Since the 2007 inception of Vancouver band, The Silence Industry has revolved around lynch-pin member GrahamJackson, with other musicians joining him when they are available. The single “As The Walls Close In,” is part of an ongoing project where singles will be released with art work, and each will have two exclusive ‘b-side’ tracks.
The beginning of the title track has that all-encompassing heavy bass, which I associate with early Tool, bubbling with latent tendrils of misgivings, leaning itself to a progressive rock feel. The vocals, crisp and clear, combined with that guitar work, definitely harken back to the roots of 90s gothic rock. The two ‘b-sides’ consist of unreleased versions of “Bags of Clay (Lofi Piano Version)“, which is full of slow burn longing, and “These Long Sunset Shadows ( A Dark Ambient Noise Jam),” that clocks in at just over twelve minutes and the description tells no lies. This is a melancholy at its ambient best.
Fluid and engrossing is how I would describe “As The Walls Close In,” as it beautifully mixes gothic rock with something a little more modern, and with that open door policy with other artists, that only piques my interest more. The single/EP is on Bandcamp for nameyourprice, so you have nothing to lose and the real possibility of gaining some damn fine tracks from The Silence Industry.
As promised, Killtoys are back with “Departed,” the final instalment of the trilogy release of connected singles that includes, in order, “BlindGod” and “AnotherRealm“. The Brisbane/Meanjin three piece, comprised of Mick Bristow, StavTsolakides and BevanBancroft, seem to be building up steam… so we are hopeful for an album release.
The guitar work, as always, is glorious, haunted by a whiff of horror inspired uncertainty, with deep sliding riffs, offset by the thrashing drums. The echoing and pained, or is it beseeching(?), vocals leave you with no doubt that the end is nigh, and Bristow welcomes the creeping shadows to come and take him.
Garry and Jess of Obscure Medium Art, have again created evocative cover art, mastered at 301 by SteveSmart in Sydney, and recorded at KingStreetStudio in Brisbane. ‘We arethe dead,’ is the climax to the trilogy and that in the end, as humans, we come into existence, have free will to create our own destiny and that for all of us is the eventual passing into the veil, hopefully to be greeted by those loved ones that went before us. You are never alone with the “Departed” and Killtoys.
MattWebster is a man with the soul of a poet and storyteller, creating alternative rock with his Bradford based project, SigniaAlpha. With the latest album Entropy, he has been joined by PaulGray (TheDamned) on Rickenbacker bass guitar with other musicians making appearances on tracks. Harris (Chaing, Grim, Nowt, Zed), Is one of these, who has co-written and sings on six of the tracks. To quote the release ‘Guitarist WulfIngham lends his psychedelic solos to a couple of tracks’ and ‘jazz saxophonist KeithJafrate and flautist ChrisWalsh sprinkle their melodic flourishes over several songs.’ I say flourish away!
Punk meets PinkFloyd is how one might sum up the track “Such A Shame,” with its pogoing rhythm married to bewitching guitar work. Simon ‘Nogsy‘ Nolan (SpyBand, Zed) sings on and co-wrote “On Diego Garcia,” a commentary on the disputed Island which is currently owned by the British, with a US Naval base present, while all the previous inhabitants were forced to leave. This was found to be illegal by The Hague, but was ignored by the UK and “On Diego Garcia” is a protest song about the injustices.
“A New Dawn” has a undercurrent dirge like the ocean water pulling and pushing at boats, a alluring sadness, perhaps the subject matter within the lyrics are looking for safety, only to be faced with another shoreline to leave and more dangers ahead. The bass is sublime in “Hourglass,” which goes through a gamut of emotions such as loss, longing and sadness, for as we get older, we realise the fragility of all. This is reflected by the music ranging from introspective to a guitar filled rage. Those flute flourishes can be heard in the “The Price Of Admission,” in conjunction with a more thoughtful sound that echoes with a life maybe less lived or rather, perhaps, limited in their choices.
The paisley park feel to the music is in stark contrast to the bleak words in the single “Feels Like Rain,” and that bleak story telling, which only those who have lived it or watched it first hand, can be experienced in the next track, “Building Castles In Spain.” MathewSeamarks (DisciplesofSpess) is the vocalist and co-wrote with Webster, with its endearing dreamer quality and the beautiful jangly guitar backing up those vocals. The airiness of the flute and saxophone, wants to fly you away but the vocals of Harris weigh you down in the knowledge that life is “Waiting.” Waiting for the end and the inevitable. I have to say that “The Atmosphere” caught me by surprise with harkening back to DavidBowie yet having that XTC musical sensibility. It is a simply a post-punk gem, while the last track, “Kaleidoscope Wheels” is a psychedelic trip with a hurdy gurdy of circling sounds and voices, melding into a maelstrom, destined to collapse.
Hard to pick a favourite out of this lot as everything is just class, but for me, probably, “TheAtmosphere” definitely transports me back to another place. The attitude throughout is very much a punk one, pointing towards what is wrong with the world, but not the anger of young men. Rather, we are seeing these issues through the eyes of the world weary, knowing that life is precious and telling you the stories that deserve to be heard. The musicianship is grand and you really couldn’t ask for a better bunch contributing. Entropy is the measurements of thermodynamics, and the energy given by SigniaAlpha is nothing short of pure musical wizardry.
Fancy a bit of deathrock bilge? Argh nothing like the accursed sound of those scurvy naves SeaLungs, whom seem to flotsam and jetsam between Melbourne and Sydney. Those salty dogs, JarradRobertson and AndiLennon, with a little bit of brass ball handling help from DaseBeard, are back with a new single, “TeignmouthElectron.”
Ah yes, you can feel the sea beneath you with the rolling guitars, as the drums crash against your senses. BlackSabbath want their guitar riffs back and it is possible to see in your mind’s eye, young Ozzy shaking his head in glee. Glam and rock collide, though this does not seem to deter Lennon from his demonic wittering, as he imbues the insanity of a captain who is all but lost to the watery deep with the “TeignmouthElectron.” The lads have also resurrected the track “EelPie,” giving the eels more teeth, filling it out with delicious ringing guitars, filling it up with the juicy waves of noise.
What is a “TeignmouthElectron,” one might ask, and the answer being, it was a trimaran sailing boat created for a race in 1968, and the one man crew that was David Crowhurst, seems to have completely lost his bottle during said race, and more than likely ended his life, for he was never seen again. The ship still exists, though now is a wreck on a beach, somewhere in the Caribbean Islands. “TeignmouthElectron” is yet again, something different from what the guys have so far presented us with, definitely heavier with that goth/glam seduction and the revamped version of “EelPie” is no poor cousin, easily holding its own even as a b-side. Join the crew and get yourself some SeaLungs.
Hard to believe, but it has been five years since the release of KillShelter’s debut album Damage on the label UnknownPleasures. So, December 1st will see the special limited edition of the reworked album, called Damage (V), where tracks that have the (V) have been re-recorded, whilst the others have been remastered by the man himself, PeteBurns at the ShelterStudio. Anyway, before we get to the album, the single “InDecay(V),” was dropped at the end of October, featuring Antipole and DelphineComa. You may say, hey….. that was a single off the original Damage, and you are not wrong, however this is one of the (V) tracks and now it also has a video to go with it!
AsheRuppe is DelphineComa and his deep, sonorous vocals seem to almost reverberate into the core of your being, as he brings to bear the desperation and disillusionment of those looking to escape across the waters. The delicate guitar strains are Antipole’sKarlMortenDahl, and they fall like rivulets of drenching tears. All the while, Burns builds the dark and overbearing atmosphere with his driving bass.
You might wonder what the difference is between the original version and this one. For me, I am going to say that the vocals are more at the fore, that the guitar fills in more space, where as the original felt as if it there were voids to punctuate the music, and this new version is just going to take you for a sonic journey. But, more to the point, maybe you need to listen to both versions of “In Decay” in order to make your own mind up. “InDecay (V)” is just beautifully crafted post-punk, and I for one could not think of anyone better to perform it than DelphineComa, Antipole and, of course, KillShelter.
Multi-instrumentalist Rev. BillySimmons, released back in June, his self titled debut album under the project name of EvidenceOfAStruggle, and this is the premiere of the sixth and last single, “Seize.” There is a revolving list of musicians that play with EvidenceOfAStruggle, creating the unique instrumental sound.
Photo by Jeremy Glickstein
Like some progressive, psychedelic lumbering monster, the track takes off. The guitars are what hit you the most, from those delivering the bass up to those that are plucked, keeping the pace and lightening the pensive mood against the ever building turgid backdrop.
Each of the singles has had a special animated video clip made by JohnAiro. There is a well of emotion just in one track, haunting in sound, where no words are needed. This is “Seize” by Evidence Of AStruggle.
From the late 70s, into the early 80s, KISS were at the height of their musical success, and well known for, at the time, the outrageous makeup and stage outfits. October is Halloween month, and Michigan based ColeyKennedy (voice, keyboards, electronic drums, songwriter), has released the single “Just Like Kiss (Halloween’83),” which is about dressing up as your favourite original KISS character, to go trick or treating. He is joined by PeteJavier (guitars, bass guitar), HattieBlueKennedy, (vocals) and JudeKennedy (vocals).
The bass guitar is like the death nell of a church bell, while the rhythm plods along at an equally purposed pace. ColeyKennedy’s vocals utterly compliment the eerie atmosphere, like a dark memory of a nightmare that you might have had trouble waking up from. ‘Take your candy and run‘ because we can be “Just Like Kiss(Halloween ’83),”scaring old ladies with ColeyKennedy’s grave post-punk affair. Which KISS member will you be?
TylerBurgee, from Maryland, is a young man with a huge amount of talent, creating his own version of dark alt rock, crossed with trap. His EP, Leave The Line was an independent release in July, consisting of three tracks.
You can taste the darkwave rolling off the first track and single “FourFools“, between the programmed drum machine and the understated guitar, that echoes in this shadow place. Burgee’s vocals then add to the swirling, almost shoegaze feel. Yearning for that which has passed or can never be, seems to be the theme of “First A wall, Then A Maze“. There is an all consuming melancholy imbuing this track, with the single finger key playing and strumming guitar. “Something I Did” has a heavy guitar dancing between vocals. The vocals almost sound garbled or distorted on purpose, giving them an eerie quality, like something is not right with the status quo.
Darkwave elements mixed with the more modern emo aesthetic, and flirting with shoegaze is how I might describe the EP. TylerBurgee has a sound that is evolving with each track and you can hear the experimentation in Leave The Line.
They say Brisbane is a place out of time, and the Killtoys are a proud Meanjin band, back with their latest track “Another Realm,” as they serve up their concoction of heavy and dark on the rocks. This track is the second of a trilogy, where the first single, “BlindGod,” introduces you to the story of a human corrupted….tainted by vampiric blood and his struggle as he falls from the world he knew.
The beginning is a simple guitar and vocals, where you start to hear the unnatural joy replacing horror, as a monster realises that he is no longer constrained by human law, which is when the track rushes forth on doom laden wings. The drums and electric guitar vie for dominance, while the vocals are unsettling in their intensity.
“AnotherRealm” follows the tale up with the fiend, taking up the mantel of Prince of Darkness, conceding that he has lost the vestiges of humanity. The vampire staring off into the bloody night for the cover art has been created by the talented duo of ObscureMedium, whom are also based in Brisbane, and create some really rad horror toys/dollies and art pieces for those with an eye for the grimly beautiful. The track contains unholy vampires, blood/power lust, plus guitar riffs and intense vocals that early OzzyOsbourne and BlackSabbath would have been proud of. What is there not to like about this track? Not a damn thing!
I don’t think I can quite explain how much Glaswegian band, The Jesus And Mary Chain (JAMC), held me in awe, as a kid in the 80s, with drawling vocals and waves of guitar reverb filling your ears. Label, FuzzClubRecords, is poised to release the live album for JAMC, aptly named Sunset666, on August the 4th, where all tracks were recorded at the Hollywood Palladium, in Los Angeles, in 2018. The single “Half Way To Crazy” has been dropped to give us a taste of what you can expect on the album.
Rightly so, the quality of the recording is actually beautiful and clear. William Reid’s Gibson guitar transports us away, together with his brother, Jim Reid’s distinctive vocals, reminding is of what a magical powerhouse JAMC have always been.
“Half Way To Crazy” was originally released on the 1989 album Automatic, and the new Sunset 666, has all up, a whopping seventeen tracks, including “Blues From A Gun“, “Just Like Honey“, “Teenage Lust“, “Some Candy Talking” and “Head On“. Apparently, the recording isn’t a mirror, with occasional wrong notes, and imperfect timing, but that’s the point of live music, because it is alive at that very moment of time, and it has been captured in all its raw brilliance. As far as sonic rock music goes, The Jesus And Mary Chain have been responsible for creating songs that you feel in your gut, but also hugely influenced other musicians to push the rock envelope. This is bliss.
