January 2020 – 7th Level Music

Melkbelly announce new album, tour, and single – “LCR.”

Chicago-based band Melkbelly – comprised of Miranda Winters (vocals, guitar), Bart Winters (guitar), Liam Winters (bass), and James Wetzel (drums) – announces their new album, PITH, out April 3rd on Wax Nine / Carpark Records, and a North American tour. In conjunction with today’s announcement, they present the album’s lead single, “LCR,” and an accompanying animated video.

Listen to “LCR”
https://youtu.be/sw5IEA8ju88

After two years touring internationally, Melkbelly felt comfortable enough to rearrange songs they knew well, their renewed closeness guiding them. Their literally familial relationship was crucial for support, as PITH was summoned from a place of mourning. “We lost an incredible friend suddenly and nostalgia always acts as a helpful tool for me in navigating difficult times,” Miranda says. “Revisiting emotionally challenging moments or significant social interactions helps shed light on confusing feelings for me. Lyrically, grief gave way to considering life.” She drew from diverse scenes—Grimm-like children’s stories too dark for kids; thorny, mossy forests—to create stories that feel distinctly Melkbellian: philosophically strange, strikingly textural, funny and sad and open-hearted.

Recording in two short sessions six months apart, the band worked with longtime collaborator Dave Vettraino, this time at Bloomington, Indiana’s Russian Recording. Alongside an arsenal of rock gear and airy synth layers coaxed from a Moog Prodigy, PITH’s multidimensionality was refined by the studio’s collection of rare Russian tube mics, which were placed in every corner to capture Melkbelly’s unabashed loudness.

Lead Single “LCR” similarly shapes PITH’s dynamics and mood. Its shifting signatures held steady by James’ frantic beat, the track is a purgatorial homage to motion, ultimately propelled by its tangled guitars and layered vocal harmonies. “It’s about how having conversations with the dead can scoot you along in life, even when you’re really only hearing one side of the conversation or making up the other half,” says Miranda. The animated music video was directed by Qianwen Yu, who says it “imagines a group of creatures in a blue car driving towards the lake which finally reaches ‘the end of the world.’ ‘LCR’ is a type of noise-rock-pop music, so I used ’noise’ texture woven fabric and digitally processed watercolor in the video. Just like the feeling of ‘slick and sweetly’ written in the lyrics, this animated video added some feminine elements.”

Since their 2017 debut Nothing Valley, the members of Melkbelly have an even better understanding of their sonic motivations. On PITH, Melkbelly sought space, and succeeded in crafting it.

Melkbelly will tour across North American this spring. A full list of dates can be found below and tickets are on sale *INFO*.
PRE-ORDER PITH
https://smarturl.it/melkbelly_pith

PITH TRACKLIST:
1.THC
2. Sickeningly Teeth
3. LCR
4. Little Bug
5. Humid Heart
6. Kissing Under Some Bats
7. Season Of The Goose
8. Mr. Coda
9. Stone Your Friends
10. Take H20
11. Flatness

MELKBELLY TOUR DATES:
Sat. April 4 – Chicago, IL @ Sleeping Village
Wed. April 22 – Toronto, ON @ The Baby G
Thu. April 23 – Montreal, QC @ Bar Le Ritz
Sat. April 24 – Providence, RI @ Columbus Theatre
Mon. April 26 – Brooklyn, NY @ Union Pool
Wed. April 29 – Washington, DC @ Comet Ping Pong
Thu. April 30 – Philadelphia, PA @ Boot & Saddle
Fri. May 1 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Mr. Roboto Project

Melkbelly Online:
https://twitter.com/melkbelly
https://melkbelly.bandcamp.com/
http://pitchperfectpr.com/melkbelly/
https://www.facebook.com/melkbelly/
https://www.instagram.com/melkbelly/

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Rewind Review: Soulwax – Essential (2018)

When the Belgian duo of David and Stephen Dewaele, otherwise known as Soulwax, were asked by BBC Radio to create an “essential mix” in 2017, they decided to create an entire album of new music based on the meaning of the word “essential” instead of just mix a bunch of material made by other folks. The result, Essential, turned out to be a great record mixing house music, dub, electro, and trance.

The twelve tracks are named “Essential One,” “Essential Two,” “Essential Three,” etc. No other ornamentation is needed. “One” mixes radio static and electronic alarm clock blips into a funky cacophony. “Two” brings in disco bass and what sounds like electro-vibraphone to get your booty shaking. It flows so well into the ready-made-for-the-dance-floor “Three” that you might not notice the transition.

The groovy bass continues on “Four,” and there’s a brief pause before the echoing chants of “Five” fill your head. The bells and other percussion of “Six” are downright addictive. “Seven” is a bit mellower than the previous tracks, but not by much. It still keeps you moving. The bass on “Eight” is fat as a whale and will have your entire house party moving so hard they might topple over your china cabinet. “Nine” mixes in odd rhythms to the funky bass for a cool brew.

“Ten” starts with menace, but drifts into a quiet bliss by its end. “Eleven” has the most discernible, and sexiest, lyrics. The sultry synth-beats certainly don’t hurt either. “Twelve” is the shortest track on the album at two minutes-thirty seconds, but it still has enough swanky bass to supply a half-hour DJ set.

Essential is indeed that if you’re a fan of Soulwax or electro music. They recently announced that their U.S. tour has been postponed, but dates would be rescheduled. Don’t miss them if they’re near you.

Keep your mind open.

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Burgerama 5 announces its first lineup in five years.

Independent record label Burger Records and Spaceland Presents announced that, following a five-year hiatus, Burgerama will return for an all-day, all-ages mini-festival on Saturday, March 9th at The Echo/Echoplex in LA. Featuring over 30 bands and headlined by cult superstars The Mummies and Burger Records favorites The Flamin’ Groovies, Burgerama 5 tickets start at just $25.00 and are available to purchase at the Spaceland Presents website. Of the show roster for Burgerama 5, Burger Records’ Lee Rickard said; “The Flamin’ Groovies and The Mummies are two of Sean and my all-time favorite bands and rock ‘n roll institutions. We couldn’t be happier to have em both as headliners along with some of our favorite underground Southern California acts.”

Sponsored by Volcom and Uck Off, Burgerama 5 will take over the entire Echo venue complex including The Echoplex, and patio, and includes three music stages, food trucks, and DJs and the Mad Alchemy Liquid Light Show. Beyond The Mummies, performers include Flamin’ Groovies, Pearl and the Oysters, Hammered Satin, Hollywood Stars, Cosmonauts, Tomorrows Tulips, Shadow Show, and in their last show ever, Apache. A complete lineup for the event can be found on the Spaceland website.

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Too Free’s new single, “No Fun,” actually is fun.

Too Free have shared their newest single and video, “No Fun,” the second single off their forthcoming debut album, Love In High Demand, out 2/21 on Sister Polygon Records. “No Fun” follows the band’s first single, the mesmerizing “ATM,” a song that Stereogum says “feels both organic and computerized.” Brooklyn Vegan described it as “a dose of lo-fi, bongo-aided electronic pop that sounds like a cross between mid/late 2000s Williamsburg parties and ANOHNI.”

“‘No Fun’ is a series of affirmations that I wanted to speak into existence,” explains singer and lyricist Awad Bilal. “Reclaiming agency over your mind and your body – accepting love and using it to activate others.”

“The video for ‘No Fun’ is an investigation of the freedom of movement. We went into a dance studio here in DC with just an iPhone 11 and a backpack full of clothes and I gave myself free reign. It’s an homage to one of my oldest friends, John, and the resilience of black, queer bodies like mine.”

Additionally, the band has announced upcoming Brooklyn and DC shows, which are listed below.

WATCH “NO FUN” VIDEO
https://youtu.be/2R2DYl8AZhc

WATCH “ATM” VIDEO
https://youtu.be/bErEP9TJCQY

Too Free is the Washington, D.C.-based trio of Bilal (Big Freedia, Vasillus), Carson Cox (Merchandise), and Don Godwin (Callers, Impractical Cockpit). Their only mission is a desire to connect with others in the space that music creates. Drawing from improvisation and experimentation, they deconstruct their songs to their most necessary elements, leaning into their collective punk ethos and DIY backgrounds. Drawing equally from elements of South Florida freestyle and Jersey electro into DC’s signature polyrhythms, the record is a continuous refinement of the virtue of motion – each composition rooted in propulsive energy that envelops. Aiming to make something with a more utopian outlook that counters the pervasive pessimism, archaic ideologies and dystopian timelines we interact with on a daily basis, they approach this project with an open-endedness that incorporates higher concepts of what pop art can sound like.

TOO FREE TOUR DATES
Sat. Feb. 22 – Washington, DC – U Street Music Hall
Thu. Feb. 27 – Brooklyn, NY @ Trans Pecos

Too Free Online:
https://toofree.bandcamp.com/
https://www.instagram.com/toofreedc/
https://www.pitchperfectpr.com/too-free/
https://www.sisterpolygonrecords.com/artists/too-free

Keep your mind open.

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Review: Okay Kaya – Watch This Liquid Pour Itself

Kaya Wilkins, also known as Okay Kaya, explores depression, love, sex, death, and boredom on her album Watch This Liquid Pour Itself. That’s not to say the album is a bleak bore. It’s quirky, catchy, clever, and intriguing.

“Baby Little Tween” has Wilkins flat-out telling her lover she’ll eventually get tired of having sex with him and wondering if her anti-depressants will shut down her libido altogether. The electro beats behind the track are slow jam-sexy, however, so it seems that Wilkins is getting busy while she can. “Ascend and Try Again” is Wilkin’s blueprint for reducing stress and staying in the moment as she sings about breath control atop simple acoustic and bass guitar chords.

The lazy beats of “Insert Generic Name” reinforce Wilkins’ sexy croon as she sings about how it sucks to be someone’s girlfriend and the “center of resentment in your harem.” “Anything could happen at any given time, no wonder I’m overstimulated,” Wilkins sings on “Overstimulated.” It’s a Velvet Underground-like song about her being fascinated by her lover, but it could as easily be a song about ADHD. “Psych Ward” would be a major Pixies hit in another reality, but Wilkins beat them to it as she sings witty lyrics about her own experiences in treatment (“You can peel an orange however you please in the psych ward…”) while her backing band puts down a wicked groove.

“Guttural Sound” is a dream-like track about the dangers of looking forward to a future that might not, and probably won’t, happen. It also skewers hipsters (“I desperately want to be thirty-something, on my way to the nearest AA meeting.” / “In the dog park, have a discussion on which Brita filter is the best one.”). “Asexual Being,” in which Wilkins admits that “sex with me is mediocre, but I can probably feel what you’re feeling.”, has house music bass encouraging you to get down and at least entertain the idea of being okay with mediocre sex and Netflix and ice cream. “Popcorn Heart” is as tender as a 1950’s ballad and perfect for your kid’s prom slow dance playlist.

The bass groove, beats, and piano of “Mother Nature’s Bitch” make it sound like a lost Fleetwood Mac cut. “Hallelu Ya Hallelu Me” is another dreamy track, this one about obession (“It’s so creepy. I think of you instead of eating or sleeping.”). “Symbosis” has Wilkins comparing herself and her lover to algae while weird synths shift around in the background. It’s not unlike a Gary Wilson song. In fact, Ms. Wilkins and Mr. Wilson would probably make a great album together because they love singing about and exploring the same themes – love, loneliness, romance, kissing, and obsession.

The cleverly titled “Givenupitis” is a lovely slow-funk slap upside the head of apathetic people who are so attached to their IDGAF attitude that they’ve lost connections with nearly everyone around them. The lyrics for “Helsevesen” are in Norwegian (the title translates to “health service”), and the song has an echoing, icy quality to it that befits the Norwegian landscape. The electro beats and bass of “Stonethrow” produce the most danceable track on the record as Wilkins worries that she’s “becoming what the kids these days call insecure.” Wilkins’ voice goes low for “Zero Interaction Ramen Bar” while she sings about being alone in a bright, yet dreary place with nothing and no one to console her apart from booze, tasteless dumplings, and her own thoughts.

This is one of those records that’s perfect for the right mood. It’s hard to determine what that mood is, as it will be different for everyone, but that shows how good of a songwriter Wilkins is. She has crafted an album that will resonate with different listeners in different ways. That’s no easy task.

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Nap Eyes announce new album, “Snapshot of a Beginner,” out March 27th.

Nap Eyes will release their new album, Snapshot of a Beginner, their most concentrated and hi-fi effort to date, on March 27th via Jagjaguwar / Royal Mountain, in partnership with Paradise of Bachelors. Throughout the album, there’s an immediately noticeable leap in arrangement and muscle, one that still holds the raw, nervous energy and the earnest, self-deprecating poetry that make Nap Eyes an enduring cult favorite. The music still brings to mind the bucolic ennui of the Silver Jews and Daniel Johnston’s jittery naïveté, but the new sheen and maturity also now brings to mind the wide-angle appeal of The Jayhawks and the addictive brightness of Green Day’s Kerplunk!.

Lead single “Mark Zuckerberg” is a hi-fi jangle-pop earworm that, at its outset, sounds like it could be the theme song from Party of Five. Less a takedown of any one specific, capitalist tech fascist than it is a poem about the confounding and beautiful swirl of modern life, it is their thoughtful, incisive Hit for The People. “Transcendence is all around us,” Chapman repeats, a freeing incantation and a gift to us all as the coda slows and expands.

On the video, the band notes: “People are scared of Mark Zuckerberg. You look at him before Congress and think, ‘Is this the bogeyman? Is he a CIA plant? Can he read my mind with some sort of God-mode search feature in all my chat transcripts?’ This video leads us to believe that Mark wants to enjoy and surveil whatever world he inhabits, whether it’s starting a band with ghastly apparitions in the spirit realm or changing size according to his whim while observing natural and urban landscapes with equal awe. He wants you to accept his friend request and let him watch over you. ‘When there was only one set of footprints in the sand…’”

Almost all the songs of Nap Eyes are whittled into their final form from frontman Nigel Chapman’s unspooling, 20-minute voice-and-guitar free-writing sessions. Each member — drummer Seamus Dalton, bassist Josh Salter and guitarist Brad Loughead — then plays a crucial role in song development, composing around the idiosyncratic structures and directing the overall sound and feel of the songs.

Until now, that final song construction and recording has been mostly done live in a room. But for Snapshot of a Beginner, the band went to The National’s nuevo-legendary upstate NY Long Pond Studio, working with producers Jonathan Low (Big Red Machine, The National) and James Elkington (Steve Gunn, Joan Shelley), the latter of whom also did pre-production arrangement work with the band. Never has Nap Eyes sounded more ferocious. It took them a long time and a long practice to reach this artistic zen, but one gets the feeling throughout Snapshot of a Beginner that this balance is going to hold.
Watch Nap Eyes’ Video for “Mark Zuckerberg” –
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gq2YhOY55zU

Pre-order Snapshot of a Beginner –
https://napeyes.ffm.to/snapshotofabeginner

Snapshot of a Beginner Tracklist:
1. So Tired
2. Primordial Soup
3. Even Though I Can’t Read Your Mind
4. Mark Zuckerberg
5. Mystery Calling
6. Fool Thinking Ways
7. If You Were In Prison
8. Real Thoughts
9. Dark Link
10. When I Struck Out On My Own
11. Though I Wish I Could Nap Eyes Tour Dates:
Wed. March 4 – Toronto, ON @ Opera House %
Thu. March 5 – Montreal, QC @ Theatre Fairmount %
Fri. March 6 – Boston, MA @ The Sinclair %
Sat. March 7 – New York, NY @ Brooklyn Steel %
Sun. March 8 – Philadelphia, PA @ Underground Arts %
Mon. March 9 – Washington, DC @ Black Cat %
Wed. March 11 – Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle %
Thu. March 12 – Atlanta, GA @ Terminal West %
Fri. March 13 – Nashville, TN @ Mercy Lounge %
Sat. March 14 – St. Louis, MO @ Blueberry Hill %
Sun. March 15 – Omaha, NE @ The Waiting Room %
Mon. March 16 – Denver, CO @ Bluebird Theater %
Tue. March 17 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge %
Thu. March 19 – Seattle, WA @ Neumos %
Fri. March 20 – Vancouver, BC @ Vogue Theatre %
Sun. March 22 – Victoria, BC @ Lucky Bar (tickets)
Wed. March 25 – Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge (tickets)
Fri. March 27 – San Francisco, CA @ Cafe Du Nord (tickets)
Sat. March 28 – Los Angeles, CA @ Bootleg Bar (tickets)
Sun. March 29 – San Diego, CA @ Casbah (tickets)
Mon. March 30 – Phoenix, AZ @ Valley Bar (tickets)
Wed. April 1 – Austin, TX @ Barracuda (tickets)
Thu. April 2 – Dallas, TX @ Three Links (tickets)
Sat. April 4 – Kansas City, MO @ The Riot Room (tickets)
Sun. April 5 – Urbana, IL @ Rose Bowl Tavern (tickets)
Mon. April 6 – Columbus, OH @ Rumba Cafe (tickets)
Wed. April 15 – London, UK @ The Moth Club
Thu. April 16 – Liverpool, UK @ Leaf
Fri. April 17 – Glasgow, UK @ The Hug and Pint
Sat. April 18 – Leeds, UK @ Hyde Park Book Club
Sun. April 19 – Birmingham, UK @ Hare and Hounds
Mon. April 20 – Brighton, UK @ The Hope & Ruin
Wed. April 22 – Paris, FR @ Le Point Ephemere
Thu. April 23 – Brussels, BE @ Volta
Fri. April 24 – Rotterdam, NL @ V11
Sat. April 25 – Utrecht, NL @ Ekko

% = w/ Destroyer

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Shadow Show premieres “Charades” ahead of upcoming album due St. Valentine’s Day.

Detroit-based girl-group Shadow Show has released the first music video from their upcoming debut album Silhouettes out February 14. The video, for the 60s psych-rock inspired track “Charades,” premiered today exclusively on the IGTV and Youtube channels of Southern California Roller-skate company Moxi, whose colorful Lolly roller skates are featured in the video.

Shot in the band’s hometown of Detroit, and directed by Bobby Harlow of The Go, the video for “Charades” was filmed entirely with a super-8 camera, a reflection of Shadow Shows retro style and sound. About filming in and around Detroit, band member Kerrigan Pearce (drums) said, “we wanted to include all of the things that make Detroit home to us. The live footage was shot at UFO Factory, owned by local musician Dion Fischer. The rest was filmed in various places, such as Belle Isle, Detroit African Bead Museum, and another favorite bar Outer Limits Lounge.”

Shadow Show is a new sound in light of a new era. A power trio of a mysterious hue, Shadow Show combines elements of 60s garage-psychedelia and 21st-century modern pop-art. The trio pushes the boundaries of what can be, yet remain deeply rooted in a raw, untouchable Detroit sound. Comprised of guitarist Ava East, bassist Kate Derringer and drummer Kerrigan Pearce, the group made their debut in August of 2018. The group plan to tour the US and Europe to support the release of Silhouettes.

Shadow Show’s debut album Silhouettes was mixed by bass player Kate Derringer and mastered by Jim Diamond (The White Stripes, The Dirtbombs, Ghetto Recorders). The album will be available on February 14, 2020, via Stolen Body Records in the UK and Europe and Burger Records for the rest of the world.

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Dead Ghosts release trippy new video for “Drugstore Supplies.”

Canadian garage rockers Dead Ghosts new music video for the track,“Drugstore Supplies” premiered today on the Shindig! magazine website. “Drugstore Supplies” is the first single release from the group’s highly anticipated upcoming album Automatic Changer, out April 24, 2020 via Burger Records and available to pre-order now.

Formed nearly a decade ago in Vancouver, Canada, Dead Ghosts grew out of founders Byran Nicol (vocals/guitar), Drew Wilky (guitar), and Mike Wilky’s (drums) desire to hang out, listen to records and play music. After the trio uploaded a few demos to Myspace, this was 2008, after all, the group were offered the opportunity to release a single via a small Iowa-based punk label. The single quickly led to the group’s first full-length self-titled album. By 2015 the group had joined the Burger Records roster and released two more albums, Can’t Get No and Love and Death and All the Rest.

With time the band added two members, bass player Mauricio “Moe” Chiumento and organist Craig Pettman. Playing a distinctive brand of swaggering, blues-infused lo-fi rock, the five-piece quickly won over transatlantic fans and scored fresh fodder for their lyrics with their punk rock antics.

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The Radiohead Public Library is now open.

Radiohead has opened the doors of its archives by giving us the online Radiohead Public Library. It’s a vast treasure trove of everything from obscure album art and ad-free live performances to cool ephemera like old fan club letters, photos of out-of-print shirts, and rare music videos.

Fans can also download their own library card, like I did.

The library is set up with the oldest stuff at the bottom of the page, and I’m sure they haven’t released everything they have in their vault, but the availability of so much free streaming material is a treat for Radiohead fans and music fans alike.

Keep your mind open.

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Rewind Review: Iggy Pop – Post-Pop Depression (2016)

Iggy Pop once described his 2016 album Post-Pop Depression in a Rolling Stone article as “discussing issues of what happens when your utility is at an end, and dealing with your legacy.” It’s also an album with heavy themes of sex and death.

The opener, “Break into Your Heart,” with it’s heavy, menacing bass by Dean Fertita (of Queens of the Stone Age) is about Pop willing to do whatever it takes to win the object of his desire. “Gardenia” has Pop and Joshua Homme (also of QOTSA as well as Eagles of Death Metal) singing of a “black goddess in a shabby raincoat” with an “hourglass glass” and “slant devil eyes” and how he just wants to pay for one more night with her. A friend of mine wondered if we needed a song about Iggy Pop, who was sixty-nine years old at the time, getting laid. I figured a guy pushing seventy singing about how he’s wanting (and, let’s face it, getting) more sex than guys decades younger than he is pretty damn punk rock.

“American Valhalla” is a song about figuring out what’s left behind after we die. “Death is the the pill that’s tough to swallow…I’m not the man with everything. I’ve nothing but my name. Lonely, lonely deeds that no one sees…Where is American Valhalla?” Everyone wants to know the answer to this, especially when we realize it’s not found in consumerism, Instagram, or reality TV. Homme’s guitar on “In the Lobby” reminds me of Mick Ronson‘s chops, and Pop’s vocals about hoping he doesn’t lose his life as he walks behind his shadow as “the dancing kids” who are out for their kicks are oblivious to the passage of time.

“Sunday” is a tale of enduring the drudgery of the work week and, I suspect, the life of a rock star (“This job is a masquerade of recreation.” / “I’ve got it all, but what’s it for?”) just to get to a day off. “Vulture,” with its spaghetti western showdown percussion from Matt Helders (of Arctic Monkeys) is about the spectre of death and record company executives waiting to bleed you dry.

You can’t help but wonder if Pop is writing from experience on “German Days” – a song about Bavarian brothels, “champagne on ice,” and the opportunity to “germinate in a German way.” Pop did spend many years in Berlin, so I’ll take his word for it. “Chocolate Drops” is about letting go of the past and not fearing death, and it’s no secret that Homme’s work on this album helped him after the terrorist attack at an Eagles of Death Metal show in 2015.

The album ends with the angry rants of “Paraguay,” in which Pop sings about “going where sore losers go to hide my face and spend my dough.” Pop is sick of sycophants and tired of the constant barrage of knowledge and information. He’s tired of living in a place where everyone is afraid and chooses to live in that fear. The song breaks down close to the four-minute mark into a fiery rant from Pop in which he tears down us, the listeners, that he’s sick of our “evil and poisonous intentions” while Homme, Fertita, and Helders chant “Wild animals, they do. Never wonder why, just do what they goddamn do.”

Thankfully, this wasn’t Pop’s last record, as some thought it might be. He isn’t leaving for Paraguay just yet, but Post-Pop Depression is a warning that he might at any moment and not look back at us as he does. It’s also a warning for us to get off our asses, throw away our laptops, and make something of our lives before we’ve run out of time.

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