In another era, DianeDubois and KevinHunter, were part of the UK goth scene, that parted ways in the 80s, and fortuitously reclaimed that friendship during the covid pandemic, forming the project LunarPaths. The end of August saw them release their latest independent single, “BURN“.
The looping and abrasive electronic samples and synths set the background for the echoing vocals of Dubois, as she goes from whispers to full throated and delicious croons. All the while, Hunter’s rhythms set the pace ranging from tribal through to thumping out the driving time signature.
I can’t deny that this LunarPath track, while very experimental in nature, definitely reminds me very much of early Siouxsie and the Banshees, who also were extraordinary pioneers of post-punk music. “BURN” was written by the duo as they conversed about the fires raging in Greece, where Dubois has a home. An idea about the world on fire has given us a track that can set you ablaze, from LunarPaths.
Since their inception in 2013, Costa Rican band, Ariel Maniki and the Black Halos have been creating guitar based gothic rock music, which very much pays homage to the brilliance that is The Cure. Maniki has always been the driving force, however, 2023 has seen a change with the line-up including members Janice Black and Eva Red in creative roles. As expected, this has brought about a change in sound, which can be heard in their sixth studio album FRACTALS.
When you come to the end of this existence, most people will dwell on how that life was lived and how we treated the ones we love the most. “The Last Light” is a moving tribute to the nearest and dearest, that any slights, or reservations to show care were regretted. The synths wind their way through the guitar flourishes and the touching lyrics are icing on the cake. Next is the sonically sublime single “Supernova” with the thrumming bass, mimicking the unbridled desire for your lover. Moody and punctuated synths, herald in “Hyenas”, a slower track with weighted singing, that are highlighted by feminine vocals, giving the track an eerie atmosphere of impending doom.
The tendrils of sax coil through your speakers, binding you within the dead sexy ambience of “The Cell”, a track in a 1930s noir throe. “Once And For All” is about the passing of your one true partner in crime, and the hole that is indelibly left, which can be heard in the words Hiéreme de muerte! or Wound me to Death!. This is yet another single and the bass echoes that wound, while the synths capture our attention converging into a funerary vortex of sadness, for nothing lasts forever. The serpentine feel of the music in “Into The Sun” is quite fitting. The image of a snake is part of this lament, of earthly destruction by the normally unseen, and unnatural forces, where the Morning Star has won.
The vignette called “Paralysis” is a sweet duet accompanied only by a lone guitar, and is followed by the intoxicating “Love You Like The Ocean,” with it’s delicate timelessness that encapsulates a passionate devotion. Languid and deep like that huge body of water, twinkling with refracted light and hues of darkening blues. The sunlit shores of a “ADifferentWorld,” with the profound swirling ownership of a place that is yours alone and yet it will decay around the immortal. There is a taste of Latin flamenco in the evocative “RememberMe,” and yet the track waivers with the rich vocals and even richer instrumentation.
FRACTALS can be viewed as a exploration of one’s mortality but, for myself, it is revelling in the warmth of a life lived, having known a great love, a story of joy that transcends death. Ariel Maniki and the Black Halos have made FRACTALS an album that questions does love go on after the body ceases in this world? A part of my shadowy being truly hopes that love defies death and lasts an eternity, and FRACTALS is a gorgeous gothic exploration of abiding rapture.
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.
Glaswegian band, Hanging Freud have a new single, out on the Belgian Spleen+ label, just before the release of their seventh studio album, titled Worship. The track is called “Falling Tooth,” and the name alone made me feel all creepy. Not sure what Paula Borges and Jonathan Skinner have been up to, but I’m not sure if I’m up to hearing about falling teeth.
The rhythm sounds like a clock, ticking down, while Borges vocals gracefully wander the soundscape like a ghost searching for completion. Electronics whir and drone, building the tension, as time ignores all of it, matching on.
Beautifully avant-garde and engrossing, like a fever dream that takes you down a path of your mind, you never knew existed. Hanging Freud’s first offering off the new album leaves you wondering what is next… though I am rather relieved to say no teeth were hurt nor fell in the creation of “Falling Tooth.”
Many Australian musicians are amazingly talented, and Melbourne’s Body Maintenance, saw in April, the release of their debut album Beside You, with the vinyl LP out on DrunkenSailorRecords and cassette on UnwoundRecords. Now I am going to tell you that if you love post-punk music, and if you haven’t listened to BodyMaintenance, then maybe you aren’t as cool as you think you are.
The tendrils of “SilverYarns” wind around you and unleash the gorgeous guitars, that run and take flight. The vocals are within the mix and yet still ring clear, and you know that any song that mentions sinners and martyrs has got to be good. In fact it is an amazing start. It is a gothic gun duel at high noon in “Circles“, or at least the dark spaghetti western guitars say be there or be square. The synths swirl between and you wonder where the rattle snakes are hiding.
“TheSpiral” feels like the most glorious vortex, berating your ears with tribal beats, and that is at complete odds with the far more reticent and thoughtful “TimeEnough” that curls within your chest, like a hand gripping your heart. The bass guitar steadily pushes forward in “It’sTheatre“, and again those synths soar in your ears, which has a beautiful chorus and the guitar playing that could take your breath away.
The title track is the heavenly forlorn “BesideYou“, which is about dedication no matter where it leads, and it has the air of freefalling. “TheFools, TheFrauds” is verbose and has tinges of VirginPrunes. The rhythm section pulls this track tightly in, while the guitars fight to contain themselves, all the while caressed by the vocals. The vocals in “Ends” catches your ears as does the big guitar sound and before we know it, there is the last track, “ACompliment“, which wanders in the ether of ghost like memories, gently roaming the shadowy paths.
Damn… how do I summarise this album. It is like chills down the spine due to the familiarity of the style, as it reminds me of British post-punk bands from another era, especially PlayDead, DanseSociety, RedLorryYellowLorry and closer to home Ikon and TheChurch. Probably because it is very much guitar driven, with the use of reverb and pedals, and yet for me, it is the fact there is an air of magic in BodyMaintenance’s sound, so richly dark and so invitingly warm at the same time. I am sure their influences are far more modern, but my hot take is BesideYou is a brilliant post-punk album by BodyMaintenance and I can’t wait to see what they do next.
We are delighted to bring you a nice slice of post-punk gothy goodness in the form of a new single from New York’s’ BlackRoseBurning. GeorgeGrant (bass/vocals/keys), LuisInfantas (drums) and FrankMorin (guitars), are on the verge of dropping their brand new album Ad Astra, and “Sing To Me (E.L.E.)” is the first single, released on the 23rd of June.
There is such a burst of overwhelming joy from the first strains of music. Ringing guitar with not quite chip tune synth, court your ears. Grant’s vocals come across between an ode to that which is lost and the sadness of being emotionally tortured by said loss. It is a rollicking track, foot tappingly quirky and yet it still pulls at your heart strings.
For those that do not know what an E.L.E is, the clue is in the song itself, that it means Extinction Level Event, say like a meteor hitting the Earth. BlackRoseBurning are staying true to the mission statement, with their love of science fiction (as well as science fact!), fuelling the rocket engines of creativity and shooting them out into the stars, giving us aliens music to marvel at and enjoy… even if there ever is an E.LE., I would want BlackRoseBurning to “Sing To Me (E.L.E.)“.
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.
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.
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.
Onyx Music Reviews 