There is a sheen of shining weirdness to the brand of post-punk that unfolds on the opening track here that is not unlike early Roxy Music in many ways. There is an odd quality to the baritone croon delivered here. Dallas Seger, who is the brainchild of this project, also plays in Manic Abraxas, which is a metal band, but it's not unheard of for more metal guys to branch out into the adjacent darkness of post-punk; this brand of post-punk is just flavored with a late-70s feel. The second song does not flow as seamlessly as the first. But it works more often than not.
Perhaps it is stylistically intentional to create an Oingo Boingo feel, but the dancey shuffle of "I Confess" feels awkward and clunky. There is deliberate homage going on to the early 90s in the sounds being captured that might have been better left to bands like the Tubes. The underlying groove of "Angels Lies" is subtly aggressive. The mix is really weird in terms of how the vocals sit on this. "Summer's Grip" reminds me of the indie band Merchandise in the guitar tone and lower vocal delivery. But it is not as hooky as those guys and flaunts its own weirdness. There is more new wave circling "Cinnamon," along with a touch of early industrial; the vocals continue to crawl lower. It sounds ok, but is not that hooky, as the vocals lurk more than lock in.
"Gloaming" starts off with a more overt post-punk feel that is goth-leaning. The vocals have the grace of an autistic kid trying to find their place in a conversation. It's more of a "Dead Man's Party" for the rock vibe built in "Echoes in Light"; the vocals improve, so I am not complaining. At first I was torn about whether this would earn the Gothtober, and it's more goth-adjacent, though the album does get darker; it's moodier in an Echo and the Bunnymen fashion, who I do consider dark enough to be goth, so here they are. The chord progression of "Wildflowers has more in common with Dire Straits. He is a better guitarist than singer.
There is a Cure-ish riff to "Holy Ground," but the synths in the background brighten it a little. It might not be the quality of his voice; I am uncertain about that, but the lack of certainty seems to haunt him as he second-guesses where he puts it, though it all works out on this one. I am obviously hyper-intuitive about vocals if I can hear confidence or lack of it in them in the studio. We are back to the awkward; something here is a little off when it comes to "Breka the Same" . If you are going to pay homage to new wave then mix it more like a new wave album. "Shatter" tries to go for more of a Depeche Mode feel and it is not really shaking the disease, but it works well enough. I will give this album a 8, if you want new wave produced like indie rock this is your album.
11
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