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Tom Walters is an expat Brit, now residing in Australia, and under the guise of Tomo, he has released the neo-classical album In Memoriam. It is packed with eighteen instrumental tracks, primarily played on piano and guitar, in the key of finality.

“Petrichor” is the scent the dry earth gives off after rain, and it is also a gently sweet and hopeful track, with chords reaching for the light, only to fall into retrospect. Waves of sorrow are palpable in “All The Remains.” A slow procession through the twilight of memory, triggered by the delicate high key notes and a definitive low crash at the end.

There is a lightness and energy with “The Watchmen,” before we roll into the introspective “Rebirth” with its gossamer tendrils. A sense of loss in the lower tones, heightens the sorrow filled violin in “Unforgiven.” Not an accusation, but rather a heavy self inflicted pall of uncertainty and slow burn loathing.

Loss and grief are powerful emotions that most humans will encounter many times in their life. In Memoriam is a classical journey through these stages, including the acceptance of the inevitable, all told through the memories invoked by the piano, and caressed by the guitar. Darkly beautiful and thought provoking.

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Can a banjo be incorporated into a darker style music? Conceding the fact that it has been successfully used in a few horror movies, it would seem that like all things are possible. Enter the album Mountain States by New Mexico based musician Johnny Bell, an aficionado of the banjo. Bell (banjos, fiddle, shruti, cymbals) is joined by Andrew Weathers (guitars, synthesizers, cymbals) and the album out on Centripetal Force Records.

“Old Blood” has droning electronics weaving in and out of hearing, creating a disturbing bleakness in comparison to the vigour of the banjo, as if pointing to something that is at odds with the world. The tune is mesmerising at the end, as if it once held dancers to its rhythm.

The first chords jangle, causing a shiver up the spine before fingers dance across the strings, plucking furiously in “Caldera Repose.” It sounds near effortless in performance, with the banjo singing refrains inside its own tune.

At seven minutes and fifty-one seconds, “Secret Cities” is the longest track and it is a slow burn. It is the drone that holds the track together, unrelenting in the background, allowing the banjos to attack, recede or fill the spaces in between. It is not happy nor angry, but rather in the moment of breathing and knowing we are where we are meant to be,

It calls back to an era of U.S. expansion and pioneering of the wilderness. Of a life lived in a land filled with great beauty and wonders, that could just as quickly turn on you, meaning small joys like music are everything. You feel the past reaching through each track, with Bell as the conduit, adding his own lived experiences, tying the past to the modern era, living with those ghosts, but looking towards the future as well.

▶︎ Mountain States | Johnny Bell

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Life leaving you feeling feeling a little flat or even a bit lifeless? Have no fear for Tricie and the Phantom Punks are here, bringing you an undead joie de vivre with a cover version of The Misfits “Vampira·” Tricie Texas, Phantom 1, Phantom 2 and Phantom 3 are the psycho-punks ripping up this little dittie.

The original track has that heavier Misfits‘ style and the unmistakeable growl of Danzig, however this cover lends so well both to the rolling gait of the drums, as well as the jaunty guitars of the Phantoms. Of course the creme de la creme is the joyfully bright vocals of Tricie, that lifts “Vampira” into feeling as if it fits the band like a silken mourning glove worthy of twisting the night(mare) away to.

Music | Tricie and the Phantom Punks

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𝐓𝐑𝐈𝐂𝐈𝐄 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐏𝐇𝐀𝐍𝐓𝐎𝐌 𝐏𝐔𝐍𝐊𝐒 (@tricieandthephantompunks) • Instagram photos and videos