The Big Takeover

If you have the impression of Frank Joshua as a maker of dreamscape, ambient-infused indie music, often with more than a hint of wistfulness and perhaps even melancholy- and that is a fair impression to have- ‘Almost’ comes as an interesting and exciting development.

Tom Minor’s songs might often seem like they come from a similar place to Chas ‘n’ Dave’s cheeky-chappery, but that would be to miss the wonderful depths that the lyrics explore, not to mention a subtle sophistication running through the music itself. Yes, the music is often light, addictive and sparky…although I would argue leaning more towards The Kinks Village Green era than Messrs. Hodges and Peacocks’ mockney marvels… but there is always a lot more going on than would first seem.

I love the fact that Leathers have fallen into a (seemingly at least) fairly simple (though not simplistic) sound and managed to get so much mileage out of it. And that is no way a criticism; in fact, it is the ultimate compliment. That they can take a guitar-and-drums, occasionally keyboard-infused, garage-punk rock ‘n’ soul sound and rearrange those elements into not only so many songs, but songs that all have their own personality, is a testament to their songwriting and arrangement skills.

Rock music often casts itself as the rebellious outsider, the mysterious stranger from the wrong side of the tracks; bands that make such music like to be seen as something that stands in opposition to everything that defines the mainstream.

As the opener and lead single from Sky Is Alright’s first album in five years, FINITE, ‘Summer In Galt’ is a great reminder of what we have been missing while they have been away from the sonic fray. And what they return with is an album full of life, loss, and friendship in all its vulnerable, authentic, and honest glory, woven both through its actual songs and into the fabric of the lives of those who created it.

“Old goths never die..” that’s what we used to say back in the day. And it is true; the echo of their music can still be found in the most unlike parts of modern music. And while ‘Take It or Leave It’ is undoubtedly a song sitting at the cutting edge of modern alt-pop, the sounds that it is woven from feel like the friendly sonic ghosts of earlier times as much as forward-thinking freshness.

If you ever wondered what the incidental music would sound like as you watched The Man With No Name ride through a blasted post-apocalyptic scrubland into the glare of a nuclear sunset on an undead horse, ‘Bourbon,’ the new one from Los Tres Mortales, would be a close fit. Okay, that’s just me being a bit hyperbolic and rhetorical with my words, as the song’s narrative seems to be more about the timeless, real-world evils of the demon drink, which I guess is obvious from the title.

While modern bands present their music to the listener in the form of a song, there is, or at least there should be, much more going on than just a tune and some words. The word song is at best a placeholder, a shorthand for… well, anything from a vibe, a feeling, and an understanding to complete immersion in a sonic otherworld. And all such elements are certainly in play with Lost Velvet’s long-awaited debut album, Dark Cells.

In 1995, King Crimson resurrected itself once again and released an album called THRAK. The eighties version featuring singer/guitarist Adrian Belew, bassist/stick player Tony Levin, drummer Bill Bruford, and guitarist/leader Robert Fripp folded in touch guitarist Trey Gunn and drummer Pat Mastelloto (both from the touring band for Fripp’s album with David Sylvain) for a “double trio” configuration that made an album unlike any other Crimson had created.

As the sonic threads of ‘Nightblooming’ gather and grow, brood and bind, you can’t help but await that shimmering sonic explosion, that glorious sonic release which has always been a signature move of the shoegaze sound. And just before the tension begins to feel too much, boom, there it is: sonic shards and chiming shrapnel exploding all over the listener’s conscience, both exciting and reassuring.