Have you ever sat, watching the sky in the dark, taking in the celestial bodies, through the substratosphere? Los Angeles darkwave band, The Sea At Midnight, have released the single, “Atmosphere“.
The vocals are tantalising, peaking your interest with the delicate bass, reined in drums and tinkling guitar. There are swells where the music lets loose, floating in the confines of a vehicle, no longer under control, but rather left to the whim of chance.
The production and mixing is by Chris King, the mastering was done by Patrick Hills at Earthtone Recording Company, while lilting saxophone was provided by Tony Bevilacqua. When you hear such tracks, you can’t help but be taken back to the original spaceman, Bowie’s “Major Tom“. A tale of leaving the Earth and floating in the unknown and boundless expanse of the heavens. “Atmosphere” is a tasty post-punk treat from The Sea AtMidnight.
I have been assured that the New Zealand band, After The Flesh, is not named after the My Life With The Thrill Kill Cult track, though that track still lurks in the back of my mind. This four piece, from Wellington, have been around since 2019, and their Bandcamp page also contains demo versions but released their debut, self-titled EP in May.
‘AfterTheFlesh comprises the talents of Slovenian-born vocalist and keyboardist Maruša Sagadin (“Marusha”); veteran local bassist Duncan Nairn; guitarist and vocalist Alec Morris; and drummer Sam Leamy‘. – UTM Music
There is a languid melancholy within “ColdGlory“. The bass is the main instrument of focus, with the jangling guitar and synths backing up. The vocals are intertwined, sinuous, and reaching for the starry skies. “Changeling” has an electronic funk, with off beat syncopation, leaving you feeling unsure and out of step. The idea that one never really changes, as what we are, is always inside us. The track, “PerpetualMidnight“, was originally released as a single in 2021 and has been updated for the EP. It hangs in the air, delicate and sensual, the perfect balance of sorrow versus uplifting. The last song is the ode to love called “Daisychain“. The track builds on the premise that when the significant other has left, there is only bleak loneliness. There is an uncluttered feeling throughout that is saturated in want and resignation.
I really enjoyed the vocal harmonisations within the tracks, playing between female and male, capturing your ears.. The mixing by Bryan Tabuteau is glorious and subtle, allowing each voice and instrument to be heard. So, After The Flesh is a beautiful thing to hear, and the group are growing into their sound, with sonorous and lugubrious gothic melodies.
German industrial project NeonInsect has released another single as of May, with the title “Implant“. NilsSinatsch is NeonInsect, whose forte is delving into a cyber-punk future of apocalyptic proportions.
The flesh screams in defiance as the cybernetic additions consume the body, taking away pain and everything else that makes a human feel. Nils‘ gruff vocals are the programmes and nano bots seeking to assume control, as they pulsate through their victim,
It starts with a few changes of enhancement, until the machines decides mankind is frail and prone to breaking. The road to human race’s doom seems to be paved in the industrial dance rhythms of NeonInsect and his “Implant“.
Back in 2020, we covered the release of the album PrepareForANightmare by Norwegian post-punk band Mayflower Madame, They have now re-released their second full length album as a deluxe version, on OnlyLoversRecords, with five new tracks included. In celebration, Mayflower Madame have dropped the single “Dresden“.
Photo by Tim Harris
The wandering guitars echo and plunge, for going out on this night might change your life forever, whether that is for your betterment or walking into disaster. The vocals are lethargic and almost unenthusiastic, like the singer knows the future, like a fortune teller, and there is a portent of gloom, especially if you take into account, Dresden burnt to the ground in WW2..
The accompanying video for “Dresden“, is a collection of noir, mostly silent films, cut together in a lovely montage of breathtakingly porcelain females. The signature psychedelic guitars are present and the synths have created an eerie background, held together with the drums and bass. Post-punk from Norway is alive and kicking with Mayflower Madame at the fore.
Some music projects go on hiatus, but they never truly go away. After twenty years, DCAstro and Martha A. Hoffmann, have breathed new life into their electronic/darkwave band DeepRed, and what better way to celebrate this than with the release of a new single, “BattleLines” which features Element104.
The low tones are heavy and bass driven, giving the track a voluminous depth, and a long with the rhythm hurtle this track forward. Hoffmann’s vocals range from whispered to clear and true, just as the synths chime out and spin about a relationship gone sour, and the fight to be able to walk away from other person.
In 2002, the album Chimera was released, which has the original version of “BattleLines” on it. I can hear why they wanted to, in a way, resurrect this track and give it another run, modernising it. A note of interest is that the mastering was done by DorukÖztürkcan of ShePastAway fame. The over all feel of “BattleLines” is a big break through track bound for the dance floor, which will ensure we will be hearing more from DeepRed.
The first half of the year has seen a lot of really great new darkwave albums, and this includes, Crystalline, the latest from Norwegian KarlMortenDahl, also known as Antipole and Brit ParisAlexander. This album is now out on the Young&ColdRecords label with it being recorded between the UK and Norway, and the production, mixing and mastered by Alexander at his BlueDoorStudio.
The album starts with “Perceptions“, which is one of three singles and it is a smooth affair between the synths and Alexander’s vocals, raising your heartbeat with anticipation with the rising guitar. “Nightshade” has been known to kill, yet the solemn delicacy of this track might make you want to live just that little bit longer so you might be able to hear “Bleached“, another single. Bleak and creeping with sorrow, but yet you cannot but be mesmerised by the sensual vocals and dirty electronic bass.
The desolate lushness of “Disjointed” brings a delicateness that sets you up for the third single, “MidnightShadows“, where you can almost feel the spirits are reaching out to you through the echoing and enticing whispers. that draw spectral fingers up your skin, catching your breath. The rhythms knock away and the guitar draws you into its embrace as you share with Alexander, his hope and anguish in “Marble“.
We find ourselves at the gently flowing “Infractions“, bathing in its warm heart. The track has a JohnnyMarr glazing with a pop sensibility. The final track is the sublimely elegant “Sentiments” with the low bass electronics balanced by the both the sweet guitar work and high end synths.
The production of the album is clean and so fluid, making it almost ethereal, and yet the tracks will also guide your feet to the dance floor. ParisAlexander’s vocals truly convey a lot of emotion, sometimes bordering on dark seduction, while KarlMortenDahl’s playing in this conjures reminders of RobertSmith’s tantalising guitar prowess and form. Each track is devastatingly beautiful, unveiling the never ending cycle of the dark versus the light, with hints of all the shades of grey in between, as Antipole&ParisAlexander take you to the places that yesterday’s ghosts still haunt, in perfect Crystalline.
From sun drenched Florida, VioletSilhouette are back with a new single, titled “Strange Wind“. This single is off the soon to be released EP Feverblue, which is the follow-up to the 2021 EP, SEMI-PERMANENTDEREALIZATION.
The metronome drum beats are twinned with the extruded electronics reverberating, which are joined by a classic post-punk heavy bass. The clean guitar breaks through, which heralds a burst of joyous, danceable sound. The vocals complete the booming shivers down the spine, as the music runs circles around your pleasure centres.
Longing and need are palpable in this track, along with the cascading layers of instrumentation. VioletSilhouette has mixed post-punk with both industrial dance and dark pop to give us the sublime “Strange Wind“.
Darkwave duo, producer Mario Del Rio and vocalist Rayne Lew, are AdoreMe. They are based between Los Angeles and Mexico City, and their EP, Kira #1 came out on the 28th of May, on the SublimeExile label.
Oh yes… first and title track is electronic bass heavy, with a dance floor savvy. “Kira #1” is sexy musically, lyrically and the vocals melt like molten wax on bare skin. The techno is unleashed in “MABH“, crossed with 80s synth and Lew’s singing is light, floating in the uncertain grimly electronics. There is even a quote from Shakespeare’s ‘RomeoandJuliette‘, which is in relation to the fairy Queen Mab or MAbh, whom the track is dedicated too.
The vocals echo within the cocoon of deranged synths of “Psyphon“, both beautiful and yet seemingly set on the edge of cliff, poised to fall into infinity. “Bruise” is the last track, not as fast paced but just as entrancing. It is delicate with a darker undertone. The imagery from the lyrics is coloured by red or rather the blood spilt by death.
Graceful darkwave sensuality oozes from Kira #1, but it is also has a bite about it. Lust, magic and death, create an aura of funereal delight which lures the listener to move to the rhythms. AdoreMe or not to AdoreMe, that is the question, but you should have a listen to Kira #1 so you might know thy self.
NØIR is the electronic project for Athan Maroulis (vocals) and ErikGustafson (synths/guitar/producer). joined for live events by keyboard players JamieParganos and KaiIrinaHahn. The new single/EP “Fallen” was something NØIR had been working on just as Covid was kicking in and then was put on hold after the unfortunate passing of MetropolisRecords creator, DaveHeckman, but now it has now seen the watery light of evening, in May.
There is a euro cool chic glamour that coats the slick synths and Maroulis‘ vocals are, as always, wonderfully smooth, entrancing your senses into the dance that NØIR is bewitching you with. The ParadoxObscur remix is far more filled with thumping rhythms that has a disco like attitude, that is aimed straight for your pleasure zones. The darkwave retro fingers of SilverWalks caresses “Fallen“, giving it the feel as if the track could have come from the early 80s during the time of MidgeUre’sUltravox, while the Femme Mix features the sensual vocals of KaiIrinaHahn, as she goes from backing singer to replacing Maroulis.
You also get the brand spanking new track “DeathIsEasy“, which is going to haunt you in your sleep and you are going to believe that death really is easy in a sexy, stalking and lurid way. If you are as old enough, like some of us, the PsychedelicFurs song “LoveMyWay“, was an iconic dark love of many in the 80s, where we could all feel the words pull at our heart strings. NØIR have taken the track, playing it as an acoustic and the vocals actually remind me very much of Bowie’s.
The synths literally sing themselves, sparkling in “Fallen” and the vocals…. well, Maroulis proves his vocals are scintillating and beautiful as ever. The remixes have been wonderfully handled, and the extra tracks definitely show the depth of the musicianship of the members of NØIR.
They say the road to ruin is paved with good intentions and maybe US band, Bellhead might know this better than many. As of May the 8th, their latest EP, aptly named GoodIntentions, was released on OppressiveSkyRecords. What makes this project a little different is the fact that there are two styles of bass being played and no lead or rhythm guitar, so you know from that fact alone that their sound is going to be something a little special. The Chicago based duo is made up of KarenRigheimer (low bass, vocals) and IvanRussia (high bass, vocals, drum programming), while they have entrusted Bellhead’s sound to regulars, audio engineer NeilStrauch (Iron and Wine / Counting Crows / Owls / Joan of Arc / Walking Bicycles / Slow Mass) and mastering engineer CarlSaff (AcidMothers Temple / Smoking Popes / Red Fang / Guided by Voices).
When you say “BadTaste“, I admit I think of the New Zealand comedy horror movie, but in the case of this song, it feels more like StevenKing’s ‘Misery‘, claustrophobic and just a tad a bit deranged in a stalkerish kind of way. The music for “IntoTheDeep” feels like really dark surf rock, that has the even darker tale of a relationship that is dragging the couple to their proverbial doom. The vocals are beautifully carried off between Righeimer and Russia. “Valentine” is both sweet and bitter at the same time. There is something poignantly timeless about this track as it wends it way through the unabashed sorrow and loss.
Oh my, Righeimer is vocally channelling KimGordon for “Apathy“. In fact, the whole song has the signature groove of SonicYouth all over it, making lassitude ever so cool. There is a cover in the track “NoBigDeal“, which was originally written and performed by LoveAndRockets, appearing on their 1989, self titled album. Honestly, I can hear why they picked this song, and I think LoveAndRockets might be a big influence on Bellhead’s overall sound. The two basses absolutely inject the funk into this cover. Last track is the delicious “DrugstoreKeri“, a raw and sleazy ditty about some bird named Keri, who can supply the drug of your choice, on the sly.
Bellhead literally rumble, causing your speakers to buzz at times, in a very good way. Having the two bass married to a drum machine makes for an ever so tight rhythm section, also giving you the melodies as well. This definitely gives the music a dirty post-punk groove to each track, and this new EP leans more into pop rock. The Good Intentions of Bellhead is fun, nostalgic and rocking… in that fabulously gloomy way.
Onyx Music Reviews 