Mary and The Ram – Eclipse
I remember getting the early Birthday Party and Bad Seeds records and being blown away. To be honest, at that stage in my life, the music and lyrics were of secondary interest. I was amazed that a group of people wielding instruments like people who’d just learned to operate them in the minutes prior to hitting “record“, could sound so genuinely mentally disturbed. Those were some of my favorite records.
I read interviews with Nick Cave and was surprised to learn of his life-long passion for the Scriptures. It took me a long time to understand that, at least, part of his fascination with the Good Book, did not lie in questions of faith, but rather in an interest with Biblical violence.
The end result is music that sounds as if it was made by a murderer with a clear conscience. The same can be said of Mary and The Ram’s Eclipse. It’s poetic post-punk created by people that you would expect to walk around with saint relics and a hunting knife.
Sweetheart in Dutch – Dark Clouds
Genre: Post-Punk, Experimental Electronic, Synthwave
There was a time when Suicide, the band, used to swing metal chains inside of the small, lonely NYC clubs that they played in. They were terrifying both sonically and in person. Their debut album is both enchanting and, at times, strongly unlistenable. Music that is strikingly confrontational is highly needed.
For all their pretend cynicism, rock stars are, usually, in the business of being liked. Yes, many of them may be gunning for the anti-hero job. But, don’t make the mistake of thinking that they have no idea of what their current account looks like, who their friends in the business are, or that they are uninterested in whether their next album will do well.
Sweetheart in Dutch’s Dark Clouds is refreshingly devoid of a desire to please the crowds or make believers out of the masses. The synth sound that offers the basis for the tune constantly feels like someone pushing you back and forth. The vocals are untrained and punchy. The hooks are unrefined, yet unmistakable. New music by people who don’t care about being your friends.
