Seminal shoegaze titans Slowdive return with their first single in six years, “kisses”.
Compared to genre contemporaries, Slowdive has remained one of the more active groups from the 90s shoegaze explosion. While their last release came in the form of 2017’s self-titled record, the band has actively continued delivering their signature combination of psychedelia and pop simplicity across festival circuits worldwide. While their live presence has ensured that listeners new and old appreciate the quality of back-catalogue staples Just For A Day and Souvlaki, material from their self-titled record has certainly found a home and resonated amongst their classic material. Set to release their fifth album Everything Is Alive on September 1, “kisses” serves as our first sampling of what Slowdive has to offer after 34 years. How does “kisses” stack up? “kisses” has more in common with modern-day adaptations of shoegaze/dream pop than the hazy gauze of “40 Days” or “Celia’s Dream”. The production of “kisses” is noticeably clean and easy to decipher, similar to current dream pop heavyweights Alvvays’ 2017 record Antisocialites. It’s interesting to consider how music that exhibits clear inspiration from Slowdive’s back catalog has seemingly informed the sound of “kisses”, right down to the tightly-knit and hook-centric style present on a variety of Japanese Breakfast albums. While “kisses” may very well be an example of Slowdive shifting their sound to hold its own in a modern context, this shouldn’t come as a surprise. “Sugar for the Pill” served as the lead single from Slowdive, featuring a production style and song structure far less abstract than the record that preceded it (1995’s Pygmalion). That said, “kisses” is the direct successor of “Sugar for the Pill”, as Slowdive continues their quest to create the perfect contemporary dream pop single. While this may not be the easiest race for Slowdive to run, they certainly make a valiant effort. The highlight of “kisses” is hearing Neil Halstead and Rachel Goswell’s sublimely excellent vocal harmonies throughout, in keeping with what is to be expected from a Slowdive release. Apart from that, the overtly lush and oftentimes grandiose instrumentation of past Slowdive projects is traded in for an instrumental that feels a bit barren and pedestrian. In totality, “kisses” does have enjoyable aspects to it, but no defining factor to inspire unadulterated love or distaste for it. That said, Everything Is Alive remains a much-anticipated release from a legendary band. Pre-order information and tour dates are available here Have thoughts on “kisses”?! Let us know in the comments!
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On their debut album, San Jose’s own Sunami offers up 17-minutes of no frills beatdown hardcore.
Since the release of 2019’s Demonstration, Sunami have developed themselves as one of the most excessively aggressive and overtly confrontational bands active today. Releasing their self-titled EP the following year, Sunami furthered the idea that the mission statement of their music is to provoke, be heavy, and throw in some well-placed humor along the way. Their much anticipated debut album (also self-titled) is their lengthiest offering to date, though not overstaying its welcome with a 17-minute runtime. That said, keeping things brief only fuels Sunami to push out the most immediate and essential traits of their hardened edge. From the opening moments of “Y.S.A.B.”, SUNAMI establishes itself as a record that relies on its rhythmic emphasis to grab listeners. While the spitfire vocal delivery of Josef Alfonso adds to the intensity of SUNAMI, this record is chock full of riffs and groove that will keep return listens frequent. “Dirty Work” and “10 Toes Down” are fantastic cuts to keep the record moving with unadulterated weight and intensity, which is integral for a release on the shorter side. This is a truth that Sunami recognizes, as the album succeeds at keeping the energy level high throughout. The frantic nature of “No Heart” flies by, but ensures that its lasting effects are felt before moving into a new version of “Six”, a cut from their 2022 promo tape. The re-recordings of “Six” and fan-favorite “Contempt of Cop” demonstrate Sunami’s maturity into a tight-knit musical force, as they are performed with a heightened sense of precision here when compared to their original releases. If anything, featuring these cuts on a cohesive album heightens the impact made by them. After a run of multiple single and EP releases, being armed with a full album (released by Triple B Records) cements Sunami’s space in modern hardcore. For fans of Death Threat & Merauder, Sunami offers a semi-caricatured take on a time tested sound. 7/10 Favorite Tracks: “Dirty Work”, “10 Toes Down”, “Defraud” Listen here. Photo Credit: Matt Crockett
On Council Skies, Noel Gallagher’s classically abstract and emotional delivery is present; though few and far between. It’s been six years since Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds have released their last full-length album, 2017’s Who Built The Moon. Within that time, Gallagher’s High Flying Birds have continued to soldier on; touring with The Smashing Pumpkins in 2019 and currently gearing up for a summer tour with alternative titans, Garbage. Commonly known as the creative visionary behind Oasis, Gallagher is responsible for solely writing two of the biggest records of the 90s Britpop movement: 1994’s Definitely Maybe and 1995’s (What’s The Story) Morning Glory?. Penning an album’s worth of brilliant b-sides that would go on to be released as The Masterplan, Gallagher established himself as a fantastic songwriter that knew how to get his emotions across in an engaging and concise manner. Listening to Council Skies, it is apparent that Gallagher still possesses the same level of vulnerability and charm that made Oasis classics such as “Don’t Look Back In Anger” and “Half The World Away” what they were. For example, “Trying To Find A World That’s Been And Gone Pt. 1”, largely based around just Gallagher’s voice and guitar, sees him offering listeners insight into a personal relationship: “You give me the will to carry on / In a place where I belong / As we try to find a world that's been and gone”. The simplicity of Gallagher’s lyric is highlighted by the apparent sincerity of his delivery and accented by a tasteful string section’s entrance. No stranger to crafting minimalistic tunes that pack an emotional punch (see Oasis’ “Talk Tonight”), “Trying To Find A World That’s Been And Gone Pt. 1” serves as a fantastic modern example that Gallagher can still deliver the goods. Brilliantly, Gallagher exhibits the same sense of warmth and earnest quality on the following track, “Easy Now”. This time around, the High Flying Birds accompany Gallagher: providing a tasteful accompaniment to Gallagher’s delicate-yet-gripping performance. “I'll be there / I'll wait for you I swear / Your destination comes without a fare” is what Gallagher decrees to close out the chorus of “Easy Now”, followed by a triumphant guitar solo that acts as the centerpiece of the tune. When it comes to modern day Noel Gallagher, “Easy Now” is a standout track. Unfortunately, the palpable emotion that makes these songs great is noticeably absent from a great majority of the tracklist. For the rest of Council Skies, Gallagher adopts a pseudo-larger-than-life persona that is authoritative without being engaging. This is especially apparent on the second half of the record, as the instrumentals on titular track “Council Skies” and “Think Of A Number” are bogged down by Gallagher’s best attempt to be anybody but himself. “Open The Door, See What You Find” is yet another track that has a great instrumental, prominently featuring a brilliant string section. That said, Gallagher’s vocal presence is stiff instead of his effortless flow on “Easy Now”. “Open The Door, See What You Find” also features great guitar work from former-Smiths legend Johnny Marr, yet his contributions are overshadowed by Gallagher being noticeably out of his element. The ultimate example of this is Council Skies lead single, “Pretty Boy”. Marr’s trademark brand of arpeggiated, melodic mastery is buried under Gallagher’s conquest to establish himself as a Ziggy Stardust-esque character. The staccato delivery of “You tell me that you want it, yeah-yeah” that Gallagher provides is simply lazy and disappointing knowing that he is still capable of creating music with actual substance (see “Trying To Find A World That’s Been And Gone Pt. 1”). While one could suggest that the skittering hi-hat groove that propels the tune is why Gallagher appears out of his comfort zone, Robert Smith’s remix of “Pretty Boy” is only further evidence that the vocals are the real Achilles Heel here. Spanning decades, Robert Smith’s work with The Cure wrote the handbook for how to write great, emotionally potent music. If anybody can help Gallagher and his High Flying Birds bring the emotional qualities of “Pretty Boy” centerstage, it’s Smith. That said, even after Smith’s work on “Pretty Boy” (instrumentally akin to something from 1985’s The Head On The Door… fantastic!), Gallagher's vocal performance is only enthralling enough to accompany a trip to the grocery store. Dismissing Council Skies as a terrible record isn’t the right conclusion to make. If anything, this record has some of the best songs that Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds have to offer. While the record’s highlights are truly great, the majority of the record’s runtime sees Gallagher refusing to play to his strength of expressing his own personality. 5/10 Favorite Tracks: “Easy Now”, “Trying To Find A World That’s Been And Gone Pt. 1” What did you think of this record? Let us know! |
AuthorCarl Giannelli is a Connecticut based music advocate, songwriter, journalist, performer, and physical media preservationist. Archives
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