This month’s edition marks two years of this blog. Which is nuts. I’m pretty sure I’ve never stuck at anything this long in my life. And in danger of repeating myself, thanks again for reading.
Last year, five albums released in February made my end of year list. I wonder if this year will come close, there’s two albums here that are definitely in with a chance.
As for this month’s music? There must be something in the air at the moment, maybe winter has brought out the theatrical darkness in the music I’ve been discovering. Maybe it’s coming back into fashion, but the G word is used quite a few times this month so brace yourself.
Exhibition
The Last Laugh
Crossover Thrash
Exhibition do not fuck around.
The title track takes no prisoners, just two minutes of Poison Idea influenced, thrashing madness. The last Laugh has it all, huge riffs, sludgy chugs, gang chants, shredding… In fact, the only thing this album doesn’t have is its own circle pit for home listening.
I haven’t had this much fun with a metal album in ages and at 23 minutes it never outstays its welcome. Saying that, this is the first album in ages that I just restarted when I finished my first listen.
Polinski
Telex From Midi City
Electronica / IDM
It’s been 12 years since Paul from 65daysofstatic’s debut album. It’s not like he hasn’t been busy with this main band but it would have been nice to have had a bit more music from him over the years.
I guess the most important thing to get out of the way is that this doesn’t sound much like 65days. This is 80’s tinged electronica, so much so that this album is available on VHS, which is certainly a choice.
I am surprised just how chilled this album is though. The lead single, Distant Friend, I Love You, is a glitchy, synthy, banger but that’s not how the album plays out. From the second track on it’s all moody synths and warm beats, but Proof of Life adds some guitar to the songs Blade Runner vibes.
The album closer is a different beast, at 14 minutes, Polinski takes his time letting the song play out, introducing glitch beats as it slowly unfolds slowly increasing the bpm as the song builds making for a fantastic album closer.
Telex is a short album but it’s a very good one, it showcases what Paul brings to 65 while very much having its own voice.
Orbital
Optical Delusion
Electronica / Techno
I have to admit being really apprehensive listening to this album for the first time. Orbital mean a lot to me, they were the act that got me into dance music but their last album was a mess.
With the band now in its thirties I wasn’t sure Orbital had anything left in them, and as you’ll see from this review, I’m still not sure. The original track listing on this album is really average. It feels like the band still haven’t recovered their self confidence after reforming in 2017.
There are some amazing songs here but they’re smothered by too many collaborations, the lad from Sleaford Mods turns up on Dirty Rat, doing his pissed up wanker shouting at people on busses routine. Which is a pity, it’s a filthy track that really didn’t need his vocal. Home is even worse as Anna B Savage turns in one of the most disagreeable vocal performances I’ve heard in years, flat out murdering what seems to be a great song.
But! I hear you ask,I thought this blog only does good reviews and ignores albums it doesn’t like? This is true, and while there are some terrible choices on this album, that’s not the end of things. There is hope.
There is a great album here and with a bit of effort you can get it for yourself.
Different versions of this record come with extra tracks and some of these are instrumental versions. Dirty Rat sans vocal is a storming number that calls back to Orbital’s debut album. Ringa Ringa, hits like a Middle of Nowhere banger and Home stands out as a great song, without anyone singing on it. When you add these versions to the album it becomes so much stronger, the already good album tracks shine when not being dragged down by the poor choices made on these singles.
It feels like the Hartnolls need to believe in themselves again, to trust the instincts that gave us some of the best music of all time. All the pieces are here, there is an album here almost on par with Wonky but you have to put some work in to get it.
Naut
Haunt
Goth / Post Punk
I guess it finally had to happen. Indie has been looting the corpse of Post Punk for over twenty years at this point. Someone, sooner or later was going to embrace its most notorious offshoot.
Dissent, the opening track, is a storming number that wouldn’t feel out of place on Dawnrazor, low slung bass, drums soaked in reverb and a man with a very deep voice give a huge amount of drama to the proceedings. There’s a very strong Sisters, pre Floodlands sound, that the band have perfected, made more impressive by this fact Hunt is Naut’s debut album. They’re incredibly self assured with their sound and show off some great songwriting talent.
So is this Goth or the far more acceptable label of Post Punk? It’s the same thing with a lot of the bands I grew up with and it is here too. Naut may not be reinventing the wheel but they are taking a deeply unfashionable sound and making it shimmer. I can’t wait to catch them live.
Host
IX
Goth / Synth Pop
In 1999, Paradise Lost decided to tone down the metal and embrace the electronic sound they had been experimenting with on One Second. It was a disaster, a large chunk of their fan base deserted them and they were left in the musical wilderness for years.
Over time though, Host started to lose its tarnished reputation and by the time the band remastered it in 2018 word had gotten out that it may be the best Depeche Mode album that Depeche Mode never released.
Host, the band, is a lockdown project of Greg Mackintosh, Paradise Lost’s main songwriter and Nick Holmes, PL’s singer. They decided they wanted to make something in the style of Host and while IX isn’t a clear follow up, there’s 22 years (!) of songwriting experience since then, it’s not a million miles away.
So what we get is Greg mashing the sounds he loves into a shape that he doesn’t use with his main band any more. There’s the electronics, some very Sisters of Mercy guitar lines and more than a little influence from Basildon’s most famous sons. All this is grounded by Nick who’s clean singing voice gives an amazing gravitas to the proceedings.
And what we get is an odd beast. This sounds like a Paradise Lost album, but it’s not metal. There’s no big riffs and no doom whatsoever, that low end has been swapped out for a dance beat. The lead single, Tomorrow’s Sky is going to be a dance floor staple in certain kinds of alternative clubs, ones with not much light and too much dry ice.
Years of Suspicion has a very cheeky Personal Jesus feel to the guitar work, while My Only Escape could be a straight up PL song, but most of this album may be too light for the band’s more hardcore metal fans.
I’m not sure who this album is for. I can’t see it winning many new converts but I don’t care and I’m pretty sure the band don’t either. This is a fantastic record and if you’re in the mood for some metal adjacent, electronic tinged goth, it’s not going to get a lot better than this.
Teeth of the Sea
Vortex of Release
Electronica / Experimental
It’s been a long time since TotS’s album Wraith. This single has been put out as a reintroduction to the band and won’t be on the new album, so it feels more interesting than a lead single.
This may seem a bit TotS bingo, you can check off all the things you’d expect, huge beats, glorious guitar noise, blaring trumpet, it’s all here. Vortex doesn’t break new ground, but it does remind you that no one else sounds like this and makes me even more excited for the album coming out later in the year.
DDNET
Ex Auditu Pt1
(Post rock / Post metal)
I was just about to finish up this month’s blog when I discovered DDNET and it was love at first listen.
Neceffe eft vivere, is a beautiful song that reminds me of the Twin Peaks soundtrack, all gentle guitar lines and walls of gentle fuzz. Calidum Innatum is a fantastic piece of cinematic post rock that lifts the listener the way only the best songs can, but it was the final track that surprised me. With all this glorious beauty going on, I didn’t see the change coming.
Vale, the last track, is as pretty as the rest of the ep but without ever telegraphing it, the last 40 seconds becomes some glorious metal riffing. It was surprising but it perfectly caps off this stunning ep.
I know nothing about this band apart from the fact that they’re French. I’ll be changing that pretty quickly. I can’t wait for Pt 2.
The ways of exile 