It is that time of the year again, that time of changes. The seasons change. For some reason I am much more aware of this when summer transitions into autumn than when winter becomes spring for example. It is like saying goodbye to warmer weather and saying hello to yellow and red leaves (and halloween decorations) is so much more tangible. Other changes are also happening in my life. My current assignment will end shortly. Although I am looking forward to my next assignment I am going to miss the folks I met last year.
I sometimes wonder if these changes affect the way I listen to music or, more precisely, what type of music I listen to. I think that, although I do have a couple of real summer records I usually do not really care about the weather or seasons. I always think that more doomy music would fit better in autumn, but I can’t really say I listen to that type of music this time of the year.
Anyways, let’s talk about music now!
From summer to autumn
I don’t know about you, but my summer records are usually punk records. This year would be no different. If the sun is high in the sky and scorching the earth this is the kind of music I prefer. This year there was not one album I came back to every time. My attention was divided between a couple of bands. One of those bands is Nonthewiser. This Swedish band released their self-titled debut album in February this year. I slept on it until spring, but isn’t that the best time to discover those perfect summer records? You can get to know them when it is still not too warm and once summer truly hits you with more heat that anyone really needs you don’t even have to put effort into getting to know them. You just push play and enjoy a familiar vibe. Nonthewiser brings you skatepunk which they themselves say “This is punk rock like they did it in the glory days without ever being worn out or tired.” They are not lying here. This record has a perfect mid-to-late ‘90s vibe going on. I would say this band has listened to both Bad Religion (The Gray Race or Stranger Than Fiction era) and Adhesive (From Left To Right era) a lot. The end result is a perfect mix of the best of the American and the Swedish punk scenes.
Another band that perfectly understands skatepunk and punk rock is Debeli Precjednik / Fat Prezident. I am a bit confused if this is the whole band name or that the band can’t pick which they like best: the Croatian or the English version. Either way, their new album Atomac is a true hit. It hits me as strange to only now discover a band that has been around for 30 years, but here we are. I guess I am not the only one for whom Atomac is an introduction to the band. And what an introduction it is. This band has been quiet a couple of years, as their previous release is already six years old. That’s a poor excuse for me though. Debeli Precjednik / Fat Prezident have done a lot of shows with some big names so perhaps you have had the pleasure of seeing them live. I think you can hear that experience on the album. This is top notch punk music with very catchy melodies. The way they play with different moods during the album reminds me a bit of Good Riddance. Over those 30 years the band worked towards a sound pretty much their own. To me that also means this is a band I can place in a scene, but fail when finding proper comparison to other bands. In my mind that is a good thing. This is, however, the kind of record which makes me wonder: how can energy drinks still be in business when all you need to do to be re-energised is listen to an album such as this?
When time changes to something time-y wimey
I talked about changes. There are two bands I got (re)introduced to for whom changes are a bit too much. The Mocks are a Dutch band that released four 7”s so far. Their sound, especially on their last single, Do Me Good/Sticks And Stones can be described as The Kinks or The Who with a punk vibe. The sound is extremely ‘60s. Everything sounds old school. While a lot of bands who strive for this sound forget the drum-sound, The Mocks worked hard to get this right too. Somehow they manage to sound both very retro and still place their music in the present. Not unlike Nick Waterhouse, whose (older) records also display this blending of two eras into something that is both old and new at the same time. If you enjoy this I suggest checking out the rest of the catalog of Wap Shoo Wap Records, who released their last 7”. This new Dutch label has a nose for finding bands who revive an old sound.
You know the saying “Something old, something new?” We talked about something new (to me). Let’s talk about a band I was already familiar with: The Cowboys. I was reintroduced to The Cowboys recently. The Bottom Of A Rotten Flower is part of my collection. For some reason I never really looked into their back catalog; I also must admit they fell off my radar after that release. I can assure you the quality of that record has nothing to do with that. It is filled to the brim with catchy power-pop anthems. Anyway, recently The Cowboys released their sixth record, Sultan Of Squat. The punky power-pop of The Bottom Of A Rotten Flower is now largely replaced with so many ‘60s influences that we are basically time travelling. Is replaced the right word? I don’t know. A part of their sound is still there, this is clearly the same band. But there are so many ‘60s influences added I don’t blame myself for phrasing that sentence as I did. This band offers a strange puzzle: the more recent the album, the older it sounds. To pull off such a trick a band needs one thing above everything else: superb songwriting skills. And that they have. Sultan Of Squat offers absolutely fantastic hooks, I would go as far as saying the album contains only hits. Play this record once and at least half the songs will be stuck in your head. Listen to it three times and all these songs go on and live rent free in your head. On an album with 13 songs, that is really something.
From painful ears to personal struggles
I am sorry if this column feels a bit like time traveling. Brace yourself, we are about to head into a completely different direction. This change leads us to modern violence. The kind Orbit Culture offers. I got into this band late. I think it was only last year that the algorithm of my streaming app decided I needed to hear a song from Nija, Orbit Cultures’ previous album. It hit me like a ton of bricks. I cherish those moments as the longer I listen to music, the less this happens. I sometimes long for those days when I just rolled into the scene and could be surprised like this a lot. Well, a lot more than nowadays at least.
Back to Orbit Culture. Their mix of death metal, groove metal and even some nu-metal or industrial is so well constructed and infectious I can easily imagine them being the next big band to headline festivals. Descent, their new album has all the ingredients Nija and Shaman had: the groove, the intense power, the mix of pretty brutal (yet not caveman) growls and semi-cleans from that recall more modern Metallica. Something is a bit off this time around though and that has everything to do with the production. This album is a victim of the loudness wars. It is tiring on the ears, but even worse, the different layers are fighting for some room to breathe. Is there an industrial sound coming through? The guitars are gone. The bass drum also pushes everything aside at times. It is a real shame, as this potentially great album is now just good. And perhaps that is giving it too much praise.
What do you do when modern stuff disappoints? You try to turn back time! And right there you might just meet Beenkerver. Beenkerver is a Dutch one man band, which (of course, it is a one man band after all) plays black metal. To be more precise this is the type of black metal that relives the glory days from the ‘90s. Beenkerver is very productive. The debut album Ontaard isn’t even one year old and the new EP Twee Wolven is already released upon the world. On this three-song EP you’ll find riffs and sounds that might bring Emperor or Dimmu Borgir to mind. The production values are those of today -- everything is crisp and clear. A lot of one man bands could really use some help editing. This is absolutely not the case with Beenkerver. This guy clearly knows what he’s doing. The songwriting is diverse enough to keep you on the edge of your seat. This EP is even better than the debut album. The lyrics are a bit hard to decipher (especially if you don’t speak Dutch), yet are beautiful. In a slightly poetic way, inner demons are dealt with. I can only hope this offers the writer of said lyrics some catharsis.
A change of scenery
After harsh songs dealing with personal struggles I am in for a break. Ready for something completely different. So let's change one last time (during this column at least) and this time to Japanese folklore. Endless Blue, Deadly Carnage’s latest album is a concept album that is based on (or inspired by) the legend of Urashima Tarō. What first drew me to the album is the cover art. Look at it: it is something truly amazing. One of the best covers I’ve seen in a while. And in my opinion, this is a pretty good year for album covers.
Delving a little bit deeper I learned that the band started out playing black metal. I checked those early releases and although they are not bad, they are not very special either. However, the band’s sound evolved over time and moved more into the post-metal corner. Their previous album is the first album where they found a way to combine their roots with post-metal influences in a way that brought out the best in the band. Well… almost. Because Endless Blue is a step up from Through The Void, Above The Suns. The artwork on that release is very nice, but the new artwork outshines it too. Where on the previous album the vocals still had a bit of a rough edge (to be fair, only in some parts), that edge is now completely gone. The singer turns out to have a beautiful, clean voice that perfectly fits the direction of the band.
His new vocal approach makes it possible to state that Deadly Carnage is finding inspiration in the same area as a band like Astronoid. There is a certain airy vibe these bands share. An airy vibe that beautifully juxtaposes with the images of the sea this album projects. When I said this band evolved towards post-metal realms, I meant that they play with tension and release. They do this in a manner that reminds me of the way Rosetta does it. Unlike some bands that build and build towards a climax in each (over)long song, they play with tension and release with the whole album in mind. There is a focus on having a good flow within the individual songs, but the intention appears to be to take you on a trip to their world and that trip lasts exactly one album.
I hope all these changes did not make your head spin. One day I can deal with them effortlessly, another day I might just be annoyed that everything changes again and I just want some things to stay the same. I have no doubt that the next time we’ll see each other, a lot will be different again. The only option we have is to evolve too. And we do. See you then!
