As these Autumn days usher in the back quarter of 2024, new music releases from artists both familiar and new receive deep listen reviews. A much anticipated new album from trusted label runners own band share space here with a first time entry. Rounding all of that out is the return of a storied and influential creative force that continues to mesmerize. Time spent immersed in the lyrical thoughts and audio sounds each of these artists present is both entertaining and enlightening.
Having already been acknowledged by the prolific Burbank, California music label Big Stir Records for “the wonderful coverage of so many of their releases over the years,” it’s always exciting to hear of something new from them on the way. This time it’s the label runners own band The Armoires with their fourth full-length album “Octoberland.” This site reviewed their previous album back in 2021 which now leads to anticipation of how their sound has evolved. Produced by Michael Simmons of sparkle*jets u.k. (who’s own work was reviewed here very recently) a deep listen and analysis commences below.
Opening track (and “indie hit single”) “We Absolutely Mean It” initially misdirects with studio-enhanced soft alien vocalizing before quickly launching into it’s forceful progression. It’s a downward pounding rock and roll romp driven by electric piano, thumping drums n’ bass, chugging guitar and violin (the cool ELO kind). Vocals come on in a modern synthesized manner, with quick cut accents by the band after each single line delivered. Unafraid to take a more intellectual stance, short sentence word play that includes “self-mythology,” “etymology,” “ambiguous” and “progeny” are delivered within the songs first minute. The punch line (if you will) is that “we mean it” with conviction and sincerity. A repeated change section provides a catchy sing-along cadence, while at one point charmingly emphasizes “truth,” “elderly” and “youth.” They even embed their own band name in verse with “we are The Armoires, anything could be inside” (which makes sense as it’s actual definition is a large wardrobe). Driving home the message that “this is a collective (and not a single point of view)” the end out declares “this is where we go big” followed by an Italian word “sfacciata” (which means a brazen boldness).
Check out this brilliant track here:
An ear tickling interplay between chiming guitar and bass introduces featured track “Ridley & Me After the Apocalypse.” Drums quickly pound in and the progression is off to the races. Warm viola creates a rising sensation, before the full-force descending progression glides along lush synthesizers. Delivering quaint, picturesque lyrics referencing life in the aftermath of cataclysm, there’s still time to note their own personal fashion styles “She's dressed in Victorian plaid . . . and paisley's the province of Dad.” There’s musical weight via tom-tom drums behind the rising vocal bridge that states “End times are so boring,” while the bouncy chorus and it’s time-honored vocal spell out of “A.P.O.C.A.L.Y.P.S.E.” adds a lightness to a subject we’ve all too long been conditioned to fear. “Character development” becomes the primary focus as the song concludes, and one can’t help but root for “Ridley” and the “tribe” to succeed with all the “world building” this is going to take.
Majestic piano figures and acoustic guitar lead off another of the album’s feature tracks “Here Comes The Song.” Blended soft voice delivery of vocalists Rex and Christina share similarities with the way Sune and Sharin do in The Raveonettes. Lyrically writing about a songs creation in a reverential manner (where it “sits on a throne” and is “the ruler of all it surveys”), it still has to “take it’s first steps” to eventually be heard. Quickly reaching the simple humming title line chorus, the full band enters for maximum effect. Biblical references to “Bethlehem” and “a place to be born” move the story forward, now enhanced by sumptuous violins. The progression is broken by a dramatic change with voices rising in pitch and additional questions on a songs true nature arise. Subsequent verses amplify intelligent literary care, but in spite of those qualities “The Song” ultimately “ate her up inside.”
Enjoy this wonderful song via this official video release:
Other featured tracks like the heart-tugging whimsy of “Music & Animals” is a joyful romp reminding us about what should really matter in this life. With a bouncy rhythm combining bits of happy-style The Cure with a slight country-western feel, twangy guitar and emotive violins stand out. Those Raveonettes-style (which is actually Everly Brothers-style) seamlessly blended vocals, present the question “how do we get by in this world?” The answer comes quickly with the songs title, because if you don’t love those two things there’s something wrong. Piano and bass guitar noticeably steps forward after a first pass through the chorus. Anyone who has ever had a long-time four legged friend can relate to the lyric “everyone needs a familiar to sing their secrets to.” A playful turn is taken with a twice visited call-and-response segment that alternates both vocalists sharing thoughts of their pets and song design. The album’s theme and concept comes fully revealed as here is the “Octoberland” everyone is invited to “visit when you can.”
Other interesting cuts like “This One’s For The Swedes” emphasizes flamenco guitar, synths and Christina singing in a Debbie Harry-style cadence and timbre. “Ouroboros Blues (Crow Whisperer) is a delightfully bouncy song that moves away from the blended voices to alternating male-female verses. A mournful violin works it’s way throughout, adding a charming pathos to it all. “Green Hellfire At The 7-11” uses a Buddy Holly-esque cadence on it’s chorus, combining sing-along rhymes with more serious political thoughts. “You Oughta Be Cut in Half” blends two prominent genres into a single song. Life-in-a-Northern-Town-Britpop and early 80’s era-Blondie (again) may be the two halves actually intended. Points for the lyric “try living life as a levitating torso.”
The whole album is filled with one gorgeous track after another, and is out in full on October 11. Preorder it in your choice of format - Vinyl, CD and/or Streaming, here.
A frequent way artists find their way onto this review site is by a simple direct message reach out. Such is the case with The Black Watch, a band fronted by John Andrew Fredrick (who did the reaching out). Naturally an initial listen to the artists previously unheard music is a necessity, and if the quality is deemed worthy (in this case very much so) a review is soon underway. John is one of those talented journeymen who creates brilliant music. An apparent 30+ year career of writing and recording had lead up to this recent album “Weird Rooms.” With ears tuned in carefully, the Cromwell analysis commences right away.
A quick word about this cover: It is a painting by English portrait and landscape painter Thomas Gainsborough. Considered one of the most important British artists of the second half of the 18th century, the soft image of that female evokes thoughts of another time. Gainsborough is actually more famous for another one of his paintings, the ubiquitous “Blue Boy.” For his own part, John Andrew Fredrick offers up his own original art on the back cover.
The album begins with a brief :31 second opening salvo “When You Find Forever” that approximates someone walking up the stairs, opening a door to a room with chaotic voices, strumming guitar and tuning in to a radio station that smoothly states “the best music all day long.” Then a few more seconds of twangy western music before abruptly cutting in to the albums first real song “Myrmidon.” Pivoting off of four acoustic strummed guitar chords, the make-you-look-it-up title word “myrmidon” (from classical mythology, an unquestioning follower) is initially sung with cryptic phrasing. With no percussion, bass guitar provides the underlying movement, along with brighter electric guitar punctuation. Beatle-esque background vocals make a splash on the end of vocal lines “I forget where I’m at,” “don’t you find?” and various strategic points going forward. Drums and tambourine eventually kick in at the one minute mark putting the song in full motion. An equally mysterious semi-spoken word vocal line “I'm blushing like a carnation,” leads the track out to it’s conclusion.
“Miles & Miles” approximates a chill trip-hop percussive element under shimmering guitar and angular bass guitar lines. Against the backdrop of this subtle dream-gaze coloring are lyrics questioning motivation. How the “difference between the way you speak” and “carry on” “varies by the week.” And although one may be “all for opening up to change,” following approved dissension points may not be the clearest way forward. A wonderful rising buzzy ambiance provides musical interlude, with bass guitar and drums periodically let loose underneath. The final 30 seconds or so is laced with veiled spoken word samples, that appear to be in a foreign language.
The rarely used anymore word “Gobbledegook” (first used in the early 1940’s, but a child of the 1960’s remembers their mom using it a lot) serves as the title for this next song. The track is embedded with a style that straddles the line between “Isn’t Anything” and “Loveless” MBV. It’s progression hearkens to the joyous uplift of “When You Sleep,” but it’s less distorted quicker and cleaner. John enlists a female vocalist to deftly shadow him on essential lines like “I wouldn’t stand for it, nor should you.” A lovely rising synth line hook emerges multiple times throughout, enhancing the quick strummed guitar and bass pattern. Lyrically the message is clear: “how can the hope of trust in them go well?” (the red pilled among us know who “they” are) - “it's gobbledegook & you know it is.” Double talk gibberish is dangerous when it comes from our so-called leaders.
Another “radio station” break comes via the :52 second “Without Protection” which declares “you’re tuned in to the one and only TBW 93.1 FM.” That sets up a finger picked acoustic guitar and mournful violin instrumental that is rather emotive and sentimental. Followed by more footsteps and a door opening, which leads direction into the next (and album title) song. “Weird Rooms” bounces out of the box with a perky strummed acoustic guitar progression enhanced by sharp plucked deeper toned guitar notes over top. Vocals start right away with a story of “hazy-past dreamlike endeavors.” Again enlisting female shadow vocals on the catchy change, “soft you now, your blushing skin, I breathe it in with all of me,” is a sonic delight. That the end-line word “me” is repeated for four more times with changing harmonies adds one more level of unexpected aural delight. There’s a lovely instrumental break just midway in, with Beatles-esque chiming lead guitar melodies over top of the acoustic guitar progression. When vocals return the song (and albums) meaning becomes clearer, stating “the strangest room” – the “weird rooms are not that weird to me.”
“Swallowed” returns to that MBV/Ringo Deathstarr hybrid that so many in the “gazer” community have such affection for. All the adored earmarks of quickly strummed electric guitar (although not particularly distorted) quick snare drum fills and a rising pitch-bend element nod in homage to that beloved genre. Even the song’s title itself seems like it could have been on “Loveless.” John sings in boy-girl tandem with a female vocalist that beg further comparisons to the Kevin-Belinda style. It’s two minutes of sonic bliss, yet the lyrical story is not that happy. “you swallowed all the lies he told, I don’t have to tell you this – the world will” and “willingly I'd share the blame, I wonder if you'd say the say the same.”
The full album release is jam packed with one delightful track after another. Have a listen for yourself right here:
Follow The Black Watch on their Social Media here - Facebook - Instagram
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A little over a year ago legendary psych-rockers The Telescopes album “Of Tomorrow” was given a thorough listen and review here on this site. Now this boundary breaking collective driven by founder and frontman Stephen Lawrie are back with a brand new release titled “Halo Moon.” With a body of work that encompasses over 30 years, The Telescopes have directly influenced multiple generations of experimental musicians world wide. The time is now here to dive into this latest release and find the secrets held within its sound waves.
Opening cut “Shake It All Out” builds off primitive thump percussion surrounded by grinding organ-like keyboards. The pace is deliberate like a metronome with Stephen’s vocals emerging in an unhurried manner. Calling into question “your very soul,” leads to a realization “it has no place in your mind.” As the progression oozes relentlessly forward, a chorus of sorts emerges which implores that you “shake it all out baby, shake it all out now.” Guitar and bass move up into the mix, adding sonic color to the overall proceedings. There’s caution at points in Stephen’s lines, like when he states “don’t let it turn your heart to stone.”
Featured video track release “For The River Man” builds around a back-and-forth sawing harmonica riff (with green glowing video imagery to match), jingling percussion and deep thumping bass. Distant sonic elements flow across the sound field at various times adding an otherworldly sensation. Stephen appears and begins softly delivered vocal lines in drowsy tones, with his video imagery reading them from what appears to be an ancient manuscript. “Go tell the river man, I’ll be there when I can,” is how it initially is told. With the reveal that he’s “headed for another land” you notice the ghosting voices impressively that trail along a number of these lines. Recurring images of that single note pluck
on bass guitar float into view as Stephen rises a step in pitch on vocal lines stating “go tell the sky above, everything you love. Tell it to the trees, as you please.” The essential hook overall is that warm harmonica riff that mirrors a lonesome dove, 1930’s dust bowl vibe. The story continues: “fell into the sun – day is never done. It goes on and on – never done.” Reaching what is essentially the song title line chorus, multi-layered higher harmonies add a deeper hue to it all. “Tell it to the breeze” Stephen furthers, and “all it guarantees.” All throughout the video a flowing backdrop (like sunlight on water) runs behind from right to left. The track concludes with additional harmonica phrasing over a rushing river flow.
Watch and listen to this entrancing composition here:
“Come Tomorrow” emerges out of alternating electric guitar strokes, modulating keyboard textures and a strong bass line moving through the center of it all. The percussion is basic but forceful in just the right places, like a New Orleans funeral procession. Stephen’s vocals come on with a touch of processing, as if singing through an electronic device that synthesizes voices. A long reedy keyboard pad (sounding like a harmonium) is paired underneath these vocals, as the voodoo percussion clinks along. The voices become fuller and more natural sounding on the essential central theme that goes “no more weeping – no more sorrow” leading in to the song’s title line.
“Along The Way” is a five minute guitar punctuated meditation that leads you through an internal journey of self-discovery. “Lonesome Heart” builds around a three-quarter time signature, relying on dual guitars (power chords and single riff melody lines) , ambient keyboards and minimally placed percussion. The title track “Halo Moon” moves at a thoughtfully measured pace, with instruments syncopated at angular entry points. A mysterious rattle-pulse accents the track at periodic intervals, as the songs title is chanted like a mantra to shining celestial body.
“Nothing Matters” chugs along a straight trap drum set pattern, with downward driving guitar lines and complimentary keyboards. A distant thunder-boom adds depth to the sonic spectrum as vocals float over and above this driving rhythm. The albums final track “This Train Rolls On” is cinematic in feel and epic in scope. A gong is repeatedly struck as keyboard pads, cymbal rushes and strangled, note-wrenching guitar lay a trance-inducing field for the vocals. At six and a half minutes and the albums longest track, it serves as a fitting conclusion this ambient, introspective collection.
Dave Cromwell has been writing about music since the dawn of the internet age. In addition to the steady flow of features here on this site, he has been a regular contributor to The Deli Magazine (both Print and Web) since 2010. With numerous Print Issue cover features and weekly contributions on the Deli website, scores of artists have received the Cromwell point of view. Along with ongoing contributions to this site and The Deli Magazine, Dave has written for Dingus, My Social List, The Waster and Soma website magazines.
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