#25: Death Valley Girls – Levitation Sessions: Live from the Astral Plane
Your live psychedelic rock album can’t miss when the first track is a guide to astral projection. You also can’t miss when it’s full of wild rock, passionate vocals, and, for all I know, tantric magic.
#24: Deeper – Auto-Pain
Wow. I mean…Wow. This post-punk record covers some serious subjects (suicide, existential angst, boredom, ennui, technological creep) and does it with serious chops and resolve.
#23: All Them Witches – Nothing As the Ideal
All Them Witches returned with possibly their heaviest album to date. Nothing As the Idealis almost a Black Sabbath record in its tone and sheer sonic weight. It sounds like they were getting out all their frustration of not being able to tour on the record. It’s a cathartic gem.
#22: Protomartyr – Unlimited Success Today
Protomartyr put out one of the mots intriguing records of 2020. Unlimited Success Today is layered with stunning guitar chords, powerhouse drumming, and mysterious lyrics that sometimes read and sound like a madman yelling atop a milk crate in the middle of a busy intersection in your town.
#21: Gordon Koang – Unity
Possibly the most uplifting album of 2020, Unityis the tale of refugee Gordon Koang finally becoming an Australian citizen. Koang is a musical superstar in Africa, but fled the continent due to civil war and threats on his life. Despite all his tribulations, Unity is a record full of hope (not to mention fun Afrobeat tracks) that we needed last year.
The cover of Chicago post-punks Deeper‘s new album, Auto-Pain, features an image of Northwestern Prentice Women’s Hospital in Chicago – a hospital known for its modern architectural style…that was demolished in 2015. Healing, death, illness, impermanence, and presence are themes weaved throughout the album.
It opens with “Esoteric,” as guitarists Mike Clawson and Nic Gohl (who also sings lead) lead us by the hand with catchy hooks while Gohl asks “Is it any wonder I feel so old?” He’s bogged down by the pressure of living under constant demands from all angles. The song breaks into bright synths and power riffs that bring Wire records to mind. “Run” has some guitars just as bright and shiny as before, and other with a lingering sense of anger behind them.
“This Heat” could be a tribute to the band of the same name (and the sharp guitars certainly are reminiscent of This Heat), but I suspect the song is about the heat of emotions and trying to tame them. “I’m so sick” Gohl repeats again and again, as well as “You’re crossing the line.” He’s ready to burst with rage as his temperature rises. “It’s all right” is repeated often on “Willing,” and you’re not sure if Gohl is trying to convince us, his bandmates, himself, or all three groups. I love the way the guitars sound like warped records, and Shiraz Bhatti‘s beats (influenced by sounds heard as a kid at pow wows he attended with his family) on it are wicked.
“What’s the point of living this life?” Gohl sings on “Lake Song.” A repeated line in the chorus is “I just want you to feel sick.” The lyrics take on heavier weight when you learn that Clawson killed himself after leaving the band during Auto-Pain‘s recording. He had battled depression for a long time. The band was stunned, as you can imagine, and “Lake Song,” with its dark synths and krautrock beats, feels like Gohl, Bhatti, and bassist Drew McBride working out their grief in the track.
The synths burst forth with new light and the guitars throw fits with new fire in “Spray Paint.” On “4U” the synths and guitars almost become manic, probably reflecting the stress building on the band at the time. McBride’s admiration of Peter Hook is on full display on “V.M.C.” and “Helena’s Flowers” – two tracks that deal with obsession and attachment.
“The Knife” brings to mind early stuff from The Cure as Gohl sings about feeling best when one realizes most of life is nonsense. It can be a depressing thought, and Gohl has admitted that depression is the main theme of the album and the recording of it was a healing process for he, McBride, and Bhatti. The closer, “Warm,” has Gohl’s guitar sounding like it’s stumbling across a desert landscape in search of a cool place to rest. “Is this the cure you believe in, or just another cast line?” Gohl sings. The last line of the song and thus the album is “Inside I close the door.” Does he mean inside the safety of his home or inside the domain of his mind? I’m not sure if it matters either way. He has found a way to shut out the noise, and wouldn’t we all be better off if we could do that?
The title, Auto-Pain, is a reference to Brave New World and a substance that lets you feel everything at once. Could we deal with such a wave of emotion? Would we end up enlightened if we did, or crushed? Sometimes the reward is worth the risk.
Keep your mind open.
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Deeper release a cover of John Maus rarity, “Bennington,” ahead of their upcoming tour with labelmates and fellow Chicagoans, Dehd. The song is the B side of the band’s upcoming 7”, “Run,” due October 4th via Fire Talk.
Following the previously released single, “Run,” their cover of “Bennington” is astutely scientific. The track has a vivacious energy, featuring intricate guitar lines and urgent percussion. Here’s what the band had to say about the cover:
“John Maus is one of our favorite artists and ‘Bennington’ always struck us because of how he captured the feeling of an unsettling obsession for someone.We played this out once earlier this year as part of a Planned Parenthood fundraiser and ended up so happy with it, we decided to record a version during the sessions for our single ‘Run.’ While the original captures this eerie sense of longing, we wanted to re-frame that sentiment into one more focused on trying to find a feeling that’s passed – less focused on one person in particular.“
Deeper is comprised of Shiraz Bhatti, Nic Gohl, and Drew McBride. Throughout “Run,” they take a thoughtful and direct approach with their songwriting, yielding spry melodies and inventive structures. It’s a clever combination of jagged post-punk and refined indie rock. A tightly wound rhythm section teeters on the edge, but it’s anchored by intricate guitar interplay and saturated with an enigmatic spirit. Their first album, 2018’s Deeper channeled the anxiety of change in everyday life and navigating the unhinged political atmosphere. “Run” takes a more existential approach, reaching down past the emotion and staring back at the inner.
Deeper has made their mark touring with acts such as Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever and The Districts, while also sharing the stage with Deerhunter, Protomartyr, Jeff Tweedy, and Whitney. They’ve sold out their own headlining shows and official after parties at Pitchfork Festival and Lollapalooza. Listen to Deeper’s “Bennington” (John Maus Cover) SoundCloud Stream YouTube Stream
Deeper are sharing the latest single, “Feels,” from their forthcoming self-titled debut album (out May 25th on Fire Talk Records). “‘Feels’ was one of those happy coincidence songs. We just set up one day and it came together after about three runs,” explains the band. “We wanted to make a punk song that was more dynamic than most, so the process for this one was different than most of our songwriting. Typically we flesh out ideas until we exhaust where each part could go, but ‘Feels; came together quickly and very naturally. The beauty of how we wrote ‘Feels’ is we never get sick of playing it live.”
Deeper is Nic Gohl (singer and guitarist), Mike Clawson (guitarist), Shiraz Bhatti (drummer) and Drew McBride (bassist). The band honed their sound over the course of 2015 and 2016 in basements, lofts and anywhere that would have them. Call it post-punk, call it indie rock, Deeper is a record that steps in and out of boxes filtered through an unmistakable midwestern lens. It’s observational, poetic and influenced by nuance.
Deeper has made their mark supporting like-minded acts Omni, Protomartyr, Chris Cohen and fellow Chicago powerhouses Whitney and NE-HI along with their own sold out headlining shows and official after parties at Pitchfork Festival and Lollapalooza. Starting next week they will tour North America in support of Deeper and play a record release show at Union Pool in Brooklyn on May 25th.
