As the year 2019 is coming to an end, the music scene is constantly being enriched and new productions are being offered, each one more attractive than the last. This new immersion in the confines of the independent scene, once again allowed me to make fabulous discoveries that were relatively numerous and just as surprising. Indeed, during this period, I was amazed by the quality of various works that unfortunately did not succeed in making themselves known to the general public. To say that 2019 is an excellent vintage for the indie recording industry is an understatement, since the level of creativity offered has never been so stimulating in my thirst for discovery.
While the buying fever that consisted in reconstituting my ideal musical library, essentially made up of relics from the past, was turned upside down by the arrival of new artists with a certain talent capable of arousing my curiosity as well as my desires. So, as Christmas approaches, I have to share with you these wonderful records that have made their way onto my shelves but also onto my vinyl or CD player. This little excursion will undoubtedly allow you to make excellent discoveries and will hopefully give you gift ideas for the holidays to come. Please note that this article also serves as a guideline for a future video to come !
Drab Majesty - Modern Mirror (Synthwave / Dreampop / Dais records)
We thought that FM modulated synthesizers had indeed disappeared, but this is not without counting on the resurgence of a whole nostalgic scene from a period when rock was then in full mutation. As a counterpoint to the sound experimentations induced by the still incipient New-Wave, the period of the early 80's proposed a new way of conceiving melodies, getting rid of the traditional guitar, bass, drums combo, for a brand new form of instruments able to imitate, more or less faithfully, the sounds generated by these utensils. This new exploratory and creative vision gave birth to several new musical currents, such as Synthwave or Synthpop, which, thanks to their very characteristic tones, gave a sound identity specific to this period.
Everything leads us to believe that Modern Mirror is nothing more than an eternal resurgence of what we have heard here and there, especially with the emergence of this revival that is currently flooding the airwaves. The fault probably lies with the unexpected arrival of the Vaporwave and its popular infatuation. However, Drab Majesty goes beyond a simple sketch of a tribute to a bygone era and tries to bring consistency to his compositions. Skillfully blending a whole panoply of sub genres inherent to this style of music, Modern Mirror skillfully surprises the listener who will find himself tossed between acidic synthetic pop and Cold-Wave, giving a feeling of cold and icy melancholy. Without being innovative, this album still manages to reach the pinnacle of this kind of productions, offering a harmonic experience, where we thought everything had been explored, or almost...
Institute - Readjusting The Locks (Post-punk / Punk-rock / Sacred Bones Record)
Third album of this Texan quartet, Readjusting The Locks is in line with what this band has been able to offer us so far. With the difference that this one is a bit less melodious than its predecessors. Here we have to deal with an album more punk than post, where the energy flirts well with the basic and incisive riffs, close to a wild and primitive rock'n roll. And it's clearly not to displease me, so much this record sweats the desire to go back to the sources of a genre worn out to the bone.
Some will see this as an easy way out, or even a cruel lack of inspiration. However, we can only appreciate this lightness and constancy that will make this album one of the most memorable of the band. Listening to Shangri-la, one can only react physically to the efficient bass lines, overhung by a guitar that stands out by a simple yet powerful melody ! Powerful, this record will delight fans of minimalist rock with a rebellious tendency !
Intercourse - Bum Wine (Hardcore / Eye Tape Records)
Poets, good evening ! Intercourse is clearly not about lace. On the contrary, it is rather a concentrate of hatred that may have its source in all that is most gloomy and dirty, omnipresent in the minds of human beings as well as in our societies. Add to this, metaphorical deliriums based on absurd daily situations, extraterrestrials whose perversity is equalled only by a rutting animal and you have a wealth of excesses of all kinds that will not hesitate to throw fecal matter in your face and in your ears.
Compilations of all the ep's composed by this band, Bum Wine will put your nerves to the test both musically and lyrically. We come out of it soiled, tested in front of so much grip and vehemence to make us understand that we are insignificant individuals. With tracks sometimes no longer than a minute, alternating primitive mid-tempos, heavy Noise and smashing Hardcore, on the verge of Power-Violence, Bum Wine is clearly there to appeal to our frustrations as well as to our most buried primitive instincts. Note the singer's performance, with a powerful and distorting organ, probably intriguing and adding a touch of rage tinged with insanity ! 22 tracks that will make their way into your anus, all with punches in the face as a bonus ! Too bad this CD is limited to a more than confidential distribution of 100 copies !
Pool Kids - Music To Practice Safe Sex To (Math Rock / Rock Indé / Skeletal Lightning)
A little softness in this world of brutality ! Music To Practice Safe Sex To is definitely aptly named. Because when listening to the nine tracks, all loaded with emotions, this record refers inexorably to our first times. At the same time all in delicacy and lightness, the compositions of this band coming from Florida, surprises by its changes of rhythms, allegories of hazardous discoveries during the first excitement. Of course, this way of proceeding is typical of the Math-Rock genre, but one can only remain astonished and pleasantly surprised by the content, following a surprising progression, at first confusing, but very pleasant afterwards.
What makes this work so interesting are the moments that highlight the strong moments of a piece by the well-known combination of calm and intense moments. The voices intensify harmoniously with the rise of chords and time variations. A technique already well used in the past but used in an admirable and sensible way. The only shadow in the picture is a mix that seems far too voluminous for my taste. But what do you want, it's in the spirit of the times to amplify in an exacerbated way an ensemble that should sound different...
