Monday, March 18, 2024

Missiles :"Weaponize Tomorrow"

 






This band from Sweden plays an alluring blend of post-punk that is dark enough to appeal to the goth side of the genre while not relinquishing the punk drive. There are even reverbed-out surf rock guitar tones to the first song. The bass takes a more dominant thump to groove the dystopian "Living in a Nuclear Town". The cold-war pulp mood of Beastmilk's thematic lyrics holds common ground with this band. A keyboardist who is a working part of the band gives them a new wave edge that helps set them apart from most of the other post-punk revival bands. 

The baritone croon of their vocalist carries an anxious quiver to it that keeps him from being another Ian Curtis impersonator. The guitar creates a spacious tension, allowing his melodies to work unhindered or feel rushed. When they back off and go further into the brooding darkness that possesses "End of the Line" there is more of a Cold Cave feel, but this does not play to their strength as a band as well. It's not a bad song as it captures the intended mood well, they just take a step too far in the dark wave direction which is not their forte, as more guitar songs work better for them. This is illustrated in " Circular Madness" which finds a better balance of sonic at play. It allows them to head in a darker direction while still keeping guitars at the forefront. 

"Leeches" takes on an upbeat "Lust for Life" skip in its step. The bass has a place to shine here, and the vocals take more of a back seat in the mix. Things do slow in places to allow for a dynamic ebb and flow. There is a harrowing creepiness that takes over "Radio Dark". This finds the darkness creating a heavier sonic mood. Three minutes in they begin to jam things about with a more intense rock feel. This winds around to a more syncopated post-punk hop. Overall this is a great album from a new band that brings something new to the familiar genre tropes and basks them in a Cold War paranoia. I will give this album a 9.5, pretty close to perfect, and highly recommended to fans of post-punk. It is being released May 10th on Svart Records. 





Saturday, March 16, 2024

Gouge Away : "Deep Sage"






 Been six years since the Flordia punk band released their last album. They return with the kind of angular dissonant hardcore-tinged rock you expect from them with Christina Michelle crying out with the same level of abrasive edge she had last time around. The album gains more nuance with each song, and it is more of a sonic tapestry than the raw outpouring of emotion they initially hit you with. She screams less and sings more on "Idealized" as it finds its jagged groove quite smoothly. 

By the time the album gets to the title track, the guitar is relaxed into more of an indie rock jangle. They are not settling for casually musing without tension building. This goes down in a manner that is not until what Fugazi used to do. She clearly holds hardcore in her veins and is still prone to screaming her aggression out as needed. There are more sonic colors on this album vocally and in the more experimental guitar tones captured. The Fugazi comparison can also be drawn concerning the drum groove of "A Welcome Change" To contrast the introspection of the previous song, there is a hooky syncopation to "Overwatering" where she declares she takes the sweetness from the inside. 

They do not abandon their punk side easily as they lash out with three more aggressive songs the first being the more up-tempo attack of " No Release". Things are given enough room to breathe by breaking down to a bass rumble on "The Sharpening" where lyrically she seems to be having a hard time sorting through interpersonal relationships. "Spaced Out' is the first song where they feel like they are content with settling for being within the safe confines of punk music. 

The dynamic range of "Newtau" is pretty stunning, the way the explosive shift takes place makes it one of the album's strongest songs. 'Dallas" might get called out for being shoe-gaze, but it really just sounds like a love letter to some of the catchy but not radio-dominating moments of 90s alternative rock, which I am fine with. I will round this album up to a 10 and see how it grows, on me this was worth the wait, as they have matured into more than a hard-core band,. Out on Death Wish Records. 







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GUHTS : "Regeneration"

 





This album from the Brooklyn-based doom band slipped under my radar when it came out back in January. It opens with a bleak throb that their vocalist Amber Gardner drifts over with a lighter less metallic delivery that quivers with a desperation more common in punk. Things get progressively darker as the downtrodden haze of the second song washes over you. "the Mirror" allows her to sing out from the swirling density of sound that pressed her voice to the back of the mix on the previous song. The drone of the song makes the dynamic climax of the song less dramatic.

Things get marginally more metallic for "Handless Maiden" as the vocals carry more of an angst-ridden call to mirror the anguish of the myth the lyrics use as a metaphor. "Eyes Open" is more organic in its deliberate darkness, and hits with a more 90s grunge punch. Gardner's vocals histrionics, create more intensity and the ebb of the song works perfectly against it. These guys get referred to as post-metal, but I do not hear it until "Generate". Her voice is draped in fewer effects, and she really allowed her voice to be bared in an honest manner that works well for the song.  The arrangement works with a more sailing sonic sensation than the dark drones that have driven the album up to this point. She builds the intensity of her delivery alongside the band's climax.

The album closes with a ten-minute melancholy throb that is  "The Wounded Healer". It works off of as hypnotic a throb as any song on this album, perhaps even more focused on the wave that slowly hits you and takes you out to sea to drown in it. I enjoy the feeling it paints my ears with but it is a display of being more focused on a sound than writing a song. It still works, but would not be my suggestion for an example of this band's songwriting skills. For that reason I will round this down to a 9.5, meaning it's not perfect but pretty damn close, they are onto something and it is one of the more original expressions of doom I have heard in a minute. 


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The Black Crowes : "Happiness Bastards"

 




Their 1994 album "Amorica" was the last album I bought by this band. I appreciated the turn they took away from being a Led Zeppelin / Rolling Stones hybrid.  In the next 30 years, it is not surprising that cannabis advocate Chris Robinson's voice might not retain the same piercing tenor quality. Smoking anything will do that to you. He is still plenty soulful which has really given the spotlight on "Cross Your Fingers", The band which is really the Robinson Brothers, and bassist Sven, still possess a great deal of authentic rock swagger. 

What was last with age is the firey explosive energy that made them shake their money-makers, to begin with. The opening track is upbeat, but not as hard rockin' as they once were. The guitars are produced in such a way that on "Rats and Clowns" it feels like they are certainly trying to turn the clock back to the early 90s. "Wanting and Waiting" proves that they still can groove in a meaningful manner. The first Southern rock ballad comes by way of "Wilted Rose". Lainey Wilson lends her voice to the song without taking the spotlight from Chris. They use an impressive dynamic build to jam this song out which is the sort of thing that became the band's forte. 

"Dirty Cold Sun" is the kind of boogie you expect from the band. Takes fewer chances than some of their previous work and stick to the blues-drenched formulate they have been working off for decades.  The second half of the album sticks much closer to the barroom take on gospel this rocked out a little more on "Flesh Wound" which also benefits from the flourishes of the piano. They get back to a more riff-driven strut for the more effective "Follow the Moon" which might be the band's best song. They close the album with the Bob Dylan-like ballad "Kindred Heart". I will give this album an 8.5, not on the level of their more classic work, but they are still able to do what they do in a way that still is relevant in 2024. 


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Friday, March 15, 2024

the Dandy Warhols : "Rockmaker"

 





Oddly this is the first time I have reviewed the Dandy Warhols here. They have released three albums since this blog has been in existence, and they were under my radar or the stars did not align for whatever reason. This is on the weird left of Ween, as they stylistically do not take such drastic turns, and in many ways are creating pop music for those who ingest a ton of LSD. This album proves to be written in the same weird vein, but it flows pretty well, and even with the surreal sonic oddity this band can become they are effective songwriters. With song titles like "Danzig With Myself' they are even better at naming said songs. 

There are 90s slacker vibes to "Teutonic Wine". It's almost like Beck if he was more depressed and less obsessed with Prince. 'The Summer of Hate' colors neatly in the lines of what you might expect from 90s rock music if the grunge influence was extracted from it. "I'd Like to Help You With Your Problem" inhales and finds them drifting into a more psychedelic saunter. Slash does add guitar here, and the band goes in a more experimental direction as they blend great guitar tones with subtle electronics. This proves to be very effective and is one of the album's strongest songs. They do similar but from a different angle with a more dissociated mood for "The Cross". While I like that it's darker, I do not feel it flows as well as the previous song. 

To be called "the Root of All Evil" things are in an upbeat mood. There is almost a disco feel to the funky skip in the song's step.  They continue down a lo-fi electronic path as the album progresses, which takes the album down a different path of weirdness. The bass line to " Love Thyself" finds the garage rock party veering off into a more absurd rock parody. On one hand, it is hard to take this sort of thing seriously, but perhaps that is the point.

"Real People" is almost Frank Zappa-like in its narrative. They are playing a much more self-deprecating role than what Zappa did lyrically. The album closes with the more dramatic , but creepy "I Will Never Stop Loving You". The low breathy vocals add a more stalker quality to the lyrics. I will give this album a 9, and see how it grows on me. If you are a fan of this band you already know what you are getting into. 


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NEST : " Endeavors"

 





The fourth album for the St Louis-based project helmed by John Jarvis from Agrophobic Nosebless and Scour. I was two songs in when I figured out this was a one-man band. Since he is in Scour, relating records on House Core only makes sense. The drums could stand to have a more organic sound. At times this creates an almost Godflesh-like ambiance, which is heavily factored into the mood of "Burn Clean" which has some shoe-gazing tendencies, while the vocal still scowl with a breath deal of malice over the proceedings. 

This music's inorganic qualities can be its strength and weakness, as I am not as sold on what might be a grindcore vibe on "Ripe". It sounds more like an actual drum kit might be played for "Fickle" which gives the punk-minded attack of the song more validity. Though if these are still programmed drums I am fine with them as long as I can't tell they are not real drums. The guitar sound is less dense than what we have heard on albums of his former projects, though he was playing bass on those. Things linger a little more on the mood when it comes to "Concept". I appreciate the sonic space it is trying to capture, but the execution is a little wanting. 

"What's the Issue" starts off with a feral snarl and then goes off into its own thing. The drums on the last song sound more programmed as they lack the bass kicking you in the chest. At times there are fills that make me think this could be real drums., so the very fact confusion is being bred in this regard speaks to the ability to blur these lines. I will give this album a 7.5, it's not what I hoped it would be but it does occupy its own unique space and I appreciate what they are going for. 


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Zombi : "Direct Inject"







The Kraut Rockers 7th album finds them drifting into a more prog direction. The synths to the title track that opens the album sounds like they might bust into "Tom Sawyer" at any moment. "So Mote it Be" finds the drums laying down the groove to keep things moving in a manner that never allows the electronic ambiance to the drone. The instrumental nature of what they do sometimes creates a uniformity of mood, so the songs run together unless I am paying attention to the computer screen. The only thing that helps to break this up is the moments where they are more intentional rather than allowing themselves to sail off in their own ambiance. 

This album needs more moments where they do things like bring a sax in to help break the sonic colors up and not rely on synths as much. When they default into a more kraut rock mode and just let analog synth pads ring out, things are not as interesting, no matter how hard the drummer tries to compensate for it. They are good about layering sounds in a cinematic manner and would be great at composing soundtracks, so I am not sure why that is not more of a thing for these guys. There are things like bass lines that need to stand out to break the dynamics up. They are effective at doing this with "Post Atomic Horror" which gives off a vibe that reminds me of King Crimson's "Red" album. Though the syncopation leans in a more Zeppelin vibe. 

They fall back on a wave of synths with "Insurmountable Odds" It takes them time to get ramped up into this six-minute song. They linger on the synths a bit too long. Then it is once again up to the drummer to break this arrangement up. The cosmic ambiance is effective at creating a mood, but as an instrumental it needs a little more to really keep my attention. It feels like the drummer is this album's star player, who really digs in to make these songs work. The last track is really just more of an outro, as the song does not gain more momentum. I will give this album an 8.5, it's good at what it does, what it does as an instrumental album, is just that rather than hooking me in, but they captured an excellent atmosphere here for what this is. Being released on Relapse Records. 


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