Poppy introspection

Undo button: You can find a metaphor for the human condition in every set of Windows shortcut keys, but Life in 24 Frames reserved the best one for its new album title, CTRL+Z. It’s the “Undo” function on your computer, and it’s the one that unfortunately doesn’t exist in reality. CTRL+Z might as well be the remorse function for the past.

The indie rock four-piece performed the entirety of their new record, released last month, at Harlow’s Nightclub & Restaurant on Saturday night. While their openers, Sac’s Doombird and Eyes on the Shore from the Bay Area, formed a sound palette of indie and electro-pop meant for dancing, nightclub courtship and getting laid, Life in 24 Frames’ set provoked smooth waves of introspection.

Old ghosts could have easily surfaced in “November (heartbeats),” when the electric guitars twinkled eerily like wind chimes to an upbeat surf rock rhythm that would remind you of songs by R.E.M. or The Police. Life in 24 Frames’ frontman Kris Adams narrated past moments and their karmic results, sometimes in whispers or in warm vocals harmonized with bassist-vocalist Jason Brown: “Should be a blessing / Feels like a curse / Lay back on my steps, see them in reverse / I know I’ll get what I deserve.”

The 12 songs, one for every month of the year, are both poppy and complex, but they don’t try to steal your attention. Instead, they wrap you in a lifejacket or bind you to a surfboard, something buoyant that will help you realize the flow of the sea around you. You could notice these effects in the crowd of 50 or so that night, who danced less than they were still, and appeared caught up in their own awakened reflections.

You can’t change the past, but with albums like CTRL+Z, you can at least give it the soundtrack it deserves.

—Mozes Zarate

A sludgy sendoff: A heavy bass drone under searing guitar riffs washed over the crowd at Record Store Day at Dimple Records in Folsom, creating a sonic scape of unrelenting doom metal. On Saturday, April 22, Sacramento-based doom outfit Astral Cult closed out a show with the final performance of cofounding member and guitarist Ryan Musser, who is leaving the band for other pursuits.

The high holy day for vinyl collectors, Record Store Day drew hundreds of deal seekers and music fans to Folsom. As the day wore on, collectors grabbed exclusive releases, food trucks served their grub, and a genre-spanning outdoor concert capped it off with eight acts that played, among others, hip-hop, pop-punk and straightforward rock ’n’ roll. Onlookers gathered under a darkening sky that reflected the festival atmosphere once the doom metal act hit the stage.

Astral Cult, founded in 2011, has gone through several lineup changes over the years. The two constants of the band since its inception have been bassist Stefan Henskens and Musser, who have released two independently produced albums—the eponymous Astral Cult in 2014 and The Sacred Flame, their first album with singer Alexandre Lapuh, in 2016.

On Record Store Day, new drummer Cristian Gonzalez’s furious beats knocked off a cymbal during the second to last song of the band’s set. Gonzalez handled this without missing a beat. He waited for the opportune sonic lull to reattach his rig before coming in again strong.

Musser gave a top-notch final performance that culminated in a gritty cacophony of sludgy riffs and solos reminiscent of ’70s-era Black Sabbath, while the stack of amps behind the band shook with Henskens’ bass riffs.

After the set, Astral Cult fan Jeff May commented that Musser will be difficult to replace.

Lapuh bid farewell to the crowd at the end of his set and thanked Musser for his final performance, eliciting a cheer from the loyal cadre of fans that remained through this incarnation of Astral Cult’s final set.

—Matt Kramer