NToM #39
French noir, Chicago post-punk, Finnish synthwave nostalgia, and Icelandic fire this week.
A couple of heavy hitters to start this week along with some slick synth-pop to follow.
Click on the album titles below to add them to your collection:
New Album
Jehnny Beth – You Heartbreaker, You, I See Your Pain
Top Tracks – Broken Rib, Out Of My Reach
Genre – Alternative/Indie, Noir‑Pop
My take – On this second solo outing, Jehnny Beth carries forward the sound I fell in love with when she was fronting Savages and has added some new elements. Think Siouxsie Sioux mixed with Marilyn Manson and Nine Inch Nails. This one comes at you right from the start and does not let up.
New Album
Ganser – Animal Hospital
Top Tracks – Dig Until I Reach the Moon, Lounger,
Genre – Post‑Punk, Indie Rock
My take – Chicago’s Ganser with their third-full length comes out swinging with Black Sand but then Stripe softens the tension with a pulsing bass and ambient haze. The album continues to swing back and forth like this, highlighting different energies throughout. Dig Until I Reach The Moon feels like a lost Radiohead track, as an example.
New (to me) Album
Liima – 1982
Top Tracks – 1982, Life is Dangerous, My Mind Is Yours
Genre – Synthwave, Dream Pop, Electronica
My take – Liima is a side project for Finnish alt/indie group Efterklang adding Finnish jazz drummer Tatu Ronkko. This is their second LP and the more polished of the two, which is no slight to the first. Dark and moody, it is definitely reminiscent of 80’s synth-pop with an interesting rhythm section that is worth paying attention to.
New (to me) Album
Mammút - Ride the Fire
Top Tracks – Solomon, Pow Pow, Forever on Your Mind, Still Like a Mountain
Genre – Alt‑Rock, Post‑Rock, Indie
My take – This one ebbs and flows like the tide with waves crashing down on a cold, rocky Icelandic beach. There is a weight and heft to this album, blending throbbing beats, synths and guitars in unique ways. It’s as if Bat for Lashes recruited Björk to make an exceptional album with PJ Harvey dropping in to produce a track or two. I had trouble narrowing down the number of tracks to highlight, which is always a good sign. If you like this one, there is a back catalog to go through too.
That’s the run for this week: cabaret’s confrontation, post-punk’s tension, synth-washed reverie, and untamed indie epic. Four portals, one issue.
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