Rock – Page 34 – 7th Level Music

King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard are “Hate Dancin'” with their new single.

Today, Australian polymaths King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard unveil their new single/video, “Hate Dancin’,” taken from their forthcoming album Changes, out October 28th on KGLW. Following last week’s Laminated Denim – an album written specifically with their recent sold-out Marathon Shows at Red Rocks in mind – and Ice, Death, Planets, Lungs, Mushrooms And Lava, Changes marks King Gizzard’s third and final album of October. Originally imagined as the group’s fifth album of 2017, Changes has ended up the sixth album King Gizzard will release in 2022 (rounded out by April’s double album, Omnium Gatherum, January’s Butterfly 3001 remix record, and March’s Made in Timeland, the latter of which was just surprised-released on DSPs for the first time). “Hate Dancin’” is a tight number, clocking in just above the 3-minute mark. “I started writing a song about how I hate dancing, but then I realized that I love dancing,”says Gizz frontman Stu Mackenzie. The accompanying video puts the band’s exquisite moves front and center.

WATCH “HATE DANCIN’” VIDEO

For half a decade, the sextet has been haunted by one elusive conceptual project that had bested their every attempt (of which there had been several). They first conceived the album back in 2017, a busy year for the group. Within a mere twelve months, they recorded and released five albums of new material, but the band had intended to see out the year with a different album. That album was called Changes, and it’s finally arriving now. “I think of Changes as a song-cycle,” says band-member Stu Mackenzie. “Every song is built around this one chord progression – every track is like a variation on a theme. But I don’t know if we had the musical vocabulary yet to complete the idea at that time. We recorded some of it then, including the version of ‘Exploding Suns’ that’s on the finished album. But when the sessions were over, it just never felt done. It was like this idea that was in our heads, but we just couldn’t reach. We just didn’t know yet how to do what we wanted to do.”

The group abandoned Changes and instead prepared the beguiling Gumboot Soup (the last of five albums the band released in 2017), and were then quickly ensnared by about eight other outlandish ideas that sent them in infinite new directions. But the concept of Changes did not go gently into that good night. “We really have been tinkering with it since then,” Mackenzie adds.

“It’s not necessarily our most complex record, but every little piece and each sound you hear has been thought about a lot,” Mackenzie adds. Indeed, the album has gestated over a fitfully inventive five years. But the album has taught him that projects operate to their own schedules and are ready when they’re ready.

Good things come to those who wait, and the magnificent Changes is worth every one of the 2,628,000 minutes King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard invested in it. Soaked in the warm sonics of 70s R’n’B and guided by simple chord-changes that contain multitudes and rounding out another remarkable year for the group, Changes is a luminous, soft-pop marvel. Come lose yourself in its slow-cooked brilliance.

Currently in the middle of a largely sold-out U.S. tour, the band return to the U.K. and Europe for a run of shows in March 2023 which include two nights at the Brixton Academy in London. Full dates are listed below and tickets are on sale now.

Finally, read Stereogum’s recent Cover Story on the band, which dives headlong into their epic month and the history of the band as they continue their march towards world domination is the Greatest Rock Band on the Planet™.

TOUR DATES
Fri. Oct. 21 – Forest Hills, NY @ Forest Hills Stadium %
Sat. Oct. 22 – Philadelphia, PA @ Franklin Music Hall * SOLD OUT
Sun. Oct. 23 – Washington, DC @ The Anthem * SOLD OUT
Mon. Oct. 24 – Asheville, NC @ Rabbit Rabbit * SOLD OUT
Wed. Oct. 26 – Atlanta, GA @ The Eastern * SOLD OUT
Thu. Oct. 27 – New Orleans, LA @ Orpheum Theater * SOLD OUT
Fri. Oct. 28 – Austin, TX @ Levitation – Stubb’s * SOLD OUT
Sat. Oct. 29 – Austin, TX @ Levitation – Stubb’s $ SOLD OUT
Mon. Oct. 31 – Oklahoma City, OK @ The Criterion #
Wed. Nov. 2nd – Morrison, CO @ Red Rocks Amphitheatre # SOLD OUT
Sat. Dec. 10 – St. Kilda, AUS @ The Palace Foreshore @
Thu. Dec. 29 – Tauranga, NZ @ Wharepai Domain
Sat. Dec. 31 – Wanaka, NZ @ Rhythm & Alps
Wed. Jan. 4 – Auckland, NZ @ The Matakana Country Park
Fri. Jan. 6 – New Plymouth, NZ @ Bowl of Brooklands
Thu. Mar. 2 – Paris, FR @ Zenith
Fri. Mar. 3 – Amsterdam, NL @ Gashoulder
Sat. Mar. 4 – Tilburg, NE @ 013
Mon. Mar. 6 – Malmo, SE @ Plan B
Tue. Mar. 7 – Stockholm, SE @ Munchenbryggeriet
Wed. Mar. 8 – Oslo, NE @ Sentrum Scene
Thu. Mar. 9 – Copenhagen, DK @ Den Gra Hal
Sat. Mar. 11 – Warsaw, PL @ Progesja
Sun. Mar. 12 – Prague, CZ @ Lucerna Velky Sal
Mon. Mar. 13 – Vienna, AT @ Gasometer
Wed. Mar. 15 – Milan, IT @ Alcatraz
Thu. Mar. 16 – Zurich, CH @ X-Tra
Fri. Mar. 17 – Lausanne, CH @ Les Docks
Sat. Mar. 18 – Wiesbaden, DE @ Schlachthof
Mon. Mar. 20 – Brussels, DE @ Cirque Royale
Wed. Mar. 22 – London,UK @ Brixton Academy
Thu. Mar. 23 – London, UK @ Brixton Academy
Thu. Mar. 30 – Sydney, AUS @ Big Top Luna Park
Thu. Apr. 6 – Byron Bay, AUS @ Tivoli
Fri. Apr. 7 – Byron Bay, AUS @ Byron Bay Bluesfest

* w/ Leah Senior
% w/ black midi, Leah Senior
$ w/ Tropical Fuck Storm, The Murlocs
# w/ The Murlocs, Leah Senior
@ w/ Stella Donnelly, CIVIC

King Gizzard & The Wizard Lizard Online:
https://kinggizzardandthelizardwizard.com/
https://www.instagram.com/kinggizzard/
https://www.facebook.com/kinggizzardandthelizardwizard/
https://twitter.com/kinggizzard
https://kinggizzard.bandcamp.com/
https://gizzverse.com/

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Jacob at Pitch Perfect PR.]

Rewind Review: Buffalo Daughter – We Are the Times (2021)

Buffalo Daughter‘s 2021 album, We Are the Times, is a good time capsule of what was happening in the band’s lives, and all our lives, in the middle of a pandemic. The band declared that we had had adapt to the times we were in or be stuck in them forever.

“Music is the vitamin to live under. Too much pressure in quarantine,” they say at the beginning of the album on “Music.” Synth-bloops and heavy electro-bass pep us up for the times to come. In fact, “Times” is the next track, and it’s bumping dance track about adapting to circumstances beyond your control – so why worry about them? They state the obvious on “Global Warming Kills Us All,” and they state it with robotic voices, possibly to emulate our eventual A.I. overlords that take over the planet to save it from us.

“Life is long, life is short. I’m not sure what time we’re in. Should I stay, or should I go?” Whatever you do, “Don’t Punk Out,” they warn on this cool post-punk jam with sharp guitars and bright synths. “Loop” lands somewhere between electro and industrial. “ET (Densha)” brings in dubstep bass, but plays it slow to create a sense of dread and danger. On “Jazz,” they encourage us to open our hearts and minds in these weird times. People might need us as much as we need them. The album ends with the quirky “Everything Valley,” which encourages us to hold onto hope

It’s another good album from Buffalo Daughter that, like a lot of their stuff, is hard to classify, but that’s okay. It’s meant to lift your spirits a bit, so let it.

Keep your mind open.

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Rattlesnake Venom Trip takes us to a “Dead Empire” on their shredding new single.

Rattlesnake Venom Trip premieres “Dead Empire” video today at Metal Injection. The song and debut album were recorded by Micah Carli of Hawthorne Heights and mixed by Adam Dutkiewicz of Killswitch Engage.

Kevin Schindel, vocalist and guitarist for RVT shares “Dead Empire is about getting older and seeing that life has passed you by. Pouring all your time and effort into your work and realizing you don’t have anything to show for it at the end. The video is capturing you looking back at yourself with heavy judgment and wishing to change your outcome. If only you could warn yourself somehow.”

The song is catchy as much as it is windmilling worthy, and comes alongside a music video directed by Kyle Moore.” – Greg Kennelty, Metal Injection

Watch “Dead Empire”at Metal Injection here:

RATTLESNAKE VENOM TRIP Drives Forward With "Dead Empire"

Based out of Dayton, Ohio, the band formed in September of 2019. Rattlesnake Venom Trip is a heavy rock/metal band with a lot of variety, saluting to classic bands like early Metallica, Black Sabbath, Alice in Chains, to more modern bands like Queens of the Stone Age, Mastodon, and Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats. RVT‘s collective love of classic rock, heavy metal, and psychedelic music has helped craft a compilation of songs with a wide array of musical dynamics. With each track the band ventures into new territory, creating a unique landscape for listeners to explore.

Although Rattlesnake Venom Trip is a new band, its members are certainly not strangers to the road, the stage, or the recording studio. They each have a long history of playing in bands and releasing music over the years. Featuring members of the metalcore act Twelve Tribes, post metal outfit Mouth of the Architect, and stoner rock band Neon Warship, the band plans on continuing from where their previous projects left off and making their own mark in time. “We cannot wait to see where this new music takes us”, shares RVT.

Full length album Dead Empire is coming to streaming services on October 19, 2022!

Recorded at Popside Studio with Micah Carli of Hawthorne Heights

Mixed at Wicked Good Productions by Adam Dutkiewicz of Killswitch Engage

Mastered at Sterling Sound by Ted Jensen.

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Maria at Adrenaline PR.]

Review: Ruth Radelet – The Other Side

Written over the course of two years of turmoil, during which, among other things, she experienced the deaths of her father and of a friend, and the end of a relationship, Ruth Radelet‘s The Other Side EP has her emerging from shadows cast by bright southern California suns and the weight of grief to step forward into whatever the next moment will bring.

“Stranger” is a love letter / confession to Los Angeles, and how, according to Radelet’s liner notes, “…[it’s] about the feeling of always being on the outside looking in, of the city never fully opening its doors for me.” It brings to mind lonely midnight drives through brightly lit places jammed with people that still feel empty and hollow. Radelet’s lovely, haunting voice is perfect for a track like this, as are the soft, melancholy string instruments throughout it.

“Sometimes” is about the death of Radelet’s friend, and how she wishes she could go back in time, have a proper send-off for her or just wish the day away altogether. I’ve been there, Ms. Radelet. I’m still there in some ways. I hope this song doesn’t affect you, as that probably means you haven’t yet experienced a serious loss, but you’ll come back to this song when you need it.

“Is it easy to start over?” Radelet asks on “Crimes” – a song about how achieving success sometimes causes you to forget who you were before you were a success – and how sometimes that life was better and easier. It shimmers with synths and shoegaze guitar around Radelet’s hypnotizing vocals.

“Be Careful” is a song about treading carefully when it comes to finding new love after loss. The electro-percussion and bass in it almost sound backwards, like the rhythms propelling the song forward are taking two steps forward and one step back…much like Radelet in her lyrics (“I’m afraid of your touch. I might need you too much. What will it cost? Have I already lost?”).

The closer, “Youth,” is about Radelet looking back on her life after she meets a lover younger than her. She’s envious over how life hasn’t yet jaded him, and wonders about that time in her life. This is a bit difficult for me to fathom, as Radelet seems ageless in every photo I’ve seen of her or when I saw her live with her former band, The Chromatics. She’s susceptible to the same nostalgia and regret as all of us are, however, and her vocals are a soft ode to simpler times.

It’s a lovely EP from one of the loveliest voices in music for the last couple decades. It sticks with you after it’s done and one that you’ll float back to whenever you need it.

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Yuri at Pitch Perfect PR.]

Review: The Beths – Expert in a Dying Field

According to the liner notes of The Beths‘ new album, Expert in a Dying Field, the theme of the album can be summed up in one question: “What do you do with how intimately versed you’ve become in a person, once they’re gone from your life?”

As a widower of nearly a year, I can relate to that. We all can at some point or another, be it a spouse, a lover, a friend, a child who leaves for college, a pet, a coworker, or even a trusted neighbor. The album is a lovely, and rocking, story crafted lyrically by Elizabeth Stokes (guitar and lead vocals) and her bandmates, Tristan Deck (drums), Jonathan Pierce (lead guitar and keyboards), and Benjamin Sinclair (bass).

“Can we erase our history? It isn’t as easy as this,” Stokes sings on the opening title track. It’s not. Letting go of that history is hard, but the risk of holding onto it is being dragged to death. The song has a slight melancholy to it, but also a lot of hope. “Knees Deep” is, after all, about jumping into something new with both feet and braving the risks of adventure (and love). Pierce’s guitar fuzzes out on “Silence Is Golden” – a nice, ironic touch.

“Don’t cry. I’m driving all night to be by your side,” Stokes sings on the lovely “Your Side.” To feel this kind of love, where you’re willing to drive cross-state or even cross-country for even just a few hours with someone, is a gift to be treasured. “It’s been quite a year,” The Beths sing on “I Want to Listen.” That’s a mild way of putting it for certain, but they encourage us to reach out to each other to help us all heal.

“Head in the Clouds” is a great rocker, with Deck’s drums hitting hard for the seats in the back of the auditorium. “Best Left” continues the rocking, even as Stokes sings about her being miserable and feeling she’s “best left to rot.” “Change in the Weather” has her feeling better, and “When You Know You Know” has her thinking that love might still be in the cards for her, and for all of us.

Stokes and the rest of the band have a bit of an angry edge on “A Passing Rain” – in which Stokes calls out someone for sticking around to seemingly just make her like worse. I love the way they jump back and forth between silence and breakneck rhythms on “I Told You That I Was Afraid.” “2am” has Stokes wondering if she could return to a simpler time with a lover, but knowing that moment, like all moments in time, is already gone…and yet it still exists in the present.

The whole album is like this – a look back at the past through the lens of the present, which is truly the only way to see it since the past took place in the present. Expert in a Dying Field is a bit of a Zen koan, a lesson on letting go or being dragged.

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Sam at Pitch Perfect PR.]

Review: The Schizophonics – Hoof It

One of the many things I love about The Schizophonics and their new album, Hoof It, is how they’re not afraid to show their love for MC5. The whole album bursts at the seams with a raucous energy reminiscent of the Detroit powerhouses, always feeling dangerous and thrilling.

I mean, “Desert Girl,” pretty much walks into the room and punches you in the face. Pat Beers‘ guitar riffs on “Creature” shove the gas pedal to the floor for you in case you happen to be running moonshine and the state police are on your trail. The title track has a swinging 1960s garage rock shag to it that’s just great. “Won Your Love” will have you jumping out of your seat to dance wherever you happen to be at the moment. Pat Beers’ solo on it shreds with vibrant passion.

Beers and his wife, Lety Beers (drums), get psychedelic on “Pendulum” and then swinging and scorching on “The Alchemist Twist.” It’s a fuzzed-out burner that I’m sure tears down the house live. You’re barely able to keep up by the time they reach “Turn to Glass” and “Underneath the Moonlight” (which has some of Lety Beers’ best precision drumming, cleverly hidden among the guitar fuzz). They add some sexy swagger on “I’m Ready,” and ending your record with a cosmic garage rock trak called “Dance at the End of Time” is a fun way to do it.

This album is nothing but fun, fuzz, and funk. Don’t miss it.

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to US / THEM Group.]

Dry Cleaning have “No Decent Shoes for Rain” with their new single.

Dry Cleaning share a new single/video, “No Decent Shoes for Rain,” off their upcoming album Stumpwork, out October 21st on 4AD. Following the recently released “Gary Ashby,” the group takes a more somber turn on “No Decent Shoes for Rain.” It begins with Florence Shaw’s vocals coiled tightly over woozy guitar and minimal percussion: “my poor heart is breaking.” Shaw says about the track; “’No Decent Shoes for Rain’ is inspired by grief, grief over past relationships, grief for loved ones who have died, and all the things that come with that; loneliness, numbness, yearning, ruminating about the past.” It shows Dry Cleaning in a more pared back state, not seen in their previous discography. The video is made of footage of the band in the studio at Rockfield and on tour.

WATCH DRY CLEANING’S VIDEO FOR “NO DECENT SHOES FOR RAIN”

Stumpwork was made in the aftermath of the death of two very important people to the band; bassist Lewis Maynard’s mother, and guitarist Tom Dowse’s grandfather. Both were instrumental in the band’s development, both in encouragement and, in the case of Maynard’s mother, literally providing the band with a place to rehearse. Shaw’s lyrics explore not only loss and detachment but all the twists and turns, simple joys and minor gripes of human experience too. Ultimately, what emerges from it all is a subtle but assertive optimism, and a lesson in the value of curiosity. Stumpwork is a heady mix that is entirely the band’s own, distinguishing it from anything produced by their contemporaries.

This fall, Dry Cleaning will tour across Europe. Following, they’ll play in Australia, and then embark on a lengthy run in the US. Then, they’ll return to Europe. Tickets for all shows are on sale now and a full list of dates can be found below.

LISTEN TO “GARY ASHBY”

LISTEN TO “ANNA CALLS FROM THE ARCTIC”

WATCH THE “DON’T PRESS ME” VIDEO

PRE-ORDER STUMPWORK

DRY CLEANING TOUR DATES (new dates in bold)
Thu. Oct. 20 – London, UK @ Peckham Audio
Tue. Oct. 25 – Kingston, UK @ Pryzm (Banquet Outstore)
Tue. Nov. 8 – Paris, FR @ Le Trabendo
Wed. Nov. 9 – Cologne, DE @ Club Volta
Fri. Nov. 11 – Utrecht, NL @ Le Guess Who? Festival
Sat. Nov. 12 – Kortrijk, BE @ Sonic City
Wed. Nov. 30 – Tokyo, JP @ Liquid Room
Thu. Dec. 1 – Osaka, JP @ Club Quattro
Tue. Dec. 6 – Auckland, NZ @ Tuning Fork
Wed. Dec. 7 – Wellington, NZ @ San Fran
Fri. Dec. 9 – Brisbane, AU @ The Brightside
Sat. Dec. 10 – Meredith, AU @ Meredith Festival
Mon. Dec. 12 – Melbourne, AU @ The Corner Hotel
Tue. Dec. 13 – Melbourne, AU @ The Corner Hotel
Wed. Dec. 14 – Sydney, AU @ Manning Bar
Fri. Dec. 16 – Perth, AU @ Rosemount Hotel
Tue. Jan. 10, 2023 – Montreal, QC @ La Tulipe
Wed. Jan. 11, 2023 – Toronto, ON @ Phoenix
Fri. Jan. 13, 2023 – Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall
Sat. Jan 14, 2023 – Minneapolis, MN @ Fine Line
Tue. Jan. 17, 2023 – Vancouver, BC @ Rickshaw
Wed. Jan. 18, 2023 – Seattle, WA @ Neptune
Thu. Jan. 19, 2023 – Portland, OR @ Crystal Ballroom
Sat. Jan. 21, 2023 – San Francisco, CA @ August Hall
Sun. Jan. 22, 2023 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Belasco
Mon. Jan. 23, 2023 – Phoenix, AZ @ Crescent Ballroom
Tue. Jan. 24, 2023 – Tucson, AZ @ Congress Plaza
Thu. Jan. 26, 2023 – Dallas, TX @ Texas Theatre
Fri. Jan. 27, 2023 – Austin, TX @ Mohawk
Sat. Jan. 28, 2023 – New Orleans, LA @ Toulouse Theatre
Sun. Jan. 29, 2023 – Atlanta, GA @ Terminal West
Tue. Jan. 31, 2023 – Washington, DC @ The Howard Theatre
Wed. Feb. 1, 2023 – Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer
Thu. Feb. 2, 2023 – Brooklyn, NY @ Pioneers Works
Tue. Feb. 14, 2023 – Dublin, IE @ Vicar Street
Wed. Feb. 15, 2023 – Belfast, UK @ Mandela Hall
Fri. Feb. 17, 2023 – Glasgow, UK @ Barrowlands
Sat. Feb. 18, 2023 – Leeds, UK @ O2 Academy
Mon. Feb. 20, 2023 – Liverpool, UK @ Invisible Wind Factory
Tue. Feb. 21, 2023 – Nottingham, UK @ Rock City
Wed Feb. 22, 2023 – Sheffield, UK @ O2 Academy
Fri. Feb. 24, 2023 – Manchester, UK @ Albert Hall
Sat. Feb. 25, 2023 – Birmingham, UK @ O2 Institute
Sun. Feb. 26, 2023 – Bristol, UK @ O2 Academy
Tue. Feb. 28, 2023 – Cardiff, UK @ Tramshed
Wed. March 1, 2023 – Brighton, UK @ Chalk
Fri. March 3, 2023 – London, UK @ O2 Academy Brixton
Mon. Mar. 13, 2023 – Copenhagen, DK @ VEGA
Wed. Mar. 15, 2023 – Stockholm, SE @ Debaser Strand
Thu. Mar. 16, 2023 – Oslo, NO @ Parkteatret
Sat. Mar. 18, 2023 – Hamburg, DE @ Knust
Sun. Mar. 19, 2023 – Groningen, NL @ Vera
Mon. Mar. 20, 2023 – Amsterdam, NL @ Paradiso
Tue. March 22, 2023 – Offenbach, DE @ Hafen2
Thu. Mar. 23, 2023 – Munich, DE @ Strom
Fri. Mar. 24, 2023 – Vienna, AT @ Flex
Sat. Mar. 25, 2023 – Prague, CZ @ Futurum
Mon. Mar. 27, 2023 – Warsaw, PL @ Hybrydy
Tue. Mar. 28, 2023 – Leipzig, DE @ UT Connewitz
Wed. Mar. 29, 2023 – Berlin, DE @ Festsaal Kreuzberg
Fri. Mar. 31, 2023 – Rotterdam, NL @ Maassilo
Sat. Apr. 1, 2023 – Antwerp, BE @ Trix

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Jacob at Pitch Perfect PR.]

Live: Bev Rage and the Drinks and The Namby Pamby – Brass Rail – Ft. Wayne, IN – September 22, 2022

This was my second time seeing Chicago queercore punk band Bev Rage and the Drinks, and it was, so far, the loudest set I’ve seen them play.

First up in the small Brass Rail dive bar in downtown Fort Wayne, were The Namby Pamby, who I hadn’t seen before now. Their stuff reminded me of some of Nirvana‘s mellower tracks with harder-edged R.E.M. thrown in for good measure. It’s an interesting sound that feels familiar and yet kind of exotic.

As I mentioned before, Bev Rage and the Drinks came out and proceeded to blast the Brass Rail’s bar out onto Broadway. I don’t know how much of it was the place’s acoustics, how much was their amps turned up to eleven, and how much of it was Ms. Rage and her band’s blazing fury, but the power of their set was palpable. They ripped through tracks from their last two albums, ending with a hard-hitting version of “Permanent Receptionist.”

Necromoon played after them, but I was exhausted after a long work day and had to leave to make it home safe that night. It was a fun night, however, and Bev Rage always puts on a great show.

Keep your mind open.

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Live: The Joy Formidable and Mobley – Piere’s – Ft. Wayne, IN – September 20, 2022

There was a guy wearing a TV set on his head when I walked into Piere’s Entertainment Center in Ft. Wayne, Indiana on September 20, 2022.

That guy was Mobley – a one-man show who played a wild mix of electro and soul on everything from guitar, drum kit, keyboards, and a sequencer. His video clips displayed behind him were perfectly synchronized with his fun set, showing lyrics and images from his tracks.

I was mainly there to see The Joy Formidable, who were opening for The Front Bottoms. The crowd was heavy with Front Bottoms fans, judging by the number of band shirts I saw in the crowd, and hardly anyone knew who The Joy Formidable were. It was also, according to lead singer and guitarist Rhiannon “Ritzy” Bryan, the band’s first time playing in Fort Wayne.

They proceeded to shred the entire stage, almost demolishing it and leaving nothing for The Front Bottoms to use afterwards. They were fired up to play, with Bryan sometimes so energetic that she head-butted bassist / co-vocalist Rhydian Dafydd in the chest – twice.

They opened with “The Greatest Light Is the Greatest Shade” and rarely let up to take a breath. They would retune, and then rip into another track, ending their too short set with a stunning, long, blazing edition of “Whirring.”

I left after their set. The Front Bottoms’ style of music isn’t my thing, and I felt bad for them having to follow The Joy Formidable, because, as one guy in the crowd who’d never heard them before said after their set, “That was some hard shit.”

Keep your mind open.

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Rewind Review: Frankie and The Witch Fingers – Brain Telephone (2021 remaster)

Starting with bright, jangly guitar and weird filter effects, Frankie and The Witch Fingers‘ 2017 album, Brain Telephone, plunges you straight into their weird, wonderful world of psychedelic garage rock with the opening title track and barely lets up on the rabbit hole plunge for the album’s entire length.

The harmonica on “Learnings of the Light” brings early Rolling Stones to mind, if the Stones got even trippier in their first decade. The heavy fuzz of “Primitive Delight” is perfect for rolling down the windows and blasting it as you pull into the Tasty Freeze drive-thru for a strawberry milkshake and some onion rings. “Sunshine Earthquake” and “Microscope” have a neat “soaring” energy to them that seems to lift both tracks, and you, off the ground.

“Doomed” embraces the band’s love of The Doors and southern California (where the band relocated after starting in Bloomington, Indiana) rock. “Sinister Poison” has a fun, slightly spooky keyboard riff throughout that it might make it your new favorite addition to your Halloween playlists. “Owsley” takes Beatles-era psychedelia and injects it with about a liter of straight fuzz and cosmic rock riffs. I’m not sure if the guitars or the drums are bigger in it.

You might think “Let Love Be Love” is going to be a full-blown “hippy” track with its title and opening guitar strums and ballad vocals from Dylan Sizemore, but the track doesn’t devolve into navel-gazing jams and instead remains a straight-up Summer of Love pop-rock cut. They save the epic jamming for “Mother’s Mirror,” which is over eight minutes of ripping solos, tight chops, and warped vocals. It starts as a mind-trip jam (with flute!) and slowly builds into a fast blast through space.

It’s a cool album because you can hear the band’s sound evolving into what would become their harder-edged garage rock face-melting style.

Keep your mind open.

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