SRSQ : " Ever Crashing"

 

Kennedy Ashlyn's former project Them Are Us Too were one of those bands whose influences they were paying tribute to was so apparent, in their case the Cocteau Twins, that if you are a fan of the said band then you welcome them. In the case of the Cocteau Twins they are not making any new music so I would welcome e a band that was filling that void for me. There is a hint of that influence still lingers, but she has come into her own artist under the SRSQ moniker. Even more so with this album. She is no longer basking in ethereal darkness and stepping into an 80's themed neon. The opening track shining even more brightly in the sonic colors being employed. It is a bright cloud of ambiance, but the second song "Saved For Summer" is more airtight in terms of the kind of hooky song writing that colored 8os new wave. 

The title track is almost like a k-pop power ballad, but somehow it manages to work. She finds a better balance on "Used to Love". And it falls more solidly in the bonds of catchy dream pop. The percussion has more of a retro sound, yet the emphasis is on the vocal melody. A great deal of credit for this album's sound goes to producer Chris Coady who has also worked with Zola Jesus, Beach House and Slow Dive, helped pep him to tackle this task. The title track flows really well and finds a way to blend the cinematic grandeur with the atmospheric pulse of her earlier work. With a song like "Fear" you can really hear how the clarity of her singing has grown. How her voice sits center stage and less obscured in the mix, helps to shed light on this. 

The overdriven bass groove to "Winter, Slowly" sets up the groove for the song, the melodies then draped over it provide a sugary dynamic contrast. The more languid atmospherics of "Abyss" floats in a dreamy David Lynch like haze with reverbed out ring of guitar echoing throughout the song. It is however not as focused on the melodies that have made this album work so well up to this point. "Elan Vital" is back on a more shoegazing pop path that makes for a pretty solid songs in terms of the backdrop for her melodies to sprawl out over. The drums to the last song give it more movement and break away from the dream soaked the bulk of the album is cloaked in with the vocals breaking through to embrace and newfound love of sunshine. The brighter tone of the album still works and finds this to be a monument of growth for Ashlyn I will give this album a 9.5.  

The Top 10 Goth / Industrial Albums of 2018

It is that time again. For the sake of this list . Darker and more elegant than the bands on my post-punk list, this is the music the children of the night make. The score from my reviews to help determine the ranking , but also how many times Last FM told me I listened to each album.An album can have all the critical acclaim in the world but if it does not inspire multiple listens then how good can it actually be ? While the top ten lists for other genres leaned more heavily on the side of new blood , this lists leans in the direction of more well established acts with some surprises. Rather than posting media of a track from each band I am leaving a link to the review, which will contain Bandcamp or Full Album Streams. Ok enough talking about it, the time has come to dig into the top 10 Goth/ Industrial albums of 2018.

 10-the Rain Within -"Atomic Eyes"

While Andy from Bella Morte retains his distinct voice, it now has new sounds behind it than have more shade of neon mixed in them. Having emerged at the tail end of the Cleopatra years, this is not really retro goth. He stuck to his guns and is delivering something that has come full circle. Last year I heard a few acts like Death of Lovers who were beginning to sound like Gary Numan , while Gary Numan was not sounding like himself. Andy avoids this and instead rides some Tron like grooves, that would not sound out of place playing in a club from the last Blade Runner movie.

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2018/01/rain-within-atomic-eyes.html

9- SRSQ-"Unreality"


Former Them or Us  Too vocalist Kennedy Ashlyn continues on after the other half of that duo died. There is a very elegant almost classical vocal intro going into something more movement than what her old band did. As a result it sounds less like the Cocteau Twins until it gets to the quirky skip of the more fey vocal melodies. We can never go back to Them or Us Too as that band is done, we can however hear where they might have gone as Ashlyn does uphold their legacy in her solo work.

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2018/10/gothtober-srsq-unreality.html

8- Author & Punisher - "Beastland"

 There is a more metallic nastiness to the rasp of shore’s voice, He does alternate into a more Skinny Puppy like sing song cadence. His machines create a dense throb that is rough around it’s over blown edges. Intense and abrasive are two words that best fit the album. “Nihil Strength” was the first song I heard going into the album and it is also more metallic in it’s intent though, Shore is sticking to his self made devices of torture to temper his sonic sadism. The beat to this one relaxes a little more than the first song with other layers of melody winding around it.

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2018/09/author-punisher-beastland.html

7-Pysclon 9- "Icon of the Adversary" 

 They are almost a blackened industrial, though really the vocals are the most black metal part of their equation. The guitars mainly stay at a weighty chug. I like how dark they are . This album feels like it picks up where they left off six years ago.. If you are looking for industrial with a groove that you can dance to then you are going to need to look elsewhere. This is more industrial music to kill yourself to after a heroin binge during a zombie apocalypse.


 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2018/10/gothtober-pysclon-9-icon-of-adversary.html

6-US Graves - "Voice of an Idiot Ghost"

 Take Over and Destroy have always had a dark side. This time they have given over it as the singer formed a new project. Sometimes it might lean in more of a post -punk direction. So these guys are more goth in their intent than their execution, but more goth than the bands that were my post-punk list and leave me satisfied with who they are an like hearing a more emotional take on post-punk.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2018/08/us-graves-voice-of-idiot-ghost.html

5-Ministry-"Amerikkkant"

 Al slows down and gives into his anger in a way that digs back into the darkness of "Darkside of the Spoon" rather than a struggle with addiction this album finds him struggling with the world around him.If we want to revisit your golden years this is the way to do. There is enough new to make this feel like it's not a retro flirtation with their past. A well balanced album that works off mood more than just being in your face. Sure it has more of a smack out feel than a speed ball blitz, so perhaps that is why I am more partial to this side of the band.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2018/03/ministry-amerikkkant.html

4-Anna Von Hauswolf- "Dead Magic" 

 She is pretty ambitious and is not content like some of her peers leading you into a dark drone, as her songs have a more adventurous feel to their arrangement that has more in common with Dead Can Dance than it does Chelsea Wolfe. It's more like if Lisa Gerrard covered all of Brendan Perry's songs. Though in a much more experimental fashion as she is prone to go off into Swans like atmosphere. So there is a fucking lot going on here, but it's dark and I like it. It falls into the weird exotic brand of goth that is some where between world music and neo-folk.

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2018/10/gothtober-anna-von-hausswolff-dead-magic.html



3-Street Sects - "the Kicking Mule"
The Texas duo returns with a more aggressive effort, even when the vocals are not harshly screamed the sneering death rock like tenor spits out dirty pictures of humanity in his lyrics. More manically frantic the songs effectively merge chaos and songwriting. So creepy in it's intent the results are what I imagine to be the soundtrack to a serial killer's internal dialogue.

 2-Dead Can Dance-"Dionysus" 

 It works more of the hypnotic atmosphere. It is not unusual for their songs to have this more sound track like quality. It is a wild juxtaposition to their previous album which was more accessible in it's song structure. "Liberator of Minds" does have a more serpentine groove that you could dance to if you were into touch with your more sensual primal side. In other words when it begins to move I immediately thought, my girl friend could dance to this.

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2018/10/gothtober-dead-can-dance-dionysus.html

1-Strvngers- "Amor Noir"

 Beating out well known goth icons, this new act out of Canada claimed the throne this year due to the hooky nature of their songs. The dynamic range of this albums goes from future pop to bouncy anthems coated grandiose and cinematic swathes if apocalyptic majesty. A pornographic kink them drips from the bump and grind of the more often darker industrial strength shadow stomp that rocks the dance floor.

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2018/03/strvngers-amor-noir.html

Gothtober - SRSQ :"Unreality"

Former Them or Us  Too vocalist Kennedy Ashlyn continues on after the other half of that duo died. There is a very elegant almost classical vocal intro before this album opens with the lead single "Martyr". It has more movement than what her old band did. As a result it sounds less like the Cocteau Twins until it gets to the quirky skip of the more fey vocal melodies of  "Cherish". Even then when it gets to the chorus you hear her through the haze of influences. The flowing ambiance of "Procession" soars into the clouds of dreamy silkiness. There is more of an 80s feel to "Mixed Tide" Most of this is due to the production of the drum programming. The vocals soar in the same spaces they have earlier the album. There are some weird space sounds that corp up int the corners of this song.

"No Reason " is more of a weird interlude than an actual song. The synth wave of "Permission" sounds like some kraut Rock from "Blade Runner", but when the pulse of the beat comes in the song begins to take more form. While drench in effects the operatic vocals are still impressive and don't require effects as it's clear she can sing her ass off. The album closes with at seven and a half minutes  the longest song on this album. Her vocals are more in her soprano range. There is weird atmosphere at the fringes of this song, but over all its her vocals that really sell it .

While this did not wow me in the same way Them or Us Too did , but she can stand on her own two feet and create music that comes pretty close to the legacy of her old band. I'll give this a 9.5 as it's pretty impressive. There are some really fairy like sounds that belong on a David Lynch soundtrack. We can never go back to Them or Us Too as that band is done, we can however hear where they might have gone as Ashlyn does uphold their legacy in her solo work