Am I Dead Yet : " s/t"

This was not what I expected going into this album. It is dark, it however is dark in the same way the Doors can be dark or Nick Cave and Leonard Cohen. It makes sense that some of the guys have worked on soundtracks to movies as I can hear these songs popping up on a Tarantino movie as it has a very 60s feel to it . I like the steamy sizzle the first song struts with, but the question is can they keep my interest for the rest of the album in a similar fashion. There is more of a Neil Diamond vibe to "Solid Gone' . One of this album's strength is the flamenco guitar that is sprinkled about it. In fact it is more dominant than any typically rock guitar sound.

There more western mood of what they do trades places with the more 60s folk thing on "Joe Meek Shall Inherit the Earth. "Ghosted " is really well written, but ti feels like I am taking a stroll through a park in a New York, which is the same way Neil Diamond makes me feel. "  There is almost more of a dark  country feel to the rambling brooding of "People Are Dangerous". The chorus has more of a croon to it. "Wasted[' sounds like their main inspiration is  to get drunk and listen to "Girl You'll Be Woman Soon". This is a much more drunken take on the Neil Diamond thing they have going. The electronic elements they add to " Futuristic Paranoia" help to give enough of a twist to what they are doing to freshen it up.

"Master of Diguise" switches things up yet again though this time there is a weird element like it is from a David Gilmore solo album. With "Fake Flowers" there  is a more U2 like thing going , if perhaps they have Nick Cave guest on a song. I do not like this sound as much because it is not as dark. It ends with more shadows returning for "Thanks For Sharing". The slight Pink Floyd influence could be mistaken for the Doors if you did not listen close enough, by Pink Floyd I am referring to "the Final Cut". I will give this album an 8.5, sometimes it has an identity crisis , but the overall feel it cool.

Wovenhand : "Star Treatment"

 This past weekend was spent at Dragon-Con, so I was only able to catch fleeting listens of this album while in transit. So now I can give it my full attention. Being a big fan of Eugene Edwards, expectations were high, but  I can say I ever doubted his ability to deliver as he has been very consistent over the years. It opens with a pounding rock gallop that pretty much picks up where "Refractory Obdurate" left off. Things take a turn for the weird on "Swaying Reed" that sounds like the acid kicked in at the same time the Holy Ghost descended upon them in the studio. This does capture the same abstract tone the Doors touched upon, but strikes me as more of an interlude than an actual song. "the Hired Hand" struts in with a ghostly western feel. Edwards' resonant baritone is commanding as it is emotive. What different this time around is more trippy space like sounds zoom out of the corners of the song. A more deliberate rock inspired stomp haunts "Crystal Palace" though the intervals of the melody in the back hearkens back to tribal music of the American Indians.  This album is certainly more atmospheric, though it's reined in to serve the songs. This is displayed on the exotic chord progression of "Crook and Flail" which finds keyboards playing a much larger role on this album. This opens a door to fans of progressive rock and psychedelic. Edwards elegantly weaves his voice around this song.

Speaking of psychedelic, the album gets a dynamic shift on "The Quiver". The vocal melody gets more breathing room on this song. There is also a very relaxed drifting Pink Floyd like feel to this one. There is a more surreal spell binding throb to "All Your Waves". This invokes a similar hypnotic feeling as the Holy Ghost inspired jamming on "Swaying Reed" the difference being, the vocals are more focused and it sounds like this is a song rather than Edwards just being poised at the threshold of another dimension where he might break out into tongues at any moment. The tribal influence of American Indians can once again be felt here. There is a lighter mood to "Golden Blossom". This is a more accessible ballad that touches on neo-folk, but has a more emotive soaring to it. It's a testament to Edwards ever expanding skills as a song writer, as this is just good music without the bounds of genres to confine it.

From this point on the song writing displayed stays pretty stellar.  Not that the songs on the first half are filler, it's just that these find Edwards at the peak of his prowess. There is a Neil Young or maybe even Johnny Cash like saunter to the tempo of "Go Ye Light", but Edwards being the superior singer gives this song the authority of an Old Testament prophet. There is much beauty to be found in the layers of "Five By Five".  Edwards backs off from the mic to get a little more introspective. Contrasting sounds color this song, the guitar might not be out of place on a Peter Murphy album, though there are lighter keyboard melodies trickling over this. The drums foreshadow a shift in intensity. This build in sonic intensity is very well played. This album only flirts with the darkness, but it is still satisfying. Maybe it's not as heavy as the previous album, "Star Treatment" is as powerful in other regards as Edwards other work.In certain places it's more accessible, but far from selling out by any means. I can easily round this one up to a 10 as I can hear it already growing on me with each listen.