London post-punk "revival" (so quoted because they sound and feel more like an original 80s UK post-punk group than the 2000s revivalist groups in the vein of Franz Ferdinand and the like) Savages have returned with a new album, Adore Life. The album follows on the heels of their very successful debut album, 2013's Silence Yourself.
Savages have released their second album, Adore Life
Silence Yourself carried a very traditional post-punk sound and aesthetic, drawing heavy influence from groups like Siouxsie and the Banshees and Joy Division. While a strong album, it was a bit light in the experimental nature that surrounded the original 80s post-punk genre. Adore Life brings that experimental nature to the forefront, resulting in a dynamic album that effortlessly navigates faster, traditional post-punk tunes through slower, ballad-like numbers, all without losing the listener or leading to the often ill-fated "never-ending-album-will-someone-please-turn-it-off" syndrome that over-experimentation can cause.
Adore Life opens with "The Answer," a distortion-laden song revolving around love and adoration. The song presents a larger focus with a driving bass line supplied by Ayse Hassan and a guitar solo from Gemma Thompson. The frantic guitar throughout the song strongly parallels singer Jehnny Beth's vocals with lines like "I'll go insane / Please stand up / What is the point?" which detail some of the struggle in determining how someone feels about you.
"Evil" starts off with an interplay between Hassan and Thompson that sounds vaguely similar to Killing Joke's "New Cold War" from Pylon (2015), though minus the heavy distortion industrial-leaning sound. Fay Milton on drums rounds out this number, providing a solid background with minor layers of detail that enriches the song further.
What makes Savages, in my opinion, more like the original post-punk bands and less like the modern "revival" post-punk bands is how many of the songs are highly bass-driven. "Evil" is just one example with "Sad Person" being another. Bands like Bauhaus and Joy Division are largely loved on a music level due to this somewhat unique quality, where the bass and drums provide much of the meat and drive of a song with guitar adding little flourishes here and there.
The album's title track opts for a slower, more reflective tone, led largely by Hassan on bass. Beth's lyrics center around a question of humanity and whether the idea of adoring/valuing life is unique to people and contemplates on past actions and whether it was best to do those, even if they led to negative endings, resolving that even if you have regrets, you lived life, you adore life because you continue on.
Adore Life continues in much the same manner as the early songs, offering driving music matched to Beth's Siouxsie Sioux-esque vocals. Songs like "When In Love" and "Surrender" deserve additional praise, the first for one of Thompson's opportunities to shine on guitar, and the latter for a very synth-layered bass backing from Hassan that nods back to 80s new wave meets darkwave sentiments.
Savages are set to tour this spring in support of the new album, reaching Dallas on April 11, playing at Trees. With two strong albums under their belt, and perhaps the only band to play an amazing show at 8am on a Tuesday morning, this is not a show to miss. Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased here.
As 2015 comes to its close and we look ahead to 2016, it's time to do the cliched task of recollecting the albums released in 2015 that we enjoyed. These are not presented in any particular order, but these were some of my favorites. What were some of your favorite albums!?
Duran Duran - Paper Gods
Duran Duran - Paper Gods album cover
Duran Duran returned this year with Paper Gods, an album that proves they still have "it." The album is a rich combination of what Duran Duran was most known for in the new wave/new romantic period of the 80s mixed with a refreshing flourish of pop bravado common to today. Like many 80s bands, Duran Duran still falls victim to the trend of trying to rediscover themselves, failing on the first couple attempts, but then reclaiming that flame with the newest album. For Duran Duran, Paper Gods is the reclaiming album they and fans alike have been looking for. We'll have to see what comes next for the group, but hopefully this is just the beginning of a strong upward trend.
Chelsea Wolfe - Abyss
Chelsea Wolfe - Abyss album cover
We reviewed Chelsea Wolfe's newest album a while back and it has only continued to grow on our ears. Easily her heaviest album yet, Abyss is a concept album of sorts that revolves around the phenomenon of sleep paralysis. Dark, brooding, moody music set to guiding vocals characterizes much of the album. Not only is it the heaviest album by Wolfe to date, but it may well be the most solid. Given how great this album is and previous effort Pain is Beauty, the only place for Wolfe to go is up, regardless of whether the music continues to get heavier or is reigned back. Added bonus - the live show is really strong and Wolfe is such a delightful performer. You're missing out if you've yet to see her on the live stage.
She Past Away - Narin Yalnizlik
She Past Away - Narin Yalnizlik album cover
She Past Away returns with their second album, Narin Yalnizlik. The Turkish darkwave group (yes, Turkish, and darkwave, and lyrics in Turkish!) makes a strong showing on this album, experimenting more with sounds and textures than they did on their debut album. While on the whole I prefer the debut album, this one is not an album to snub your nose at. She Past Away keeps a firm hold on their 80s darkwave roots (similar in ways to Xymox/Clan Of Xymox), meshing broken Turkish lyrics to a lush musical backdrop. The group finally reaches the US for a couple quick stops in California early 2016, but this is hopefully just the beginning of the group's foray into the US.
Killing Joke - Pylon
Killing Joke - Pylon album cover
Another album reviewed earlier this year here, Killing Joke returned full force with Pylon. Easily their strongest album in years, Pylon meshes the post punk aesthetic Killing Joke helped pioneer in the late 70s/early 80s with heavy distortion and an industrial feel characteristic of the group's more recent efforts. Almost their highest charting album ever, Pylon may well be the best album of 2015, for me at least. The group tours the US in 2016, hitting Texas towards the end of January.
Peter Murphy - Remixes From Lion
Peter Murphy - Remixes From Lion album cover
It wouldn't be a year it I couldn't write something about Peter Murphy, now would it? The Godfather of Goth (I can see his eye twitching at me saying this, but I didn't pick the title!) released a follow-up album of unused material from the Lion sessions. Most of the remixes offer an interesting reinterpretation of tracks from the main album. Better yet, the album includes the previously vinyl-only track "Gabriel" in all its multi-layered glory and a very solid series of newly released "The Sound of Water" and the Youth remix of "Loctaine," the one remix I think I may actually like more than the original (though the original take of "Loctaine" is also very strong and a favorite of mine). 2015 was a strong year for Murphy, even if quiet, in a sense. In addition to the Remixes album, two live albums were also released (the full audio from the Mr. Moonlight Tour as one and finally an official recording of the House of Blues show from April 2000 via Cleopatra). However, Murphy only played a handful of dates in June in California. By all accounts, 2016 may be a very loud year for Murphy, starting with a major role in the upcoming psychological thriller BlackGloveKiller.
Sunday (September 15, 2013) marked the return of the experimental synthpop and darkwave project of Wesley Eisold, Cold Cave, to Austin, Texas. Cold Cave has visited the Live Music Capital of the World previously, but as Eisold pointed out during their hour long set, this was their first time playing a headlining show in the city.
Wesley Eisold of Cold Cave. Image from the Brooklyn Vegan website.
The show took place at one of Austin's established Red River District music venues, Red 7, to a near sold-out crowd. Douglas J. McCarthy of Nitzer Ebb fame served as the night's opener, playing selections from his first solo album Kill Your Friends (released in late 2012). Accompanied by Cyrus Rex on synthesizers and programming, McCarthy's solo work deviates from the post-industrial and EBM sound that Nitzer Ebb helped pioneer in the early 1980s, taking on a more synthpop and electronic feel that results in songs any dance club could play and get people to dance to. The crowd bopped around to the music as McCarthy sang each note with clear precision and danced manically on stage to tunes like "Evil Love" and "Move On." While McCarthy is a well respected musician for his work in Nitzer Ebb, his solo work does leave a little more to be desired, with programmed beats that sound similar across his songs and most songs featuring the same few lines of lyrics repeated throughout. As an opening act, McCarthy got the job done and kept the audience engaged.
Douglas McCarthy. Image from his artist page on Last.fm.
Cold Cave took to the stage just shortly after 11:00pm. Over the years of different touring cycles, Cold Cave has endured several renditions, from full bands performing, to just Eisold (who is the sole consistent and contributing member to the project) and a person on keyboards. The night's lineup featured just Eisold on vocals and current girlfriend Amy Lee (not to be confused with the Amy Lee of Evanescence fame) on synthesizers.
The set began with catchy beats and interesting visuals on the screen behind Eisold and Lee, instantly lighting the crowd on fire. The second song of the night, "Confetti," was met with much dancing and singing along (a video someone took of the song is posted below). Roughly halfway through their third song, "God Made the World," the show took an interesting turn when technical issues popped up, causing the music to cutout and bringing the show to an abrupt halt. After a few minutes of Eisold, Lee, and a worker at Red 7 trying to resolve the issues (with Eisold trying to crack some light jokes into the mic for the crowd), the duo decided to give up on the visual aspect of their performance as that seemed to be the only way they could get the music to play again.
After the minor mishap, the show continued on with a strong performance from Eisold. Lee contributed backing vocals on several songs in addition to working the synthesizer that helped tie the songs together quite nicely. The crowd danced along and shouted out the lyrics as Cold Cave played several of their newer songs, including from 2011's Cherish the Light Years "Confetti," "Burning Sage," and "Icons of Summer." At one point, Eisold asked the crowd what they'd like to hear. Amid shouts for "Confetti" (which Eisold told the crowd had already been played and smiled lightly at everyone for perhaps missing that amid the technical issues earlier in the night) and "The Great Pan is Dead," Eisold selected a request for "Underworld USA" which ignited the crowd more so than they had been before (a video of "Underworld USA" and "Icons of Summer" that someone took at the show is posted below). After about an hour long set and a small encore, Cold Cave left the stage for the night.
On the whole, the show was great through and through. McCarthy gets the job done as an opening act, but there are moments when it feels like he's trying too hard to simply be himself. He's Douglas McCarthy - he doesn't need to prove anything to anyone. True to form, he was spot on vocally and kept the crowd engaged, even if some of his dancing was more interpretive than anything else. And while technical issues forced Cold Cave to drop their visual effects, both Eisold and Lee do a sound job engaging the audience and performing with a raw emotion that left the audience simply wanting more. The visuals would have been a nice compliment (before they cut out on "God Made the World," the visuals would dim and brighten in rhythm with the synthesizer), their lack certainly didn't make the show less worthwhile.
Cold Cave wrap up their North America tour with Douglas McCarthy Friday night in Los Angeles at The Echoplex and are set to play two dates in Russia in November. Check out their recent 7" releases for "Oceans With No End," "God Made the World," and "Black Boots." A new album, tentatively titled Sunflower, is slated for release sometime next year.
Ratings:
Douglas McCarthy - 3 out of 5
Cold Cave - 4.5 out of 5
It's been a while since I last mused over an album. I finally got around to buying one of my favorite Curxshadows albums, The Mystery of the Whisper.
The cover to the 2CD re-issue with their breakthrough album, The Mystery of the Whisper, and a rare EP, Until the Voices Fade...
Depending who you talk to, The Cruxshadows are considered Dark Electro, Goth Rock, Dark Wave, etc. Basically, we'll go with some form of modernized creepy pasta and call it a day (I'm not much into debating what genre something is and isn't. They aren't country and that's good enough for me).
Cruxshadows formed in 1992 with Rogue, Sean Flanagan, and Tim Curry (no, not THE Time Curry of Rocky Horror fame. I know, I was also slightly disappointed) in Florida. 1996 saw the release of Telemetry of a Fallen Angel which produced their first single, Marilyn, My Bitterness, and brought some modest attention to the group. The Mystery of the Sound came out in 1999. Over time, several changes have occurred in the line up with Rogue remaining as the only original member. They have, until recent times, been a band that has spent more time touring each year than actually sitting at home doing more domestic sorts of things. Based on the Twitter account for the band run by Rogue, it seems a new album is in the mix.
The current line-up for The Cruxshadows. I don't know them well enough to say who is who, but Rogue is the third from the left and his wife is one of the women. I know, so helpful.
Now, I do want to mention some things I find really cool about Rogue. First, he is the heir to the Du Pont legacy. You know, Du Pont. Those guys that seem to make everything chemical related. Yeah, he's part of that. Instead of taking a back seat to life and living the rich life, Rogue actually worked hard in school being one of those smart kids, founded a poetry club, lettered in something, competed nationally in speech and debate tournaments, and was an officer in the JROTC, among other things. He then went on to study art and music at FSU, graduating magna cum laude. Regardless of whether you like him and his band or not, you must admit he kind of defines the whole "overachiever" thing.
Rogue. He actually isn't as angry as he looks in this photo.
So, all that said, let's get to the album. This is an album with some references to Egyptian lore (but only a few). The album starts with the mostly instrumental Isis & Osiris (Life/Death). It has a nice vibe, good instrumentation, and sets the tone for the album. Being an instrumental track with some kind of singing in the background (not sure if it's supposed to be based on the language of the ancient Egyptians or what), there isn't much to say.
The next track, Cruelty, is perhaps one of my favorites from the band. The intro is a bit electronic meets organ. Great way to start the song as it's very mysterious. I don't like to delve much into song meanings as I still contend songs mean different things for different people. It is possible this is one of the angst-y sorts of songs as the chorus goes, in part: "Cruelty and consequence cannot eliminate this relevance, your selfishness, your hatefulness cannot take away my innocence from me." Regardless of the meaning, it's a song with a good beat and music, if nothing else. Check it out for yourself. And no, I have no idea what's going on in the video. And yes, Rogue's hair is kind of distracting:
Next is Leave Me Alone. Yes, perhaps another angst-y song, at best. But it seems to speak to a dilemma the Goth crowd often faces. Gallivant in public wearing all black and people stare at you and glare at your back. The character in this song seems to be speaking to someone else, possibly a love interest or just a friend. They're trying to get this second person to leave them alone because they are "a freak" and so forth. It isn't necessarily that the main character really wants this person to leave them alone so much as it may be "Hey, understand, the world thinks I'm a freak and they all stare at me wherever I go." Good song to listen to, though I don't necessarily agree with the slant. We all get weird looks from people, so why encourage a possible friend/romance away because you, like everyone else, get odd looks from people?
Most of the remaining songs sound similar enough (except Sympathy (For Tomorrow) which is focused more on piano and violin with cleaner vocals). I can understand why The Cruxshadows may not be in the libraries of every person with a taste for creepy pasta. The lyrics tend to be very simplistic (at least on this early album) and don't do much for fending off certain Goth stereotypes. I listen to this album more for the music than the words.
Rating: 4 out of 5 (like I said, good music, but the lyrics leave more to be desired)
More information: Official Cruxshadows Website
