It’s getting redundant to say it’s another great month, but here we are again.
It’s a lot more beat heavy after last month’s metal fest, but again we have a little something here for everyone*. Enjoy.
Spotlights
Alchemy for the Dead
Atl rock
This came out at the end of last month and I couldn’t give it the time it deserves. Thankfully, all good things come to those who wait, and here’s an album that’s a contender for album of the year.
Alchemy for the Dead is a melodic, doom tinged, alt rock album. How can that possibly work you ask? The answer is surprisingly simple, bass fuzz and huge riffs.
Now that’s not all the album has to offer, the first two songs are slow starters, the opening track introduces the Riff while track two introduces the Bass Fuzz. These come together on the third track, with the aptly named, The Alchemist. Blending the riff and huge bass fuzz, this song is a teeth rattler when turned up loud.
Sunset Burial ups this again with a thrilling alt rock song that really should be bringing Spotlights’ music to a much wider audience.
From there the album branches out a bit, False God adds an unexpected Saxophone to the mix while Crawling Towards the Light, layers up their sound with some chilly synths that have a vintage Cure feel to them.
This is one of those albums that you hear and know you need to see these songs performed live, hopefully Spotlights will play the UK at some point in the near future.
Reid Willis
Sediment
Electronica
Max Cooper’s Mesh is a must listen for me, you know you’ll get amazing sound design, interesting drum programming and some great bass.
Willis’ new album has all of these in spades and while this is a chill out album, it’s not background music. There’s an obvious care to the textures of what you’re hearing. Acoustic guitar and dream-like piano are used to great effect as they build the album’s atmosphere.
But this is an album on Mesh. The depth and warmth of the bass is what drives this album, but it’s not without some serious weight to it. Conveyor is a propulsive techno track, Sifting Through the Years has a satisfying metallic clank in its percussion and Cast Your Net Over a Torn Earth, is a glitch banger. As great as these tracks are, that’s not the intention of this album though. This is a thoughtful record that brings you on a journey and works best if listened to in one sitting.
Sediment may not be full of bangers, but it will keep your attention and will reward the time you spend with it.
Overmono
Good Lies
Electronica
The buzz around this album has been growing for a long time at this point. Overmono had released a lot of tracks before the album launch but was the slow drip feed worth the wait.
How to describe Overmono? They have the same pitched up vocals and wood block beats of Burial, but whereas listening to Burial gives you the feeling of walking through South London in the rain, Overmono are having a great time.
The heavy bass and the R&B touches make this good time music, and this album is going to be soundtracking a lot of the parties over the summer. The title track is going to be setting fire to dance floors across Europe and beyond. Things get heavier with Skulled, as Overmono deploy the full heft of their bass as they warm up for the big hitters at the back of the album. The singles, Is You, and So You Kno, are already well fan favorites and are served up here as the cherry on top of an already great album.
If I have a criticism, it’s that the middle of the album is a bit saggy, too many slow tracks are grouped together and it loses momentum, but the quality of the good songs here make this easy to ignore.
All in all, his is a great album and may just propel Overmono to Bicep levels of fame.
Warrington-Runcorn New Town Development Plan
The Nation’s Most Central Location
Ambient
A friend described W-R as Brutalist architecture in musical form. That may have been true of their first two albums, but The Nation’s Most Central Location is a far less brutal affair.
Warrington-Runcorn now seems to be twinned with Ridley Scott’s L.A. of 2019.
This album is far more ambient than I normally enjoy but there’s something about these Vangelis synths and Blade Runner soundscapes have really caught my imagination. There’s nothing flashy about the album, no dramatic percussion or crushing bass but as a way to lose yourself in a sci-fi haze?
This is the perfect album to soundtrack your Voight-Kampff test.
Now we have some fantastic ep’s for you.
Daniel Avery
More Truth
Electronica
More Truth is a compilation of B sides and bonus tracks gathered into an ep. Surprisingly, it hangs together, but it does feel like Avery is letting his hair down and just relaxing and reveling in his influences rather than trying anything groundbreaking.
Going so Low, the opening track is a bit average with a throwback Hardcore feel but the blast of DnB towards the end lifts it right up. Time Takes a While reminds me of Aphex Twin’s Xtal, in fact, there’s more than a passing to Selected Ambient works going on here.
Bliss, sounds like Avery’s attempt to write an early 90’s Orbital track, that clockwork percussion sounds like no one else.
This release may not be as strong as Ultra Truth, the album that this ep is following, but it’s still packed with great music.
King’s Daughters and Son
The Next First Thing
Atl Country / Rock
It’s been 12 years since King’s released their debut album. It was a criminally overlooked gem and then they disappeared. I wasn’t sure I’d ever hear anything from them again and then out of nowhere, on Chemical Underground no less, they’re back!
As a reintroduction it works perfectly. The opener, Bondurant, is a gentle country rock song, showing the softer side to the band, and that softer side is something they lean into here.
You see KD&S can sound a lot like The Bad Seeds (but somehow, not like Nick Cave) but that’s no bad thing.
The band has a looseness that sounds live and really gives them an edge. An edge that sometimes breaks into a very controlled fury but not here, Buyer’s Remorse has a harder side but the band keep their power dry and the fury never completely unleashed.
When the songs are as strong as these are, this isn’t a problem. To be honest, I’m just delighted that they’re back. Hopefully this is a sign that we’ll get more music from this wonderful band.
Oh. I’ve just discovered that these are songs that were recorded before their debut album and had been lost. It doesn’t change how good these songs are but I’m really disappointed now. I’ve left the review as it was originally written.
Otik
Xoul Trap
Electronica
Xoul Trap continues Otik’s really impressive streak with another fantastic release. Otik uses R&B tinged, pitched up vocals and propulsive 2-Step / Garage vibes mixed with a more straight ahead techno backbone to produce an EP that works well with the sunny days, and will perfectly soundtrack the start of your summer.
*
Probably not everyone
The ways of exile 