Marisa Nadler : "New Radiations"

 Her 10th album finds Nadler stripping things down to a more minimalist yet cinematic feel. It feels spacious, yep, with an intimate yearning. Her vocals are produced in a similar reverb-heavy manner, but the layered harmonies feel more pronounced. It feels more like her earlier work than the past couple of albums in the overall sound that drifts in from the opening track, so let's see where it goes from here. The answer is the kind of haunting ballads you want for Hot Ghost Summer, the same season she seems to be singing about on "Bad Dream Summer Time". There is a slight 1950s pop feel, to the otherwise lonesome western sound. The guitar takes things in a more folk direction for "You Called Her Camellia." Yet the more pining twang of country ambiance colors things with a longing ambiance.

The faint rumble of a low-end frequency anchors "Smoke Screen Selene". This gives the song a hypnotic drone that Nadler wanders around in. The guitars are more layered for the title track.   "It's an Illusion" might as well be from the soundtrack to a David Lynch movie; aside from its more pastoral depression, there is a mysterious quality to the surreal dreamy quality it invokes.  "Hatchet Man" was the only song I heard before giving this album a listen. The story it tells is not overdramatized. "Light Years" finds the vocal taking on an even lighter croon, as the song feels like clouds are descending from a starlit sky. Her breathy vocal delivery allows some of the lyrics to stand out in this song, they are "you used to be right there beside her. 

The song title 'Weightlessness Above the Water" is a fitting description of what the song sounds like, though the scene feels like it is set at night. Even more fragile is "To Be the Moon King." It feels more like a folk song. The mood is somewhat uniform on this album with subtle shifts in the stylistic change from song to song, but it is consistent in what she does. She brings emotions similar to longing and melancholy to life with the sound she uses. I will give this album a 9, as it captures the sound she has been perfecting for the past nine albums, no huge surprises if you are fluent in her music. 

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Gothtober- Pharmakon : " Maggot Mass"

 

After a five-year hiatus, this project is back with its raging machines. Things are as dark and dismal as ever. Her vocals start off as more brooding, though you are expecting the screaming temper tantrum to come crashing down at any moment.  The eight-and-a-half-minute opening track stomps into a drone. The noise-ridden edges of the composition are sometimes more dominant than others. The problem things like this can sometimes have with my ears is they tend to focus more on the sounds being created than on writing a song. 

"Methanal Doll" would be the album's lead single, not because it is hookier than the other songs, but because it is the one she made a video for.. Her vocals are in more of a coarse throaty snarl. The machine-like hammering of the drum programming is very deliberate. I do like the use of effects on her voice.  The lyrics are more easily discerned from what I have heard from her in the past, the arrangments tend to just pound in one direction.  "Buyer's Remorse" uses overdriven bass synths for her to rant against. It is almost more like an interlude than a song. 

"Splendid Isolation" finds a return to the banging of machines, though with a more abstract groove than the first two tracks. Her voice has more effects on it which creates the feel that she is singing more than she is, but it sounds cool. Two minutes in things begin to go off the rails and turn more towards the noise side of the equation, though her voice tries to guide, it. This feels like she came up with some sounds that would have been cool to write a song with, but never got around to writing it. "Oiled Animals" feels more like Current 93, as her vocal part is more spoken and things are possessed by a darker minimalist ambiance. The album's first dynamics begin as things are pounded with a more intense feel as things progress. She goes into more of a familiar scream that aligns with what I remember her doing in the past. I will give this one an 8, not enough songwriting, but some cool dark sound compensates. Released on Sacred Bones.

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Zola Jesus : " Arkhon"

 

One of my favorite singers of the past decade, I breathed a sigh of relief when I pressed play and found this album is another step into the darkness instead of taking a poppier turn. This time rather than taking everything on herself she worked with producer Randall Dunn, and former David Bowie drummer Matt Chamberlin.  The former's influence can be felt the most. The second song moves with a more organic fluidity to its groove. Are some of her vocal passages more accessible here? Yes, but I am not sure I would call this pop music as it is more complex in both arrangement and laying.  Something similar could be said of "Undertow". How her vocals sit in the mix, is not pop either nor is the ambiance weaved in the song. 

"Into the Wild" sets her voice more against ambiance than groove. It reminds me musically of Bjork in the intangible sparseness that floats around her voice, which has greatly matured. The song doesn't really become solid until the last minute. "Dead and Gone" is a little more dramatic and straightforward, with strings backing her. It showcases her belting it out in a more conventional sense. "Sewn" is a more interesting song due to the darker sonics and actual groove that moves it.  When it comes to the more delicate piano ballad " Desire" it is hard to deny her vocal talent. It almost reminds me more of something Kate Bush might do. Is it what I prefer when it comes to her music? No, I want something more like the previous song, but I can not fault her for doing this and respect her talents.  

"Fault" reminds me the most of her earlier work, though gone are any of the 80's Siouxsie and the Banshees ghosts haunting the sounds. "Efemra" falls someone between her past and present. In so doing it is a highly effective song as it reaches a blend of sonic colors she excels at . The vocals sit back in the reverb, but are stil forward enough in the mix to be the focal point. This album is very well produced as it aids in creating a sonic balance. I had to hear the last song few times before it sunk in,. There is almost a shoe gaze like vibe to it's haze. I approve of this as it offers a more surreal swirl of shadows to envelope her.  I will round this up to a 10, which makes it perhaps take more warming up to in some places than her past work, but she is much more sure of her voice.This album comes out May 20th on Sacred Bones .   

Boris :" W"

 

Japanese curators of weird are now delving deeper into the sonics of a shoe gaze like wonderland of sound. Wata handles all of the vocals on this release. She barely rises above a meager whisper on the first song. This one is heavier on the drone than the metal. They have been a little bit everywhere over the course of their career, so this does not surprise me and fits well with who they are. Things get even more atmospheric on the second song, and she sounds like a memory of a schoolgirl who got lost in the woods on acid. You can hear her as she passes between dimensions, though I am not sure if this is really singing. It feels like this piece is more about the sounds than actually writing a song.  Eventually it does drift into something more melodic, but that is after 4 minutes of floating around. 

"Drowning By Numbers" finds them dialing up the weird. There is distortion but this is perhaps less abrasive than some of the ambiance some of the other numbers on this album are drowned in. Four songs in and still do not know if she can thing. There is a lot of chanted whispered. This is like shoe gaze ASMR. She wants "the Fallen" to be more of a song, but the rest of the band was not at the practice where this was decided. Midway they do go into the song and kind of rock out though it is very discordant like a marching band on acid at a Tom Waits concert. "Beyond Good and Evil" they make even less of an effort to write a song. In the last 30 seconds they do play some metal, but we needed that energy four minutes ago. 

I might appreciate their artsy cult status, but that does not mean they get a pass when it comes to writing songs, as I have already heard them do much better than this. Some of this swathing ambiance is still pretty listenable but is that the bar they deserve to set for themselves. "Old Projector" is a song that had potential but could use some of the sonic fat being trimmed. "You Will Know" is all sonic fat but it is also pretty music just a guitar interlude. The last song fidns them getting heavier but is also draped in a great deal of noise. It takes almost two minutes for them to get into some kind of song, rather than a sound. It ends up not really going anywhere. Which is a fitting metaphor for this album as a whole, I will round it down to a 6.5. This is being released January 21st on Sacred Bones .

 

Gothtober -Hillary Woods : "Birthmarks"

 

Here are all the hallmarks of what worked for her on the last album and given a more ghostly drift.  The same ethereal haunting quality that brings to mind the atmosphere of David Lynch movies is still present. "Orange Tree" is much like the rest of this album about her pregnancy. Lyrically this one is more obvious. Unlike many of the sirens that are her peers, if feels like Woods has less of a back ground. The Cocteau Twins being the most notable influence. She adheres to a more minimalist style. It is like she creates in a vacuum where John Bonham never existed, but chamber music is what filled stadiums. "Through, the dark love" is so ambient it is almost not there which this too was the only problem with her older material as well. 

This album might be darker than the previous. The strings are more solemn. There is more drone. Speaking of drone "Mud and Stones" is just a droning interlude and not actually a song. She marries more experimental tones with her  natural atmosphere on "the Mouth" . It reminds me more off Bjork. There is less organic to this album for certain. This is the biggest shift in her overall sound. Songs like this end up being swallowed by the mood , going with moreo the sound than the song. "Cleansing Ritual" is another interlude this time filled with harsher more challanging noises. 

For a song that barely breaks the 3 minute makr she wastes a great deal of time leading into the song. It oo has a drone which has become the staple of her sound on this album. This final song is barely even a song, I might be generous call some of these songs. This album has been out since March and I do not feel like I have missed much. I guess the trauma of hormones displaced her from Wood's creative center as this album is a disappointment. That is not to say there are no good songs, the album gets off to a decent start then loses it's way I will give it a 7. 

What is This That Stands Before Me ? : Sacred Bones Black Sabbath Tribute

This is an easy sell. Sacred Bones a label who has kept the new wave of goth alive , takes the artists on their roster and does a Black Sabbath tribute album. Up first is the Soft Moon, who almost nails "Black Sabbath" , the groove on the "coming round the bend" section of gets lost in the murk though they get heavier at the end. The only artist I was not familiar with was Russian synth wave act Molchat Doma, who gets props for taking on "Heaven & Hell". The bulk of Sabbath tributes neglect anything that is not Ozzy. The guy is no Dio. Singing in his native tongue , well I guess this would be a good way to learn a little Russian since I already know the words. The spoken part is a little meh. I do not see these guys listening to a great deal of Sabbath in their free time as it sounds like the are more into Kraftwerk. Thou is the heaviest band here, so they have to nail "Supernaut" which might be the easiest song here. They guitar tone is pretty mean. They use snarled vocals .

Of course Marissa Nadler is going to knock "Solitude" it seems like an almost too obvious choice. I would have spaced Hilary Woods out from Nadler , maybe had her second to last as their styles are somewhat similar. Though Nadler has more of a country thing going. Woods proves to be more atmospheric, as this song is almost not there. If I was her I would have played the bass line with the left hand on the piano. Zola Jesus doing changes is also very obvious. But she sings the hell out of it. If I still smoked pot I would find Moon Duo's take on "Planet Caravan" more compelling. There is actually more going on than the Sabbath version. Dean Hurley does what he calls the bar band version of "the Warning" . The feel of the song is there.  Not familiar with this guy so I am impressed.

Energy wise I know what I was going to get from Uniform doing "Symptom of the Universe". I that the vocal were going to be more of an issue. He is doing more of a punk shout , yes he is a little flat but it comes closer than I would have expected as the vocals are always a sticking point with those guys. I will give it an 8.5 , as the obvious choices that gave it a mellower mood could have been darker. I should not have to say it could have been darker when it comes to Sacred Bones artists.

Marisa Nadler : " For My Crimes"

She continues down a path of hauntingly morose balladry. More ghostly than Lana Del Ray. More folk than country this time around, though hints of western sounds still color this album. In fact there is more country on "I Can't Listen to Gene Clark Anymore" that the more ambient opening track. Things seem simpler here. More minimal compositions, keep the focus on the vocals. Sometimes these vocals are layered on the chorus , notably on " Are You Really Going to Move to the South". There is a modest return to country in the relaxed strum of " Lover Release Me". She sings smoothly without a trace of twang, yet there is something in her delivery that feels like old country.  She lets her voice crack rather than go into a head voice in certain places, giving it a rawer feel.

She doesn't try to take a stab at rock on "Blue Vapor", but has a more commanding deliberation. This is the strongest song thus far. Things get marginally darker on "Interlocking". Overall I would say this album feels more nocturnal than dark. Dreamy and somber are her subdued melodies. "All Out of Catastrophes" finds her with more of a lower pitches huskiness to her voice, while managing to still capturing her trademark feel. Lyrically this might be the most interesting song thus far. "Dream Dream Big in the Sky" feels like 50s pop. There are some great song titles on this album, "You're Only Harmless When You Sleep" is one of them. This is a more delicate folk song. It builds faintly with some strings in the background.

"Flamethrower" is another lazy strum that rings out into a sad empty place. The melodies float around rather than pulling you into it. There is some interesting atmosphere in the background. The bulk of this album is certainly more stripped down than "Strangers". Strings join in on " Said Goodbye To That Car".  I think this album is going to have to grow on me. Production wise it feels more intimate. Songs like "Interlocking" I like more each time I hear them so I am going to go ahead an give this album a 9, as it's so ethereal and wispy the songs become intangible and don't hook me as quickly as some of her previous efforts. Comes out Sept 28th on Sacred Bones.

Hilary Woods : " Colt"

Hilary Woods would not be out of place on the Twin Peaks soundtrack. Less fey sounding than the Cocteau Twins, yet it occupies a similar sonic space as an album like "Treasure". These ballads are haunting, yet invoke spirits of inner space rather than from beyond the grave. Hazy not dark would be the best way to describe the sound. There is a jazz like minimalism, though unlike 90s acid jazz, it serves the melody rather than the beat. The percussion on these songs is incidental. The hypnotic piano riff on "Take Him In" and it creates an almost Philip Glass flavored drone. The tightly layered vocals gracefully hover over this. It shifts into a more surreal folk on "Kith" . Lyrically many of these songs are rather simplistic, but it works for what she is doing.

The dream jazz returns for "Jesus Said". The programmed drums create an odd foundation for the more improvised sounding piano parts to wander over. While people might be quick to compare her to Marissa Nadler, I don't hear it. Unless you are going off the fact they are both female singers who revel in atmosphere. Nadler has a country background , where Woods seems more rooted in cinematic jazz. "Black Rainbow" seems to draw influence from Angelo Badalamenti. It's the narcotic pulse that anchors it, the vocals and the piano grow more detached for this and float off into their own ambiance. The album ends with "Limbs". It works off a pretty simple chord progression, that follows a less is more kind of minimalism, and slowly adds other textures of sounds. This gives the speculative vocals room to breath. The song drifts deeper rather than hitting you with a big chorus.This song had a darkly soothing effect
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She joins the ranks of Marissa Nadler, Emma Ruth Rundle and Chelsea Wolfe, as sirens of the atmospheric land of shadows. There is not the "heavy" feeling I might get from the music of the other women, but I would not be surprised if I saw she was opening up for Russian Circles as I can hear how her music might appeal to fans of post-rock. She is very dark without being goth, though not far removed from Cocteau Twins in some ways who became thought of as goth fathers. So any genre that embraces emotive and shadow filled sounds could embrace what is done here.I'll go ahead and round this up to a 9.5 as it grows on me with each listen. This is being released on Sacred Bones June 8th.

the Soft Moon : "Criminal"

The 4th album from Luis Vasquez finds him taking this project into  a some what streamlined sound. It is not as dark and dense. The vocals continue to be just as brooding as they were on the previous album "Deeper". The first song sounds a little more organic like some of the sounds are looped guitar parts and an actual bass with strings might have been used. It sounds like early Nine Inch Nails though with less of a metallic aggression. Then it's decidedly less organic on the second song"Choke". The vocals float under more effects against the groove. The vocals come across as more chanted than sung. The sounds all work together , but it rides the beat rather than coming together as a song. While I can accept this early on in the album as it progresses I am not going to be content with grooves alone.

The vocals float into a higher falsetto on "Give Something" . The instrumentation under them is murky and distant. Like the first two songs it rides the pulse. There is a more driving dark wave like beat to "Like a Father". The vocals are more spoken behind a distorted filter. The song has a fuzzy coat of feed back around it. The chant of "Somethings got to give" keeps returning. "The Pain" sounds like more minimalist Stabbing Westward, until the more post-punk bass line falls into place. It is when Luis finds the balance of indie rock cool to make this seem vital, with the depth of 90s industrial that this really works best . Some of this rides heavily on the mix and how high certain synth lines are in this balance. He also needs to put a little more behind the vocals than the chants he uses on "It Kills".

"Ill" is a droning instrumental that is more of an interlude. The more throbbing dark wave direction of "Young" makes it one of the albums best songs. The momentum of this creative spark carries onto into "Born Into This" and it begins to make the first half of the album seem like filler. The album closes with the title track and it takes half of the song for it to really get wound into it. This album sounds great and expands on the over all scope, though song wise I do not think it's as good as "Deeper", so I am giving it a 8.5. Out on Sacred Bones.

Zola Jesus : "Okovi"

After her last album I really needed her to get back to darker places. That is what happens after a weird atmospheric introduction. She combines sweeping strings with tracks that sound like they came from one of Bjork's nightmares. "Soak" is a pop song with a strong hook that proves pop does not have to be a bad word. My ex-wife used to complain that she sang in too nasal or throaty of a tone, but the clear vocal tones on " Ash to Bone" ends that argument. The atmosphere is pretty thick. So much so that in comparison to the first two actual songs, it almost feels more like an interlude. The lushly orchestrated "Witness" picks up where the previous song left off, but with a more melodic grace. The hints of soul in her voice are more fleshed out here. I prefer her more new wave side, though it's hard to make a case of the quality of singing here.

The chorus vs the verse of "Siphon" is a tug of war between her earlier work and this more mature turn to conventional pop. The song backs off from the groove til the chorus. The first beat that really makes you report to the dance floor is on "Veka" which starts of with a more introspective ambiance and builds into something more physically moving. I kept hearing that there were trap beats on this album, and I am not hearing it. The vocal refrain of "Wiseblood" carries the song. The beat is interesting and big with a tribal hint. There is an 80's sci-fi pulse to "Remains". Her voice really sounds great here. The song gets weird in the sense it feels like the 80's are colliding with 90's electronica as there is more of a break beat to this one. By the end the pace picks up and ebbs back down. The vocal production shines here, there is perfect blend of effects on her voice to compliment her natural tone with out taking away from it and creating a radio conformity.

It was a little disappointing that the last song was instrumental as well when it comes to Zola Jesus I want to hear her singing. So this is not the perfect album, but it is a welcome addition to her legacy and finds her voice continuing to live up to it's potential. I think it's a good compromise in terms of darker electronic music and pop. I don't see this propelling her into Katy Perry or even Sia status in terms of radio play, but that is not what she is going for or she would be there. I'll give this one a 9.5.

Psychic Ills :"Inner Journey Out"

The New York band's fifth album finds them not just flirt with the "Madchester" sound they masturbate to it with the object of their desire being the Stone Roses.Ian Brown was an attractive guy so I can understand the man-crush. When they begin to inject a little country on the second song, it helps change things up and you can hear they are also into Jesus and the Mary Chain, and obviously Mazzy Star because Hope Sandoval sings on the following song "I Don't Mind". I might be more impressed with this album if I still smoked pot as it makes me want to lake a long summer's nap. Well produced as everything sounds great, the songs are typically so slow that it doesn't take much to execute them. The dream country drift of "I Don't Mind" finds the album beginning to improve. The album shimmers as it glides on cruise control like  with guitar tones that sound like if "Born On a Bayou" was recorded on powerful pain killers. This is what it sounds like to get too high to catch a groove.

While in many ways this is Brit-pop the lazy sunshine baked sound of the 60s radiates from the simmer of the melodies. The vocals tend to stay in the same register, more than a whisper, but not powerful enough to call a croon. I didn't hear the psychedelics until the interlude"New Mantra" brought a trippy ripple to the party. Harmonica is introduced as they take on more of a folk strum with "Coca -Cola Blues". At this point in time the pace has pretty much been set. Vocally it seems we have already heard the extent of what going to happen. There is a slight gospel tone to some of the backing vocals, but "Baby" stays at lazy jangle . This album is painted in similar shades of the same stoned sun-shine. In fact if that baby from Tele-tubbies got high I am sure this would be his favorite album. Though the song "Music In My Head" is about how he doesn't want to get out bed when he wakes up, and this song would put me to sleep as well so I can understand the plight. There is a cool guitar sound at the onset of "No Worry", but I can't really imagine it going any where, since the bulk of the songs stock close to whatever the established vibe is. Some electric guitar comes in, but that doesn't mean we are actually going to rock out.

The sad thing about this album is that when you get bored with a song, which is bound to happen, you can fast forward it along and find that you haven't missed anything.The ambien-laced jam leading into "Hazel Green" feels more kraut rock like. The guitar playing is cool enough, but is it cool enough to justify an instrumental? They go into a more indifferent brand of indie rock on the slow shuffle of "Confusion". The guitar on this song is cool enough, but the vocals aren't doing anything to really compliment it. However this is one of the best songs on the album. Things begin to float off into more of a hypnotic drone on "Ra Wah Wah". By the three minute mark it's clear when are lost in a space jam. It sounds really cool for the first four minutes then it becomes clear that it needed to go somewhere. That somewhere never comes.Unless somewhere is a atmospheric abyss. If I didn't already own Pink Floyd's "Obscured By Clouds " the more jammy moments might seem like some next level shit.I'll give this a 6.5 it's got some cool sounds, not the most original thing to come out but better than most indie krautrock as it add flavors of country among other genres to the mix.

Marisa Nadler : " Strangers"

 We have been joined by many new readers since Nadler released "July" a couple of years ago. So chances are you might have missed out on the interview I did with her, so it's linked right down there.

 http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2014/07/interview-marissa-nadler.html

 She sang on the final Xasthur album and has continued to pave a dark and sometimes country path for her self with her second release on Sacred Bones. It is evident from the opening strains of "Divers of the Dust" that her sense of identity is firmly intact the country croon is equal parts haunting torch singer. "Katie,I Know" is equally ethereal though more firmly rooted in the more Western side of Country. All the the twang has been replaced by dream like floating. There is a more fragile atmosphere to "Skyscraper" that finds her utilizing her lower register in some of the layered harmonies. Production wise the vocals are masterfully layered and arranged. There are swathes of ambience that drip out of various corners of songs that sound very simplistic on a surface listen, making this one of those albums you have to hear through headphones. She finds her self at a very interesting cross roads that defies genres on "Hungry is the Ghost". It does lead me to conclude that this album is much more atmospheric and surreal than her previous. It almost borders on post-rock at time with sprawling expanses of sound that would not sound out of place on a Radiohead album.


 On her last album comparisons could be drawn to Chelsea Wolfe and with this album Nadler has stepped away from that. "All the Colors in the Dark" has the ghosts of classic country haunting the vocal melodies, but lyrically it is much more abstract. It took another listen for this one to grab me. The title track is more guitar oriented. The country elements on this song help paint the background. This is another song that took a second listen to really connect with. This need to take another listen continues on "Janie In Love" even though the melodies make more of an effort to reach out and connect. It's the lyrics that give this song more of an edge than the lazy sway of the song might suggest. While the Lana Del Ray comparisons could be drawn at a few different points in the album it's most apparent here. It took several listens for the glass like fragility of "Waking" to touch me. The 3rd song with a woman's name in the title "Shadow Show Diane". It is the kind of show Nadler said she could never tell her man, so their must a be a voyeuristic thing going on here. She strums an acoustic on this one, which is a much more streamlined arrangement than the bulk of the album.

Lyrically this album might be darker than "July" while the music is not as melancholy. It is more dream like. The synths that frequent this album give it the feel of something you might hear in a David Lynch, though it's feet are planted more firmly on the ground than say Julie Cruise. The album closes with "Dissolve". This song is stripped down to Nadler and her guitar, giving it a more folk feel. I'll around this one up to a 9.5 for now and see how it grows on me as it's evident many of these songs take a few listens before they stick to you, but it's a solid album of intangible songs and feelings.

     

Destruction Unit : "Negative Feed back Resistor"

After some white noise this Arizona band kicks up the desert dust and bombards you with punk rock. Last time around these guys were more like garage rock that was emotionally rough around the edges , this time it's way more punk with little post to it aside from some noise that gives it more atmosphere than old school  one, two three go ...punk. The second song has more attitude and is even more punk than the first. The riff to "Salvation" holds the same blistered sleaze a the Stooges "1970". Lower more spoken vocals drift into the verse. In the songs last two minutes they take you down the rabbit hole into a dark more melodic passage with more modern psychedelic tendencies with under lying aggression. With song titles like "Chemical Reaction /Chemical Delight" it is not surprise that surreal doses of trippy atmosphere will haunt this album like unexpected acid flash back. The take a darker turn at times. The vocals are angrier even under the narcotic blanket of noise the songs are often under, perhaps this is foreshadowing to the fact that they are going to return to the punk blasting. The lower more post-punk vocals they have employed in the past are sporadic and more Iggy Pop and less Ian Curtis.

They dip down into a much darker place for "Animal". The moody bass line sets the stage for a more Nick Cave like vocal to snarl out from the dismal murk that they build up into a more driving rock fuzz. It is of course one of my favorite songs on the album. They strum a few chords before kicking in the door on "Judgement Day". The production is dense and the layers create a very claustrophobic feeling to the album, like not only are the wall melting but they are also closing in on you."If Death Ever Slept" is another burly punk number that starts off in your face and doesn't give you room to breathe until the end.

The album closes with "Upper Hand" that clocks in as the longest song, it add a bit of Butthole Surfers like groove to things as they bust into more desert punk. There is more of an old school punk sneer to this one than perhaps every one but the second. They do not lack energy on this album, but do not explore the sense of dynamics they have had on past albums in their need to pummel you with the primal power of punk. I like more post than punk, so that is the snag on this one for me. I'll still give it a 7 as they do throw together some unique sounds and if I am going to listen to punk then it will be something more along these lines.

Institute : "Catharsis"

An super group of the Austin punk scene, the band has members doing double duty in other bands such as Wiccans, Blotter, Back to Back and continues place the emphasis on punk in the post-punk equation.The bass point is there. The guitar has the jerky clang of a band like Gang of Four. Like most punk the tempo and simplistic nature of the chord progression can cause everything to sound the same so Institute sets themselves aside on "I am Living Death". The vocals are only somewhat sung in a mumbled narrative so the guitar takes on the bulk of the melodic duties.They quickly revert back a more straight up punk urgency on "Helplessness" though the vocals become more deadpan.

It's clear the bass player really has some chops, his playing reminds me of  Stuart Morrow from New Model Army as his playing is more adventurous and melodic than you would expect from a punk band. Granted New Model Army grew with Morrow and the punk label didn't fit as snugly on later albums, while it sticks solidly to this band.The awkward twang of  the instrumental "Untitled" is more of an interlude than an actual song. The guitars take a darker tone on "Leathernecks". The band has stated before that they want to steer clear of the gothy side of early punk, and I think they adhere to that mission statement on this album. The bass line  and droning tom work on "No Billowing Wind" does bring this into question, but it lacks the  romantic elegance which makes something goth.

From a production stand point the mix is muddy where it needs to be , but the tones of all the instruments is very pure. I think the placement of the vocals in the mix and the use of effects on them is one thing that keeps this from just being a punk album. That is not to say the album doesn't have its raw garage punk moments as that can be found on "Cheaptime Morals" where a burly bass tone almost over powers the song. While it might not release the bats, the shadows over this song make it one of the album's highlights.

The bring the album to a close with "Christian Right" that calls them out on their Joy Division influence. The song has more of a drone than the others. The vocals are more punk than Ian Curtis. The vocals take on a chant that creates a hypnotic feel not found elsewhere on the album. This album is fun and sounds great. A far as punk goes they are growing in the right direction. While the hectic pace punk keeps can create a limit to dynamics these guys get the most they can out of that frame work for where they are at. I'll give this an 8.5.

The album comes out June 9th on Sacred Bones.




6.9