Starless : " Hope is Leaving You"

 The trend for progressive rock bands is to pretend to be a post rock band instead. At least that is how this band is being marketed. I like the often moody shifts the delve into and the fact the vocals are sung . There are not guitar solos blazing out of every corner, and when they surface they normally are weaving melodies, so this puts them ahead of what we commonly think of as progressive rock. I have to listen to this album several times as many of the songs have the same feel and it begins to run together. There is more noise going into the second song. There is a slightly shoe gazing drone, to the lull of the vocals . 

Normally I just write stream of consciousness as I go through an album on the the first listen, but I have left this one playing for a few days which says a great deal in it's favor. "Forest" flows the best of the first three songs and might be the album's best song . Things stay on the darker side of moody for "All the Winter". The vocals begin to remind me more of Opeth's mellower moments. There is the crunch of distortion here, and they are a metal band by definition they are certainly more middle of the road due to atmosphere and in the zip code of perhaps Katatonia when it comes to where they fall in terms of heaviness or the lack of.

"Devils" kinds of drifts on with the drone of it's melody. It floats nicely in the background but is not the most compelling listen. "Citizen" has echoes of Quicksand to it. Perhaps it is the voices, but the guitar have more grunge to their jangle. They flex a wider range of dynamics while still sticking to the more droning ambiance they have on the last song that feels like a metal version of Arcade Fire. I will round this up to a 9.5 ,as I think the sonic colors they use are pretty cool and this album flows in a way that I can just leave this on., 

Harmony Woods : "Graceful Rage"

I was going to write if you wanted to hear what Dashboard Confessional would sound like if fronted by a girl , but I think we have already crossed that line with him. There is more of an honest folk feel to the lyrically clever opener. The emo influence is more subtle at first and it is not until the band really kicks into things a couple songs in that it clicks in that way. There is more of a folk rock vibe on the second song, not as biting as say Ani , but not full on emo yet, reminds me more of alternative artists from the 90s who crossed over into radio." Easy" is the most emotive so far and shows an impressive sense of dynamics. Sofia has a strong voice which helps this though, she tends to stay in a similar register most of the time, she just belts it out more sometimes than others. When floating into some of the harmonies she is most impressive. 

 There is more of a rock guitar tension to "Holding Onto You" . This creates a mood not unlike some of the Police's moodier tunes. Everything falls in place pretty perfectly with this one. There is more of a punk feel, if we are talking about the more Runaways era of punk, with "God's Gift to Women" . So lyrically with have scorned lovers and all the other high school drama that comes with dating. There is a more introspective and thoughtful tone to the lyrics of the title track that transcend the more childish attitudes. Granted that song with fun , this one is just more mature and has more impact. 

The last song does not break any new ground and finds them doing what they are good at which to some extent I suppose if it is not broken do not fix it . If this had come out in 1999 , I would have been more impressed. Good songwriting, but is it able to compete with the Chelsea Wolfes and Emma Ruth Rundles of the world ? Perhaps not, but kids in high school still need this sort of thing to listen to since their lives seem so serious right now.  What they have done is solid for the kind of music they are making so I will give it an 8.5 

Necronautical : "Slain in Spirit"

 Symphonic death metal is not normally my thing. If it gets to Nightwish like then I am out for sure. This British band give it enough teeth and hook in the guitars to make it interesting. They begin sounding like songs that Dimmu did not care enough to make cooler riff wise, on the second song. This is still better than your run of the mill death metal band as Dimmu's throw away riffs are still good enough. The guitar playing is nuanced when it needs to be , but it feels like we are often just checking off the boxes for needed metal tropes. There is a touch of black metal to the title track. At this point any band from Europe this is almost a given , unless they are fully entrenched in the sound of their region like say Swedish Death Metal. There are some cool head banging riffs to this one , but the rule here is cool riffs alone does not a good song make. 

"Hypnogogia"  seems intent on sticking to the sounds they have used thus far. Yes there is a shift in melody. This is perhaps catchier than the previous song which relies more on speed. They rock out with more authority when they are pummeling into you on "Pure Consciousness Event".  I breezed through "Necropsychonautics" without really being aware that I was on a new song. So this is an indication that all their songs begin to sound the same to me. Sung vocals come in , somewhat like Dimmu does though they do not sweep in and take over the song. The pace of the song stays the course and they chime in from the background. The higher more black metal like vocals begin to control the mic at this point. There is a gothy symphonic section at one point that is a nice touch. 

The chug that drives "Death Magic Triumphant" works better than many forms of attack they have employed thus far. Upon hearing their cover of "Disciple" I think it is clear this band missed their calling as a Slayer tribute band. Who knew a death metal tribute to Slayer is what this album needed. The best song is not their song is another way of reading that I suppose. I will round this down to an 8, they have mastered the sound and 80 percent of what they do is well done , though not the most original thing , and I do not have a great deal of time to listen to music  I am not reviewing so when I do I stick to what has more of it's own voice, but you might not have this problem.  

Sturgill Simpson : " The Ballad of Dood & Juanita"

 Here is a concept album of sorts . It is more on the bluegrass side of the equation of what he does. The banjo plays a big role as Simpson digs in with a more back hills melody. "One in the Saddle"  finds him picking and grinning his way into more traditional commercial country if we are talking about the 60s and 70s thought with less cross over radio aspirations. The story is about a guy named Dood. I am not really following the plot more than somebody got shot and Shamrock is the name of his horse. Juanita appears to be his wife who this cowboy is going to go look for. The banjo playing picking up as Simpson's voice drops down into more of a Johnny Cash register, and lyrically he is telling stories in a similar manner ,I can also hear some Waylon in there as well. The harmonies of the vocals are tight and effective.  The banjos being shredded here are mind-blowing. 

"Played Out" is more of what I expect from him. By expect this is a guy who is not afraid to go way outside of country music, so in this sense I am talking about expect when he takes a legit stab at old school country. The melody has taken me out of the narrative and forget this is a story which is a good thing . |The ode to his dead dog Sam, is just over a minute long but still works as a song. Grind core bands take note/. "Juanita" has a Spanish feel to it's Western sway . It also includes Willie Nelson lending his voice which I am not sure how much more you can ask from country music. Simpson really belts it out in a few places and reminds you he can sing his ass off when he needs to .  

We are back to blue grass on "Go In Peace' . Which is cool in the sense that they are jamming out and doing it well, the kicker is I am not hearing as much of who Sturgill is on this one and just him getting the job done. The last find you hear more of that , though he is still paying homage to traditional country.  I will round this album up to a 9.5 , as he is great at what he does, there are a few songs that are a little too blue grass for my normal listening, but I enjoy this for what it is and fans of country music, the real kind not the pop kind will embrace this.   

the Top 10 Post-Punk Guitarists

Here is one for my friend Oliver Sheppard. Rather than save it for the celebration of goth in October I do here, I am knocking this out now. More often driven by slinky bass lines , the guitarists of Post-punk bands are unsung heroes creating tension in the shadows.  Granted when it comes to post-punk I prefer the more death rock side of the graveyard, but I have also included some players who influenced the genre as a whole even if they are not just thought off as the ghoul fathers of the genre .Let us go ahead   release the bats and have a listen to my Top 10 Post - Punk Guitarists.  

10--Rikk Agnew 

This Christian Death guitarist captured the creepy underbelly of the scene they came from with his tone and the slink of his guitar melodies.

   

9-Bernard Sumner

Often imitated, he made the most with what he had to work with and was a mater at crafting tension.

   

8- Andy Gill 

Gang of Four was more punk than most of the bands represented on this list, yet Gill's often aggressive jangle put some fun in the otherwise explosive temperament of the band. Perhaps not  the darkest sound here, but a very influential one. 

 

 7-Geordie Walker 

A well rounded player who evolved along with his band until he ushered in what would be the precursor to industrial, rather than settling for metal , he kept things sonically heavy.

 

6-Paul Wright 

Before Type O Negative, came Wright's band who got heavier with each album, thanks in part to the roar of their singer . Wright started started off learning jazz which opened the doors to a wider world of chord phrasings

    

5- Robin Guthrie

His tone is the Las Vegas to his counterparts heaven of a voice. All too often bands focus more on a sound than songs, he made his sound into songs .

    

4-Daniel Ash 

There is something beautiful and biting that puts him up[ this high on the list. He can stir darkness together in chilling chords, but still has balls to his playing that is heavy in it's own right.

 

3-Robert Smith 

An underrated player , what puts Smith above the bulk of his peers is his range as a player, his playing was always evolving into a broader expanse of sonic colors and styles , rather than just sticking to his simplistic punk roots

     

2-Carlos Alomar 

Mick Ronson, is a guitar hero of another era, Reeves Gabrels also deserves honorable mention for his work in Tin Machine alone, not to mention he is a member of the Cure , but Alomar worked alongside the likes of  Robert Fripp to craft an off kilter dissonant sound to influence post punk to come, he also played on some of Iggy Pop's more iconic solo albums. 

1-Johnny Marr

He should be in the top ten of any guitar list. His tone is immaculate and he made using a clean tone cool during a time when Eddie Van Halen was taking his own flashy throne that is the polar opposite to what Marr was doing in the Smiths . If this is to be called into question, then pick one of the many odd tuning's Marr played in and try learning some of  his weird and wonderful chord structures they are a lot harder than they sound. He made it look easy. 

Deafheaven : "Infinite Granite"

If you are shocked that this band has crossed over and made a total shoe gaze album then you have not been paying attention. George Clark has been slowly working on his actual singing voice. He is a better singer than he was a screamer, as with a few exceptions while emotive his scream was always more of a one trick pony. If he was screaming on this album there would be be people who would still try to call this metal. "In a Blur' is more interesting than what most of the other new shoe gaze bands are doing these days. He also tries  to create melodies rather than the normal breathy cooing most utter. "Great Mass of Color' was one of the singles that preceded the album. There is more drive and dynamic than your average shoe gaze band who is not Nothing. The vocals sit back in the mix , but I remember being a little more impressed with his singing here and how he blends his upper register despite not being able to really belt or at least I have not heard him do so yet.  In the past you could kind of get the vibe this band were Smiths fans and it comes up again here.  

I can live without the cinematic instrumentals that are really just atmospheric interludes that sound like they could have been lifted from a sci-fi soundtrack. Even with the jangling guitars the drummer digs in to make things rock a little more on "Lament For Wasps".  It is an effective dynamic perhaps not as punchy as where they used to go in the past, but it works for this song. "Villain" finds the Smiths side of the coin really shining more. Though I can just as easily hear Roxy Music influence. Not as catchy as some of the previous songs but it flows in a more Cocteau Twins manner that makes lots of sense. In the last minute and a half of the song it builds into perhaps not a heavier sound but more sonic one and the screamed vocals return but are further in the back ground.   

Things get more driving in a more metallic direction , with George's singing smoothing things out on "the Gnashing" which is an even more interesting song and perhaps the album's best. Hear the guitarists who have had impeccable tones here so far, really shine more playing wise as they kind of jam things out a bit. There is more atmosphere at the onset of  "Other Language" which is a more run of the mill shoe gaze affair. The he last song finds the band back to what you expected from them , but only in the last two and a half minutes of  this eight minute song. The first six minutes has a really pretty sailing feeling, that his newfound croon works well over. I was not afraid of singing showing up as ever since I first heard them and heard them mention the Smiths in an earlier interview I knew this day was coming, my concern was more can He sing? The is , he is no Morrissey in terms of belting it out , but does fine with what he has so I will round this album up to a 10. 

Quicksand : " Distant Populations"

Was not expecting a new one from these guys, but I will take it. They pretty much pick up where they left off though not as aggressive. They do try to hit you with grooves that are just as solid. I like the second song more than the opener as it gives the vocals more room. The same can also be said for "Colossus" . Their vocals are one of their strengths for they set the band apart from their peers. Walter has such a distinct voice that you always know who it is when he sets up to the mic. His voice has held up over the years. They approach groove differently on "Brushed" which feels more like something Janes Addiction would have done. It's odd but works. According to their Wiki, Capone is still absent from the band meaning they are doing all this as a 3 piece.  This could also be why songs like "Katakana' do not have the edge the band once did.

"Missile Command" is really well written, there is a reason it was one of the singles the band led with before the album's release. It is catchy enough but far from selling out.. "Phase 90" gives even more breathing room for the vocals to be more of a focal point. Later in the album "Rodan' reminds me how Walter's voice has always seemed soothing to me. Take into consideration that I have been listening to these guys since the 90s , so there is a sense of nostalgia to when they hit certain sweet spots, but as this song shows there is still room for new adjacent sounds to be included.  They hit a smooth yet more driven melody on "the Philosopher" that does not sound tied down to any musical era, which is more than you can say for the bulk of their peers.   

They return to the kind of sinewy palm muted grooves that once found them not far removed from the sonic zip code of "Undertow" era Tool on "EMDR".  This kind of grooving thankfully carries over into the last song as well, though the vocals help out a little more on "Rodan". I will go ahead and round this one up to a 10 because it has already grown on me and there is little in the way of filler, they might not have the urgency of youth in their veins , but they are far more consistent and inspired than the majority of bands from the 90s are today.