I wasn’t sure I’d ever get to see The The live. The band’s leader, frontman, and songwriter, Matt Johnson, had seemingly retired many years ago to make film scores and write other non-musical projects. Then, in 2018, he did a reunion tour through the United Kingdom. I thought that would’ve been great to see (and video recordings of the shows bear me out), but guessed that my only chance was gone.
Then he released Ensoulment, his first new album in almost thirty years and announced a world tour that was stopping in Chicago. I signed up for pre-sale tickets and snagged a pair as soon as possible. My friend, Brian, and I went, both of us having been fans since 1986’s Infected album.
There was no opening band. The The played two sets. The first was Ensoulment in its entirety, and this was the first time I’d heard more than the first three singles from it. The first half is almost a jazz album, and Johnson’s sharp lyrics and jabs at the political establishment (i.e., “Kissing the Ring of the POTUS”) on both sides of the pond still hit like a gold medal fencer.
Following a 15-minute intermission, the band came back out for a “time traveler’s set” of material from their previous albums, opening with a slightly stripped-down, but no less funky version of “Infected.” “Armageddon Days Are Here (Again)” and “Heartland” were big hits with the crowd. “Love Is Stronger Than Death” was a beautiful addition to the set, and Johnson declared “This Is the Day” as a song of hope that was just as important now as when he wrote it decades earlier.
All of his songs still resonate. “Lonely Planet” prompted a “Fuck yeah!” shout from a guy a couple rows ahead of us when Johnson announced it to close the second set. The encore was two songs from Soul Mining, which had been released forty-one years prior (“I wasn’t even born then,” Johnson said.). “Uncertain Smile” and “Giant” rounded out the show, leaving a lot of people happy and buzzing. The whole crowd was in the same boat as Brian and I. We all thought we might not get to hear these songs live, and were all thankful that it happened.
What do you do when you’re an attorney who doesn’t have much to do during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown? If you’re Douglas Richards, you go back to doing what you did before you became an attorney – being a rave DJ and making the Project 85 EP.
The first track, “Everyone Has Their Own Reasons,” is a tale of one of Richards’ friends experimenting with DMT, using his friend’s own telling of the tale for the vocals and stacking them with hot 303 beats and bouncing bass.
“I’m Here for You,” using more of the same conversation for more vocals, becomes a robotic techno ripper that bumps and thumps in all the right places. “I Move with Intention” has some retro vibes, sounding not unlike an early 1980s disco cut that you’ve been digging in crates to find for the last thirty years.
Richards is about to blow the doors off dance clubs across the world if he keeps up with stuff like this. Don’t miss out.
Hailing from Lisbon, Portugal, the trio of Maquina combine krautrock, electro, industrial, and shoegaze on their first full-length album, Prata. Trust me, it all works quite well.
Opener “Body Control” unleashes groovy fuzz bass to get your hips moving and then bonks you on the head with hard-edged synths, guitars, and howls. “Denial” has a spooky edge to it (and is a song about turmoil, after all), and there’s still time to put it on your Halloween playlist, so why not?
The beat and pulse of “Subversive” are infectious and will probably cause you to stomp the gas pedal if you listen to it while driving. “Kontakte” (“Contact”) has this weird, almost unsettling bounce to it that might be the throbbing of a UFO engine as it approaches you on a dark night…only to reveal a goth dance club inside it run by sexy aliens.
The opening bass of “Desterro” (“Exile”) brings to mind some of the same energy label mates A Place to Bury Strangers often unleash. Ending with “Concentrate,” Prata comes to a close with chugging drums and growling, simmering danger. It’s like a snake slithering across the room at you…and the snake is an android…and it’s programmed to lead you onto a monorail in the Lisbon of 2099.
There isn’t a bad track on this album, and it makes you want to catch them live. I’m sure it’s a wild experience…just like Prata.
Classical Indian music mixed with synth-wave? I’m there all day.
Shawn Mativesky, otherwise known as Temporal Waves, has released his debut self-titled album and it’s a wild mix of those two genres. I don’t know how he does it, but he blends tabla so well with analog synths and drum machines that you’re often not sure where one ends and the other begins.
He also gives any of the tracks on the album ample time to breathe. The opener, “I Remember,” is over six minutes long. It’s a beautiful track that puts you in a different headspace. The whole album does, really. It puts you into a trance one moment, and then sends you rushing to the dance floor the next.
There are four subtle “Interludes” on the album, each one setting the table for the next track, such as “Interlude I – Skyline” being a hazy lead-in to near-creepy “Sprawl Twilight.” “Interlude II – Scorched” is a perfect opening for the next track, “Eclipse of an Urban Dystopia,” just from the titles alone, but the dark, John Carpenter-like tones of both are a good pair.
You could put “Interlude III – Tomorrow Machine” on a horror / sci-fi film soundtrack and “Cortical Network Oscillations” could be the sound of an alien transmission. The build-up of “Cyclotron” is a cool opening to what sounds like a forgotten 1970s TV show theme. “Water Temple” drifts along for the first half and then drops deep synth-bass on you in the second. “Luminous Objects” might be the loveliest song on the album. It seems to make you float.
Mativesky’s hands and fingers are moving so fast on this tabla on “Data Cassette Sunrise” that you’re often taken out of whatever you’re doing while listening to it to think, “Holy cow…Does he have three hands?” I love how he adds apparent vintage video game sounds on “Awakening.” They blend in perfect with the raga-like hypnotic effects of his playing.
“Warmth of the Winter Sun” is loaded with heavy bass, bright synths, and wicked beats that are positively uplifting before the wind-down of “Postlude” to send us away with new energy.
It was the second of two sold-out shows for Osees in what’s become an annual autumn tradition at Chicago’s Thalia Hall. The crowd was buzzing at the outset, and everyone knew a good, wild time was coming.
The party started with Iguana Death Cult, all the way from The Netherlands. I hadn’t heard of them until this night, and at first wasn’t sure what to make of them. Were they pun, funk, post-punk, post-funk, post-psych, pre-psych? I’m still not sure if I know, but I do know that they were a lot of fun, the songs were wild, and each one was better than the last.
The crowd was behind them all the way, and had a fun mosh pit going by the end of their set. I chatted with their lead singer, Jeron Reek of them after the show, and he told me they’d played South by Southwest twice, and other clubs and events a ross the U.S. a few times, “but this was the best.”
Osees came out to a happy crowd and soon got underway with a no-frills, no muss, no fuss set of wild garage-psych that began with “I Come from the Mountain” and barely let up to give the mosh pit time to catch a breath.
No backdrop, no projections…just simple lights and heavy shredding.
As always, the band had enough energy to power a Formula 1 race car through 500 laps with double drummers Paul Quattrone and Dan Rincon leading the charge. “A Foul Form,” “Toe Cutter – Thumb Buster,” and “Animated Violence” had the front half of the crowd in a wild frenzy.
Lead singer and guitarist John Dwyer announced “Tidal Wave” as “an old one,” but everyone reacted like it was a brand new gift. He introduced “The Dream” as “Here’s a new one that nobody likes,” and the crowd proceeded to go bonkers.
“Warm Slime” was a great addition, and the night ended with two long psychedelic tracks, “C” and “Minotaur.” I love Osees’ longer psych-rock cuts, so I was digging it. I must, as always, give mention to Tom Dolas on keyboards and Tim Hellman on bass, who always keep the whole band grounded. Dolas is like a magician in the background putting in tones and sounds that would make the songs feel weird without them, and Hellman is one of the sturdiest bass workhorses in all rock music. That guy is solid all the time and never stumbles.
Both bands will be performing at Levitation Music Festival, with Osees doing a four-night residency at Hotel Vegas no less. Don’t miss either of them.
The first time I saw Slift was at the Levitation Music Festivalin 2022. It was the last show of their U.S. tour, in a small venue, and they held back nothing. It was as if they blasted every drop of rocket fuel they had.
Now I was seeing them in an even smaller venue and with Meatbodies, no less, opening for them.
I’d been keen on seeing Meatbodies since I heard their newest album, Flora Ocean Tiger Bloom. Their live sets are as good as the record – trippy, heavy, and loud. It was a solid set, and the sold-out crowd loved it. The sound quality of their set was top-notch, too.
Slift was in full cosmic-psych mode to the point where they were selling posters at their merch table featuring schematics of the spaceship seen in the videos for their newest album, Ilion.
One thing you need to know about seeing Slift live is that every song sounds like a finale. They pack so much power and energy into their songs that you keep thinking, “It’s going to be tough to match that one,” and then they do it – every time.
They played a wall-shaking set of new and older material that had the whole place buzzing. The galactic nature of their lyrics and sound, and the near relentlessness of it almost becomes an out-of-body experience.
Don’t miss either of these bands. They’re touring all over the place, and will both be at Levitation Music Festival soon.
Keep your mind open.
[Don’t forget to subscribe before you go!]
[Thanks to Kate at Stereo Sanctity, Frank and Bekah at SubPop, and Slift for the press pass!]
The brief bio on Haute-de-France’s Goodbye Meteor‘s Bandcamp page lists their sound as “immersive and solar post-rock” that’s created for “opening the way for harmony between humans and nature.”
I’m glad they included this, because I was unsure of how to describe their newest album, We Could Have Been Radiant. I knew it wasn’t quite shoegaze, ambient, or psychedelic. It was somehow all three, and yet none of those.
The theme of the album is humanity’s search for something more, and often being disappointed when we find “it” because we realize we had “it” all along here in the present moment.
Opening with “This Is Not Here,” the quartet unleashes soaring guitar sounds that would be appropriate for hang gliding through a mountain range. It awakens you and reminds you that what you think is important right now is probably not that at all. “No Signal” implies the worst nightmare of many in this age of internet addiction and dependence, but the snappy drums and expansive guitar sounds makes you think having no cellphone or computer for a while would be the greatest thing you’ve experienced in a long time.
“Destructuration” builds from a drift through space to flying through a heavy meteor shower by the end. “What Are We Here For?” is the longest track on the album, clocking in just over twelve minutes, and it uses the time to make you sit back and think on things as it creates a sound around you that brings to mind images of spotting a far shore after days lost at sea or the sun finally breaking over the horizon after a seemingly endless night in the dark.
The title track is full of power and also subtlety. It shifts your perspective rather than blow your mind. The album ends with “Phosphenes,” a short track to uplift you on a high note as you consider what’s happening right here and right now.
Did I mention this album (apart from the final track) is instrumental? It’s good stuff, and best heard as one continuous experience. Check it out if you want to change how things appear.
Tomo Katsurada is a Japanese artist currently based in Amsterdam, best known as the founder and lead singer of the acclaimed psychedelic band Kikagaku Moyo. Having recently launched Future Days concept store and workshop in Amsterdam, today he announces the first Future Days release and first chapter in his journey as a solo artist.
‘Dream of The Egg’ is set for release on November 15th and sees Katsurada collaborate with Japanese visual artist Shoko Otake, marking the beginning of an ambitious project—a long-held dream of creating soundtracks for picture books. This record is the first in a series of five, each dedicated to a unique picture book, where Tomo aims to push the boundaries of physical media by merging music with visual storytelling.
Inspired by the Japanese 1920s children’s book “Yume No Tamago (Dream of the Egg)”, it reveals a deeply personal journey, reflecting Tomo’s dreams and the numerous rebirths experienced in 2024—a year marked by profound new beginnings in every facet of his life.
The creation of this EP was driven by a passion for raw and immediate expression. Every song was crafted and recorded with only the materials available to him at the time, embracing an organic and handmade atmosphere. By eschewing rhythm clicks and standard instrumental tunings, a spontaneous sound emerged, capturing the essence of both uncertainty and immediacy. Adding to this distinctive sonic landscape, guest musician Jonny Nash (UK) contributed ethereal guitar sounds on the first and final tracks, enriching the record’s dream-like quality.
Today he shares a first track from the release, “Zen Bungalow” a cover of Gabriel Yared‘s “Bungalow Zen” from the soundtrack of the film “Betty Blue 37°2 Le Matin”. This particular track is his partner’s favourite song to listen to every morning and left a profound impression on him. One day, he heard a song in his dream that combined both of these tracks and loved how they blended together. This experience inspired him to create a new arrangement, “Zen Bungalow,” which has become a central piece of the ‘Dream of the Egg’ release.
Throughout the record’s 20 minute narrative a variety of instruments come into play, drifting between notes and embracing the beauty of imperfection. By incorporating free-form sounds in a highly technological age, the record aims to reconnect listeners with the tangible, human-made quality of sound.
Future Days Shop: ‘Dream of the Egg’ is the first musical release from Future Days Shop, a concept store and workshop space founded in 2024 by textile artist Eloïse Ptito and musician Tomo Katsurada. Located in Amsterdam, Future Days Shop is dedicated to clothing, art, and music, with a mission to unite people through the power of color, craft, and sound. The store curates unique items that embody a sense of future-forward creativity.
The Picture Book: Complementing the music is a beautifully-designed picture book illustrated by the acclaimed Japanese artist Shoko Otake. Printed by Amsterdam’s esteemed bookstore Terry Bleu, this 20-page book will feature captivating visual artwork and storytelling that enhances the musical experience.
• 500 copies • A 20-page picture book illustrated by Shoko Otake • 2 x 7-inch vinyl records • A manual-play flexidisc
Today Finom released a live version of their song “Hungry,” the first in a series of live recordings the band will put out ahead of a busy touring schedule stretching into 2025. This will include upcoming headline shows through the US with support from Moontype and Meg Elsier, and a hometown date at Metro in Chicago with Cabeza De Chivo and Mary Williamson.
You never know what is going to happen when you take a freshly cut album and bring it over to the live space. Almost as soon as Finom started performing their new album Not God—released this past May—“Hungry” emerged as the climax of their new show. “Every time we’ve played it it feels like we’re letting steam out from the chaotic blister of the last five years,” write Macie Stewart and Sima Cunningham, founding members of Finom. Since the band has transformed into a quartet (with V.V. Lightbody holding down the bass) Stewart and Cunningham now have the ability to turn back towards each other and flex what was the original impulse for this project 10 years ago–fearlessly freaking out on electric guitar together. Spencer Tweedy’s drumming is driving and constant. He is the keeper of the ceiling, slowly raising them all up and letting it smash right at the perfect moment.
“Hungry (Live)” was recorded in May 2024 at the Sultan Room in Brooklyn and is limited to 150 white lathe-cut vinyls, lovingly handcrafted at Joyful Noise HQ. You can find it on the merch table at the “‘Not God’ tour ’24.”
Today, Colombian artist Ela Minus announces her new album, DIA, out January 17, 2025 via Domino, and presents its new single/video “BROKEN.” Following her charged 2020 debut, acts of rebellion, Ela’s second album is a rarified feat in electronic music, where cutting-edge production and space-shuddering sonics meet a burgeoning singer-songwriter’s real sense of self-reflection and private reckoning. Where acts of rebellion, a “breathtaking techno-pop debut” (Remezcla), felt intentionally small, as if pounding inside the club with late-night reverie, DIA is both introspective and expansive, the wide sweep of its songs revealing more of Ela as person and producer than ever before.
After three years of toting snippets of songs around her native Colombia, her briefly adopted Mexico, and her series of rented apartments and hotel rooms across North America and Europe, Ela thought DIA was finally complete. And then, she thought back to acts of rebellion and recognized her lyrics hadn’t been honest enough. They’d exposed her surface and not herself. This time, she wanted to go deeper.
She began by changing the setting—an outpost in California’s Mojave Desert, a month-long hotel and small studio stay in Los Angeles, forays back to New York, a Puget Sound-side vista near Seattle, Mexico City, and finally London, all places where time seemed to move at different speeds, not only inspiring the music to move with wide dynamic swings but also prompting her to consider what she had to play and say about her life so far. Late one night while working from a rented cabin in the mountains of Mexico, she stumbled upon a chord progression that she knew would launch the record. This is a long, luxuriant tone that rises above static snippets and squelchy sequences at the start of DIA opener “ABRIR MONTE.” Ela comments, “‘ABRIR MONTE’ is a phrase commonly used where I’m from, referring to the act of opening paths through dense foliage. I’ve always loved the poetry of it. That is what making this record felt like, opening new paths inward and outward, continuing to delve further through unexplored territory.
Just as it does on record, today’s new single, “BROKEN,” soon unspooled from that same tone. With luminous synthesizers and intersecting layers of restless detail, it eventually opens into a four-on-the-floor insistence belying an anthem about admitting to suffering and then enduring it. Ela comments, “I started writing this thinking I was perfectly fine and finished writing knowing I was not.” “BROKEN” follows the previously released single, “COMBAT,” DIA’s immersive and gorgeous closer about not giving up, of building it back, which is just what Ela set out to do when writing DIA.
DIA is a record about becoming, from a process that entailed self-discovery at a deliberate pace to songs that seem to collectively ask where we go from here, long after we’ve been broken but long before we intend to be broken forever. Throughout the 10 songs, mixed by Marta Salogni and mastered by Heba Kadry, the same team behind acts of rebellion, Ela seems to saddle a line between worlds of pop accessibility and experimental aplomb, her incandescent and catchy choruses always surrounded by meticulous and imaginative sonics. Opening the mountain, DIA marks the next phase of Ela Minus’ career and life without declaring where any of it may or must go.
In support of her album, Ela will be joining Caribou on their 2025 EU/UK Tour, and will support Floating Points at the annual ADE Amsterdam Dance Event at the iconic Melkweg venue. This follows recent performances at Four Tet’s All Dayer, Field Day, Sónar, MUTEK, and Brooklyn’s Knockdown Center. This fall, Synth Historyis also launching an ongoing and in depth docu-series on Ela’s story and music. Preview the first episode here. Ela recently launched www.forthebirds.xyz, a platform where fans can write to Ela, and she writes back, covering personal and technical topics or whatever approach grabs her interest.
