Just like many of you, I’m pretty excited about a new full length album coming soon from Crosses. Their long awaited second album, Goodnight, God Bless, I Love U, Delete. will be arriving on October 13th! The album also features guest spots from Robert Smith of The Cure and EL-P of Run The Jewels. The first single “Invisible Hand” is out now and it’s quite infectious. Here’s to hoping Crosses takes this new album out for quite the journey.
Over the past few weeks I’ve been on a mini kick of listening to The Cure. Mainly I’ve been listening/watching live shows from different eras. While on this journey, I came across a show of theirs from 2000 in Australia. The recording of The Cure’s version of “Love Will Tear Us Apart” was recorded backstage. This version is very much more aligned to The Cure’s structure without losing the integrity of Joy Division’s original. There are only a handful of bands that can do Joy Division justice, The Cure being one of them (Nine Inch Nails is an obvious other one). Robert Smith channels Ian Curtis in a way that is hauntingly beautiful and very much Robert.
I love it when I put on an album with zero preconceived notions and it absolutely rattles me in a way that I can’t get enough of it. Recently that happened when Loma Prieta released their first album in eight years, Last. From the moment this album starts till the end, it will captivate you and compel you to keep listening as you find all sorts of nuances and intricate moments that leave you wanting more. For a band that’s been around for 20 plus years, you can tell that Loma Prieta still has a lot left to say.
Last is an album that takes many different shapes and turns. Their ability to shift from genres in songs is astounding and it pulls you in even more. Throughout this album there is no shortage of sonic assaults that push boundaries. The chaotic elements breathe musical life into the songs in a way that it’s almost poetic. The intensity that flows through this album is violent yet beautiful. It’s like watching a frozen rose crack. The beauty of it all is encapsulated within these 11 songs. There is a sense of ferocious urgency to songs like “NSAIDs,” “Dose,” and “Fire In Black & White.” Then there’s the songs that are more visceral and epic like “Symbiosis (my favorite on the album),” “Glare” “Dreamlessness” and the closing track “LLC.” I could elaborate more descriptively but, I really don’t want to give anything away.
The cross section of genres explored on Last stem from hardcore, post hardcore, noise rock, space rock and everything in between, shows that they have continuously evolved while still keeping true to their roots. The quiet to loud moments have a clarity that is reminiscent a bit of The Pixies with way more distortion. While the heavier moments hit with an explosiveness that would ignite a wildfire. Loma Prieta have delivered an album that not only hits it out of the park but, also gets down to the nitty gritty of life and the trials and tribulations. There is an intense emotion that soars throughout the album that shows truth and humanity in a way that so many other bands that strive for this, should take note of. Do yourself a favor and listen to this album! It’s without a doubt in my top 5 albums of the year!
Back in 1998 Twisted Sister frontman, Dee Snider’s horror film Strangeland was released. I don’t remember much about the movie but, I do remember the soundtrack quite well. The soundtrack features songs from Sevendust, Megadeth, Pantera, Anthrax, Coal Chamber, Marilyn Manson, Soulfly, System Of A Down and Snot! That’s quite a banging collection of bands and songs. The song that I will always remember most from this soundtrack is “Absent” by Snot. This would be the last recorded song by the band before singer Lynn Strait’s tragic car accident. There is a different version of “Absent” found on the Strait Up tribute album. This soundtrack is one of those that came out at a time when soundtracks still meant something. If you haven’t heard this soundtrack before, it’s definitely worth your time!
I quite enjoy waking up with a song in my head. How it gets there is a story for another time. This morning I woke up with an instrumental part in my head and it didn’t take long to figure out what song it was. “The Noose” by A Perfect Circle is the song that started things off this morning and what a great track it is. It’s one of those songs that not only captivates you as your listen but, the lyrical content makes you think too. The Thirteenth Step is a concept album that pulls from the different aspects and perspectives of recovery and the 12 steps. “The Noose” definitely pulls from the step of making amends. It’s quite a song both lyrically and musically. This is one of those album/deep cuts that make an album strong and prove that a band is more than just the singles they release. One can hope that if A Perfect Circle regroups, and get back into writing/recording, that they find their way back to where they left off on The Thirteenth Step.
For many years now, I’ve been quite keen on the post-punk genre. When I look back on it, you could say that I’ve been drawn into it all at a very early age with bands such as The Cure, Joy Division and early Depeche Mode. Post Punk these days has expanded into many sub-genres as with any genre. One of the sub-genres that I am pulled into is the “Dark Wave” side of things. There’s something about the incorporation of a bit of New Wave into Post Punk that is exciting and intriguing. That being said, I’d like to introduce you to the band, Fearing. Their Dark Wave/Post Punk sound adds a bit more to the genre with interesting dynamics and melodies. There’s also this really cool contrast between the darker side of the genre and a pop tinge that gives the songs a variety that you don’t usually get with bands of this genre. On September 29th, Fearing will release their second full length album, Destroyer. The first single off the album, “I Was So Alive” is a brooding post punk jam with a shimmering light that shifts with the song. Fearing is the type of band within this genre that keeps evolving in a manner that keeps their roots intact but, changes just enough to make their music stand out.
On September 1, 2023, Chicago’s own Repentance will be releasing their debut album, The Process Of Human Demise. That’s a pretty metal title! Ahead of the release, Repentance have released a couple songs with the latest being the absolute banger “Blinded By Fear.” The first single released “Withered And Decayed” is another head banger and features new Fear Factory singer Milo Silvestro. Repentance has a sound that is very metal with bits of groove metal, Swedish Melo Death, and a tinge of hardcore. The Process Of Human Demise was produced by Alex Lackner at Accelerated Sound. Mix and mastered by Chris Collier at CMC21 Productions. I’m for one am looking forward to what is to come with Repentance.
Back in 2006, Chris Cornell wrote a song for the film Casino Royale. Since this was to be a new beginning for the James Bond franchise (and it’s a great film too), the film’s producers wanted to reflect this new direction of James Bond with a “strong male singer.” Well, they definitely got that with Chris Cornell. The end result is “You Know My Name.” One of the intriguing things about this song is that during the making of it, Ken Andrews of Failure was asked to help out. Chris would wind up doing some vocals with Ken behind the board. Which is a totally awesome thing all on it’s own. I still to this day wonder what Audioslave or even Chris’s solo album would sound like if Ken was the producer and or mixer. When you watch this performance check out who is playing guitar and doing backing vocals!
Chris Cornell- You Know My Name (Live on The Tonight Show w/ Jay Leno- 2006):
I remember the day my friend Adam told me about this band he was really into. The way he described them to me made them quite intriguing and then he played me the song “Polarizer” and from there I was completely in. The band that we are talking about here is The Armed and they are one hell of a band. The Armed are a sonically bombastic entity that with sheer volume will essentially polarize you in a total good way. Today, they have released “Everything’s Glitter” a new song from their upcoming album, Perfect Saviors (out 8.25.23 via Sargent House). This new song finds the band further expanding their sonic sensibilities with a melodic and anthemic element. The Armed still have a wildly chaotic sound but, have been able to over the course of the last couple releases, harness that chaos into controlled chaos with the end result becoming more grandiose and catchy.
We are a little past the halfway point of 2023 so, why not put together a list of a bunch of my favorite releases of the year… so far!
*This List Is In No Particular Order EXCEPT For Number 1
01) Iress- Solace EP 02) Loma Prieta- Last 03) Will Haven- VII 04) Better Lovers- God Made Me An Animal EP 05) The Ocean- Holocene 06) Metallica- 72 Seasons 07) Turbid North- The Decline 08) Deathgrave- It’s Only Midnight 09) Unearth- The Wretched / The Ruinous 10) Dave Lombardo- Rites Of Percussion 11) Rancid- Tomorrow Never Comes 12) Creeping Death- Boundless Domain 13) Queens Of The Stone Age- In Times New Roman 14) Tunic- Wrong Dream 15) Common Wounds- Common Wounds EP 16) Jerome’s Dream- The Gray In Between 17) Vanishment- No More Torture 18) The Smashing Pumpkins- ATUM 19) Year Of The Knife- Dust To Dust 20) Thrice- The Artist and The Ambulance (2023 Version)
AUDIOECLECTICA 