisces about past prophets, past choices, past loves, and future joys and mysteries to come.

Elephant Stone have another gem in their catalog with Back into the Dream. It’s both another fun record for us long-time fans and a good entry point if you’re new to them. Sit back and enjoy it.

Keep your mind open.

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Review: Elephant Stone – Hollow

I first heard most of Elephant Stone‘s new album, Hollow, at the 2019 Levitation Music Festival in Austin, Texas when they played a good chunk of it on the inside stage at Barracuda. I’d heard a couple of tracks ahead of the gig and was intrigued by the heavier-than-normal sound. That sound was even heavier live, and the theme of the album – a story set in an apocalyptic future in which people are trying to flee a dying Earth to another planet – takes on even more weight when you hear it live and / or in its entirety.

The album opens with “Hollow World” – a track brimming with Elephant Stone‘s trademark psychedelia and lyrics about having to finally say goodbye to Mother Earth because the human race has succeeded in destroying it. “Darker Time, Darker Space” is a quick interlude as doomed Earthlings fly into unknown space in hopes of finding something better.

“The Court and Jury” decide who leaves, however. Lead singer / bassist / sitarist Rishi Dhir‘s vocals sound like they’re coming through a faulty intercom system on an old spacecraft and his sitar sounds like circuits working overtime as the ship lands on the “Land of Dead.” This was the first track I heard off Hollow. The bass and drums are heavy and the guitar shreds for just under two minutes of raw power.

“Keep the Light Alive” brings in a children’s choir to represent the new generation of Earthlings alone on what could be a hostile new world. “This place is far too cold,” Dhir sings on “We Cry for Harmonia.” The Earthlings are quickly realizing the new planet might end up as wasted as the old one (“How can you fill this space with air you cannot breathe?”). Gabirel Lambert‘s guitar solo on this track is top-notch, by the way, and the backing synths and hand percussion only elevate the song higher.

“Harmonia” is dreamy psych accented by Dhir’s sitar and more of that groovy hand percussion. Dhir’s bass takes center stage on “I See You” (and how about that wicked high-hat work by Mile Dupire, too?) – a groovy track with some light pop touches that could be a radio friendly smash if enough DJs give it a chance.

“The Clampdown” isn’t a cover of The Clash song (although that would be great), but rather a song about the Powers That Be coming after those of Earth living in underground communities. The dark synths underline the menace of the lyrics. The synths are bright on “Fox on the Run” – the title of which seems to reflect the hunted Earthlings making another run for it. “House on Fire” has the Earth, or is it the new world, burning while people try to ignore it. The guitar on it is like a distant warning klaxon, but the synths are still bright – giving us some hope while things crumble around us. The album closes with more hope on “A Way Home.” The Earth has been all but abandoned, but the ones who remain realize they can repair it and build something new while old karma continues to build new paybacks on the new world inhabited by the privileged few.

It’s a wild record, and I don’t think anyone expected a concept album with doom overtones from Elephant Stone, but it’s great that they’re pushing the envelope and exploring new avenues.

And, yeah, the new stuff sounds great live.

Keep your mind open.

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Elephant Stone announces spring North American tour.

Following the release of their new concept album, Hollow, Elephant Stone have announced a spring North American tour starting with a free show in Winooski, Vermont and ending in Chicago, Illinois. All tour dates are with DJ Al Lover, with whom Elephant Stone‘s lead singer / bassist / sitarist Rishi Dhir has worked in the past with their Acid House Ragas project. Tickets are available for all dates.

4/29 Winooski VT @ Foam Brewers FREE SHOW
4/30 New Haven CT @ State House TICKETS
5/1 Brooklyn NY @ The Sultan Room TICKETS
5/2 Allentown PA @ Muhlenberg College TICKETS
5/3 Washington DC @ Comet Ping Pong TICKETS
5/5 Cleveland OH @ Beachland Tavern TICKETS
5/6 Indianapolis IN @ Square Cat Vinyl TICKETS
5/7 Windsor ON @ Meteor TICKETS
5/8 Milwaukee WI @ Milwaukee Psych Fest TICKETS
5/9 Chicago IL @ Sleeping Village TICKETS

Keep your mind open.

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Top 30 live shows of 2019: #’s 30 -26

It’s that time of year again for me to start the countdowns of my favorite live shows, singles, and albums of the year. I’m starting with live shows. I saw close to sixty bands this year (and possibly over sixty if you add in partial sets), so here are the ones that topped the upper half.

#30 – Hoover iii – Levitation Austin – November 07th

Hoover iii were a pleasant surprise as the first band my wife and I saw at Levitation Austin this year. They played a fun set of southern California shoegaze that was a great kick-off for our festival weekend.

#29 – Elephant Stone – Levitation Austin – November 08th

It’s always good to see Elephant Stone live, and their set at the second night of Levitation Austin was one of the heaviest sets I’ve heard them play. They threw in a lot of material from their upcoming album, Hollow, so it was cool to be among the first folks to hear that stuff live.

#28 – Bev Rage and the Drinks – Subterranean – Chicago, IL – October 01st

Queercore punk rock on a small stage with Halloween candy and pumpkin spice Oreos being handed out to the crowd? What’s not to like? I’d heard a lot of good things about Ms. Rage and the Drinks’ live shows, and I wasn’t disappointed. They were also a great opener for…

#27 – Shonen Knife – Subterranean – Chicago, IL – October 01st

You can never go wrong with a Shonen Knife show, and they put on a fun, rocking set of candy-powered rock that had the whole crowd bouncing.

#26 – Willie Nelson – Memorial Coliseum – Ft. Wayne, IN – August 05th

2019 ended up being a “year of legends” for us, as we saw many legendary performers this year. Among them was Willie Nelson, who played a fun set of classic hits and fun covers. His set wasn’t long due to age and what was later revealed to be some breathing issues, but it was still cool to finally see one of the greatest songwriters of all time.

Who makes it into the top 25? Come back tomorrow to find out.

Keep your mind open.

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Levitation Austin 2019 recap – Day Two

We started off the second night of Levitation Austin 2019 at Stubb’s BBQ, where the Flaming Lips were playing the outdoor stage along with Holy Wave and Mercury Rev. We got there in time for the last two songs of Mercury Rev’s set, which sounded good. The night was cold, but not as cold as the first. Plus, there were more bodies around to block the wind when it would whip through the outdoor stage area.

The Flaming Lips, as always, put on a fun show to an enthusiastic crowd reveling in balloons, confetti, and Jell-O shots being shot from a slingshot wielded by a man on a surfboard that took him through the crowd. Lead singer Wayne Coyne was in a playful mood and frequently chatted with the crowd. The Flaming Lips are my wife’s new favorite band after seeing them live twice. “I always feel happy,” she said about seeing their shows. That’s one of the best reviews you can get.

We zipped back over to Barracuda to catch Death Valley Girls and Elephant Stone. We hadn’t seen Elephant Stone in a long while and were eager to hear some of their new material. I’d also heard good things about Death Valley Girls’ live sets. They were first and as fun as we’d hoped.

“Hell’s house band” – Death Valley Girls

We then walked over to Elysium to catch David J‘s intimate acoustic set. He was accompanied by a pianist and played tracks from his new solo record as well as a Love and Rockets track (“Shelf Life”). It was a mellow way to end the night. My wife rested her head on my shoulder and a bouncer told her, “You can’t fall asleep here.” like it was a dire warning against the dangers of the goth club’s vampires devouring her if she did.

The set might be the closest I ever get to seeing Bauhaus or Love and Rockets live, so it was nice to see and hear.

The next day would be a marathon, but it would be worth it.

Keep your mind open.

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Elephant Stone release new single, “Hollow World,” and upcoming European tour dates.

Elephant Stone has announced a new concept album, Hollow, about people fleeing the Earth after destroying it only to find the beliefs, biases, and illusions that drove them to ruin their first home have followed them to the new one. As frontman Rishi Dhir explains:

“This is a straight-up concept album. If social media has taught us anything, it’s that there are a lot of unhappy people out there who are trying to find a way out. They are looking for meaning and something to believe in… or nothing to believe in. We all want the same thing but are trying to achieve it in different ways. With this in mind, we wrote and recorded our 6th full-length, Hollow. I set forth writing a song-suite telling of a world of unhappy souls who have lost connection with each other.” The result is an ambitious, dystopian sci-fi concept album inspired by The Who’s ‘Tommy’, Pretty Things’ ‘S.F, Sorrow’ and Abbey Road side 2.

“From Side A (‘The Beginning) through to Side B (‘The Ending’), the story takes place immediately after mankind’s catastrophic destruction of the Earth and what happens when the same elite responsible for the first world-destroying climate disaster touch down on New Earth, a recently-discover planet sold with the same life of prosperity as the one they’d just destroyed. As soon as the chosen few step off the Harmonia ship built for the journey, it’s clear that all is not what it seems and humanity appears destined to make the same mistakes: the storyline touches upon the plundering/poisoning of their home, the elite, demagogues, false idols, the truth as seen by children, and, ultimately, the fight for the survival of their species.”

The album is available for pre-order with lots of neat bundles for your enjoyment (T-shirts, buttons, hot pink vinyl, and more). “Hollow World,” a new single from the album, can be heard here. The band has also announced a tour through Europe this winter, dates are below.

Keep your mind open.

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Elephant Stone premieres new single, “Land of the Dead,” ahead of fall tour.

Canadian psych-rockers Elephant Stone have released “Land of the Dead,” the first single from their upcoming 2020 album. The song was premiered at Brooklyn Vegan, where you can hear it now.

The track is surprisingly heavy for an Elephant Stone tune, and frontman Rishi Dhir has admitted it’s “much heavier than anything we’ve ever done. It wasn’t intentional. I just had this sitar riff and then it evolved / devolved from there.”

Stoner metal fans rejoice!

Elephant Stone are also soon to embark on their fall tour. Dates are below.

11/5 San Diego, CA @ The Casbah 11/6 Phoenix, AZ @ Yucca Tap Room 11/8 Austin, TX @ Barracuda/Levitation 11/9 Dallas, TX @ The Foundry (FREE SHOW) 11/11 Santa Fe, NM @ Rufina Tap Room (FREE SHOW) 11/12 Denver, CO @ Hi-Dive 11/13 Fort Collins, CO @ Surfside 7 11/15 Portland, OR @ Doug Fir 11/16 Seattle, WA @ Freakout Festival 11/17 Vancouver, BC @ Wise Hall 11/19 San Francisco, CA @ The Chapel 11/20 Los Angeles, CA @ Lodge Room

Keep your mind open.

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Elephant Stone announces November North American tour.

Canadian psych-rockers Elephant Stone have announced their first tour in a few years, hitting many west coast cities in the U.S. and their home country beginning November 5th. The tour includes two festival stops – Levitation Austin (November 8th) and Seattle’s Freakout Festival (November 16th). All tour dates are below.

Keep your mind open.

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Levitation Music Festival Recap – Day Four: Old friends, new friends, old habits, new stains

We started the fourth day at the Levitation Music Festival with another tradition – the Sunday gospel brunch at Threadgill’s restaurant. It’s a pretty good deal, and the music always sound good. The band there this year was the Levites, and they were having a great time.

The first band we saw at the festival was Acid House Ragas, which consists of DJ Al Lover on synths and beats and can-we-call-him-a-friend-by-now? Rishi Dhir on sitar. They got the festival off to a nice start with meditative drone music.

We left Stubb’s to grab a bite at the Moonshine Cafe, which serves “southern comfort food.” Holy cow. That was some of the best blackened catfish I’ve had in a long time. After stuffing our bellies, we returned to Stubb’s in time to almost bump into Christian Bland of the Black Angels and Christian Bland and the Revelators. This was the fifth time I’ve met him, and I thanked him again for the festival. He and his bandmates help curate it, and I told him it was our fourth year there and we already had tickets for Levitation France in the fall. He thanked me and was excited to hear we were going to the fall festival. He’s always in a good mood whenever I bump into him.

We caught most of the set from the Brian Jonestown Massacre. My wife flipped out when she realized band member Joel Gion was “the tambourine guy from Gilmore Girls.” They put on a set to an always appreciative crowd, and frontman Anton Newcombe encouraged all of us to quit using pesticides in order to save bees. We also met up with James from Ancient River and his wife, Nakia, while there. We hadn’t seen them since 2014, and I hadn’t seen James since 2015 when he and his bandmate, Alex, played a gig in Ft. Wayne, Indiana. It was great to catch up with them and meet friends of theirs from England who were also at the show.

Mr. Newcombe later walked through the crowd during the Black Angels‘ set, shaking hands with yours truly and many other fans. The woman behind me gave him a big hug and her boyfriend also shook hands with him. It made that woman’s night. They talked about it for another ten minutes at least.

The Black Angels, as always, put on a great set. They started with “Young Men Dead,” their usual closer, and kept tearing it up from there. Lead guitarist Christian Bland shredded more than usual, and drummer Stephanie Bailey was once again an unstoppable beast.

We headed to Barracuda to catch synth-punks POW!. Unfortunately, we missed most of their set, but what we did hear was a fun and raucous. Their weird cover of the Addams Family theme was a nice treat.

Following them were Oh Sees, who I’ve been wanting to catch for years. James told me he’d seen them perform the previous night and said it was an impressive, high energy set. Sure enough, all the hype you’ve heard is true. A mosh pit broke out within the first four bars and I was soon in it. Various drinks were flying, people were crowd surfing, and my shoes were a stained, dirty mess by the end of it. It was a great way to end the festival on a high note and leave us with enough energy and hunger to grab a late night pizza slice on the way back to our car.

It was a nice return for Levitation Austin. The town, and the festival, needed a good comeback. Multiple people at the festival agreed with me that the vibe there is always good. You don’t see or meet a lot of jackasses at this festival, which is always a plus (but, good grief, why are people still smoking cigarettes in 2018, and especially in the middle of a crowd?).

See you in France this fall?

Keep your mind open.

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MIEN – self-titled

Consisting of members of the Black Angels (Alex Maas on guitar, bass, and vocals), the Earlies (John Lapham on synths), Elephant Stone (Rishi Dhir on sitar, bass, and vocals), and the Horrors (Tom Furse on synths), MIEN are a psychedelic supergroup who have been at least discussing their self-titled debut album since 2004. Now that it’s here, they (and we) can rejoice in a job well done.

Staring with the cosmic “Earth Moon,” Maas’ vocals are drenched in smoky reverb as he sings about how our beliefs can alter our reality. Where that track is a lovely stroll through a psychedelic meadow, the second cut, “Black Habit,” is downright creepy with Lapham and Furse’s synths providing a dark drone under Maas’ lyrics about addictions. “(I’m Tired of) Western Shouting” might be my favorite cut on the record. The drum beats are wicked, as are Maas’ lyrics about 24-hours news cycles, angry Internet rants, and people being proud to be rude or even bigoted. The whole band clicks on it, and it slays live.

“You Dreamt” layers on the synths and is pretty much a dark wave track (and a good one). The instrumental “Other” floats on Furse and Lapham’s synths and could’ve easily fit into the score for Blade Runner: 2049. “I feel so high,” Maas sings on “Hocus Pocus.” You might feel the same as it warps into distorted madness and heady freak-outs. Thee deep bass synths on “Ropes” fuel the urgency of Maas’ vocals about fear.

“Echolalia” is defined as mindless repetition of words or sentences as a symptom of a psychiatric disorder or as a repetition of words by a child learning to speak. Both definitions seem appropriate for the track of the same name, as it churns with an almost frantic energy and then comes to an abrupt start that surprises you. “Odessey” has brighter synths, and even female backing vocals, but they hide menace within them. The album ends with a reprise of “Earth Moon.” It’s a mellower version than the first and it creates a nice, dreamy ending to a mostly spooky record.

It’s a solid debut. MIEN are currently on their first live tour, so don’t miss them or this record.

Keep your mind open.

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