The new album Glimmer came out in April, but right now I am going to drag your attention to LunarPaths’ single release “A Star At Dawn.” It dropped in March for the duo of Diane Dubois and Kevin Hunter, and I think it deserves its own time in the moonlight.
A depth to the electronics, an undercurrent of something ancient in the Middle Eastern lilt of the vocals and instrumentation, while the drums pick their way on the odyssey. Like Venus at the end of night, Dubois‘ vocals light the way and are a bridge between the past and present.
LunarPaths are masters of intertwining darkwave with world music. Entrancing and exotic, they pour themselves into these tracks because they see the beauty in how an instrument sounds or can influence the overall ambience. I love the ability to express themselves in such an alluring manner and “A Star At Dawn” might my favourite to this date while following the LunarPaths.
Now here is a conundrum…. Washington based project Zabus has dropped two albums within three months of each…this year. Soooo, I have decided to showcase the latest release, The Future Of Death, which is out on the non-profit label SaccharineUnderground. JeremyMoore (Thee Rise Ov Sadistic Youth, Zero Swann, Garozde) started Zabus in 2023, joined by fellow musicians Peter Hallock (Garozde), AlkaneShimizu (ZeroSwann) and, for this album, JeroenAchterburg. By the way, is it just me or is the cover channelling NewOrder’sMovement?
From the get go, there is the jangly guitar with reflective echoing and sweetly morose vocals. The guitars do not seem to want to follow the script as evidenced in “Columbarium” where they go from Southern Gothic plucking to wandering through the track, all the while the electronics blow through in the background. “Subversion” is in the territory of causing your skin to gooseflesh with its haunting simplicity, slowly tracing ephemeral fingers, raising ghosts of 80s British post-punk bands in their wake.
Necro means death and graphs are a pictorial way of representing data, so possibly the track “Necrographs” is about wanting an organised knowledge of what happens after the last breath has left the body. The ability to quantify the final moments and beyond if there is one, “Necrographs” eerily drones with rhythmic oddities holding it together, while the synths wend their way, with the occasional instrumental scream into the void.
The drawling “Captor” leads you down a road of torment of when lovers no longer feel that pull and yet cannot leave, maybe due to fear. The heavy bass is beautiful in “Retribution,” married to the fabulous striking guitars and clicking beats. Honestly, the guitars are the feature of this track and I really adored it. We are thrown into the far more experimental and psychedelic “The All Light,” filled with reverb and distortion, and I can’t help but smile as it reminds me of Bauhaus in some ways. There is also some pretty intense imagery within the lyrics.
There is that Southern Gothic feel again in “BurstOppression,” and it is eloquent in both tone and vocal imagery, with a true sense of loss and complete hopelessness, dropping us in an expansive desert of mortality. Last track is “Solstice,” and it is poignant and dark. Perhaps it is looking back to a point in history where life was given so that life could continue, in the form of sacrifice or mayhap star crossed lovers, but it lets your imagination run wild with the possibilities.
Moore’s vocals are very reminiscent of IanAstbury and are a delight to behold. For me, this is the essence of gothic/post-punk music. There are the tried and true expressions of the style from the guitar flourishes, introspective lyrics, brooding vocals and looking through a romanticised lens, a vision of dark beauty encompassing life, death and spirituality. However there is also an experimental pushing of the boundaries, asking instruments to make sounds that they are not necessarily meant to make and not sticking to set musical formulae, which makes Zabus just that little more exciting. Both “The Future Of Death” and “TopographyOfIconoclast” are really worth treating your ears with, so you might savour the intricacies of weaving more traditional gothic, with something I would equate in the region of when you first hear EinstürzendeNeubauten and it just blows your mind.
Arguably, Robots In Love is one of the best dark electronic rock bands in New Zealand right now, lead by front woman Elenor Rayner (vocals, synths, programming), with AlexBurchell (drums), TonyLumsden (bass) and BrettLemmon (guitar). These very experienced musicians have dropped the new single “Unbreakable” with two bonus remixes.
A slow and purpose filled build up from the start, with the rumbling affirmation of the title, wrapped up in tendrils of a classical edge, enticingly liquid next to the unwavering, steeled vocals of Rayner. Of the two remixes, the first is the EBM remix by Rayner, which has adopted a faster pace, and has a really tribal ambiance with enhanced electronics, while the second, Magnetique remix, happens to be bandmate Burchell behind the desk, creating a second dance track that again exudes an indomitable spirit.
“Unbreakable is about how we feel the minute we walk on stage. It’s about being in the place where you feel at your strongest, and connecting with other people to increase that strength.” – Elenor Rayner
Oh my, for me Rayner exudes feminine power, not to mention wearing that lovely corset, made me think of that other female warrior, Xena, in the video, which makes my heart melt a little more for Robots In Love. This is a boot stomping affair, which I associate with epic anthems such as Queen’s “We Will Rock You,” with its positive declaration that doing something you love with like-minded people can make you “Unbreakable.”
From Athens, Georgia, you can find deathrock roaming wild in the form of Tears for theDying. The band’s current line-up consists of original member Adria Stembridge (guitars, synthbass, synths, vocals) and Cody White (guitar, bass) and we thought we would check out the single “Dancing Dead Girl” off the album In the Shadow of the Midnight Sun.
The beginning is reminiscent of Switchblade Symphony, delicate feminine vocals with ringing guitar work that tinkles down, and it mirrors that classic sound throughout. Entrancing in the extreme, the music flows mystically, and it leaving me wondering if the girl was dead before she danced or like the lass in the Hans Christensen tale of the dancing shoes, she expires al la Saint Vitus disease.
“Dead Girl Dancing” is thoughtful and sweet, in that ghoulish gothic way and Adria’s vocals are quite lovely, but trust me when I say that this band can be heavier when they want to be, yet it is nice to hear this side as well. Tears for the Dying are one of those hard working bands, and you will often see them on Facebook, on the road touring, so if you get the chance, get out and check them out
Paul Devine is a wordsmith, a musician, a composer, a scholar, a historian and at heart a humanitarian. The single “Leader of the Free World” (2024) has been born from the stark reality that Donald Trump might win the next North American election, even though he tried to usurp the White House in a coup in front of the whole world and equally is one of the most sexist and slimy humans in the public eye, that has absolutely no remorse for anything he does or says.
The thrumming bass and Devine’s snarled punk vocals, sneer at the propaganda of making America great again through guns, extreme Christianity and perversion of laws. He is the leader of the free world is the sing song chant, because in the end, it as all a joke. Angry guitars and booming drums highlight the truths of how backwards things have become as women have lost rights to their own bodies and racial tension overwhelming.
Not that I think this sounded wholly like TheClash, but I think JoeStrummer is probably sitting somewhere with a smile on his dial. “Leader of the Free World” takes no prisoners and tell no lies. This is a protest, taking a stand against a rising tide of misogyny and intolerance, in the hopes that history does not repeat itself, plus it is an ace song.
For those that remember the 80s, or are connoisseurs of goth/post-punk music of that period might be familiar with the band Siiiii, a UK band that sprung onto the scene from 83-86, with PaulDevine as the lead singer. Devine released his debut solo album called We Are The Compass Rose, the beginning of 2023 (you can read the MichelRowland review here —-> https://onyxmusicreviews.com/2023/02/26/paul-devine-we-are-the-compass-rose/) and in October, he dropped a second album, titled ADHD.
You know when the first instrument you hear is a deep, rolling bass, that you are in for something rather exciting, and so we are plunged into the punk affair that is “Leader ofthe Free World.” With the snarled vocals and grating guitar, it is a sneering two fingers in the air with contempt. “TheTardigradeSong” is dedicated to the micro animal who is also known as the moss piglet or water bear. One may ask what is so impressive about these creatures until you realise that they are near indestructible and in that light, the track conga lines, engaging with indifference of the humans, as the tardigrade will be here long after you are gone. The sawing guitars squeal and reverberate, collapsing into charming wistful chiming, over and over again in “RememberedVoices.” Everything is delicately layered into a powerful wall of noise with Devine’s poetic prose stirring the ghosts of yesteryears.
They say youth is wasted on the young, but also that time flies fast for a mortal soul and this feels true of “She Was Married in June,” a delicate track, with beautiful instrumentation with the air of an olde lament. The tragedy of a life so fleeting while the natural world continues without noticing the loss. “Dulle Griet” (Dull Gret) also known as Mad Meg, was a female of Flemish legend, who supposedly led an army of women into the Mouth of Hell to plunder. Peter Bruegel the Elder immortalised her in his painting of the same name, and there is debate as to whether the artwork depicts Meg as a shrew or a woman brave enough to face her own demons. And true to form, this track is a harsh descent into the madness that is the painting, portraying a lady who will broker a world created by men no more, stalking the Devil, before setting her intent on destroying God. RebeccaAntrim is responsible for the vocals of DulleGriet and they are wonderfully cutting, where you can feel in your bones her aggrievement.
There is a surreal presence in “Stillness,” a sinuous calm before the storm, the focus being between Devine’s vocals and the soaring guitar, foreboding and at odds with itself. I love the juxtaposition of punk music married to lyrics written in a much older form of English in “Mary’sAle.” Both bewitching and modern, using the English language as ornamentation and gilding the track in golden hues. The jauntily joyous feeling “One Skin for Another,” tinkles with guitar shoegaze swirls and couldn’t be much further in difference to “The Song of Just Because.” With its southern twang and Cool Hand Luke style vocals, you can imagine sitting on the open plains in twilight, though nothing is so simple. “O Happy Day” holds the promise of a 50s do-wop for the damned, and yet there is a sweet reminder that maybe, in the end, we should just enjoy the each day as it comes. The last track “Leaf” is an ephemeral piece, immersed in a classical fashion, a spoken word experimental tale that captures your imagination with its sorrowed sweetness.
For those wondering why the album is called ADHD, this is because the musician behind it all, is neurodivergent. PaulDevine recorded all these songs in one take, no practice runs with the other musicians, and it really is a tribute to the craftmanship of the tracks, as well as all the contributing talents. Each track feels fully formed and gloriously intricate, exploring the depths of Hell, the brevity of life, love and even celebrating the smallest creatures most people have no idea exist. ADHD is a plethora of styles held together with dark romanticism and is a modern classic.
The album Crystalline was released in 2023 and spawned the intensely rich single “Bleached,” via the Norwegian and British collaboration of Antipole & ParisAlexander. US based musician, Mareux has taken “Bleached” and given it a 2024 remix treatment.
MAREUX AND ANTIPOLE
The low rumble of electronics perfectly showcases Alexander’s ghost in the machine style whispered vocals. The synths and programmed rhythms, sinuous in their way above the oppressive fuzzed undertones.
There is an unease created with the mechanised mix by AryanAshtiani (Mareux), that slowly ignites and bristles with smouldering intent, building on a track that already dripped in sensual tension. “Bleached” remixed by Mareux just proves what great songsmiths Antipole&ParisAlexander are.
Label NegativeGain has dropped the newest single “NecessityMeal” from Florida’s darkwave based AstariNite, a follow up to their previous Thin White Duke inspired track, “BowieInDaydream.”
From the beginning, there is an air of tension, set by the stressed and wavering synths, matched by the keening guitar. The vocals tell a tale about not living up to expectations, having fears and even needing drugs in order to appear perfect. Those vocals lilt and melt over you with dark intent, while the drums power on.
On first listen, the track feels off kilter, a loss of control is conveyed, and yet it is this state of honest disclosure that truly brings “NecessityMeal” into focus. It is the seeing beauty in what is not perfect, because in the end, perfection will never fuel creativity. If Bowie had been a goth, I can imagine he might have sounded like AstariNite.
If you had a friend such as Irish actor and wordsmith, BenKeaton, it would be a no brainer to collaborate on a track, and this is exactly what LunarPaths have done with the latest single, “New.”
Keaton has written the spoken word poem that tells a story about a relationship where one promised change that could lead to a better life, yet they failed, falling back into bad habits and violence. The rhythm laid down by Hunter lends itself to a trap feel, while Dubois had looped and extruded shoegaze guitars and clever synths.
The track slow burns, doused in regrets of a life waiting with disappointment over and over again, just like echoes within the music, heightened by the Julie Cruize (Twin Peaks) inspired floating vocals of Dubois. This is in juxtaposition with the very matter-of-fact style of Keaton where there is no candy coating. A reflection of a tale as old as when humans formed relationships, beautifully executed while picking at your heart strings, and as they say, something olde, something “New.”
Maybe our existence is really in the matrix and we are an illusion in the memory banks of a computer, and just maybe those awful relationships and people could be reduced to “JUNKFILE” fodder. Italian band, HORRORFORBREAKFAST are Lily B. and Louis M., who have been creating music together under this moniker since 2023, and “JUNKFILE” is their second single.
The sounds of pouring rain and winds, brings forth the images of a bleak and grey day, compounded by the initial lone chimes. In creeps the synths, which take on the tune, building the anticipation, especially when the guitar joins in. The vocals beckon you to your doom by deletion because you don’t fit the normal programme.
It is kind of like toned down versions of LacunaCoil meets Garbage, a catchy and sexy track that could have people swaying on the dance floor. So if alt+control+delete isn’t working for you, then you can hit “JUNKFILE” by HORRORFORBREAKFAST.
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