Two full-length, track-by-track album reviews are the featured output this time here at DaveCromwellWrites. An overdue return to greatness comes by way of legendary creators and long-time friends of this site. It’s always satisfying when one can reignite feelings of excitement and admiration that an artist initially stoked in you. These moments are what you live for, and should never be taken lightly. Equally important is a brand new album from more recent contributors (to this site, anyway) who’s timeline of productivity mirrors the first entry. There’s a starting point for everything, and the focus here is on these latest works.
When the original “Pe'ahi” album was released by The Raveonettes in 2014, an in-depth review of it was conducted at this website. That actually served as the ninth full-length review of this bands work here spanning a time period from January 2009 through September 2014. The review writing done earlier (which goes back as far as 2003) is now lost to the wind and dead sea scrolls of now defunct hyperlinks. Post Pe'ahi (1), an epic 3,744 word review of their “2016 Atomized” album was published here in January 2017. Following that was an August 2018 one-on-one interview with the bands mastermind Sune Rose Wagner. After a long hiatus The Raveonettes recently released a much anticipated follow-up to Peahi, simply titled “Pe'ahi II.” DaveCromwellWrites now digs into every essential aspect of each track with recharged purpose.
True to the opening tracks song title, the album starts with horror movie sounding plinking toy piano notes on “Strange.” It’s a 1950’s style stroll progression before the primary forceful guitar chords commence to chug along with bass guitar in tandem. The familiar Everly Brothers-style blended Sune and Sharin vocals deliver opening lines “Whenever we try it's a waste of - my time – yeah. Whenever we fight do you feel it? You bring me to my knees and tears.” Melodic guitar figures follow, immediately underscoring what gorgeous songwriting this is. Wagner laments about losing someone to “a boy who looked like me,” pointing out how “strange” it is “to go from the other side to this.” It all leads up to an angelic chorus that states “when we try – can we feel it’s ok” – “and it feels just like love.” That euphoric moment is ultimately countered by sparser instrumentation and comedown sentiment “it’s a waste of you and I.” The tracks final minute is an ambient dreamscape of metronome clicks and hisses over a simple keyboard rendition of the melody.
Check it out:
Follow-up cut “Blackest” starts out just as mysteriously, this time approximating a jazz combo with busy free-form drumming and soft reverberated electric guitar. Pulsing bass notes soon begins and spoken word as if from a radio broadcast can be faintly heard. All of that is obliterated when forceful buzzing guitars burst into the mix, soon joined by a power-thump drum beat. One more layer adds on with a descending “detective story” guitar melody. All of that suddenly drops out leaving behind changeover “ooohs” and a stark rendition of the songs lyrics. “When I rise on my wave - the moon shows her face. A lonely dot at sea - a lonely girl coming straight at me.” The trademark Wagner long slithery guitar groove is never far away, and the one here is everything you could want. Cycling one more time through the lyrical passage, Sune’s guitar follows with a flurry of melodic lines against moody backing instrumentals and an eventual thump-n-bump drum beat outtro.
An official band lyric video accompanies this one:
A syncopated rhythm between driving guitar and stutter-stop drum pattern immediately kicks off third entry “Dissonant.” Harmonized Sharin and Sune vocals jump in, delivered quickly at one more alternating tempo. “Come and get beside her - just pretend you like her - this love is all yours to fake” is the opening, disillusioned sentiment. “I tend to harden up when our love is set to go - I wanna give it up for someone I don't know” completes the hit-and-run encounter. A musical callback to “Attack of the Ghost Riders” follows to much surprise (and delight). With that initial verse/bridge progression cycling though again, a quick stop deep bass buzz plateau is reached at the minute-and-a-half mark (and lasting over a minute) before it’s percolating build-up launches back into one more verse.
A classic, straightforward drum beat leads in the official lyric video enhanced track “Killer.” Melody kicks in by way of a tinkling bell sheen on its descending chord progression. Rough guitar chords slash underneath as dual sung vocals commence. While the verses are catchy in their own right, it’s the chorus that hooks you in immediately with the battle-scarred relationship lines “Kill for love, and make it so I don't care. Most of the time, I felt so alone.” After a second pass through it stops abruptly, with elegant piano notes and finger snaps in it’s place. Percussion returns, adding a steady current under the extended piano melody. Another subtle change halts that progression for brief arpeggio guitar notes, before returning to that relentless forward march. It’s an unusual (and unexpected) coda that measures half of the entire songs length.
A steady hard-edged guitar riff is the opening force driving next cut “Lucifer.” Motorik percussion joins in with measured pace, offsetting the guitars urgent nature. Softer higher range vocals spell out what appears to be a demonic fever dream. Bass guitar and more bottom heavy drums usher in the next passage adding a bit more grit and a touch of funk it it all. That is emphasized even further once the original hyper-drive guitar riff returns. Another more spacious audio section change includes lyrics indicating “Lucifer” is a woman who “never felt love” is “tired of all the fighting” and “wants to walk alone.” Cinematic in scope, the primary driving guitar hook once again moves out and open spaces emerge in its place. The tracks final minute is a blend of softer alternating guitar riffs, scratch-buzz percussion and ultimately deep buzzing synths.
Distant, chiming guitar ambiance is the deceptive fade in on forward charging rocker “Speed.” Sune’s vocals are pitched into a slightly higher register as he delivers loosely related strung together lyrics alternating between hope and defiant resignation. “My hope died down I can't explain” (negative)
“Somewhere I know that I belong” (positive), “Don't sell your soul you're young not old” (positive),
“Don't waste your time you're one of a kind” (more of a pep talk). True to the song title, it’s fast paced, tasty guitar lick driven, and while the percussion is hissy and somewhat buried, there’s lots of angelic background voices floating all throughout.
The percussion stops momentarily leaving only guitar fuzz to emphasize lyrics “Got hit by a car and emerged unharmed” (well that’s good) “A failure in life means a winner in hell” (what?). Other lines that stand out, like “I don't wanna die without having tried” (good advice) and “You're jealous of me for what I've done” (that seems rather personal and one wonders who that is aimed at). The final verse let’s it all hang out, with the lines “I belong to this generation of filth” (self realization), “I was pushed into life entertained by war” (we’ve talked about this directly interviews and related song reviews),
“we're pretty and blessed to have met with death (?!), “cause I know when he comes I'll take his hand” (yeah, I suppose, but don’t wanna think about that now – or ever – when it happens it happens – nothing you can do about it).
Reaching the albums penultimate track, “Sunday School” emerges in full motion from the get-go as a quick-breeze ditty. With emphasis on vocals and lyrical story telling rather than instrumental depth, it’s the perky, harmonized chorus that instantly connects. “What if you met him on a rainy day, he wouldn't get a word you say. This ain't no darling little Sunday school, cause he'd kill for love but not kill for you.” Bonus points for adding bell-chimes on the bridge section “and all the things that break you down, he never cared at all. Another time another place, he never cared at all.” That is follow by single throbbing tone, with distant voices as if coming from a far off radio. The final verse include lyrics too intriguing to ignore, with “fucked dates go to their graves” (!?), “young men end their lives” (negative), “young girls become wives” (positive).
Final cut “Ulrikke” brings back the harsh distorted guitars and thunderdome drumming for it’s abrupt shock-to-the-system intro. All that drops out quickly on opening verses that culminate with the line “make me indestructible as I am.” That intro noisy instrumentation returns, now sounding like an approximation of a train chugging down railway tracks. The second verse (same as the first) benefits from trip-hop style percussion and distinct, stylized recitation (and pronunciation) of the words. “Make me feel like finding someone - who can never do right and can never go wrong” becomes the catchy (if somewhat puzzling) refrain.
It's a wonderful album overall, and a reminder of the seemingly effortless ability Sune Rose Wagner has in writing, recording and bringing a record to fruition.
Connect with the band and find out how to acquire the album via this link.
Finally, at full track-by-track review of all 12 "Atomized" song can be found on this site here.
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Around two and a half years ago this site did an extensive review of Canadian indie rockers Star Collector’s 6th studio album “Attack, Sustain, Decay . . . Repeat.” That was the result of being impressed by their (and subsequently reviewed here) video single “Green Eyes” from fifth recording “Game Day.” Now the band is back with their just released seventh album "Everything Must Go!" Expecting nothing less than another power-pop masterpiece, DCW digs down into this latest output.
The album opens with overall title track “Everything Must Go!” along with a full video production. This title name is something you would see on retail stores looking to move all their merchandise in one last blowout. That doesn’t seem to be the case however with this band, as their meaning is more universal as in letting material things go (“cause you can’t hold on to it”). The track (and video) comes into view initially via mix-master drummer Adrian Buckley’s subtle backmasking followed by a propulsive beat. Slashing guitar chords jump in, delivered by Vic Wayne and Steve Monteith with
Tony Kerr’s bass locking to this progression that echoes The Who’s “The Real Me.”
Vic’s vocals are less Roger Daltry and more Alex Chilton in timbre, as he calls out for you to “come along for the show.” There’s an early “easter egg” for classic film buffs with the lyrical reference “Warriors, come out to play” (if you know the scene, you never forget it). Continuing it’s anti-materialism theme “we ain’t any richer than our memories,” “can’t put a price on feelin’ this way” and “you can’t buy tomorrow” leave no doubt as to what “must go.” In classic power-pop fashion, a blistering lead guitar break by Steve at the two minute mark is tasty indeed.
Check out this song and video here:
Second entry “Victory Dance” builds around wiry slide guitar and hand-clap-style percussion. A chugging mid-tempo groove, lyrics tell a tale of “we” (us) vs “they” (everyone who isn’t us) with an unconcerned “And we laughed” hook resolution. Big chiming guitar chords and fluid bass propel third track “Shining Example.” A higher-register backing vocal harmonizes with Vic on verses, while the change is solo voice intimate. The overall feel is closer to Neil Young and Crazy Horse than traditional power-pop.
Stacatto percussion, slithering bass and open note guitar figures lead in the subdued “Queen Bed.” Gentle female vocals (courtesy of Renee Suchy) join Vic on the understated “fight or flight” segment and following chorus. Those essential backing vocals become more prominent as the song progresses through this tale of returning to single life. Angular prog-rock accents provide instrumental change hooks for the torn memory saga “Black Nostalgia.” A particularly busy bass guitar line runs throughout, and especially stands out on the ethereal “Ah – Ahh” chorus. Vic drops his vocal timbre down low for the emphatic final verse where “the brutal truth” is addressed once and for all.
Referencing the Greek myth of Sisyphus, “Roll That Rock (Up That Hill)” bounces along briskly with contributions from guest musician Adam East (guitar, bass and vocals). Each lyrical burden is met with a definitive “And I don’t mind.” A soft plateau mid-song change section indicates that even if you “scream into the vacuum, everyone’s [still] a critic.” “Overblown” is an easy, breezy groove with lyrical focus on interpersonal turmoil. The question is asked “would you really be better off alone?” Frequent references to “the devil you know” describes multiple outcomes.
“Heavy On You” comes into focus via distorted buzz-fuzz and a-cappella vocals. When the mid-tempo cruncher rhythm comes in, a cautionary tale spells out how “a special kind of fresh hell - when you look at yourself - heavy on you and your mirrorball.” Bonus points for the thoroughly savory guitar lead running through the center. Bright acoustic guitar and melodic bass guitar melodies usher in the merseybeat tinged “The Best Thing.” Clever wordplay combining descriptive terms “bushwhacked,” “ransacked” and “gobsmacked” focuses on a spirited literary approach. Essential statement “the best decision you ever made was doing nothing at all” rings ultimately true.
Light touch drumming and prominent bass guitar provide instrumental backing for the vocally intimate “Static.” There is a simple yet inventive nod to the songwriters plight with the line “searching for a chorus in a never-ending verse.” Quick paced chunky guitar rock returns for the lyrically opaque “Section 8.” Ostensibly about the rental housing assistance program often referred to by that name, a penetrating guitar riff adds necessary melody between each line of the verses. Jungle thump drumming, slashing guitars and a hyperactive bass guitar pattern propels penultimate track “Shakedown The Breakdown.” As hoped for, a smoking lead guitar solo rips n’ rolls at multiple points throughout. Because when you come down to it, “We all need a gang in this cold town.”
The album closes on an adventurous direction for the band, breaking from their signature power pop style with “Your Version Of Me.” Written as a collaboration between Vic and long-time friend of this site Jody Porter (most recent review on his music here, with linkbacks to numerous others) the groove echoes Pink Floyd’s “Wish You Were Here.” Building off an instrumental demo Jody presented, Vic’s lyrics build from original intentions with the lines “You were banking on a new religion - a grift you kept on the sly.” The songs title refers to how everyone we come in contact with has their own personal “version of you” and how that differentiates somewhat among all of them. No one can know everything about you, as such only have their own impression of you. “Now, I’m free… and not your version of me,” becomes the definitive statement. It’s a gentle and introspective way to end an album that overall is loaded with one fine song after another.
Dig in to the album here:
Find out how to acquire this groovy power pop album at their Bandcamp
The relatively early stages of new year
2020 forges onward, and with it comes enough global fears of
pandemics and economic turmoil to rival what were once considered too
far-fetched to be true doomsday scenarios. It's as if the T-Veronica
virus depicted in those outlandish Resident Evil movies are merely
months away from consuming us all. So, while many now hunker down in
their homemade bunkers in a desperate attempt to avoid contact with
the “infected,” it seems only fitting for this months
DaveCromwellWrites feature to focus solely on recordings from the
more interesting (and still surviving – at least as of this
writing) musicians.
Originating out of the Western Australian city of Perth, psych rockers Mystery Tapes have now released their new single “Cold Habit.” Described by songwriter/producer/guitarist and vocalist Zack Yusof as an attempt at modernized blues/country-style lyrics enhanced through the sonic prism of today's pedal-board FX accompaniment, shows insight with the creative process.
The track slowly rises out of churning, overtone-floating guitar chords and singular stomping beat, as bass guitar slithers in with the fuller percussion accompaniment. This complete, three-piece electric rock band lays out the progression with an initial bursts of doom-laden flair, before dialing it back for the opening vocal salvo. “I don't remember – got no recollection – I never hear the words you say. I can't connect you – I don't believe you.You had your chance to walk away.”
The progression runs through again and it's melody becomes that much more strikingly noticeable, with those forward driving guitar chords adding upward tonal movement. Clean, poly-rhythmic drums and cymbals hit punctuation points, locked on with the bass, creating an appealing undercurrent to the melody happening over top.
Dialing back the instruments once more, the lyrical story continues: “I don’t really get you- I don’t really want to - I’ll turn your flowers into clay. I will reject you - But I don't regret you - I live to fight another day.” As the band intensifies with its underlying groove, a series of guitar filigrees are unleashed over top.
The emotional vibe of old blues storytelling continues with these essential hook lyrics: “You got played right from the start. You would have known if you were smart. I stuck around just to tear you apart. It’s made of stone, my frozen heart. Pierce your soul with my poison dart. You should have seen it right from the start.”
As the percussion momentarily drops back, guitars chime with tension that leads to re-entry by the rhythm section and a series of vocal “ahhhh's.” With those vocals floating above, the band churns on with even more ferocity, before a final 30 seconds of psychedelic backward guitar looping.
The digital track "Cold Habit" by Mystery Tapes is now available on all the major streaming platforms, including HERE.
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Alternative rock is a genre designation that includes a wide range of styles under that singular heading. The mid-western US locale of Canton, Ohio serves as the home base for I Fight Fail, a three piece emo/hardcore-melodic-pop unit that have recently released their latest single “All I Am.”
A universally appealing clarion call riff on the tracks introductory hook soon gives way to measured bass guitar notes and the emotionally delivered vocal lyrics that follow. “Find my heart, and rip it out. Everything is quiet now - one last kiss, so make it count” comes wrapped in an affecting sentiment. Busy drums jump into the mix, adding an excitable element underneath this unfolding story of how “I dreamt of a girl with one blind eye, surrounded by clouds and falling skies. Some how I knew I had, I had to make her mine”. The dream world is so often a nightly source of our creative thoughts, and that particular imagery alone presented in this song is an insightful example of it.
The central hook and thematic statement “We're never awake till we wake up, we never feel till we feel numb” is first arrived at in a more sparsely ambient audio state – allowing that sentiment to initially sink in before subsequent pass-through's come delivered with full-force intensity. That explosiveness first arrives on yet-another hook (in a song full of many) referencing its title “All I am is gone. All I am is lost.”
Deeper, tom-tom heavy percussion underpins a second verse that references “trenches,” “pacing figure eights” and “infinity” with vocals progressively enhanced by shimmering higher-pitched harmonies. While the two dominant hooks cycle through again with alternating spaciousness and fury, a centrally located sparse instrumental break sets the stage for one more build-up, culminating in a triumphant hook-heavy conclusion. The final 20 seconds sees the vocals increasingly obscured, as if slipping back into the the dream state once more.
The track is now streaming everywhere (including HERE) and you can connect with the band here:
The Brighton, England independent music label Shore Dive Records is always good for a steady stream of intriguing new music. Specializing in limited edition releases, they provide a treasure trove of worthy material otherwise obscured by larger entities hammering away with oftentimes less creative (but more heavily financed) promotion.
One such band finding it's way onto the DaveCromwellWrites landscape is the Russian collective COSme. While the announcement of Shore Dive reissuing the band's debut album came a month or so back (release number 34), the positive impression made on first (and repeated) listen(s) requires this deeper analysis. The principal members of COSme emerged from 90's era dreamy noise-gaze band PLASTICA. The 10 track album “Lost Generation” was initially released in 2018, with this Shore Dive reissue at the beginning of 2020.
Video single "Newclear" is a sonic and visual tour-de-force, melding its brilliant dreamgaze guitar, bass and electronic percussion track against imagery alternating between beautiful creation and total world annihilation. Devastating atomic destruction shares equal space with the exploding beauty of flowers bursting into bloom. Classic gaze guitar imagery comes superimposed with sizzling sparklers and celebratory fireworks. Add to that an idyllic blue-haired chanteuse singing sweetly, further serving this juxtaposition of heavenly bliss with total Armageddon.
Clever placement of politicians and their frighteningly sweet smiles are blended together with world-destroying mushroom clouds. Rockets blast off, flowers bloom at hyperspeed while the instrumentation holds in a bridge-like pattern for emphasis. As engulfing billowy textures fly away in reverse motion (representing nuclear winter?) the blue haired beauty returns to sing and swoon with a seductive charm. An interesting keyboard melody emerges at the songs mid-point, and skeletal arms strum downward on those pitch-bended guitars. The song and video combined is a truly creative masterpiece.
The band has just released a brand new track “Adore You” which employs similar levels of quick strummed guitars, pitch-bended whammy-bar techniques and mechanized percussion. The combination of those elements position the track along the same lines as the classic My Bloody Valentine track “Soon.” Vocals are delivered by a male voice and come wrapped in a gorgeous processed sheen. The tracks mid-point doubles-down on that sheering gaze-guitar effect that has always blurred the line between musical instrument and some kind of industrial machinery. While the lyrics are written and sung in Russian, the single line designation: “dedicated to the one I love” (and the tracks title) pretty much says all you really need to know.
Canadian duo Paragon Cause have been working feverishly on new material since putting out their wonderful EP “Lies Between Us” last Autumn (and fully reviewed here). A brand new single titled “Lost Cause” is now set for official release on March 20th, with DaveCromwellWrites lending an ear and analysis to the inner workings of this track.
Scheduled as the first single off imminent full-length “What We Started,” the song's meaning emerged from songwriter and vocalist Michelle Opthof's frustration over the difficulties women sometimes face in dealing with the criminal justice system. Combining that with the more universal element of a relationship coming to an end, and the realization that the individual responsible for the damage done truly IS a lost cause. Working seamlessly with bandmate Jay Bonaparte and producer/fellow-musician Sune Rose Wagner, Paragon Cause will also include a sci-fi graphic novel story along with the record.
The track itself builds out of measured electronic beat percussion that makes use of bass-drum, snare and highhat approximations with strategically placed deep echoed singular shots. A classic synth-flute sine wave enters the mix which quickly fills in with additional keyboard-driven notes and a deep low-end synth bass. The alternating rising, then descending melody line coupled with these synths tonal qualities hearken back to the rock-dance music of the golden early 80's era. There's an orchestral element to it all as well, providing a stylistic anthem backdrop for the lyrics that follow. “You've taken more than your fair share – It doesn't seem to bother you” is how the story unfolds, against sparser backing of stripped-down percussion, single-note synth stabs and a deep-rumble rising bass-synth line.
The instrumental passage following essential lyric “Crushing souls to replace things you've lost” brings back that lush opening orchestral layered-keyboards hook, adding subtle percussive details in the process, such as reverberated tambourine strikes. It all builds towards the dramatic vocal reading (and tracks emotional center) “The scars remain – you should have to pay – more than them.”
October finds the Cromwell microscope focusing on eagerly anticipated new recorded works from artists either previously featured here, or having collaborated with a much reviewed influential source, along with first time entries to this site. All of these records show musicians taking their creative ideas (many honed through live show performances) and forming them into high-quality studio recordings.
With brand new album “Occabot” set for release on November 1 via Rad Cult Records, The Stargazer Lilies re-imagine their previously established heavy stoner-doom/dreamgaze sound, aided by producer Tobacco (aka Tom Fec) of Black Moth Super Rainbow. Those sound manipulations applied to the bands initial compositions and recordings add a level of distortion and “dirt” previously unheard on SGLs previous works.
Opening track “Magenta Sunrise” is introduced via layered, hummed vocals and ceremonial backing textures. Kim's hushed voice begins with the words “darkness falls” among a the slow-moving, reverential swirl. Anyone raised in a religious environment (Midnight Masses/Church pipe-organs) could certainly connect this sound to those reference points, as the track moves towards it's title line. Percussive undercurrents begin with the second verse as the full, explosive effect of voices and walls of sound-washes lift everything to a heightened state, providing the sonic equivalent of watching the morning sunrise from a perfect visual location. 30 seconds or so of de-tuned guitars serve as an interesting coda to it all.
The second song in “Monsters of Your Thought” is one the band has been showcasing live over the last year. Those experiences witnessed moments of explosive ambiance before giving way to John's slightly-warped guitar tones (captured in this clip here ). The nearly 6 minute official album track, however is introduced with those promised “smudges and saturation” provided by producer Tobacco. The live-in-the-studio feel soon commences (especially the sound of the drums) as the warbly horror-movie sonics are joined by Kim's whispered vocals. Structured around a 1-2-3, 1-2-3 waltz time-signature, the vibe is all “Carnival of Souls” haunted Merry-Go-Round. That's not to say they're aren't elements of “gazey bliss” wafting through scratchy thickets of fog, and much of that can be attributed to Kim's rising melody vocal lines. Elements of David Lynch's Julie Cruise/Chromatics/Au Revoir Simone fanaticism creep into this particular track, suggesting it as a possible contender for future inclusions into that off-kilter world. At approximately the 3 minute mark, a particularly “snakedriven” guitar solo emerges along with now more clearly audible bass guitar, leading the final verses out.
The bands heavy, stoner-rock qualities
– so prevalent in their live show – are fully captured here on
third track “Foreverless.” It's still wall-of-sound washes,
however – tempering those traditional low-toned guitar-bass
textures and riffs (so prevalent with “heavy” music) by adding
gazey dreampop elements. Kim's vocals are processed to a point that
begins to resemble Belinda Butcher on My Bloody Valentine's
quintessential “Loveless” tracks. Once again, John steps out
with a solo, this time emphasizing a higher register scale. The
songs distinctive heavy-chugging riff makes it's presence felt one
last time before meeting a clever, studio-enhanced ending.
Elements of MBV-like distorted guitar swells and hushed vocal qualities are further displayed on the five minute mid-point track “Blows My Mind.” Recessed shimmering walls of sound lay a bed for Kim's rising vocal melody, subsequent bass notes and eventual lively crash-can drumming. The noisy, near-shapeless undercurrents are unrelenting while additional melodic vocals layer over top in a slow-motion, dream-like state. A new melody eventually emerges via John's elongated-notes guitar solo, culminating with dive-bombing squall as the other instruments drop out. Kim's synonymous meditation on state of mind (“blows my mind?” “it is my mind? “lost my mind?”) ushers in the tracks thundering conclusion.
Things take another turn, with the band dipping into the weirder end of the pool on “Living Work of Art.” Distant rustlings and buzzy synths are met with tambourine rattle as Kim begins her tale that morphs from single to doubled vocals. Production twists are audibly noticed on word endings that quickly dip and truncate. Brief synth notes momentarily flash across the sound path. Along with all that strangeness is a perceptible bass progression and vocal melody that drives it all along as a fully-structured song. While percussion here is electronic (with hisses and pops over any traditional drums) space is created for another Cep guitar foray over the returning bright tambourine shake. The final 30 sections finds John playing an emotionally stirring guitar refrain that is ultimately swallowed up by a swirling radioactive churn.
Deeper levels of de-tuned and warped sonics usher in the six-and-a-half minute sprawl “Dizzying Heights.” Momentary clean guitar strokes emerge, twanging out basic structure while layered voices create an off-kilter balance between distant high notes and intimate whispers. With basic drums lumbering into motion the hazy vocals morph the word “heights” into alternately sounding like “hearts.” Halfway in, John unleashes yet-another blistering squall of mayhem from his guitar that continues to push the envelope on that instruments capabilities. Voices weave back in for one more pass through before the rushing winds return, leading to a final warbly coda.
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Irregular auditory compositions continue with the seventh track “Let's Kill Time.” While Kim's vocals start immediately, the initial slow crawling undertow is touched by percussive structure once drums and cymbals enter the mix. An instrumental melody-line comes on warped and twisted, like a vinyl album left out in the sun. Creeping forward at a languid pace, whooshing walls of sound blend seamlessly with ghostly voices and rising melodies that peak, then dive before it all ultimately subsides.
The guiding manipulative hand of producer Tobacco – so prevalent throughout this entire album – is most apparent on the introductory minute of final track “Icarus Sun.” As Kim sings the opening lines, what sounds like a mellotron George Martin might have used on The Beatles increasingly experimental recordings shares space with hand-manipulated tape warping. “Someday – I'll be with the one – in the land of the Icarus Sun,” Kim sings – ultimately reaching a desire that “I will dream that my work here is done.” Bright cymbal timekeeping with slow steady drums and rooted bass notes provide the undercurrent for one more extended note guitar foray. As other instruments and effects drop away, a single bass guitar leads the track to fade-out.
Previous features on The Stargazer Lilies can be found on this site HERE - HERE - and HERE.
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Combining dream pop, indie, electronic, industrial, trip hop and alternative rock with soaring, passionate vocals, Canadian musicians Jay Bonaparte (guitarist/songwriter) and Michelle Opthof (vocalist/keyboardist/lyricist) record together as Paragon Cause. Their latest EP “Lies Between Us” was produced by long-time DaveCromwellWrites favorite Sune Rose Wagner of The Raveonettes (with over a decade of his work covered here). This brand new six song EP has Mr. Wagner's instantly recognizable digital fingerprints all over it, while never obscuring Jay and Michelle's dominant creativity.
Opening cut “Someone Else” kicks off the record with an ominous deep synth-bass line and crack-slap electronic percussion. A fuller one-time keyboard stab ushers in rich female vocals declaring “It’s what you get for listening, listening to someone else.” As that initial stabbing keyboard chord returns, buzzing synth countermelodies emerge, ultimately giving way to inverted vocal melody lines stating “Running just to catch on up, No time for trouble now.” The entire effect is an intoxicating blend of modern doomy synth rock (the NIN model that has been updated by the likes of fellow Canadians Odonis Odonis) and storied female-fronted classical rock like Renaissance. That latter reference showing on minor-key vocal hook “time for hesitation” and particularly via the supercharged chorusing on “It's never gonna be enough.” Those impressive vocals also bring to mind Amy Lee's early work with Evanescence.
A more recognizable Sune Rose Wagner groove is instantly felt on the driving 60's-meets-90-s vibed “Save Me.” Nobody delved into the Beach Boys spirit better than The Jesus and Mary Chain did on *their* classic tracks, and Wagner's own legacy in that regard is firmly etched on rock history. Paragon Cause adds their own unique qualities here via poignant lyrical hook “to the place, to the time, where you believed – Your('re) superior” (holding long and impassioned on those final two words). An utterly catchy and beautiful song that would fit splendidly on the soundtrack of any coming-of-age, romantic movie or tv show (much in the same way Sune's The Raveonettes music was perfectly matched for popular mid-2000's dramatic television series “Gossip Girl.”). Reaching the “you cannot save them all – All for nothing” hook serves to unleash a torrent of flashbacks reminding what made nearly every one of Mr. Wagner's songs so special, via instantly recognizable guitar counter-melodies.
A diverse feeling of styles is woven through the structural song components of “Separate Lives.” Against an industrial slap-sizzle percussive beat and shimmering guitar chord progression, female vocals declaring “your never far” come floating in with Stevie Nicks-like urgency. That opening 30 seconds is suddenly met by buzzing, distorted guitars that provide a fuzzy Rave-On backdrop for the lyrical story unfolding. Icy synths shear through the mix as “ separate lives” and “ different ties” point to “what lies between us,” (revealing the album title's source). Speaking about a devolving relationship that goes from “kinder eyes” to “lies . . . changing forms” and how “everyone sees it – when will you?”
Straightforward measured rhythms are offset by half-time counter-melodies on “I Waited.” Vocals come in dramatic fashion, carefully delivering in deep-toned qualities a series of poetic lines seeking answers. “Forgive me for my unbelief” leads to “I can't rely on what I see” further on to “I may not understand nothing.” It all leads to a beat-less interlude of bright-distorted guitar strokes and the vocal declaration that “maybe this time, I'll break the constant” while acknowledging a certain level of “insanity shows through.”
A brief listen-in to the studio recording process (overheard words “you ready to start this?”) kicks off the trip-hop beat for “Kick Me (When I'm Down).” Gentle guitar and synth strings provide rich textured backing for lyrics “wouldn't it be nice if we all played fair.” Those increasingly sumptuous vocals are further enhanced by glistening keyboards, along with a phrasing style that takes everyday words and makes them more musical. For instance “Wouldn't” becomes “hoooodinit” and “absent intentions” becomes “ssssab sint 'tan-chuns” - creatively merging vocals with the swirling sounds around them. Clocking in a over six minutes, this is by far the longest track on this record. With it's twinkling icy shimmer running throughout, elements of The Cure's more epic “Disintegration” tracks come to mind. A nicely textured, lower-toned rhythm guitar enters the mix, adding welcome roughness to it's overall sparkling sheen. “Even with the best of intentions” the repeated musical line goes - “you still kick me when I'm down.”
A back porch, delta-blues, country-vibe permeates final track “Drop Me In.” With sparse toe-tap beat and single hollow-body sounding guitar providing backdrop, sweetly sung female vocals present lyrics stating confidence and hope. The addition of bright tambourine jingle and multi-layered harmonies add composition weight, leading up to a tender mid-point change stating “something's not right, I can feel it.” A gentle finger-picking solo ushers in one more subtle change that asserts “I know you're coming back to me.”
Pick up a copy of this EP in your preferred choice of formats HERE.
A full 12 song LP from this period's combined Sune Rose Wagner sessions will be out in 2020, with the promise of additional collaborations between the band and producer on new recordings following that.
For further background reading, check out this classic Raveonettes album review HERE.
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Emerging out of the UK's growing glam-rock revival scene comes Birmingham's TREMENDOUS. Drawing their influence from the classic 70's era bands like T. Rex, Bowie's Spiders From Mars, Sweet and Slade, the band are now set to release their debut album “Relentless” early next year. Leading up to that has been a series of advance singles, with their latest “Copycat Killer” now available and streaming right here.
The first explosive notes of chugging, crunchy rising guitar chords finds the song-title chorus embedding itself in your ears. “I go outta my head, I go outta my mind” is the initial soulful plea. “Now she's in for the kill, and claws out for mine” lays out a clever feline metaphor. Melding hard-edged guitars with precise pop, the bridge is reached under:30 seconds in with “I bite down on my fear, she climbs my warning sign. Now the cat's out the bag, it's our lives on the line.” More clever cat-related wordplay continues throughout this raucous, good-timey rock song, with the lines “Headlines cry over this milk spiller. With nine lives she's a new shock thriller. Got me chasing my tail and my heart doing time. See this cat's got my tongue and shivers my spine.” A rising chord progression appears behind the chorus in the final :15 seconds that leads into a crisp chunky chord punctuated ending.
The track will be fully available on all the popular streaming services like iTunes and Spotify starting on November 22nd.
Keep up with TREMENDOUS on all their social media outlets here:
New York City's Pontus Gunve is an accomplished musician, producer, film score composer and large scale art project sound designer. Originally from Sweden, he has been releasing instrumental music as PHWG for over a decade now. With three full albums and a live EP under his belt, his latest work “Black Hole BBQ” has just been released and is now available to the public.
The ambitious and sprawling nearly 13 minute opening track “Shelagh's Quest” (with brief sci-fi story spelling out both the song's and overall album titles meaning in opening frame text) quickly morphs from outer space ambiance to precise guitar riffing and the eastern-style percussion of tablas that has become this artists signature sound. More traditional classical instruments like Cello enters the mix , providing a momentary interlude before PG's sinewy riff emerges once again. At two minutes in, a new melody arrives, adding a circular keyboard line syncopated against an additional guitar figure before drummer Tripp Dudley is showcased. With that an entire rhythmic shift occurs emphasizing muscular trap-kit percussion and heavy metal riffing. It's a glorious section of prog-rock at it's finest, with PG taking solo flight in emulation of role model Steve Vai.
Eric Allen's Cello is formally introduced allowing for that classical musician's momentary star turn. As the pace quickens, PG shows his dual level of guitar work, first the soling, then visual cuts to equally important rhythm guitar work. Splitting the screen into 4 panels, attention is focused on the precise interplay of drums, cello and the two levels of guitars. This incredible quality of prog-rock brings to mind the deep dive done on this site into the similarly accomplished TAUK (which can be found here).
After 5 minutes a softer instrumental interlude is attained with Katie Thode's flute surfacing for both video and audio recognition. Crunchy guitar chords and busy synth lines join the fray, with Modular Synth specialist Ian O'Brien now receiving spotlight attention. Thematic outer-space imagery is intertwined with live on stage footage, allowing for bassist Chris Kelly's ephemeral nod. A significant movement commences with approximately 4 minutes remaining, emphasizing seamless transitions in both audio and visual imagery. The final minutes combine all that has previously transpired here in rapid-fire fashion for a gloriously lavish conclusion.
Ever since it was announced that Sune Rose Wagner would be returning to New York to live and work, the goal to conduct an up close and personal face-to-face catch-up interview with the man became an accessible reality. The long-time Raveonettes visionary has recently re-branded himself by dropping his last name, presenting new works as simply Sune Rose.
Arranging a time and location for an early Tuesday afternoon, I met up with Sune at his favorite local cafe in New York City's Chelsea neighborhood (Le Pain Quotidien on 7th Avenue) on one of those extremely hot and humid days we've been having for the entire month of August.
D: So, why the move back to New York, after all that time in Los Angeles? Sune: I know – it's a really good question. I believe I have what's called 'seasonal affective disorder' – but in reverse. Meaning that – most people get depressed if it's too grey or when the days are too short. But I have the opposite where I get depressed if every day is always bright and sunny out. D: Well you are from Denmark and were raised in cooler climates where seasonal changes occur through the year.
S: Yes, I very much like seasons and the feeling that the year is rolling, and that can be a big blow when it's Christmas and it's hot out like this. The whole palm tree Christmas can be a bit confusing. So that was one of the reasons for the change. Another reason was that I do have a lot of old friends here that I missed and wanted to reconnect with them. But to be quite honest with you, I'm not completely enjoying the move, and I don't see myself living here for a very long time.
D: Were some of the reasons for the change so you could get involved in different aspects of music? Perhaps other opportunities for more production work, radio, tv, film or things like that?
S: Everytime I make a move I hope and assume that there will be other people you can meet and other jobs becoming available – and maybe other people that can inspire you.
D: I understand you had been doing a bit of acting recently. Tell me about this work you've done for Kansas Bowling and a film called “Cuddly Toys.”
S: Kansas is a girl that I met right before I left LA. I wish I had known her for all the years that I was there, but unfortunately I only met her a few months before I left. She's a young budding actress, screenwriter and film director. I have no doubt that she is going to be huge one day.
D: Has the film come out yet?
S: I think she's still working on it. I wrote a song for the movie for a Russian young woman who is also in the movie named Sasha. Independent from this film, I'm also writing songs with Sasha right now.
D: There's been a number of in-progress posts covering this activity on your Instagram account.
D: Are those clips and pictures from your studio?
S: Yes, that's my home recording studio. That's where I do everything.
D: I did some research on Sasha Belyaeva and see that she's interested in numbers and economics, along with being an accomplished violinist.
S: She's a great violin and piano player and a really good singer too.
D: And you are currently co-writing material with her?
S: Yes, we have quite a few now. There's no target date for releasing any of these at this time as of yet, however. We want to make sure we like a specific song first. She also travels a lot working as a model, and is presently back home in Russia visiting her parents.
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D: Anyone who has followed your career is aware of the inspiration American “Beat Generation” writer Jack Kerouac has provided you. Have you read all of his books?
S: Actually, no. I still to this day have never read his very first book “The Town And The City.” I've read all the others, though.
S: One way that I used to draw inspiration from him was, I would have a pen and paper next to me, and every time there was a word or sentence – or something that evoked some kind of imagery in me - I would just write it down. I would just take notes, and before I knew it I had multiple papers laid out. Sometimes small sentences and sometimes just single words that would lead to emotional reactions that would start an avalanche of writing. I still do that to this very day. That's how I write lyrics. I need words to set everything into motion.
D: The first song you released is “Ambush,” and I see you have a fuller video to go along with the lyric one you initially put out.
S: I didn't really mean to do it, but it evolved out of something else. The day before I left Los Angeles it was one of those rare days in California when it rains. I remember waking up and thinking that I need some press photos and didn't want to repeat the beach shots we did with "Peahi." I wanted to do the pictures within the hour and I called up the photographer we always use, Ashlie Chavez.
S: I said can you meet me downtown somewhere and shoot some photos in the rain – that's my biggest dream. She agreed to meet and said she knew a great roof we could shoot them on. As I was driving in I thought maybe she can shoot some clips of me singing or walking around. If you look close at the video, in the first verse I'm standing up against the wall in the hallway of the hotel miming along with the words, but it took us 100 takes to get it somewhat right.
D: That's cool. Well, as a writer and reviewer I'm a big fan of lyric videos for the obvious reason of having the words in front of me. I don't have to ask for them or try to figure them out myself.
D: You recently announced a “new single and lyric video coming soon” and that “it's gonna get noisy.” Is that going to be a real guitar heavy song?
S: Yes, for sure! I shot another lyric video up in Nyack for this next single “After All,” and the mastered audio from Sterling Sound is now complete, so we will be releasing that soon.
S: It's very much way more of a Raveonettes type of song. That is kind of the style that I write. The response so far has been very positive, from all the PR and management people, Scott – are all absolutely loving it. So, I think this will really resonate with people a lot more and I think they will say – oh, great! We thought he was just going to start releasing some weird synthy stuff, but hey – this is going to be interesting. Now we can't wait to see what he's going to do next.
D: Right. Because the final track on your last album (the Atomizer collection) - “Pendejo” was a weird, synthy, long, instrumental, swirling – almost film score music.
S: One of my best friends Johnny was with me up in wine country and he speaks Mexican slang with all his buddies working in the hotel industry. At one point he just said flat out, why don't you do a 12 minute instrumental song called “Pendejo.” Two days after, I sent him the version that appears on the record, I didn't change anything. And I said “oh, you mean like this?” - and he was laughing, he didn't think I would do it. So we actually have him to thank for that.
D: What's great about the video that goes along with it is you use this image of Jack Kerouac in his football uniform from his time at Columbia University. Which is a photo of him that wasn't all that commonly known. And you alter it so that it moves, with this shaky effect. Were you involved in the video creation of that?
S: Yeah, yeah – I do everything – every single thing. It's hard for me to give that control away because – first off – I have ideas that are hard to explain. And I don't want to spend unnecessary time and resources on going back and forth with these things. I want to work quickly and I've taught myself how to use these programs for that very reason – how to make videos and how to do all that stuff. When I have an idea I just want to sit down and make it. Because that's the last thing I want to spend my time on. I want to focus on the music rather than spend two weeks with someone making a video. I've tried that before and the videos never turned out the way I wanted them to.
D: Sure. Or, they're these beautiful works of art that stand apart, in a way, from the actual song. I'm thinking of the video for “Heart Of Stone.”
S: Oh, yes! Well, there were two, because “Heart Of Stone” was almost like a steam-punk thing – but then there was the song “Black and White” which was very beautifully done with back and white animation – that one I was really crazy about.
S: It almost looked like a Tim Burton film, so it definitely can be done. You have to remember that whoever they hired to do that video was extremely good, but they also had the money to do it because it was for a Gap campaign. Now when you are financing everything yourself, I don't want to spend all my money on that, I'd rather buy a new guitar.
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D: Recently you produced an album for the band Gateway Drugs. Has that been released yet?
S: No, I'm actually mixing it right now.
D: I believe a number of the band members are children of a musician who enjoyed a level of success, correct?
S: Yes, two brothers and a sister – Gabe, Noa and Liv. They're the children of Prescott Niles who was The Knack's bassplayer and responsible for that famous “My Sharona” riff. The band used that actual bass to record the stuff I'm working on now.
D: You've done a whole album with them? How deeply where you involved in the recording?
S: We did ten songs. As their producer I would make suggestions for their arrangements and to make sure they got their best performance. I had ideas for backing vocals and extra guitar lines where I would say “why don't you go in and try something like this” just to make sure we had everything. It's easier to have too much than too little. I don't want to sit in the mixing process and all of the sudden go 'damn I wish we would have done those harmonies on the second chorus.'
S: So we try to do as much as we can, and then we can start muting stuff – and get into what we actually need. It the same thing when I write for myself. I just do it, and then eventually I'll just start muting things and say "well, what do I actually need?”
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D: Beginning with your 5th full-length studio album “Raven in the Grave,” you began including lyrical stories of recurring historical themes touching on war and combat. What is your fascination with World War II, Hawaii and the devastating effects of chemicals like Napalm?
S: I just have a fascination with war overall, both past and present. I think World War II can sometimes be glamorized a bit too much.
D: I think all wars are glamorized too much, especially from a literary point of view – where there is a tendency to smooth over how awful in reality it actually is.
S: Yes, of course. What fascinates me about it as it relates to music is the juxtaposition of evil and beauty. Pearl Harbor is a great example of that. If you sometimes look at a picture of the Pearl Harbor bombings, you'll see palm trees in the foreground and the sun is shining – it's all very idyllic – its very exotic - and in the background you have this massive theater of destruction. That always interested me in how it was very strange you could actually have that, whereas other wars don't have that.
S: If you look at the war in Bosnia-Herzegovina – the old Yugoslavia, it's just misery all around. All wars are misery, don't get me wrong, it's just that the scenery can be very different. Look at the Atom bomb and the trinity testing on bikini island. If you look at that photo and scan it from bottom up you see a beautiful beach with little tree huts, palm trees, nice clear water and then suddenly this huge mushroom cloud – and you say “what's wrong with this picture?!”
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D: I see that you and Richard Gottehrer have been doing other things together recently, like going to an archery range. How did that all come about?
S: A couple of weekends ago I visited him up in Nyack - it was his wife's birthday, and we drove down to New Jersey to do some archery.
D: Had you ever done it before, and how did you do at it?
S: I had never done it before and actually did pretty good but I got a little bored of it. For me it's like bowling and golfing, which I see as similar activities.
D: I know that in your early years you were very into tennis in your home country of Denmark. You appeared to be on that “tennis track” of going to tennis camps and schools, and basicially were being groomed to go pro.
S: Yes, I got very good at it. I actually was suppose to go pro, but my mom wanted me to go to school and finish my education, so I wound up doing that instead which put a stop on the tennis.
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D: You recently posted about producing a track by an artist named Casssie Gaffaney. What is that all about?
S: We did that one in Los Angeles, actually. I believe Richard Gottehrer found her and asked if I could do a song with her. So I looked at the list of songs available and chose Bruce Springsteen's “I'm On Fire,” which is one I've always liked. It's a very stripped down version that allows for emphasis on her very cool voice. I did the backing track and she came in and sang on it.
(and check out the unmistakable Sune Rose guitar sound on it)
D: So, these songs are basically being released one at a time, and the primary motivation for presenting these songs to the world reverts back to the vocalists?
S: Yes. Each one at a time. I currently have a track ready to go for The Knack song “My Sharona,” if we can find someone to sing on that.
D: Is this primarily a Richard Gottehrer project?
S: There are different people involved. I've done two now and have a third one ready to go. When Richard does a song with people then he is producing those songs, yes.
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For further reading on the work of Sune Rose, check out this full track-by-track review of all 12 “Atomized” songs.
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, Spin and Rolling Stone magazines.
