7th Level Music

Sun Atoms premiere new Leonard Cohen cover ahead of tour dates.

Portland alternative pop / postmodern rock outfit Sun Atoms presents a unique fuzzed-out tribute to iconic songwriter Leonard Cohen with ‘Tower of Song (in the key of JAMC)’, released as the flipside of their new ‘Ceiling Tiles’ single.

Released via Little Cloud Records digitally and on 7″ vinyl and mixed by the iconic Jagz Kooner (Massive Attack, Primal Scream, Oasis, Garbage), this single is the first taste of the band’s sophomore album (out ths summer). The accompanying video, produced by Bradley Tuazon, follows ghosts on a velvety caper through an endless maze through streets and a 113,000+ square foot state-of-the-art concert venue, the band members appearing like rare birds in the roles of madcap non-conformist odd fellows living outside of the lines.

Sun Atoms is made up of bassist Peter G. Holmström (The Dandy Warhols, Pete International Airport), vocalist Jsun Atoms (The Upsidedown, Daydream Machine), multi-instrumentalist June Kang, Mars de Ponte (LoveBomb Go-Go), L.A. drummer Eric Rubalcava and Boise native Derek Spencer Longoria-Gomez (Hi Hazel).

2021 brought the band’s debut album ‘Let There Be Light’, also produced by Holmström and mixed by the iconic Stephen Street (Blur, The Smiths, The Cranberries), involving performances by the likes of The Vandelles’ Jasno Swarez, The Black Angels’ Alex Maas and Gregg Williams (Sheryl Crow, Blitzen Trapper).

“When I was a child, I saw a being made of light climb through my bedroom window, they stood at the foot of my bed and reached out to touch my foot,” explains Jsun Atoms. “Mesmerizing and haunting, much like the new Sun Atoms single ‘Ceiling Tiles’, which reveals a story of characters living under a faux sky being manipulated to make it appear that the stars are aligning, when in fact, above this tiled Truman Show, the stars are doing just that. The characters in the song go about their day-to-day dance while the globe they are spinning on becomes an eye.”

Sun Atoms kicked off 2024 by playing three sold-out shows at Portland’s historic Revolution Hall, opening for Dinosaur Jr., which presented the perfect chance to shoot their new video. With its long stairways and iconic brick facade as the ideal backdrop for this monochromatic video, here unfolds a mysterious tale of characters living between worlds and connected by Jean Cocteau’s famously mirrored portal.

Sun Atoms has also played shows with Modest Mouse, Fishbone, Besnard Lakes, The Veldt and New Candys, as well as performing at Seattle’s Freakout Fest and Portland’s Lose Yr Mind Fest with Allah Las, Broncho and Night Beats.

The ‘Ceiling Tiles’ single is available on beautiful 7″ vinyl and from fine digital platforms, including Apple Music, Spotify and Bandcamp. Sun Atoms are touring the West Coast in March-April, kicking off with Treefort Festival, where they join Ty Segall, A Place To Bury Strangers, Neko Case and Built To Spill. Tickets for this tour are now available to order.

TOUR DATES
March 23 BOISE, ID – Treefort Festival, In-store at Record Exchange
March 24 BOISE, ID – Treefort Festival, Shrine Social Club
March 25 SACRAMENTO, CA – Old Ironsides
March 27 LAS VEGAS, NV – The Usual Place
March 28 LOS ANGELES, CA – The Moroccan Lounge
March 29 PIONEERTOWN, CA – Red Dog Saloon
March 30 SAN FRANSCISCO, CA – Kilowatt
April 5 PORTLAND, Oregon – Star Theater
April 6 – SEATTLE, WA – Seagaze Festival, Tractor Tavern Seattle

Keep your mind open.

[Don’t forget to subscribe.]

[Thanks to Shauna at Shameless Promotion PR.]

Wrecka Stow: Repo Records – Philadelphia, PA

Located at 506 South Street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Repo Records is a hip place with a ton of hip stuff for you to peruse and discover. I mean, the front door and windows alone display posters for The National, Danny Brown, Mannequin Pussy, Joy Division, and Led Zeppelin, so you know they’ll have something for you.

They have plenty of music, of course, but the first thing that grabbed my eyes when I walked in were two big bookcases of books, zines, and other freaky publications.

And yes, there’s plenty of music for you to gawk over and buy. This is just a small section of the vinyl available here. Here’s the back of the store…

Check that out. The Monkees, The Allman Brothers, De La Soul, and Gang Green all on the same wall.

A whole crate of 80s – 90s goth, post-punk, and industrial stuff. I could’ve dropped a lot of money here, and I almost snagged this MF DOOM record.

I opted for seven CDs and a couple patches instead…

Yes, that’s seven CDs because that Jesus and Mary Chain set is all five of their original albums. I already own a digital copy of Candy, but buying all five at that price was a steal. I’d wanted to pick up Viagra Boys‘ Welfare Jazz for a little while, and that Green Velvet disc was a surprise find. Also, the patches were too fun to pass up – especially the MF DOOM one since I didn’t snag the record.

Be sure to swing by Repo Records if you’re in town, but be warned…

Keep your mind open.

[Don’t forget to subscribe before you go.]

[Thanks to Jessica for taking me there!]

Review: Anja Huwe – Codes

Back in the early 1980s, Anja Huwe was the lead singer (although not originally by choice) of German post-punk pioneers Xmal Deutschland. The band tore across the world, inspiring many and becoming somewhat secret legends before they split up for other ventures. Huwe became a fashion model and visual artist, but music was still in her blood. Now, almost out of nowhere, she’s returned with a new album, Codes, and is exploring what it’s like to live in extremes – be it extreme environments, relationships, or beliefs.

Beginning with gothic, lonely guitar chords by fellow Xmal Deutschland bandmate Manuela Rickers, “Skuggornas” has Huwe confessing, “I don’t regret anything I’ve done. I have lived, and I have sinned.” Most of us can’t admit half of that, and here Huwe is doing it with elegance. “Rabenschwarz” (“Black Raven”) hits with powerful industrial crunch and themes of rebirth.

“I changed myself into myself,” Huwe sings on “Pariah.” The drum beats on it start at a slow boil and are soon cooking a luxurious brew. “Exit” moves around you like a cat that might be an android in disguise. Rickers’ guitar sounds like its being played in an abandoned factory a half-mile away (to produce a cool effect, mind you). “O Wald” (“Oh Forest”) could easily fit into a science fiction movie or the soundtrack to season five of Stranger Things with its computer-generated 16-bit-like synth beats.

“Zwischenwelt” (“Intermediate World”) would also fit on that soundtrack with both its theme of being between worlds and also its misty synths and Huwe’s beautiful vocals on it. “Sleep with One Eye Open” reminds me a bit of early Peter Gabriel tracks with its neat bass line, slightly weird percussion, and Huwe’s delivery. “How shall we face the cold?” Huwe asks on the somewhat stark, yet aggressive “Living in the Forest” – inspired by diary entries of a boy, Moshe Shnitzki, who left his home in 1942 to live in the White Russian Forest. “The woods are lovely, dark and deep,” she sings on the following, closing track, “Hideaway,” leaving us with hope that more music from Huwe (and Xmal Deutschland?) will come.

Keep your mind open.

[Don’t forget to subscribe!]

[Thanks to Kate at Stereo Sanctity.]

Review: King Buffalo – Live at Burning Man

Released, and still available, for free on their Bandcamp page, King Buffalo‘s Live at Burning Man is a great capture of them doing what they do best – melting minds and faces, and what better place to do it than the Burning Man Festival during their first trip there?

Starting with a scorching version of “Silverfish,” the trio immediately hook the crowd – many of whom might not have known who they were. It was the first time they’d played the festival, after all. The guitar solo on “Grifter” sounds like a test car racing across a salt flat. People are already shouting, “Love you guys!” by the third song (“Shadows”).

“Longing to Be the Mountain” is their ten-minute-plus psychedelic take on a classic Zen story. “Repeater” is probably on rotation in a Zen retreat on a mountaintop somewhere, as it seems to make you levitate. “Orion,” one of their best-known tracks, absolutely rips here. You can tell that King Buffalo and the Burning Man crowd were feeling it by this point, and everyone knew they were experiencing something special.

“Red Star 1 & 2” is a massive double dose of mind-altering sounds (nearly fifteen minutes in length). “Loam” is trippy and heavy at the same time. The set ends with the epic “Cerberus,” sending the Burning Man crowd back into the desert with visions of things on the horizon they hadn’t noticed before the show began.

King Buffalo are, despite their frequent touring, still a bit of a secret. This live album gives us all another reason to learn their secrets, the number of which seem to increase with each listen and performance.

Keep your mind open.

[Don’t forget to subscribe.]

[Thanks to King Buffalo!]

Rewind Review: Viagra Boys – Welfare Jazz (2021)

Imagine this: It’s barely post-pandemic. Your brain is still foggy. You’re not sure whom to hug or trust. You’re sick of Netflix. You’re sick of your house. You’re sick of being sick. You need something, anything, to shake you out of it.

Then along comes Welfare Jazz by Swedish post-punk rockers / goofballs Viagra Boys to slap you across the back of the head and remind you to get back to partying and laughing.

I mean, don’t we all know somebody like the lead character in the opening track, “Ain’t Nice”? Lead singer Sebastian Murphy warns a potential lover about his bad temper (“Trust me, honey, you don’t want me. I’ll start screamin’ if you look at me funny.”) and habits (“I’ll borrow your stuff and never put it back. I’m kinda hungry, could you give me a snack?”). There’s some much good stuff here that it’s difficult to tell who shines the most. Is it Henrik Höckert‘s bass? Elias Jungqvist‘s quirky synth bleeps? Oscar Carls‘ saxophone honks?

“Toad” is a story of a man who can’t settle down with someone who’s perfect for him. “I don’t need no woman tellin’ me when to go to bed and to brush my teeth,” Murphy sings as the rest of the band creates some kind of wild blues chaos behind him that swirls around like a menacing pack of hyenas. On “Into the Sun,” Murphy laments his actions and tries to repair the damage he’s done, but it’s too late. Benjamin Vallé‘s guitar notes are simple and sorrowful. It’s a blues tune hidden in a post-rock cut.

The bouncing synth-bass of “Creatures” is outstanding, and Murphy’s lyrics are a shout-out to those us not controlling the majority of the world’s wealth. “Shooter” is a wild psychedelic jazz instrumental and Tor Sjödén‘s drums on it are as tight as stuff heard on early Devo records. “Secret Canine Agent” is a song about, well, a spy dog.

“Jesus Christ, I feel alive! Just last week I thought that I was gonna die!” Murphy sings on “I Feel Alive,” summing up pretty much everyone’s post-pandemic attitude. The band’s slow juke-joint blues stomp of the song (and Murphy’s vocal delivery), however, reveals our true feelings: exhaustion, confusion, and indecision.

“Girls & Boys” has Murphy (and the rest of the band) in a panic as he tries to figure out what’s going to bring him happiness in a post-pandemic world? Girls? “They always try to tie me down.” Boys? “They stay out all night, don’t go home.” Drugs? “They make me feel I’m all alone.” Love? “Somethin’ that I know nothin’ about.” Shrimp? “Bu-bu-bu-blah-blah-blah-blah.” Dogs? “The only real friends that I got.” So, it’s either dogs or “One day I’m gonna burn it down.”

The album ends with two love songs: “To the Country” and “In Spite of Ourselves.” The first reflects a common desire during the pandemic: Let’s get out of the city and away from everyone where “it would all work out” and “it would be easier.” Or so we think. The instrumentation on it reminds us that you can’t run away from yourself. The second song, featuring Amy Taylor of Amyl and The Sniffers on guest vocals, is about a dysfunctional couple who realize they’re perfect for each other.

Welfare Jazz and all of Viagra Boys’ discography, really, is more clever than you realize at first blush. They write songs that poke fun at toxic masculinity, rich elitists, annoying party girls, drug addicts, and sex freaks, but also make them relatable. You know at least one person described on any given album by them, and Welfare Jazz is full of such characters. It’s like listening to conversations in an all-night diner at 3am, where they’re serving a fried shrimp special, and the diner is in the same block as a bodega, a strip club, and a Radio Shack that is somehow still in business.

Keep your mind open.

[It ain’t nice if you don’t subscribe.]

Live: Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs and Edging – Lincoln Hall – Chicago, IL – February 22, 2024

The last time I saw Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs in Chicago, it was their first time there, let alone their first U.S. tour. It was at Chicago’s Sleeping Village, and there were maybe eighty people there. They flattened that place.

Now they were playing Chicago’s Lincoln Hall and the size of their audience had tripled. There were a small number of us who’d been at the Sleeping Village show, and it seemed only a couple dozen more who knew much about them. I envied their innocence. They had no idea what was about to unleashed on them.

First up, however, were Chicago’s own Edging – a wild post-punk band that my friend described as “They look like a bunch of people who all answered the same ‘looking for a roommate’ ad and then decided to start a band.” It’s accurate, and it somehow works. We only got to see the last three songs of their set, but it was wild and fun, and their saxophone player (around whom the band seems to rotate) plays a crazy horn.

The porcine quintet were next and they started out with a psychedelic version of “GNT” that grew into a menacing beast. They barely let up for a moment, with heavy-hitters like “Rubbernecker” and “Big Rig” flooring those people who didn’t know what to expect.

Some mosh pits started a couple times, but they were short-lived and not well attended. I think this is because people were too amazed at the sheer amount of weight they were dropping on the place to even think of moshing. I, too, noticed how much heavier they were from the first time I’d seen them. Songs like “Mr. Medicine” and “Terror’s Pillow” practically laid on you like a weighted blanket…thrown on you from a fourth-floor balcony.

“Sludgy” was a word I heard multiple times as my friend and I walked out of the venue. People who hadn’t experienced a live Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs show were marveling at the thick, almost viscous sound they’d been pummeled with for a little over an hour (and no encore, as the band said they decided at the start that “Encores are for bullshitters.”)

Don’t miss them. They’re touring the U.S. a lot through the spring. You need this fae-melting stuff in your life to sandblast you out of your doldrums.

Keep your mind open.

[Don’t forget to subscribe!]

Blushing announce new album, “Sugarcoat,” and single, “Tamagotchi.”

Blushing — the Austin, TX-based dream pop band consisting of the double husband and wife pairs of Christina and Noe Carmona and Michelle and Jacob Soto — announce their new album Sugarcoat, out May 3rd via Kanine, and a North American tour. In conjunction, they present an infectious lead single/video, “Tamagotchi.” On Sugarcoat, Blushing’s dynamism is on full display, flitting effortlessly from spacey psychedelia to twee pop jangle with finesse and panache. Having enlisted Elliot Frazier (Ringo Deathstarr) and Mark Gardener (Ride) for engineering, mixing, and mastering duties, Sugarcoat is a dense, reverb-laden exploration of alt-rock’s 40 year history that conjures up concord from chaos.

Blushing as a band would not exist if not for a dive bar in Austin. Coincidentally, both couples met each other there on different nights. Eventually, the band began in 2015. Michelle had been casually writing songs and had a few rough melodies forged over her rudimentary guitar skills. Soon after reaching out to and jamming with Christina, a classically trained vocalist, they had a batch of ideas and regular practice. While trying to fill out the rest of the band, they were unable to ignore the fact that their husbands happened to be a guitar player (Noe) and a drummer (Jacob). By 2018, Blushing had released two EPs, 2017’s self-released “Tether” and 2018’s “Weak” (Austin Town Hall Records), and were playing shows in Austin fairly regularly. Following a chance encounter with Elliott Frazier (Ringo Deathstarr), who was a fan of Blushing’s prior work, he invited the group to his recording studio, which led to rough demos of what would ultimately be tracks for Blushing’s first full length, self-titled record. Blushing would work with Frazier again on 2022’s Possessions, which channels the dreamlike qualities of 4AD’s most ethereal bands paired with the guitar-forward approach of early 90s American indie rock.

Immediately after the band wrapped the recording sessions for Possessions, they began writing songs that would become Sugarcoat. Noe or Christina would upload a new song idea to a Google Drive almost daily, and within the hour Michelle would have melody and lyrics fully formed. They didn’t want to create an album where each song was made to fit into the same mold. Instead, they decided to run with each idea no matter which direction it was facing, resulting in an album that is somewhat of a sampler of the group’s collective influences. While there are certainly tracks immediately recognizable as “Blushing” songs, this album is where the band get to explore their love for expanding genres, from post-punk, psych-gaze, grunge-pop, indie-pop, slowcore, and beyond. Lyrically the album asks many questions, reaching out for someone to provide answers or for the answers to come from within. There is a lot of uncertainty in the world as well as personally. Getting older, questioning past decisions, and the constant unknown of the future.

Bursting with playfulness, today’s first taste “Tamagotchi” crunches and wails through an energetic, anthemic chorus harkening back to the most feverish nineties alt-rock style. It tells a tale of indecision of the heart and the desire to be a playable character in the game of love and have the big decisions made for you. Would you still feel heartache if someone else was pushing the buttons? The accompanying video, directed by and featuring the band, is vibrant and charming.

Watch Blushing’s Video for “Tamagotchi”

Between their recent Japan tour with Softcult, extensive stateside touring, multiple appearances on live-session staples like LEVITATION, SXSW showcases, and sharing stages with Snail Mail, Blonde Redhead, Beabadoobee and countless others, it’s clear that Blushing’s mastery of their craft is hardly mysterious. On their newly-announced North American tour, they’ll support Slater and Airiel, along with headline dates in Chicago, Seattle, Los Angeles, Phoenix, and more. Tickets are on sale now and a full list can be found below.

Pre-order Sugarcoat

Blushing Tour Dates
Fri. March 15 – Austin, TX @ Hotel Vegas (SXSW official showcase)
Thu. May 2 – Austin, TX @ Hotel Vegas (album release show)
Wed. May 15 – San Antonio, TX @ Vibes Underground *
Thu. May 16 – Dallas, TX @ Club Dada *
Sat. May 18 – Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall *
Sun. May 19 – McAllen, TX @ The Gremlin *
Fri. June 14 – Oklahoma City, OK @ Resonant Head
Sat. June 15 – Fayetteville, AR @ George’s Majestic Lounge
Sun. June 16 – Nashville, TN @ 5 spot
Tue. June 18 – Washington, DC @ Pie Shop %
Wed. June 19 – Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda’s %
Thu. June 20 – Brooklyn, NY @ Baby’s All Right %
Fri. June 21 – Boston, MA @ Deep Cuts %
Sat. June 22 – Burlington, VT @ Higher Ground %
Sun. June 23 – Montreal, QC @ Bar Le Ritz %
Mon. June 24 – Toronto, ON @ The Garrison %
Wed. June 26 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Mr Smalls Funhouse %
Thu. June 27 – Detroit, MI @ Small’s %
Fri. June 28 – Cleveland, OH @ Beachland
Sat. June 29 – Chicago, IL @ Schubas
Mon. July 1 – Denver, CO @ Skylark Lounge
Wed. July 3 – Seattle, WA @ Chop Suey
Thu. July 4 – Portland, OR @ The Six
Fri. July 5 – San Francisco, CA @ Kilowatt
Sat. July 6 – Los Angeles, CA @ Moroccan Lounge
Sun. July 7 – Phoenix, AZ @ Rebel Lounge
Mon. July 8 – El Paso, TX @ Rosewood

* = w/ Slater
%= w/ Airiel

Keep your mind open.

[Why not subscribe while you’re here?]

[Thanks to Jaycee at Pitch Perfect PR.]

A Place to Bury Strangers urge us to “Change Your God” with their new single.

Today, the long-running New York band A Place To Bury Strangers announce the single/video, “Change Your God,” from their new 7-inch series, The Sevens, via Dedstrange. “Change Your God” appears alongside “It Is Time” in the first installment of the series, out digitally today and physically this Friday, February 23rd. The Sevens are four 7-inch vinyl records on white vinyl being released each month from now through April. They unveil a treasure trove of previously unreleased tracks from A Place To Bury Strangers’ critically acclaimed sixth album, See Through You. Renowned for their visceral sonic assault and immersive live performances, A Place To Bury Strangers has cemented the end-all-be-all space for over-the-top post-punk/shoegaze destruction. With this special vinyl collection, the band invites listeners to delve deeper into their sonic universe, exploring uncharted territories and hidden gems.

“When looking back at the recordings that were done around the time of See Through You, there were a bunch of great tracks that just captured life back then and really had something incredible going on,” says frontman Oliver Ackerman. “Even though they are a bit raw and a bit personal, I thought it would be a mistake if they didn’t come out. I thought it would be best to go back to my roots and put out a series of 7-inches the way A Place To Bury Strangers started. That strange weird format where the tracks each speak for themselves; no album context to muddy the water. These tracks are such a contrast to the way I am feeling now and the current songs we’ve been working on so slip back into this moment in time.”

Watch the Video for “Change Your God”

Fans all over the globe know: Oliver Ackermann always brings surprises. The singer and guitarist of New York City’s A Place To Bury Strangers has been delighting and astonishing his audience for close to two decades, combining post-punk, noise-rock, shoegaze, psychedelia, and avant-garde music in startling and unexpected ways. As the founder of Death By Audio, creator of signal-scrambling stomp boxes and visionary instrument effects, he’s exported that excitement and invention to other artists who plug into his gear and blow minds. In concert, A Place To Bury Strangers is nothing short of astounding — a shamanistic experience that bathes listeners in glorious sound, crazed left turns, transcendent vibrations, real-time experiments, brilliant breakthroughs.

And just as many of his peers in the New York City underground seem to be slowing down and settling in, Ackermann’s creativity is accelerating. He’s launched a label of his own: Dedstrange, dedicated to advancing the work of sonic renegades worldwide. He’s also refreshed the group’s lineup, adding bassist John Fedowitz and drummer Sandra Fedowitz, and the band has never sounded more current, or more courageous, or more accessibly melodic. The Hologram EP was the first release from the new lineup, and the group released their highly anticipated sixth album See Through You in 2022 to critical acclaim, touring incessantly since then. In addition to The Sevens, the group is preparing for seventh album due out this fall.

Stream/Purchase “Change Your God”/“It Is Time” + The Sevens:

A Place To Bury Strangers Tour Dates:

Thu. Mar. 21 – Boise, ID @ Treefort Festival [The Sevens Release Show]

Fri. Apr. 5 – Nijmegen, NL @ Doornroosje $

Sat. Apr. 6 – Köln, DE @ Club Volta &

Sun. Apr. 7 – Karlsruhe, DE @ P8 &

Tue. Apr. 9 – Milan, IT @ ARCI Bellezza &

Wed. Apr. 10 – Bologna, IT @ Coco Club &

Thu. Apr. 11 – Rome, IT @ Monk &

Fri. Apr. 12 – Palermo, IT @ Candelai *

Sat. Apr. 13 – Messina, IT @ Retronouveau †

Mon. Apr. 15 – Zurich CH @ Bogen F &

Tue. Apr. 16 – Bern, DH @ ISC Club *

Wed. Apr. 17 – Marseille, FR @ La Make &

Thu. Apr. 18 – Toulouse, FR @ Le Rex &

Fri. Apr. 19 – Barcelona, ES @ Barcelona Psych Fest [The Sevens Release Show]

Sat. Apr. 20 – Madrid, ES @ El Sol *&

Sun. Apr. 21 – San Sebastián, ES @ Dabadaba &

Tue. Apr. 23 – Paris, FR @ Petit Bain ^

Wed. Apr. 24 – Lille, FR @ Le Grand Mix ^

Thu. Apr. 25 – Maastricht, NL @ Muziekgieterij ^

Fri. May 31 – Brooklyn, NY @ TBA [The Sevens Release Show]

* With Ceremony East Coast

& With Maquina (PT)

^ With Plattenbau (DE)

† With Patriarchy (US)

$ With ERRORR (DE)

Keep your mind open.

[Don’t forget to subscribe.]

[Thanks to Steven at Dedstrange.]

Prefuse 73 signals “The End of Air” on his upcoming dark ambient album.

Today, pioneering electronic musician and producer Prefuse 73 aka Guillermo Scott Herren releases the new single, “The End Of Air,” from his new album, New Strategies for Modern Crime Vol. 1, out March 22nd on Lex Records. One of the darkest yet cohesive releases of his career, New Strategies for Modern Crime Vol.1 was inspired by Herren’s experiences of living in New York. He reflects: “I’ve lived in NYC since the 90s but I think during the post-COVID era, most ‘media’ has become obsessed with crime statistics and inflated ‘fear’ over basic human needs. I wanted to channel this surreal landscape – where crime has become a strange form of entertainment and journalistic distraction into sound.”

Listen to “The End Of Air”

“I always have a movie or some random visuals playing on mute behind me in the studio,” reveals Herren of his creative process. “It could be horror from any era or just an old Fellini film; they tend to be playing on a loop. I will turn around from the mixing board and just stare at the images to get inspired.”

Talking with the excitement of someone working on their first ever album, the re-energized veteran (once described by Pitchfork as an artist who possessed “a range of emotional grappling usually foreign to instrumental hip-hop”) adds: “It means that when you do finally hear my music, it’s hopefully created in a way that prompts you to see a whole scene play out in your head.”

This cinematic method of creating an enticing gumbo of lost soundtracks, jazz, primitive electronic production and hip hop is especially prevalent on his bold new album, New Strategies For Modern Crime Vol. 1, which sounds like the score for a surreal Robert Siodmak noir set in the year 3000

Whether pairing up MF DOOM and Aesop Rock to have a lo-fi rap existential crisis; bluntly bending an innocent Linda Perhacs psych-folk song about swirling raindrops, so it sounds more like a lost alien signal filtering in from a techno rave on another galaxy; or using the sounds of kids banging their rulers and pencils on a school table to create DIY euphoria and an innovative mimicry of Doug E. Fresh-level beatboxing, Herren (who has also operated creatively under aliases including Delarosa, Asora, and Piano Overlord) has been a consistent innovator. Having collaborated with a diverse array of artists, including MF DOOM, Ghostface Killah, GZA, El-P, Sam Prekop, Helado Negro, and more, his work reflects a constant evolution, with each album offering a new perspective on the intersection of electronic and hip-hop music.

Whether New Strategies for Modern Crime Vol. 1 paints a vivid, Philip K. Dick-esque movie in your mind or not, it’s clear the artist known as Prefuse 73 is continuing to push forward artistically.

Watch Prefuse 73’s “A Lord Without Jewels” Video

Pre-order New Strategies for Modern Crime Vol. 1

Keep your mind open.

[Don’t forget to subscribe.]

[Thanks to Patrick at Pitch Perfect PR.]

Live: Deap Vally and Sloppy Jane – Thalia Hall – Chicago, IL – February 09, 2024

In case you weren’t aware, Deap Vally are on their final tour. The power-duo from California have decided to amicably walk away from the band to, among other things, be full-time moms (“jennylee [of Warpaint] is pretty much my personal clothes shopper. I have two kids. I don’t have time to shop,” guitarist / lead singer Lindsey Troy told me during a meet-and-greet when I commented on her killer boots.). So, they’re going out with a big tour that is taking them all over the U.S. and to Europe, playing their debut album, Sistrionix, in its entirety and then a second set of hits and whatever else they want.

First up in Chicago was Sloppy Jane, which I can best describe as part-orchestral rock, part-post-punk, part-acid jazz, part-performance art, and all fascinating. Frontwoman Haley Dahl commands the stage from arrival to departure, singing songs about heartbreak, death, anger, love, and hope. I really want to see her team up with Gary Wilson. She and her bandmates won over a lot of people that night.

Deap Vally came onto the stage in boxing robes that made me think (“Why aren’t those at the merch booth?”) and proceeded to tear into Sistrionix‘s opening track – “End of the World.” It had been several years since I’d seen them, and it was such a delight to not only see them crushing a stage but also hearing their power. Julie Edwards is one of the best rock drummers around, and how Ms. Troy gets so much sound out of one guitar is beyond me.

The Sistronix set was great, with “Raw Material” being a personal favorite that oozed with sexy menace. After a brief break, they came back with wild hits like “Smile More,” “Ain’t Fair,” a crazy, punked-out version of “Perfuction,” and a stunning version of “Royal Jelly” to close the show.

Don’t miss them if they’re near you. They’ll be missed. They’re one of those bands people will discover later and wish they’d seen when they had the chance. Their friend and merch booth manager, Nate, told us at the meet-and-greet that, “Maybe after the kids are grown up and starting their own band I can work on them to do a ten-year Femijism anniversary tour.”

Good luck, Nate. I hope you pull it off.

Keep your mind open.

Thanks to the lucky lady who scored this for letting me snap a photo of it.

Thanks to Julie and Lindsey for being so kind to chat with us VIPs and sign so much stuff.

#swoon. I’ve met DV each time I’ve seen them, and this time was the most delightful. Thanks for everything, Julie and Lindsey. Have fun. Best of all to you both.

[Don’t forget to subscribe before you go.]