New in April – Perturbator – Heavens Down – Head Of Roses
New in April. Sooting, yet raw and honest indie rock. Plus darker new wave and an even darker dose of goth electronica. If you think you want a review on this blog, reach out. I may just attempt to write about it.
Flock of Dimes – Head Of Roses – Sub Pop Records
Must preface this review with I am a fan of Jenn Wasner’s other band, Wye Oak. I feel like I would be at a loss if I didn’t check out what Flock of Dimes is doing. The opening track called “2 Heads ” pulses into existence and becomes what sounds like a chorus of vocals fronted by Jenn. Whether or not this choir effect is backing tracks by her or bandmates I don’t really know but it is definitely going into territory slightly different than the last Flock Of Dimes EP.
Perhaps it could be that when the last EP was recorded it was a reaction to quarantine. Upon listening to only two tracks so far it seems this is to celebrate the light at the end of the tunnel so to speak.
That is not to say that there is not a certain specific melancholia and longing as the record plays on.
Secondly we have “Price of Blue” . More of Jenn’s signature vocals with somewhat poppy textured guitars. This probably is the thickest guitar track I’ve heard (off the top my head) from any project involving Jenn. The outro / solo turns into a flurry of whammy barred notes. Thick with overdrive and low end vibrations, considering guitar is heavy in treble. Next we have the track ‘Two’. This is a knockout pop song that was released a while ago as a single I believe. Undulating call and response mixed with several percussion rhythms set up Jenn’s sometimes breathy vocals. Don’t let the adjectives fool you. She can express higher notes proficiently and in her own unique way.
“Walking” is the next track. Summery, sweet, and airy. Vocals and guitars float like wisps in wind.
” Lightning ” feels like watching a storm that is rolling in from far away. Gentle acoustic guitar sounding melodies, and an atypical horn or flute phrase. “Lightning” is a quiet soother for sure. “One More Hour” has a video. Rather than hear me ramble, watch and listen https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kLzaYBKGPx4
“Awake For The Sunrise ” is something that I’m sure that many can relate to. This track is a timeless, swaying ballad. Finally the title track ” Head Of Roses” saunters in. Melancholic and introspective work. Although it is sad, it’s genuine and what keeps my interest is what Jenn plays vs. what she doesn’t. The rests and breaks between the music and lyrics have a dramatic impact on this song.
In conclusion “Head Of Roses” LP is full of earnest raw musical beauty. Jenn Wasner’s genius shines and it seems to intensify and glow as time goes on.
Additionally I would add this album or most tracks to a ‘Sunday soother’ post that I create on my social media outlets.
NiteKat and Jeremy Bastard – Heavens Down
Heavens Down is recent work from Nite Kat and Jeremy Bastard. Both artists are representing New York City. Here at Meat Sheet we wrote a bit about the last collaboration of these artists. Cross reference here. https://meatsheetfanzine.com/new-dizzy-demos-nitekat-concentration-mixes-gulch/
Heavens Down is less melancholy than the last single, however it is more foreboding, so … fans of darker new wave take note.
Heavens Down enters the room with a Phil Spector- ish classic drum beat.
This track has vocals that in small parts, remind me of vocalists you may know. Small bits of Ian McCullogh, David Gahan ( when he is belting out melodies ), Stiv Bators Lords of the new church era. The more crooning stuff rather than the punk stuff. Additionally Ric Ocasek of Cars although that is more due to synth in the background paired with vocal rhythms rather than vocal styling. Maybe I should say Greg Hawkes from the Cars gone slightly evil.
The production and backing tracks are executed very proficiently. The mix lets you hear all the tracks the way that I think the artist intended them to be heard. There are two versions regular mix and club mix.
Both Jeremy Bastard and Nite Kat have DJ and production skills and put them to effective use on Heavens Down .
On to the club mix of Heavens Down.. it’s a slightly more aggro mix of the regular. The drum’s attack sound punchier. I’m not sure if I’m hearing guitar or keys. It’s subtle and complimentary to the other elements of Heavens Down. These parts come together to form a solid club track. The extra instrumentation of the keys/guitar,bass line, beats and a backing track that is presumably female lends an 80’s feel. Think 80’s pop without the cheese.
There is a small bit of dream pop, again if I may reference OMD again. It may be overtly electronic like OMD, but there is an ‘electric dreamy’ quality. Remember that Moroder and Phillip Oakey jam ?
Lastly, this track should satisfy those who are fans of the genres listed. (even if you are like me, you don’t like genre labels , but use them) Support both of these artists if you have the means.
Perturbator – Dethroned Under a Funeral Haze – Blood Music
This track is slower than some of the random Perturbator songs I’ve heard before. Although I have not taken a super deep dive in to this band, I can say that their sound is like a sequencer programmed with apreggiator set to groove and then knock you out cold. This is not to downplay or demean them but rather give you a general idea of sound. “Dethroned Under a Funeral Haze” is heavier and dirge like.
The echoing, semi distant vocals reference a feeling of dread soaked in goth overtones.
Pair this with the other reviews above, you have light (Flock Of Dimes) , medium grey (NiteKat)/Jeremy Bastard) , and this one shadowy and dark (Perturbator). Dethroned Under a Funeral Haze seethes and pulsates with ominous rumbles. The higher tones are foreboding and offer the listener warning that something lurks in shadow that is not quite obvious. It’s a lumbering track that makes me want to hear what else they have in store.
It just so happens they release ‘Lustful Sacraments’ album late in May.
Perturbator definitely seem to be evolving. I feel like I need to revisit their previous material more closely.
Boy Wonder – Kinda Blue Too
I found this accidentally. As far as songwriting goes, it’s cleverly written. Catchy in its own unique way. If anyone has tried to write something minimal and catchy like this, it’s not always easy. Or it comes off forced, derivative, contrived etc. This feels like it’s authentic to me. Due to the fact that musical styles are so vast it’s possible that this sounds a lot like another artist or two. If so I’ve not encountered it yet. That being said, I don’t understand the context of the vocals. It almost sounds like an Andy Kaufman or Adam Sandler (one of Sandler’s characters) impression. This left me confused. The strange vocals could be the allure of this song though. Anyways, great writing, decent song. I’m not sure if I can hang if they sing like this all the time. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFu3HTjur00