This is not a review, rather this is a recap of this magical show. Back in March of this year, Cave In bassist Caleb Scofield was tragically killed in a car accident. Since his passing, his peers have come together to raise funds for his family as well as celebrate Caleb’s legacy. This past evening at The Wiltern, the second tribute show to celebrate Caleb happened and it was something special.
Since the explosion of electronic music in the last decade, I’ve noticed a resurgence of industrial music, which makes me happy. Industrial inspired bands like Youth Code, Khost, and Fact Pattern have brought the style back and are killing it. Now, there is another band that is really taking industrial music to a different level and they are called Street Sects. Formed in 2013 by vocalist Leo Ashline and multi-instrumentalist Shaun Ringsmuth, Street Sects have taken industrial music and mixed in punk rock, ambience and chaos to create a sound that stands out among the others. Their new album The Kicking Mule (out October 26) has a style that is inspired by bands like Roxy Music and Brian Eno as well as Berlin-era Bowie and Pretty Hate Machine era Nine Inch Nails. The songs are intense and full of life. One listen and you’ll have the sudden urge to get up and move. Singer Leo Ashline’s vocals are reminiscent of the like of Brian Molko of Placebo and Low/Station To Station era Bowie. Street Sects are a band that have found their own niche with The Kicking Mule and have successfully created a sound that will instantly capture those listening.
Street Sects- In For A World Of Hurt:
Street Sects- The Drifter:
Street Sects- Still Between Lovers:
I really love when the music chosen for a scene in movie or tv show really fits. Even if it’s for just a brief moment, that scene and song will stick with you. Last night while looking for something silly to watch, Superbad caught my eye. While watching and the scene with the demolishing of the police car happens, I knew right then what I needed to write about tomorrow. Van Halen’s Panama will now forever be tied to Superbad for me. Anytime I hear that song, I always go back to this scene.
Van Halen- Panama in Superbad:
A couple years back Meg Myers came on the scene with a sense of urgency. Her unbridled delivery and very real lyrics made her an artist to watch. Meg sure made an impact with her debut album Sorry as well as her intense live performances. Now on her second album, Take Me To The Disco, Meg takes risks and explores a side that delves deeper into the last couple years of her life.
The album begins with the title track “Take Me To The Disco.” This song sets a mood and gives you a lyrical taste of what is to come. “Numb” the first single deals with the pressures of being on a major label and all the weight that comes with it. “Jealous Sea” is one of those songs that really hits. The moody music and beats along with Meg’s lyrics and vocal prowess on this song really makes it a standout track. Other stellar songs include, “Tear Me To Pieces,” “Little Black Death,” “Done,” “Tourniquet” and “I’m Not Sorry.” One of my personal favorites “The Death Of Me” is one of the best songs Meg has ever written. You can feel every emotion she sings about from heartbreak, anger, and love. It’s a truly powerful song. Closing out the album is “Constant,” a song that really sums up the album and what it stands for. It’s one of those songs that gives you chills while listening.
Take Me To The Disco is an album that stands out on it’s own. It’s not trying to duplicate what Meg did on Sorry. The production of Christian “Leggy” Langsdon, crosses genres and gives the album a breath of fresh air among a sea of over-produced manufactured garbage. Meg Myers is as real as it gets. I’ve often thought of her as a cross between Fiona Apple and Tori Amos, and on this album her Tori side comes out a bit more. Meg is without a doubt a bright spot in a rather dull and corporate styled market. After listening to Meg bare her soul, you’ll understand why Meg Myers is truly an artist to watch out for.
Meg Myers- Take Me To The Disco:
Meg Myers- Sorry:
Yes, I am on a huge Depeche Mode kick right now. There is something so genuine and pure about a Depeche Mode album. Martin Gore’s songs along with Andy Fletcher’s soundscapes and Dave Gahan’s incredible vocals, make Depeche Mode a band that is timeless and exhilarating to listen to. One of my favorite stories about Depeche Mode is how they found Dave Gahan. The story goes, Vince Clarke (former member/founder of Yazoo and Erasure) was out one evening and saw Dave Gahan on stage doing a rendition of David Bowie’s “Heroes.” After that, Dave was in the band and Depeche Mode was born. So it’s only fitting that I share a cover of “Heroes” for you all to enjoy.
Depeche Mode- Heroes:
Depeche Mode is one of the most intriguing bands of the last 30 plus years. They have never been a band to keep making the same album. They’ve experimented and evolved in a way that is truly astounding. Each album stands out on it’s own. Some are better than others but the true essence of Depeche Mode is in each of their releases. Which brings me to their 1993 album Songs of Faith and Devotion. Following up an album like Violator is never easy but, this is Depeche Mode we are talking about. They followed up their breakthrough album with a record that took chances and showed just how really diverse Depeche Mode is.
Songs of Faith and Devotion is the eighth studio album in the bands catalog and it’s one of their more darker and aggressive albums. This album would be produced by Flood again and was recorded in a rented home which the band built a studio and live and worked in. This album saw the band become very interested in the alternative music that was taking over. Bands like Jane’s Addiction and Soundgarden have been mentioned as key inspirations for the albums sound and style. The making of the album was quite difficult. Growing tensions among band members and drug addiction had caused some very trying times for Depeche Mode. Despite all this, Songs of Faith and Devotion is one of the best pieces of work the band has ever put out. Songs like “Walking In My Shoes,” “I Feel You,” “Condemnation,” In Your Room,” “Rush,” and “Higher Love,” just further prove that this album is truly remarkable. Even with the addiction issues, Dave Gahan’s vocal performances on this album are beyond stellar. Martin Gore, in my opinion, outdid himself with the songs he wrote on this album. Perhaps the growing tensions within the group especially the most strained between drummer Alan Wilder and Gore, helped to make some of the bands best songs. The following promotional tour for the album, The Devotional Tour, would be regarded in the bands history as their most “debauched” rock tour ever. This tour would also be the catalyst for the long break the band took afterwards before they would begin work on their album, Ultra.
Depeche Mode’s catalog is full of so many great albums. Violator is always going to be the one that the “masses” reach for but, the deep fans know there is more than just “Personal Jesus” and “Enjoy The Silence.” Personally for me Songs of Faith and Devotion is in my top 3 favorite Depeche Mode albums (the other two are Music For The Masses and Exciter). There is something truly beautiful about how all the negativity that surrounded the making of this album created a record that surpassed an expectations that people would have. For almost 40 years now, Depeche Mode has proven you don’t need to make the same record twice. Taking chances and evolving in a way that still keeps the essence of the band in tact, has always been key to the bands success, and Songs of Faith and Devotion cements that fact.
Depeche Mode- Songs of Faith and Devotion:
Songs of Faith and Devotion Documentary:
The other day while I was sifting through my list of bands to check out, there was a band name that caught my eye and raised my curiosity level. That band is called Tombstones In Their Eyes and they are radical! Based in Los Angeles, this psychedelic rock band has crafted a sound that is part psychedelic, part stoner rock, mixed with a bit of shoegaze and ambience. Tombstones In Their Eyes are expressive not just in the soundscapes and riffs they create but in the way the vocals, lyrics and melodies all come together. At times while listening you get sucked into a trance that resembles a lullaby. It’s truly a visceral listening experience. Their 2017 EP Fear is so damn good. It’s the perfect end of night album or for a soothing drive on an open road. On their newest EP Nothing Here, the band gets even grittier and the songs hit like a ton of bricks but, in a way that is still calming to your senses. Tombstones In Their Eyes is a band that has a real knack for creating great music and art. It’s real and full of life. Check them out!
Tombstones In Their Eyes- Nothing Here EP:
Tombstones In Their Eyes- Fear EP:
This past week I’ve been on a Jane’s Addiction kick. While further delving into their early career, before Nothing’s Shocking, I came across a very interesting cover they did of Led Zeppelin’s “Whole Lotta Love.” They really made the song their own in a way that only Jane’s Addiction could. Dave Navarro’s playing and little additional leads to the song are outstanding. Stephen Perkins nails the Bonham feel but adds a bit of a funkier vibe to it, Eric Avery is so damn steady and loose that it just comes natural for him and of course the vocals from Perry Farrell are so uniquely his. This is just a really well done and fun cover. Enjoy!
Jane’s Addiction- Whole Lotta Love:
Back in 2007 while riding high on the release of their very kick ass album The Big Dirty, Every Time I Die performed the song “We’rewolf” on Jimmy Kimmel Live. This was a very intense performance for a couple reasons, 1, they performed on the inside stage which is rather tiny but right up the ally of the guys in the band. 2, the audience that was watching them probably had no idea what they were in for and 3, this was the first time ETID had performed on a late night TV show.
Every Time I Die- We’rewolf on Jimmy Kimmel Live:
Ever since I first heard The Black Queen‘s debut album Fever Daydream, I’ve been hooked. The Black Queen are a revelation among a sea of imposter bands of the genre. Greg Puciato, Josh Eustis and Steve Alexander have created a sound that is inspired and deep. The lush ambient landscapes and 80’s synth wave driven music along with the exceptional vocals and lyrics have made The Black Queen a real force to be reckoned with.
Their new album Infinite Games is superb from start to finish. From the moment “Even Still I Want To” begins all the way to the closing track”One Edge Of Two,” you as the listener get the full album experience. Songs like “Thrown Into The Dark,” “No Accusations,” “Your Move,” “Lies About You,” and “Spatial Boundaries” will instantly grab you. Then there are other songs like “Impossible Condition,” “100 To Zero,” and “Porcelain Veins” that really go deep and take you on a bit of a journey. The album is dark and brooding yet sensual and seductive at the same time.
The combination of the three of these men, Josh, Greg and Steve is astounding. What they have created not only extends on what they started with Fever Daydream but, on Infinite Games, they have created an album that transcends the norm of what synth wave music is as well as paying homage to the bands/artists that have influenced and inspired them without making it a straight derivative of those works. Greg Puciato not only is one of the best frontmen of the last century but he undeniably has one of the best voices as well. His ability to go from The Dillinger Escape Plan to The Black Queen not only shows his versatility as a vocalist but also as a lyricist. The lyrical content explores different emotions and themes that he wouldn’t normally get into while in Dillinger, thus making this a visceral and impassioned adventure.
The Black Queen is calling and you need to make it a point of delving into this album, as well as Fever Daydream.
Overall Rating: A
The Black Queen- Infinite Games:
The Black Queen- Fever Daydream:
