Lesser Care : "Heel Turn"

 I was not expecting this Texas-based project's sophomore album to sound like "Daydream Nation" being covered by Ride. Ample synths and electronics abound, but this still has an organic feel, like you are sitting in on their band practice. There is a great guitar tone. "Streetwear" finds the bass line digging in a little more, and more of a post-rock drive carrying the song forward while the guitar and hushed vocals provide the atmosphere. By the time it gets to "Intuition," there is a uniform haze that they are working out dancey grooves to that rolls over the songs. 

What changes on "Candy" is that the guitar and drumming get more deliberate in a rock-like manner, despite the single-note guitar melodies that trickle like running water over the cracks in the backbone being laid down. I would not call this darker, but it does have the tension of underlying melancholy to it. Tobias Grave of Soft Kill lends his voice to "Everything Changed". The main vocal melody might be the strongest yet, and Grave just comes in with a lower harmony. This creates an almost Jesus and Mary Chain vibe. 

There is even more of a punk energy to "Bubblegum Machine" finding the drums becoming more energized. The guitar plays into this more aggressively. This also means the songwriting is less hooky and more simplistic. "Gloss" moves to the dance floor with its electronic heartbeat. The vocals croon from under a blanket of effects. It is starker in tone than what I think of as dream pop. "Something New " fits the bill but also floats more like a cloud rather than having much meat to sink your ears into. There is more to "Finally Bare", but the vocals are kinda boring. The album ends with a drone that does go somewhere dynamically and shows more of an attempt to care about songwriting, but by the end, for an album to start off so strong, I think these guys mesmerize you with this sound they have captured, but once that wears off it defaults back to my sound vs songs complaint that seems common with many acts these days. I will give this album an 8, 5, which is due to the fact when they are dialed in this one is pretty cool, or it can drift off into a daydream. 

pst169

Gothtober- the Top 10 Post-Punk Albums of 2022

 It's that time of year again.  It might seem early to start these now, but record labels have pretty much sent me most of what this year has to offer already, by the time I am done sorting through the top 10 albums of all the respective genres, I will use them to compile the top 10 albums of the year. 2022 was perhaps marginally better than the previous year, though given the current climate of the world we are progressing on a downward spiral, making dark music more important as a soundtrack for this.   As far as 2022 goes for post- punk, musically I think these albums are better than last year.   The very fact these bands made it on the list speaks to how great these albums are, so it's not a slight that the number 8 album is above the 9th album, there is something that just gives it an edge that makes me want to listen to it more. After all we can try to look cool and pick the hippest bands for a list, but at the end of the day what makes an album the best is that it makes you want more, you look forward to listening to it again. Perhaps you can find your next favorite on this list; and have included links to reviews of these albums if you want to check out audio on these guys. Anyways here are the top 10 post-punk albums of 2022

10-Crime of Passing - "s/t" 

This band out of Ohio released this album back in April and it is time for it to coast under your radar no more. This band is also pretty self-aware. You can hear it in the mix. The vocals are actually better than most bands of their ilk but are mixed back against the guitars. Rather than sounding like punk rock Karaoke, it packs a punch

Abysmal Hymns: Gothtober- Crime of Passing : "s/t"

 

9-Black Math Horseman- 's/t"

Sera Timms of Ides of Gemini is back with this project that features Chelsea Wolfe's live guitarist Bryan Tulao. Marginally less goth than Ides, they occupy a more metallic space that succeeds in brewing up tension that is dark enough to feel heavy. They occupy a shadowy sonic space that blends elements of many genres. They waste little time building the tension, like clouds gathering over the ocean. Her voice cries out in a melancholy moan.

Abysmal Hymns: Gothtober- Black Math Horseman : "s/t"

8-Killing joke- "Lord of Chaos" 

The world needs Killing Joke more than ever.  The band is currently working on a full length to that the two new songs on this ep are setting the tone for. Hopefully we will see a new album from them before the world ends, but if we do not then this will have to serve as their last will and testament, as it is the first new music in 7 years. They have gotten even heavier over the years with their brand of industrial strength post-punk.

Abysmal Hymns: Killing Joke - "Lord of Chaos"

7-A Place to Bury Strangers - "See Through You" 

Before the current wave of post punk revivalists were a thing this band was at it. They continue to be more experimental and put together a rather bleak tapestry of sound. It gets darker as it progresses.

Abysmal Hymns: A Place to Bury Strangers : " See Through You"

6-Deeper Graves-'the Colossal Sleep" 

The second album from this project, finds the band growing in the songwriting department and perfecting their sonic balance to weight darker almost industrial sounds against dense atmosphere, while focusing on writing songs not just making cool sounds. 

Abysmal Hymns: Deeper Graves : "the Colossal Sleep"

5-Nyx Division -"Dark Star" 

 Another goth leaning post-punk band, which given my taste is no surprise, this band from Portland bucks many of the hipster genre expectations, though are certainly in more of a punk mode than really laying the Halloween on thick. Siouxsie-tinged vocals that weave outstanding melodies that earned their place here.

Abysmal Hymns: Gothtober- Nyx Division : "Dark Star"

 

4-False Figure-"Castigations" 

Wonderfully written post punk from a band that once leaned in a rawer death rock direction. Some of those Halloween decorations are still left up in their sound though this works off an urgent tension that feels like the Oakland underbelly they crawled from. 

Abysmal Hymns: Gothtober- False Figures : "Castigations"

3- Dead Register- "Alive" 

 This album picks up where they left off, but in a more refined manner. They groove with smooth syncopation into industrial stomps devoid of gear grinding abrasion. There is more of a 90s grunge influence in the drumming this time around. The blend of brooding shadows is streamlined as the song writing is more noticeably matured

Abysmal Hymns: Dead Register : "Alive"

2-Lesser Care -"Underneath, Beside Me"

This Texas band has their shit sounding great. All too often bands in this post-punk genre are so dead set in trying to get a retro sound rather than caring about how the album as a whole sound. Here the drumming and bass playing are more nuanced so that factors into their need for clarity to keep these performances crisp and popping. This barely got edged out of the number one spot. 

Abysmal Hymns: Gothtober-Lesser Care : "Underneath, Beside Me"

1-Vision Video- "Haunted Hours"

This one was a tough call that went in favor of the Athens based band due to the fact that the catchy and melodic nature of what they do drew me in for more repeat listens. They remind me of the Twilight Sad, so I am fine with that. They are also huge fans of the 80s and pay homage while crafting wonderfully infectious songs. 

Abysmal Hymns: Gothtober- Vision Video: "Haunted Hours"

Gothtober-Lesser Care : "Underneath, Beside Me"

First off, this Texas band has their shit sounding great. All too often bands in this post-punk genre are so dead set in trying to get a retro sound that they create that rather than caring about how the album as a whole sound. Here the drumming and bass playing are more nuanced so that factors into their need for clarity to keep these performances crisp and popping. By the second song from these guys the synths play a bigger role and ambiance swells up to create more of a shoe gazing feel to this song. "Daylight" finds the drums bringing it in a more aggressive rock manner. The vocals drop lower and in places more balls are put into how it is crooned. 

In the first three songs it is clear this band has a sound, but they come at it from three totally different angles. "Crawling Back to the Sun" finds them coasting along in a zip code closer to the Cure's. Synths fill in the empty space, but the vocals still have plenty of room to breathe. The instruments are introduced in a very organic and effective manner.  "Reflection" works off a similar formula, but with more emotive vocals that really help this song to stand out. The subtle fills the drummer does show how he is really killing for these guys. The synth that opens "Between You" feels legit and not like they are trying to go off into synth-wave.  Female vocals hover around as they drone on this for a while. It does take a more dynamic shift, so it's a song and not just an interlude.   

"Cherry Picked" reminds me of another post-punk favorite around here, Dead Register. It the way it's driving, but atmosphere is thick and melodic. The vocals are not poppy, but they are catchy proving you can have it both ways. The drums ramping up for "Placement" made me think this would be a plunge into a more punk place. While that element is in place, the bass is responsible for this added beef. The vocals are not shouted by fall in line with where the energy is going. In an even impressive display of dynamics, they tone gets beefier when they throw punches. The last song is more upbeat. While this album is not dark overall it has some shades of gray flowing around it. I will round it up to a 10. Do yourself a favor and give this album a listen, the best compliment I can give it is I was midway thru when I had to go on Bandcamp and buy but. rarely do I ever buy albums as my in-box is full of promos or I find torrents. This one was worth having.