There’s something romantic and cinematic about adopted New Jersey (via Norway) songwriter Luke Elliot’s third album, Let ‘em All Talk (Icons Creating Evil Art) over and above the wistful storytelling. ‘I (Who Have Nothing)’, all film-noir meets spaghetti western vibes with its orchestral flecks, feels torn from an as-yet-unwritten Tarrantino follow-up to Django Unchained, or perhaps the lead single to the debuting next James Bond, while ‘William Tell’ could have been one of the musical interludes from Black Mariah’s club in Luke Cage (Netflix version).
Elsewhere ‘What It Is’ and our title track are easy-listening darker pop, piano and vocal-led, shuffling soft percussion, ‘It Won’t Hurt Soon (But It Sure Hurts Now)’ has steel-guitar peels kissing its soothing broken-heart, ‘Close With You’ has its soft pads, electronic sub-beats and dark croons, and reflective, stirring, closer ‘When The Great Ship Went Down’ all prove that Elliot is at his best when he’s telling bourbon-laden reflections and tales. There’s an earnestness to his melancholic reflections as the influence of great musical story-tellers Springsteen, Dylan, and Cave shines through.
There’s an ease and an honesty to these contemplations – ‘Someday My Man Is Gonna Come’ suits the soft, yet captivating central vocal – and Elliot continues to hold attention while matching the musical backing to the tale to be told, all while retaining a soundtrack feel. Dark Americana, alternative crooner, melancholic songwriter… call it what you will, just Let ‘em All Talk about Luke Elliot’s interesting and evocative new album.
8 / 10
Buy the album here:
https://www.facebook.com/lukeelliotmusic
There is a danger of overshadowing that which follows when you open your album with such an excellent song as The Intersphere do with the title track to Wanderer (Odyssey), a song that encases an immersive chorus with crashing chords and guitar motifs not a million miles from Coheed and Cambria. So, while the start is so strong it sets up an expectation and it takes a listen or two to appreciate the laid-back blues rock of ‘Bulletproof’, or the funky pop-rock of ‘Who Likes To Deal With Death’, Wanderer’s other tracks definitely more than hold their own.
While labelled as Progressive Rock, The Intersphere wear those clothes, in the same way, Steven Wilson does these days, and there is plenty of contemporary pop-rock as the album progresses; ‘Treasure Chest’ is breezy as Christoph Hessler effortlessly carries the melodies, while ‘Under Water’ plays around with a reflective guitar pattern and chorus. Added to the pop sensibilities, as with the opener and the cascading surge of ‘Always On The Run’, it is on tracks like ‘A La Carte’ when Intersphere feel at their best; a release of distortion and techy licks in the guitars, control of the dynamics and the musical story of the song, all with Moritz Mueller impressing on drums, mastering the push and pull (I’m sure there are definitely hints of Mike Portnoy in there).
With an album covering the bases from prog pop to rockier fare, Wanderer more than builds on Intersphere’s already well-established reputation.
7 / 10
Buy the album here:
https://www.theintersphere.com/shop/
Now then, now then… it must be said, the debut album from Australian trio Oceanlord, Kingdom Cold (Magnetic Eye) is one cool release, if you’ll pardon the pun.
Oh, there are plenty of doomy tropes – the fuzzed bass, the languid pace, and the gorgeous use of repetition… oh, such glorious trance-like repetition… while Peter Wilmott’s proto-metal vocals tell tales of dread and horrors, with ‘2340’ in particularly cleverly put together with the lyrics and vocal upfront and a narrative unfurling like the tortured mind of someone far too long at sea, vocal melodies and tones reminiscent of the much missed Eric Wagner… But where Kingdom Cold comes away from the aching arms of doom is in that it never relies on heaviness or stock riffs to take us into the void. Indeed there is a lovely psych and seventies cleanliness and retro feel that keeps their sound fresh, despite there being quite the downer tinge to their overall approach. All in, it’s a combination that really works for them and promises much for the future.
‘Isle of the Dead’ makes exceptional use of a (dis)chord sequence that many a Nordic blackened horde would burn churches for, dramatic, stately and menacing, crashing over a persistent, bass-stalk provided by Jason Ker in a mesmeric eight-minute tale. The pay-offs from Oceanlord are cleverly unveiled – they never succumb to a drop-and-give-me-‘Children of the Grave’ mentality, instead, succeed with the power in the tension of a story that doesn’t have a happy ending. ‘Come Home’ drifts off via a drenched solo and our boat sails off into the horizon, not to be seen again… The art of storytelling is alive and well in our new doom brethren, it would seem, with Oceanlord weaving a series of narratives that are told both through the lyrics and the music with impressive craft.
8 / 10
Buy the album here:
https://oceanlord.bandcamp.com/album/kingdom-cold
With guitarist/vocalist Darran Charles often hanging in the same registers and delivery styles of Myles Kennedy, and Godsticks further marching into heavier territory at times, sixth album This Is What A Winner Looks Like (Kscope) plays on the fact that Godsticks can deliver an interesting song without having to rely on being formulaic.
They do this by retaining the nimble six-fingered technical excellence they have been renowned for, licks and guitar interplay helter-skeltering, and through Dan Nelson (bass) and, especially Tom Price (drums) being put through their paces (and winning) to keep up with the intricacies of the timings and pushes and pulls as the album marries progressive tempos and timings, with dark rock and dramatic vocals.
‘Eliminate And Repair’ channels some Rushian spirals in it’s revolving coda,‘This Is My New Normal’ brings to mind the underrated and much missed Arcane, ‘Mayhem’ lurches through a series of enticing staccato metallic rhythms (as does the cool middle section to closer ‘Wake Up’), while opener ‘If I Don’t Take It All’ simplifies things appropriately, playing the role of a more straightforward lead off track to entice the willing, proving Godstick’s best trick is delivering all of their wares in bite-size, palatable length packages that dance and play around in a wide-pool without straying too far from the shore to become lost.
Able to be technical and progressive without ever straying into indulgence, there is a carefulness and earnest nature to their art that serves Godsticks well, and that doesn’t lose sight of being accessible to their audience.
7 / 10
Buy the album here:
https://godsticks.lnk.to/winner
STEVE TOVEY