INDIEVOTION RATING: 9/10
Friday, October 23, 2020
Sunday, October 18, 2020
Friday, October 16, 2020
J. Graves: In between Marathon and Deathbed EP.
I remember to have accidentally stumbled into J. Graves debut full-length "Marathon" by late September 2019. It happened the same way just like when I discovered Joy Division "Closer", Siouxsie and The Banshees "Kiss in The Dreamhouse", The Cure "Pornography", The Psychedelic Furs "Talk, Talk, Talk", The Church "Heyday" or Husker Du "Candy Apple Grey" just to mention a few examples. I was struck by the front cover aesthetics before listening the music and that would later prove to be an absolute spot on intuition.
"Marathon" still remains an excellent, angry, exercise of infectious, addictive, raw intensity from the opening track to the very end. A fantastic debut, a catharsis of anxieties through poetry, propulsive rhythm section and a soulful, impressive, hypnotic guitar.
A year after "Marathon" was released, J. Graves shared with the world her "Deathbed" EP which turns out to be another exquisite gem. J. Graves brings back to mind the likes of the Au Pairs, the Gang of Four, Siouxsie and The Banshees but also Sleater Kinney, P. J. Harvey, Interpol or Metric. From a certain point of view J. Graves blends some of these more notorious influences and builds a sonic aesthetic that brings past and present together and manages to revisit revise and somehow contribute to reinvent post punk, a genre that always had a dancing seed glowing in the dark.
In this new release J. Graves genuinely renews her invitation to dance, run and jump pushing the listener into the exorcism of the inner demons, a therapeutic healing of modern existential anxieties that go entirely in line with the sonic aesthetic displayed in her debut album.
The four tracks that are part of the new EP not only reinforce the main features and influences that were already present on her previous work but perfect them in a way that undoubtedly makes the Deathbed EP one of the most hautingly breathtaking releases so far this year.
The permanent call to dance, the restless strummed guitar always pushing forward like a locomotive accompanied by Aaron MacDonald's electrifying shuffling drums and some highly corrosive, vicious bass lines made by Kelly Clifton that give a sonic grandeur to the overall sound that work as the perfect support for Jessa's magnificent vocals song after song that make J. Graves one of the greatest and most stimulating artists one can find these days.
INDIEVOTION RATING: 9/10
Saturday, October 10, 2020
Funeral Lakes: Golden Season EP (2020) Review
I remember to have received a music submission in my e-mail on New Year's Eve 2019 from a Toronto-based duo Funeral Lakes consisting of Chris Hemer and Sam Mishos. I've found their submission quite a coincidence since I had them under the radar for sometime but due to reasons unknown ended up not reviewing
their seductive, socially provocative, dreamy, dark and much acclaimed debut album.
Funeral Lakes offer the listener a sonic aesthetic that ranges from indie-folk to indie-punk and folk rock which quite inevitably bring to mind Typhoon's "White Lighter" album as well as Arcade Fire namely their 2003 eponymous EP and "Funeral" album but one can also spot some Neil Young, Talking Heads, Bikini Kill and Airborne Toxic Event.
Last month the band released their new album, a three song EP of electrifying, politically committed music wrapped up with some of the finest lyrics one can find.
The EP opens with the sophisticated indie folk piece that is Eternal Return. The song is some sort of slow burner that keeps a moderate pace until it grows into a final catharsis illustrative of the ongoing frustration of the state of contemporary politics which leads to Earth Falls the undeniable hit song the EP delivering some vicious keyboard retro sounds, steady rhythm section, addictive bass line and sweet vocals that blend awesomely with the collapse of the world as we supposedly know it along with the inevitable destruction of Earth's ecosystem but before we're irrevocably doomed and everything falls apart there is still time for the tempestuous, high energetic,
undisguised anger of Power Trip the closing song of Golden Season EP. This is song could easily become a punk anthem fuelled by the great enraged vocals and the impassioned frenetic guitars.
In overall Golden Season turns out to be one of the most enjoyable, relevant EPs of the year with three masterfully crafted songs. Very well done!
INDIEVOTION RATING: 8/10
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)