#128: Heated Floors Ignore Boundaries on Self-Titled LP
The longtime friends team up for their first full-length collaboration
This week in Freak Scene, longtime friends Mal Devisa and Gods Wisdom team up as Heated Floors on an experimental new album.
As if Amherst singer, songwriter, rapper, multi-instrumentalist and producer Deja Carr weren’t already making music that defies easy genre descriptions as Mal Devisa, she and rapper/producer Gods Wisdom (aka Ruvi Ender) have a new project called Heated Floors that pays no heed to boundaries.
Neither Mal Devisa nor Gods Wisdom have been shy about musical exploration on their own, and Heated Floors ups the ante on the longtime friends’ first full-scale collaboration. Their self-titled album is a collection of tracks that follow their own logic, from the eerie 49-second snippet “Twist and Shout” to a sprawling 17-minute self-titled track full of grinding guitar noise surging around saxophone lines that feel almost pensive.
In between those extremes, Mal Devisa and Gods Wisdom create songs with unconventional structures. They murmur in unison in between minimalist piano parts on opener “Bloodmoon,” and sing in breathy tones over a low, buzzing bassline and ticking percussion on “Take One.” Vocals like whispers from a haunted mirror crackle in the background on “Round Midnight” as layers of synthesizer parts repeat with a hypnotic inexorability. Earlier, a motorik beat that falls somewhere between Krautrock and hip-hop anchors “Ring Ring Ring,” freeing Mal Devisa and Gods Wisdom to deliver sinuous vocals shot through with eerie echo effects on the chorus before Cooper B. Handy of LUCY interjects with a few bars of vocals.
Their willingness to experiment is evident throughout, but what makes Heated Floors’ first outing such an interesting project is also their total lack of self-consciousness about it: they’re making music that doesn’t fit into conventional boxes as if that’s the most normal thing in the world. Maybe it should be.
Upcoming Concerts
The Iron Horse in Northampton hosts Irish bluegrass band JigJam Sept. 10 (tickets),
Lou Barlow of Dinosaur Jr. and Sebadoh celebrates his 60th birthday Aug. 7 at the Shea Theater in Turners Falls with a variety show full of special guests, including the Moldy Peaches' Adam Green, Jeffrey Lewis, Bobby Bare Jr., Black Francis and tributes to Deep Wound and Eric Gaffney, plus Sunburned Hand of the Man as the house band (tickets). Erin McKeown is there Nov. 28 with their Anti-Holiday Spectacular (tickets).
Horror-punk band Blitzkid play Dec. 16 at the Drake in Amherst (tickets) and Dec. 19 at the Space Ballroom in Hamden (tickets).
Mass MoCA in North Adams has experimental trio Son Lux Sept. 12 (tickets), Lucinda Williams Oct. 2 (tickets), Devendra Banhart Oct. 9 (tickets) and Earl Sweatshirt + MIKE Oct. 20 (tickets).
Infinity Music Hall in Norfolk presents Shaun Cassidy Dec. 12 (tickets). The Hartford outpost has the Sam Grisman Project Oct. 22 (tickets).
College Street Music Hall in New Haven features Michael Franti Trio Oct. 1 (tickets), Sylvan Esso Oct. 15 (tickets) and Trivium Nov. 11 (tickets).
The Space Ballroom in Hamden hosts After Oct. 23 (tickets), Psycroptic Nov. 6 (tickets) and Nervosa Feb. 24 (tickets).
That’s it for this week. Thank you for reading! Previous issues are available in the online archive. Freak Scene is free, but donations help make this happen and are gratefully accepted. If you’re able, please consider a paid subscription!
This Week’s Shows
The full concert calendar is available here for paid subscribers.
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Eric, I love your coverage - both the deep dives into local artists and the quick sweep of upcoming shows. I wonder if you could include the Stone Church in Brattleboro in your lineup of venues?
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