December 2024 – 7th Level Music

Roi Turbo blow up the dance floor with “Bazooka.”

Roi Turbo is the new project of South African-born, London-based electronic duo of brothers Benjamin & Conor McCarthy. Today, they release a new single, “Bazooka,” via Maison Records. Born out of their shared love for dance music from around the world, the brothers infuse a hybrid of African and Western influences from the ‘70s, ‘80s, and ‘90s. Today’s new single, “Bazooka,” packs an explosive punch with its catchy synth and guitar leads. Inspired by ‘80s South African Bubblegum disco, its cheeky bass line and bouncy piano are sure to shake up the dance floor. “Bazooka” follows the previously released single “Dystopia.”

Listen to “Bazooka”

Roi Turbo was formed in their home city of Cape Town in 2020. Ben came from an electronic background as a producer and DJ, and became a mainstay in the club circuit in and around their hometown. Conor, meanwhile, came from a band background, playing in alt-rock and alt-pop outfits. The two had always wanted to start a dance project together, dating back to when they were in high school. During COVID lockdown, the chance presented itself. The brothers moved back in together and wrote music with no real agenda, just the two of them with time on their hands, having fun writing music that felt the most natural to them. “We were listening to ‘70s and ‘80s African disco and funk records at the time, and the contrast between the synths and raw live elements of these records really inspired us,” say Ben & Conor, who are also quick to note the likes of Larry Levan, William Onyeabor, Air and Pino D’Angiò as musical inspiration. “Over the years we bought as many synths, drums, guitars and microphones as we could get our hands on and would experiment for weeks on end until we got the sound we were going for. This combination of analog gear has now become a staple in the Roi Turbo sound.”

They continue: “We wanted to create a project that encompassed all our niche tastes in music, fashion, automobiles and design, free of any pretentiousness, just quality music that gets you moving!”

Roi Turbo will perform at Electric Forest in Rothbury, Michigan next June, with more live dates to come.

Listen to “Dystopia”

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Sam at Pitch Perfect PR!]

Aesthetic Perfection release live version of “S E X” from 2023 Wembley Arena concert.

Daniel Graves, the Austrian-American industrial pop trailblazer, returned with his most ambitious project yet: the Bad Vibes EP (released October 11, 2024) This 3-song sensory assault delivers a disorienting punch of 90s nostalgia, where dial-up modems hum alongside samples of televangelists and infomercial hosts, all set against a backdrop of blistering guitars, guttural screams, and relentless mechanical rhythms. Anchored by Graves’ signature melodies and sharp pop sensibilities, the Bad Vibes EP is both a reflection on American culture during the Satanic Panic and a commentary on our present moment.

Wearing its influences proudly, the Bad Vibes EP evokes the raw energy of The Downward Spiral-era Nine Inch Nails and Marilyn Manson’s Portrait of an American Family while remaining undeniably Aesthetic Perfection. Mixed by the legendary Sean Beavan (Nine Inch Nails, Marilyn Manson, Guns N’ Roses) and featuring the searing guitars of Sebastian Svalland (PAIN, Lindemann, Letters from the Colony) with live drums by Mike Schopf (Cil City), this EP bridges the gap between past and future with unparalleled intensity.

Aesthetic Perfection recently wrapped up their Fall Goth Tour 2024 which had them headlining many special shows plus major arena performances supporting Rammstein’s Till Lindemann with special guests Twin Temple.

Aesthetic Perfection celebrated the kick off of the Fall Goth Tour by dropping “Into The Void“, the first single from the Bad Vibes EP which premiered at Revolver on September 13th.

Revolver writes “Sonically, it leans into a Nineties-era, retro-futuristic slam of crunch-dustrial guitar chordage, mechanically-manned marching rhythms, and mega-screams from bandleader Daniel Graves. Visually, the accompanying music video presents the creepiest aerobics routine imaginable. A flashy sweatsuit-sporting Graves saunters into the scene with a beer in hand, but he puts the bottle down to work those carbs off via a limbs-pumping, grin-widening exercise routine. As this goes on, we hear a bunch of found-footage samples about demonic possession.”

On October 4, 2024, Aesthetic Perfection premiered the industrial pop single “Self Inflicted” at Outburn. Daniel Graves says “Over the course of my life, I’ve come to realize that my own greatest enemy is… well… me. ‘Self Inflicted’ explores all the unhealthy coping mechanisms we develop to navigate life’s challenges. While we can’t control what happens to us, we can choose how we respond.”

The third single and title track “Bad Vibes” was released on October 11, along with the full EP, and the video, chock full of live and backstage footage from the Fall 2024 tour with Till Lindemann and Twin Temple, premiered at Metal Injection, who writes “If you’re looking for a solid, electronic-heavy banger with a retro-styled music video, you’re gonna love this.”

Aesthetic Perfection – S E X (Live at Wembley 2023)

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Maria at Adrenaline PR.]

Review: Karkara – All Is Dust

Back in the spring, when you were trying to choose which bar to get drunk in during spring break, or finally cleaning out your damn garage, or planning a garden that, let’s face it, you knew you wouldn’t properly care for anyway, three lads from Toulouse known as Karkara (Maxime Marouani – drums and vocals, Hugo Olive – bass and synths, and Karim Rihani – guitar and vocals) were releasing an album about a man in search of an imagined utopian city somewhere in the desolate wasteland of what was modern-day civilization. That album’s title sums up the themes of the concept album, and your planned garden and the crap in your garage — All Is Dust.

The King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard comparisons are valid, as the trio unleashes a lot of wild guitar work and beats in what sound like ever-changing time signatures and discuss heavy concepts of end times and spin wild sci-fi tales. Opening track “Monoliths” is a wallop as soon as the first chord. You’ll have no idea how three guys produce that much sound. They’d be a great double-bill with King Buffalo.

Olive’s bass on “The Chase” is outstanding and the song might cause you to drain your car’s gas tank from mashing the pedal to the floor and not letting up for the next seven minutes. Jérome Bievelot‘s guest saxophone solo on this is on par with Captain Beefheart psychedelic chaos.

“On Edge” hits with doom-heavy bass riffs and drum as the protagonist in Karkara’s story is almost to the point of madness in his quest to find paradise. Rihani’s guitar solo on it is the sound of a frantic mind trying to figure out what’s happening while also struggling to avoid a slip into paranoia. “Moonshiner” has nothing to do with racing across Kentucky hillsides with illegal hooch while revenue men are chasing you, but everything to do with mesmerizing guitar work and mind-altering sounds to help you drift to the moon if you wish.

“Anthropia” is the name of the mythical city our hero has sought, and now he’s finally catching sight of it on the horizon. The song becomes a passionate race to get there, avoiding dangers the whole time. When he does finally get there, however, he discovers the title track — a blaster of a track that summarizes the hero’s rage and then determination to build on what has been destroyed.

It’s a heavy record, both in concept and riffs, and one of the fiercest I’ve heard all year.

Keep your mind open.

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[Merci à Angéla à NRV Promotion.]

Review: Blushing – Sugarcoat

Need some great shoegaze that sounds like it was unearthed from a music studio that was shuttered in 1994? Look no further than Blushing‘s excellent new album, Sugarcoat.

It’s difficult to choose a favorite track on this album, as all of it hits all the right notes. “Tamagotchi” lays down surefire guitar riffs designed to hypnotize and impress. “Seafoam” has gorgeous vocals and deceptively heavy bass while guest guitarist Jeff Schroeder sheds on it. It’s over far too soon. The choppy guitars on “Slyce” become roaring beasts in the blink of an eye while the dual vocals of Christina Carmona and Michelle Soto spin around each other like dancing ghosts.

“Silver Teeth” pushes a message of hope (“You never lost the light at all.”) while the guitars and drums just crush you. The title track’s bass riff and smoky-sunbeam vocals are intoxicating. The drums on “Fizz” hit hard and seem designed to wake you up from whatever is distracting you.

“Say When” is a song about how time tends to get away from us, while “Pull You in Two” is a solid rocker with ballad touches that would fit right into your 1990s rock playlist. “Charms” ebbs and flows with soft dreampop riffs one moment and then hits you with a deluge of fuzz the next. The album ends with “Debt,” which sends us out feeling like something cool is around the next corner, no matter how blue the day has been.

Sugarcoat is sweet in the right spots, shiny in others, and seriously savage from time to time. Give it a spin.

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Jaycee at Pitch Perfect PR.]

Review: Dion Lunadon – Memory Burn

If you need a blast of frenetic garage rock, look no further than Dion Lunadon‘s newest EP, Memory Burn. Lunadon specializes in this kind of wild, near-panicked rock and roll that’s designed to make you stomp your boots or shake you out of them.

“Goodtimes”(a song about how too much of a good time usually becomes a bad time) starts with growling bass, then kicks in hammering drums, sand-blaster guitars, and fuzzy freak-out vocals. “New York” could’ve been a New York Dolls song in a previous life, and Lunadon’s love of that glam-garage band is evident throughout the track.

“Out in My World” practically throttles you from the first note as Lunadon claims that he’s “livin’ in a scam” while the guitars around him either sound like they’re on fire or being played with hand mixer. Lunadon rails about communication, or the lack thereof, on “Get Back to You,” which has some of the rowdiest riffs on the whole record.

Whereas that track might be the rowdiest, “Hollywood Blues” is the grimiest with Lunadon claiming “I lost my halo.” The EP closes with “Zenith Forever,” a raucous burner that barely leaves anything left behind when it’s over.

The whole EP is about fifteen minutes in length and feels like a high intensity aerobic workout by the time it’s done. It will burn your memory and calories.

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Dion Lunadon!]

Review: Aaron Frazer – Into the Blue

What do you do when you move across the country in search of something new and also ache for what you’re leaving? If you’re modern-day soul crooner Aaron Frazer, you play practically every instrument on a new record, Into the Blue, and sing about it. Frazer moved from Brooklyn to Los Angeles, and it’s difficult to determine by the album’s cover if he’s standing on an east coast beach and looking toward his future, or on a west coast beach and looking at his past.

“Thinking of You” starts the album, hinting that the cover image might be of the latter. “I’m still thinking of you,” he sings as lush string arrangements and (new for him) samples of R&B soul jams surround him. The spaghetti western guitar of the title track bounces around Frazer’s falsetto like a happy bee in a meadow.

The hip hop sampling and beats on “Fly Away” are another great, new touch for Frazer. “Payback” will get you on the dancefloor, and Frazer’s drumming on it is slick. “Dime” (“Tell Me”) with Cancamusa on guest Spanish vocals is super sexy. “Perfect Strangers” isn’t the theme to the TV show of the same name, but is a gospel-influenced love song.

“Time Will Tell” brings in disco elements as Frazer sings about possibly finding love in his new environment, and probably if he’s made the right choice to switch coasts. “I Don’t Wanna Stay” seems to indicate his choice was right, or at least the best option available at the time. The song is a great, slow soul jam with snappy drums and sultry backing vocals. “Play On” is another good soul tune, and “Easy to Love” is downright groovy.

“Sad boy, you loved and lost, but you keep trying,” Frazer sings on the closing track, “The Fool,” which incorporates jazz flute with its seduction-ready bass and cool lounge guitar into an ode to unrequited love and a song of hope. It’s a cool way to end the record, with encouragement to keep at it until love arrives.

Frazer has given us another soulful, slick, sexy record, and not many are doing music like this or as well as he is right night.

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Sam at Pitch Perfect PR.]

Review: Jake Xerxes Fussell – When I’m Called

I love that Jake Xerxes Fussell starts off his newest album, When I’m Called, with “Andy” – a tribute to Andy Warhol. Fussell’s simple guitar work and vocals (“You can tell Andy Warhol the ghost rider’s on his way.”) make the approach of a mysterious rider who probably brings death seem like the return of a welcome friend.

Fussell has long been a fan of traditional folk music, bluegrass, sea shanties, and field recordings of regional musicians across the country, putting his own spin on tracks that seem both new and ancient at the same time. I mean, “Cuckoo!” was originally written by the people who penned “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star,” and Fussell makes it sound like a modern-day folk track he just wrote.

“Leaving Here, Don’t Know Where I’m Going” is a song to which everyone can relate, which seems to be a special knack Fussell has with his singing and playing. “Feeling Day” could fit right into a mostly empty pub on a Sunday night (probably because it’s Fussell’s version of a field recording in Scotland from 1971). The title track is a wonderful track showcasing Fussell’s guitar work while Anna Jacobson‘s horns provide a soft, beautiful backdrop.

James Elkington‘s string arrangements on “One Morning in May” make the song feel like a happy bird drifting on a wind current. “Gone to Hilo” is a song of heartbreak with Robin Holcomb on backing vocals and continues a theme of travel (sometimes for pleasure, other times for necessity, and other times because it’s the only option left in an already bad situation) throughout the album.

“Who Killed Poor Robin?” is a tale of death in the animal kingdom, and an allegory of how we’re remembered after we’re gone. The album closes with its final traveling song – “Going to Georgia,” as Fussell sings about earning love and how difficult that can be when one is wounded.

The album’s cover features a young man riding on a horse while he looks back to what he’s leaving behind, so much so that his head is turned backwards. He’s leaving, but doesn’t want to leave. He doesn’t want to fully acknowledge that the only way is forward. We’re all traveling. Jake Xerxes Fussell reminds us that we’re all on the same road, really, moving toward “the stars in the sky,” as he sings in the final track. We just need to turn our heads around from a past long gone and that never truly existed. We need to go when we’re called. This doesn’t mean When I’m Called is a depressing album about death. It’s, like all of Fussell’s work, ultimately uplifting and listening to it is an opportunity to be present while you ride ahead.

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Sam at Pitch Perfect PR.]

Review: Lou Reed – Why Don’t You Smile Now: Lou Reed at Pickwick Records 1964-65

If you’re like me, you also had no idea that Lou Reed, before he helped found The Velvet Underground and become one of the most influential musicians and songwriters of his time, was a songwriter, singer, and guitarist for Pickwick Records – a long-closed label that produced sound-alike recordings of artists who resembled popular bands of the day. Reed wrote everything from surf music to soul ballads, and thankfully the Lou Reed Archive has collected a lot of these rare tracks on Why Don’t You Smile Now: Lou Reed at Pickwick Records 1964-65.

There’s a lot of fun and interesting stuff on this collection. It starts off with Lou in a band called The Primitives performing “The Ostrich,” a fuzzy record describing yet another dance craze, and returning again with the band later on the wonderfully wacky “Sneaky Pete.” You can instantly hear the seeds of the loud, wild edges of The Velvet Underground in this track. On “Cycle Annie” by The Beachnuts, Reed is singing hot rod rock and putting down fast-paced guitar strumming while doing it. Later, on “Sad, Lonely Orphan” and the “Okay, we get it.” “I’ve Got a Tiger in My Tank,” he hands the mic to someone else and concentrates on hammering out riffs.

Reed contributes soul jams “I’m Gonna Fight” and “Soul City” for The Hi-Lifes, slick ballads (“Oh No Don’t Do It,” “Love Can Make You Cry,” and “What About Me”) for Ronnie Dickerson, and sings lead again for The Roughnecks on “You’re Driving Me Insane,” which sounds like it could be a modern track from The Schizophonics.

The J Brothers‘ “Ya Running, But I’ll Getcha” has a bit of bluegrass flair to it, and Beverly Ann‘s “We Got Trouble” is a straight-up hippie rock track that was probably an attempt by Pickwick to create their own version of Cher.

The compilation’s title track comes from The All Night Workers and blends soul-rock with psych-drone. Jeannie Larimore‘s “Johnny Won’t Sure No More” is a bit sugary, but the drum beat behind it is the early sound of the kind of beats Reed would ask Moe Tucker to play later. Robertha Williams comes next with powerful soul numbers “Tell Momma Not to Cry” and “Maybe Tomorrow” that make you wonder why she didn’t become better known.

Terry Philips‘ “Flowers for the Lady” and “This Rose” sound like a lot of other 1960s crooners’ songs, but that’s what Pickwick wanted. Your head might explode when you hear Reed singing lead on The Surfsiders‘ goofy “Surfin'” (Dig that wacky saxophone!) and their cover of “Little Deuce Coupe.”

This is a fascinating look and listen back at a part of Reed’s career that’s unknown to many, and the seeds of his later work are all here.

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Sam at Pitch Perfect PR.]

Review: Tropical Sludge – Astral Mind

When he’s not laying down epic cosmic rock guitar riffs with Comacozer, Rick Burke, otherwise known as Tropical Sludge, makes mind-altering psychedelic instrumental music that blends Eastern elements with rock sounds and even a bit of New Age styling on his newest record Astral Mind.

Starting with “Dreaming Shaman,” the album uses sitar and synths to elevate you off the ground right away. “Tranquility” blends ambient forest sounds with the sitar and tabla to the point where you start to think, “This would make a really good make-out record.”

Burke uses simple, repetitive guitar notes on “Flowers” to put you into a nice trance. I seem to hear native Aboriginal Australian instruments in “Witchcraft,” which wouldn’t surprise me at all since Burke is from Oz. Burke’s use of sampled dialogue on the track (and others) that’s sometimes difficult to decipher is a neat effect, making you wonder what’s being discussed but not worrying about it at the same time. The voices become other natural sounds emerging from and blending into the musical land / sky / sea / space-scape he’s created.

“Digital Hippy” is appropriately hazy and groovy (listen carefully for that 70s funk bass). “Zen Tribe” practically pulls up next to you on a hand-poled river boat and offers you the opportunity to glide across the water and forget everything on shore that was weighing on you. “Hypnotising the Serpent” takes us further down the river and then across the sky instead of over the waterfall.

This album might indeed take your mind to the astral plane. It’s worth the trip.

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Rick Burke!]

Sharon Van Etten and The Attachment Theory release “Southern Life (What It Must Be Like)” from upcoming album due February 07, 2025.

“Sharon Van Etten is going all-in with her band, the Attachment Theory” (Rolling Stone). Set to release their self-titled debut album on February 7th via Jagjaguwar, Sharon Van Etten & The Attachment Theory now unveil new single/video “Southern Life (What It Must Be Like),” following the “gothically romantic” (Pitchfork) lead single, “Afterlife.” In conjunction, they also announce a 2025 North American Tour, on sale Friday, December 13th at 10am local time. More information at sharonvanetten.com/tour.

In Van Etten’s words “Southern Life (What It Must Be Like)” is about “trying to understand people with very different perspectives and backgrounds, while also trying to be compassionate towards our past, present, and future selves.” One of the first two songs written with the band in the desert at Gatos Trail in the Yucca Valley, the song materialized off the cuff following a rehearsal for the We’ve Been Going About This All Wrong tour. “After days of rehearsing the songs from the album and how to execute them live, I was getting tired of hearing myself. I didn’t want to over rehearse the songs to death. And so, for the first time ever, I asked if the band just wanted to ‘jam,’ play without it having to be something, to clear our heads,” Van Etten explains.

The video for “Southern Life (What It Must Be Like)” was shot, directed, and edited by Ethan Dawes, and features 35mm footage from the band’s recent surprise performance at the iconic Los Angeles concert venue The Viper Room.

Watch the Video for “Southern Life (What It Must Be Like)”

Recorded with producer Marta Salogni at London’s The Church, Sharon Van Etten & The Attachment Theory presents an exhilarating new dimension of Van Etten’s sound and songwriting. For the first time, it was written and recorded in total collaboration with her band — Jorge Balbi (drums, machines), Devra Hoff (bass, vocals), and Teeny Lieberson (synth, piano, guitar, vocals) — “[pushing] Van Etten to go louder, rawer, and altogether more evocative at every turn” (Vulture) and allowing her the freedom that comes from letting go. With Sharon Van Etten & The Attachment Theory, Van Etten deepens the discourse that animates so much of her timeless catalog, exploring what it is to be simply human. This is her genius – oblique, but also relevant and personal.

Pre-order Sharon Van Etten & The Attachment Theory

Watch the Video for “Afterlife”

Sharon Van Etten & The Attachment Theory Tour Dates
(New Dates in Bold)
Sat. Feb. 1 – Westerly, RI @ The United #
Mon. Feb. 3 – Woodstock, NY @ Bearsville Theater #
Tue. Feb. 4 – Asbury Park, NJ @ The Stone Pony – First Home State Headline Show #
Fri. Feb. 28 – Oslo, NO @ Rockefeller *
Sat. Mar. 1 – Stockholm, SE @ Fållan *
Sun. Mar. 2 – Copenhagen, DK @ Vega *
Tue. Mar. 4 – Berlin, DE @ Astra Kulturhaus *
Thu. Mar. 6 – Paris, FR @ Le Trianon *
Fri. Mar. 7 – Antwerp, BE @ De Roma *
Sat. Mar. 8 – Amsterdam, NL @ Paradiso *
Mon. Mar. 10 – London, UK @ Royal Albert Hall *
Tue. Mar. 11 – Manchester, UK @ Albert Hall *’Wed. Mar. 12 – Glasgow, UK @ Barrowland Ballroom *
Thu. Apr. 24 – Atlanta, GA @ The Eastern ^
Fri. Apr. 25 – Nashville, TN @ Brooklyn Bowl ^
Sat. Apr. 26 – Asheville, NC @ The Orange Peel ^
Mon. Apr. 28 – Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club ^
Wed. Apr. 30 – Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer ^
Thu. May 1 – Boston, MA @ Roadrunner ^
Fri. May 2 – Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Steel ^
Mon. May 5 – Detroit, MI @ Saint Andrew’s Hall ^
Tue. May 6 – Toronto, ON @ History ^
Thu. May 8 – Madison, WI @ The Sylvee ^
Fri. May 9 – Chicago, IL @ The Salt Shed ^
Sat. May 10 – St. Paul, MN @ Palace Theatre ^
Mon. May 12 – Denver, CO @ Ogden Theatre ^
Tue. May 13 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Metro Music Hall ^
Thu. May 15 – Seattle, WA @ The Crocodile ^
Fri. May 16 – Seattle, WA @ The Crocodile ^
Sat. May 17 – Vancouver, BC @ Vogue Theatre ^
Sun. May 18 – Portland, OR @ Revolution Hall ^
Wed. May 21 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Wiltern ^

# with She Keeps Bees
* with special guest Nabihah Iqbal
^ with Love Spells

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Jessica at Pitch Perfect PR.]