April 2021 – 7th Level Music

Review: Rochelle Jordan – Play with the Changes

The first thing I noticed when I heard Rochelle Jordan for the first time was how effortlessly she blends soul, R&B, hip hop, house, and (especially) trip hop. Those last two bits are what really hooked me. There are plenty of great R&B artists out there who blend soul, R&B, and hip hop, but few of them add house and trip hop elements – and fewer do it well.

Jordan does it quite well on her new record, Play with the Changes. The trip hop touches are noticeable right out of the gate on the album’s opener, “Love U Good.” Quick, electro beats and swirling synths dance around Jordan’s hypnotizing voice…and then that house beat kicks in and you’re floating on air and believing beyond hope that Jordan is actually talking to you alone. The house grooves continue on “Got Em,” which will be played all over dance clubs once they open up in a post-COVID world. Rightfully so, as the synth-bass alone is worth cover charge.

“Next to You” is another sexy track with Jordan’s pleas for more than snuggles as sharp synths and kinky bedroom beats pretty much make you want to get naked. “All Along” is a fun track with peppy beats and samples and Jordan saying she’s looking for someone she can trust and “Someone to spark me up.” Meow. Excuse me while I release some steam from under my collar.

The bass of “Broken Steel” hits hard, but not as hard as Jordan’s vocal work – which is gorgeous – and her lyrics about the daily struggles of black women to be strong every day while carrying sometimes enormous crosses that we can’t (or don’t want to) see. “Better shut my mouth. If I sing my feelings, then they’ll say I am too loud. Blend into the crowd. Once they see my color, then they’ll think that I’m too proud. They’ll think I’m super-tough and made of silver stuff, all while I’m falling apart.” Damn. You think it’s a sexy jam at first, and then Jordan puts on a pair of brass knuckles that read “TRUTH” and wallops you in the forehead.

“Count It” blends birdsong with gooey, thick bass and Jordan telling her lover, “If you ever leave, I might be lonely, but if you ever leave, I won’t be beggin’.” She’ll make it without you, me, or anyone else. The opening beats and synths of “Already” would fit perfectly onto a Thievery Corporation record, and Jordan says, “Yeah, I’m good to go. Nothing personal.” after a break-up. Her ex has offered apologies and a good time, but it’s too late. She’s already moved onto better things (a dance floor being among them, judging from this song’s groove).

Jordan soon has “Nothing Left” to give her lover (apart from sharp synth-snare drums and brooding bass) after trying, again and again, to make their relationship work. She’s finally had enough and is leaving to replenish herself. “Lay” opens with Jordan leaving a message for someone to call her back before she sings about being worried about her lover being hurt whenever he leaves her sight due to her watching too much news and seeing what’s happening to black men across the country. “Your head’s always on a swivel. I like it better when it’s on my pillow…You’re safer with me when I’m watching you sleep,” she sings.

“This could be something, or nothing,” Jordan sings on “Something” – an agile track that has a bass line and beats that seem to move in multiple directions at once and Jordan wondering if her new beau is going to be “the one” or “the none,” so to speak. “Dancing Elephants” will have you bouncing next to them in the club. The thumps and bumps are undeniable, as are Jordan’s lyrics about wanting to keep dancing with her lover despite knowing the relationship isn’t going to last. They’re dancing around the elephant in the room. “This is all we know, this is how it goes,” she says. They’ll dance, things will seem better for a while, but that elephant will still be there in the morning. The closer, “Situation,” brings in a little bit of drum and bass music to go with Jordan’s falsetto and lyrics about realizing she’s fallen harder for her lover than she initially realized.

Jordan can not only blend musical styles well, she can also pen love songs that will make you swoon one moment and sit up straight the next. Play with the Changes is one of the best records of 2021 so far, and Jordan seems ready to be one of the Next Big Things – but part of me can’t help but wonder if she’d prefer to stay somewhat on the fringe (which is totally bad-ass).

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Sam at Pitch Perfect PR.]

Wings of Desire are “Better Late Than Never” with their new single.

Releasing debut EP End Of An Age back in February this year, the arcane Wings Of Desire have held a mirror up to the intensity of modern life, questioned our well-worn paths of existence, and asked the important questions on subjects of conformity and living in the present.

Drawing inspiration from visual arts and 20th century counterculture, Wings Of Desire confront themes of ignorance and identity to create shape-shifting soundscapes that cut deep, flitting between the dazed and euphoric, to the propulsive and emotional, through previous singles ‘001’, ‘Runnin’, ‘Be Here Now’, and ‘Chance Of A Lifetime’.

Today the two-piece share boundless new track ‘Better Late Than Never’ alongside a video. The visual was inspired by the early cinematic technique of Polyvision and the Mike Figgis film Timecode. The idea was to portray a multitude of days lived, and to reflect the various edges of our individual personalities through the mundane. It was shot on 8mm film and is meant to give the viewer a Rear Window insight into the human experience.

In the west, we are ingrained to think getting older is a bad thing.

In the east ageing is championed and seen as an opportunity to gain great insight and wisdom.

The song is about letting go and allowing time to take you on a grand journey of self discovery, and finding empowerment in all the life experience one has gained.

We need to find the transcendent in a world rooted in constant change and destruction. Otherwise we risk being washed ashore.

Watch the video for ‘Better Late Than Never’ HERE.

Keep your mind open.

[Better to subscribe late rather than never.]

[Thanks to Amy at Prescription PR.]

Booker Stardrum’s new album, “Crater,” due July 2nd. His new single, “Diorama,” is out now.

Today, percussionist and electronic producer Booker Stardrum announced his third album CRATER will release July 2 via NNA Tapes. Along with the announcement, Stardrum has shared “Diorama” — a texturally rich and rhythmically dense sound sculpture.

CRATER is the sum of countless dynamic, highly active, moving components. Not just percussive phrases, but melodies, textures, sound, noise, and the cracks and crevices of vacant space between these bodies. Stardrum’s creative approach is a multi-tiered process — ideas discovered during improvisation feed into live performances, which then fuel compositional concepts, cycling back and forth until the final arrangements emerge.

As with the majority of Stardrum’s works, percussion is the epicenter, the nucleus from which all else grows. But the music splinters off and transforms from there, growing and evolving into the distinctive final form that is Stardrum’s solo work. Melody plays a prominent role as well, but it’s journey feels dictated and influenced by the unpredictability and spontaneous, human fluidity of the percussive action.

Another important piece of Stardrum’s process is collaboration. Both inspiration and sounds were provided in varying capacities by Stardrum’s musical peers and close friends, whether they performed in-studio, or provided the artist with source material to then be sampled and processed into the structure of the tracks. The foundation of CRATER was recorded in-studio with long-time collaborative partner John Dieterich (Deerhoof), who also handled the final mixes and mastering. These recordings were then further dissected by Stardrum in a solitary headspace through digital editing processes, eventually revealing the nine individual pieces that make up the album.

A sustained tension carries the listener from track to track, which plays out like a narrative structure using a purely sonic language. The result is an overall sound that feels expansive and immersive, where the listener can truly feel held and embraced inside the music that Stardrum has created. Through deep listening, one can feel contained in this sound world, with enough dimensionality inside to move around freely and explore one’s surroundings.

Read the full bio and pre-order CRATER from NNA Tapes here.

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to NNA Tapes and Cody at Clandestine Label Services.]

Anika returns with first new music in eight years.

Anika – the project of Berlin-based musician Annika Henderson who is also a founding member of Exploded View – announces signing to Sacred Bones and returns with a new single/video, “Finger Pies.” Released in collaboration with Invada Records, this is Anika’s first new piece of music in 8 years, following her 2010 cult-favorite Anika, and the 2013 Anika EP. “Finger Pies” presents Anika’s alluring voice, which switches between singing and speaking over bass, waning brass, drums, and blares of synth. The accompanying video was co-directed by Anika with Sven Gutjahr (who has worked with Versace and Holly Herndon). The two had lived in the same apartment building in Neuköln, Berlin, during 2017 yet never met. Fate, and a bunch of people around a table 3,965 miles away brought them together for the video. It shows Anika effortlessly contemplating her adopted city with a cinematic coolness.

Anika elaborates: “A song that never had a name, like an artist that never had a face. Caught between roles, a jack of all trades, she slips between your fingers like a moment that never was, or was it? So many faces tailored to a myriad of occasions. Walls built between ourselves and the outside world. For protection. Passes grant access to another level. So where are you at? Those with all the keys, please remember, access comes with responsibility. Yet responsibility has been lost, like tissue paper in the rain, a battle without rules, to save face, exploit weakness, to save getting slayed, by the faceless generation. Welcome to the world of ‘Finger Pies.’”

When asked to describe the circumstances that influenced her beautifully fraught new work, Anika quickly articulates a set of feelings and unpredictable circumstances that are familiar to anyone who tried to make art—or simply tried to live through—the recent global pandemic. “It’s a moment caught in time,” she says.

“Finger Pies” is the first of more new music from Anika this year.

Watch “Finger Pies” Video

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Patrick at Pitch Perfect PR.]

Museum of Love release 12″ remix EP.

Last month, Museum Of Love – the New York-based duo of Pat Mahoney and Dennis McNany – returned with “Cluttered World.” Today, they share its remix by Parrot and Cocker Too alongside remixes of “Marching Orders” by Justin Van Der Volgen. The 12” will be released on May 21st and is available to preorder now.

Parrot and Cocker Too are Sheffield music legends Richard Barratt (aka Crooked Man, aka DJ Parrot, one half of Sweet Exorcist) and Jarvis Cocker, who needs no introduction. Parrot and Cocker Too reimagine the claustrophobic subterranean stomp of “Cluttered World” by leading it past velvet drapes and down into the basement of a club, molding it into a futuristic torch song in the process.

Justin Van Der Volgen is a Brooklyn-based producer and DJ who runs the My Rules label. His new mixes of “Marching Orders” stretch out all the elements of the ultra-rhythmic original into a clattering, irritable whistling-led street party dub.

Listen to “Cluttered World / Marching Orders (Remix)” EP

Pat Mahoney, founder and drummer of all-conquering NYC band LCD Soundsystem, and McNany, known for his production work as Jee Day, formed Museum Of Love in 2013 and released their lauded self-titled debut the following year. Their new album, Life Of Mammals, is out July 9th on Skint Records.

“Cluttered World / Marching Orders (Remix)” EP Tracklist
1. Cluttered World (Parrot & Crocker Too Remix)
2. Marching Orders (Justin Van Der Volgen Dub)
3. Marching Orders (Justin Van Der Volgen Remix)

Watch “Cluttered World” Video

Stream “Cluttered World”

Pre-order Life Of Mammals

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Ahmad at Pitch Perfect PR.]

Evolfo release “Give Me Time” ahead of full album due June 18th.

Brooklyn, NY psych rock septet Evolfo today shared their new single “Give Me Time” from their sophomore full-length, Site Out Of Mind, releasing June 18 via Royal Potato Family. The track arrives alongside an El Oms-directed music video which premiered today via FLOOD Magazine.

Expanding on the usual psych rock cocktail of phasers, fuzz, and echo, Evolfo blends in an array of less typical tones and textures such as soaring synths, mandolins, and ominous horns. “When I received the song I immediately liked it”, says the video director & animator Omar “El Oms” Juarez. “I love the way the guitar sounds so melodic. It’s like it’s telling you that summer is around the corner. I love the epic ending and how heavy it sounds. Around the same time I heard the song, I was rewatching the 1952 Mexican movie Los Olvidados. It’s a story about young kids facing everyday struggles with life. The verse that stood out to me was ‘no ones come to rescue me.’ I immediately thought of Los Olvidados and came up with the video concept. I presented it to Evolfo and we started to brainstorm on how we wanted the audience to go on this psychedelic and emotional ride.”

If the Brooklyn-based psych rockers felt pressured to repeat the successes of their 2017 album Last of the Acid Cowboys they certainly didn’t show it. One might think a band that racked up 6 million plus streams on their debut record would try to recreate this by doing more of the same. But Evolfo step confidently forward into fresh sounds and more vivid conceptual subject matter. They have flipped the world of their 2017 debut Last of the Acid Cowboys on its head, departing the earth bound adventures in melting landscapes, rat cities, and desert sojourns for metaphysical territory and the mountains of the mind. “We’re always going to be in a state of flux,” says Gibbs, who formed the group a decade ago, “I consider this to be an exciting, positive thing. We have to embrace our own change.” On their brand new album Site Out of Mind, Evolfo reaches far beyond the confines of genre to create a colorful echo drenched psych rock dream all their own. Adorned with a mind bending cover by visual artist Robert Beatty, the result is a collection of songs that are unexpected, absorbing, and blissfully tripped out.

Partially inspired by concepts pulled from sci-fiction and one group psychedelic drug trip, Site Out of Mind is a thrilling spiral into the depths of the spiritual mind and the afterlife. Lyrically, Gibbs says, it could be interpreted as a continuation of the loose concept that Evolfo’s previous album hinted at. “If the protagonist of that album died at the end of Last of the Acid Cowboys,” says Gibbs, “then this was the protagonist’s internal journey, flipping the landscape, and going through the mountain of their mind in that moment of mortality; perhaps a blurring of brain activity between dying and death, between life and the afterlife.”

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Cody at Clandestine PR.]

Review: Mötorhead – Louder Than Noise…Live in Berlin

Recorded on December 05, 2012 in front of an audience of about 12,000 fans, Mötorhead‘s Louder Than Noise…Live in Berlin is a good record of the band’s power and ferocity. The trio of Phil Campbell (guitar), Mikkey Dee (drums), and Ian “Lemmy” Kilmister (bass and vocals) was the longest-running Mötorhead lineup, and their locked-in energy is palpable throughout the show.

The show begins with Kilmister yelling, “Guten abend! How you doin’? All right? We are Mötorhead…Phillip, if you would be so kind?” in his signature bourbon-and-cigarettes-laced voice before they rip into the snarky “I Know How to Die.” “Damage Case” swings with a bluesy groove that is made dangerous by Kilmister’s growls and Campbell’s rock riffs. It rolls right into “Stay Clean” thanks to Dee’s relentless yet effortless drum fills.

They give the crowd and the listener a brief break before rolling out “Metropolis,” which starts like a stoner metal track and then two sharp snare cracks from Dee turn it into a fuzzy rocker. Kilmister dedicates “Over the Top” to Campbell, probably because Campbell shreds for almost three minutes straight on it. “Doctor Rock” is just as fun and fast and furious as you hope it will be. Campbell plays a nice two-minute solo (“String Theory”) and then his bandmates join him in the classic “The Chase Is Better Than the Catch.”

“Rock It” comes after the band takes a quick drink of…something, and then it rolls into the wicked, dark blues cut “You Better Run,” which I’m sure had the mosh pit amped up even more than it was at the start of the show. “The One to Sing the Blues” has some of Dee’s most ferocious drumming, including a tremendous solo. The whole track sounds like Mötorhead are daring any challengers to their throne of skulls.

“Now, then, this is a rock and roll song,” Kilmister says before they launch into the swinging, blazing “Going to Brazil” (as if all the other songs aren’t). “Killed by Death” brings plenty of fuzz and power to warm you up (if you’re not already sweating) for, of course, “Ace of Spades” to close the main set. “Remember? We’re deaf!” Kilmister yells to the audience after the song ends. I’m sure the whole audience was, too. “Overkill” is the crazy, wild finale, with Dee going for broke and Campbell and Kilmister doing their best to blow the back of the joint.

It’s a fun recording, and I wish I could’ve seen them live before Kilmister left for the giant after-party in the sky. This is a good substitute, however.

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Maria at Adrenaline PR.]

Rewind Review: The D4 – 6Twenty (2003)

Coming in hot and heavy and all the way from New Zealand, The D4 are like a Down Under MC5 (who also are probably the inspiration for the band’s name). Their album, 6Twenty, is full of crunchy guitar riffs, thunderous drums, and horny, wailing vocals.

Take opening track, “Rock ‘n’ Roll Motherfucker,” for example. It bursts through the window like John Shaft swinging into the room with a machine gun and proceeds to lay waste to everything around it. Dion Palmer (AKA Dion Lunadon) and Jimmy Christmas unleash killer vocals and guitars throughout it – and every other track for that matter. “Get Loose” has Christmas craving for action while Daniel “Beaver” Pooley hammers out a snappy beat full of Keith Moon-like fills. He also gets the party started on “Party,” and soon Vaughn Williams is joining him with a wild bass line that inspires you to go nuts. The MC5 influence is clear here, especially in Christmas’ vocal styling.

“Come On!” yanks you out of your chair and tosses you into the crowd to either get sweaty or get the hell out of the way. Their cover of Guitar Wolf‘s “Invader Ace” is a lights-out rocker. Williams and Pooley barely give you time to breathe, and then the guitar solo comes in to clothesline you over the top rope. “Exit to the City” is the slowest track on the record, and I lightly use that term. It’s a swaggering bit of cock rock with cool phaser effects and another sizzling guitar solo.

“Heartbreaker” has Christmas yelling about losing a lover while the rest of the band gives him moral support by flattening any walls around him. “Running on Empty” isn’t a Jackson Browne cover (which would’ve been amazing), but rather a fun garage rock track that has a rock-solid rhythm from Williams and Pooley. “Ladies Man” has the confidence of the Tim Meadows‘ Saturday Night Live and film character, and great organ work from guest Cameron Rowe. Their cover of Johnny Thunders‘ “Pirate Love” is a great tribute to him (and The New York Dolls).

“Little Baby” screams right on by you like a runaway armored truck, “Rebekah” has an undeniable rock groove that catches your attention no matter what you’re doing, their cover of Scavengers‘ “Mysterex” is an ode to “nine to fivers” and “soul survivors.” The album closes with “Outta Blues,” in which Christmas sings, “I’m outta blues, but I’m okay,” making us wonder which part of that statement is correct (and all of the instruments are right-on throughout it).

It’s a great debut record of rock sizzlers beginning to end.

Keep your mind open.

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A Place to Bury Strangers announces new lineup, new tour, new EP, and new single.

Brooklyn’s A Place To Bury Strangers announces their new EP, Hologram, out July 16th on founding member Oliver Ackermann’s label Dedstrange, and presents a new single/video, “End Of The Night.” Hologram is the anticipated follow-up to 2018‘s Pinned and will be capped by a world tour in early 2022. In 2003, A Place To Bury Strangers emerged on the scene out of Ackermann’s psychotropic vision. Often cited as “the loudest band in New York,” A Place To Bury Strangers is known for their vicious live performances overloaded with all-consuming visuals, experimental sonic warfare, and treacherous stage antics. 2021 welcomes a lineup change. Ackermann is joined by new members John Fedowitz (bass) and Sandra Fedowitz (drums) of Ceremony East Coast, cementing the most sensational version of the band to date. John and Oliver were childhood friends who had played in the legendary underground shoegaze band Skywave, crafting futuristic punk music together. This next phase is a sonic return to the band’s most raw and unhinged endeavors, pushed even further into a new chaotically apocalyptic incarnation.

Lead single “End Of The Night” buzzes with percussion and murky noise and synth, as reflected in the disorienting self-directed video. Oliver Ackermann elborates: “‘End Of The Night’ is the first written in collaboration with either of the new band members. John sent me the drum track and challenged me to write a song over it. It sort of came about as a strange stream of consciousness and unknowingly became about the end of the former band and the beginning of the new one. Each layer of the song stripping away the dead skin from the old and regrowing layer and layer of distortion of the new band. It’s great to be working again with John Fedowitz. I feel like our songwriting styles shot off in different directions from our earlier band Skywave only to come back to the table with different experiences to create something special again.”

A Place To Bury Strangers will host a screening of the Dedstrange SXSW Showcase this Friday, April 23rd at 7PM Eastern Time via the label’s Facebook and YouTube. It’s the first performance featuring the band’s new lineup, and other artists performing include Holy F–k, Randy Randall (No Age), Paul Jacobs (Pottery), Data Animal and Jealous.

Watch “End Of The Night” Video

Pre-order Hologram EP

Hologram EP Tracklist
1. End Of The Night
2. I Might Have
3. Playing The Part
4. In My Hive
5. I Need You A Place To Bury Strangers 2022 Tour Dates:
Wed. March 9 – Hamburg, DE @ Hafenklang
Thu. March 10 – Dresden, DE @ Beatpol
Fri. March 11 – Warsaw, PL @ Klub Poglos
Sat. March 12 – Prague, CZ @ Futurum
Sun. March 13 – Bratislava, SK @ Randal Club
Mon. March 14 – Budapest, HU @ Durer Kert
Wed. March 16 – Bucharest, RO @ Control Club
Thu. March 17 – Sofia, BG @ Mixtape5Fri. March 18 – Thessaloniki, GR @ Eightball
Sat. March 19 – Athens, GR @ Temple
Mon. March 21 – Skopje, MK @ 25th of May Hall
Tue. March 22 – Belgrade, RS @ Club Drugstore
Thu. March 24 – Zagreb, HR @ Mochvara
Fri. March 25 – Bologna, IT @ Freakout Club
Sat. March 26 – Rome, IT @ Largo
Sun. March 27 – Milan, IT @ Legend Club
Tue. March 29 – Zurich, CH @ Bogen F
Wed. March 30 – Munich, DE @ Backstage
Thu. March 31 – Martigny, CH @ Caves Du Memoir
Fri. April 1 – Paris, FR @ La TrabendoSat. April 2 – London, UK @ Lafayette
Mon. April 4 – Antwerp, BE @ Kayka
Tue. April 5 – Munster, DE @ Gleis 22
Wed. April 6 – Amsterdam, NL @ Melkweg
Thu. April 7 – Groningen, NL @ Vera
Sat. April 9 – Stockholm, SE @ Hus 7
Sun. April 10 – Oslo, NO @ John Dee
Mon. April 11 – Copenhagen, DK @ Pumpehuset
Tue. April 12 – Berlin, DE @ Hole 44
Wed. April 13 – Cologne, DE @ MTC

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Patrick at Pitch Perfect PR.]

Review: Brown Acid – The 12th Trip

RidingEasy Records is back with another round of obscure, rare stoner rock, metal, and psychedelia on Brown Acid: The Twelfth Trip. This one brings you ten tunes that stretch from Hawaii to Belgium in terms of their places of origin.

First up is the fuzz-filled “Mother Samwell” by Louisville, Kentucy’s The Water. It’s like T. Rex meets The Guess Who and 1969 southern rock. It fades out far too soon and makes you wish The Water had stuck around after 1972. Hamilton, Ontario’s Village S.T.O.P. brings us the trippy, melting, fuzzy freak-out “Vibrations.” The drums sound like they were recorded in another room with walls of chicken wire and mud, and I mean that in the best way possible.

The bass on White Lightning‘s (hailing from Minneapolis) “1930” is so fat you could stick it on a Parliament track. Shane drops the funky, yet heavy “Woman (Don’t You Go)” from the San Francisco Bay area in 1968…and nothing else. They broke up not long after releasing the track, which is a shame because it sounds like they could’ve been a pretty successful psych-funk band.

Dallas’ Ace Song Service unleashes a hefty Hammond B3 organ on “Persuasion,” and combines it with a sizzling guitar solo. Opus Est is the Belgian band on the record, and their heady song “Bed” is about sex and, apparently, and drugs and rock and roll (Go figure.). The aforementioned Hawaiian band is The Mopptops, who are described in the liner notes as “the Blues Magoos meets Iron Butterfly.” I don’t think I can sum it up better than that (or that wild guitar solo!).

Do you need more cowbell? Youngstown, Ohio’s Artist gives you plenty of it (and plenty of mega-riffs) on “Every Lady Does It.” “Comin’ Home” by Carthage, Missouri’s Stagefright is akin to a MC5 track with its wild drumming, fuzzy vocals, and heavy guitar and bass. The closing track is the wonderfully bizarre, ultra-rare “Don’t Talk About My Music” by Dickens – a band made up of members of and roadies for NRBQ who barely knew how to play the instruments they jam with and recorded in an impromptu session after Jim Nabors cancelled some studio time. The result is a trippy, fun jam of which only fifty or so known copies are in existence. It’s a great treat to end a wild anthology.

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Dave at US / THEM Group.]