Back in the day, the official magazine of Tower Records - Pulse - had a section called "The Desert Island Top 10". The premise is - if you were stranded on a desert island, but had the option of taking ten of anything, what would you take? For the Halloween season, for this post, I will select my Top 10 favorite gothic songs of all time, in no particular order. Yes, I cut my teeth on '80s gothic. Wore the black lipstick, the guyliner and sported the obligatory black, read the Anne Rice chronicles. These are the songs I would die for. Prepared to be spooked! Tell me your favorite songs in the comments section!
1. Christian Death "Figurative Theater"(1982) - As a teen, there was nothing more shocking than L.A. deathrock band, Christian Death, and singer, Rozz Williams, who was occasionally known to wear dead cats as part of his scene's morbid couture. "In the shallow holes of a thousand eyes..." start the lyrics to a song that I copied onto notebooks as an angst-ridden teen, the words seemingly matching the black mood I felt. The violent drumbeat and lurching guitar set to Rozz's droning voice, all of it churning together and frothing to a spitting intensity. It sounded forbidden then. It kind of sounds dated now, although it is easy to see the influence they have had on music through the decades. It was still a sad day in 1998 when Rozz Williams committed suicide, finally giving into the darkness. Rozz was no poseur. He truly walked in the darkness.
2. 45 Grave "Evil" (1983)- "Music that Christians don't have to play backwards," says the announcer in the video below. And that description fits yet another California deathrock band, 45 Grave. This band was always really fun, a clever mixture of '60s surf rock, punk, and horror, they had a stage presence that was as much a part of their performance as their music, fronted by sinister frontwoman, Dinah Cancer, looking like something out of The Addams Family. Although "Evil" sounds like it could be the opening theme from The Munsters, except with Cancer growling her condemnations of, "You're evil!". "Sleep In Safety" was an important album to me in my preteen years and remains, all these decades later, the perfect Halloween album.
3. Tamaryn "Softcore" (2016) - Kiwi artist, Tamaryn, now on tour with Lush, is one of the newer artists at the forefront of the shoegaze revival, but she is known to veer into darker directions, like this gothic gem. The song is off this year's album, and the video here is off of this year's live KEXP performance. Amped-up drums and a caustic bass line sounding like something right out of Sisters of Mercy, Tamaryn's haunted moaning, and guitars screeching, whispered samples, everything coalescing and blending into something that resembles a fevered pitch - something at once beautiful, disturbing, and cool af. Tamaryn is a new artist that you should definitely check out. I will be reviewing her entire new album soon.
4. Xmal Deutschland "Polarlicht" (1986) - An oft forgotten German act, they signed to the prestigious 4AD label who was responsible for releasing much of the gothic bands of the '80s. This song made in onto a mix cassette tape I had as a teen, and I soon had a chance to explore more of their music. The song is mournful and dreamy with Anja Huwe's powerful voice soaring above the landscape, but don't expect to understand it unless you speak German, Sadly, this band never made it out of the '80s, but their impact on gothic and darkwave is undeniable. Any true fan of the genre can tell you about Xmal Deutschland.
5. Cocteau Twins "Garlands" (1982) - Ah, which one of my collections would be complete without Cocteau Twins? This song is off of their debut album. They were a new band out of Grangemouth, Scotland, and this is the only album to feature Will Heggie as a member with his heavy bass guitar. He would soon leave to form proto-shoegaze band, Lowlife. His departure would allow them to explore the more ethereal experiments that they are known for. But this album? Straight up gothic. Heggie's bass chords dominate. Robin Guthrie scratches out spooky noises on his guitar, admitting only later that he only did this because he really didn't know how to play. Elizabeth Fraser's wavering voice offers the names of pretty flowers in a way that they evoke wrongness rather than beauty. This whole album is a classic and one that I listen to several times a year.
6. Modern English "16 Days" (1981) - When people think of Modern English, they think of MTV, '80s one-hit wonders, and their one big hit, "I Melt With You", a happy-go-lucky love tune. They don't think of a gothic band, and, yet, their first album was just that. The song starts out with eerie guitar effects that only grow more nightmarish as the song progresses, followed by samples extolling the horrors of the Cold War era. The bass line is earth-shattering, and Robbie Grey spits out his lyrics in a post-punk fury. Then the song ends in a wash of futile noise and chaos. This Mortal Coil would later cover this song as their very first single, with Liz Fraser from Cocteau Twins and Gordon Sharp from Cindytalk, another great goth band, on vocals.
7. Bauhaus "She's In Parties" (1983) - No goth collection would be complete without Bauhaus? But whereas most might expect me to include the ubiquitous and Halloween-friendly "Bela Lugosi's Dead", the goth anthem, no, I am including this selection instead - the final single from their final album for more than twenty years. These guys created this sound, created this genre. Peter Murphy's vocals are savage, contrasting Daniel Ash's soft background pining. The harmonica seems out of place, and yet Bauhaus offers one last stark masterpiece before venturing into different projects. Believe me - Tones On Tail or Love & Rockets would have made it onto this list had I not already covered these bands extensively.
8. Dead Can Dance - "De Profundis (Out of the Depths of Sorrow)" (1985) - The very first time I heard Dead Can Dance was this song. It was a life-changing experience. I was blown away. I never knew pop music could be so... panoramic. The song goes from silence and explodes into an orchestral swathe so huge that you can't help see images, and then Lisa Gerrard's voice crashes like a hurricane against a mountainside, singing, not in words, but pure emotion. Then the song unravels with a single male singing a wordless Gregorian chant alongside the peals of a bell that sound not so much monastic as pagan. Dead Can Dance defy classification, but it was the goths who loved them first.
9. Sisters of Mercy "Black Planet" (1985) - The album this song came from became so definitively known as "goth" that everyone that came afterwards tried to imitate this sound - even Andrew Eldritch. By the way, this is my favorite lineup of the Sisters, which includes the creative force of Wayne Hussey and Craig Adams, who went on to form The Mission UK right after this album. In this song, Hussey's guitars are crystal clear with the Celtic lilt that he is known for, and Eldritch sings in that wavering, spooky bass that would be imitated by goths forever after.
10. The Cure "Lullaby" (1989) - I had a hard time picking the last band, because there are so many goth artists that I love. But I had to ultimately settle on the most Halloweeny of songs. The Cure had developed the reputation of being dark and gothic, but, in truth, by the time "Disintegration" came along, the band had veered into some very un-gothic territories involving caterpillars, love cats, being hot hot hot, and kisses. Imagine Robert Smith prancing around in a huge teddy bear suit. It was enough to make me shake my head. But with this song - and accompanying creepy video - The Cure went dark and gothic again. Maybe even more gothic than they had previously been. All of the black-clad minions breathed a sigh of relief. Smith sings about being eaten in his bed by a thousand shivering holes all set to the rhythm of pizzicato violins. The song was nightmarish and troubling, and the band redeemed the genre to live for another Halloween.
When I heard that AJJ was releasing their sixth studio album, "The Bible 2", I figured that I had better check them out. After all, they are from Phoenix, in my home state, and I have never heard of them!
Maybe because they recently changed their name. They were once known as Andrew Jackson Jihad. In a statement, singer, songwriter and guitarist, Sean Bonnette, said, "1) We are not Muslims, and as such, it is disrespectful and irresponsible for us to use the word jihad in our name. 2) We no longer wish to be a living reminder of president Andrew Jackson. Interesting historical figure as he was, he was an odious person and our fascination with him has grown stale." Most of the fans were already simplifying their name to AJJ anyway.
To familiarize myself with their music, I first checked out their second album, "People Who Can Eat People Are the Luckiest People in the World". Now, if this album title sounds like something Modest Mouse would use, well the music sounds a bit like it, too. Branded as folk punk, it has heavy use of stand-up bass, acoustic guitars, mandolins, and horns,with bitingly sarcastic lyrics in a voice that resemble's Isaac Brock's Neil Young-like warble, a lot like Modest Mouse. But AJJ takes it to the next level. This really is punk rock - played on folk, acoustic instruments - and I love it! There is no way to describe how much I love this album. How can these guys be from Arizona and I have never heard of them? I mean, the mixture of folk and punk is not new, although usually Irish, The Pogues, Flogging Molly, or even Mumford & Sons. It's not even new to Arizona. People who have seen Meat Puppets live know that they mix folk and country with punk. But no one does it with flourish like AJJ. A word of caution - there is a frequent dropping of F Bombs on this record, so it may not be safe for the whole family. My wife's observations is that she likes the music, but not the words. And not just the harsh language, but the utter caustic nature of the lyrics. Which is, of course, one of the things that I love the most.
The album starts with "Rejoice", a galloping acoustic tribute to God's awesome qualities. "His eyes are big X's". Songs like "Survival Song" and "Bad Bad Things" combine smart lyrics with acoustic guitars set to a hummingbird pace. These guys have to be great live. "No More Tears" and "Bells & Whistles" are definitely drinking songs and would fit right in an Irish pubs. "Randy's House" has some beautiful temp shifts, along with a horn section. "A Song Dedicated to the Memory of Stormy the Rabbit" is a burlesque waltz that could have been done by Dresden Dolls. "People II: The Reckoning" is probably my favorite song, combining hauntingly beautiful music with lyrics like:
"There's a rapist and a Nazi living in our tiny hearts
Child pornographers and cannibals, and politicians, too
There's someone in your heart waiting to fucking strangle you"
And then the song merges into a tribute to Simon & Garfunkel. The album finishes out with the eerie whistling of "Personal Space Invader" and the very Irish "People".
"The Bible 2", released in August of this year, took a radical shift in that the band ditched their folk instruments in favor electric guitars and a harder sound. Right away, I have to say that I liked the folk punk thing. That is my only complaint. Their previous endeavor was much more original and left a greater impression. There is a shortage of originality in this world, and the last thing we need is another Green Day or Weezer. There, I said it. I can now move past my only mean comment and say - this is not a bad album. In fact, it is a really good album. It is just nowhere as good as the "People Who Eat Other People..." album. The same ingenious and acrimonious lyrics are there, only set to a more traditional rock format, kind of like a Descendent's album.
The new change is evident on "Cody's Theme", the album opener, with its grungy guitars, but the band's penchant for telling stories is still there. "Golden Eagle" is an edgy '70s rock basher. "Junkie Church" is one of my favorites, simmering down to an acoustic number with sardonic lyrics like:
"Last time I tried to go to sleep
My mind expanded in an air balloon of words
A thousand conversations with your disembodied voice
In a cacophony of adjectives and verbs air balloon"
"American Garbage" is a great song that kind of has a late '70s new wave vibe, and "No More Shame, No More Fear, No More Dread" is a piano ballad that is almost profound. "Goodbye, Oh Goodbye" has a video that truly endears this band to me, and I have included it below. It is a deeply funny parody of the complex videos by OK Go. Some songs - like "White Worms" and "My Brain Is a Human Body" make me feeling like I am listening to They Might Be Giants sometimes, but then they go all punk on us again on songs like "Terrifyer". Songs like "Small Red Boy", set to an orchestra with dadaist words, make this band truly great, and the album finishes with a short acoustic number called "When I'm a Dead Boy".
I have a friend who despises when people whine that there is no good music around nowadays. He urges people to check out their local music scenes, and they might actually find something that tickles their proverbial fancy. Go out and explore what's around you. You don't need to go to a huge arena. You could check out the local bar in your area. In my case, I could have gone to the Crescent Ballroom in Phoenix - just three hours away from my house - to discover the pleasurable music of AJJ - two different, yet two very pleasing albums. Often, the very best surprises are hidden close by. I will definitely be checking out AJJ, the band formerly known as Andrew Jackson Jihad, live someday in the future.
I have to admit - I was really excited about this month's big new release, which was "Three", the third release by New York band, Phantogram.
If you have followed my blog, you know that this band is not new to me. I covered their self-titled EP back in 2013, and their album, "Voices", was my favorite record of 2014.
It took me a few listens to get used to the new album, because the band definitely takes a few new directions. But it quickly grew on me. First of all, "Voices" had music on it that was previously released on EPs, so their wasn't a lot of cohesiveness to the songs, kind of like they were mixed and matched. By contrast, "Three" feels more conceptual, many of the songs having elements that cause these songs to flow together better.
Next, the band has greatly stripped down their sound. It's no longer swirly and meshes of celestial noise twined together with crazy rhythms. There are certainly still elements of synthpop and dream pop there, but they are dampened and toned down to create an innovative pop album that has merits in its own rights. For instance, the main single, "You Don't Get Me Anymore" is basically stripped down to a funky drumbeat, a throbbing bass synth, and Sara Barthel's sweet voice, and yet it works. And this is the feel that the whole album has.
"Funeral Pyre" starts out the record with a discordant synth beat staggering around the reverb of Barthel's voice, nearly drowning out Josh Carter's flitting guitar. "Same Old Blues" has a disco beat with samples of a gospel choir with Barthel's layered vocals sounding surprisingly like a Sheryl Crow song. "Cruel World" starts with a piano and adds on an off-filter, staggered witch house-style beat with more gospel samples, and the song adds on delicious layers after that. This whole album really has a more of a soulful sentiment. Carter takes vocal duties on "Barking Dog", which combines a chamber orchestra with electronic elements. "You're Mine" is probably my favorite song with both Barthel and Carter trading verses to a simple synth beat, just like the other songs, but, halfway through the song, as it builds, the song explodes into a wall of noise that shows that the band is true to their ethereal dream pop roots. "Answer" is another tripped-out piano ballad, like a record skipping. "Run Run Blood" is a feverish, psychedelic piece that does not seem to fit on the album, or does it? "Destroyer" goes all gentle and pensive on us, and "Calling All" finishes out the album, another one of my favorite tunes combining a groovy beat with vocal acrobatics, Barthel singing lyrics like, "We've all got a little ho in us."
Phantogram is really coming into their own. This release feels more confident, like they are trying to sound more like themselves and less like the many of the influences (most of them from the '80s) that they have cited. With "Three", they have cemented their place as one of my favorite bands.
When I was young, I always prided myself on being up on music, and then, in 1990, I moved to Salt Lake City to go to college. It was like moving into a musical black hole.
Utah is not like that now, home to bands like Neon Trees, The Used, and Joshua James. But back then, it was always three years behind. They had an alternative radio station, X96, but they were playing stuff like The Smiths, Depeche Mode, and The Cure. As appealing as that sounds now, in 1990, that stuff was sooo 1987.
Now, I realize that Phoenix is no cultural mecca, but, in the days before internet, perhaps its proximity to Los Angeles made music a little more accessible. It was home to Meat Puppets, Gin Blossoms, and a healthy punk and metal scene that included JFA, Junior Achievement, Mighty Sphincter, Sacred Reich, and Pedifile. Not to mention an awesome alternative radio station, KUKQ, with its iconic deejay, Jonathan L, who organized the very first alternative festival, Q-Fest, before Lollapalooza was even dreamed of - right there in Arizona.
On Christmas Break, I went home to Arizona, and it was like coming up for water. I went to my friend Steve's house, armed with a stack of blank cassettes to record any new music he might have. One of those bands was Lush, a British band on the prestigious 4AD label. The album was the compilation, "Gala". Armed with new music, I went back to Utah and listened to these cassettes - a lot. I was a college student, so I did a lot of walking and riding the bus with enormous headphones always on my head.
Gala
Apart from the colorful album cover by Vaughan Oliver and 23 Envelope, I noticed that Miki Berenyi's overdubbed vocals reminded me of Elizabeth Fraser's from Cocteau Twins - not a surprise coming from a 4AD band - except that the music, while still swirly and ethereal, was hard and biting, not like Cocteau Twins. Lush, for me, was part of the next-gen lineup of musicians for the label. In the '80s, it had been Cocteau Twins,Dead Can Dance, Throwing Muses, and ending out the decade with The Pixies. Lush, for me, represented the newness of the '90s, music that was unfamiliar to me. Since being back from Utah, when it came to being familiar with the music world, I felt, for the first time, being out of my element, out of touch - a feeling I have felt often since in my many years.
Back then, no one knew to call it "shoegaze", although that's what it would be called eventually. To me, it was swirly, watery music like Cocteau Twins, with a vocalist whose lilt was like Liz Fraser's, except pushed into the background - it was like that, except that it was harder, had an edge. No one knew what shoegaze was back then, except that it is easier to see how things progressed and were influenced - all from the perspective of looking back in time.
At the end of 1990, 4AD wanted to introduce an American audience to the music of Lush, and so they released "Gala", which was essentially a collection of the three EPs that the band had released previously in the UK. As a result, the groups of songs on this collection have a very different sound - different EPs, different producers, different feels.
The first EP was 1989's "Scar", produced by Jon Fryer, of This Mortal Coil fame. The first album is raw and unvarnished, much like My Bloody Valentine's first album, "Isn't Anything". This includes "Bitter", a dead ringer for The Smiths - the machine-like drumming, the fierce strumming just like Johnny Marr's, and Berenyi doing her best female Morrissey. "Second Sight" is one of my favorite Lush songs, because it goes through several tempo changes - starting out billowing like My Bloody Valentine, picking up tempo like Throwing Muses with a punk gallop that would make David Narcizo proud with tremulous vocals emulating Kristin Hersh, and then devolving into chaotic noise like Sonic Youth. "Etheriel" lives up to its name, and "Baby Talk" has rubbery guitar leads over a pounding bassline. There are two versions of "Thoughtforms" - one soaring and the other clear and muted, as well as two version of "Scarlet", one an extended play.
In 1990, their second EP was "Mad Love", which are the songs that I perhaps know this band best for. One thing that I didn't know was that this collection of songs was produced by Robin Guthrie of Cocteau Twins. This surprised me, because I had always just assumed that Guthrie had unwittingly influenced the shoegaze movement from afar, but here he actively produces a record that defines the sound. The songs here are clearer and uninhibited. If they resemble Cocteau Twins, then it is mainly from the early era where Cocteau had a more primal, less ethereal, sound, like the 1983 John Peel Sessions or on the EP "Peppermint Pig". "De-Luxe" is arguably the most recognizable song by the band with its guitar hooks swathed in reverb, and Berenyi doing her vocal acrobatics. "Leaves Me Cold" is perhaps one of my favorite songs with the guitars turned down to a gothic chill and Merenyi's vocals descending into dark scales, a strong bass ascending over the screeching guitars. "Downer" is the perfect shoegaze song - aggressive and hard with angelic harmonies offering a musical contradiction.
The songs from their third EP, "Sweetness and Light", are perhaps the most uninteresting as the band seems to settle into what people would think shoegaze sounds like. The songs - the title track, "Sweetness and Light", "Sunbathing" and "Breeze" - drift like dandelion chaff on a summer wind, coalescing and swirling, the flitting guitars nearly distinguishable from the hushed vocals. They are good songs, but not nearly as unbridled and throaty as the other songs. There is also a lovely cover of "Hey Hey Helen" by ABBA, which sounds as if it by done by Sex Pistols fronted by Kate Bush - in other words, sublime.
After taking a nearly twenty-year break, Lush reunited last year, releasing a brand new EP earlier this year (that I might have to review), as well as embarking on a tour with newer shoegaze artist, Tamaryn (whom I will review soon). It pleases me that this band got back together, as they were so important to me in my youth, being at the front of a genre that is still my preferred style of music. Now, if we can only get Cocteau Twins to reunite...
It started out with a cowboy, straddling a bull, waiting for the gate to open, and, when it did, the bull burst out onto the rodeo grounds, in slow motion, with the cowboy struggling to hang on. It was set to this music.
The song had a slow, trip hop beat with a faint Indian sitar, and the lyrics were a hoarse whisper:
"So take this night
Wrap it around me like a sheet
I know I'm not forgiven
But I need a place to sleep
So take this night
Lay me down on the street
I know I'm not forgiven
But I hope that I'll be given
Some peace"
The vocal harmonies on the chorus were so haunting that I had to know what the song was.
The TV show was "House M.D.", and I was binge watching several seasons. The scene I describe above was the opening sequence of one of the episodes. I heard this haunting song and liked it right away. I Googled it, and the song was "This Night" by Black Lab.
Now, I had never heard of Black Lab before, but apparent they have put out five albums since the late '90s. In fact, they have a fairly recent release, but the song I was looking for was off of the 2007 album, "Passion Leaves a Trace" (which has one of the sexiest album covers ever).
I downloaded the whole album, but I was kind of disappointed. Not all of the album was haunting and ethereal trip hop like "This Night". No, they are radio-friendly, post-grunge rock, kind of like Switchfoot or Daughtry. No, not Nickelback, because Black Lab is actually good. They are the kind of rock that was pretty popular in the last decade. Which is not my style of music at all.
One thing I like about this band is that all of their albums since 2005 have been self-released since Geffen dropped them, and they have relied on their fans, podcasts, and bloggers to carry them forward. In fact, one of the songs on this album, a sweet ballad called "Mine Again" hit the charts due to a campaign called Bum Rush the Charts.
Even if not all of the songs are "This Night", there are some really excellent songs on here. "Ghost In Your Mind" is a shimmering piece with a really catchy vocal hook. "Gone" has some strobe effects on the guitar along with a steady, pulsing bass line that turns out quite pleasant. "Weightless" is another slow tempo gem that veers into trip hop territory again. "Broken Heart" turns it up to 11 in a simmering jam. "Sun and Moon" is one of my favorite tracks with its electronic beat and jabbing guitars, offset by the falsetto chorus. "The Window" finishes out the album with a hushed, smoky dream pop piece.
I'm not going to say that this album is bad. Neither am I going to say that I should have just downloaded "This Night" instead of the whole album. It's not a bad album. But "This Night" is the only song thus far that has made it onto my CD mixes.
On October 4th, we lost singer Caroline Crawley after a long illness. She was one of the lead singers of the '80s baroque pop band, Shelleyan Orphan, and, in 1991, she was one of the artists who performed with This Mortal Coil on their album, "Blood". Since her voice was so important to me growing up, I thought that I would pen a little tribute to her. She was only 53 years-old.
Although they had been around in the UK for some time, Shelleyan Orphan didn't release an album in the United States until 1988. I was aware of who they were. Those of us into alternative music back then kept our eyes on all things British. I remember a girl that I went to school with who was really into Shelleyan Orphan. She was kind of a flighty girl, lost in her own imagination all the time, and I remember that Shelleyan Orphan seemed to fit into this. They were like the Jane Austen of alternative music.
Caroline Crawley really came into my radar in 1991 when Ivo Watts-Russell, founder of the prestigious 4AD label asked Caroline to join This Mortal Coil, one of my favorite supergroups, for their album, "Blood". Caroline's emotional and quavering voice figured prominently on some of the songs like "The Lacemaker". Since This Mortal Coil is known for doing covers, Caroline performed striking renditions of "Mr. Somewhere" by The Apartments, "Late Night" by Syd Barrett, and "Help Me Lift You Up" by Mary Margaret O'Hara.
Sometime in 1992, I was a newlywed, and my wife and I went to a flea market at the Salt Palace in Salt Lake City. One table had a bunch of CDs for sale, and there were several damaged copies of "Helleborine', the 1987 release by Shelleyan Orphan. I bought three of them for about $2 each, gave two of them away. Since I didn't have many CDs, this CD became much listened to in my household. To this day, it reminds me of the early days of my marriage.
Caroline Crawley
The thing that I always loved about it was how free and unfettered it sound, not bound by any traditional conventions of pop music. An acoustic guitar. Oboes. Violins and cellos. Jem Tayle's falsetto, and Caroline's sweet, tender voice. Simple and happy songs. It was the perfect record for newlyweds. Upon learning of Caroline's passing, I dusted off the album and listened to it again. It still sounds good after all these years. My favorites are "Southern Bess (A Field Holler)", "Anatomy of Love", "Jeremiah", and my all-time favorite, "Blue Black Grape". The songs are sweet and cloying like pollen in the summer.
The world is a poorer place without Caroline Crawley and her voice. I don't know much about her personally, or what caused her death. But this sweet voice figured so prominently when I was growing up, it is indelibly a part of me. I truly mourned when I heard that she had passed. Of you have never heard of her, please take some time to familiarize yourself with her music before the winds of time erase it.
Daughter is one of the newer band to join the ranks of the 4AD label, and, given their atmospheric, moody music, it is easy to see why. Just like This Mortal Coil and others on the same label, they make sweeping and commanding textures of sounds. But what sets them apart are the very human lyrics penned by singer, Elena Tonra. It is a an interesting juxtaposition to combine these almost magical and ethereal tones with lyrics that seem almost mundane.
Take the lyrics to the song "Alone/ With You". Set to a hypnotic, strobe-like trip hop beat to words like:
"I hate living with you
I should get a dog or something
I hate walking with you
Talking to myself is boring conversation
You and I were once friends
Now you're only an acquaintance"
But that is the genius of this band. They take otherwordly dream pop and combine them with completely relatable lyrics.
Based out of London, Tonra was a solo performer when she met Swiss musician, Igor Haefeli, and, along with Remi Aguilella, formed the band Daughter. "Not To Disappear", released earlier this year, is their second effort, and what an effort. Part of the success of their efforts is that Tonra and Haefeli are able to keep their private relationship separate from their professional careers. Especially when it comes to Tonra's intensely personal lyrics. Tonra told the Irish Examiner, "Igor doesn’t question my lyrics. He regards what we do as an art form. He certainly doesn’t try to rewrite my words. I never tell anyone what my songs are about, not even him. I feel they are direct enough, anyway. They aren’t especially obscure"
Not To Disappear
The album starts with "New Ways" that starts with placid tones with Tonra's gentle voice wavering across the landscape, and then it starts adding layer upon layer, like a tide rolling in until the surf is crashing onto the rocks with such intensity. "Numbers" continues with the chimerical energy, and "Doing the Right Thing" will make you weep. One of my favorite tracks, it strips down each component to its own element. A voice set to a lonely synth, a voice set only to a bass guitar. Separating each part creates a dreamy, gestalten feel to the music. "How", by contrast, smears all of the instruments together to make a shoegazey, melange of noise. "No Care" combines a bass guitar with a drum & bass rhythm, and Tonra belts out the lyrics angrily. "Fossa" starts out singular yet ends in a jumbled swath of noise.
I have always appreciated 4AD for picking music that is outside of the norm, music that has artistic merit rather than commercial value. This is definitely the case with Daughter. Their combination of ethereal with real makes them a legitimate choice for new music. I high recommend this album. This is some of the most moving and beautiful music that you will ever hear. I can't wait to see what they do next.
I have developed this inadvertent habit of picking the "Best Of" album for each year. This year, I thought it would go to DIIV. I figured that there was no way that anyone could top that. I was wrong. It goes to Dinosaur Jr. Hands down.
Dinosaur Jr., to me, is like that guy that I went to high school with. We maybe only ever exchanged a handful of words, but didn't really know each other. But I knew who he was, he knew who I was. And then, decades later, after nearly forgetting him, I started seeing him on Facebook again. So I requested him, because, in spite of our unfamiliarity, we do have history together.
I became aware of Dinosaur Jr. in 1988 with their album, "Bug", especially their songs "Freak Scene" and "Pond Song", which were staples on alternative radio back then. They also came out with a sloppy cover of "Just Like Heaven", which, to this day, remains the best cover of a Cure song ever. I remember Dinosaur Jr. as being deliberately messy and imprecise like Meat Puppets, and being loud and noisy like Sonic Youth. I guess the '90s were kind to them. They fit right in with the grunge, Lollapalooza thing, but, by then, I had moved on. I was raising a family and couldn't keep up as much with music. I vaguely was aware that they were still around, but I didn't hear anything by them anymore.
Until this year, when I decided to download their new album, "Give a Glimpse of What Yer Not". And boy, I'm glad I did. First of all, the band is back with their original lineup which is lead singer/ guitarist J Mascis, Lou Barlow on bass, and Murph on drums. The album has their characteristic low-fi, garage rock sound, still kind of slipshod, and yet the compositions are tighter. Age and maturity have tempered their sound, and yet they have retained the artistic integrity that they have always been known for.
It's funny. In listening to it, I can see a lot of their influences. I see some Husker Du, their former SST bandmates. I see Neil Young. A lot of Neil Young. I played it for my wife, and she thought that they sounded like Toad the Wet Sprocket. At first, I was like, no, Toad came out way after Dinosaur Jr. But then I could see it. I have always said that alt rock between 1988 and 1992 had a "sound" - pre-grunge, The Connells, The Go-Betweens, The Sidewinders, Dramarama. Yes, Dinosaur Jr. does have that "sound". They are marked by the era that they came out of, but that's not a bad thing. This is really a great album. Every song grabs you. Like I said, this is the best album of 2016.
"Goin Down" starts out with a steady beat and up-tempo guitars that will bring your close to head-banging with its Judas Priest vibe. "Tiny" has a huge sound that belies the songs title, The guitars stand tall above Mascis's clear voice. "Be A Part" is where the true genius of this album becomes visible. The guitars tingle, and the nostalgia swells as the hooks build up. "I Told Everyone" and "Love Is..." are good rockers, and "Good To Know" could be Husker Du or The Replacements. "I Walk For Miles" could be a Black Sabbath song, just like "Knocked Around" could be Iron & Wine until its snappy punk finale.
Really, I cannot rave enough about this album. It rocks hard. It rocks real. It's like meeting that guy at a class reunion and realizing that, even after all these decades, he is as cool af.
After half a dozen albums with the Pixies and more than twice that as the solo artist, Frank Black, how is it that Black Francis (nee Charles Thompson) is still able to write songs that are so damn catchy?? Their 2014 comeback album, "Indie Cindy", their first album in 24 years, was pretty damn good, but, amazingly, "Head Carrier" is even better. If "Indie Cindy" was dipping their toes back into mainstream music - indeed one could argue their first foray, because they have gone from playing small venues in the '80s to selling out arenas - then "Head Carrier" represents a confidence, a self-assuredness of their sound, of their place in the world of rock.
First of all, I should recognize - this is the first Pixies album with active contribution from new bassist Paz Lenchantin as bassist. Anyone who is familiar with the music of Maynard James Keenan's project, A Perfect Circle, will know who Paz is and know her skills as a bassist. Here, she meshes well into the rhythm section with drummer, David Lovering, as well as adding backing vocals just as her predecessor, Kim Deal did. In fact, Paz has a songwriting credit, "All I Think About Now", a pleasant tune with a "Where Is My Mind?" vibe, where she takes over led vocals. The song is an open-letter, a thank-you note to Kim Deal.
"Head Carrier", the title track, opens the album with Joey Santiago's fierce strumming and Black Francis's bizarre lyrics, and gives way shortly to such a hook that reels you in for the rest of the album. "Classic Masher" has what I call the "Boston sound", prevalent with a lot of bands that came out of New England at the time, like The Breeders, Belly, and Throwing Muses. "Baal's Back" goes fiercely aggressive, and Francis's growl is back. This song is all out metal, sounding more like W.A.S.P. than Pixies. "Might As Well Be Gone" is as close to a ballad as the Pixies will record. "Oona" is probably one of my favorite songs, a pleasurable mix of punk and pop. "Talent" is a fast-paced tune with wonderful lyrics like:
"I met this really cool dude today
Looking just like Jack Palance
He said, 'I want to get through to you,
And help you find your talents"
"Tenement Song", with Santiago's guitar wailing along with Francis's and Paz's vocals, is one of those catchy songs I was talking about. In "Bel Esprit", they share vocal duties, and the songs reminds me vaguely of something by The Descendents. "Um Chagga Lagga" veers into hardcore, much like they did with "Isla de Ecanta" or "Crackity Jones" "Plaster of Paris" reminds me of something by The Feelies, and "All the Saints" finishes the album with a surfy, melancholy note.
Okay, it goes without saying that NONE of these albums are going to be on the same level with
"Doolittle", which I consider the best rock album ever recorded. And people really need to stop comparing the music of the Pixies then to the music now. They were younger then, as was I, and they are middle-aged now, just like me. Of course their music is going to be different now. But people should take "Head Carrier" for what it is - a great album written by a band who has survived more than thirty years, has lived to tell the tale, and can still write some pretty fucking awesome songs.
In 1984, Cocteau Twins released their third album, "Treasure", complete with the lineup that would persist throughout the rest of their career - Robin Guthrie on guitar, Elizabeth Fraser on vocal duties, and adding Simon Raymonde, a multi-instrumentalist who added an extra dimension to their already ethereal sound. They strayed from their gothic roots and veered into an wispy and dreamy soundscape that even today resists all classification. All through the rest of 1984 and 1985, they released a rash of EPs, sometimes every month, creating some of the most memorable music of their 18 year career.
In 1985, Simon Raymonde took a brief break to work as a session musician on 4AD's grandiose collaboration project called This Mortal Coil for the album "Filigree & Shadow", so Guthrie and Fraser once again entered the studio to record an album without Raymonde, the last time they would do so as a band.
The result was an experimental collection called "Victorialand", named after a region in Antarctica. In fact, many of the names of the songs here are named after features and locations on that icy continent.
Produced completely by themselves, their were able to explore sonic vistas like they were not able to do before. First of all, they ditched the drum machine, so there is virtually no percussion on the whole album. A few keyboards. A saxophone lent by Richard Thomas of Dif Juz. And Guthrie's guitar on heavy reverb and effects to make his guitar sound like anything other than a guitar. That's it. The result is panoramic and colorful, like floating on a cloud, like watching the evening sun reflect on ice floes. This is possibly the most experimental of all of the albums by Cocteau Twins.
The album starts out with "Lazy Calm" with quiet strumming and sound effects like the wind blowing over ocean waters, brought to life by a gentle saxophone. This goes on for several minutes until Fraser's voice sparks up, singing a sweet melody with no discernible lyrics, none that you can understand, anyway. "Fluffy Tufts" swirls together several layers of crystal guitars with Fraser's voice flitting like a bird through the clouds. "Throughout the Dark Months of April and May" features a morose guitar and Fraser's tremulous voice, creating a melancholy resonance that makes sense if you understand the weather shifts on the southern hemisphere. The song ends on a single bright note. "Whale Tails" is resplendent like sunshine on the waves, and Fraser does vocal gymnastics, the notes bouncing up and down through the scales. "Oomingmak" starts out with staccato music and voice, and then Fraser goes positively operatic halfway through the track, showing that she is indeed one of the most versatile singers ever. "Little Spacey" is a joyful waltz through the clouds. "Feet-like Fins" is shimmering and aquatic, the guitars watery and glistening, and then the song takes off quickly like a dolphin speeding through the water. "How To Bring a Blush to the Snow" is a sad piece with exquisite layers of voice and harmony and is possibly the most beautiful song ever written. The record finishes out with "The Thinner the Air" - just an acoustic guitar, some piano, and Liz Fraser's plaintive voice.
Cocteau Twins have always been artistic enough that they have influenced many, many artists that came afterwards. This album, in particular, has influenced the sound of artists like Shelleyan Orphan. I am glad to have this one added to my collection. I owned it back in the day in cassette, and it was the last of the Cocteau Twins albums that I was missing in digital format. It sounds beautiful remastered. It brings me back to the days that I wandered long and far into the night, streetlights glowing beguilingly gold, a Walkman in my pocket, and "Victorialand" playing through my headphones. This is eternal.
Somewhere around thirteen years ago, I was hearing a lot of hype about Modest Mouse. A lot of Hollywood A-list celebrities like Elijah Wood and Heath Ledger were raving about them. So I decided to check them out. In a CD shop in Enfield, Connecticut, I purchased their third album, "The Moon & Antarctica". I hated it. First of all, Issac Brock's voice was for shit, resorting to growling most of the time. Plus the music was discordant and grating, slurred and stumbled like it was drunk. I couldn't stand it. Over the next year, I would pull it out occasionally listen to it. I was mad that I spent money on a CD that I hated. Surprisingly, after several listens, it clicked for me. I didn't know what it was, but I suddenly loved it. It had a Dada-esque quality about it. Plus, I could hear some bands in their that I liked - fellow Pacific Northwest psychedelic band, Sky Cries Mary, but mostly the "Big Sex" EP by Wolfgang Press. In fact, I still hear that when I listen to it.
So I went out to purchase their fourth album, "Good News For People Who Hate Bad News", which continued on their previous sound, but added a hodge podge of other experiments to create a swirl of sounds that made them one of the most unique bands on the planet at the time - dance hall, New Orleans jazz, folk, bluegrass. This album incredible back then, and it still is now. This record was their breakthrough, and with reason. I can't rave enough about it.
If their fourth record was great, their fifth album was their masterpiece. "We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank" is, hands down, the best Modest Mouse record. They continued doing what they do best - making energetic, danceable rock songs with sarcastic lyrics. Not only did they have some awesome guest musicians, like James Mercer of The Shins, but they actually solicited Johnny Marr, a founding former member of The Smiths, to join the band. I have since come to the opinion that Johnny Marr, not so much Morrissey, was the driving force behind The Smiths, and it showed when Marr joined Modest Mouse. His guitar danced and flitted through every song, adding a dimension to the music that it never had before.
After the album and subsequent tour, Johnny Marr finished his stint with the band and went on to his solo projects. But what do you do after you make the perfect album? With the perfect guitarist? Apparently, Modest Mouse must have asked themselves the same question, because - apart from one EP - they didn't release another album for eight years. I'm not sure why.
Strangers To Ourselves
But they were right. "Strangers To Ourselves" is the sixth Modest Mouse album to date. And it will never be as good as "We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank", but it's still a pretty damn good album.
The album starts with the dreamy title track, "Strangers To Ourselves" with Brock's soft vocals set to an orchestral arrangement and rubbery guitars. Then the pace picks up with "Lampshades On Fire", the most typical Mouse song on here with groovy guitars and an infectious beat. Probably my favorite song on here. "Shit In Your Cut" and "Pistol (A. Cunanan, Miami, FL. 1996)" experiment with different percussive rhythms while introducing electronic elements to the music. "Ansel" has a calypso, Caribbean feel to it, yet manages to remain somber. "The Ground Walks, with Time In a Box" starts the frenzy anew, and I love the ending where all the components of the song unlace, leaving a few electronic blips. "Coyotes" is a subdued and melancholy waltz about the true story of a coyote who rode the light rail train in Portland. "Pups To Dust" is fairly unremarkable, if not mildly pleasant while "Sugar Boats" is a trippy romp, all out cabaret, with the ending collapsing into aggressive guitars.
It's funny that my former wife once said that The Killers reminded her of Modest Mouse, particularly Brandon Flower's tremulous voice. Ironically, "Wicked Campaign" sounds just like a Killers' song. "Be Brave" is another waltz, but this one is full of rage. "God Is an Indian and You're An Asshole" is a country-western piece full of Mouse's caustic humor, and "The Tortoise and the Tourist" is a fairly annoying, overly cloying song. "The Best Room" is fairly stereotypical of this band's songs, a little boring, but the record finishes of with a bang with the ethereal "Of Course We Know".
So Modest Mouse is back after all these years, and with a really good album. I would expect no less from them. Hopefully, we will not have to wait as long for the next one.
