Philosophy On Pessimism is the debut EP released on Translation Loss Records by New Miserable Experience, a project featuring members of Rosetta, Model Prisoner, and Revocation. The quartet pieced together the sum of their parts remotely, using file sharing to bounce their ideas around to one another, and have created an ethereal-sounding record with a foot firmly in the darker regions of the eighties synth-wave style.
Crosses, or ††† if you prefer, really prefers foreplay to making love. The synthwave and electro-rock music duo made up of Deftones’ frontman Chino Moreno and Far producer/ multi-instrumentalist Shaun Lopez has been teasing us for over a year with singles, a top-tier cover, and pulse-quickening videos as they readied their new EP, Permanent.Radiant (Warner Music Group). Fit in and around Chino’s heavy schedule with Deftones and Shaun’s producing work, the new EP continues to build upon the path they laid out, minus former collaborator Chuck Doom, who has departed the project.
Darkwave and synth have been seeing a push in popularity thanks to the hugely successful Netflix series, Stranger Things. The television show which is set in the eighties opening theme has acted as a gateway into synthwave with more and more people checking out the dark and ominous blend of electronic sound.
The Paradise, Boston, MA 3/14/2022
I have been to quite a few concerts since the world began to re-open and attempt some semblance of normal but so far none have left me with the sense of inspiration and hope the way that the Gary Numan show at The Paradise in Boston has. Not even being crammed into the most challenging venue in the city could crush my spirits. (photographers are not allowed in the barrier and there are few good places just to watch from).Continue reading
Since the debacle over “the tour poster,” Bad Omens have been working their way back into the hearts of metal and rock fans alike by releasing some truly ambitious music. The Death of Peace of Mind (Sumerian Records) continues this on in spades.
Crosses (sometimes stylized as †††) a post-Punk and 1980s Gothic synth-pop influenced side project of Deftones frontman Chino Moreno may indeed be springing back to life for 2021. In a new interview with “The Boo Crew”, Bloody Disgusting’s weekly Podcast, Chino was interviewed by the gang to discuss the new Deftones album Ohms (review here), his horror episode score for Hulu’s Into The Dark series, stalking Anton Levay’s house in San Francisco, his favorite horror movies, and much more. Asked about Crosses, Chino confirmed that back at the end of 2018, the band had completed 6-7 songs with the idea of finishing them and teased some activity on social media at that time. When pressed about a future release Chino remarked that the break from Deftones touring to support Ohms until 2021 “might provide the chance to complete the new record”. Ghost Cult also interviewed Reyka Osburn of Death Valley High in 2019 and commented that he worked on new music with Chino, some of which was for Crosses too. Crosses released their self-titled album in 2014, and two other EPs, and toured the world several times. The band includes Moreno, Shawn Lopez (Far), and Chuck Doom. The interview was excellent and we suggest you check it out, like and subscribe to The Boo Crew Podcast too! Continue reading
Ambient music is tricky. Get it right and you can create some of the most mind-blowing, expansive, forward-thinking art imaginable. Get it wrong and you’re left looking like a pretentious mess. It’s very difficult to ride the line of pretension and come out on the right side when making anything that forsakes a conventional song structure, but by album six, you’d think K-X-P would be pretty adept, right?Continue reading
When That’s the Spirit was released in 2015, everyone who didn’t favor it immediately labeled Bring Me The Horizon soft. Those who did, called them brave—brave to leap out of their Deathcore upbringing and develop a fantastic radio-friendly but still hard record. Now with the release of amo (Sony Music / RCA) the Sheffield natives have courageously created their boldest, bravest record to date.Continue reading
Supergroup is a term bandied about too much these days, including here at this very website. It’s hard to help it in the streaming music age, which coincidently has also fostered a new openness and freedom for artists to come together as never before. Perhaps we need another terminology to describe these collectives. How about “artistic hive-mind”? That’s one that definitely suits The Black Queen, who is more than a mere musical group, but carry these sensibilities in everything they do from songs and lyrics to album art, videos, t-shirts, and visual performances live. The sum of their recorded output is but one facet of what can be possible when they get together.
Bad Rabbits’ new album, Mimi (InGrooves), huh? Not my usual review fare, I will admit, but that doesn’t mean it didn’t work for me. After several weeks of hardcore, doom, death metal, and Gundam themed albums, Bad Rabbits house blend of funk, synth pop, rock, and R&B may be the palate cleanser I didn’t know I needed. Continue reading