Josh Graham has long been a leading light in underground art and music. Highly influential as a musician, graphic designer, and live show art designer, when you are able to walk in this many wolds and do so with authority, you are bound to make as many champions as you are detractors. Josh’s talent is not up for debate, however, as his body of work already is admirable and lasting. With A Storm of Light, most of these releases are noteworthy, but none of the previous albums may make an impact the way the new album Anthroscene (Consouling Sounds/Translation Loss) will.
Encompassing feelings of anxiety, dread, existential panic, and hostility, Anthroscene lets it all hang out from the first note and through every single lyric. Starting out with rationale and devolving into a harbinger’s call of “we are basically all fucked forever” the way George Carlin used to do, the album makes a thorough analysis of the current Geo-political landscape. Specifically addressing America under Trumpism, but also applicable to Brexit, and really any industrialized nation where the all mighty dollar takes precedence of basic human needs, you have a scathing indictment of our leaders. This is an evisceration, but instead of Barney Greenway, or Justin Broderick burning up flags and institutional learning facilities, Graham calmly delivers a verbal carpet bombing. No matter where you fall on the spectrum of left, right or centrist, the bleakness of the facts are undeniable.
As for the music, these songs are some of the grooviest and beat-heavy straight ahead songs ASOL has ever made. Less concerned with being complex, there are some bangers and very deep layers on all the tracks. Some of the best songs include ‘Prime Time’, ‘Blackout’, ‘Life Will Be Violent’, ‘Slow Motion Apocalypse’, ‘Dim’, and ‘Rosebud’. There is an epic quality to some of these tracks too.
A Storm of Light has often turned to abstract themes and obtuse meanings in their songs in the past. Not this time. Turing the to the larger struggle we all have when we place our bets in a future that is tenuous, to say the least, you have some compelling themes we can all understand.
8.0/10
KEITH CHACHKES