Released in March 2021, this album includes lots of the band’s songs written during the pandemic era. Formed in 2011, this is the bands fourth album as they continue to hone in on their sound. They are not afraid to be melodic in any way and embrace their pop sensibilities. Songs about beaches and surfboards, with a heavy Brian Wilson influence, sit alongside more garage-type songs and imaginative guitar solos. “It’s Over” starts off the album with bells and vocal harmonies, with a huge sound to follow, including horns and regal fanfare on the chorus section. “To You I’m Bound” is a fun and catchy love song with a memorable…
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Knockout 10.27.23 – Psyched! Fest 2023. Reckling, Annabelle Chairlegs, Daydream Twins, The Grizzled Mighty and WIFE
I attended Psyched! Fest 2023 show at the Knockout on October 27th, one of multiple shows sponsored by Psyched! Radio SF. This was the sixth show in their series of shows in San Francisco. This was the smallest of all the shows, showcasing bands in a smaller and more intimate venue, where they could interact with the crowd in all their Halloween costumes. There was a DJ set by 13 Angels, playing some good standards like The Smiths and others, to set the mood of the show in between sets, “spinning melodic enchantments that will transport you to otherworldly dimensions,” but it’s also hard to hear the DJ at the…
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THE BLACK ANGELS AT PORTLAND, OREGON’S REVOLUTION HALL
"There is a reason this is called Psych Rock and The Black Angels define and epitomize exactly what this genre and sound is."
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MR. ELEVATOR ELEVATES THE CROWD AT PORTLAND’S HISTORIC CRYSTAL BALLROOM
On Friday night, September 10th, 2021 at Portland, Oregon’s historic McMenamin’s Crystal Ballroom, Mr. Elevator opened for the The Osees and rocked, grooved and swayed the full ballroom with their unusual blend of psyche rock, keyboard and synth blends with no guitars.
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California Jangle from Across the Pond- 2 New Singles from The Gabriel’s Dawn
Spring is here, and so is new sunshiney, twangy 70s pop from The Gabriel’s Dawn. 2 new singles have recently been released- “Loose Canyon” and “We” The band have all known each other socially for years. Gudg and Fran had some songs and they asked Leon if he fancied adding some guitar and soon after Stuart jumped on board and The Gabriel’s Dawn were officially born in 2020. Despite hailing from England, the band’s sound carries a clearly Californian influence- jangly Byrds style guitars, an early 70s folky, country-ish vibes all around. Gudg’s vocals are a warm, pure sound reminiscent of groups like The School or Camera Obscura, and a…
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SYNTHESIS vs SYNTHESISERS: KING GIZZARD AND THE LIZARD WIZARD AND THE ROCK CRITIC’S FEAR OF ALLITERATION
A synesthete’s review of King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard’s new record might talk about a spinning technicolour blur occasionally coalescing into jagged sunbursts of purple, crimson and acid green. That’s if they didn’t balk at the hint of ripe cheddar from the Australian psyche overlords’ cheerfully unpretentious name. But after some 17 albums and more than a decade almost constantly on the road selling millions of copies to a legion of obsessive fans; it’d take more than a neurological disorder and an aversion to clichéd literary devices to dim LW’s coruscating brilliance. It’s internal rhyme anyway. LW is the companion set to last year’s KG and the albums were…
