It is hardly surprising that New Orleans is a simmering pot of shrouded bedlam, and there is nothing better than introducing a new band with a debut single. Deep Sleep Atlantic is a duo from the Big Easy,and their dark grungy rock single is “Bipolar Tendencies“.
The impending creeping doom in the beginning of the track is heightened by the singular guitar that is joined by the matter of fact vocals, and then it all takes off. A story of mental health that has coloured the storyteller’s life, conversing with the voices in his head. The drums power through, with the guitar seemingly dancing within the piece and vocals that utterly suit that track in both attitude and sound.
I haven’t moved for days It’s not that I don’t wanna be Outside with my friends But why would I go out when they’re all inside my head
DeepSleepAtlantic have a big rock sound and they remind me a lot of another US act, QueensOfTheStoneAge, not only in sound but also the quirky sense of humour, even in the face of a serious subject. “BipolarTendencies” is a very classy first track, so now we await for what DeepSleepAtlantic proffer next.
IMJUDAS is the solo project for MaxxMaryan, who is also half of the Italian duo HELYANFLOWERS. Maryan has released two EP’s, PeopleOfTheBlame and SoUntrue, on the Spleen+ label which is a mixture of electronic and post-punk sensibilities.
Both EPs are a mixture of songs off the previous album Yrjudas, however you will find remixes and also unreleased demo versions. People Of The Blame indeed takes the track of that name and giving you the glorious canned anger mix and the Octolab remix which brings a very techno vibe dance track. Madil Hardis gives the track her elegant touch as well as delightful vocals, making it poignant and thoughtful, or you can enjoy the alfa remix and the 2016 demo version. The Neikka RPM mix of the single “Ritual” whirls out into the universe and you are also are treated to the demo of “Tulpa“.
SoUntrue follows the same formula with the standout remix of the title track by Elektrostaub, where the guitar has been removed and filled by beautiful synths. There is the slower version by Phil from The Breathe Of Life that pulls at your heart strings and yet another demo of this track. You can hear yet another electronic interpretation of “Ritual” and the demo of “Outcast“.
Maryan really does have a brilliant voice that is the lynch pin between all the tracks and it is really interesting to see the progression between demo, single versions and remixes. It has been stated that this is the last look back at the Yrjudus album….. and what a look back it has been. It might seem too good to be true but you should definitely get into IMJUDAS.
A new band from France, CODE150, released their self titled first EP on April the 1st. I don’t know much about these guys other than they are a four piece band. So, in other words, we will let the music speak for them.
The start is a solemn one with “IRONEAGLE“, as the electronic writhe with an almost siren like wail. The guitars are in attendance for the next track, “BROKEN“, the bass twangs delightfully, with the lead guitar flourishes. It reminds me a little of a slow dance from the heart. The synths definitely give “DANCERINTHEDARK“, a coldwave sound, and combined with the female vocals, it has a beautiful symmetry, that whirls through the chorus. The final track is the sexy “MORE“, and I will leave that to your imagination… or even better, you can go listen to it.
This is a great first release and I implore you to listen to “DANCERINTHEDARK” as it deserves to be a dance floor favourite with its charged rhythms and vocal charm. It conjures up visions of a time when Visage and Ultravox were kings of the new wave scene. Keep an eye out for CODE150 because I have a feeling bigger things are coming.
Akustikkoppler (Acousticcoupler) is Hamburg duo, MatthiasSchuster (Geisterfahrer, DasInstitut) and MalteSteiner (Notstandskomitee, DasKombinat). They create experimental electronic music and last year they dropped their fourth album. AllesMußRaus (EverythingMustGo), which was mastered in 2021 but the actual recordings were made between 2008 – 2012.
The whole ten tracks are instrumental and they most certainly run along the lines making noises that please them and incorporating those noises into music that they inspire. There is the space like “Heimweg“, with a 70s kitsch feel, and yet it could be a science fiction horror in the cold void. Or the throbbing and wandering nature of “Horses And Carriages Burn“, as spikes of electronics speak up or the oddity that is “Dinge, Die Unter Dem Tisch Lagen” or the things that were under the table, which could be a whole new world with out of place bleeps and reverberations.
It might be experimental but AllesMußRaus is very enjoyable. There are bright noodling bits and even tracks that have a dance beat, yet overall the album is nearly hypnotic as you become engrossed in listening to everything going on. Akustikkoppler seems to be hitting all the good notes.
Over a year ago, some guy called GarrettCooper, in South Australia, decided to create a new project called BraveMistakes. He then thought that he might put out one original song a month, for a whole year. When you listen to each of the tracks, you can hear the progression as Cooper developed his singing talent and grew more comfortable in his role of songwriter. Somewhere on this journey, he has found like minded musicians and BraveMistakes is now a fully fledged band. A new single has just dropped called “UnchainedMelody“.
The style is simple and straightforward, with guitars interlacing delicately, between plucked and strummed. Cooper’s singing is definitely the focal point, smooth and rich like honey, as the lyrics roll of his tongue. The track is saturated in longing, for time and distance can be unkind to lovers.
Sounds familiar I hear you say. Yes, it is a cover of the 1965 song, first performed by TheRighteousBrothers and made famous yet again in the movie Dirty Dancing in the late 80s. This solemn rendition is near spine tingling, the musicianship stunning and I swear Cooper’s vocals get better every time I hear him. A perfect version of “UnchainedMelody” to slow dance with your dearest, by BraveMistakes.
Not often that you have a group that is known as a collective, but this is just what Flowers Of Hell is, which a group of sixteen musicians revolving through, based between London and Toronto. The project encompasses both classical and modern alternative rock and in 2012, they released the album Odes, a collection of covers, from bands that have influenced them.
Photo by Greg Jarvis
Now, in April 2023, Odes will be getting its first showing on vinyl with Space Age Recordings. At the time, back in 2012, the legend LouReed acclaimed it ‘an amazing, amazing album‘. You can’t get much better praise than from the guy who was the voice for TheVelvet Underground, about an album that bears one of their tracks. In fact, they have used the original lyrics that were penned by Reed on the Velvet’s original demo for “Walk On TheWildSide“
There are covers of BobDylan’s “MrTambourineMan“, SiouxsieAndTheBanshees‘ “LastBeatOfMyHeart“, and Stereolab’s “Super-Electric” just to give you an idea of the variation in styles. You can even go check out the new video created for the post-punk track “Atmosphere“, which is of course, originally, by the beautifully sad Joy Division. Flowers Of Hell treat both this, and all the other songs with great reverence whilst giving each a classical twist. Odes is a musical salute to the tracks that have influenced generations, and Flowers Of Hell have acknowledged they are building their own wonderful legacy on the shoulders of giants. The release date is April 22nd.
We are off to Austin, Texas, to have a look at the first EP, “WeDissolve“, from Gleaming. Maybe we can let the man behind the project, tell you about himself….
“After drumming for a handful of different screamo and indie/dream-pop bands, I found my way to electronic music. I wanted to take the inspiration and influence from artists I love and blend it with my experience in the indie and dream/synth-pop bands. Creating a dark, danceable tone with really catchy melodies and lyrics, hoping to capture the perfect segue from dark to light.” – Darryl Schomberg II
The first track is also the single “RunFaster” and the tone of this song alone sets up the whole EP, which is about putting distance between yourself and the things in life that have dragged one down the darker paths, such as depression, and finding a better future. The synths are bright and sweet, and the rhythm bounces. “TheAshes” is the second single that builds in tension, echoing vocals that explode into a cascade of crystalline synth shards. Of note is the track “RatMeOut“, feature Vestite, also from Austin, which has a great keyboard line through it as the dual vocals snake through this piece in the chorus.
I kind of wished that Schomberg relied on his own clean vocals more, which I will admit, are soooo much better than using autotune, (yeah I am the first to say I hate autotune with a fiery passion and I will blame Cher forever). The electronics have an 80s synthwave ring to them, that can soar, and having Vestite is a stroke of genius, as it made “RatMeOut” a real joy. This is just Gleaming starting out with WeDissolve, so it should be interesting to see what he does next.
VAZUM have defined their gothic rock mixed with shoegaze style as Deathgaze, and the Detroit duo of Zach Pliska and Emily Sturm have kept themselves very busy. Between 2020 – 2022 they have released approximately four full albums, a multitude of singles and even a ghoulish Christmas EP just for good measure.
Now we have V- (V negative), the greatest hits of this period. All tracks have been re-recorded to reflect their live performances, so don’t expect the usual crystal clear sound but rather, you are listening to a band recreating the live experience.
Sure enough, it feels like we are privy to a VAZUM show as we revisit some of their tracks such as the SiouxsieandtheBanshees like “RazorSmileV–” with its swirling guitars or the wonderfully bass heavy “Thief V-” and enjoy the interchange of male and female vocals. If you like yourself some VAZUM, dig really interesting gothic rock or really love the warm style of live music, then V– might be your glass of absinthe.
Deathdrift are a dark, post-industrial duo from Germany and their debut album, LiminalNocturnes, was released at the beginning of March. We have the mysteriously named SH on synths, programming, engineering, sampling and mixing, while DS is the vision, the voice, bass, piano, bones and programming
What a way to start out. “VeinOfGod” has creepy whispers, joined by a death nell piano chiming. Like laboured breathing with the growled vocals, it lumbers on without heed, consuming all with divine retribution. The eulogy of “TheGreyHeavens” drones and DS’s vocals are sonorous and sluggish, as if the colour is leaching out of everything, while the electronics waver and stab out in the single “IncendingNight“. There is a beautiful symmetry between light and dark, as if the scales are being stacked with demons and angels. The low tones can be felt in the core of your chest in “BeSacrifice“, with the shamanistic drums beats, grinding oppressive ambience and chanting.
A portent of warning, a slow ticking joins with the grandiose blasts of the divine hosts, that could take down the walls of Jericho. This is “AllumfassendesVersinken” or all-encompassing sinking and a lone strummed guitar is the oddity. The vocals go from growled to beautiful in short succession, following the the mania in “Rise (Spirit Of The Depth” as it swirls around, dragging you into its maelstrom. “Come” seems so much lighter in tone and yet it is eerily creepy with the echoing and whispering. There is an intensity like they are raising the dead. Violated piano keys colour the track as they keep the rhythm with the drum machine, until they are given a short reprieve only to be tortured again, an opus of pain for “InAdoration“. The last track is “TheUniverseAsAHalfsleeper’sOpiaticVision” and for the first minute you start to wonder if there is something wrong with the playback, but slowly the disjointed piano gets louder and louder, a modern ideal of a waking dream, or perhaps nightmare.
This album is a bit of a trip. Industrial meets ambient electronics and tinged with black metal. It delves into the imagery of Heaven, Hell and the planes in between as well as the human psyche, when it comes to loss and wanting to be saved by a force higher than themselves. If I didn’t know any better, I would say that SH and DS have had some classical training of some description. The music is heavily saturated in textures, and with the vocals of DS being rich like plush black velvet, there is a lot to love about LiminalNocturnes by Deathdrift.
The debut album, Post Tenebras Lux, for Brisbane band, Balloons Kill Babies, is a point of great pride and yet there is a bitter sweet tinge, as it is also, currently, their last album for the foreseeable future. Bass player Karl O’Shea is no stranger to Onyx, being a member of Daylight Ghosts and Ghostwoods, plus it seems a hundred other bands (and have your noticed the fact all project names are related to death or after death??). ChristianCarter plays guitar and ScottDavey on drums, making up the trio. This instrumental album doesn’t just have value in the music, but also for the band members Carter and O’Shea, there have been years of life shattering challenges, such as addiction, and they are very open about their mental health which has influenced their music.
“This album means so much to me, after the treatment for Catatonia I was left suffering from Amnesia and regular Seizures, sometimes up to 7 a day with the worst lasting an hour. The remarkable thing was listening to the album again after the onset of amnesia, as if for the first time; and being able to pick up my guitar again and play the songs in their entirety. It was a massive part of my rehabilitation. The piano piece written by Karl and performed by his partner James Lees (Ghostwoods, Silver Sircus) “Flexibilitas Cerea”, we decided to name after one of the symptoms of Catatonia, “Waxy Flexibility”, where my limbs could be placed in various positions and I would stay in that position until someone moved me back.
Even though the album was written before the events of these illnesses, the title of the record rings truer than ever. It became the soundtrack to my recovery and rehabilitation from the worst period of my life. The project has simply run its course and I couldn’t think of a better record to go out on.” – Christian “Twiggy” Carter
A dream like air surrounds the first track “Creeper“, sinuous and gradually becoming foreboding in tone as the guitars start you on this journey. The track “L’appelDuVie“, drenched in beautiful guitar tones has the feelings of something lost and regrets that are a part of the past, swinging from gentle to manic.
Joined by on piano by JamesLees, from Ghostwoods, Lees puts in a haunting performance in piece “FlexibilitasCerea“, with a heaviness that sucks you under. The fervour of “MtCarmel” twists around you soul, flooding your ears with searing guitar that reaches out and “PostTenebrasLux” is truly a joyous piece that breaks out, trickling with gorgeous interludes. This is only a taste of what you can find on the album.
“Simply put, everyone behind the creation of this album has gone through significant changes over the last 5 years or so. Whether they be creative differences, a need to explore other projects or just simply wanting to move on, we’re all different people than we were at the beginning of all this. I think I speak for all of us when I say we’re fiercely proud of what we’ve managed to accomplish over the last decade plus and we couldn’t be happier with how the album turned out. It’s as perfect an ending as we could have asked for.” –Karl O’Shea
Davey is one busy guy on the drums and with O’Shea, they make a really tight rhythm section, while Carter just oozes sophistication on the guitar. The album has a huge sound to it, like if Tool was purely instrumental and they were creating rock inspired soundscapes, within someone’s brain. There is experimentation with noise which makes for a much more interesting experience. I am not surprised they are proud of this album. It is a great alternative rock release and if you appreciate well crafted music then you should really check out Post Tenebras Lux, because after the dark is light with BalloonsKillBabies. Cheers guys.
Onyx Music Reviews 