Ipecac Records

Album Review: Spotlights- Love & Decay

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When I first heard the Spotlights 2017 album Seismic, I immediately was floored. The combination of shoegaze, doom metal and sludge was just what I needed at the time. And Seismic found it’s way into my top 5 albums of 2017. Fast forward to 2019 and Spotlights have released their new album Love & Decay. Not straying too far from where they left off, Love & Decay continues on the path they laid out with their previous releases only this album goes deeper into that sound.

The album starts off with a sonic explosion that is “Continue The Capsize.” This mood setting song pulls you in just like an album opener should. As the album continues, the crunchy guitars, fuzzed bass, dreamy synth layers, pummelling drums and soft vocals, give Love and Decay the sound for all these songs to come to life. Songs like “The Particle Noise,” “Far From Falling,” “Until The Bleeding Stops,” “Xerox,” and “The Age Of Decay” emit all those elements and then some. Then you have a song like “Mountains Ar Forever” that is a bit of a departure yet still is Spotlights through and through. This experimentation gives the album a needed right turn. Closing out the album is “The Beauty Of Forgetting.” This song continues the experimentation path by adding in some haunting acoustic guitars, underlying industrial style beats and thunderous bass to really drive home the end of this album.

Love and Decay is exactly what Spotlights sound like, only this time around, they stepped up the heavy and added a level of melody to help propel the songs to new heights. The one thing about this album is that at times, it feels like the songs are just a shade too long. It’s like when you watch a film and think that certain parts could have been cut down to get to the point faster. Other than that, Love and Decay is a killer record. Mario Quintero (guitars/vocals/production), Sarah Quintero (bass/vocals) and Chris Enriquez (drums) have formed an exquisite bond as a three piece and they sound like there are at least eight people in this band. Love and Decay is the type of album that with more and more listens you will find more to love and be drawn deeper in. It’s also worth noting that, having seen Spotlights live before, I just know these new songs are going to tear the roofs off of venues and leave audiences in awe. 

Overall Rating: 8/10

Spotlights- Love and Decay:

 

 

 

Album Review: Daughters- You Won’t Get What You Want

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It’s never easy for a band to come back from a lengthy hiatus and pick up where they left off. There are a few anomalies over the years where that has happened, Failure, Alice In Chains, and Death From Above 1979 are just a couple that come to mind. You can now add Daughters to that list. Releasing their first album in over 8 years, You Won’t Get What You Want is an album that continues the legacy of what Daughters created at first but now, takes it a bit further and almost reinvents what the band once was.

You Won’t Get What You Want is not accessible or mainstream by any means. Instead you get a visceral album that stretches and pushes the boundaries of art rock, post punk, a bit of industrial and rock. From the well crafted songs to the production, the final product is every bit a Daughters album and then some. There are songs that border on the chaotic like “Long Road No Turns,” “Satan In The Wait,” and “Less Sex.” Then there are others that expand upon different elements of atmosphere and aggression like “The Flammable Man,” “The Lords Song,” “The Reason They Hate Me,” and “Ocean Song. The opening and closing songs “City Song” and “Guest House” have a way about them that not only set and end a mood but, they also hit you like a ton of bricks.

Daughters are a band that aren’t easily describable. Sure you can throw around different genres to see if they stick but, in the end, the experimental nature of the band and what they create is in itself art. You Won’t Get What You Want is an album that is much needed in this day an age. It will make you think, as well as take you places you and your mind might not have gone before. Daughters are back and have delivered an album worthy of their past as well as what the future holds for them. What an album. Every time I listen, I hear something else that makes me dig this album even more. This record is most certainly in my top 10 of the year.

Overall Rating: 9.5/10

 

Daughters- You Won’t Get What You Want:

Behind The Scenes of You Won’t Get What You Want:

 

On The Rise: Spotlights

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Since starting Audioeclectica, I’ve had the great pleasure of being sent many bands to check out. As a connoisseur of music and a fan, being able to listen to so many bands and their work is quite fun. Sure, I get some duds from time to time but, when I hear a band that I dig, quite often the hairs on my arms stand up and I turn the volume up super loud so my neighbors can hear what I’m listening to. Recently, a band came across my inbox called Spotlights. I have heard the name before but never heard them. So needless to say my curiosity was peaked. And the end result of what I heard was absolutely astounding.

Spotlights are a Brooklyn-based band featuring married couple Mario and Sarah Quintero. One of the great things about Spotlights is their ability to channel different genres and make them sound like you’re hearing them for the first time. Taking bits and pieces from space rock (a la Failure), alternative rock (Siamese Dream era Smashing Pumpkins), shoe gaze (My Bloody Valentine), and a bit of an industrial/electronic vibe (more recent Nine Inch Nails comes to mind), Spotlights have created a sound that reverberates and resonates as a work of art.

Their upcoming album Seismic, will be one of the best albums you will hear all year. Each song brings about a genuine sense of passion and belief that is missing in a lot of bands these days. The production on the album, courtesy of Aaron Harris (Palms, Isis, etc) really captures the sound of the band and then some. On a side note, Aaron plays drums on the album, as well. The entire album is inspiring and deep. I can’t even pin point one song that sums the album up, you have to hear the whole thing, when it comes out October 6 via Ipecac Records.

Spotlights are a band that you NEED to pay attention to. Bands like this don’t come around too often, and they deserve all the accolades and love being thrown their way.

 

Spotlights- Learn To Breathe (From Seismic):

 

Spotlights- Tidals (Full Album):

 

Spotlights- Seismic (Pre-Order):