psychedelic – Page 7 – 7th Level Music

Ron Gallo – RG3

A good EP should leave you craving a full-length album, and that’s exactly what Ron Gallo’s RG3 EP does. It’s only three tracks, but they are all scorching rockers that portend great things to come from this psych-fuzz wunderkind.

“Young Lady, You’re Scaring Me” starts off like a forgotten Byrds classic but then bursts with a great bass groove by Joe Bisirri and Gallo’s tripped-out rock guitar as he sings about wanting to move in with a lady and her twelve cats, but he’s not sure the crazy sex is worth all the other stuff that comes with it. He rips into a brief solo immediately after name-dropping the Kensington Strangler. That alone should let you know he means business.

“Put the Kids to Bed” is a psychedelic “let’s get it on” song with a little bit of a surf feel to it in the chorus as Gallo sings about crazy sex some more and feeling the panic of a long-term relationship that’s growing cold.

“Kill the Medicine Man” is a neat mix of psychedelia, horror movie film score, and blues fuzz. Gallo’s reverbed vocals go for broke and are nicely backed with some lady chanters and his killer rhythm section (with Dylan Sevey on drums). The song seems to be a plea for us to cut through dogma and see what’s right in front of us. It’s over far too soon.

The EP is over far too soon, really. It’s just ten minutes, but it’s a glorious ten minutes. Mr. Gallo, I look forward to what you have in store for us.

Keep your mind open.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5rZ-uKtbIU

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The Dunes release new single – “Mountain.”

June 22, 2016: The Dunes are proud to announce a new single “Mountain” which is out now on Soundcloud/Bandcamp/Youtube. The new track has all the trademarks of a track by The Dunes; reverb drenched vocals, fuzzed out guitars and bass, 60’s keys, dark buzzing synth and driving drums, but it shows the band growing and expanding their sound. The new material more truly captures the bands live set, and is a taste of things to come – with a full length album being worked on for release in later 2016.

You can listen to the track by clicking on any of the below links;

MOUNTAIN – The Dunes on Soundcloud
MOUNTAIN – The Dunes on Bandcamp
MOUNTAIN – The Dunes on YouTube

There is a little write up below on the song, as well as announcement on our next show… We can’t wait to catch up with our interstate friends and see some great music. Make sure you come along.

Keep your mind open.

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Night Beats announce summer North America tour dates

Not taking time to rest on their laurels, Night Beats have announced a North American tour after completing their European dates with performances at the Glastonbury Music Festival.

The North American dates can be found at their website. See them if you get the chance. They are killing it live.

Keep your mind open.

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Deap Vally’s new album has possibly the greatest title ever.

Power rock duo Deap Vally‘s new album is due out September 15th and is titled, I kid you not, Femejism. This is perhaps the greatest album title of all time.

Deep Vally’s full-length debut, Sistrionix, was my favorite album of 2013. Lindsey Troy and Julie Edwards came out gunning with that record, and I played it for everyone I could find and bought it as a Christmas gift for my goddaughter.

The first single off Femejism, “Royal Jelly,” reminded us that these two ladies are high-level rockers and left us hungry for more. They’ve since released “Smile More,” and it’s a killer power anthem.

You can pre-order Femejism now, and ordering through Deap Vally’s website can get you cool gear like signed Polaroids, shirts, and even a glow-in-dark blue vinyl LP. Get it while you can.

Keep your mind open.

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Rewind Review: Strange Lot – Walk of the Sun (2014)

[Rewind Reviews are reviews of albums that are over a year old by the time I hear them.]

Strange Lot’s debut EP, Walk of the Sun, is a portent of great things to come. Made when the band was a two-piece with Dominic Mena on bass, guitar, and vocals and Tim Lormor on drums, all four tracks are excellent psych-fuzz.

“Upside Dwners” starts like trippy mellow stuff you’d hum around a hippie campfire, but it soon bursts into glorious shimmering power pop (but with heavily reverbed vocals). “Stompr” is appropriately named because Lormor stomps out a killer beat on it while Mena gets weird and bluesy with his guitar licks. “Fiction” sounds a bit like early (as in Mongoloid Years) Devo cuts – sizzling rock drums backing distorted guitars and wild vocals. The title track is a full blast of psychedelia that needs blared from the speakers of your Vanagon.

I’m glad these guys released a full-length album (Another Mind) after this, because to not follow-up on such a good record would’ve been a travesty.

Keep your mind open.

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Rewind Review: Vaadat Charigim – Sinking as a Stone (2015)

It’s intriguing that Israeli shoegaze trio Vaadat Charigim (Yuval Haring – guitar and vocals, Yuval Guttman – drums, Dan Bloch – bass) would make an album about boredom that is actually mesmerizing. Sinking as a Stone is about various types of boredom and ennui felt by young people living in Tel Aviv (work, life, relationships, waiting for coffee, etc.), but the album is so lush and dreamy that you can’t be bored by it. It’s a panacea for its theme.

For example, the opener, “Neshel,” is almost eleven minutes long – about the time you’d wait for a halfway decent chai – but it swirls around you with such ghostly guitars and vocals that the song goes by before the barista has your order ready. “Hadavar Haamiti” is power shoegaze in the vein of the Jesus and Mary Chain and will have you tapping your foot at the bus stop while you wait for your ride to work.

“Klum” takes you out of your doldrums by lifting you into orbit with precision drumming and spaced-out vocals. “Ein Li Makom” has gothic touches, but not so many that they overpower the rock hooks (of which there are plenty). “Imperia Achrona” floats so well that it’s almost like a Slowdive track. The guitar comes at you from several angles, but it stays peaceful the entire time. It also has a great switch in the middle that almost makes it two songs in one. “At Chavera Sheli” combines Joy Division and Modern English into a dream-rock gem. The organ at the end of it drifts into the beginning of “Hashiamum Shokea,” which is a great slice of shoegaze and a powerful end to the record.

It’s not boring at all. Vaadat Charigim’s Sinking as a Stone is a journey down a lazy river with its shoegaze drone grooves, yes, but the boat is crewed by angels, mystics, shamans, and aliens. You’re too fascinated by it to be bored.

Keep your mind open.

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Golden Dawn Arkestra – Stargazer

Part-funk, part-Afrobeat, part-1970’s Sinbad movie, Golden Dawn Arkestra have descended from somewhere beyond Alpha Centauri and delivered their new record – Stargazer.

The title track opens the record. It’s at first a gentle lift-off from the gravity of your job, your latest screwed-up relationship, and even this world. You’re off-planet and in orbit once their drummer, one of the best funk drummers I’ve heard in a long while, and the horn section kick in and encourage you to look beyond this earthly plane (and how about that saxophone solo?).

The groove of “Sama Chaka” immediately seeps into you and will not leave until you dance it out of your system. The xylophone and horns combine for a funky combination that will improve the mood of anyone listening.

“We walk on nothin’ but clouds,” the band sings on “Clouds” (taking us into psych-pop territory). Imagine the New Pornographers as a funk band and you might get the idea. “Space Waves” implores us to dance to the cosmic beats the band puts down on every track. The baritone sax and synth work on this cut is as smooth as the Silver Surfer’s board.

“Shabuki” belongs on a 1960’s Japanese spy thriller soundtrack. “Disko” belongs on a 1970’s Blaxploitation film soundtrack. Just listen to that wicked bass line, crisp guitar, and groovy horns if you don’t believe me. “Osaka” does have a bit of an Asian flair (mostly in the guitar riffs), but the rest of it is straight-up big, bold phat funk.

The closer, “All Is Light,” is a mesmerizing trip into another reality. It blends eastern Indian sounds with rock drumming and guitar reminiscent of 1980’s Zappa material.

Stargazer is the funkiest album I’ve heard in years. Take the journey with Golden Dawn Arkestra. The destination doesn’t matter. You’ll be different by the time this thirty-eight-minute journey ends, anyway.

Keep your mind open.

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Rewind Review: Dayluta Means Kindness – The Ground Is Lava (2014)

Dayluta Means Kindness is a five-piece prog / psych rock outfit from El Paso, Texas. They play big instrumental jams that evoke images of alien worlds and cosmic exploration. The title of their four-song debut, The Ground Is Lava, suggests childhood playground memories, space exploration. and shifting landscapes.

The title track opens the record with soaring guitars that border on drone rock. “Everywhere You Look There’s a Mountain” has a title like a Zen koan, drums like a tribal ceremony, and guitar work like a slow avalanche. This would be perfect for hiking at sunrise in the American southwest. I must remember to put in on such a playlist for my next trip out there.

“Young Savagery & General Debauchery” is a great name for a juvenile delinquency movie from the late 1950’s, but the song is a long, floating piece of beautiful guitar work and stadium rock drumming. This track will change your mood, slow your thinking, and inspire you. To do what? That’s up to you, but I suggest rock climbing, meditation, surfing, or creating any kind of art.

The closer, “The Sun’s True Brightness in Comparison with Other Stars,” is as epic as its title. It builds from tones that remind you of a sunrise to a soundtrack for navigating an asteroid field. It belongs on your “morning run” playlist, and the whole album belongs in your collection.

Keep your mind open.

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Gary Wilson releases rare Lord Fuzz tracks from 1967.

Avant garde rock legend Gary Wilson has given us a cool gift. He’s released a 7″ single of two tracks from his first band, Lord Fuzz, from 1967. These psych-rock tracks are wild, weird, and wonderful. You owe it to yourself to pick up the limited edition vinyl record (only 300 copies) or download the digital files if you’re a fan of Gary Wilson (and if you’re not, what’s wrong with you?).

Keep your mind open.

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Strange Lot – Another Mind

I discovered Phoenix, Arizona’s psych outfit Strange Lot (Dominic Mena – guitars and vocals, Tim Lormor – drums, David Dennis – bass ) when I attended the 2016 MR Fest in San Marcos, Texas. Their set was one of best I saw there.

Their first full-length album, Another Mind, is solid. They open big with “Into the Night.” The guitars bounce off each other like they’re in a mosh pit, and the vocals are layered in reverb to the point where they’re almost indecipherable. “The Horror” dives headfirst into trippy psych. “Wasted Fields” has wild, weird, and fascinating guitar work from Mena. “Supremium” might be an obscure reference to Marvel Comics’ version of kryptonite, but I think it’s probably about allowing your mind to open to a cosmic experience. Lormor’s drums almost sound drunk, Dennis seems to be playing a freestyle jazz tune on his bass, and Mena’s guitars float around like he’s in zero gravity. Trust me, it all works.

“Stone” bridges the gap between psych and shoegaze, while “Right with your Pain” is a raucous rocker. “Call My Name” is so full of fuzz that Ty Segall probably wishes he’d recorded it. After a brief instrumental break (“Sandwich”), “Erthquake” roars in like its namesake. Lormor and Dennis try to shake you to the ground and Mena tries to lift you from the chasm with excellent, soaring guitar work. The title track is the last one. It’s like something you’d find on an obscure early 1980’s goth rock compilation with its mournful vocals and lyrics, down-tuned guitars, and strangely peppy keyboards.

I like these guys. They’re doing odd stuff, loud stuff, psych stuff, and shoegaze stuff and it all works for them. It is a strange lot they’ve mixed, but a good one.

Keep your mind open.

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