7th Level Music

David Nance and Mowed Sound open a “Credit Line” with their new single.

Today, the Omaha-based musician David Nance & Mowed Sound releases their debut, self-titled record on Third Man Records, and shares a new video for the track “Credit Line.” The song according to Nance has existed in some form for almost a decade and has appeared on several different albums, but never felt complete until now. “I guess I was waiting on the riff to show up,” says Nance. The video, directed by Nik Fackler & filmed in an Amish furniture store, was an attempt at making a legitimate television commercial reminiscent of the local furniture store advertisements found everywhere, but shot as if an existential crisis happened right before filming.

WATCH THE VIDEO FOR “CREDIT LINE”

Led by Nance on vocals and guitar alongside Kevin Donahue on drums, James Schroeder on guitar, Derrick Higgins and Sam Lipsett on bass, alongside guest appearances from Megan Siebe, Skye Junginger, and Pearl LoveJoy Boyd, Nance brings together a crew of veteran Omaha musicians for a record that showcases Nance’s voracious appetite for anything that rocks, anything that soothes, and all the glorious static and disturbed transmissions in between.

Nance grew up in Grand Island, Nebraska, played in the marching band and discovered punk and garage rock before moving to Omaha and joining the mid-2000 garage punk scene happening there with the band the Forbidden Tigers. Several years spent in Los Angeles with his wife Anna led to a period of songwriting and home recording before they decided to move back to Omaha where he began finding his musical identity and started recording his songs with like-minded friends. What developed was a heavy burned-out rock vibe that still somehow fits in the punk universe.

Not content to mine one musical formula, Nance and company continue to explore new sounds and spaces. From the blistered punk blasts of More Than Enough to the introspective stance on Staunch Honey, Nance and his friends find inspiration from the friends and fellow musicians that have accompanied them on their journey. A fruitful one indeed.

WATCH THE VIDEO FOR “TUMBLEWEED”

LISTEN TO “MOCK THE HOURS”

STREAM/PURCHASE DAVID NANCE AND MOWED SOUND

Keep your mind open.

[Don’t forget to subscribe while you’re here.]

[Thanks to Jacob at Pitch Perfect PR.]

Operator Music Band drop a killer new track – “As It Goes.”

Operator Music Band — the Brooklyn-based project made up of Dara Hirsch, Jared Hiller, and Daniel Siles — announces the EPFour Singles. The project showcases the band’s thrilling foray into acid-tinged dance music, slated for release on March 22 via Deep Break Records.

While working on this batch of tracks with producers Mike Bloom (XL) and Noah Prebish (Psymon Spine), Hiller suffered a life-threatening accident. He was sent plummeting over 20 feet through a warehouse skylight—directly into Rough Trade’s warehouse, no less. This led to Operator Music Band postponing material, while Hiller recovered from significant physical trauma: two broken wrists, six broken ribs, and facial fractures that resulted in permanent hearing loss.
Now, mostly healed and rejuvenated, the live-electronic trio are ready to resume releasing music, starting with the new single “As It Goes.” It’s accompanied by a music video, premiering via BrooklynVegan. Shot and edited by Hiller, the visual compiles footage surrounding his recovery, featuring friends and collaborators in candid moments captured with an observational charm.

WATCH: “AS IT GOES”

Originally emerging in the mid-2010s as part of a wave of talk-singing, “krautish” rock acts, Brooklyn-based Operator Music Band’s existence has been marked by highs and lows. Formed around the partnership of Dara Hirsch and Jared Hiller, who are joined by a rotating cast of musicians — which currently includes percussionist and longtime collaborator Daniel Siles — Operator Music Band has put out two LPs, three EPs, and a handful of singles that merge krautrock, art-pop and occasional post-punk sensibilities. Actively releasing and touring between 2015 and 2019, the simultaneous failed launch of the 2019 full-length Duo Duo (which resulted in legal intervention that forced the dissolution of the label involved) and the cancellation of extensive tour dates due to pandemic lockdowns, left the band in a place questioning the longevity of their existence.

Through working on side projects and remixes, Hirsch (aka datadata) found new inspiration in house music, challenging herself to learn to DJ and mix. The cathartic experience of the club offered an alternative to what seemed like the decaying local indie rock scene. “So much of the infrastructure that we had been a part of over the past years was no longer there,” says Hiller. What remained “no longer felt like us,” Hirsch reflects. These bittersweet, yet honest realizations pushed Operator Music Band to craft four dancefloor-ready tracks, each accompanied by a remix from a respected producer or DJ from the club scene: Doctor Jeep, D.D. Curry, Toribio, and Gabe Gurnsey (of Factory Floor).

Commenting on Four Singles as a whole, Hirsch offered: “For me, this collection of songs is about discovering music as play. There was a very long time in this band where so much of what we were doing felt like work. Satisfying and worthwhile, but ultimately work. Now, we feel like we have so much more room – feeling free to create and play without a specific goal. We can do things on our own terms.”

Keep your mind open.

[Go over to the subscription box while you’re here.]

[Thanks to Cody at Terrorbird Media.]

Review: Tangled Horns – Lighter

Lighter, the new album by Belgian rockers Tangled Horns, was written and recorded during the pandemic – a time when the band, like most of us, were separated from each other and looking for ways to cope with confusion, misinformation, loneliness, empty toilet paper shelves, and impermanence. It turns out that Light would be, according to the band’s Bandcamp page for the album, “their most personal and introspective work—a coping album born from the unique circumstances.”

One of their coping mechanisms was, and I’m guessing still is, brain-shredding rock. The album opens with Tim Van de Plas telling us “I fell into a deep slumber in the dark and when I woke up I felt lighter.”, and then they launch into “April Fire” – a song chock-full of hard-hitting guitar riffs and a bass line from Raf Vorsselmans that gets your attention right away. “I’m tired of dragging my feet,” Van de Plas sings. Good heavens, weren’t we all in 2021?

“Pig” takes a swing, and connects hard, at rich elitists taking and not giving, or at least not replenishing what they’ve taken from neighborhoods and the Earth. The roaring, squealing guitars from Stef Kustermans and Dennis Van Der Auwera are like buzzing hornets you can’t escape. “Sleeping Dogs” has a bit of a proto-metal sound to it, and a good chunk of menace.

Kris Martens‘ drums on “Suspended Animation” remind me of early Genesis stuff by Phil Collins, and the rest of the song has a neat mix of prog and punk. Van de Plas’ vocals on it have some Bad Religion-like stylings, and his opening wail on “No More Mistakes” is raw fury backed with rough garage-blues guitars. The song builds to a wild frenzy that’s a bit jolting. “Mug,” I’m sure, causes a mosh pit to erupt whenever and wherever it’s played…so be careful where you blast it, or just blast it anywhere and enjoy the chaos.

“Here’s to us and all the rest. I guess we did our best,” Van de Plas sings on the heavy-hitting drinking song “Pissing in the Wind.” “Tick” is a wild, fast ride that’s just under two minutes and packs the power of a song four times longer into it. “Nothing Everything” closes the album with heavy psych riffs, suitable for journeys through deserts or infinite space.

Lighter is as heavy as they come, but it’s designed to elevate us all.

Keep your mind open.

[Don’t forget to subscribe!]

[Thanks to Polder Records!]

Review: Paperkraft – Not C but K

While many of his contemporaries in Japan were focusing on drum and bass and underground EDM, Paperkraft decided he was going to focus on progressive house and strive to bring it back into popularity. He’s off to a good start with his Not C but K EP.

“The Amazing Spaceman” blasts us into orbit and begs to be cranked while you’re doing a spacewalk outside the International Space Station. It will make the job of fixing that solar array go much quicker as you tap your toes inside their insulated boots to the syrupy bass and zero-gravity synths.

“Dizzy Disk” could refer to a UFO or whatever Paperkraft is spinning on his decks. It has a fun 1990s rave flair to it with the vocal sample loops and party-inducing bass riffs. Aiden Francis‘ remix of it is a nice addition.

“OK Corral” is a for-sure floor-filler. Again, Paperkraft uses vocal samples and loops to great effect and has you moving no matter where you are. Be careful with where you hear this, you might start dancing in the middle of a bus station or any other place. Aldonna‘s remix turns it into a bit of a trance track.

The EP closes with “Stella” – which is chock-full of processed drums, kitten-sneeze cymbals, and chonky cat bass lines.

The whole thing is a blast. Get in on it now!

Keep your mind open.

[Zip over to the subscription box while you’re here.]

[Thanks to Harbour Music Society.]

Annie-Claude Deschênes “Phones” you with her new single.

After sharing her debut solo single “MENACE MINIMALE“ at the end of last year, Montreal based multidisciplinarity artist Annie-Claude Deschênes has announced her debut album ‘LES MANIÈRES DE TABLE’ will be released this Spring via Italians Do It Better + Bonsound. Today Deschênes is sharing the second single from the record, “PHONES”.

The track is a standard call for a restaurant reservation that turns into an anxiety attack. A reflection on the absurdity of good manners that sometimes lead us to rigidity and over-politeness. The robotic rhythms, made from interference noises and ringtones, punctuate the conversation while the repetitive bass line accentuates this hymn to alienation.

“PHONES” on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T1USaV5X22M
“PHONES” on other streaming services:https://idib.ffm.to/phones

As a key figure on the Montreal independent music scene for the last two decades, she has left her mark as a performer & visual artist with Duchess Says & PyPy; two bands that are renowned as much for their electrifying live shows as they are for their artistic sensibilities. Always forward, her exploratory approach takes her into uncharted territory with her debut as a solo artist. The urgency that characterises her work remains, but frustration & aggression give way to introspection & vulnerability. Driven by the endless need to create outside her comfort zone, Annie-Claude Deschênes reinvents herself once again.

Over the course of her career, Annie-Claude Deschênes shared the stage with a number of renowned bands, including The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Teenage Jesus & the Jerks, The Black Lips, The Hives, The Hot Snakes & Buzzcocks, among others. Her extensive touring has taken her all over the world, playing venues & festivals (Primavera Fest, Eurockéennes de Belfort, OSHEAGA, Sled Island, etc.) as well as unconventional locations like golf courses, factories & churches. Her career is punctuated by collaborative projects linking various art forms, including the co-founding of the collective Conclusion Finale, with whom she exhibits at Concordia University’s VAV gallery, the DARE-DARE diffusion center & Université Laval in Quebec City, & the production of the soundtrack for Yves St-Laurent’s Los Angeles fashion show with PyPy. Winner of the 2022 cohort of the PHI NORD program, she was awarded a two-week immersive creative residency, during which her songs transformed into a tangible debut album titled ‘LES MANIÈRES DE TABLE’ due in Spring.

See Annie-Claude Deschênes live:
April 26 – PHI Centre, Montreal, QC
May 2 – Club Saw, Ottawa, ON
May 10 – CEM, Chicoutimi, QC
May 11 – Pantoum, Québec, QC

Keep your mind open.

[Don’t hang up without subscribing.]

[Thanks to Frankie at Stereo Sanctity.]

Rewind Review: Deap Vally – Marriage (2021)

“Being in a band is like being in a marriage: sometimes it’s magical, sometimes it’s unbearably challenging.”

That’s from the notes on Deap Vally‘s Bandcamp page for their third, and what appears to be final album – Marriage. It was a prophetic statement in 2021 because Deap Vally are now on their farewell tour, having decided to call it quits and focus on other projects and their respective families. No worries, everyone, it’s an amicable split – judging from everything I’ve read, photos I’ve seen, and their extensive tour dates (including, it was recently announced, Levitation France in May 2024).

Marriage saw the band not only continuing their power-duo sound, but also branching out to work with other musicians and producers (as they’d done with The Flaming Lips) to stretch out the sounds they could create.

The album opens with their signature sound of roaring guitars, Julie Edwards‘ frenetic drumming, and snarling dual vocals on “Perfuction.” It has great lyrics that only Deap Vally seem to be able to write about balancing a sex life with work life, family life, and just…well, life, such as “Dirty dishes, clothes on the floor. I haven’t showered in days, and I sleep till four. Try to keep it together, but fuck it, whatever. I’m a mess, but I’m clever. So, fuck it, whatever.”

“Billions” punches rich elitists square in the mouth. “Magic Medicine” has some of Lindsey Troy‘s hottest solos on the record. “I Like Crime” brings in Jennie Vee (of Eagles of Death Metal) on bass and assisting vocals, giving the song extra thump and mysterious sensuality. “Nothing’s gonna stop me,” Troy sings on “Phoenix,” an upbeat song with a fiery edge about not letting that life-grind destroy you. “Give Me a Sign” has Deap Vally calling out for clarity. “Give me a sign to make up my mind,” they sing in perhaps the most obvious portent of their future dissolution of the band.

Troy lets her lover know he’d better be careful on “Better Run,” as she might overwhelm him. This seems like an even stronger warning when you consider the next track is titled “I’m the Master.” Edwards’ driving rhythms on it are top-notch. “High Horse” has K.T. Tunstall and Peaches joining forces with Troy and Edwards in a floor-stomper complete with Peaches putting down a rap verse. “Where Do We Go” could be another harbinger of their decision to close the Deap Vally book. “Tsunami” is a crunchy, fiery rocker (“I won’t stop till I get what’s mine!”) that I’m sure slays live. The final Deap Vally album closes with “Look Away” (with jennylee of Warpaint) and the band singing about visions of peace, relaxation, and love (“In your arms, it’s a holiday.”).

The signs were there, and now we have one last chance to see them live. I wish them all the best. They gave us three fine records, which is more than many other bands have done. Marriage is a good way to go out.

Keep your mind open.

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

Review: Filth Is Eternal – Find Out

Filth Is Eternal‘s Find Out is one of the grungiest, rawest, grimiest punk albums I’ve heard in years. All that’s missing from it are the words “Fuck Around and…” in front of the title, because FIE will flatten you at the first opportunity.

The album opens with ten times the rage Nirvana was playing on Bleach on the track “Half Wrong.” The soft, almost gentle hi-hat work at the beginning of “Crawl Space” is a fake. Don’t fall for it, because the heavy punch of the song is right behind it – knocking you against the ropes in the blink of an eye. “Magnetic Point” and “Cherish” have this great heavy groove to them, and the drums on “Roll Critical” are nuts. You keep thinking, “Is that just one person making all that racket?”

“Curious Thing” is, I think, a love song hidden inside a punk rager. By the time we get to “Into the Curve,” the halfway point of the album, you’re barely able to breathe…and there are still seven more tracks to go before you can rest. The second half of the record puts more emphasis and clarity on the vocals and includes some straight-up garage rock grooves. “Body Void” takes on a bit of a psychedelic touch with the drumming, and “The Gate” continues this groove into almost King Gizzard-like psych-metal. “Signal Decay,” like many songs on the album speaks to issues of gender, body acceptance, sexual attraction, the confusing world of love, and how there are many others in the same boat seeking acceptance (“I’m not alone in this lonely place.”).

“All Mother” stomps the gas (and drum) pedal and drives down the middle of the highway. “Last Exit” practically tears through a construction zone to jump an unfinished bridge over a rubble-strewn ravine. The album closes with “Loveless,” which isn’t a My Bloody Valentine cover, but is a sludgy, crushing track that leaves nothing on the table.

Seriously, this is a stunning record. Everything on it works – the growling / howling vocals, the wicked guitar riffs, the menacing bass, the explosive drums…it all works. Do not fuck around with FIE. You will find out.

Keep your mind open.

[I’ll cherish you if you subscribe.]

Review: The Death Wheelers – Chaos and the Art of Motorcycle Madness

The Death Wheelers describe their sound on their Bandcamp page as “sleaze ‘n’ roll.” That’s perfect, and their newest album Chaos and the Art of Motorcycle Madness is a prime example of that sound.

Churning out a dozen instrumental stoner-doom jams (apart from some clever samples of dialogue from biker and horror films), The Death Wheelers get right down to dirty business (after the brief intro of “The Scum Always Rises to the Top”) on “Morbid Bails,” showing off deft shredding and growling bass thuds in the same track.

The voice of Scott Glenn in the movie Angles As Hard As They Come saying “I ride where I want, wear that I want, get stoned when I want,” starts off the wild, hammering “Les Mufflers Du Mal.” “Ride into the Röt (Everything Lewder Than Everything Else)” is both a fun Motörhead reference and a stoner-surf ripper (with a sample of Ernest Borgnine from The Devil’s Rain, no less).

“We want to be free to ride our machines without being hassled by the man! And we want to get loaded!” yells a young man in the film Lucifer’s Bend at the start of “Triple D (Dead, Drunk, and Depraved),” which is a quick introduction to, no surprise, “Lucifer’s Bend” – a song about the devil’s long reach. “Brain Bucket” is a fun little track about a motorcycle crash that leads into the horror-surf of “Open Road X Open Casket.”

“Motortician” is, go figure, a track about tripping out and ultimately checking out on your bike. “Interquaalude” might be the best-titled track in a long while. “Sissy Bar Strut (Nymphony 69)” is a wild psychedelic jam that fades out because it appears to have no end in sight. “Cycling for Satan Part II” takes off with all pipes open and throttles jammed forward and roars to an abrupt, distorted end.

It’s another ripping album from The Death Wheelers, who don’t need vocals. Their riffs say it all.

Keep your mind open.

[Ride over to the subscription box while you’re here.]

Rewind Review: Patsy Cline – The Complete Releases 1955 – 62 (2017)

Good heavens, this collection of Patsy Cline‘s releases from 1955 – 1962 is not only gorgeous, but it’s also massive. In case you missed it on the cover image, it encompasses 75 tracks on three discs. The only things it doesn’t include are live cuts and material released after her far-too-early death.

You can drop the needle (to use an old radio DJ saying) on any track of any disc in this collection and find something great. Don Helms‘ lap steel guitar on “Honky Tonk Merry-Go-Round” seems to be having as much fun as Cline as she lays down the vocals. “Turn the Cards Slowly” is a personal favorite, with Cline and her band happily bridging county and rockabilly. “Stop, Look and Listen” is much the same, with Farris Coursey knocking out a great, swinging beat. “I’ve Loved and Lost Again” is a classic combination of Cline’s voice and Don Helms‘ always soulful pedal steel guitar.

That guitar is instantly recognizable on Cline’s “Walkin’ After Midnight.” It’s baffling now to consider that Cline originally hated the song (“That ain’t country,” she said about it.) and only recorded it at the insistence of producer Bill McCall. “I Don’t Wanta” is a fun jaunt as Cline sings about being so happy in love that she can’t picture life any other way. “Never No More” is a sassy, slow song that has Cline writing off her ex because she’s found someone “who makes me happy when I’m blue.”

Other classics include “Cry Not for Me” (with Cline’s voice belting out by the end and yet sounding effortless), the rockabilly swinger “Let the Teardrops Fall” (with great guitar work from Hank Garland), and heartbreakers like “I Fall to Pieces,” the immortal “Crazy,” “She’s Got You,” “Why Can’t He Be You,” and “Leavin’ on Your Mind”…and those are all on just the second disc of this collection.

Ferris Coursey‘s beats on “Hungry for Love,” which opens the third disc in the collection, are so tight that you could barely fit a dime between them. “Too Many Secrets” is a fun romp in which Cline learns more and more about a new lover that makes her question her decision to be with him. The addition of a horn section on it is a great touch. “Ain’t No Wheels on This Ship” is as much fun as “Fingerprints” is heartbreaking. Just for kicks, “Foolin’ Around” is a bit of a calypso number.

Disc three also includes “new versions” of “Walkin’ After Midnight” and “A Poor Man’s Roses (or a Rich Man’s Gold)” and a soulful cover of Hank Williams‘ “Your Cheatin’ Heart” and “I Can’t Help It (if I’m Still in Love with You). By the end, on “Lonely Street,” Cline is practically singing gospel.

The whole collection is solid, and a reminder of someone gone too soon but who left a stunning impact on music.

Keep your mind open.

[Don’t forget to subscribe!]

Liam Kazar delivers a new single (and some live show dates) – “Next Time Around.”

Chicago singer-songwriter Liam Kazar “shows no difficulty finding grooves, building self-contained sonic worlds, and using his voice confidently as an instrument” (Aquarium Drunkard). This is immediately clear throughout his excellent debut album, 2021’s Due North, and is even more apparent in his new single, “Next Time Around,” out today. As Kazar’s first release since Due North, “Next Time Around” unravels with velvet-smooth guitar and his warm croon. The track was recorded by his trusted collaborator Sam Evian and features Evian on bass guitar, Sean Mullins on drums, and Michael Prince Coleman on keys. “‘Next Time Around’ came as songs rarely do, in a single vision. All I had to do was write it down.” Kazar says. “If I knew how to tap into those all the time, I would. We recorded ‘Next Time Around’ right after being on the road for a month in the fall of 2021. There’s a tour tightness to this recording that only comes from spending weeks in a van and onstage with another musician. I think you can hear that in the recording, the tiny bit of air between us while we’re playing packed close together — I feel like I’m right in the room every time I listen. Nod to Sam for capturing this moment so beautifully.”
Listen to “Next Time Around”
For over a decade, Kazar has consistently been a dream bandmate. He’s an adaptable and skilled musician, leading to tours and collaborations with Jeff Tweedy, Kevin Morby, and Sam Evian, amongst others. His debut, Due North, is a personal revelation, where the more Kazar wrote, the more his songs showed what kind of artist he’s always wanted to be – one whose own joyous rock songs are so irresistible, full of charm, wit and heart, they feel timeless. This summer, Kazar will play in Sam Evian and Kevin Morby’s respective bands across the states. Prior, he’ll play his own shows in New York and Chicago. Tickets for all dates are on sale now.
Stream/Purchase Due North

Liam Kazar Tour Dates
Thu. Mar. 28 – New York, NY @ Union Pool *
Sun. Apr. 7 – Chicago, IL @ The Hideout

* w/ Katie Von Schleicher

Keep your mind open.

[Don’t wait until next time around to subscribe.]

[Thanks to Jaycee at Pitch Perfect PR.]