Gothtober - DARKPLACE : "About the End of the World"

 I appreciate that this Swedish band is not trying to reinvent what Joy Division did , or really owing much to the traditions of post-punk. The vocals are not a stark baritone, but a reedy tenor, that floats up into a falsetto to accent parts of the melody. This vocal color contrasts the other wise darker back ground behind it. There are odd little codas to songs like how "Fearmonger" feels like an extension of "Save Them All". The vocals are not as androgynous as what HEALTH does but create a similar juxtaposition that can be heard on "Cars", which is not a cover of the Gary Numan song. At time this feels like it is heading towards a sonic space more akin to Placebo, but without the glam rock tendencies. 

They continue to drop these interludes that are just under the two minute mark, instrumental pieces that seem like extended intro's or outros to the songs they bookend. I like the guitar sound on "This is Loud" , ironically it's ringing out with lots of delay , but not loud. This song is a little more upbeat than the first two , but works really well. "Split" could have been one of those interludes at just a minute long, but the use of vocals shows they want it to be more of a song. Yet in that time frame it's hard for that to happen. However at just over two minutes "No Escaping This" is another instrumental interlude. Which seems like a backwards use of time. 

"the End" is another example of tense guitars creating the groove for the speculative vocals to muse over. The vocal melodies  are heartfelt in their emoting, as the lush atmosphere creating behind it builds. The arrangement to this song has more ebb and flow. This album is really well produced and the vocals are dialed in just right to get the most from them. "Das Leben Hat Ein Enden" carries a tremolo picked buzz, as the vocals chant in the background. Another more interlude like moment turned into a song. "Call Your Neighbors" is more upbeat when weighed against the other songs. I will give this a 9.5, as the songs they do fully conceptualize are really wonderful, there are other times with the interludes the purpose is murky, but they still sound great and add different shade to what is going on here.