WEBVTT 1 00:00:26.410 --> 00:00:29.989 Hello everybody, welcome to That's Not Metal. We are your 2 00:00:30.070 --> 00:00:34.549 weekly rock and heavy metal podcast. We are here this week, 3 00:00:34.850 --> 00:00:39.789 the final week of August, for our monthly reviews roundup. 4 00:00:39.869 --> 00:00:41.090 I will let you know what we're going to do 5 00:00:41.149 --> 00:00:43.869 in that regard in just a moment. But first, it 6 00:00:43.929 --> 00:00:45.990 should be said, it has been a very special week 7 00:00:46.369 --> 00:00:52.219 here at TNM Towers for myself, Perrin Hayesh, Sam Dignon 8 00:00:52.479 --> 00:00:54.340 across from me. Boy were we busy. 9 00:00:55.219 --> 00:00:59.479 Oh what a weekend what a like from Thursday to 10 00:00:59.920 --> 00:01:03.000 Sunday for me was just like on a goth cloud 11 00:01:03.299 --> 00:01:07.379 like just treating myself to the best shit ever it 12 00:01:07.439 --> 00:01:10.159 finally happened I like to say everyone who heard last 13 00:01:10.200 --> 00:01:13.200 week heard how giddy with excitement I was that I 14 00:01:13.250 --> 00:01:16.310 was mere hours away from it but yes it was 15 00:01:16.489 --> 00:01:18.390 uh it was a hell of a weekend. 16 00:01:18.689 --> 00:01:22.870 It sure was. For time purposes, considering this is, as 17 00:01:22.950 --> 00:01:26.230 I said, our review show, we have got albums to 18 00:01:26.280 --> 00:01:28.879 dive into and talk about. We are actually going to, 19 00:01:29.159 --> 00:01:31.560 on Hyperblast next week, is when we are going to 20 00:01:31.599 --> 00:01:35.280 go fully divulging the details of, as we, you know, 21 00:01:35.319 --> 00:01:38.000 kind of started to call it, Big Goth Weekend, where 22 00:01:38.200 --> 00:01:40.400 we have The Cure to talk about, we have The 23 00:01:40.459 --> 00:01:45.019 Return of AFI, finally, to talk about, and we even 24 00:01:45.079 --> 00:01:49.469 had Deftones, all points east slash outbreak and everything else 25 00:01:49.500 --> 00:01:50.819 that was on that bill to talk about as well 26 00:01:50.840 --> 00:01:52.859 so we're going to do the full you know crazy 27 00:01:52.900 --> 00:01:55.680 review rundown of certainly one of the biggest live music 28 00:01:55.719 --> 00:01:58.920 weekends in in our recent memory um on next week's 29 00:01:58.959 --> 00:02:01.459 show um but it should be said elliot paisley you're 30 00:02:01.480 --> 00:02:03.239 here as well and and even you got in a 31 00:02:03.250 --> 00:02:05.450 little bit of the action on that uh that final 32 00:02:05.510 --> 00:02:07.849 sunday with uh deftones and co as well did you 33 00:02:07.890 --> 00:02:09.689 have a nice time did you enjoy yourself. 34 00:02:10.449 --> 00:02:12.990 I uh the best time i absolutely enjoyed myself it 35 00:02:13.509 --> 00:02:15.400 You know, it's so weird. It's been 10 years since 36 00:02:15.439 --> 00:02:18.639 I saw Deftones. Last time was subbing to Black Sabbath, 37 00:02:18.840 --> 00:02:20.819 a download, like 2016 or something. 38 00:02:21.680 --> 00:02:21.840 And. 39 00:02:22.379 --> 00:02:23.020 Times change. 40 00:02:23.819 --> 00:02:25.919 It's just mad seeing them be that big. And again, 41 00:02:26.180 --> 00:02:29.520 when I went to that, I was not just the youngest. 42 00:02:29.560 --> 00:02:31.530 I was the youngest person there by about 20 years. 43 00:02:31.650 --> 00:02:34.710 It was me and 40 guys with beanies. That was 44 00:02:34.990 --> 00:02:38.229 the audience. And now, I go... And I genuinely feel 45 00:02:38.250 --> 00:02:40.550 like one of the oldest people there. 46 00:02:41.030 --> 00:02:41.389 And it's just. 47 00:02:41.919 --> 00:02:44.039 I mean, it's a completely different experience, I wouldn't even 48 00:02:44.060 --> 00:02:46.400 know where to rank it in terms of, like, the 49 00:02:46.439 --> 00:02:51.169 Deftones shows I've seen, but it's just their rise to, like, 50 00:02:51.250 --> 00:02:54.210 genuine all-time rock stars now is just one of the 51 00:02:54.250 --> 00:02:56.590 most heartening things, and getting to be there and experience 52 00:02:56.610 --> 00:02:58.930 it in person, and it's happening the coolest way, I mean, 53 00:02:58.949 --> 00:03:01.770 TikTok isn't necessarily the coolest way it's become super popular, 54 00:03:01.849 --> 00:03:04.789 but just the way it's not been, like, they've not become, like, 55 00:03:04.810 --> 00:03:06.990 a one-hit wonder, where it's a bunch of teenagers waiting 56 00:03:07.009 --> 00:03:09.740 around to hear one song, it's They have huge songs 57 00:03:09.780 --> 00:03:12.259 now throughout the set, and weird choices, like just the 58 00:03:12.280 --> 00:03:14.889 way the crowd popped off things like Rosemary and Entombed 59 00:03:15.030 --> 00:03:17.409 and like Mascara, which, you know, I've said that's on 60 00:03:17.710 --> 00:03:20.250 a classic record, but when they went into that guitar line, 61 00:03:20.270 --> 00:03:24.729 which doesn't scream catchy hits, you know, and then everyone 62 00:03:25.030 --> 00:03:27.449 loses their mind for it, it kind of places them 63 00:03:27.469 --> 00:03:30.430 in a unique spot where there's no lulls in the set, 64 00:03:30.689 --> 00:03:33.430 because their last album was big, they've got deep cuts 65 00:03:33.449 --> 00:03:35.449 that are huge that they can pull from now, and, 66 00:03:35.629 --> 00:03:38.310 you know, the hits are the hits, and You know, Deftones, 67 00:03:38.349 --> 00:03:42.530 maybe they were once a slightly patchy live band. They 68 00:03:42.770 --> 00:03:47.509 seem to be just uniformly brilliant now. And the whole 69 00:03:47.550 --> 00:03:51.469 day was fantastic. Again, seeing AFI for you guys the 70 00:03:51.490 --> 00:03:51.949 first time. 71 00:03:52.370 --> 00:03:54.500 Did you enjoy AFI? Did we get you any more? 72 00:03:55.460 --> 00:03:58.020 You know what? Because the weeks coming up have been 73 00:03:58.060 --> 00:04:01.219 so AFI-centric just in the talk. I almost started to 74 00:04:01.240 --> 00:04:07.110 develop a countering yin-yang thing with AFI. Guys, come on. 75 00:04:07.120 --> 00:04:10.750 They can't be that good. Is Davey Havoc really a god? 76 00:04:10.770 --> 00:04:16.009 He's a guy. The guy's got aura. There's absolutely no denying. 77 00:04:16.589 --> 00:04:19.850 When that guy comes out on stage, it's something else. 78 00:04:20.589 --> 00:04:23.610 I didn't know half the songs because my AFI knowledge 79 00:04:23.649 --> 00:04:26.250 is much patchier. I bumped into you earlier in the 80 00:04:26.269 --> 00:04:27.540 day and you were describing them as a bit like 81 00:04:27.579 --> 00:04:30.810 Clutch where they might pull from anything at any time. 82 00:04:31.689 --> 00:04:33.449 But again, I looked at the set list afterwards just 83 00:04:33.470 --> 00:04:35.730 to reacquaint myself with some of the songs I didn't know. 84 00:04:36.430 --> 00:04:38.250 And I might have to go and listen to Crash 85 00:04:38.300 --> 00:04:40.060 Love again, because I think I have heard that, but 86 00:04:40.079 --> 00:04:42.399 the song they played off that was a Stone Cold Jam, 87 00:04:42.439 --> 00:04:46.500 so there's... Two, right? Yeah, Across the Day, Death Heaven 88 00:04:46.740 --> 00:04:49.000 were great. I saw a little bit of Interpol. They 89 00:04:49.040 --> 00:04:50.639 were nice and boring. That was fine. 90 00:04:50.660 --> 00:04:53.480 What else? 91 00:04:53.800 --> 00:04:56.160 Salem was fucking ridiculous. I don't know if either of you. 92 00:04:56.240 --> 00:04:58.720 Oh yeah, I didn't see that. That was. 93 00:04:59.420 --> 00:05:01.959 Do you remember Lil Xan? Do you remember that guy? Yeah. 94 00:05:02.600 --> 00:05:03.899 He was sort of like that. To be clear for 95 00:05:03.920 --> 00:05:06.060 everyone listening, this is not the Will Gould Salem. This 96 00:05:06.100 --> 00:05:07.879 is a completely different Salem. 97 00:05:07.920 --> 00:05:09.360 This is Witch House. 98 00:05:10.000 --> 00:05:14.319 The Will Gould Lil Xan collab would go hard. 99 00:05:14.519 --> 00:05:18.680 Different guy. Different guy entirely. My association with Salem is 100 00:05:18.699 --> 00:05:21.540 they had an album in 2010, which was kind of 101 00:05:21.560 --> 00:05:23.339 popular at the time, but mainly there was a viral 102 00:05:23.379 --> 00:05:25.259 video surrounding them where people were going, is this the 103 00:05:25.300 --> 00:05:26.240 worst live band ever? 104 00:05:26.579 --> 00:05:27.050 Of all time. 105 00:05:27.060 --> 00:05:30.589 It was like catatonic youths before catatonic youths. And it was, 106 00:05:31.310 --> 00:05:33.009 it wasn't like that, which is a shame because that's 107 00:05:33.029 --> 00:05:34.689 kind of what I was hoping for. But it was, 108 00:05:35.470 --> 00:05:39.839 it was kind of like, like SoundCloud rap, Witch House with, 109 00:05:41.399 --> 00:05:43.680 they've taken Sun's fog machine. It was just like, you 110 00:05:43.720 --> 00:05:45.420 couldn't see it. That with the dust, it was an 111 00:05:45.480 --> 00:05:47.040 absolute punishment. 112 00:05:48.360 --> 00:05:51.589 Have you cleansed yourself yet of the, the already infamous 113 00:05:51.610 --> 00:05:52.470 All Points East dust? 114 00:05:53.009 --> 00:05:55.019 Oh, mate, I, I came back, I got home at 115 00:05:55.040 --> 00:05:56.360 like 1.30, and I was like, I'm not going to 116 00:05:56.379 --> 00:05:57.959 be able to sleep, I need to have a hot 117 00:05:58.000 --> 00:05:59.639 shower to clear this. It was like, do you remember 118 00:05:59.660 --> 00:06:01.360 when Drag Me to Hell, when she starts vomiting blood? 119 00:06:01.560 --> 00:06:02.899 It was just like, yeah. 120 00:06:03.120 --> 00:06:05.110 I was Prometheus Black Goo in all that. I went 121 00:06:05.129 --> 00:06:09.290 to fucking Victoria Station bathroom afterwards, blew my nose, looked down, 122 00:06:09.430 --> 00:06:11.029 and I shit, this is not an exaggeration, this is 123 00:06:11.089 --> 00:06:15.209 not a bit, it was black. I was black snotting everywhere. 124 00:06:15.350 --> 00:06:18.610 It was terrible. I was fully going to turn into 125 00:06:18.649 --> 00:06:19.490 a fucking xenomorph. 126 00:06:20.180 --> 00:06:22.000 You start to get scared because you go, the dust 127 00:06:22.040 --> 00:06:24.189 wasn't even black at the site. It's gone black in 128 00:06:24.230 --> 00:06:28.430 my head. What chemistry has happened where now black is 129 00:06:28.470 --> 00:06:31.120 just pouring out of my skull? But yeah, no, deftones 130 00:06:31.139 --> 00:06:31.439 were good. 131 00:06:32.250 --> 00:06:35.889 Yeah, yeah, it was good. As said, full details, full 132 00:06:36.209 --> 00:06:39.370 AFI Lovefest, I suppose, along with the cure and deftones 133 00:06:39.389 --> 00:06:42.089 and other things, to be coming on next Friday's show 134 00:06:42.129 --> 00:06:46.250 when we've got more time to waste, I suppose. But today, 135 00:06:46.269 --> 00:06:48.149 we haven't got that time to waste because we are doing, 136 00:06:48.230 --> 00:06:51.569 as I said, the review show for August, and we 137 00:06:51.620 --> 00:06:54.100 have got just six records that we're going to be 138 00:06:54.120 --> 00:06:57.040 talking about in depth today. But there is, I think, 139 00:06:57.120 --> 00:07:00.639 a good comprehensive spread of the TNM universe and our 140 00:07:00.680 --> 00:07:03.399 genres in those six records. We're going to talk about 141 00:07:03.420 --> 00:07:07.819 the new records from Weezer, Chelsea Wolfe, Electric Cowboy, Living Weapon, 142 00:07:07.879 --> 00:07:11.980 The Night Eternal, and Zorn. A little bit of news 143 00:07:12.100 --> 00:07:14.300 round up before we get into that. First of all, 144 00:07:14.480 --> 00:07:18.120 everyone was going all the rage for this across last 145 00:07:18.160 --> 00:07:20.899 weekend when we were hanging out together. The news dropping 146 00:07:20.920 --> 00:07:24.110 that Turnstile... are going to be releasing a kind of 147 00:07:24.129 --> 00:07:29.620 a reimagined, reworked version of Never Enough. featuring a very 148 00:07:29.699 --> 00:07:33.060 large amount of guests. Turnstile, right, we're very used to 149 00:07:33.100 --> 00:07:35.420 at this point seeing a Turnstile tour poster drop and 150 00:07:35.439 --> 00:07:39.170 it having, like, everyone from the most, you know, kind 151 00:07:39.209 --> 00:07:41.410 of dingy underground things that you could feasibly put on 152 00:07:41.430 --> 00:07:44.689 with Turnstile through to, like, bands and artists who we 153 00:07:44.730 --> 00:07:47.230 would otherwise never be talking about on this show. And 154 00:07:47.250 --> 00:07:48.920 it pretty much is like one of those tour posters 155 00:07:49.000 --> 00:07:52.480 put into record form. But specifically, the fact that the 156 00:07:52.560 --> 00:07:57.829 names were presented in alphabetical order, meaning that... dying fetus 157 00:07:58.209 --> 00:08:02.470 and elton john came directly next to each other on 158 00:08:02.810 --> 00:08:04.910 this list i hope they're on the same song i 159 00:08:04.970 --> 00:08:07.209 hope that that's the way they've organized it uh all 160 00:08:07.240 --> 00:08:10.250 together anyway uh The fact that those are the two 161 00:08:10.290 --> 00:08:12.170 names brought together, everyone obviously had a lot of fun 162 00:08:12.189 --> 00:08:13.810 with that. The thing that I really hope, I think 163 00:08:13.829 --> 00:08:16.040 the best case scenario out of all this, is that 164 00:08:16.189 --> 00:08:19.689 this is how Elton John hears Dying Fetus. He goes, oh, 165 00:08:19.939 --> 00:08:22.040 that turns that record. I'm on that. I wonder who 166 00:08:22.079 --> 00:08:24.079 else is on it. Looks up, sees his name. It's 167 00:08:24.120 --> 00:08:27.079 directly next to John Gallagher and co. And then he 168 00:08:27.120 --> 00:08:29.560 goes and hears fucking Destroy the Opposition. I think that 169 00:08:29.600 --> 00:08:32.059 is the ultimate dream scenario. We may never know if 170 00:08:32.080 --> 00:08:34.440 that comes true or not, but in my head, I'm 171 00:08:34.519 --> 00:08:35.539 hoping that that is what's happening. 172 00:08:37.129 --> 00:08:38.690 I'm sure Owen Dunne will have given the record at 173 00:08:38.730 --> 00:08:39.610 least one play. 174 00:08:39.669 --> 00:08:42.100 He talked about how much he liked Never Enough as 175 00:08:42.139 --> 00:08:43.840 a record and would listen to it a lot. So 176 00:08:44.259 --> 00:08:47.299 maybe he will decide to check out the reimagined version. 177 00:08:47.320 --> 00:08:50.379 I mean, I'm down for just this. I think Turnstile 178 00:08:50.470 --> 00:08:54.389 are continuing to just be a really cool big band 179 00:08:54.409 --> 00:08:57.169 at this point. I think it's amazing the level of 180 00:08:57.230 --> 00:09:00.960 names they can pull from. You've got Hayley Williams... like 181 00:09:01.169 --> 00:09:02.940 i think like angel dust are like one of the 182 00:09:02.960 --> 00:09:04.960 things that so i'm guessing they've probably got like that 183 00:09:05.000 --> 00:09:07.179 link going on but like i said the dying fetus 184 00:09:07.240 --> 00:09:08.759 elton john one was just kind of like the a 185 00:09:09.120 --> 00:09:12.519 that's such like insane sort of one two whiplash to 186 00:09:12.559 --> 00:09:15.799 go from but yeah i think you know turnstile just 187 00:09:16.230 --> 00:09:19.289 like a year on from that i'm going we're doing 188 00:09:19.649 --> 00:09:22.970 a reimagined version of it with the most batshit list 189 00:09:22.990 --> 00:09:26.110 sort of guesses ever that just feels very in keeping 190 00:09:26.190 --> 00:09:29.500 with what turnstile is now and i'm kind of excited 191 00:09:29.519 --> 00:09:30.899 to hear how it plays out. 192 00:09:31.220 --> 00:09:32.799 Well the thing that was weird for me was i 193 00:09:32.820 --> 00:09:34.840 sent it to my friend and he like you say 194 00:09:34.860 --> 00:09:36.419 it's all in alphabetic order so you read it naturally 195 00:09:36.899 --> 00:09:38.879 and he seemed to stop reading it dying fetus because 196 00:09:38.899 --> 00:09:41.240 he just went dan deacon and dying fetus how mad 197 00:09:41.360 --> 00:09:45.139 it was like what got one line down the next. 198 00:09:45.019 --> 00:09:49.129 Line was he reading it with a ruler he was 199 00:09:49.149 --> 00:09:51.230 trying to reveal it slowly to himself to keep suspense 200 00:09:52.730 --> 00:09:55.629 i think it's again it's just one of the again 201 00:09:55.649 --> 00:09:57.759 it's this is the sort of thing where you go, 202 00:09:58.009 --> 00:09:59.149 this will not happen again. 203 00:09:59.350 --> 00:10:02.039 Like maybe, another band will become as popular where they 204 00:10:02.059 --> 00:10:05.000 can collide those two worlds but to like for a 205 00:10:05.039 --> 00:10:07.519 band to be able to reach have one tentacle in 206 00:10:07.720 --> 00:10:10.019 sort of a place where dying fetus might will be 207 00:10:10.620 --> 00:10:13.929 you know able to hang and then another where it's 208 00:10:13.950 --> 00:10:17.210 like they can reach Elton John it's It's a pretty 209 00:10:17.289 --> 00:10:19.470 generational move. It's the sort of thing that even five 210 00:10:19.490 --> 00:10:22.710 years ago sounded completely stupid outside of pure novelty, and 211 00:10:22.750 --> 00:10:25.820 even then you wouldn't get a name that big. I 212 00:10:25.860 --> 00:10:29.059 almost don't care if any of it's good. It's purely 213 00:10:29.100 --> 00:10:32.620 just the cojones to give it a go. I think 214 00:10:32.639 --> 00:10:33.340 this is fantastic. 215 00:10:33.960 --> 00:10:36.059 Yeah, I mean, hopefully it's the start of a great 216 00:10:36.139 --> 00:10:39.990 budding friendship there. And a long time ago, as a 217 00:10:40.029 --> 00:10:43.570 wise man once said, Why not Dying Fetus? So, that 218 00:10:43.629 --> 00:10:46.100 is the thought over in the Turnstile camp. Speaking of, 219 00:10:46.110 --> 00:10:50.470 I know, slowly revealing something to ourselves, this is news 220 00:10:50.529 --> 00:10:52.950 here of a, I guess, a Guitar Hero, it's not 221 00:10:52.970 --> 00:10:57.490 officially Guitar Hero, it's called Stage Tour, but it's, you know, 222 00:10:57.509 --> 00:11:00.909 kind of from the lineage of Guitar Hero, a new game, 223 00:11:01.649 --> 00:11:03.700 and I know that you two here in Throat of Me, 224 00:11:03.799 --> 00:11:08.120 as you bring up every single time various bands come up, 225 00:11:08.159 --> 00:11:11.059 most recently Social Distortion on Album Club, um, have very 226 00:11:11.100 --> 00:11:13.299 strong feelings about Guitar Hero, not that I blame you 227 00:11:13.340 --> 00:11:15.600 at all. Um, so, uh, I mean, Elliot, it was 228 00:11:15.639 --> 00:11:17.519 you who, uh, you know, brought this forward and was like, 229 00:11:17.539 --> 00:11:20.090 look at this list, um, of tracks that have been 230 00:11:20.129 --> 00:11:23.889 revealed for this new upcoming, uh, you know, Guitar Hero 231 00:11:23.950 --> 00:11:27.250 quasi sort of spin-off game. Um, the, the rise and 232 00:11:27.269 --> 00:11:31.830 fall of Guitar Hero itself is, uh, It feels very 233 00:11:31.889 --> 00:11:34.210 tied to, I don't know, a time of different fortunes 234 00:11:34.370 --> 00:11:38.850 in rock music, I suppose. So it always feels, I 235 00:11:38.850 --> 00:11:40.889 don't know, slightly like we're trying to recapture something when 236 00:11:40.909 --> 00:11:43.570 something like this comes out. And the list here of 237 00:11:43.610 --> 00:11:48.960 songs is really weird because on one hand, about 70% 238 00:11:48.960 --> 00:11:52.879 to 80% of it is, like, not stuff that you 239 00:11:52.899 --> 00:11:55.039 would think is right for a guitar hero at all 240 00:11:55.059 --> 00:11:58.659 because it's just, like, you know, boring, pop, doesn't rip, whatever. 241 00:11:59.830 --> 00:12:00.090 And then. 242 00:12:00.549 --> 00:12:02.330 there is a small percentage, and then you go, oh, 243 00:12:02.350 --> 00:12:06.909 but Castle Rat are there. And Beast in Black are 244 00:12:07.009 --> 00:12:12.059 on there. Like, a couple of really weird... Certainly Castle Rat, 245 00:12:12.080 --> 00:12:14.960 it's fucking cool to see them graduating into, yeah, we're 246 00:12:15.000 --> 00:12:19.299 on a Guitar Hero of sorts game status, but do 247 00:12:19.340 --> 00:12:23.440 we really need Walk the Moon to be on it? 248 00:12:23.799 --> 00:12:25.220 It's an odd bunch, isn't it? 249 00:12:25.789 --> 00:12:27.539 So, I mean, I pointed out when we were discussing 250 00:12:27.559 --> 00:12:30.019 this earlier, the thing with like the Guitar Hero, Rock 251 00:12:30.039 --> 00:12:33.000 Band Games, the moment they became sort of full band experiences, 252 00:12:33.539 --> 00:12:37.419 the songs, the track list did change and become generally 253 00:12:37.480 --> 00:12:41.059 less ripping because it became less about just ripping out 254 00:12:41.080 --> 00:12:44.220 the guitar stuff, which is why Guitar Hero 3 is 255 00:12:44.240 --> 00:12:46.399 the peak of the entire thing because that was the 256 00:12:46.440 --> 00:12:49.409 last one that was purely guitar, had the best set 257 00:12:49.429 --> 00:12:52.190 list of songs that are like crank out the riff, 258 00:12:52.250 --> 00:12:54.870 rip out the solos, like big tunes. 259 00:12:55.210 --> 00:12:58.370 I mean, look at the Muse song. The old Guitar 260 00:12:58.429 --> 00:13:00.629 Hero 3 infamous staple is, of course, Knights of Cydonia. 261 00:13:00.830 --> 00:13:03.850 And there are so many songs from the Muse catalog. Muse, 262 00:13:04.350 --> 00:13:07.120 not short of ripping guitar playing. That's something that everybody, 263 00:13:07.240 --> 00:13:10.700 including people who hate Muse, can generally agree on. That's 264 00:13:10.759 --> 00:13:13.620 why they've gone and picked Starlight, the song I'm sure 265 00:13:13.639 --> 00:13:15.779 we all immediately think of when it comes to heavy, 266 00:13:15.860 --> 00:13:19.240 ripping Muse guitars. I love Starlight. It's a... perfect pop 267 00:13:19.259 --> 00:13:21.120 song it's not the one you put on a fucking 268 00:13:21.139 --> 00:13:25.519 guitar here again is it yes like stockholm syndrome or 269 00:13:25.679 --> 00:13:28.120 even a recent single but fucking won't stand down or 270 00:13:28.159 --> 00:13:31.049 whatever would be a better choice than starlight. 271 00:13:31.250 --> 00:13:33.230 Yeah that feels sort of emblematic of the sort of 272 00:13:33.269 --> 00:13:35.149 like full band thing but i will say i was 273 00:13:35.169 --> 00:13:37.070 looking i was like you know like megadeth are a 274 00:13:37.149 --> 00:13:40.149 rubbish band for the most part but tornado of souls. 275 00:13:39.870 --> 00:13:43.129 Is an unbelievable choice like we got you with rust 276 00:13:43.169 --> 00:13:44.649 in peace last year and you're already trying to walk 277 00:13:44.669 --> 00:13:47.740 all this back No, no, no. 278 00:13:48.039 --> 00:13:50.100 I've just said Tornado of Souls is fucking brilliant. 279 00:13:50.480 --> 00:13:52.539 Yeah, but you said it like it was an outlier, 280 00:13:52.620 --> 00:13:53.240 which is the problem. 281 00:13:53.299 --> 00:13:54.600 It is an outlier. 282 00:13:54.820 --> 00:13:57.639 And the other one is like Motley Crue. Again, terrible band, 283 00:13:57.919 --> 00:14:03.370 but fucking kickstart my heart. Is there one undeniable, unbeatable tune? 284 00:14:03.399 --> 00:14:04.120 And that's simply on there. 285 00:14:04.139 --> 00:14:05.230 Sense of Los Angeles. 286 00:14:07.789 --> 00:14:10.110 But then I'm looking at it like, you know, there's 287 00:14:10.129 --> 00:14:13.980 some fun stuff. As we were talking last week, Sharp 288 00:14:14.000 --> 00:14:14.860 Dressed Man on there. 289 00:14:15.080 --> 00:14:15.919 That's a banger. 290 00:14:15.960 --> 00:14:18.240 You're going to have a good time cranking that out, 291 00:14:18.259 --> 00:14:19.279 will you, mate? 292 00:14:20.220 --> 00:14:23.080 I think, you know, Square Hammer's one I can go like, yeah, 293 00:14:23.120 --> 00:14:26.019 that's the one that should be on the revival of 294 00:14:26.080 --> 00:14:27.889 Guitar Hero. If you're going to pick a ghost tune, 295 00:14:28.409 --> 00:14:31.389 Square Hammer is one of the most ironclad modern rock 296 00:14:31.429 --> 00:14:34.110 and metal classics. Really cool to see that on there. 297 00:14:34.429 --> 00:14:36.870 The Motherlode as a Mastodon pick, I'm like, cool to 298 00:14:36.909 --> 00:14:40.980 see the sort of staple metal bands who've been on 299 00:14:41.019 --> 00:14:43.500 these games before getting more interesting picks. A couple of 300 00:14:43.559 --> 00:14:46.279 bait choices, Psychosocial, that's been on one of these before, 301 00:14:46.340 --> 00:14:51.740 but I'll take it. I think there's enough cool stuff 302 00:14:51.799 --> 00:14:52.700 on here. 303 00:14:53.159 --> 00:14:55.669 I'm happy to see Red Flag as a Billy Talent pick. 304 00:14:55.809 --> 00:14:59.330 I think that's a classic tune. And then there is 305 00:14:59.350 --> 00:15:02.350 a bunch of weird pop songs on there, like Avril 306 00:15:02.370 --> 00:15:05.669 Lavigne and Olivia Rodrigo. But as you said earlier, that 307 00:15:05.710 --> 00:15:08.309 being alongside Castle Rat, I guess it's pretty cool. 308 00:15:09.070 --> 00:15:10.889 For me, the only criteria for whether something should be 309 00:15:10.929 --> 00:15:13.710 on Guitar Hero is, do you want to air guitar 310 00:15:13.730 --> 00:15:15.429 to it because if you don't why have a game 311 00:15:15.470 --> 00:15:17.620 which simulates yeah do you know what i mean like 312 00:15:17.629 --> 00:15:19.379 that seems like that and that's that's the only criteria 313 00:15:19.399 --> 00:15:20.759 you can have any genre music you want like i 314 00:15:20.759 --> 00:15:22.559 mean guitar hero 3 you're quite right sam is the 315 00:15:22.600 --> 00:15:25.059 absolute best creme de la creme guitar hero game and 316 00:15:25.080 --> 00:15:27.679 that's got you know for every one or number of 317 00:15:27.700 --> 00:15:29.600 the beast or raining blood there's like cliffs of dover 318 00:15:29.639 --> 00:15:32.700 like there's nice breezy stuff which is just still like 319 00:15:32.720 --> 00:15:34.740 you know stuff that sounds fun to play on guitar 320 00:15:35.490 --> 00:15:36.679 And there's, you know, there's a lot of that. You've 321 00:15:36.710 --> 00:15:38.029 mentioned a lot of them, like Get the Funk Out 322 00:15:38.070 --> 00:15:40.789 by Xtreme. That's great. You know, Photograph by Def Leppard. 323 00:15:40.830 --> 00:15:41.669 I believe in a thing called love. 324 00:15:42.610 --> 00:15:44.830 I thought the law, that'll be a fun one. Even 325 00:15:45.029 --> 00:15:47.570 more sort of like basic punk stuff, that's as good 326 00:15:47.610 --> 00:15:48.309 as you could get for that. 327 00:15:48.929 --> 00:15:51.350 Yeah, but there are a lot of songs where you go, 328 00:15:51.490 --> 00:15:53.470 I don't even know what the guitar on that does. 329 00:15:53.490 --> 00:15:55.610 Some of the songs I might like, and I don't 330 00:15:55.629 --> 00:15:57.309 even know what the guitar part sounds like. The one 331 00:15:57.350 --> 00:15:59.870 for me where I do go, whose idea was this, 332 00:16:00.610 --> 00:16:05.379 is Static X with... with Terminator Oscillator, and I'm not 333 00:16:05.419 --> 00:16:07.419 a Static, as much as I might have given the impression, 334 00:16:07.440 --> 00:16:09.919 I'm not a huge Static X fan. I was like, 335 00:16:09.940 --> 00:16:12.820 where is that song from? And it's from 2020, and 336 00:16:12.840 --> 00:16:16.590 it's like, what's a 2020 Static X? In your opening gambit, 337 00:16:16.639 --> 00:16:18.950 to go like, and there's more to come, we've got 338 00:16:19.570 --> 00:16:23.309 the return of Static X, like that's, and again, the 339 00:16:23.350 --> 00:16:25.070 riff for that will just, I've not heard it, the 340 00:16:25.110 --> 00:16:28.990 riff will just be, da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da. 341 00:16:29.970 --> 00:16:30.230 Fine. 342 00:16:30.529 --> 00:16:33.659 I don't know, I'm sort of, I'm hoping that when 343 00:16:34.580 --> 00:16:38.240 the game comes out properly, let's have a little bit 344 00:16:38.279 --> 00:16:42.610 more shred. A little bit less modern Rolling Stones and 345 00:16:42.649 --> 00:16:44.929 a bit more... I feel like there's a lot of 346 00:16:44.970 --> 00:16:46.830 songs which... Square Hammer's a perfect example of the mother load. 347 00:16:46.850 --> 00:16:48.289 There's a few songs that came out in the interim 348 00:16:48.309 --> 00:16:50.470 between Guitar Hero games where you go, I'd love to 349 00:16:51.269 --> 00:16:52.649 stick that in. I don't need it to all be 350 00:16:52.669 --> 00:16:55.379 like Rings of Sasson, but do the Blood Incantation stage. 351 00:16:55.500 --> 00:16:58.320 That would be cool. Please, just do Absolute Elsewhere in full. 352 00:16:58.460 --> 00:17:02.870 That's a perfect final boss. don't know if we need 353 00:17:02.909 --> 00:17:05.029 all-star i think that's sort of been. 354 00:17:04.910 --> 00:17:08.589 Done yeah the majority of this to me looks boring 355 00:17:08.809 --> 00:17:10.849 but then there's castle rat and you go fucking hell 356 00:17:10.910 --> 00:17:14.190 yeah that that feels like a major win for them 357 00:17:14.250 --> 00:17:16.950 like that's the major part of the the story of 358 00:17:16.970 --> 00:17:20.000 this i think is like damn castle rat really really 359 00:17:20.039 --> 00:17:22.640 going somewhere so uh good for them at the very 360 00:17:22.680 --> 00:17:25.359 least a couple of new album announcement this week comeback 361 00:17:25.420 --> 00:17:29.339 kid I've got their new one, the Canadian hardcore stalwart's 362 00:17:29.680 --> 00:17:31.579 Chosen Hell is the name of it. It's out on 363 00:17:31.680 --> 00:17:34.640 November the 6th. And then we also have news I 364 00:17:34.640 --> 00:17:37.369 wanted to drop in of Smolder, and that's in their 365 00:17:37.380 --> 00:17:41.589 new album. Smolder, one of our favourite more recent epic 366 00:17:41.650 --> 00:17:44.789 heavy metal, traditional heavy metal bands, started off more as 367 00:17:44.829 --> 00:17:46.809 a doom metal band, but over the years, and certainly 368 00:17:46.869 --> 00:17:51.140 by the lead single for this album, Standards, have gone crazy. Like, 369 00:17:51.240 --> 00:17:53.539 faster and faster and faster, where you can call them 370 00:17:53.579 --> 00:17:56.440 Doom No More, really. And this album has got a 371 00:17:56.440 --> 00:18:00.650 whole kind of, you know, strange, almost, like, aesthetic reinvention 372 00:18:01.009 --> 00:18:03.109 going on for them. It's called Witch Wife in an 373 00:18:03.289 --> 00:18:06.589 Alien World, and it looks very, like, freaky and sci-fi 374 00:18:06.630 --> 00:18:10.109 and progressive compared to the, you know, more... medieval epic 375 00:18:10.130 --> 00:18:12.029 you know stuff that you could associate with smolder but 376 00:18:12.049 --> 00:18:14.289 that's coming out on october the 9th uh again a 377 00:18:14.329 --> 00:18:16.430 small band who we like to shine a light on 378 00:18:16.910 --> 00:18:19.609 new tour announcements the big one that everyone's been talking 379 00:18:19.630 --> 00:18:24.470 about this week comes from both trivium and in flames 380 00:18:25.009 --> 00:18:27.730 uh who have been recently uh doing a tour together 381 00:18:27.809 --> 00:18:31.319 across the us now they have announced it together bringing 382 00:18:31.359 --> 00:18:35.880 it to europe and the uk as well um trivium 383 00:18:35.960 --> 00:18:39.200 and in flames it's sort of the way like Trivium 384 00:18:39.220 --> 00:18:41.039 in particular, because they did the Poison and Intensity thing, 385 00:18:41.779 --> 00:18:45.980 they almost have these big press conference style rollouts for tours. 386 00:18:46.019 --> 00:18:48.420 It's kind of being pitched as a co-headline in that 387 00:18:48.460 --> 00:18:51.869 kind of way. Obviously, compared to Bullet and Trivium, In 388 00:18:51.920 --> 00:18:54.910 Flames and Trivium has more of a geographical disparity, where 389 00:18:55.190 --> 00:18:57.670 it looks like In Flames are going to be headlining, 390 00:18:57.809 --> 00:19:00.190 certainly the Scandinavian tour. dates perhaps some of the other 391 00:19:00.230 --> 00:19:03.210 european ones as well uh trivium are the band going 392 00:19:03.299 --> 00:19:06.759 on last uh here in the uk um within flames 393 00:19:06.819 --> 00:19:08.920 as sort of main support uh they are going to 394 00:19:08.960 --> 00:19:11.380 be doing that here in the uk between march 29th 395 00:19:11.400 --> 00:19:13.960 and april 4th and then also going across uh the 396 00:19:13.980 --> 00:19:21.019 rest of the Stop at Alexandra Palace in London... This 397 00:19:21.079 --> 00:19:23.180 is going for arenas... It's got the Co-op Live in 398 00:19:23.200 --> 00:19:28.440 Manchester for example... The Hydro in Glasgow... And opening acts of... 399 00:19:28.660 --> 00:19:33.470 Paleface Swiss and Vola... And Trivium and In Flames together... This... 400 00:19:34.069 --> 00:19:39.829 To me personally... I find this more tantalising... Than the... 401 00:19:39.069 --> 00:19:42.970 Bullet Poison Descendancy thing... That they did... Mavis Bullet... I'd 402 00:19:42.970 --> 00:19:47.150 seen the poison before... Whatever... But like the combination of Trivium... 403 00:19:46.690 --> 00:19:49.170 And yeah I know... Recent In Flames... They're not the 404 00:19:49.170 --> 00:19:52.720 Jester race anymore but the combination of those two together 405 00:19:53.240 --> 00:19:55.809 is i feel like i would be more likely to 406 00:19:56.009 --> 00:19:57.630 uh you know try and find my way to this 407 00:19:57.670 --> 00:20:02.480 particularly um considering in flames recently Just this week, actually, 408 00:20:02.500 --> 00:20:06.099 they were playing a show in Gothenburg, in Sweden, and 409 00:20:06.119 --> 00:20:10.029 I believe that there was a big Thomas Lindbergh memorial 410 00:20:10.289 --> 00:20:13.289 focus going on with In Flames and Dark Tranquility and 411 00:20:13.309 --> 00:20:15.210 so on, covering At The Gates songs and that kind 412 00:20:15.250 --> 00:20:19.099 of thing. But part of this In Flames... set they 413 00:20:19.119 --> 00:20:21.480 did this week as well um they busted out a 414 00:20:21.519 --> 00:20:24.599 bunch of like cool old songs they played gyroscope from 415 00:20:25.039 --> 00:20:28.240 horacle um for the first time since 2012 and particularly 416 00:20:28.740 --> 00:20:31.440 uh artifacts of the black rain from the jester race 417 00:20:31.779 --> 00:20:34.900 with matt hayfee coming out on guest vocals because that 418 00:20:34.940 --> 00:20:37.210 is apparently matt hayfee's favorite inflamed song that he's been 419 00:20:37.250 --> 00:20:39.930 pressuring them to do for ages and guess who else 420 00:20:40.269 --> 00:20:43.910 would select that as their favourite In Flames song? That's right, me, bitch. 421 00:20:44.250 --> 00:20:48.809 And if this continues, and Matt continues to bully In 422 00:20:48.849 --> 00:20:52.569 Flames into playing cool Jester-y songs, particularly that one, then yeah, 423 00:20:52.609 --> 00:20:55.230 maybe they won't do that. But to me, like I said, 424 00:20:55.269 --> 00:20:58.460 Trivium and In Flames together, this does sound like a... 425 00:20:59.119 --> 00:21:04.000 If you're into melodic metal, particularly of the Swedish Gothenburg-y variety, 426 00:21:04.019 --> 00:21:07.279 which is of course very influential on Trivium, then I'm alright, yeah. 427 00:21:08.109 --> 00:21:10.890 This reminds me of the, um, not the, the toilet 428 00:21:10.910 --> 00:21:12.509 a couple of years ago with heaven shall burn, where again, 429 00:21:12.529 --> 00:21:16.430 it was that co-headliner, but like the UK, but like. 430 00:21:16.730 --> 00:21:18.910 But much bigger because they're in arenas, right? Yeah. 431 00:21:19.069 --> 00:21:20.819 But in flames feel like the sort of the perfect 432 00:21:20.859 --> 00:21:23.140 kind of like leading for that. Again, I have quite 433 00:21:23.259 --> 00:21:26.160 influenced on this podcast ribbed in flames and their fans 434 00:21:26.180 --> 00:21:28.140 a little bit, but I have now kind of like, again, 435 00:21:28.420 --> 00:21:30.039 I know that the early in flames records up to 436 00:21:30.099 --> 00:21:34.680 Oh six in flames rip post Oh six post come clarity. 437 00:21:35.089 --> 00:21:36.049 It's all a bit naff to. 438 00:21:36.029 --> 00:21:38.900 Me, but, um, if everyone wanted to come out and 439 00:21:38.920 --> 00:21:41.670 just play a 45 to 50 minute sort of big 440 00:21:41.690 --> 00:21:46.170 support slot of bangers into Trivium, that's a good fucking time. Like, 441 00:21:46.190 --> 00:21:49.859 that is, like, if you want, like, again, like, melodic, 442 00:21:49.920 --> 00:21:52.039 kind of, like, death metal teen sort of metalcore sort 443 00:21:52.059 --> 00:21:53.519 of influential sort of music. 444 00:21:54.039 --> 00:21:55.880 That's a great old time. 445 00:21:56.319 --> 00:21:58.480 It's weathering flames to do that, whether they kind of like, no, 446 00:21:58.579 --> 00:22:01.579 people want to hear the new songs and no, they don't. 447 00:22:01.680 --> 00:22:03.799 But yeah, I think this is that as a pairing, 448 00:22:03.819 --> 00:22:05.180 it's one of those ones you kind of go like, 449 00:22:05.400 --> 00:22:07.880 how has it taken until now for this to kind 450 00:22:07.920 --> 00:22:11.349 of like be a really, again, a big deal tour. 451 00:22:11.369 --> 00:22:12.650 I know they've toured together in the past, but it 452 00:22:12.690 --> 00:22:14.009 feels like one of those ones that could have been 453 00:22:14.670 --> 00:22:16.930 a big deal tour for a good while now. 454 00:22:17.049 --> 00:22:18.029 And I think like, it looks cool. 455 00:22:18.589 --> 00:22:21.890 Yeah. I mean, Trivium, Trivium, Always reliably great. In Flames 456 00:22:21.930 --> 00:22:23.900 do seem like a band where they are more dependent 457 00:22:23.940 --> 00:22:25.900 on what they choose to play on the night, because 458 00:22:25.960 --> 00:22:28.900 I saw them in 2017. I think that was the 459 00:22:28.940 --> 00:22:31.059 height of, we're not a melodic death metal band anymore. 460 00:22:31.119 --> 00:22:34.539 We're the future. We're battles. And it was like 60% 461 00:22:34.539 --> 00:22:37.099 of the... I think the oldest song they played that night, 462 00:22:37.460 --> 00:22:40.779 if I'm not mistaken, was Take This Life, which is 463 00:22:40.839 --> 00:22:43.119 not old enough, to be honest, if you're going to 464 00:22:43.140 --> 00:22:45.509 do an In Flames set. But it does seem like, 465 00:22:45.609 --> 00:22:49.029 with that last record, which was very consciously... going for 466 00:22:49.049 --> 00:22:51.410 the old school and if they're bringing out deep cuts 467 00:22:51.430 --> 00:22:54.369 like that it sounds like they've sort of bucked their 468 00:22:54.410 --> 00:22:56.569 ideas but have a bit of a healthier balance if 469 00:22:56.809 --> 00:22:59.599 if they come out and bring it other i'd like 470 00:22:59.619 --> 00:23:02.180 to see an inflamed sort of renaissance of the kind 471 00:23:02.200 --> 00:23:04.619 they deserve because i think you know sam speaks to 472 00:23:04.640 --> 00:23:06.559 something where a lot a whole generation because they were 473 00:23:06.599 --> 00:23:09.700 naff for quite a long time and on record still 474 00:23:09.880 --> 00:23:12.160 aren't great they've sort of been swept under the rug 475 00:23:12.220 --> 00:23:14.160 but my god that that run we talked about it 476 00:23:14.180 --> 00:23:17.579 before but like when inflames were on it oh baby. 477 00:23:18.289 --> 00:23:19.910 Yeah, I mean, last time they played Bloodstock, they played 478 00:23:19.950 --> 00:23:22.720 Behind Space from the first album, so I think that 479 00:23:22.759 --> 00:23:25.539 they are capable of doing some cool shit, and I 480 00:23:25.720 --> 00:23:28.180 would just hope that does continue into this particular tour, 481 00:23:28.200 --> 00:23:30.440 because I think, I don't know, coming out in front 482 00:23:30.460 --> 00:23:34.119 of a Trivian crowd who are obviously, again, there's that 483 00:23:34.200 --> 00:23:37.950 lineage of influence there, and kind of giving them a lesson, 484 00:23:38.029 --> 00:23:39.970 you know, like, here's where all this stuff comes from, 485 00:23:40.069 --> 00:23:41.869 Artifacts of the Black Rain, Behind Space, whatever, and then, 486 00:23:41.890 --> 00:23:45.190 you know, obviously you do throw in your big anthems 487 00:23:45.210 --> 00:23:47.630 from the, you know, throw in deliver us whatever you 488 00:23:47.650 --> 00:23:50.019 know from from the more modern records as well um 489 00:23:50.759 --> 00:23:52.200 i know there has been a bit of discourse around 490 00:23:52.220 --> 00:23:55.599 this about ticket price as kind of increasingly seems to 491 00:23:55.640 --> 00:23:58.259 happen with every big tour that's not unique to this 492 00:23:58.339 --> 00:24:00.119 one i think people are maybe going god trivium and 493 00:24:00.140 --> 00:24:02.220 in flames together that's the package that i might have 494 00:24:02.240 --> 00:24:04.819 seen again 15 years ago like i did on like 495 00:24:04.839 --> 00:24:06.799 the metal hammer defenders of the faith tour and now 496 00:24:06.839 --> 00:24:09.099 suddenly it's 80 quid you know to do it but 497 00:24:09.660 --> 00:24:12.650 i know that's just kind of uh the the price 498 00:24:12.670 --> 00:24:15.349 that's being paid with basically every like you know tour 499 00:24:15.390 --> 00:24:17.599 that's going to go through places like the carp live 500 00:24:17.640 --> 00:24:19.539 or outside of palace whatever um you know down to 501 00:24:19.559 --> 00:24:21.960 your own discretion and uh is is a shame but 502 00:24:22.119 --> 00:24:24.329 as i said as a pairing um that is uh 503 00:24:24.490 --> 00:24:27.339 of the the bigger metal tours coming around In next year, 504 00:24:27.359 --> 00:24:29.000 that is one that I find kind of appealing So 505 00:24:29.019 --> 00:24:31.039 there you go, Trivia in Flames coming around If you 506 00:24:31.160 --> 00:24:34.369 are more of a hardcore alternative rock persuasion Then Basement 507 00:24:34.789 --> 00:24:38.190 Are going to be doing their Big full on headline 508 00:24:38.230 --> 00:24:41.549 tour Around Europe and the UK For their album, it 509 00:24:41.609 --> 00:24:44.650 includes a date at the Roundhouse In London And those 510 00:24:44.670 --> 00:24:48.059 sort of equivalently sized venues Across the rest of the 511 00:24:48.259 --> 00:24:52.220 UK In February of next year And just because Sam 512 00:24:52.240 --> 00:24:57.380 hasn't been Privileged enough lately Chelsea Wolfe, more on her 513 00:24:57.720 --> 00:25:00.900 in a little while, but Chelsea Wolfe, having just fucking 514 00:25:00.920 --> 00:25:04.380 played one date in London alongside, of course, her headlining 515 00:25:04.579 --> 00:25:07.160 date at Elk Tangent, decided that that is now the 516 00:25:07.240 --> 00:25:09.890 only place she will play in the UK because the 517 00:25:09.950 --> 00:25:13.130 dark world tour has been announced and the only UK 518 00:25:13.230 --> 00:25:17.309 date is in fucking London again on the 17th of December. 519 00:25:17.569 --> 00:25:20.210 You've just played there, Chelsea. I love you, but please, 520 00:25:21.130 --> 00:25:24.099 you've just done it. Do... The rest of us, please. 521 00:25:24.660 --> 00:25:28.819 And if that's not enough, fucking Oathbreaker. Also, in the 522 00:25:28.940 --> 00:25:34.809 post-Arctangent announcements, added one more UK show in London at 523 00:25:34.849 --> 00:25:37.269 the Village Underground, which is not a venue that I know. 524 00:25:37.450 --> 00:25:39.910 And it's on my fucking birthday, no less. And I 525 00:25:40.769 --> 00:25:42.309 kind of didn't want to have to go to London 526 00:25:42.349 --> 00:25:45.329 again for the rest of the year, but maybe I must. 527 00:25:47.390 --> 00:25:49.269 I was so glad because when Portrayal of Guilt announced 528 00:25:49.289 --> 00:25:51.599 that tour recently and there was no London there I 529 00:25:51.599 --> 00:25:53.319 was like you fuckers not coming to London and then 530 00:25:53.400 --> 00:25:55.259 suddenly I was like oh that's why you're not coming 531 00:25:55.279 --> 00:25:57.259 to London because you're doing something even better coming to 532 00:25:57.299 --> 00:26:00.900 London with Oathbreaker I am ecstatic about this I've seen 533 00:26:01.019 --> 00:26:03.079 so many of my favourite albums of all time in 534 00:26:03.119 --> 00:26:05.920 full life this year because then this is just like 535 00:26:06.240 --> 00:26:10.009 topping it off with Raya is going to be just 536 00:26:10.410 --> 00:26:15.730 oh I am very very excited yeah Oathbreaker hell yeah 537 00:26:15.769 --> 00:26:17.119 let's go Yeah. 538 00:26:17.160 --> 00:26:19.609 And then the cool live announcement from the other side 539 00:26:19.650 --> 00:26:22.450 of the pond this week, I think from over in America, 540 00:26:22.569 --> 00:26:27.349 is Interama announcing their 20th anniversary as a band tour. 541 00:26:27.410 --> 00:26:29.240 Interama have, in fact, been going for 20 years. You 542 00:26:29.259 --> 00:26:30.910 might not have heard of them until... I don't know, 543 00:26:31.049 --> 00:26:33.250 five or so years ago, perhaps ten when they released 544 00:26:33.269 --> 00:26:35.670 Paradise Gallows, but 20 years as a band. This year 545 00:26:35.849 --> 00:26:38.829 they're doing a kind of short tour around primarily the 546 00:26:38.950 --> 00:26:42.150 eastern side of the United States, but the support acts 547 00:26:42.170 --> 00:26:46.029 for that tour are the current kind of buzzy, really 548 00:26:46.089 --> 00:26:48.730 horrible sludge band called Chain to the Bottom of the Ocean, 549 00:26:49.019 --> 00:26:53.240 and then also Antichrist Siege Machine, which is the hardest 550 00:26:53.319 --> 00:26:55.480 possible inter-armoured support act. Fuck me. 551 00:26:56.160 --> 00:26:57.799 I wonder what Van Halen song they'll do. 552 00:27:00.289 --> 00:27:02.609 I do wonder, but yeah, if you are, again, in 553 00:27:02.630 --> 00:27:04.630 that area of the United States and you have not 554 00:27:04.650 --> 00:27:07.619 seen any of those bands, god damn it, fucking Antichrist 555 00:27:07.640 --> 00:27:10.180 Sea Machine, unbelievably hard, and then you get Inter-Armor as well, 556 00:27:10.240 --> 00:27:14.180 brilliant stuff. Right, let's move on with our show here. 557 00:27:14.680 --> 00:27:18.180 A quick little mention for our most recent antics over 558 00:27:18.299 --> 00:27:21.539 on the That's Not Metal Patreon. The most recent thing 559 00:27:21.819 --> 00:27:26.230 is our Black Breath. Retrospective special that we did Four 560 00:27:26.269 --> 00:27:29.029 hours on a band who we think Fucking deserved her 561 00:27:29.049 --> 00:27:32.170 four hours spent On them and their catalogue And their 562 00:27:32.230 --> 00:27:34.329 legacy and the other things that they've done The other 563 00:27:34.369 --> 00:27:39.170 bands that they've done And just What a wonderful thing 564 00:27:39.509 --> 00:27:42.170 that they were In their time and hopefully can be 565 00:27:42.250 --> 00:27:46.410 Again now if they Are gallant enough To do so 566 00:27:46.549 --> 00:27:50.230 in our area Elliot this was fucking a joy Wasn't it? 567 00:27:51.039 --> 00:27:53.920 Such a pleasure to revisit that catalogue Like, I mean, 568 00:27:53.940 --> 00:27:55.740 I don't need much excuse to listen to certainly the 569 00:27:55.779 --> 00:27:58.680 first two at the best of times, but so rewarding 570 00:27:58.700 --> 00:28:01.269 to go through it in order and think about how 571 00:28:01.309 --> 00:28:03.289 that band changed. Because, you know, they weren't around for 572 00:28:03.309 --> 00:28:07.089 very long and, you know, kind of maybe stretched to 573 00:28:07.109 --> 00:28:09.549 say forgotten, but so many people of maybe the generation 574 00:28:09.630 --> 00:28:11.569 after and before don't seem too familiar with who they are. 575 00:28:11.609 --> 00:28:13.849 But it's like, if you were there then, you know 576 00:28:13.869 --> 00:28:17.150 how exciting it was. And going back through the records, 577 00:28:18.559 --> 00:28:23.029 charting that short, sharp career they had, And it just, 578 00:28:23.609 --> 00:28:27.630 it's made me so yearning for them to come back 579 00:28:27.670 --> 00:28:30.019 to the UK. Like, now I've gone from seeing, like, oh, 580 00:28:30.059 --> 00:28:32.240 I'm glad they're back and, you know, the Americans can 581 00:28:32.279 --> 00:28:34.519 enjoy it. So, like, now I must, I simply must 582 00:28:34.619 --> 00:28:37.539 see them. Surely someone's going to get, some festival's going 583 00:28:37.559 --> 00:28:39.930 to be there. They've got to come over. It's just, yeah, 584 00:28:40.670 --> 00:28:41.029 so good. 585 00:28:41.750 --> 00:28:44.359 Yeah, the campaign for that to happen. to happen certainly 586 00:28:44.400 --> 00:28:47.880 does begin here and that does follow on from our 587 00:28:47.980 --> 00:28:51.480 just before that recently completed Korn special four parts on 588 00:28:51.519 --> 00:28:53.980 that band the real breadth of the T & M 589 00:28:54.000 --> 00:28:56.869 spectrum there of one of the most influential giant bands 590 00:28:56.900 --> 00:28:58.930 of all time in the world of heavy music to 591 00:28:58.950 --> 00:29:01.130 a band who we think deserve more of a light 592 00:29:01.410 --> 00:29:05.089 shone on them and we will see where that particular 593 00:29:05.829 --> 00:29:08.269 pendulum takes us to next over there but if you 594 00:29:08.289 --> 00:29:09.980 want to hear all of that you might also want 595 00:29:10.000 --> 00:29:11.799 to hear for example the T & M Does Horror 596 00:29:12.119 --> 00:29:14.279 series that me and Sam do, our most recent entry 597 00:29:14.299 --> 00:29:17.200 of which was talking about Obsession and Evil Dead Burn. 598 00:29:17.369 --> 00:29:18.630 You can find all of that good stuff, all of 599 00:29:18.700 --> 00:29:22.130 our longest, best podcasts over on the That's The Metal Patreon. 600 00:29:22.569 --> 00:29:23.890 And if that is where you choose to support us, 601 00:29:23.910 --> 00:29:26.009 then that is the best way to support this podcast 602 00:29:26.029 --> 00:29:27.990 and keep us alive. So thank you very much for 603 00:29:28.009 --> 00:29:32.049 doing so. Let's get on with today's reviews. And like 604 00:29:32.089 --> 00:29:35.930 I said before, six albums, but a good spread, trying 605 00:29:35.950 --> 00:29:39.750 to cover as many bases as possible within six albums. 606 00:29:40.339 --> 00:29:43.200 that this month's release has presented to us and we 607 00:29:43.279 --> 00:29:46.680 start off with the return of the most rascally band 608 00:29:46.720 --> 00:29:52.529 on the planet Weezer with their self-titled once again it's 609 00:29:52.609 --> 00:29:56.869 the gold album it has been labeled as their 20th 610 00:29:57.089 --> 00:30:00.779 studio album But that requires you to, one, count the 611 00:30:00.819 --> 00:30:04.180 Teal album as a covers record, and even more egregiously, 612 00:30:04.420 --> 00:30:09.700 requires you to count every individual 20-minute season's EP as one. So, no, 613 00:30:09.980 --> 00:30:13.210 it's really more like their 15th album of original material, 614 00:30:13.309 --> 00:30:15.670 maybe 16 if you were to generously bundle all the 615 00:30:15.710 --> 00:30:17.970 seasons into one. I thought that number seemed high when 616 00:30:18.009 --> 00:30:20.430 I heard it, and it's not quite right. But Weezer, 617 00:30:20.869 --> 00:30:23.109 the band that we love the most, that we also 618 00:30:23.190 --> 00:30:24.019 hate the most, the 2020s. 619 00:30:25.789 --> 00:30:29.769 Like the 2010s and the 2000s before them, have been 620 00:30:29.910 --> 00:30:33.390 a juddering series of highs and lows for Weezer. We 621 00:30:33.410 --> 00:30:36.759 started them off with a bang, with the 1-2 in 622 00:30:36.759 --> 00:30:39.920 2021 of OK Human and Van Weezer. Two very fun 623 00:30:40.039 --> 00:30:42.279 Weezer albums. We were having such a good time back then. 624 00:30:42.660 --> 00:30:45.500 And then, oh, strike while the iron is hot, why 625 00:30:45.539 --> 00:30:51.049 don't you? 2022, why don't you release four seasonal mini-albums? Oh, God, 626 00:30:51.089 --> 00:30:55.960 for fuck's sake, no. It has been... Five whole years 627 00:30:56.200 --> 00:30:58.769 since the last official Weezer studio album, which is a 628 00:30:59.009 --> 00:31:03.130 massive amount of time for Weezer. For context about that time, Elliot, 629 00:31:03.289 --> 00:31:05.650 you weren't on the show the last time that Weezer 630 00:31:05.710 --> 00:31:08.690 released an official studio full-length album. We were still doing 631 00:31:08.890 --> 00:31:14.039 our old three-review-a-week show structure when the last two 2021 632 00:31:14.039 --> 00:31:18.359 Weezer albums came out. I needed space from Weezer after Seasons. 633 00:31:18.500 --> 00:31:20.980 I did not want any more Weezer material right after that. 634 00:31:21.200 --> 00:31:23.819 That's the time where I personally felt like you have 635 00:31:24.589 --> 00:31:27.589 Demanded my attention And pissed on it for a year 636 00:31:27.650 --> 00:31:30.420 straight I want you to go away for a couple 637 00:31:30.440 --> 00:31:32.859 of years Until my being mad at you Has had 638 00:31:33.019 --> 00:31:35.640 ample time to dissipate And I can start wanting for 639 00:31:35.660 --> 00:31:38.059 Weezer again And here we are in 2026 and I'm 640 00:31:38.079 --> 00:31:38.769 quite pleased they did. 641 00:31:38.700 --> 00:31:42.869 That Yeah I remember that seasons kind of epilogue for 642 00:31:42.890 --> 00:31:45.690 the weasel special we did and we were just what 643 00:31:45.730 --> 00:31:49.230 a christmas that was yeah we we were not in 644 00:31:49.269 --> 00:31:51.539 a good place on that one it was the most 645 00:31:51.579 --> 00:31:54.359 kind of just like exasperated and burnt out we were 646 00:31:54.380 --> 00:31:56.400 and i was the same i was i maybe i 647 00:31:56.420 --> 00:31:58.700 don't think i needed you know five four or five 648 00:31:58.740 --> 00:32:01.259 years of sort of weasel silence but i did i 649 00:32:01.299 --> 00:32:04.029 did need a break and i'm glad that uh we 650 00:32:04.069 --> 00:32:06.410 got some time to kind of like refresh and and 651 00:32:06.450 --> 00:32:10.589 weasel could Find a different tact and season being different 652 00:32:10.690 --> 00:32:15.420 after the exhausting undertaking that was Seasons. 653 00:32:16.940 --> 00:32:21.680 Yeah, Seasons, it's the nadir of the career for me. 654 00:32:22.000 --> 00:32:24.819 The highs and lows before that are still quite fun 655 00:32:25.039 --> 00:32:27.119 and enjoyable and there's hilarious things that happened all along 656 00:32:27.140 --> 00:32:29.410 the way. The only thing about Seasons that's kind of 657 00:32:29.470 --> 00:32:31.910 remotely amusing is the press photos we got. That was 658 00:32:31.950 --> 00:32:35.079 genuinely the best thing. the whole year was seeing like 659 00:32:35.380 --> 00:32:37.180 what's River's going to be who's going to be an 660 00:32:37.240 --> 00:32:40.720 elf or a Roman soldier this time that was the 661 00:32:40.759 --> 00:32:43.759 height of their four mini album series and it's the 662 00:32:43.799 --> 00:32:45.549 fact it came straight off the back of Van Weezer 663 00:32:45.769 --> 00:32:47.730 which I think is a lot of fun it's a 664 00:32:47.769 --> 00:32:49.529 flawed record but I like that it exists I like 665 00:32:49.549 --> 00:32:52.049 what it does and OK Human which for me that's 666 00:32:52.089 --> 00:32:54.049 on the Mount Rushmore of Weezer records if I'm doing 667 00:32:54.069 --> 00:32:57.490 my top four Mount OK Human is not even in 668 00:32:57.509 --> 00:33:01.559 that conversation it's the fourth one but within two years 669 00:33:01.579 --> 00:33:05.009 of that record coming out you know, between that and, say, Winter, 670 00:33:05.730 --> 00:33:07.829 it's like, I'm fucking, I'm done with this band. And 671 00:33:07.849 --> 00:33:09.910 this is my first time talking about Weezer on this show, 672 00:33:09.930 --> 00:33:12.609 I think in any capacity, because the only time was 673 00:33:12.630 --> 00:33:15.269 when I gave them Disappointment of the Year four seasons. 674 00:33:15.750 --> 00:33:17.890 We spoke a little bit about Everything Will Be Alright 675 00:33:17.910 --> 00:33:20.039 in the End on the 2014 special we did, but 676 00:33:20.059 --> 00:33:22.200 this is their little dips and pieces. They have been 677 00:33:22.339 --> 00:33:24.400 kind of silent, mostly, for this tenure. 678 00:33:24.980 --> 00:33:27.460 And they're one of my favourite bands, so it's been 679 00:33:27.599 --> 00:33:29.160 weird not talking about them when they're one of the 680 00:33:29.180 --> 00:33:32.349 most active bands that I love. And But I think, 681 00:33:32.369 --> 00:33:35.910 you're right, taking this time away, just shy of four 682 00:33:35.950 --> 00:33:40.299 years without any new music at all, and you can 683 00:33:40.380 --> 00:33:42.000 kind of hear in the record that that was a 684 00:33:42.119 --> 00:33:45.900 deliberate move. It feels like they've really knuckled down. It's 685 00:33:45.920 --> 00:33:48.369 like the exam's tomorrow. It's like, all right, come on, 686 00:33:48.400 --> 00:33:50.210 we're not going to fail. We're going to do this properly. 687 00:33:51.289 --> 00:33:53.490 There's a feeling on this record of kind of bucking 688 00:33:53.509 --> 00:33:57.130 their ideas, of taking it seriously. And you're right, I 689 00:33:57.150 --> 00:33:59.710 think that's about the minimum amount of time I needed 690 00:33:59.910 --> 00:34:01.970 to go from fuck this i can't take any more 691 00:34:01.990 --> 00:34:05.130 weezer to actually go in that's quite another weezer record 692 00:34:06.029 --> 00:34:06.750 would be quite good. 693 00:34:06.650 --> 00:34:10.349 Now sure yeah um we've got a colored album now 694 00:34:10.789 --> 00:34:14.150 and once upon a time back when uh youthful naive 695 00:34:14.230 --> 00:34:16.469 me first started doing this podcast we always used to 696 00:34:16.510 --> 00:34:18.909 say hey weezer they go wherever they go but you 697 00:34:18.929 --> 00:34:21.019 can always rely on the colored albums to be good 698 00:34:21.360 --> 00:34:25.309 with green red white and then we And to a 699 00:34:25.349 --> 00:34:28.090 lesser extent Teal So even that measure of reliability is 700 00:34:28.150 --> 00:34:30.170 not a given anymore But this one has been marked 701 00:34:30.190 --> 00:34:33.929 with the gold standard If there is any particular Defining 702 00:34:34.389 --> 00:34:36.699 gimmick to this one So to speak Although that's a 703 00:34:36.739 --> 00:34:39.420 harsh word to use It looks to be that the 704 00:34:40.139 --> 00:34:42.940 songwriting process Is the most collaborative between the members That 705 00:34:42.960 --> 00:34:46.059 they've maybe ever done Where the songwriting credits for these 706 00:34:46.099 --> 00:34:48.420 ten songs Rivers Cuomo is obviously on a lot of 707 00:34:48.440 --> 00:34:52.110 them But there are two whole songs Entirely credited to 708 00:34:52.119 --> 00:34:54.670 Patrick Wilson Brian Bell also has a number of credits, 709 00:34:55.090 --> 00:34:57.050 and then a few other kind of outside songwriters as well. 710 00:34:57.409 --> 00:35:00.889 It doesn't read as much just Cuomo, Cuomo, Cuomo as your, like, 711 00:35:01.090 --> 00:35:04.320 average Weezer release does. And that, I think, is kind 712 00:35:04.340 --> 00:35:06.699 of fun and kind of heartwarming for a band over, like, 713 00:35:06.840 --> 00:35:09.219 three decades into their career. Whether that comes out with, 714 00:35:09.280 --> 00:35:12.909 you know, career best results is, you know, a different matter, 715 00:35:12.929 --> 00:35:14.730 but I do think that's kind of cool. What do 716 00:35:14.769 --> 00:35:16.750 we think of The Gold Album? 717 00:35:18.139 --> 00:35:20.820 I was saying, like, because, like, this has been one where, again, 718 00:35:20.840 --> 00:35:24.150 it's easy for the, like, oh, it's the best Weezer 719 00:35:24.170 --> 00:35:27.170 album of the 2020s kind of thing to come along 720 00:35:27.210 --> 00:35:31.630 because it is the most back-to-basics, kind of, like, straightforward 721 00:35:32.110 --> 00:35:34.570 Weezer album. It's the coloured album, all that. I think 722 00:35:34.610 --> 00:35:38.550 this is the most agreeable, I would say, Weezer album of... 723 00:35:38.530 --> 00:35:41.210 This is a good Weezer album. I think there is 724 00:35:41.269 --> 00:35:43.309 very little about this album to dislike. 725 00:35:43.449 --> 00:35:44.340 I think it is, you know. 726 00:35:45.429 --> 00:35:48.119 It goes down really easy. It's 10 tracks, 33 minutes. 727 00:35:48.500 --> 00:35:51.079 I don't think there is a particularly bad song on here. 728 00:35:51.800 --> 00:35:55.079 I think it's a very pleasant time. For me, it 729 00:35:55.159 --> 00:35:59.400 doesn't hit the highs of OK Human or Van Weezer. 730 00:35:59.440 --> 00:36:03.489 I think the best moments on those records are peak 731 00:36:03.510 --> 00:36:04.510 2020s Weezer. 732 00:36:04.730 --> 00:36:06.250 But at the very least, it's kind of like. 733 00:36:07.730 --> 00:36:11.050 I don't see how anyone who likes Weezer could dislike 734 00:36:11.349 --> 00:36:13.210 this album as a whole because I just think it's 735 00:36:13.250 --> 00:36:17.260 just so... easy to sort of stick on and have 736 00:36:17.340 --> 00:36:19.239 a a good time with i just think maybe it's 737 00:36:19.320 --> 00:36:22.690 not like the exact kind of like oh my god 738 00:36:22.730 --> 00:36:24.610 we's are back let's throw up the w this is 739 00:36:24.630 --> 00:36:26.570 the white album all over again kind of thing that 740 00:36:26.630 --> 00:36:30.829 i maybe some people have initially found themselves getting caught 741 00:36:30.889 --> 00:36:32.230 up in because it's not. 742 00:36:32.150 --> 00:36:38.639 Seasons it's a weird one because the white album the 743 00:36:39.090 --> 00:36:41.389 feeling that still emanates from that record for me, which 744 00:36:41.429 --> 00:36:43.150 I get from when I first heard it, is I 745 00:36:43.429 --> 00:36:45.170 didn't know they still had this in them. And that 746 00:36:45.250 --> 00:36:48.710 excitement still persists on that record. The same is true 747 00:36:48.750 --> 00:36:52.309 for OK Human, where that was announced eight days before 748 00:36:52.349 --> 00:36:54.590 it came out, and then you're listening to this symphonic 749 00:36:54.719 --> 00:36:58.679 chamber pop album, which I think is virtually perfect, and 750 00:36:58.860 --> 00:37:01.360 it's done with a real orchestra. I didn't even know 751 00:37:01.400 --> 00:37:04.739 I wanted this, and it's so fucking good. The gold 752 00:37:04.800 --> 00:37:07.760 album's in a weird place where I think the album's really, 753 00:37:08.119 --> 00:37:11.679 really good. There's basically nothing I dislike about it, but 754 00:37:12.320 --> 00:37:14.769 that thing you were saying about it being agreeable plays 755 00:37:14.809 --> 00:37:18.449 to its strength and against it, in a way. Because 756 00:37:18.969 --> 00:37:21.550 the album sounds brilliant. I think it's the best sounding 757 00:37:21.570 --> 00:37:24.349 Weezer album in years. Like, OK Human Again, it's a 758 00:37:24.369 --> 00:37:26.010 production marvel, but it doesn't sound like a Weezer album 759 00:37:26.050 --> 00:37:31.010 at all, really. This sounds fantastic. The collaborative element, I 760 00:37:31.210 --> 00:37:35.300 really like that about it as well. It sounds like Weezer, 761 00:37:35.909 --> 00:37:39.400 but That's not... It feels harsh to say this, because 762 00:37:39.440 --> 00:37:42.280 that's not super surprising. Maybe it shouldn't do. And it's 763 00:37:42.320 --> 00:37:44.530 nice to hear them sounding like a band again after Seasons, 764 00:37:44.550 --> 00:37:46.449 which I'm not convinced some of the other members even 765 00:37:46.489 --> 00:37:51.070 played on those things. But I will agree that this album... 766 00:37:52.829 --> 00:37:54.989 On the other hand, it's maybe short on moments where 767 00:37:55.769 --> 00:37:58.250 you can't believe how good the thing you're listening to is, 768 00:37:58.550 --> 00:38:02.030 which Weezer Arms in the last decade have had those. 769 00:38:02.389 --> 00:38:05.750 That being said, I do think it's a really consistent record. 770 00:38:06.599 --> 00:38:07.969 And the thing that it's aiming for, I do think 771 00:38:08.010 --> 00:38:09.929 it kind of smashes at its goal. 772 00:38:10.989 --> 00:38:13.769 It's pretty, like, basic Weezer, isn't it? Like, it's got 773 00:38:13.789 --> 00:38:17.429 a particular sort of nuts-and-bolts feel to it at times. 774 00:38:17.469 --> 00:38:21.050 And I, again, when this record came out last Friday, 775 00:38:21.550 --> 00:38:23.860 and I was, you know, looking at some of the 776 00:38:23.880 --> 00:38:26.320 response to it, maybe this is just, you know, where my, 777 00:38:26.340 --> 00:38:28.320 I don't know, algorithm was curated, but I was, like, 778 00:38:28.340 --> 00:38:32.440 a little surprised at how really positive people were being. 779 00:38:32.519 --> 00:38:34.360 And I think that maybe there is some of that 780 00:38:34.400 --> 00:38:37.510 related to, as you're saying... relief of like four years 781 00:38:37.530 --> 00:38:40.130 without any weezer material and you know absence makes the 782 00:38:40.150 --> 00:38:43.010 heart grow fonder and then when it comes back it's 783 00:38:43.070 --> 00:38:47.480 not some seasons bullshit it's just like straight weezer the 784 00:38:47.519 --> 00:38:49.840 heavy power pop thing that they do basically like you 785 00:38:49.860 --> 00:38:51.960 know we we all hate weezer but we all yearn 786 00:38:51.980 --> 00:38:53.519 for weezer that's just how it goes and if they 787 00:38:53.539 --> 00:38:56.000 come back after some time away and they deliver something 788 00:38:56.019 --> 00:38:58.860 that gives that familiar weezer tickle it's hard not to 789 00:38:58.900 --> 00:39:01.119 go oh come here you and welcome them back because 790 00:39:01.139 --> 00:39:03.139 you know we're only human and it is nice having 791 00:39:03.159 --> 00:39:05.820 an album that I agree. The last thing they did, 792 00:39:05.900 --> 00:39:08.380 I think, is the worst overall project of their career. 793 00:39:08.400 --> 00:39:10.239 There's not a single song on it, when even the 794 00:39:10.260 --> 00:39:12.820 likes of Ratitude or Hurley or whatever have bangers on it. 795 00:39:13.969 --> 00:39:16.110 It's nice having something after that that puts me on 796 00:39:16.170 --> 00:39:18.550 good terms again with Weezer. That feels like a press 797 00:39:18.570 --> 00:39:20.070 of the reset button for me, and I like that. 798 00:39:20.090 --> 00:39:21.429 I think it's fun. I do think there are a 799 00:39:21.550 --> 00:39:23.829 couple of great moments on this that really make the 800 00:39:23.869 --> 00:39:26.309 endeavor worthwhile. I also feel like this album has a 801 00:39:26.349 --> 00:39:28.150 little bit of the air of the throwaway to it, 802 00:39:28.530 --> 00:39:31.239 and it kind of lands in the you know good 803 00:39:31.760 --> 00:39:35.179 not essential Weezer column for me and I do think 804 00:39:35.219 --> 00:39:38.400 like it's 10 years since the White Album which you 805 00:39:38.420 --> 00:39:41.760 mentioned that right this year and if that is the 806 00:39:41.880 --> 00:39:45.719 bar for like we've had this rodeo before basically is 807 00:39:45.739 --> 00:39:47.699 what I'm saying like where Weezer have been in the 808 00:39:47.739 --> 00:39:50.949 wilderness doing weird shit And then they reset to factory settings. 809 00:39:51.329 --> 00:39:52.889 And we had everything will be right in the end, 810 00:39:52.929 --> 00:39:54.750 which I think is a fucking great album that's near 811 00:39:54.789 --> 00:39:56.550 the top of the Weezer albums for me. And then 812 00:39:56.610 --> 00:39:59.789 following that up with the even better White album. This 813 00:39:59.849 --> 00:40:02.869 is nowhere near as good as those if that's the 814 00:40:02.889 --> 00:40:06.880 bar of Weezer getting back in touch with being Weezer again. Weezer, right? 815 00:40:07.449 --> 00:40:10.340 There's not a lot of musical deviation on this. It's 816 00:40:10.760 --> 00:40:14.079 quite thin. They're very slice of life-y in the lyrics 817 00:40:14.400 --> 00:40:16.969 a lot of times. which is, you know, endearing as 818 00:40:17.010 --> 00:40:19.690 long as maybe Rivers doesn't make it weird, yo. It's 819 00:40:19.710 --> 00:40:22.780 a very easy listen. It's produced by Kenny Beats, who 820 00:40:22.840 --> 00:40:25.719 is quite well-known in the hip-hop world, but his approach 821 00:40:25.739 --> 00:40:27.719 here with Weezer as a rock band I think is, 822 00:40:27.739 --> 00:40:30.940 you know, pretty admirable, considering that is his background, because 823 00:40:30.960 --> 00:40:34.260 he really just dials into, like, you know, guitar tone, 824 00:40:34.699 --> 00:40:37.920 like I said, that heavy power-pop thing that we associate with, like, 825 00:40:38.059 --> 00:40:40.539 Blue Album Weezer, you know, that their sound was established on. 826 00:40:40.800 --> 00:40:44.030 This is really, you know, just very much in that 827 00:40:44.639 --> 00:40:47.579 vein but the songwriting at times is a little bit 828 00:40:47.659 --> 00:40:51.119 ropey and thrown together and it is certainly at points 829 00:40:51.199 --> 00:40:56.679 very overtly self-referential and backwards looking as well but as 830 00:40:56.719 --> 00:40:59.300 much as there is that I think it's fun there's 831 00:40:59.320 --> 00:41:02.579 some really fun stuff it's a hard album to be 832 00:41:03.480 --> 00:41:08.360 mad or upset at considering how great one of the 833 00:41:08.440 --> 00:41:11.860 lead-off tracks from this was it's not as great an 834 00:41:11.909 --> 00:41:13.710 album as I hoped. I think when We Might As 835 00:41:13.730 --> 00:41:15.969 Well Be Strangers came out, a lot of us went, oh, fuck. 836 00:41:16.710 --> 00:41:19.849 Weezer might be onto another modern classic here. And it's 837 00:41:19.889 --> 00:41:24.179 not that. Certainly not. But I think it is... I've 838 00:41:24.199 --> 00:41:27.119 enjoyed my 33 minutes of time when I've gone to 839 00:41:27.139 --> 00:41:29.500 spin it, even if it's not hit at that level 840 00:41:29.539 --> 00:41:31.300 that I kind of was crossing my fingers for. 841 00:41:31.780 --> 00:41:35.659 Yeah, my way of almost... My way of assessing Weezer records, 842 00:41:35.780 --> 00:41:37.000 and this isn't the best way of doing it, but 843 00:41:37.019 --> 00:41:39.989 it's just a way of compartmentalizing in my head, is... 844 00:41:40.510 --> 00:41:43.289 I have a playlist that's just called All The Weez 845 00:41:43.309 --> 00:41:46.070 You Need, and it's every song by Weezer, which I 846 00:41:46.110 --> 00:41:49.230 think is fantastic. This is great. I never want to 847 00:41:49.250 --> 00:41:52.210 skip it. And there's three albums on there, which I 848 00:41:52.230 --> 00:41:53.809 just have in full, which are the first two in 849 00:41:53.829 --> 00:41:56.650 the white album. OK Human, I think I missed one song, 850 00:41:57.010 --> 00:42:00.449 and then it's basically variations on that. I haven't added 851 00:42:00.489 --> 00:42:02.110 this album yet because I've been waiting to live with 852 00:42:02.130 --> 00:42:04.050 it a bit more to see where it lands. I 853 00:42:04.090 --> 00:42:07.030 see this putting in five to six songs, which is 854 00:42:07.070 --> 00:42:09.260 actually pretty good for a band this late in their career. 855 00:42:09.949 --> 00:42:11.289 I think having five or six songs where I go, 856 00:42:11.769 --> 00:42:15.010 this is great, is a pretty good standard. And some 857 00:42:15.030 --> 00:42:16.909 of those, you've already mentioned one of them, I think 858 00:42:16.949 --> 00:42:20.360 are really great. And the songs which I don't think 859 00:42:20.380 --> 00:42:22.460 would make it, they're not bad. For me, there's not 860 00:42:22.480 --> 00:42:25.760 a song where I go, what are you doing, lads? 861 00:42:25.800 --> 00:42:29.219 This doesn't work. There's a couple which are a bit odd, 862 00:42:29.860 --> 00:42:33.119 or maybe take a few listens to get going, but 863 00:42:33.400 --> 00:42:36.179 there isn't one where I go, this is a shambles. 864 00:42:37.039 --> 00:42:39.500 And It's been a bit of a while, again, excluding 865 00:42:39.539 --> 00:42:42.719 Ogre Human, which is its own beast, I think. It's 866 00:42:42.739 --> 00:42:45.420 been a while since that's happened, where there's not at 867 00:42:45.460 --> 00:42:46.880 least one song on the record where you're sort of 868 00:42:46.900 --> 00:42:50.219 scratching your head. Although, actually, I'll say that. You are 869 00:42:50.280 --> 00:42:54.400 scratching your head, but it's not too brutal. 870 00:42:54.159 --> 00:42:55.420 In this case. I agree. 871 00:42:55.699 --> 00:42:57.739 I think that if someone came out and said, this 872 00:42:58.280 --> 00:43:00.320 is an unbelievable record, this is fantastic, which I saw 873 00:43:00.360 --> 00:43:04.019 some of, I find that a bit weird. But if 874 00:43:04.059 --> 00:43:06.260 someone came out and said, oh, the gold album, what 875 00:43:06.280 --> 00:43:08.679 were they thinking? What do you mean, what were they thinking? 876 00:43:08.860 --> 00:43:14.260 It's Weezer. Occasionally great, often very good, sometimes sort of middling. 877 00:43:14.480 --> 00:43:18.070 But generally speaking, I think this is kind of the 878 00:43:18.110 --> 00:43:20.570 album they needed to make right now. This is sort 879 00:43:20.590 --> 00:43:22.570 of the minimum they needed to hand over after the 880 00:43:22.610 --> 00:43:24.449 last years of funniness. 881 00:43:25.210 --> 00:43:27.710 Yeah, it's a Weezer, Greg sausage roll, isn't it? Job done. 882 00:43:28.539 --> 00:43:30.480 Yeah i think like um we might as well be 883 00:43:30.500 --> 00:43:33.320 strangers being the lead single was like a hard bar 884 00:43:33.340 --> 00:43:35.719 to then sort of top because that is i think 885 00:43:36.119 --> 00:43:38.820 by far the best track on the album and i 886 00:43:38.840 --> 00:43:39.980 kind of wish we had a bit more on that 887 00:43:40.019 --> 00:43:43.289 level but i do think outside of that again i 888 00:43:43.409 --> 00:43:46.909 i think the the the heavy guitar sort of crunchy 889 00:43:47.050 --> 00:43:50.369 power pop thing whenever they hit on it i just 890 00:43:50.409 --> 00:43:52.750 kind of go like yeah Yeah, that's what I want 891 00:43:52.769 --> 00:43:53.050 to hear. 892 00:43:53.409 --> 00:43:54.750 Say Yes is an opener, you know. 893 00:43:55.250 --> 00:43:58.280 It's got the kind of bittersweet melodies, that kind of 894 00:43:58.480 --> 00:44:02.800 slightly neurotic alt-rock thing. But on that chorus and the hey, 895 00:44:02.840 --> 00:44:06.960 it's with these like heavy kind of squalling guitars come 896 00:44:07.079 --> 00:44:10.179 in on a big sort of pop vocal chorus. i'm 897 00:44:10.219 --> 00:44:13.170 just like yeah give me that they're like it like 898 00:44:13.429 --> 00:44:15.650 weezer why don't you just do this more because it's 899 00:44:15.750 --> 00:44:19.309 so good whenever you hit it and they kind of 900 00:44:19.429 --> 00:44:21.889 like keep doing i think shine again is maybe one 901 00:44:21.929 --> 00:44:24.000 of the the like it's kind of awkward going from 902 00:44:24.119 --> 00:44:26.920 say yes is such good opener into shine again as 903 00:44:26.980 --> 00:44:29.039 kind of like that one the bigger missteps on the 904 00:44:29.059 --> 00:44:32.139 record i think that's maybe one of the slightly clunkier 905 00:44:32.159 --> 00:44:35.349 sort of stodgy songs it takes too long to get 906 00:44:35.449 --> 00:44:39.230 to the big melodies. So it's kind of like a 907 00:44:39.269 --> 00:44:41.210 bit of a, like a great start, old bit of 908 00:44:41.230 --> 00:44:43.050 a stumble. But outside of that, I think the album, 909 00:44:43.150 --> 00:44:45.429 like there's not much else to kind of like, don't like, 910 00:44:45.489 --> 00:44:46.139 don't make it weird. 911 00:44:46.159 --> 00:44:47.090 I think it is great. 912 00:44:47.599 --> 00:44:51.579 I think it's a great bit of awkward, nerdy pop 913 00:44:51.619 --> 00:44:54.219 rock from rivers, that whole, from weasel, the whole people 914 00:44:54.260 --> 00:44:55.800 call me river, but then they said that I don't 915 00:44:55.820 --> 00:44:59.510 got any flow. And the kind of, the deliberately clunky, 916 00:45:00.150 --> 00:45:03.090 unyielding delivery of that is just kind of like, that's that, 917 00:45:03.110 --> 00:45:04.110 that's really weird. 918 00:45:04.469 --> 00:45:06.389 Fun, smart songwriting there from Weezer. 919 00:45:06.409 --> 00:45:09.909 I think it's like really, really cool that don't make 920 00:45:10.010 --> 00:45:11.329 it weird chorus. 921 00:45:11.190 --> 00:45:12.730 Is infectious as hell. 922 00:45:13.360 --> 00:45:15.139 And it's like, yeah, when this album is hitting it, 923 00:45:15.179 --> 00:45:18.079 it's not, it's not giving me, you know, all my 924 00:45:18.099 --> 00:45:19.880 favorite songs, like Sad or Foggy, which I think is 925 00:45:19.940 --> 00:45:23.579 like sublime or the very best moments of Van Weezer 926 00:45:23.599 --> 00:45:26.460 in terms of just like sort of pure unfilled pop 927 00:45:26.480 --> 00:45:29.800 rock brilliance. But I do just kind of like, every 928 00:45:29.820 --> 00:45:32.630 time the songs hit the chorus, I'm like, I'm smiling. 929 00:45:32.670 --> 00:45:33.550 I'm having a nice time. 930 00:45:34.019 --> 00:45:39.429 Again, that fusion of sort of chunky, distorted guitars with 931 00:45:39.489 --> 00:45:43.769 these pop melodies, it hits me all the time. I 932 00:45:43.809 --> 00:45:47.590 just think like, yeah, Weezer, why do you have such 933 00:45:47.610 --> 00:45:50.260 a hard time doing this thing that you're so good at? 934 00:45:50.309 --> 00:45:53.690 And it's so easy, seemingly. And there are moments where, again, 935 00:45:53.730 --> 00:45:56.750 the album, the sort of looking back bitterness of it 936 00:45:56.809 --> 00:45:58.150 gets in the way of the songs a little bit 937 00:45:58.429 --> 00:46:02.050 on certain moments. And it is sort of self-referential to 938 00:46:02.110 --> 00:46:05.590 its detriment. But again, I don't think those ruin the album. 939 00:46:05.610 --> 00:46:08.750 They're just kind of like slightly odd moments in the 940 00:46:08.789 --> 00:46:09.860 sort of overall picture. 941 00:46:10.429 --> 00:46:12.510 Well, yeah. We Might As Well Be Strangers, I do 942 00:46:12.590 --> 00:46:14.079 think is, when you were saying about the highs on 943 00:46:14.099 --> 00:46:15.820 some of the other albums, I think this is one 944 00:46:15.860 --> 00:46:18.159 of the best Weezer singles of the last ten years. 945 00:46:19.099 --> 00:46:23.699 But I would say it's the only world-wide song on 946 00:46:23.739 --> 00:46:26.079 the album. And kind of testament to this is you 947 00:46:26.099 --> 00:46:28.760 said it was the lead single. It wasn't. Shine Again 948 00:46:29.400 --> 00:46:31.300 was the first song from this that they released. Was it? 949 00:46:31.869 --> 00:46:33.869 yeah and then we might as well be strangers came 950 00:46:33.909 --> 00:46:35.570 out and had like a proper music video everything and 951 00:46:35.590 --> 00:46:37.429 it was like shine again might as well not have 952 00:46:37.469 --> 00:46:39.730 existed prior to that point that was the way everyone 953 00:46:39.889 --> 00:46:42.809 oh weezer's back and just completely wiped over it as 954 00:46:42.849 --> 00:46:44.429 a single and i think that's kind of the album 955 00:46:44.449 --> 00:46:46.789 in a microcosm where we might as well be strangers 956 00:46:46.809 --> 00:46:49.369 is fucking excellent i think it's the kind of weezer 957 00:46:49.389 --> 00:46:52.190 song that everybody who has ever liked weezer hears it 958 00:46:52.329 --> 00:46:55.429 once and then goes yeah that's great and again i 959 00:46:55.829 --> 00:46:57.590 said this when the single came out but it reminded 960 00:46:57.610 --> 00:47:02.760 me of They had very recently had the unexpected viral 961 00:47:02.800 --> 00:47:05.219 success for Go Away from Everything Will Be Right in 962 00:47:05.260 --> 00:47:07.500 the End getting huge on TikTok, which features Bethany from 963 00:47:07.539 --> 00:47:09.679 Best Coast. And I don't know if that was a 964 00:47:09.699 --> 00:47:12.239 deliberate inspiration or just a weird coincidence that these songs 965 00:47:12.260 --> 00:47:14.460 happened at the same time, but this song kind of 966 00:47:14.480 --> 00:47:16.960 has a similar feel to me with a duet between 967 00:47:17.539 --> 00:47:20.389 Rivers and a guest singer. Works really, really well. And 968 00:47:20.409 --> 00:47:24.090 the melodies in that song are just aching in that 969 00:47:24.190 --> 00:47:26.789 Weezer heartbreak where through all of their silliness, which they 970 00:47:26.809 --> 00:47:29.420 often are on this album, sometimes they can just pang 971 00:47:29.460 --> 00:47:31.119 at you in a way that you can't deny. And 972 00:47:31.139 --> 00:47:33.900 then Shine Again, on the other hand, is completely fine. Like, 973 00:47:33.920 --> 00:47:36.980 I don't feel any way about it. It's just really throwaway. 974 00:47:37.760 --> 00:47:39.610 And Say Yes, the opener, is kind of sort of 975 00:47:39.639 --> 00:47:41.690 the middle of that spectrum for me. Like, it's not 976 00:47:41.929 --> 00:47:45.469 one of the great Weezer openers. It feels deliberately quite 977 00:47:45.550 --> 00:47:47.769 raggedy in terms of, like, the way the verse just 978 00:47:47.909 --> 00:47:50.849 suddenly smashes into the chorus. It's, like, a little bit ropey, 979 00:47:51.349 --> 00:47:54.230 considering Weezer normally have songwriting down to such a science. But, 980 00:47:54.250 --> 00:47:56.869 you know, it's fine enough. And I think that that is, 981 00:47:56.909 --> 00:47:59.639 like I said, the spectrum... of the album where there 982 00:47:59.860 --> 00:48:03.409 are some songs I really like and some that I 983 00:48:03.469 --> 00:48:05.949 could immediately feel really after one or two listens, the 984 00:48:05.989 --> 00:48:08.670 kind of bubble gum flavor of them, you know, running out, 985 00:48:08.949 --> 00:48:11.289 definitely nothing too bad. The, the songs on it that 986 00:48:11.309 --> 00:48:13.070 I think are the weakest on it again are more 987 00:48:13.110 --> 00:48:17.010 like kind of head scratchers more than they are hair terrors. 988 00:48:17.550 --> 00:48:20.210 You know what I mean? But, um, the, the, the 989 00:48:20.250 --> 00:48:22.010 amount of like the world-class material, like I was saying, 990 00:48:22.070 --> 00:48:24.349 is a little bit lower than, um, you know, even 991 00:48:24.389 --> 00:48:27.429 some of the other, not necessarily world-class all the way through, um, 992 00:48:27.969 --> 00:48:30.829 weezer records like a van weezer um for for example 993 00:48:31.090 --> 00:48:33.010 um i mentioned those sort of like slice of life 994 00:48:33.170 --> 00:48:36.190 songwriting ideas on this like rivers looking around just going 995 00:48:36.210 --> 00:48:38.630 like what have i got lying around i think there's 996 00:48:38.650 --> 00:48:42.110 some particular fluff on this album right like i said 997 00:48:42.130 --> 00:48:44.250 the way that the music on say yes feels literally 998 00:48:44.289 --> 00:48:46.210 thrown together that's almost how the vibe of some of 999 00:48:46.230 --> 00:48:49.289 these lyrics are for me where this album feels i 1000 00:48:49.329 --> 00:48:51.389 listen to the white album and the white album is 1001 00:48:51.530 --> 00:48:55.699 like such a like perfectly put together pop record basically 1002 00:48:55.719 --> 00:48:59.639 like sonically structurally often lyrically whatever uh and this has 1003 00:48:59.659 --> 00:49:03.219 this like ramshackle thing to it with you mentioned don't 1004 00:49:03.360 --> 00:49:06.360 make it weird where rivers is just narrating the story 1005 00:49:06.380 --> 00:49:08.260 of some woman that he knows and then it got 1006 00:49:08.300 --> 00:49:11.809 weird yo um where it's relatable rivers in the most 1007 00:49:11.849 --> 00:49:16.329 just like mundane unexciting fucking menial way possible and then 1008 00:49:16.349 --> 00:49:19.650 you get hoops which is a song about qr codes 1009 00:49:19.849 --> 00:49:21.590 and how many hoops you have to jump through in 1010 00:49:21.639 --> 00:49:24.659 modern living when he's like trying to build a hamster 1011 00:49:24.699 --> 00:49:27.579 wheel for his kids and he's getting upset about the 1012 00:49:27.619 --> 00:49:30.599 guy not putting it together properly and there are a 1013 00:49:30.880 --> 00:49:33.590 couple songs like this where like Again, I wasn't angry 1014 00:49:33.670 --> 00:49:35.329 at them in the way that you were describing some 1015 00:49:35.349 --> 00:49:36.849 of the worst Weezer songs, but I did just go, 1016 00:49:36.869 --> 00:49:40.449 this is just pretty silly, isn't it? I don't think 1017 00:49:40.489 --> 00:49:43.429 I can say these are great songs, they're just kind 1018 00:49:43.489 --> 00:49:45.880 of amusing in their odd quirk. 1019 00:49:46.760 --> 00:49:50.050 I really like Hoops. Like, I think Hoops is really fun. 1020 00:49:50.590 --> 00:49:54.610 Like, the whole arbitrary, the bitterness over arbitrary modern bollocks, 1021 00:49:54.650 --> 00:49:57.030 like scanning a QR code to use a toaster, is real. 1022 00:49:57.369 --> 00:49:59.409 I get the frustration from Rivers on that one. 1023 00:49:59.429 --> 00:50:00.769 I'm like, nah, mate, you're right. 1024 00:50:00.789 --> 00:50:03.860 Whoever comes up with this, like, you have to sign 1025 00:50:03.909 --> 00:50:06.320 in to use your fucking toaster, like, bullshit. 1026 00:50:06.679 --> 00:50:08.260 Like, yeah, Rivers, you're right. 1027 00:50:08.300 --> 00:50:09.780 And again, I think that song's got a really fun 1028 00:50:09.800 --> 00:50:12.300 catchy chorus. Like, there's a load of bunch of, like, 1029 00:50:12.800 --> 00:50:14.719 cool little solos on this record where they do the 1030 00:50:14.760 --> 00:50:16.710 Weezer trick of, you know, kind of like, doing the 1031 00:50:16.750 --> 00:50:17.630 melody as the solo. 1032 00:50:18.090 --> 00:50:18.630 It's fun. 1033 00:50:18.690 --> 00:50:21.889 There's a hilariously stanky riff after that first chorus. Like, 1034 00:50:21.929 --> 00:50:25.190 what right does that riff have to be in that 1035 00:50:25.250 --> 00:50:28.329 song where Rivers says, Calvin Brodus warned us all about 1036 00:50:28.389 --> 00:50:30.699 hoes over the top of it. It's like, you've taken 1037 00:50:30.719 --> 00:50:33.820 a really hard riff and you've made it really fucking daft. 1038 00:50:35.460 --> 00:50:37.980 I think this record, again, it benefits and it's a 1039 00:50:38.159 --> 00:50:39.559 bit of a drawback of it. It has a really 1040 00:50:39.639 --> 00:50:44.230 weird sequencing where Weezer Arms... even some of the patchy 1041 00:50:44.329 --> 00:50:46.250 ones kind of come swinging out the traps with all 1042 00:50:46.289 --> 00:50:48.590 great songs. And then it's sort of towards, you know, 1043 00:50:48.909 --> 00:50:50.469 the second, third or something, you start to get a 1044 00:50:50.489 --> 00:50:53.650 bit patchier. This album, I think in the opening run 1045 00:50:53.769 --> 00:50:56.199 is so up and down. Say yes. I really like, 1046 00:50:56.409 --> 00:50:58.760 I hear what you're saying, Perrin, but I, I found 1047 00:50:58.800 --> 00:51:00.800 it very refreshing to hear a Weezer song that actually 1048 00:51:00.820 --> 00:51:03.119 felt like it was, you know, written and recorded in 1049 00:51:03.139 --> 00:51:05.920 a room. Whereas so many, it's the sort of Excel 1050 00:51:05.940 --> 00:51:08.159 spreadsheet way of doing it. It's like everything goes right 1051 00:51:08.179 --> 00:51:10.159 on the grid at the exact same time, especially as 1052 00:51:10.179 --> 00:51:12.460 an opener. I think that really was going into shine again, 1053 00:51:12.500 --> 00:51:15.150 which I don't, I don't dislike that song. It's okay, 1054 00:51:15.329 --> 00:51:17.929 but it is a bit of a, you know, like 1055 00:51:17.949 --> 00:51:20.449 momentum killer. Don't make it weird. I kind of agree, 1056 00:51:20.489 --> 00:51:23.519 slightly fillery, but then We Might As Well Be Strangers, 1057 00:51:24.739 --> 00:51:27.659 best song on the record, fucking fantastic. And then that 1058 00:51:27.679 --> 00:51:30.079 going into CEO to sort of close out Side A, 1059 00:51:30.480 --> 00:51:33.739 which I've seen some people not vibing with that song. 1060 00:51:33.780 --> 00:51:35.000 And I kind of get it because first time I 1061 00:51:35.019 --> 00:51:38.820 heard it, there was something a bit, like maybe too 1062 00:51:38.880 --> 00:51:42.139 bitter about it the first time. But I think that 1063 00:51:42.179 --> 00:51:44.900 chorus is just superb like it's grown on me so 1064 00:51:44.960 --> 00:51:48.409 much i and it's such a testament to their amazing 1065 00:51:48.429 --> 00:51:51.309 lyric melodic ability where none of the lines in that 1066 00:51:51.349 --> 00:51:54.429 chorus rhyme and yet it's so catchy and just the 1067 00:51:54.469 --> 00:51:57.090 way the thing spirals around it's just excellent then hoops 1068 00:51:57.210 --> 00:52:00.260 and i so basically the first six tracks are sort 1069 00:52:00.280 --> 00:52:02.280 of up and down all over the place in mood 1070 00:52:02.300 --> 00:52:05.360 or whatever for me the strength of this record and 1071 00:52:05.500 --> 00:52:06.800 i might be alone in this it sounded like i 1072 00:52:06.820 --> 00:52:10.190 might be tracks seven through ten i think are all 1073 00:52:10.230 --> 00:52:12.750 great which I don't know if that's ever happened on 1074 00:52:12.769 --> 00:52:15.170 a Weezer album which isn't fantastic before. Do you know 1075 00:52:15.190 --> 00:52:16.769 what I mean? Even some of the ones which are, 1076 00:52:17.309 --> 00:52:19.110 I might love them, but I appreciate there's flaws, like 1077 00:52:19.130 --> 00:52:21.889 the Red album. It ends brilliantly, but there's a couple 1078 00:52:21.909 --> 00:52:24.420 of funny ones towards the end. This, for the first 1079 00:52:24.460 --> 00:52:27.019 time ever, is a good but not great Weezer album, 1080 00:52:27.340 --> 00:52:29.739 which just goes on a tear for the last four songs. 1081 00:52:30.199 --> 00:52:32.800 Yeah, definitely there are a couple of my favourite songs 1082 00:52:32.820 --> 00:52:33.980 towards the latter end of the record. I want to 1083 00:52:34.000 --> 00:52:35.719 go back to CEO and not skip over that, because 1084 00:52:36.139 --> 00:52:39.199 that is one of the more notable songs on the record, 1085 00:52:39.219 --> 00:52:44.739 because it is... The most overt self-referentialism... Weezer have ever done. 1086 00:52:44.760 --> 00:52:45.760 It's a deliberate callback. 1087 00:52:46.219 --> 00:52:50.360 Yeah because it's a reprise of the Sweater song... Basically... 1088 00:52:50.960 --> 00:52:54.280 Where the Sweater song in particular... Is such an oddball 1089 00:52:54.320 --> 00:52:57.159 song in their catalogue... Because it has that... The Blue 1090 00:52:57.239 --> 00:53:01.070 album subtly has this genuine... Borderline avant-garde quality to it... 1091 00:53:01.449 --> 00:53:03.510 At times... And that's a great example with the mixed 1092 00:53:03.550 --> 00:53:08.690 in conversational voices... On that really daydreamy kind of twanging guitar... 1093 00:53:07.909 --> 00:53:11.530 That song in particular... it's utterly unmistakable if you were 1094 00:53:11.570 --> 00:53:13.929 to try and like do it again you know um 1095 00:53:14.110 --> 00:53:16.070 and it's very self-conscious of that because it is this 1096 00:53:16.110 --> 00:53:18.309 like you know sort of comment on like i don't 1097 00:53:18.329 --> 00:53:19.929 know being asked to do what they do in the 1098 00:53:20.250 --> 00:53:21.809 90s or whatever um and i suppose i was going 1099 00:53:21.829 --> 00:53:23.409 to ask like what do you think of them doing 1100 00:53:23.449 --> 00:53:27.250 like a self-conscious remake like that because i uh i 1101 00:53:27.269 --> 00:53:30.349 think i agree with you in that i like it 1102 00:53:30.369 --> 00:53:31.769 a little bit more now than when i first heard 1103 00:53:31.829 --> 00:53:34.630 it it had to warm up to me And what 1104 00:53:34.670 --> 00:53:37.030 warmed me up is the chorus. I particularly like that little, 1105 00:53:37.449 --> 00:53:39.449 I presume, Brian Bell backing vocal in the chorus with 1106 00:53:39.489 --> 00:53:42.949 the Gotta keep the rocket in the sky. Like, that really, 1107 00:53:43.110 --> 00:53:45.429 the chorus individually is great. And I think in a 1108 00:53:45.469 --> 00:53:47.510 way it's impressive that they have, like, come up with 1109 00:53:47.929 --> 00:53:52.349 a new great chorus for a song that basically already existed, 1110 00:53:52.409 --> 00:53:55.170 you know? Like, they've just, like, wiped over the chorus 1111 00:53:55.190 --> 00:53:56.949 and done a new one that's still really good. But 1112 00:53:57.010 --> 00:53:58.349 I think, particularly when I first heard it, there was 1113 00:53:58.369 --> 00:54:00.489 this sort of uncanniness that I often get of, like, 1114 00:54:00.769 --> 00:54:02.460 you know, hearing it and you go well that's just 1115 00:54:02.519 --> 00:54:04.179 a sweater song you know i get what you're doing 1116 00:54:04.239 --> 00:54:06.360 i get that you're delivering uh you know uh directly 1117 00:54:06.420 --> 00:54:09.219 referencing the idea of nostalgia and you're kind of aware 1118 00:54:09.260 --> 00:54:10.739 of what you're doing but i think a part of 1119 00:54:10.760 --> 00:54:14.139 my brain does go i'm having fun with this but 1120 00:54:14.599 --> 00:54:16.260 in the long term i'm likely to just put the 1121 00:54:16.280 --> 00:54:17.420 sweater song again you know what i mean. 1122 00:54:18.849 --> 00:54:20.309 So i sort of agree my thing is again this 1123 00:54:20.329 --> 00:54:22.869 thing that chorus is fantastic and i think because it's 1124 00:54:22.969 --> 00:54:27.400 so consciously kind of like making a comment on do 1125 00:54:27.440 --> 00:54:31.139 the 90s thing and like um we we've talked about 1126 00:54:31.159 --> 00:54:33.579 you know rivers the mad professor of his spreadsheet kind 1127 00:54:33.599 --> 00:54:35.940 of like writing songs that way and him kind of 1128 00:54:35.960 --> 00:54:38.940 kind of having to acknowledge people don't like that and 1129 00:54:39.019 --> 00:54:41.239 i i kind of feel for him on on this 1130 00:54:41.320 --> 00:54:42.860 and where he him having to kind of come to 1131 00:54:42.900 --> 00:54:46.320 terms with people don't like his most out there kind 1132 00:54:46.340 --> 00:54:48.469 of like approach to songwriting we're doing all these different 1133 00:54:48.510 --> 00:54:51.570 styles the whole approach to seasons which feels like the 1134 00:54:51.630 --> 00:54:56.780 most kind of spreadsheet like rivers sort of scientifically like 1135 00:54:56.860 --> 00:54:58.519 trying to put together these songs and it being a 1136 00:54:58.559 --> 00:55:01.199 complete disaster this feels like the sort of the pushback 1137 00:55:01.239 --> 00:55:05.760 of that of acknowledging we're better at writing heavy power 1138 00:55:05.780 --> 00:55:09.019 pop tunes but like we don't want to feel like 1139 00:55:09.079 --> 00:55:12.219 it's corporate mandated writing of power pop tunes and like 1140 00:55:12.239 --> 00:55:14.000 i think this song is it is bitter and it 1141 00:55:14.079 --> 00:55:16.550 is kind of like jaded in that way but at 1142 00:55:16.590 --> 00:55:19.090 the same time it's kind of like come in terms 1143 00:55:19.130 --> 00:55:21.309 of we are fucking good at doing this and and 1144 00:55:21.989 --> 00:55:25.079 testament to it is that absolute sort of belt of 1145 00:55:25.139 --> 00:55:27.719 a chorus i think if the song wasn't such a 1146 00:55:27.760 --> 00:55:30.760 like very pointed kind of commentary on it and was 1147 00:55:30.780 --> 00:55:34.829 them just doing oh wink wink nudge nudge it's the 1148 00:55:34.849 --> 00:55:36.949 sweater song again i think it would be a bit 1149 00:55:36.969 --> 00:55:39.429 of a disaster but because it is so like it 1150 00:55:39.449 --> 00:55:41.250 actually does have it's one of the things that like 1151 00:55:42.030 --> 00:55:43.369 on the time that like rather than just kind of 1152 00:55:43.389 --> 00:55:46.690 being kind of like weird slice of life quirky sort 1153 00:55:46.710 --> 00:55:49.340 of rivers or livers is them kind of like really 1154 00:55:49.380 --> 00:55:51.260 making a kind of like referential point of their own 1155 00:55:51.460 --> 00:55:52.880 career and where they find themselves. 1156 00:55:52.559 --> 00:55:56.320 I I think it does, for me, work in that way. 1157 00:55:56.420 --> 00:55:58.900 It just, it is, again, it just kind of takes 1158 00:55:58.920 --> 00:56:01.119 them getting used to the opening monologue. 1159 00:56:01.539 --> 00:56:03.199 But when that chorus hits, I'm kind of like, yeah, 1160 00:56:03.300 --> 00:56:03.800 I'll take it. 1161 00:56:04.400 --> 00:56:06.940 Well, yes, because I wasn't sure at first because I 1162 00:56:06.980 --> 00:56:08.500 was taking it quite literally and I thought he was 1163 00:56:08.539 --> 00:56:10.559 literally talking about the CEO of their record. He was 1164 00:56:10.579 --> 00:56:13.420 talking about someone else, not himself. I did think like, Rivers, 1165 00:56:13.440 --> 00:56:16.070 when you did this sort of song before. Yeah, but 1166 00:56:16.119 --> 00:56:18.489 before when you did that topic, it was Pork and 1167 00:56:18.510 --> 00:56:20.730 Beans and it was so life-affirming and brilliant. It was like, 1168 00:56:20.829 --> 00:56:23.300 and now it's quite sort of, defeated and bleed, but 1169 00:56:23.320 --> 00:56:26.000 when it's, you know, you understand that he's talking about 1170 00:56:26.019 --> 00:56:31.300 himself as the CEO, that's like, he's sort of recognizing 1171 00:56:31.539 --> 00:56:34.480 that quality of himself. And again, Weezer just have ways 1172 00:56:34.539 --> 00:56:36.119 of making me laugh that other bands don't, and the 1173 00:56:36.159 --> 00:56:39.510 bit in the second chorus towards the end, when he goes, 1174 00:56:39.760 --> 00:56:42.949 here comes the founder and the CEO. 1175 00:56:43.429 --> 00:56:44.369 Whoa! 1176 00:56:44.489 --> 00:56:47.050 Like, that's the appropriate response to the CEO coming your way. 1177 00:56:48.329 --> 00:56:50.730 But the song, again, I think just in terms of sequencing, 1178 00:56:50.750 --> 00:56:53.150 the way that rings out to end, like, the opening 1179 00:56:53.190 --> 00:56:56.090 run of the record. In a way, it's a weird single, 1180 00:56:56.110 --> 00:56:59.219 but at the same time, it kind of, like, it's a, 1181 00:56:59.210 --> 00:57:03.469 I don't know, it's a slightly dour thing to put 1182 00:57:03.510 --> 00:57:05.969 out ahead of your record, basically going like, oh, we're 1183 00:57:05.989 --> 00:57:07.409 just sort of doing the 90s thing, because that's what 1184 00:57:07.429 --> 00:57:10.719 people want, but I think in the sequence of the record, 1185 00:57:10.840 --> 00:57:13.219 it's an interesting thing to write a song about, which 1186 00:57:13.480 --> 00:57:17.480 some of these songs are not, and I think, again, 1187 00:57:17.500 --> 00:57:19.420 it's that Weezer magic. Just by the skin of their teeth, 1188 00:57:19.440 --> 00:57:21.599 they manage to do things which other bands would fall 1189 00:57:22.039 --> 00:57:24.659 flat on their face doing. And they sort of pull 1190 00:57:24.679 --> 00:57:25.500 it off with panache. 1191 00:57:26.659 --> 00:57:31.139 Yeah, I mean, even the kind of self-referential elements. Nowhere 1192 00:57:31.559 --> 00:57:35.380 has this kind of acoustic guitar arpeggio thing in the 1193 00:57:35.420 --> 00:57:38.699 post-chorus that's very like the intro of My Name Is Jonas. 1194 00:57:39.239 --> 00:57:41.639 It feels like there are these very deliberate sort of 1195 00:57:41.679 --> 00:57:46.469 throwback winks and stuff. in there about the closing run 1196 00:57:46.489 --> 00:57:48.349 of it I don't love the whole like closing run 1197 00:57:48.389 --> 00:57:51.110 that you mentioned that you know brings the record to 1198 00:57:51.150 --> 00:57:53.179 its end but certainly aside from We Might As Well 1199 00:57:53.199 --> 00:57:55.599 Be Strangers the other couple of songs I do particularly 1200 00:57:55.639 --> 00:57:59.320 like are in that sort of back end with when 1201 00:57:59.340 --> 00:58:02.019 I mentioned that like mid riff in hoops that suddenly 1202 00:58:02.039 --> 00:58:04.219 gets really dirty there are a couple tracks towards the 1203 00:58:04.239 --> 00:58:06.519 end where the album leans more in that direction um 1204 00:58:07.000 --> 00:58:10.170 and i think for me one of like the defining 1205 00:58:10.849 --> 00:58:14.329 north star moments in the whole weezer history is the 1206 00:58:14.369 --> 00:58:16.550 bit in back to the shack when he goes maybe 1207 00:58:16.670 --> 00:58:18.829 i should play the lead guitar and pat should play 1208 00:58:18.889 --> 00:58:22.090 the drums doof And the bits in their career when 1209 00:58:22.110 --> 00:58:24.570 they reconnect with that kind of teenage rock fan wanting 1210 00:58:24.610 --> 00:58:26.750 to play loud, I mean, that's what made Vanweezer fun 1211 00:58:26.769 --> 00:58:28.909 as well, right? And in the back end of the record, 1212 00:58:29.070 --> 00:58:31.469 you have the show most go on, which has the 1213 00:58:31.639 --> 00:58:35.380 album's fattest riff. the tone is so killer in there 1214 00:58:35.659 --> 00:58:38.239 Pat sounds like he's in fucking crowbar the way he's 1215 00:58:38.280 --> 00:58:41.219 swaggering on that groove like he's suddenly become 40 stone 1216 00:58:41.590 --> 00:58:45.989 to play that particular beat and they're singing about being 1217 00:58:46.030 --> 00:58:48.630 bros together and continuing to rock no matter what comes 1218 00:58:48.650 --> 00:58:50.909 their way like Scott stubbing his. 1219 00:58:50.860 --> 00:58:54.860 Toe it's great I love the Show Must Go On. 1220 00:58:54.880 --> 00:58:57.320 I think it's one of these most like just honest, 1221 00:58:57.579 --> 00:58:59.989 straightforward rock song that like Weezer when they sort of 1222 00:58:59.989 --> 00:59:01.889 plug in and do that, it just feels like four 1223 00:59:01.889 --> 00:59:03.969 dudes jamming in a room together and you and they 1224 00:59:04.030 --> 00:59:05.730 capture that on that song i think since i haven't 1225 00:59:05.750 --> 00:59:06.829 seen many people talk. 1226 00:59:06.690 --> 00:59:08.949 About i'm like why show must go on he's like. 1227 00:59:09.449 --> 00:59:11.869 Oh it's my second favorite song on the record for 1228 00:59:11.889 --> 00:59:14.309 sure top three probably for me i don't know if 1229 00:59:14.329 --> 00:59:16.659 i'd like i really like nowhere because again i really 1230 00:59:16.679 --> 00:59:18.610 like that my name is jonas kind of like thing 1231 00:59:18.659 --> 00:59:20.719 and the whole like why did they clear the trees 1232 00:59:20.760 --> 00:59:23.280 to build some shitbox apartment or shitbox condos whatever that 1233 00:59:23.300 --> 00:59:24.559 has a touch of the sort of the workers are 1234 00:59:24.599 --> 00:59:26.320 going home kind of thing build to it so like 1235 00:59:26.639 --> 00:59:28.039 i mean that song was great but yeah i mean 1236 00:59:28.099 --> 00:59:30.460 i think the back in this record really strong stuff 1237 00:59:30.480 --> 00:59:32.679 and the show must go on is like just a 1238 00:59:32.860 --> 00:59:37.579 just great example of again just like straightforward fun rock 1239 00:59:37.599 --> 00:59:39.880 song writing like and and you see more of that 1240 00:59:39.900 --> 00:59:42.820 sometimes when we's are in the pocket they have ways 1241 00:59:42.860 --> 00:59:45.599 of making you smile which like i say no other 1242 00:59:45.639 --> 00:59:47.489 band can do the bit in the show must go 1243 00:59:47.610 --> 00:59:50.489 on for me which maybe is give you the biggest 1244 00:59:50.510 --> 00:59:53.349 smile across the whole record is just it's so red 1245 00:59:53.389 --> 00:59:54.369 out on this but the bit when he goes a 1246 00:59:54.829 --> 00:59:56.130 The world's out to get us, and we're out to 1247 00:59:56.170 --> 00:59:58.469 get the world. This is big-time football, in case you 1248 00:59:58.489 --> 01:00:01.409 hadn't heard. There's just something about when Weezer get cocky, 1249 01:00:01.809 --> 01:00:03.989 which I know for some people rubs them up wrong, 1250 01:00:04.400 --> 01:00:06.159 but for me, I find it so endearing. 1251 01:00:06.199 --> 01:00:07.019 That song is just. 1252 01:00:08.039 --> 01:00:10.239 The more River sounds like he's wearing a cowboy hat, 1253 01:00:10.280 --> 01:00:11.460 the better. Always. 1254 01:00:12.460 --> 01:00:15.820 Bring the moustache back. The whole thing on that song 1255 01:00:15.880 --> 01:00:21.360 is just... The solo's great, the chorus is dynamite. Again, 1256 01:00:21.389 --> 01:00:23.630 a Weezer chorus to the standard of basically any album 1257 01:00:23.650 --> 01:00:28.030 you want to name. And it's just, it's so feel-good, which, 1258 01:00:28.590 --> 01:00:30.349 you know, for this album being the gold album and 1259 01:00:30.409 --> 01:00:32.170 a lot of it sounding quite positive, things like Say 1260 01:00:32.210 --> 01:00:35.050 Yes and Shine Again and things like that, there are 1261 01:00:35.230 --> 01:00:37.679 stretches of it where it can sound a bit defeated 1262 01:00:37.719 --> 01:00:40.960 and down on itself. I think the last four songs, 1263 01:00:40.980 --> 01:00:43.219 but especially the last three, are where it's just like 1264 01:00:44.239 --> 01:00:49.719 that wheezy euphoria, which only they can do, is so 1265 01:00:49.800 --> 01:00:52.170 present and correct. And it's like, this is the stretch 1266 01:00:52.210 --> 01:00:54.489 where you go, I can't really fault this. 1267 01:00:55.309 --> 01:00:57.650 And then speaking about re-embracing some of that Blue Album 1268 01:00:57.670 --> 01:01:01.110 weirdness as well Suddenly a really chilling outro On the 1269 01:01:01.150 --> 01:01:05.570 end of that track It's just a horror score Really 1270 01:01:05.590 --> 01:01:08.889 bizarre The penultimate song I don't really feel as strongly 1271 01:01:08.929 --> 01:01:11.199 As you're suggesting there do But then I would also 1272 01:01:11.260 --> 01:01:15.119 say the closing song The LA Sound Maybe it's a throwaway, 1273 01:01:15.139 --> 01:01:18.179 disposable song But I agree, Weezer writing a song about 1274 01:01:18.219 --> 01:01:20.800 rocking I'm not too good for that I will say 1275 01:01:20.840 --> 01:01:24.679 again about the production It genuinely sounds better and more 1276 01:01:24.820 --> 01:01:27.530 organically rocking, and more live in the room, like you 1277 01:01:27.550 --> 01:01:31.070 were saying, than the vast majority of rock band production now. 1278 01:01:31.389 --> 01:01:34.389 So Weezer, on a song like that, genuinely teaching you 1279 01:01:34.429 --> 01:01:36.139 poses how to rock. And I think those are the 1280 01:01:36.179 --> 01:01:38.679 parts of this album that I do maybe most value. 1281 01:01:39.380 --> 01:01:41.119 Yeah, I think LA Sound is a great close. 1282 01:01:41.179 --> 01:01:42.480 It's kind of the moment of accepting. 1283 01:01:42.900 --> 01:01:44.420 you're old but you still got a rock the whole 1284 01:01:44.800 --> 01:01:46.800 club smells like piss and there's three flights of stairs 1285 01:01:46.840 --> 01:01:49.309 that's like such a real lyric but then it's like 1286 01:01:49.329 --> 01:01:52.550 again that chorus is wicked i do again new yorker 1287 01:01:52.590 --> 01:01:55.289 rivers showing us the la sound is just quite a 1288 01:01:55.289 --> 01:01:58.030 funny like bit i know obviously we are like a 1289 01:01:58.230 --> 01:02:00.110 like kind of on your band but um it is 1290 01:02:00.130 --> 01:02:02.309 just funny hearing the la sound from rivers but i 1291 01:02:02.329 --> 01:02:05.230 think it's you know just a good time rock song 1292 01:02:05.250 --> 01:02:08.170 about how rocking is like something we've got to do 1293 01:02:08.190 --> 01:02:10.190 we've got to enjoy doing and that's how i want 1294 01:02:10.230 --> 01:02:11.909 a weezer album to close i think it's a really 1295 01:02:12.429 --> 01:02:14.730 nice kind of like just like warm embrace of a 1296 01:02:14.750 --> 01:02:15.710 closing track. 1297 01:02:15.909 --> 01:02:18.579 Yeah i mean the song is this i was reading 1298 01:02:18.599 --> 01:02:20.380 an interview about this song and apparently they wrote this 1299 01:02:20.400 --> 01:02:23.360 for the white album but jake sinclair who was producing 1300 01:02:23.400 --> 01:02:26.679 that basically songs about being in a band are boring 1301 01:02:26.800 --> 01:02:29.329 like they're rubbish we don't want them so they dismissed 1302 01:02:29.349 --> 01:02:31.489 this and they ended up writing L.A. Girls instead. And 1303 01:02:31.530 --> 01:02:33.449 I think we live in the right universe because L.A. 1304 01:02:33.489 --> 01:02:34.989 Girls is one of the best Weezer songs of all 1305 01:02:35.030 --> 01:02:38.090 time and we finally got this. And I kind of 1306 01:02:38.110 --> 01:02:41.469 get the thing, those odes to the suffocated glory of 1307 01:02:41.510 --> 01:02:43.309 being in a rock band, those can be tedious, but 1308 01:02:43.369 --> 01:02:46.690 Weezer are among the best at them in the world. 1309 01:02:46.769 --> 01:02:51.630 And this is just a sublime example. The way they 1310 01:02:51.650 --> 01:02:53.690 kind of make their own myths is one of the 1311 01:02:53.730 --> 01:02:56.210 most endearing qualities. And just as a way to close 1312 01:02:56.250 --> 01:02:59.300 this out, which feels... Again, after the last four years 1313 01:02:59.440 --> 01:03:02.659 of the last thing Weezer having done being that shit, 1314 01:03:03.900 --> 01:03:07.579 and now getting an album that's pretty good, often fantastic, 1315 01:03:07.980 --> 01:03:10.179 and closing it on one of the best songs, basically going, 1316 01:03:10.199 --> 01:03:12.320 you know, it's been a wild ride, but we're still 1317 01:03:12.360 --> 01:03:16.320 here together, we're still rocking. It feels a bit like, 1318 01:03:16.340 --> 01:03:18.429 I mean, I hope not, but it sounds like Weezer 1319 01:03:18.449 --> 01:03:20.570 was riding into the sunset to the point where it's like, 1320 01:03:20.590 --> 01:03:22.769 if this was turned out to be the last Weezer album, 1321 01:03:23.610 --> 01:03:25.269 that wouldn't be a terrible way for them to go 1322 01:03:25.349 --> 01:03:27.460 out on their career. I mean, they're not going to 1323 01:03:27.480 --> 01:03:29.440 next year. They're going to have another eight album series 1324 01:03:29.480 --> 01:03:31.380 for us, which will undo all of this goodwill. But 1325 01:03:32.940 --> 01:03:34.900 in terms of listening to them for the first time, well, 1326 01:03:34.940 --> 01:03:38.019 even on repeated listens, for me, it's one of the highlights. 1327 01:03:39.139 --> 01:03:40.760 Yeah, I feel like a bit of a killjoy on 1328 01:03:40.780 --> 01:03:43.559 this album because I think in terms of really, if 1329 01:03:43.599 --> 01:03:45.780 I'm going to carve out, not that it demands a 1330 01:03:45.800 --> 01:03:47.280 lot of time, but when the blue album's there and 1331 01:03:47.300 --> 01:03:48.380 the white album is there, you know what I mean? 1332 01:03:48.440 --> 01:03:51.570 Or even the green album, whatever. Taking the half hour 1333 01:03:51.610 --> 01:03:54.119 to listen to this entire record I think the purpose 1334 01:03:54.139 --> 01:03:55.960 this will serve in the long term is I've already 1335 01:03:56.059 --> 01:03:59.139 listened to the Blue Album 99 times this week. Maybe 1336 01:03:59.199 --> 01:04:01.619 I need that 1 in 100 to be something different. 1337 01:04:01.840 --> 01:04:05.030 Because you mentioned that idea of if you've got the 1338 01:04:05.130 --> 01:04:08.130 bank of all of the really great Weezer material that exists, 1339 01:04:08.590 --> 01:04:10.829 for me, I'm going to have two or three songs 1340 01:04:11.250 --> 01:04:14.469 off this, maybe. Full album rotation, I don't really see 1341 01:04:14.489 --> 01:04:15.860 myself coming back to this one so much. And like 1342 01:04:15.889 --> 01:04:18.539 I said, when the bar for getting back in touch 1343 01:04:18.579 --> 01:04:21.679 with the Roots Weaver, they've already done that way better. 1344 01:04:22.119 --> 01:04:23.380 with Everything Will Be Alright at the end and the 1345 01:04:23.420 --> 01:04:26.880 White Album back-to-back, and it's not the best Weezer album 1346 01:04:26.900 --> 01:04:30.900 of the 2020s, because both Van Weezer and particularly OK Human, 1347 01:04:31.199 --> 01:04:34.130 I think are, like, it's not a competition, it's above, 1348 01:04:34.449 --> 01:04:38.250 way above this, like, way, way better. That album is fabulous, 1349 01:04:38.309 --> 01:04:41.230 and this is patchy. So I do feel like I'm 1350 01:04:41.250 --> 01:04:44.360 kind of downplaying the praise and the, oh, Weezer, you know, 1351 01:04:44.639 --> 01:04:46.059 about this, because I'm like, well, it's not that good, 1352 01:04:46.219 --> 01:04:49.340 you know, but I did get some smiles, and I 1353 01:04:49.380 --> 01:04:53.800 got a couple of tunes, so... i'm not upset with 1354 01:04:53.820 --> 01:04:55.300 it either it is certainly better than the last thing 1355 01:04:55.320 --> 01:04:55.750 we got from them. 1356 01:04:56.280 --> 01:04:58.130 I think i will say at least it's the biggest 1357 01:04:58.150 --> 01:05:01.429 sort of jump up in quality from the record that 1358 01:05:01.630 --> 01:05:04.269 came before it with weezer i i generally because again 1359 01:05:04.789 --> 01:05:06.630 i i think everybody around the end like i was 1360 01:05:06.670 --> 01:05:09.489 a great on that i still have you know fondness 1361 01:05:09.570 --> 01:05:11.309 for a fair chunk of hurtley i think the album 1362 01:05:11.349 --> 01:05:13.269 is not great but there's good stuff on there that 1363 01:05:13.510 --> 01:05:17.039 we've gone from like i say the complete nadir of weezer. 1364 01:05:16.699 --> 01:05:19.280 To this is another good Weezer record. 1365 01:05:19.300 --> 01:05:21.260 I mean, that is a sizable jump, which is like, 1366 01:05:21.440 --> 01:05:24.139 is reassuring at the very least that like, the quote 1367 01:05:24.159 --> 01:05:26.119 can be that even if it isn't, as we say, 1368 01:05:26.559 --> 01:05:29.079 the best of the back to basics, let's plug back 1369 01:05:29.119 --> 01:05:31.000 in and be Weezer again records. 1370 01:05:31.039 --> 01:05:32.340 But I still think, you know, I. 1371 01:05:34.019 --> 01:05:35.840 Can easily throw on this record and have a nice 1372 01:05:35.860 --> 01:05:38.260 time with it. I can, there's enough of this. I'm like, 1373 01:05:38.340 --> 01:05:39.659 put that in the live set list and I'll be 1374 01:05:39.699 --> 01:05:42.469 singing along. It's not going to be in my end 1375 01:05:42.510 --> 01:05:43.630 of year list. It's not going to be in like 1376 01:05:43.650 --> 01:05:46.070 my kind of like classical rotation but I also still 1377 01:05:46.670 --> 01:05:48.949 I value this record's existence it's given me enough like 1378 01:05:48.969 --> 01:05:51.309 kind of Weezer songs I really like that I'm like 1379 01:05:51.469 --> 01:05:53.510 yep album's justified its place. 1380 01:05:54.400 --> 01:05:57.679 Yeah if I I wouldn't know exactly the order but 1381 01:05:57.699 --> 01:05:59.000 I'm thinking in my head like if I were to 1382 01:05:59.079 --> 01:06:01.619 rank the Weezer albums where would I put this it 1383 01:06:01.639 --> 01:06:03.780 would it would probably be like 9th or 10th to 1384 01:06:03.820 --> 01:06:08.880 be honest like lower middle yeah yeah like Below the 1385 01:06:08.920 --> 01:06:12.139 first four, below Everything Will Be Alright in the end, White, Okahuman, Red, 1386 01:06:12.320 --> 01:06:14.510 which I love. I can't do the math to my 1387 01:06:14.530 --> 01:06:16.469 head right now. It's probably 9 or 10. Somewhere in 1388 01:06:16.489 --> 01:06:19.849 that ballpark. But there's albums below it that I like. 1389 01:06:20.449 --> 01:06:22.909 Or at least I think I have some good songs. 1390 01:06:22.949 --> 01:06:25.730 Van Weezer, I think, is an okay record. Occasionally a 1391 01:06:25.730 --> 01:06:28.170 great record. I probably have this above that, to be honest, overall. 1392 01:06:28.210 --> 01:06:33.469 I think it's more consistent and it sounds better. The 1393 01:06:33.489 --> 01:06:35.730 thing that I was thinking, which... It feels a bit 1394 01:06:35.750 --> 01:06:38.210 outdated now because that rule about the coloured albums always 1395 01:06:38.230 --> 01:06:42.099 being great has been disproven. But I was thinking, if 1396 01:06:42.099 --> 01:06:47.159 2019 never happened, would this feel appropriate? It wouldn't be 1397 01:06:47.219 --> 01:06:50.340 to the sky-high standards of blue, green, red and white, 1398 01:06:50.440 --> 01:06:55.099 which are just fantastic records. But I wouldn't be mad 1399 01:06:55.380 --> 01:06:58.139 about this being a coloured album. It kind of suits that, 1400 01:06:58.179 --> 01:07:00.369 and I think that's all I can ask. And again, 1401 01:07:00.409 --> 01:07:01.789 like you were saying, Sam, in terms of a jump 1402 01:07:01.829 --> 01:07:04.800 from where they were, we knew this out, we had 1403 01:07:04.820 --> 01:07:06.500 this in them, and they're coming from the worst stuff 1404 01:07:06.519 --> 01:07:07.079 they've ever done. 1405 01:07:07.980 --> 01:07:08.400 I'd give this. 1406 01:07:08.380 --> 01:07:11.480 Album a sort of solid 7, coming up from a 3, 1407 01:07:11.460 --> 01:07:13.079 wherever they were before. 1408 01:07:14.780 --> 01:07:18.190 Yeah, yeah, fair. The gold standard, perhaps. Let us know 1409 01:07:18.210 --> 01:07:19.789 if you think it is so. The gold album, of course, 1410 01:07:19.829 --> 01:07:23.070 from Weezer. It should come as no surprise that I 1411 01:07:23.110 --> 01:07:24.690 think the best album that we're going to review today 1412 01:07:24.730 --> 01:07:26.610 to come from these last few weeks of August comes 1413 01:07:26.650 --> 01:07:30.190 from Chelsea Wolfe. It's her album The Dark. She is 1414 01:07:30.429 --> 01:07:33.969 another pretty prolific artist. This is her 8th full-length solo 1415 01:07:34.050 --> 01:07:36.630 album not counting the Blood Moon collaboration she did with 1416 01:07:36.670 --> 01:07:40.590 Converge since her debut in 2010 that works out to 1417 01:07:40.610 --> 01:07:42.469 an album every couple of years doesn't it and unlike 1418 01:07:42.510 --> 01:07:46.079 Weezer they are always quality but she does have a 1419 01:07:46.099 --> 01:07:49.079 few albums I think that act as landmarks across her 1420 01:07:49.099 --> 01:07:53.340 journey that feel of particular artistic weight and 2024's She 1421 01:07:53.380 --> 01:07:55.400 Reaches Out to She Reaches Out to She, I would say, 1422 01:07:55.500 --> 01:07:57.719 is one of them. That was my personal album of 1423 01:07:57.739 --> 01:07:59.860 the year in 2024, and I think that was a 1424 01:07:59.880 --> 01:08:02.030 sentiment that was pretty shared across the board in terms 1425 01:08:02.070 --> 01:08:05.730 of the particular acclaim for that one. It is one of, 1426 01:08:05.909 --> 01:08:08.769 I would say, her modern classics, alongside the likes of 1427 01:08:08.889 --> 01:08:12.150 Abyss and Hispun, but no rush for The Wicked, because 1428 01:08:12.170 --> 01:08:14.630 here we are a couple years later with The Dark Elliot! 1429 01:08:15.150 --> 01:08:17.010 I imagine that Sam and I are just going to 1430 01:08:17.029 --> 01:08:18.710 be fawning about this, so I would like to start 1431 01:08:18.750 --> 01:08:21.210 with you first of all, perhaps a more objective voice 1432 01:08:21.229 --> 01:08:23.039 about Chelsea Wolfe, I don't know. How are you finding 1433 01:08:23.060 --> 01:08:25.619 your time in the dark? Because as we tend to 1434 01:08:25.659 --> 01:08:28.680 get with Chelsea Wolfe, it's quite a notable shift from 1435 01:08:28.760 --> 01:08:31.359 the last time we spoke about her, but also having 1436 01:08:31.760 --> 01:08:33.699 definite shared kinship in some other areas. What are you 1437 01:08:33.720 --> 01:08:34.109 making of it? 1438 01:08:35.510 --> 01:08:37.789 So, you know, it's no hot take to say Chelsea 1439 01:08:37.829 --> 01:08:41.029 Wolfe has a fantastic catalogue. Like, all the arms are 1440 01:08:41.550 --> 01:08:44.699 varying degrees of great. Some are She's one of those 1441 01:08:44.800 --> 01:08:47.520 figures in modern alternative music who seems to have a 1442 01:08:47.520 --> 01:08:51.229 bit of a Midas touch, which is why it pains 1443 01:08:51.270 --> 01:08:56.289 me to say for the first time that I'm not 1444 01:08:56.329 --> 01:08:57.270 wild about this record. 1445 01:08:57.789 --> 01:08:58.170 Really? 1446 01:08:58.729 --> 01:09:00.539 It might be a case of too soon. to say, 1447 01:09:00.979 --> 01:09:03.420 because the most frustrating part about all of this is 1448 01:09:03.439 --> 01:09:05.619 I've been trying to write notes to explain myself, and 1449 01:09:05.640 --> 01:09:09.350 I don't know why I'm not super keen on this one. 1450 01:09:09.369 --> 01:09:10.890 It's possible that in a month or two will come 1451 01:09:10.930 --> 01:09:12.569 the end of the year, I'll have got my head 1452 01:09:12.590 --> 01:09:14.189 around and I'll go, I don't know what I was thinking. 1453 01:09:14.609 --> 01:09:17.369 But I can only ever be honest. And I really 1454 01:09:17.390 --> 01:09:21.100 like the concept... of what she's going for here, and 1455 01:09:21.359 --> 01:09:24.119 she doesn't do anything wrong, and there's some stuff on 1456 01:09:24.140 --> 01:09:28.090 this which I think is excellent, but for whatever reason, 1457 01:09:29.210 --> 01:09:30.970 I've been listening to this record, and I get to 1458 01:09:31.010 --> 01:09:34.970 the end and go, yeah, nice, which is the most 1459 01:09:35.050 --> 01:09:37.609 mild I've ever felt about anything she's done by far, 1460 01:09:38.090 --> 01:09:42.170 so I'm curious to hear what the case for loving 1461 01:09:42.189 --> 01:09:45.800 it is, because I've been listening to this, and kind 1462 01:09:45.810 --> 01:09:47.350 of coming up short, Okay. 1463 01:09:47.369 --> 01:09:50.689 Well, Chelsea Wolfe, even though I think we generally do 1464 01:09:50.750 --> 01:09:55.050 agree that her hit rate is really, really consistently high, 1465 01:09:55.350 --> 01:10:00.239 because she does mill about stylistically, it is only inevitable 1466 01:10:00.279 --> 01:10:01.600 that there are going to be some records that other 1467 01:10:01.619 --> 01:10:04.279 people gravitate more to than others. Like I've got friends, 1468 01:10:04.300 --> 01:10:06.779 for example, who aren't wild about, let's say, Birth of Violence, 1469 01:10:06.819 --> 01:10:08.500 just as a record pulled out of a catalogue, as 1470 01:10:08.539 --> 01:10:11.390 much as they might be about Abyss or Hispun or 1471 01:10:11.689 --> 01:10:15.569 whatever it might be. And this record perhaps does... go 1472 01:10:15.630 --> 01:10:18.869 in directions that are... I mean, to me, I found 1473 01:10:18.890 --> 01:10:21.600 them quite natural, but kind of intellectually speaking, I can 1474 01:10:22.000 --> 01:10:25.479 maybe see why not every Chelsea Wolves fan out there 1475 01:10:25.500 --> 01:10:28.680 in the world might maybe not dislike them, but not 1476 01:10:28.739 --> 01:10:30.300 love them so strongly, which is kind of the impression 1477 01:10:30.560 --> 01:10:32.159 I'm getting from you. And I think it's an interesting 1478 01:10:32.189 --> 01:10:35.949 app to categorise because the Chelsea Wolves canon does reach 1479 01:10:36.029 --> 01:10:39.510 very far sonically. but often her albums have a very 1480 01:10:39.569 --> 01:10:44.090 contained specific vibe like Abyss is largely like an industrial 1481 01:10:44.149 --> 01:10:47.939 doom album Hispun is her grunge rock album Birth of 1482 01:10:47.949 --> 01:10:50.939 Violence is like a haunted folk album and She Riches 1483 01:10:50.960 --> 01:10:52.579 Out to She Riches Out to She was very much 1484 01:10:52.619 --> 01:10:56.260 like an electronica album particularly leaning on industrial and trip-hop 1485 01:10:56.619 --> 01:11:00.840 sounds and this one is much less electronically based for 1486 01:11:00.859 --> 01:11:02.739 the most part than that one was and we're often 1487 01:11:02.779 --> 01:11:06.140 back to more kind of analog and acoustic instrumentation but 1488 01:11:06.220 --> 01:11:08.529 if you were to compare that to Birth of Violence 1489 01:11:08.569 --> 01:11:10.770 is the last time she did that. Birth of Violence 1490 01:11:10.850 --> 01:11:14.340 is so stark and desolate. It really feels like a 1491 01:11:14.760 --> 01:11:18.840 dusty wasteland, this record. Whereas this is quite lush and 1492 01:11:18.880 --> 01:11:22.899 it does still have an array of instrumentation that ranges 1493 01:11:22.970 --> 01:11:26.029 from the pure folk music but then up to integrating 1494 01:11:26.090 --> 01:11:29.869 at times rock, bits of metal, at times still even 1495 01:11:29.909 --> 01:11:32.890 some of the industrial sounds. They're just more sparingly used 1496 01:11:32.930 --> 01:11:35.640 to accent the appropriate moments and I think it's quite holistic. 1497 01:11:36.310 --> 01:11:38.350 as a chelsea wolf album but at the same time 1498 01:11:38.369 --> 01:11:41.810 i i don't feel quite right saying a jukebox quality 1499 01:11:41.829 --> 01:11:43.649 because i think it's more cohesive than that but within 1500 01:11:43.670 --> 01:11:46.149 the paradigm of chelsea wolf albums you know what i 1501 01:11:46.149 --> 01:11:48.569 mean like it this does sort of um it feels 1502 01:11:48.609 --> 01:11:50.850 a little bit more like a a greatest hit so 1503 01:11:50.869 --> 01:11:53.210 to speak where you've got 10 songs that um it 1504 01:11:53.350 --> 01:11:55.789 is you know it's concise as a record and uh 1505 01:11:56.010 --> 01:11:59.609 it maybe like reaches out and plucks different things rather 1506 01:11:59.649 --> 01:12:03.949 than really like sitting in one world i think maybe 1507 01:12:04.050 --> 01:12:06.840 at her most fully immersive like on an abyss or 1508 01:12:06.880 --> 01:12:08.520 a she which that's she which that's she it's like 1509 01:12:08.539 --> 01:12:10.659 she creates a portal into something that you are just 1510 01:12:10.699 --> 01:12:13.640 like stuck there for the duration of the record whereas 1511 01:12:13.659 --> 01:12:15.880 this maybe is a little more i don't know broad. 1512 01:12:16.560 --> 01:12:18.340 I agree this is not like one where again like 1513 01:12:18.819 --> 01:12:20.619 abyss or she was actually are like the perfect examples 1514 01:12:20.689 --> 01:12:23.470 of like that is a holistic experience where you are 1515 01:12:23.510 --> 01:12:26.470 like in that one zone for that entire record and 1516 01:12:26.489 --> 01:12:27.489 i think that's the thing i love about chest wolf 1517 01:12:27.510 --> 01:12:30.310 is all of the records have that different zone places 1518 01:12:30.350 --> 01:12:31.369 you in but those are the ones where you kind 1519 01:12:31.390 --> 01:12:34.550 of go like you are surrounded by that album that 1520 01:12:34.569 --> 01:12:37.670 particular sound in that moment this is i can kind 1521 01:12:37.689 --> 01:12:39.270 of see why those quotes made that this is her 1522 01:12:39.369 --> 01:12:42.010 this is the pop chelsea wolf record because i think 1523 01:12:42.109 --> 01:12:44.729 it is like definitely the most pop kind of the 1524 01:12:44.770 --> 01:12:46.989 songwriter has ever been and again that kind of like 1525 01:12:47.489 --> 01:12:49.430 slightly broader eclectic approach kind of lends to that as 1526 01:12:49.449 --> 01:12:51.670 well but i don't think it is like exclusively just 1527 01:12:51.689 --> 01:12:54.029 kind of reduced down to the pop chelsea wolf record 1528 01:12:54.050 --> 01:12:55.649 but it is just kind of like it touches on 1529 01:12:55.689 --> 01:12:58.380 you know country there's bits of rock there's bits of 1530 01:12:58.439 --> 01:13:01.119 metal there's goth it's kind of just sort of living 1531 01:13:01.140 --> 01:13:03.779 in that dark world that she creates but through a 1532 01:13:03.800 --> 01:13:05.770 kind of just i guess something that's a bit more 1533 01:13:05.819 --> 01:13:08.510 inviting overall rather than just kind of like sucking you 1534 01:13:08.569 --> 01:13:11.630 into like a black void like abyss does this is 1535 01:13:11.670 --> 01:13:14.270 kind of just like come with chelsea wolf on this 1536 01:13:14.289 --> 01:13:17.520 kind of like dark sort of journey but it is 1537 01:13:17.960 --> 01:13:19.760 it's an easier journey to go on this time because 1538 01:13:19.819 --> 01:13:22.399 it's it's a bit more kind of varied there's different 1539 01:13:22.479 --> 01:13:25.779 tones different moods and it's got some of her like 1540 01:13:26.239 --> 01:13:28.979 hookiest sort of songwriting she's ever done even if a 1541 01:13:29.000 --> 01:13:31.239 lot of it is still in kind of like quite 1542 01:13:31.520 --> 01:13:34.600 delicate sparse country songwriting it's a really like interesting and 1543 01:13:34.619 --> 01:13:36.060 it is one of the harder records to categorize because 1544 01:13:36.100 --> 01:13:39.020 it is just kind of broader in tone but i 1545 01:13:39.060 --> 01:13:41.579 have found this album just to be such a delight 1546 01:13:41.619 --> 01:13:44.239 and a joy to listen to because i i just 1547 01:13:44.479 --> 01:13:47.420 i am the character that chelsea wolf brings to her 1548 01:13:47.460 --> 01:13:50.729 music is just so sublime to me that I will 1549 01:13:50.810 --> 01:13:53.020 hang off every word, and it's no different on this record. 1550 01:13:53.239 --> 01:13:56.279 Yeah, because we were discussing sort of the advanced material, 1551 01:13:56.579 --> 01:13:58.359 like what kind of Chelsea Wolf album this was going 1552 01:13:58.380 --> 01:14:01.239 to be, because the double lead single she put out 1553 01:14:01.359 --> 01:14:03.039 of the title track from this album, and Death Is 1554 01:14:03.079 --> 01:14:05.699 Not The End, those two songs, they are quite different 1555 01:14:05.720 --> 01:14:07.899 to one another, but they are both like, you know, quiet, 1556 01:14:07.960 --> 01:14:09.640 acoustically based songs, so that kind of put us in 1557 01:14:09.720 --> 01:14:12.359 one place. And then we got to Cold, and then 1558 01:14:12.399 --> 01:14:14.699 particularly when Seed came out, like a week before the 1559 01:14:14.739 --> 01:14:16.899 album actually came out, and those started to blow open 1560 01:14:16.920 --> 01:14:17.960 the doors a bit of what we thought this was 1561 01:14:17.979 --> 01:14:20.699 going to be, And one interesting detail about this album 1562 01:14:20.779 --> 01:14:24.439 is she's working with a songwriting collaborator on this one, 1563 01:14:24.760 --> 01:14:27.460 rather than just the usual sonic partners who are always there, 1564 01:14:27.479 --> 01:14:30.390 like Ben Chisholm and et cetera, but an actual songwriting 1565 01:14:30.710 --> 01:14:34.729 co-songwriter who's named Jen DeSilvio, who is a Grammy Award-winning 1566 01:14:34.789 --> 01:14:37.770 pop songwriter who has worked with, amongst other people, Hosier 1567 01:14:38.130 --> 01:14:41.170 and Miley Cyrus. And Chelsea said about this album that 1568 01:14:41.189 --> 01:14:44.380 she wanted to really hone in on traditional songwriting structures 1569 01:14:44.680 --> 01:14:48.060 and choruses, which is so funny, because you wrote Iron Moon... 1570 01:14:48.510 --> 01:14:51.409 you wrote 16 Psyche, you wrote Deranged for Rock and Roll. 1571 01:14:51.810 --> 01:14:54.260 You have choruses, you're not wanting for hooks. But that, 1572 01:14:54.319 --> 01:14:56.819 I guess, was a particular focus this time around. And 1573 01:14:56.840 --> 01:14:59.119 I think this does end up with this record feeling like, 1574 01:14:59.659 --> 01:15:03.279 to me, it's still Chelsea Wolfe. It's still absolutely in 1575 01:15:03.300 --> 01:15:07.399 her wheelhouse. I don't personally feel any alienation at all, 1576 01:15:07.510 --> 01:15:08.970 if you're already a fan of what she's doing. But 1577 01:15:08.989 --> 01:15:13.109 there is a little bit of that accessible, relatable polish 1578 01:15:13.130 --> 01:15:14.810 to this one that is a little bit akin to 1579 01:15:15.229 --> 01:15:19.270 that sort of alternative pop sound that so often from 1580 01:15:19.289 --> 01:15:21.109 the actual pop world, I'm really not interested in. Like, 1581 01:15:21.149 --> 01:15:22.750 I don't listen to Hosier, I don't listen to Lana 1582 01:15:22.770 --> 01:15:26.789 Del Rey, etc. But conversely, I love acts like Chelsea 1583 01:15:26.810 --> 01:15:29.649 Wolfe because of how, again, enveloping and shadowy and immersive 1584 01:15:29.689 --> 01:15:31.409 they are. A huge problem I have with a lot 1585 01:15:31.430 --> 01:15:34.890 of contemporary pop is how actually uncatchy it's in, and 1586 01:15:34.909 --> 01:15:37.729 that kind of direction, that, like, softly spoken drab quality 1587 01:15:37.979 --> 01:15:39.979 that a lot of pop now has is not what 1588 01:15:40.020 --> 01:15:40.659 I want in pop. 1589 01:15:41.039 --> 01:15:41.159 So. 1590 01:15:42.119 --> 01:15:43.710 I think this record could have almost ended up in 1591 01:15:43.750 --> 01:15:45.750 like a strange middle ground that maybe for some people 1592 01:15:45.789 --> 01:15:47.689 out there it would but I don't know you give 1593 01:15:47.750 --> 01:15:50.689 me Chelsea Walsh like more dark hearted answer to it 1594 01:15:51.289 --> 01:15:53.989 and I do just like find myself really involved and 1595 01:15:54.050 --> 01:15:56.090 lapping it up and there's one song on She Which 1596 01:15:56.109 --> 01:15:58.210 Is After She Which Is After She that I highlighted 1597 01:15:58.250 --> 01:16:01.369 at the time called A Place In The Sun that 1598 01:16:01.430 --> 01:16:04.060 is the most like alternative kind of pop ballad on 1599 01:16:04.100 --> 01:16:06.920 that album that to me it sounded like it's almost 1600 01:16:06.939 --> 01:16:09.760 like Chelsea Walsh like darker mirror image to Lana Del 1601 01:16:09.779 --> 01:16:11.420 Rey and even Billie Eilish and that kind of thing 1602 01:16:11.600 --> 01:16:14.350 and I doubt she may have thought of it that way... 1603 01:16:14.250 --> 01:16:15.789 But I think if you liked that song... That's a 1604 01:16:15.869 --> 01:16:18.760 little like a gateway into this next record... And I 1605 01:16:18.760 --> 01:16:21.300 think the most drastic example here... Is the first song Cold... 1606 01:16:21.060 --> 01:16:24.199 Which is... Earlier I think when some of the singles 1607 01:16:24.239 --> 01:16:26.020 were coming out... You compared them to like Goth, Florence 1608 01:16:26.039 --> 01:16:29.199 and the Machine... And when the final chorus of that song... 1609 01:16:29.199 --> 01:16:34.630 Has like this gorgeous bright... Like semi-gospel kind of instrumentation 1610 01:16:34.789 --> 01:16:38.289 coming in... And melodically it's so fucking strong... That pre-chorus 1611 01:16:38.310 --> 01:16:40.810 lifting the central hook is just incredible... It's like we're 1612 01:16:41.050 --> 01:16:44.470 at Goth Glastonbury dancing around with our shoes off. It's sublime, 1613 01:16:44.569 --> 01:16:44.890 I think. 1614 01:16:46.569 --> 01:16:49.470 That song threatens to go gospel in that sort of 1615 01:16:49.489 --> 01:16:49.970 final film. 1616 01:16:49.989 --> 01:16:54.079 The backing vocalising. It is huge sounding. That song has 1617 01:16:54.380 --> 01:16:55.350 so many hooks on it. 1618 01:16:55.760 --> 01:16:57.380 When you go straight into it and you get the 1619 01:16:57.420 --> 01:16:59.840 I'm letting you go, I'm letting you win thing, or 1620 01:17:00.060 --> 01:17:01.439 the crying underwater, screaming at. 1621 01:17:01.420 --> 01:17:02.060 The surface, there's like. 1622 01:17:02.840 --> 01:17:06.779 so many sort of great vocal lines that like Chelsea 1623 01:17:06.819 --> 01:17:09.149 and it still feels again I haven't that song it's 1624 01:17:09.189 --> 01:17:12.090 so so good to me because it feels so true 1625 01:17:12.189 --> 01:17:15.010 to the sort of dark gothic songwriting that Chelsea does 1626 01:17:15.470 --> 01:17:18.649 but it's just bringing in these like sublime sort of 1627 01:17:19.239 --> 01:17:22.779 vocal hooks with an electrifying performance from Chelsea that that 1628 01:17:22.840 --> 01:17:25.779 does mean that it does avoid that kind of like 1629 01:17:26.100 --> 01:17:30.020 dour alternative pop thing that it could have so easily 1630 01:17:30.060 --> 01:17:32.149 fallen into and by the end where it does does 1631 01:17:32.189 --> 01:17:36.250 swirl into something so stirring and so just evocative it's 1632 01:17:36.270 --> 01:17:38.289 sort of example of like where going more pop has 1633 01:17:38.350 --> 01:17:42.050 actually been the more interesting kind of songwriting curveball for 1634 01:17:42.069 --> 01:17:44.710 Chelsea to take because of how she's fed it through 1635 01:17:44.789 --> 01:17:47.470 her lens and it's just added a new dimension to 1636 01:17:47.489 --> 01:17:49.810 her songwriting I think works brilliantly. 1637 01:17:50.380 --> 01:17:53.899 See I this conversation has actually sort of revealed what 1638 01:17:53.920 --> 01:17:55.720 it is that maybe my problem with this record is 1639 01:17:55.779 --> 01:17:59.729 because Every reference when you made it, when you said hosier, 1640 01:17:59.750 --> 01:18:01.930 I just want my shoulders to go. 1641 01:18:01.949 --> 01:18:05.609 See, I don't like that stuff is the thing. I don't. 1642 01:18:05.670 --> 01:18:09.050 I just think Chelsea, for me, she is a songwriting 1643 01:18:09.090 --> 01:18:11.949 voice that I feel so connected to that I just 1644 01:18:11.970 --> 01:18:13.630 think that she's just able to take something that I'm 1645 01:18:14.050 --> 01:18:16.760 often not wild about and just, for me at least, 1646 01:18:16.810 --> 01:18:17.640 turn it into magic. 1647 01:18:18.520 --> 01:18:22.479 Oh, yeah. Listen, Chelsea is such a magnetic presence that 1648 01:18:23.000 --> 01:18:26.250 she can overcome... some of the quirks or some of 1649 01:18:26.270 --> 01:18:28.010 the style of songwriting on this record that i'm less 1650 01:18:28.029 --> 01:18:30.590 keen on and there are moments where i think it 1651 01:18:30.630 --> 01:18:33.039 really was you know the dark i think more stuff 1652 01:18:33.060 --> 01:18:35.739 like big thief and phoebe bridge that stuff which i'm 1653 01:18:35.779 --> 01:18:37.800 more keen on than the hosier end of things and 1654 01:18:38.100 --> 01:18:39.840 when it's done by chelsea wolf i think that's great 1655 01:18:40.479 --> 01:18:42.079 death is not the end really reminds me of grouper 1656 01:18:42.300 --> 01:18:45.430 which is again no bad thing but some of these 1657 01:18:45.470 --> 01:18:49.289 songs like dancer in the sky halo Humours, some of those, 1658 01:18:49.729 --> 01:18:52.369 I don't want to cast aspersions. When I listen to 1659 01:18:52.409 --> 01:18:57.170 those songs, those kind of feel like cut-off cuts from 1660 01:18:57.210 --> 01:18:59.649 one of those other artists you mentioned. And it's like, okay, well, 1661 01:18:59.680 --> 01:19:01.800 you don't sing as you want them. I'll give them 1662 01:19:01.810 --> 01:19:04.100 to Chelsea Wolfe. There are certain songs in here which 1663 01:19:04.119 --> 01:19:04.739 feel like they. 1664 01:19:04.760 --> 01:19:04.840 In. 1665 01:19:07.140 --> 01:19:10.510 The songwriting itself, sort of lack... that Chelsea will flare. 1666 01:19:10.609 --> 01:19:12.510 And she brings it in the performance, so you almost 1667 01:19:12.550 --> 01:19:14.510 don't notice, but I think it's why those songs haven't 1668 01:19:16.109 --> 01:19:19.439 enraptured or enveloped me the way that pretty much every 1669 01:19:19.479 --> 01:19:21.979 record she's done since I've been a fan has managed to. 1670 01:19:22.579 --> 01:19:25.119 Right, because there's a song, I'm Not There, later on, 1671 01:19:25.180 --> 01:19:29.319 which is one of the most straight-up prettiest, fragile songs 1672 01:19:29.340 --> 01:19:32.789 that she's ever done. But I hear that chorus, and 1673 01:19:33.210 --> 01:19:38.319 I don't know... You know when... unsuspecting ballad songs from 1674 01:19:38.340 --> 01:19:40.479 like major pop artists just get really fucking huge on 1675 01:19:40.520 --> 01:19:43.050 TikTok or something I could imagine that happening to that 1676 01:19:43.090 --> 01:19:44.430 song like you know I don't know what the rules 1677 01:19:44.550 --> 01:19:46.789 are if that was allowed to happen or whatever but 1678 01:19:46.810 --> 01:19:48.289 the way it has that kind of like real high-pitched 1679 01:19:48.390 --> 01:19:50.649 angelic kind of elements to it like I think the 1680 01:19:50.689 --> 01:19:53.090 chorus itself is just strong enough to kind of transcend 1681 01:19:53.130 --> 01:19:55.439 into that kind of realm um it's interesting you mentioned 1682 01:19:55.479 --> 01:19:58.359 Halo because Halo to me feels like the most old-school 1683 01:19:58.380 --> 01:20:03.779 Chelsea Wolfe song on this, where it's the most, like, birth-of-violency, really, like, downtrodden, 1684 01:20:03.850 --> 01:20:06.489 Americana kind of Chelsea Wolfe. Like, I love those kind 1685 01:20:06.510 --> 01:20:09.449 of acoustic riffs that sound like they are coughing on 1686 01:20:10.329 --> 01:20:12.350 the air of all points east the other day, actually. But, like, 1687 01:20:12.569 --> 01:20:15.060 this kind of folk music, I just have to admit 1688 01:20:15.079 --> 01:20:17.020 that no one has ever really done it in a 1689 01:20:17.039 --> 01:20:19.500 way that I like more than when Chelsea Wolfe does it. And... 1690 01:20:20.560 --> 01:20:24.220 I think that's an example of the foundation of what 1691 01:20:24.239 --> 01:20:25.920 she was doing. But then you take that kind of 1692 01:20:25.939 --> 01:20:29.000 sound and you inflect it with that more vibrant flavour. 1693 01:20:29.560 --> 01:20:31.960 Going back to The Dark and Death Is Not The End, 1694 01:20:32.020 --> 01:20:34.430 now we have a better idea of the album. Both 1695 01:20:34.439 --> 01:20:36.279 of them have a really interesting quality. I think both 1696 01:20:36.600 --> 01:20:40.449 are Hall of Fame Chelsea Wolfe songs. The Dark is 1697 01:20:40.750 --> 01:20:43.729 a straight-up pure folk song. It's just Chelsea and an 1698 01:20:43.750 --> 01:20:46.470 acoustic guitar almost all the way through. But there is 1699 01:20:46.529 --> 01:20:48.670 something about those melodies, even the picking pattern on the 1700 01:20:48.689 --> 01:20:52.239 guitar when it comes in, it just feels bigger. It 1701 01:20:52.260 --> 01:20:53.800 feels like every bit of space that needs to be 1702 01:20:53.840 --> 01:20:57.220 filled is being done so. And that is a basically 1703 01:20:57.260 --> 01:21:01.640 flawless song, a heart-achingly, perfectly beautiful piece of music. And 1704 01:21:01.680 --> 01:21:03.439 that refrain of, you know, to be the bee, the 1705 01:21:03.460 --> 01:21:07.199 darkest thing in the woods, it is, to me, maybe 1706 01:21:07.319 --> 01:21:10.640 as quintessential a song Chelsea Wolfe could do that you 1707 01:21:10.659 --> 01:21:15.710 could imagine, because it's about finding... beauty and comfort in 1708 01:21:15.770 --> 01:21:17.989 the dark and in the you know the quiet and 1709 01:21:18.050 --> 01:21:19.770 untouched places of the world that's why the album is 1710 01:21:19.810 --> 01:21:21.619 called the dark you know and this album the way 1711 01:21:21.640 --> 01:21:25.800 it has that you know slight you know, brighter for 1712 01:21:25.840 --> 01:21:28.680 her standards pop flavour, but it's coming at that from 1713 01:21:28.720 --> 01:21:30.560 the shadows, right? Like, from the other side of the coin. 1714 01:21:30.689 --> 01:21:35.090 It is like a massive warm embrace of night, and 1715 01:21:35.109 --> 01:21:37.329 like a reassuring cloak of shadow, which is something that 1716 01:21:37.350 --> 01:21:39.630 I've always loved about Chelsea's music, but this song is 1717 01:21:39.670 --> 01:21:41.979 like a, well, it's a manifesto for that, and when 1718 01:21:42.020 --> 01:21:45.300 it lifts, and you get that dirgy bit of doom 1719 01:21:45.340 --> 01:21:49.319 metal guitar at the end, it just feels like it's 1720 01:21:49.340 --> 01:21:51.260 like you're flying, you know, it's somehow, like, the inverse 1721 01:21:51.300 --> 01:21:53.359 of what that guitar should make you feel, but in 1722 01:21:53.399 --> 01:21:56.399 her hands, it just fucking goes like that, and then 1723 01:21:56.470 --> 01:21:59.869 Death Is Not The End is equally, if not more stunning, 1724 01:21:59.949 --> 01:22:02.229 and once again, it's using those, you know, kind of 1725 01:22:02.270 --> 01:22:05.569 gothic language in those fixations, but it's about hope, you know, 1726 01:22:05.810 --> 01:22:07.949 it's reassuring, and I think this song is the work 1727 01:22:08.069 --> 01:22:10.939 of just, like, a major, major songwriter, like, even just 1728 01:22:10.949 --> 01:22:13.100 the imagery of, like, keep hoping that death is like 1729 01:22:13.119 --> 01:22:14.699 an ocean and I'm floating like an angel in the 1730 01:22:14.720 --> 01:22:16.680 kelp is something that's stuck around in my head, like, 1731 01:22:16.720 --> 01:22:18.899 since I first heard it. and the way it goes 1732 01:22:18.960 --> 01:22:23.279 from the sparsest, most hushed song on the album, to then, again, 1733 01:22:23.319 --> 01:22:26.970 that wall of trademark Chelsea Wolfe doom guitar hitting that 1734 01:22:26.989 --> 01:22:28.430 you wouldn't get from anyone else, you wouldn't get from 1735 01:22:28.470 --> 01:22:31.869 any of those old pop artists or whatever. You have, 1736 01:22:32.090 --> 01:22:36.630 in that last drop, an incredible percussive industrial beat, which 1737 01:22:36.670 --> 01:22:39.329 are actually contributions from Robin Fink, formerly of Nine Inch Nails, 1738 01:22:39.569 --> 01:22:42.789 that have been naturally laced into what was originally this 1739 01:22:42.810 --> 01:22:45.739 very analogue acoustic song, And it shifts the whole song 1740 01:22:45.779 --> 01:22:47.539 on its axis in a way that's just exactly right. 1741 01:22:47.640 --> 01:22:51.000 It is... Moments like that, I think, are just transcendently brilliant. 1742 01:22:52.539 --> 01:22:54.239 Death is not the end. It's not working. Because it's like... 1743 01:22:54.520 --> 01:22:58.000 It's so fragile and so delicate to begin with. 1744 01:22:58.020 --> 01:22:58.319 But like. 1745 01:22:58.659 --> 01:23:01.010 Chelsea was such a way to be still commanding in 1746 01:23:01.029 --> 01:23:02.850 her presence. Even when she is at her most kind 1747 01:23:02.869 --> 01:23:05.149 of like... Porcelain and ethereal. 1748 01:23:05.649 --> 01:23:05.949 And like. 1749 01:23:06.109 --> 01:23:10.029 It's genuinely like... Captivating. And when you finally get to 1750 01:23:10.069 --> 01:23:12.350 that kind of like... Doom bit in the middle... And 1751 01:23:12.390 --> 01:23:14.369 that gorgeous kind of like guitar that comes in with 1752 01:23:14.390 --> 01:23:17.989 Chelsea soaring over it. I'm like, this is where, again, 1753 01:23:18.630 --> 01:23:20.470 all the sort of pops on that capacity you can make. 1754 01:23:20.829 --> 01:23:24.949 They can't do what she does on this album where she, again, the, 1755 01:23:24.989 --> 01:23:28.529 the Paula things you can call from genuine love for, 1756 01:23:28.850 --> 01:23:32.489 for dark shadowy music and like, not just music, but 1757 01:23:32.529 --> 01:23:35.380 like the culture that surrounds kind of like on the dark, 1758 01:23:35.409 --> 01:23:37.739 on the outskirts of society. I think the title track 1759 01:23:38.119 --> 01:23:41.170 is just, so amazing how that's from just so much 1760 01:23:41.229 --> 01:23:43.210 with so little and you can say about every track 1761 01:23:43.850 --> 01:23:46.279 again 10 songs has its place has the thing it 1762 01:23:46.300 --> 01:23:48.560 does like some of them might sort of start in 1763 01:23:48.619 --> 01:23:51.119 similar kind of acoustic terrains but they'll take it to 1764 01:23:51.140 --> 01:23:53.260 different things like halo i think like is the coolest 1765 01:23:53.279 --> 01:23:56.310 song on the record this almost like kind of like 1766 01:23:56.630 --> 01:23:59.130 a bit of sleaze to the dusty country thing the 1767 01:23:59.149 --> 01:24:00.930 whole get up let's go for ride got my halo 1768 01:24:00.949 --> 01:24:03.310 on the other side the kind of delivery of that 1769 01:24:03.350 --> 01:24:06.850 is so just like captivating and she just sounds like 1770 01:24:06.890 --> 01:24:09.710 the coolest person in the world delivering those lines i 1771 01:24:09.789 --> 01:24:13.329 think like every song here and this place we have 1772 01:24:13.350 --> 01:24:15.289 like we haven't we've kind of skipped over what is 1773 01:24:15.350 --> 01:24:17.430 the like the real ace on this record it comes 1774 01:24:17.470 --> 01:24:19.069 right at the start but i'm sure we'll get to 1775 01:24:19.140 --> 01:24:21.279 it but i mean this record is full of just 1776 01:24:21.340 --> 01:24:25.920 like so many moments of beauty of pain of sorrow 1777 01:24:25.979 --> 01:24:27.699 of all the things i kind of go to a 1778 01:24:27.720 --> 01:24:30.859 chelsea wolf record for it's just there's less of a 1779 01:24:30.890 --> 01:24:32.850 kind of like I don't want to say a wall, 1780 01:24:32.899 --> 01:24:35.100 but it is, she's holding a hand out to you more, 1781 01:24:35.119 --> 01:24:37.760 this one, to sort of guide you into the world, 1782 01:24:37.779 --> 01:24:39.760 where again, I could quite easily hand this to people 1783 01:24:39.800 --> 01:24:42.020 who I would not hand Abyss to, because I think 1784 01:24:42.039 --> 01:24:44.979 they would just be put off by how suffocating that 1785 01:24:45.039 --> 01:24:47.279 record is, this record doesn't have that, I just say 1786 01:24:47.390 --> 01:24:50.010 it has that warm embrace of the darkness, that it's 1787 01:24:50.090 --> 01:24:54.090 not a bright, fun, pop record, it is still a dark, shadowy, 1788 01:24:55.010 --> 01:24:57.810 moody record, but it's just, it welcomes you more than 1789 01:24:57.829 --> 01:24:59.750 anything she's fought, and I think that is like, To 1790 01:24:59.789 --> 01:25:01.409 be able to make that work, have something that is 1791 01:25:01.500 --> 01:25:04.920 so dark and shadowy, but so comforting and nice to 1792 01:25:04.939 --> 01:25:07.640 listen to, is such an amazing balancing act, and I 1793 01:25:07.640 --> 01:25:09.439 think Chelsea Wolfe is just so superb at it. 1794 01:25:10.319 --> 01:25:14.649 For sure, and I believe that you're referring to Steve there. 1795 01:25:14.789 --> 01:25:18.869 I am referring to Steve. There's also an interesting thing 1796 01:25:18.890 --> 01:25:22.520 she does on this record where even on the The 1797 01:25:22.560 --> 01:25:26.829 songs which really have those dark edges in the heavier sense, 1798 01:25:27.090 --> 01:25:29.930 they still have a more pronounced accessibility to it. You've 1799 01:25:29.949 --> 01:25:32.609 also got, one of my favourites on this record is Swallower, 1800 01:25:32.989 --> 01:25:35.720 which I think is a fucking fantastic song. The main 1801 01:25:35.840 --> 01:25:38.600 riff and the melody that that is built on, such 1802 01:25:38.619 --> 01:25:41.500 a really strong foundation to it. It's got a kind 1803 01:25:41.520 --> 01:25:44.659 of Pixies Where Is My Mind quality. but through the 1804 01:25:44.699 --> 01:25:47.220 spectral filter of Chelsea Wolfe, that she just crushes it. 1805 01:25:47.300 --> 01:25:49.579 And when Troy Van Leeuwen from Queens of Stone Age 1806 01:25:50.000 --> 01:25:52.390 comes in with the wailing lead towards the end, which 1807 01:25:52.439 --> 01:25:54.210 is another of those great partnerships that I'm glad is 1808 01:25:54.229 --> 01:25:56.189 still being maintained between the two of them when he 1809 01:25:56.210 --> 01:26:00.130 sticks his head in occasionally, is just fantastic. And it's 1810 01:26:00.250 --> 01:26:02.689 catchy from the second the song starts, but it just 1811 01:26:03.069 --> 01:26:06.189 has these powerhouse moments that her and the members of 1812 01:26:06.229 --> 01:26:11.329 her band just absolutely crush. But Zeve is just a growling, lurking. 1813 01:26:14.130 --> 01:26:17.869 Rocker with incredible groove to it like the fill that 1814 01:26:17.909 --> 01:26:19.649 brings in the main beat after the intro and the 1815 01:26:19.689 --> 01:26:22.510 little drum grooves that you get like throughout the verses 1816 01:26:22.550 --> 01:26:24.850 and stuff that really keep it alive i think production 1817 01:26:24.890 --> 01:26:27.979 on it is phenomenal like the kit alone sounds perfect 1818 01:26:28.340 --> 01:26:30.300 but when you heard that it was like oh damn 1819 01:26:30.340 --> 01:26:32.880 like you know she has done you know rock songs 1820 01:26:32.920 --> 01:26:35.119 before again you know 16 psyche whatever but there's something 1821 01:26:35.180 --> 01:26:38.819 like just um so so grooving about that one that 1822 01:26:38.840 --> 01:26:41.689 does feel like a little fresh for the catalogue It's. 1823 01:26:41.609 --> 01:26:42.970 A floor filler in a way that I don't think 1824 01:26:42.989 --> 01:26:45.329 she's ever, like again, like you said, she's done rock songs, 1825 01:26:45.390 --> 01:26:49.149 but Steve is a genuine kind of like gothic sort 1826 01:26:49.170 --> 01:26:52.479 of dancey floor filler. It's got intensity that, the way 1827 01:26:52.489 --> 01:26:54.739 it comes along, there's a sort of thrumming bass that 1828 01:26:54.760 --> 01:26:58.069 sort of pulsates along. chelsea like she sounds pissed off 1829 01:26:58.090 --> 01:27:00.170 and angry in a way that she doesn't always do 1830 01:27:00.270 --> 01:27:02.529 and it's like brings real intensity when she's like got 1831 01:27:02.550 --> 01:27:03.810 my knife in my pocket and you're top of my 1832 01:27:03.829 --> 01:27:06.430 list like that's a hard line from chelsea wolf and 1833 01:27:06.850 --> 01:27:08.989 and again when you get to that chorus it's it's 1834 01:27:09.010 --> 01:27:11.470 a simple chorus and her voice is doing the more 1835 01:27:11.909 --> 01:27:15.890 ethereal thing but it is just propulsive and driven and 1836 01:27:15.930 --> 01:27:18.189 just like like in terms of where she's just going 1837 01:27:18.850 --> 01:27:21.270 in this like delicate way she better run but it 1838 01:27:21.609 --> 01:27:24.109 it just brings a menace one of the coolest songs 1839 01:27:24.270 --> 01:27:26.189 she has ever done i think it is one of 1840 01:27:26.229 --> 01:27:28.750 my absolute favorite songs this year hands down i think 1841 01:27:28.850 --> 01:27:31.729 is just a total instant classic for me hearing it 1842 01:27:31.770 --> 01:27:33.310 live the other like again like hearing it live i 1843 01:27:33.310 --> 01:27:35.649 was kind of like jesus christ this now in the 1844 01:27:35.680 --> 01:27:36.960 middle of the set where she's done all these like 1845 01:27:36.979 --> 01:27:39.600 really dark songs and acoustic songs and then just dropping 1846 01:27:39.640 --> 01:27:43.960 this absolute banger out of nowhere like it's unbelievable i 1847 01:27:43.979 --> 01:27:46.659 think like the best release attention that like builds on 1848 01:27:46.680 --> 01:27:49.380 the verse of that chorus i like again i can't 1849 01:27:49.420 --> 01:27:50.939 say enough good things about steve i think it is 1850 01:27:51.000 --> 01:27:54.659 like so good Yeah, this is, of. 1851 01:27:54.600 --> 01:27:56.119 The three songs on the record which I do think 1852 01:27:56.319 --> 01:27:58.859 really work, Seed is the third that I haven't mentioned. 1853 01:27:59.079 --> 01:28:01.930 It's the most full-on pop song on the record, but 1854 01:28:02.090 --> 01:28:04.789 it's so well arranged. The timbres are just right, which 1855 01:28:04.949 --> 01:28:08.090 is always a thing with this sort of goth pop thing. Again, 1856 01:28:08.130 --> 01:28:11.789 Chelsea Wolfe is so sophisticated when it comes to production 1857 01:28:11.810 --> 01:28:15.520 that it's no surprise really, but all the crackles that 1858 01:28:15.529 --> 01:28:20.079 you get from that, it's so textured. more so than 1859 01:28:20.140 --> 01:28:21.619 a lot of artists when they do this sort of thing, 1860 01:28:22.180 --> 01:28:24.859 it sounds like a plug-in, but it just sounds alive 1861 01:28:24.899 --> 01:28:27.630 and breathing, and it's a really catchy vocal melody, and again, 1862 01:28:28.229 --> 01:28:31.090 delivered by someone of her talent, it's superb. I think 1863 01:28:31.130 --> 01:28:33.369 maybe that was a song, other than the other two 1864 01:28:33.390 --> 01:28:36.569 I mentioned, where I thought that's where the record was 1865 01:28:36.609 --> 01:28:38.329 going to go, because people were saying this is her 1866 01:28:38.369 --> 01:28:41.340 pop album, and I was thinking less hope, and Lana 1867 01:28:41.359 --> 01:28:42.619 Del Rey and that sort of thing and I thought 1868 01:28:43.039 --> 01:28:45.279 are we going to be getting the jams from Chelsea 1869 01:28:45.319 --> 01:28:47.819 Wolfe and the album is absolutely not that and I 1870 01:28:47.859 --> 01:28:50.050 think maybe it's a framing issue because the songs I 1871 01:28:50.090 --> 01:28:52.930 went in with more knowledge of or at least could 1872 01:28:53.510 --> 01:28:55.909 hit more to my expectations I was able to glob 1873 01:28:55.949 --> 01:28:57.989 onto more quickly and Seath was one of those. 1874 01:28:58.470 --> 01:29:00.850 Right yeah um for me there are these like i 1875 01:29:00.850 --> 01:29:05.800 said sonic elements that are so quintessentially chelsea wolf that 1876 01:29:05.840 --> 01:29:09.140 i didn't feel any again sense of too dramatic a 1877 01:29:09.180 --> 01:29:10.640 shift or throwing the baby out with a bath or 1878 01:29:10.659 --> 01:29:13.409 anything like that because even when like i said the 1879 01:29:13.430 --> 01:29:15.489 first two songs were these kind of primarily acoustic songs 1880 01:29:15.529 --> 01:29:16.810 we thought that could be the direction of the record 1881 01:29:17.270 --> 01:29:19.850 the i was quite surprised when i got these more 1882 01:29:19.890 --> 01:29:24.180 industrial leaning elements on it but it's very subtly and 1883 01:29:24.319 --> 01:29:26.720 seamlessly layered in throughout it, where a song like Humours 1884 01:29:27.140 --> 01:29:31.399 has these little pops of electronica throughout. It's almost like 1885 01:29:31.420 --> 01:29:34.760 a Chelsea Wolf with a goth pop song that really 1886 01:29:34.779 --> 01:29:38.140 quietly simmers, but it has these really, again, bubbling around 1887 01:29:38.159 --> 01:29:41.479 the peripheries, seamless elements to it. Turn the Key was 1888 01:29:41.520 --> 01:29:44.500 a real head turn within the album, just because when 1889 01:29:44.520 --> 01:29:47.640 that swamp of doomy synth at the start comes in, 1890 01:29:48.000 --> 01:29:51.060 with those strange echoing percussion sounds, that's way more like 1891 01:29:51.079 --> 01:29:53.020 something you'd hear on abyss like a song like color 1892 01:29:53.039 --> 01:29:55.890 of blood or something but what you get here is 1893 01:29:56.149 --> 01:29:58.449 um you know that mention of like real traditional songwriting 1894 01:29:58.470 --> 01:30:01.590 structures and stuff like when a song like that with 1895 01:30:01.630 --> 01:30:03.390 those sonic elements when it moves into like there's a 1896 01:30:03.430 --> 01:30:05.689 big bridge when the slide guitar and everything comes in 1897 01:30:05.710 --> 01:30:07.689 and there's a really big like bridge melody that's really 1898 01:30:07.720 --> 01:30:10.899 like pronounced and focused on it feels like those elements 1899 01:30:10.920 --> 01:30:14.239 within the songs are just again it's like they're hammered 1900 01:30:14.279 --> 01:30:15.960 in a little bit more like there's a really huge 1901 01:30:16.020 --> 01:30:19.220 moment in the song and then you mentioned earlier the 1902 01:30:19.260 --> 01:30:22.079 closer dancer in the sky which is definitely on this 1903 01:30:22.140 --> 01:30:26.500 album it's maybe the brightest song leaning like the most 1904 01:30:26.539 --> 01:30:28.579 into that kind of balladeering territory but in such like 1905 01:30:28.619 --> 01:30:31.100 a beautifully like angelic you know the layers of vocal 1906 01:30:31.140 --> 01:30:36.689 arrangement I can definitely see like why that song might 1907 01:30:36.699 --> 01:30:40.170 feel a little left of centre for me for me 1908 01:30:40.210 --> 01:30:42.430 it still really worked and I think for me the 1909 01:30:42.449 --> 01:30:43.949 thing I was impressed about on this is just how 1910 01:30:44.069 --> 01:30:48.050 naturally all this stuff sat on her like cold even 1911 01:30:48.060 --> 01:30:49.430 though we described it in the way that we did 1912 01:30:49.470 --> 01:30:52.069 i think melodically in her inflections and her voice it's 1913 01:30:52.109 --> 01:30:54.649 still a chelsea wolf song through and through the dark 1914 01:30:54.890 --> 01:30:56.189 and like i'm not there are these kind of you 1915 01:30:56.210 --> 01:30:59.229 know indie folk songs but they have her artistic dna 1916 01:30:59.270 --> 01:31:02.510 stand all over it um there's i never felt any 1917 01:31:02.550 --> 01:31:04.220 point in this where even though they're it she's had 1918 01:31:04.239 --> 01:31:06.640 this bit of help on it there's nothing where she's 1919 01:31:06.680 --> 01:31:09.800 like deliberately chasing something and i think if she was 1920 01:31:09.859 --> 01:31:12.670 a lesser artist i we could feasibly end up with 1921 01:31:12.689 --> 01:31:14.949 something that, you know, makes us want to gag, you know, 1922 01:31:15.210 --> 01:31:17.630 like I'm sure a great number of albums in this 1923 01:31:17.649 --> 01:31:20.430 sort of contemporary lane, you know, relatable to this might 1924 01:31:20.449 --> 01:31:22.430 well do, but instead it has a pinch of that 1925 01:31:22.470 --> 01:31:23.989 to it. And then all these other things that I'm 1926 01:31:24.010 --> 01:31:26.899 already really connected to with Chelsea Wolf. And it's just 1927 01:31:26.939 --> 01:31:28.920 continued to like with every listen I've given to it, 1928 01:31:29.600 --> 01:31:30.939 just continue to really impress me. 1929 01:31:30.960 --> 01:31:33.520 I just want to like chime in on Dancing in 1930 01:31:33.539 --> 01:31:37.399 the Skylight. That is such a, just this beautiful, classy 1931 01:31:37.460 --> 01:31:40.010 kind of like, closer and the thing is is like 1932 01:31:40.729 --> 01:31:42.130 you said the things that make it so central like 1933 01:31:42.250 --> 01:31:44.250 lyrically as well when some of the lines she's delivering 1934 01:31:44.270 --> 01:31:47.729 another it still fits within her world at like and 1935 01:31:47.890 --> 01:31:49.590 which is like dance from the sky reach between the 1936 01:31:49.630 --> 01:31:51.609 veil to find me that that just sounds like that 1937 01:31:51.630 --> 01:31:54.630 could fit on a chelsea wolf song that that because 1938 01:31:54.649 --> 01:31:56.810 it has that element of like i guess kind of 1939 01:31:56.829 --> 01:32:00.130 like etherealness and and that to it which again stops 1940 01:32:00.189 --> 01:32:03.710 it from feeling too much like uh a twee folky 1941 01:32:03.789 --> 01:32:06.090 kind of like pop song that it could land you 1942 01:32:06.109 --> 01:32:09.029 know this is not taylor swift folklore evermore kind of 1943 01:32:09.090 --> 01:32:12.680 like attack approaches that something which again like it it's 1944 01:32:12.899 --> 01:32:15.220 not a million miles removed from what like those albums 1945 01:32:15.239 --> 01:32:17.159 were attempt to do but this is just doing that 1946 01:32:17.180 --> 01:32:20.640 again with that veil of darkness with that shadow behind 1947 01:32:20.680 --> 01:32:22.869 it that feels so authentic to chelsea wolf but just 1948 01:32:23.710 --> 01:32:26.069 brings in the elements of pop and it what it 1949 01:32:26.170 --> 01:32:28.909 is is it's not her changing herself to fit pop 1950 01:32:28.949 --> 01:32:32.210 music it's her changing pop music to fit her style 1951 01:32:32.250 --> 01:32:34.090 of songwriting which i think is the key to what 1952 01:32:34.229 --> 01:32:35.710 makes this album work for me where if it felt 1953 01:32:36.170 --> 01:32:39.270 as if this felt so much like chelsea wolf realigning 1954 01:32:39.289 --> 01:32:41.670 herself and changing her approach and everything about it like 1955 01:32:41.710 --> 01:32:43.489 and again maybe she has because she had a collaborative 1956 01:32:43.529 --> 01:32:47.090 songwriter but it never feels like she is forcing herself 1957 01:32:47.189 --> 01:32:49.989 to sound a different way to what is not the 1958 01:32:50.029 --> 01:32:51.909 natural chelsea wolf thing and that's why i think the 1959 01:32:51.939 --> 01:32:54.140 sort of deviation she makes this record works so well 1960 01:32:54.149 --> 01:32:58.460 because it's her making that her own rather than changing 1961 01:32:58.579 --> 01:33:00.340 and that that is the key to why this album 1962 01:33:00.699 --> 01:33:03.020 for me is is up there like it's not you 1963 01:33:03.039 --> 01:33:06.079 know she's actually his spine is like my favorite kind 1964 01:33:06.119 --> 01:33:08.159 of stuff so i wouldn't put it on those records 1965 01:33:08.199 --> 01:33:10.880 but i would really like this is still just a 1966 01:33:11.279 --> 01:33:13.079 sublime record from what someone who i think he's just 1967 01:33:13.180 --> 01:33:16.340 one of the best artists in our sphere and it 1968 01:33:16.619 --> 01:33:18.119 is worthy of her catalog. 1969 01:33:19.079 --> 01:33:20.939 Yeah i think for me it's going to take more 1970 01:33:20.979 --> 01:33:22.779 time than that there's there's like i said there's nothing 1971 01:33:22.810 --> 01:33:24.619 to it where i can point to and go oh 1972 01:33:24.649 --> 01:33:27.539 she's fucked that up hasn't she like it's You know, 1973 01:33:27.560 --> 01:33:31.380 she's not really capable of that. I think maybe it's, 1974 01:33:31.680 --> 01:33:33.239 like I said earlier, it might be something of a 1975 01:33:33.270 --> 01:33:34.909 framing issue. It might take a few weeks for me 1976 01:33:34.930 --> 01:33:37.170 adjusting to whether this is the album and sort of 1977 01:33:37.189 --> 01:33:40.550 taking it on its terms. As of today, like I said, 1978 01:33:40.569 --> 01:33:42.989 I can only be honest, and this is probably my... Well, 1979 01:33:44.329 --> 01:33:46.479 it feels wrong saying it, because it is still, like, 1980 01:33:46.729 --> 01:33:50.800 very well made. It's probably my least favourite of... Certainly 1981 01:33:50.819 --> 01:33:52.340 since Apocalypse, I'd have to go back to the debut 1982 01:33:52.359 --> 01:33:56.300 and have another think. But I'm willing to say, you know, 1983 01:33:57.140 --> 01:34:01.899 It's not you, it's me. I'm always willing to accept 1984 01:34:02.180 --> 01:34:03.119 responsibility this time. 1985 01:34:04.779 --> 01:34:08.010 Sure, I will concede. Like I said, this is one 1986 01:34:08.020 --> 01:34:12.710 of the major milestone albums in the catalogue, even though 1987 01:34:12.729 --> 01:34:14.350 in some ways I'm sure that every album to a 1988 01:34:14.350 --> 01:34:16.689 degree is, and some of the developments this has and 1989 01:34:17.310 --> 01:34:21.350 the collaborations she's had and the connections she's made are important. 1990 01:34:21.560 --> 01:34:22.779 I don't think this is going to be my album 1991 01:34:22.800 --> 01:34:24.640 of the year again, the way the last one was. 1992 01:34:25.329 --> 01:34:27.189 But it's still going to be up there. So Chelsea Wolfe, 1993 01:34:27.689 --> 01:34:32.300 The Dark. And we move on from there to the 1994 01:34:32.359 --> 01:34:34.500 hottest topic, I suppose, right now, of all the ones 1995 01:34:34.539 --> 01:34:38.000 we've got in this particular batch. We are going to 1996 01:34:38.020 --> 01:34:41.539 talk now about Electric Callboy, who the other week released 1997 01:34:41.560 --> 01:34:45.439 their album Tans Need. We are six years now into 1998 01:34:45.479 --> 01:34:48.359 what we might call the decade of Callboy. They, of course, 1999 01:34:48.800 --> 01:34:51.260 had been around for a long time under a different name, 2000 01:34:51.479 --> 01:34:55.550 but their dramatic turn of fortunes truly changed in 2020. 2001 01:34:55.550 --> 01:34:57.529 in the midst of the pandemic, with honestly maybe the 2002 01:34:57.569 --> 01:35:00.600 song I associate with that whole period insanely, Hyper Hyper, 2003 01:35:00.979 --> 01:35:04.720 which started a snowball that truly none of us could 2004 01:35:04.739 --> 01:35:09.399 have seen coming. Their last album, Techno, in 2022. cemented 2005 01:35:09.460 --> 01:35:12.000 that uh that hyper hyper train and really capitalized on 2006 01:35:12.039 --> 01:35:14.579 this newfound momentum they've had and now bam would you 2007 01:35:14.600 --> 01:35:16.649 look at that electric cool boy are fucking massive now 2008 01:35:17.020 --> 01:35:20.329 four years between techno and this new studio album tans 2009 01:35:20.369 --> 01:35:22.510 need but for reasons we are certainly about to get 2010 01:35:22.550 --> 01:35:25.130 into it never feels like electric cool boy went away 2011 01:35:25.409 --> 01:35:28.770 for even a moment they have done an exceptional job 2012 01:35:28.869 --> 01:35:31.149 of forcing themselves under your face whether you like it 2013 01:35:31.210 --> 01:35:34.720 or not at all times truthfully for a long while 2014 01:35:34.739 --> 01:35:36.579 there when we were getting you know singles drip thread 2015 01:35:36.600 --> 01:35:38.770 from this album And they were threatening to gear up 2016 01:35:38.789 --> 01:35:41.630 for another album release. I was thinking we might skip 2017 01:35:41.729 --> 01:35:44.869 reviewing this one because I figured we had probably said 2018 01:35:44.909 --> 01:35:47.510 at this point the vast majority of what needed to 2019 01:35:47.529 --> 01:35:50.159 be said about Electric Cowboy. The Hyper Hyper EP and 2020 01:35:50.180 --> 01:35:52.180 the Techno album I think are fun releases, but I 2021 01:35:52.220 --> 01:35:54.420 don't know how much of like, you know, how more 2022 01:35:54.439 --> 01:35:57.060 of a consistent rate I need, a growing boy really needs. 2023 01:35:57.399 --> 01:36:00.159 I figured this album, we almost certainly knew what Sam 2024 01:36:00.180 --> 01:36:01.670 was going to think of it. I kind of knew 2025 01:36:01.689 --> 01:36:03.729 what I was going to think of it. And Elliot, 2026 01:36:03.770 --> 01:36:04.979 I can't imagine you were going to come out with 2027 01:36:05.020 --> 01:36:08.819 some dramatic revelation either. People know at this stage whether 2028 01:36:08.840 --> 01:36:11.220 you were into Callboy or not. But two things happened 2029 01:36:11.539 --> 01:36:14.180 with the rollout of this album that made me reconsider 2030 01:36:14.600 --> 01:36:18.159 that it was worth having a chat about. One is 2031 01:36:18.180 --> 01:36:21.520 that they were announced to be headlining both Vakken and Bloodstock, 2032 01:36:21.979 --> 01:36:25.279 making them a genuinely massive band in a way that 2033 01:36:25.310 --> 01:36:27.949 we haven't quite truly reckoned with before this. And second, 2034 01:36:28.449 --> 01:36:32.430 the actual rollout campaign for this album... Was weird in 2035 01:36:32.470 --> 01:36:34.609 a way that seemed quite different For a rock band 2036 01:36:34.810 --> 01:36:37.489 of that size So we are going to talk a 2037 01:36:37.510 --> 01:36:40.140 bit About the actual music on this album Spoilers, I 2038 01:36:40.149 --> 01:36:42.279 bet Sam hates it I think there's a couple tracks 2039 01:36:42.380 --> 01:36:45.399 I'll spotlight them later But I think actually what is 2040 01:36:45.439 --> 01:36:47.500 more interesting And a little bit different about this review 2041 01:36:47.899 --> 01:36:51.720 Is the actual Release strategy of this album And the 2042 01:36:51.760 --> 01:36:55.640 time leading into it I think deserves some conversation Because 2043 01:36:55.680 --> 01:36:57.939 it seems kind of abnormal for us. 2044 01:36:59.279 --> 01:37:03.880 So ignoring my feelings on the songs this is i 2045 01:37:04.500 --> 01:37:06.590 feel like the least an album has actually ever felt 2046 01:37:06.630 --> 01:37:10.729 like a one that we've reviewed a poured over piece 2047 01:37:10.770 --> 01:37:13.520 of art that has been assembled and put together by 2048 01:37:13.699 --> 01:37:15.520 a band who give a shit about what they're doing 2049 01:37:16.069 --> 01:37:18.350 And instead they have assembled a product to sell. 2050 01:37:18.909 --> 01:37:19.609 This is worthless. 2051 01:37:19.630 --> 01:37:21.569 This is garbage. And that's where we can get into 2052 01:37:21.609 --> 01:37:22.109 the songs. 2053 01:37:22.350 --> 01:37:22.720 We're back. 2054 01:37:24.340 --> 01:37:25.640 Here's the thing. 2055 01:37:25.659 --> 01:37:28.439 A year ago, I was softening on Callboy because I 2056 01:37:28.500 --> 01:37:30.159 saw them live when I'd been at a slam dunk 2057 01:37:30.180 --> 01:37:33.239 where they'd seen some terrible music and Callboy were actually 2058 01:37:33.300 --> 01:37:36.239 not that. i'm back to having the claws out for 2059 01:37:36.260 --> 01:37:39.239 this band i like i think this album is just 2060 01:37:39.720 --> 01:37:41.880 what's the point why the bands don't care about this 2061 01:37:41.920 --> 01:37:44.720 record why should we care like this is a like 2062 01:37:44.779 --> 01:37:46.260 again i'm not going to say they don't care about 2063 01:37:46.380 --> 01:37:48.199 every song there are songs on this album that i 2064 01:37:48.500 --> 01:37:49.880 i think that i've clearly actually had a bit of 2065 01:37:49.899 --> 01:37:51.840 time poured into them there are other songs that's the 2066 01:37:51.880 --> 01:37:54.199 same fucking electric cowboy song again doing the same fucking 2067 01:37:54.239 --> 01:37:58.050 tricks being lazy as hell because they're hacks um and 2068 01:37:58.090 --> 01:38:00.050 they can't take anything seriously and everything has to be 2069 01:38:00.090 --> 01:38:02.789 drenched in irony and it's just full of annoying shit 2070 01:38:02.810 --> 01:38:04.470 like that And there are a couple of songs that 2071 01:38:04.489 --> 01:38:07.029 I'm like, okay, fine, that's pretty good. But as an 2072 01:38:07.069 --> 01:38:11.300 album as a whole, this is so just, again, worthless 2073 01:38:11.340 --> 01:38:13.840 to me. I don't see why anyone should give a 2074 01:38:13.880 --> 01:38:14.579 damn about this. 2075 01:38:15.720 --> 01:38:18.079 It's a weird thing to do if you're a band 2076 01:38:18.119 --> 01:38:23.279 who ostensibly should care about making art. Because the release 2077 01:38:23.310 --> 01:38:26.029 strategy for this record, by releasing eight of the ten 2078 01:38:26.069 --> 01:38:29.189 songs before it comes out, some of them two and 2079 01:38:29.210 --> 01:38:31.460 a half years in advance, because that Rata Tata song 2080 01:38:31.479 --> 01:38:34.819 I'd forgotten existed, and then I went, when did this 2081 01:38:34.880 --> 01:38:37.979 come out again? It came out earlier in 2024 or something. 2082 01:38:38.579 --> 01:38:40.720 These songs are old by the time this has got 2083 01:38:40.739 --> 01:38:45.170 to you, and I've been thinking about it since listening 2084 01:38:45.189 --> 01:38:48.989 to this record. Is it possible to make an album 2085 01:38:49.010 --> 01:38:52.560 that is satisfying as a whole but also you can 2086 01:38:52.600 --> 01:38:56.060 release basically the whole thing as singles completely separate from 2087 01:38:56.140 --> 01:38:58.100 it and then compile them later when you've heard them 2088 01:38:58.180 --> 01:39:01.979 all and it'd still be a rewarding listen because I'm 2089 01:39:02.000 --> 01:39:04.770 not sure it is it's a completely different incentive structure 2090 01:39:04.979 --> 01:39:07.350 to making a good interesting album I'm not saying they 2091 01:39:07.369 --> 01:39:08.689 have to come out and try and make Crack The 2092 01:39:08.729 --> 01:39:12.850 Sky I'm not asking Callboy to do that but even 2093 01:39:12.949 --> 01:39:15.729 the big rock albums where we think every song's a 2094 01:39:15.770 --> 01:39:19.869 jam like Back In Black Hysteria Let's pick something more 2095 01:39:19.890 --> 01:39:22.850 modern like Impera or whatever. Those albums still have ebbs 2096 01:39:22.909 --> 01:39:25.810 and flows and ups and downs and pickups and drop 2097 01:39:25.829 --> 01:39:29.529 downs in energy. And that can only really happen when 2098 01:39:29.550 --> 01:39:31.449 you're making an album in the context of trying to 2099 01:39:31.489 --> 01:39:35.449 make an album, when you're considering those things. Electric Callboy 2100 01:39:36.229 --> 01:39:38.689 might not have done that anyway. I'm open to that. 2101 01:39:38.729 --> 01:39:41.520 Maybe they're less interested in the idea of... Actually, they're 2102 01:39:41.539 --> 01:39:43.300 quite interested in things going up and down, I'll say that. 2103 01:39:43.739 --> 01:39:44.090 But.... 2104 01:39:45.609 --> 01:39:47.600 In the sort of flow of an album, maybe if 2105 01:39:47.619 --> 01:39:50.399 they were forced to think about albums in terms of albums, 2106 01:39:50.439 --> 01:39:53.859 they'd think about it a bit differently. But, listening to 2107 01:39:53.880 --> 01:39:58.439 this record, it doesn't sound like they're capable of it. Which, fine, 2108 01:39:58.939 --> 01:40:02.119 there's nothing wrong with releasing singles, but when it, like 2109 01:40:02.149 --> 01:40:03.789 you were saying, when it comes time to release the record, 2110 01:40:03.810 --> 01:40:07.010 it can only ever feel like an afterthought, like an obligation, 2111 01:40:07.189 --> 01:40:09.909 or let's just park these songs and then now that's done. Like, 2112 01:40:09.930 --> 01:40:12.569 that's kind of what it feels like, which, if you're 2113 01:40:12.590 --> 01:40:16.329 not that fussed, it's hard for someone like me who 2114 01:40:16.350 --> 01:40:18.729 i might describe as like a corn boy agnostic to 2115 01:40:19.270 --> 01:40:20.510 come over to the other side. 2116 01:40:21.029 --> 01:40:22.930 Yeah this is what i thought was interesting about this 2117 01:40:22.989 --> 01:40:26.710 album you know interesting to talk about because i think 2118 01:40:26.850 --> 01:40:28.680 hearing what we have to say about the music on 2119 01:40:28.720 --> 01:40:31.939 this album is not the interesting part of this conversation 2120 01:40:32.220 --> 01:40:34.739 really um but the question of like when is an 2121 01:40:34.800 --> 01:40:37.619 album not an album is one i'd like did really 2122 01:40:37.659 --> 01:40:40.770 start to consider um with this because If you look 2123 01:40:40.789 --> 01:40:42.149 at the track that's for this album, you might say 2124 01:40:42.180 --> 01:40:45.260 that the campaign for this started with Rattata, the collab 2125 01:40:45.300 --> 01:40:50.079 track with Babymetal, which was released May the 23rd of 2024. Which, 2126 01:40:50.500 --> 01:40:52.310 for a comparison point, because we were just talking about it, 2127 01:40:52.539 --> 01:40:54.539 Chelsea Wolfe's previous album, She Which Is That She Which 2128 01:40:54.560 --> 01:40:57.510 Is That She, was released about three months before that. 2129 01:40:58.050 --> 01:41:01.170 And remember when she did those re-workings EPs over the 2130 01:41:01.210 --> 01:41:03.270 course of that year with the re-mixing and acoustic versions 2131 01:41:03.310 --> 01:41:05.130 and so on? The first of those EPs came out 2132 01:41:05.170 --> 01:41:08.130 in August 2020. So the rollout for this album that 2133 01:41:08.170 --> 01:41:10.149 we are reviewing The same week as the new Chelsea 2134 01:41:10.170 --> 01:41:13.569 Wolfe album Started before the rollout campaign For her previous 2135 01:41:13.649 --> 01:41:15.909 one that she has now followed up Had finished And 2136 01:41:16.510 --> 01:41:18.449 when I put this album on the other week And 2137 01:41:18.470 --> 01:41:20.229 that song came on I couldn't believe it because it 2138 01:41:20.270 --> 01:41:23.439 was already on Babymetal's album It was on Babymetal's album 2139 01:41:24.300 --> 01:41:26.439 I've already heard this on an album last year And 2140 01:41:26.479 --> 01:41:27.880 I feel like I've been hearing that song for so 2141 01:41:27.939 --> 01:41:31.239 long Never actually by choice I've never sought out Rattata 2142 01:41:31.500 --> 01:41:33.699 In terms of Babymetal collabs It's no Kingslayer, it's not 2143 01:41:33.720 --> 01:41:35.489 one of my favourite Callboy songs I don't mind it, 2144 01:41:35.510 --> 01:41:38.970 it's fine, but, like, the fact that the collab song exists, 2145 01:41:39.569 --> 01:41:41.770 that then appears on both albums, as if it's trying 2146 01:41:41.789 --> 01:41:44.449 to maximise, you know, streams and audience across both of them, 2147 01:41:45.050 --> 01:41:48.329 it's a very pop strategy. When you look at, like, 2148 01:41:48.909 --> 01:41:51.750 pop album rollouts, and you might have, I don't know, 2149 01:41:51.789 --> 01:41:54.890 Zara Larsson or someone, or I bet loads of, like, 2150 01:41:54.949 --> 01:41:56.989 major EDM artists will do this as well, their album 2151 01:41:57.010 --> 01:41:58.529 will have a single that was released, like, two years 2152 01:41:58.569 --> 01:42:00.210 before or that will then be put on it as 2153 01:42:00.229 --> 01:42:02.010 kind of promotional afterthought and it might have again the 2154 01:42:02.050 --> 01:42:04.770 collabs across both records or whatever even though the rest 2155 01:42:04.810 --> 01:42:07.100 of the album was clearly created like away from those 2156 01:42:07.140 --> 01:42:11.020 songs it's much more from that mindset and when I 2157 01:42:11.159 --> 01:42:14.199 like do the news for the hyperblasts and I tend 2158 01:42:14.220 --> 01:42:15.380 to you know we tend to look for like a 2159 01:42:15.399 --> 01:42:18.020 first single from an album because that is the confirmation 2160 01:42:18.060 --> 01:42:19.579 that an album is coming and it might give us 2161 01:42:19.659 --> 01:42:21.390 a like an insight into what the album might sound 2162 01:42:21.399 --> 01:42:23.909 like and then when it comes to the point where 2163 01:42:23.989 --> 01:42:25.750 I'm looking week upon week and it's like here's the 2164 01:42:25.789 --> 01:42:28.609 fourth electric cowboy single here's the fifth electric cowboy single 2165 01:42:29.159 --> 01:42:30.659 I just kind of look over them for that new show. 2166 01:42:30.680 --> 01:42:33.260 Like I don't put them in, um, particularly with a 2167 01:42:33.279 --> 01:42:35.659 band like cool boy where, you know, basically you're going 2168 01:42:35.689 --> 01:42:37.130 to click on that single and it might have a 2169 01:42:37.130 --> 01:42:38.890 different gimmick every time, but every time that single is 2170 01:42:38.909 --> 01:42:40.750 going to be, it's fun, it's upbeat, it's silly, you know? 2171 01:42:40.770 --> 01:42:43.170 So it's kind of not interesting to talk about over 2172 01:42:43.210 --> 01:42:45.550 the course of like six separate conversations over the course 2173 01:42:45.569 --> 01:42:46.850 of a year. You know what I mean? That's why 2174 01:42:46.890 --> 01:42:49.489 we do an album review. Um, and I admit that 2175 01:42:49.529 --> 01:42:52.989 like my mind is programmed to view the album as 2176 01:42:53.029 --> 01:42:57.380 the end goal and the singles lead into it. Um, Because, 2177 01:42:57.619 --> 01:42:59.939 you know, the album is the kind of umbrella that 2178 01:42:59.960 --> 01:43:02.479 they belong to, is like the interesting thing to talk about. 2179 01:43:02.760 --> 01:43:04.899 And that is the rock mindset that I, as a, 2180 01:43:04.970 --> 01:43:07.869 you know, fundamentally a rock fan, that's my traditional perspective. 2181 01:43:08.130 --> 01:43:10.310 Whereas the way that they've approached this is much more 2182 01:43:10.329 --> 01:43:14.149 like the release of each individual single is the goal. 2183 01:43:14.829 --> 01:43:16.409 And then the album is just kind of like the 2184 01:43:17.229 --> 01:43:19.029 binder at the end, where it's just, you know, the 2185 01:43:19.050 --> 01:43:20.649 cherry on top, where they get filed into one place. 2186 01:43:20.689 --> 01:43:22.609 And I think it is almost down to an interpretation 2187 01:43:22.640 --> 01:43:24.930 of what is an album, because... You think about the 2188 01:43:24.970 --> 01:43:26.810 Word album, you might have a photo album, and a 2189 01:43:26.850 --> 01:43:29.810 photo album doesn't tend to be crafted all in one 2190 01:43:29.869 --> 01:43:32.300 place with a specific narrative or one point in time. 2191 01:43:32.319 --> 01:43:34.560 It is a binder of disparate snapshots. But I think 2192 01:43:34.600 --> 01:43:39.600 a studio album, we do think more aspirationally about what 2193 01:43:39.619 --> 01:43:42.920 they might be. Past the Ratatat Colab song, you might go, okay, 2194 01:43:42.939 --> 01:43:47.529 that's an outlier, that's a separate thing. The first solo 2195 01:43:47.569 --> 01:43:50.529 Electric Cowboy single for this album was Elevator Operator, which 2196 01:43:50.550 --> 01:43:54.340 was released in January 2025. At some point they changed 2197 01:43:54.399 --> 01:43:56.380 drummer during all of this because they got the Sum 2198 01:43:56.380 --> 01:43:59.500 41 guy in. And it is interesting to think about 2199 01:43:59.520 --> 01:44:02.000 how this might impact the end product because this album, 2200 01:44:02.079 --> 01:44:04.479 even though they are now headlining a major UK festival 2201 01:44:04.520 --> 01:44:07.640 next year, this album landed at number 62 on the 2202 01:44:07.899 --> 01:44:11.630 UK album chart. Which, yes, is not a terrible score 2203 01:44:11.689 --> 01:44:13.529 compared to all the rock bands we talk about who 2204 01:44:13.569 --> 01:44:15.770 don't really chart at all. But considering that's the position 2205 01:44:15.789 --> 01:44:18.649 they're now in, that suggests a big disconnect between the 2206 01:44:18.670 --> 01:44:20.289 people who are going to enjoy them at live shows, 2207 01:44:20.590 --> 01:44:22.529 who will absolutely be there for that Bloodshot headlining slot, 2208 01:44:22.869 --> 01:44:25.119 and maybe the people who bump the single on their 2209 01:44:25.140 --> 01:44:26.720 gym playlist when it comes out or whatever, and then 2210 01:44:26.739 --> 01:44:29.520 the people who are actually fucking buying a vinyl copy 2211 01:44:29.750 --> 01:44:32.430 or whatever this might be, even if their album did 2212 01:44:32.470 --> 01:44:35.270 come with a Lego set or whatever. And so you 2213 01:44:35.310 --> 01:44:37.489 might say by that metric, oh, the albums have failed. Look, 2214 01:44:37.529 --> 01:44:41.470 it's not charted super high. But the album kind of 2215 01:44:41.489 --> 01:44:44.729 being a non-event is like incidental for Coolboy, I think, 2216 01:44:44.989 --> 01:44:47.810 and their strategy, because their strategy is to be omnipresent 2217 01:44:48.260 --> 01:44:51.930 with singles and viral moments and so on, rather than 2218 01:44:51.970 --> 01:44:54.859 having the big crowning moment of the album to hang 2219 01:44:54.880 --> 01:44:58.260 their reputation on, the way we view almost every other 2220 01:44:58.300 --> 01:44:59.590 band that we review. You know what I mean? 2221 01:45:00.520 --> 01:45:01.689 So I get you but the other thing then it 2222 01:45:01.699 --> 01:45:04.130 feels like is like no one's actually talked about this 2223 01:45:04.210 --> 01:45:06.689 album outside of the arguments we've had in our discord 2224 01:45:07.069 --> 01:45:10.689 I've not seen anyone actually talking about oh yeah the 2225 01:45:10.869 --> 01:45:12.210 Electric Cowboy album is out it's been. 2226 01:45:12.090 --> 01:45:13.770 A complete because it's not as important as the singles 2227 01:45:13.800 --> 01:45:14.500 this is what we're saying. 2228 01:45:14.479 --> 01:45:16.039 No because that's when everyone's heard the singles so by 2229 01:45:16.060 --> 01:45:17.859 the time the album came out and it was like 2230 01:45:17.880 --> 01:45:19.479 eight of the singles were there and like you know 2231 01:45:19.500 --> 01:45:21.699 when you actually get the album you get four remixes 2232 01:45:21.739 --> 01:45:24.939 and two new songs Really, you have 10 songs on 2233 01:45:24.960 --> 01:45:27.510 this album, one of which is a fucking cover. And 2234 01:45:27.520 --> 01:45:30.750 most of the others have been out there. Again, I 2235 01:45:30.810 --> 01:45:32.590 saw them play that cover at Slam Dunk last year. 2236 01:45:32.630 --> 01:45:35.289 I saw them play Elevator Operator. I saw them play 2237 01:45:35.350 --> 01:45:39.329 a huge chunk of this album at Slam Dunk last year. 2238 01:45:39.350 --> 01:45:42.149 And it feels like there's been nothing new. And again, 2239 01:45:42.670 --> 01:45:46.149 I was willing to, again, soften my stance on Callboy 2240 01:45:46.220 --> 01:45:49.079 a year ago. And this album is just kind of like, no, 2241 01:45:49.100 --> 01:45:52.380 because this band are anti-art. They do not care about 2242 01:45:52.420 --> 01:45:54.779 the art they're creating. They want to sell their Lego set. 2243 01:45:55.079 --> 01:45:57.060 But the overall experience for Callboy now is just so 2244 01:45:57.159 --> 01:46:01.020 exhausting where I'm just sort of... The wacky Eurodance sort 2245 01:46:01.039 --> 01:46:04.199 of electronic symphonic band shouldn't be boring. I think this 2246 01:46:04.319 --> 01:46:07.899 album is really fucking boring. I think the entire experience 2247 01:46:08.039 --> 01:46:11.220 is like genuinely just tiresome because it's all been out 2248 01:46:11.260 --> 01:46:13.239 there for so long that when you hit play on. 2249 01:46:13.229 --> 01:46:16.210 This album, there's nothing to actually... catch your attention. 2250 01:46:15.890 --> 01:46:19.250 And it so quickly becomes background noise because that's what 2251 01:46:19.289 --> 01:46:21.130 these songs have just sort of been allowed to be 2252 01:46:21.149 --> 01:46:23.000 because they've been out there for so long and not 2253 01:46:23.020 --> 01:46:25.659 something that anyone anyone involved has sort of put any 2254 01:46:25.779 --> 01:46:26.340 care or. 2255 01:46:26.319 --> 01:46:30.600 Effort into see I think if an album's great it 2256 01:46:30.640 --> 01:46:35.850 can survive almost anything and this rollout strategy being kind 2257 01:46:35.869 --> 01:46:37.750 of tedious and boring and taking all the excitement away 2258 01:46:37.770 --> 01:46:40.420 from it If the album was fantastic, it's possible that 2259 01:46:40.460 --> 01:46:43.060 in five, ten years, we'd almost forget that that's how 2260 01:46:43.100 --> 01:46:45.779 it was released. We'd just remember this collection of bangers. And, 2261 01:46:46.039 --> 01:46:48.680 you know, techno, which isn't now my love, is still 2262 01:46:48.699 --> 01:46:51.489 an album that people talk about fairly often. And people say, oh, 2263 01:46:51.500 --> 01:46:52.800 that's a great song, and that's a great song. And 2264 01:46:52.819 --> 01:46:54.819 that had like five or six singles come out ahead 2265 01:46:54.859 --> 01:46:57.079 of it. Like, that was, you know, released maybe in 2266 01:46:57.159 --> 01:47:00.470 like half of the majority, and songs come out months 2267 01:47:00.510 --> 01:47:03.130 and months before it came out. Nothing quite as egregious 2268 01:47:03.170 --> 01:47:07.159 as this. But that feels like an album which... No 2269 01:47:07.220 --> 01:47:09.920 one treats it like it's a London calling or whatever, 2270 01:47:09.979 --> 01:47:11.140 but it's like people still go like. 2271 01:47:11.239 --> 01:47:13.600 Techno is the Electric Callboy album experience in a way 2272 01:47:13.619 --> 01:47:14.060 that this isn't. 2273 01:47:14.859 --> 01:47:15.439 Yeah, exactly. 2274 01:47:15.460 --> 01:47:17.699 And it's like... So I was trying to think of 2275 01:47:17.720 --> 01:47:19.800 albums to compare it to and going, if this had 2276 01:47:19.819 --> 01:47:21.319 been released a similar way, what would we think? And 2277 01:47:21.359 --> 01:47:23.729 it's like, honestly, I think if Permission to Land had 2278 01:47:23.770 --> 01:47:25.729 gotten this kind of release strategy or I Get Wet 2279 01:47:25.909 --> 01:47:29.829 or Chocolate Starfish or whatever big party rock anthem... Party 2280 01:47:29.850 --> 01:47:32.710 rock anthem? Party rock album you want to talk about, 2281 01:47:34.050 --> 01:47:37.979 I think those could survive it because the songs are there. Again, 2282 01:47:38.000 --> 01:47:40.159 I'm not maybe the person to ask, but listening to 2283 01:47:40.199 --> 01:47:44.039 this record, I could think of maybe two songs, and 2284 01:47:44.119 --> 01:47:47.710 one was the Babymetal song, where I could remember virtually 2285 01:47:47.829 --> 01:47:50.409 anything about it, in terms of how it actually sounded. 2286 01:47:50.689 --> 01:47:52.789 It was that and Heart Club, which has that I 2287 01:47:52.829 --> 01:47:56.609 was born enough hook, which isn't amazing, but it's fairly catchy. 2288 01:47:56.649 --> 01:47:58.960 It at least isn't pure Eurodance. 2289 01:48:00.640 --> 01:48:01.859 That's the one where they try and actually just do 2290 01:48:01.880 --> 01:48:02.640 a metalcore song, yeah. 2291 01:48:03.500 --> 01:48:07.109 Yeah, and maybe it's... remarkable for being less remarkable i 2292 01:48:07.149 --> 01:48:10.659 don't know but like listening to this record it's it's 2293 01:48:10.739 --> 01:48:14.020 not like again it's compared to something a bit more 2294 01:48:14.079 --> 01:48:16.210 pop like whether it's i was gonna say the prodigy 2295 01:48:16.250 --> 01:48:18.149 but let's even say like cascader and scooter and stuff 2296 01:48:18.170 --> 01:48:21.010 like that maybe those bands aren't about really great albums. 2297 01:48:21.310 --> 01:48:24.159 But certainly something like The Prodigy is there's great singles, 2298 01:48:24.180 --> 01:48:26.359 there's variety, there's all sorts of other stuff going on. 2299 01:48:26.579 --> 01:48:31.479 So the fact it's more single-oriented doesn't really matter. In 2300 01:48:31.500 --> 01:48:33.590 the case of this, I really just think the album is... 2301 01:48:34.729 --> 01:48:37.720 It's a bit of a shrug. Like, even with or 2302 01:48:37.760 --> 01:48:39.260 without the release, I think if you went into this 2303 01:48:39.300 --> 01:48:41.159 having not heard any of the songs at all, you'd 2304 01:48:41.180 --> 01:48:43.420 come away and say, oh, that Babymetal song was quite big, 2305 01:48:43.479 --> 01:48:44.060 the rest of it. 2306 01:48:45.439 --> 01:48:45.579 Like. 2307 01:48:47.140 --> 01:48:51.659 So, as much as the release strategy has kneecapped the 2308 01:48:51.680 --> 01:48:54.720 enthusiasm for it, it doesn't help that the album's not 2309 01:48:54.739 --> 01:48:55.079 all that. 2310 01:48:55.819 --> 01:48:58.439 Yeah, the thing that I thought was academically interesting I 2311 01:48:58.439 --> 01:49:02.539 wanted to talk about here was the, again, the different almost... 2312 01:49:02.970 --> 01:49:04.930 viewing of what an album is and what purpose it 2313 01:49:04.970 --> 01:49:08.739 serves compared to the average rock band where callboy strategy 2314 01:49:08.760 --> 01:49:11.520 with this like i said the album being a shrug 2315 01:49:11.979 --> 01:49:14.739 isn't doesn't matter to them because they've already won with 2316 01:49:14.779 --> 01:49:16.500 all of the singles they've been putting out for ages 2317 01:49:16.560 --> 01:49:19.479 right their strategy is again viral spread maximizing streams playing 2318 01:49:19.500 --> 01:49:21.960 the chart game whatever and i'm not anticipating that because 2319 01:49:21.979 --> 01:49:24.300 electric callboy have done that that like you know the 2320 01:49:24.359 --> 01:49:26.000 underground bands we're going to talk about later are going 2321 01:49:26.020 --> 01:49:28.300 to start doing this like i think it is particular 2322 01:49:28.340 --> 01:49:31.279 to maybe cool boy and their their model so to 2323 01:49:31.300 --> 01:49:32.800 speak i just thought it was an interesting case study 2324 01:49:32.859 --> 01:49:35.939 in that we are you know unapologetic rock fans who 2325 01:49:35.960 --> 01:49:38.399 do maybe hold a more traditional idea of the album 2326 01:49:38.859 --> 01:49:40.640 in some kind of higher esteem and i don't think 2327 01:49:40.659 --> 01:49:43.479 we're used to being presented with something like this and 2328 01:49:43.500 --> 01:49:46.760 i do think that um like coming up with lots 2329 01:49:46.800 --> 01:49:50.060 of separate ideas for like what would be a viral 2330 01:49:50.090 --> 01:49:52.710 single and then putting them together now you can really 2331 01:49:52.829 --> 01:49:54.770 feel that track to track right because you've got you 2332 01:49:54.789 --> 01:49:56.949 know ratatouille leading the way of the made not collab 2333 01:49:57.239 --> 01:49:58.840 And then they go, okay, who else can we ring 2334 01:49:58.920 --> 01:50:02.909 up to try and also get a bit of cross-demographic spread? 2335 01:50:03.189 --> 01:50:06.770 The Offspring with Let the Good Times Roll, which is 2336 01:50:06.810 --> 01:50:09.250 not something I need in my life. Elevator Operator, I 2337 01:50:09.289 --> 01:50:11.649 don't really like. It feels somehow even more like a 2338 01:50:11.689 --> 01:50:14.279 novelty song than just like... The thing I like Cool 2339 01:50:14.300 --> 01:50:15.720 Boy doing the most is when they do just a 2340 01:50:15.760 --> 01:50:20.600 legitimately good, catchy Eurodance chorus. They have a specific kind 2341 01:50:20.640 --> 01:50:22.659 of melody that I think they're brilliant at. And when 2342 01:50:22.680 --> 01:50:24.770 they do a different kind of melody, anywhere else outside 2343 01:50:24.789 --> 01:50:27.750 of that, it falls flat. Like the fucking Oompa Loompa 2344 01:50:27.770 --> 01:50:30.069 hook in Reverie is not what I need them doing. 2345 01:50:30.250 --> 01:50:35.039 There's also then a hideously transparent attempt to re-execute the 2346 01:50:35.079 --> 01:50:38.859 gag from a song from the last album with the, 2347 01:50:38.899 --> 01:50:41.039 wouldn't it be funny if we started doing a really, 2348 01:50:41.060 --> 01:50:41.659 really pop song? 2349 01:50:42.149 --> 01:50:44.750 And at the end the backstreet boys yeah the. 2350 01:50:44.630 --> 01:50:46.890 End we do a big crazy heavy breakdown with the 2351 01:50:46.909 --> 01:50:48.789 way you are and the song hurricane from the last 2352 01:50:48.869 --> 01:50:50.909 album i know that the joke is tired but hurricane 2353 01:50:51.289 --> 01:50:54.880 is genuinely fun and brilliant before it goes all greeby 2354 01:50:54.909 --> 01:50:57.779 and heavy because like the joke transition there is not 2355 01:50:57.819 --> 01:50:59.439 the entire appeal of the song to me like the 2356 01:50:59.500 --> 01:51:02.300 first part of it is really fun and this maybe 2357 01:51:02.319 --> 01:51:05.180 it's because i i mean i know you do sam 2358 01:51:05.220 --> 01:51:07.539 so this will be you know um kind of the 2359 01:51:07.579 --> 01:51:09.979 other side of it but i have no like attachment 2360 01:51:10.039 --> 01:51:12.399 or affinity to the music that they're parodying here like 2361 01:51:12.439 --> 01:51:14.359 the backstreet boys or in sync or whatever like i 2362 01:51:14.600 --> 01:51:17.510 don't hold any love for it so it's less fun 2363 01:51:17.550 --> 01:51:19.470 to me than them doing like the big schlager thing 2364 01:51:19.770 --> 01:51:21.369 that they did at the start of hurricane because that 2365 01:51:21.409 --> 01:51:24.810 also felt so uniquely german that felt like a joke 2366 01:51:24.850 --> 01:51:27.130 that only they could do whereas this is a much 2367 01:51:27.590 --> 01:51:31.180 i don't know tackier broader more cynical joke then you 2368 01:51:31.220 --> 01:51:33.609 have like we said The Sum 41 Still Waiting cover. 2369 01:51:34.090 --> 01:51:35.970 And I think, you know, maybe to a degree we're 2370 01:51:35.989 --> 01:51:38.829 being hypocritical because, like, Unto Others covered Halloween by the 2371 01:51:38.869 --> 01:51:41.550 Misfits live for ages and then they finally recorded it 2372 01:51:41.609 --> 01:51:43.489 on their EP last year and that was like, yeah, good, 2373 01:51:43.510 --> 01:51:44.930 we've had that around for ages in a live environment, 2374 01:51:44.949 --> 01:51:46.810 it's good to get a recorded version. But because this 2375 01:51:46.869 --> 01:51:48.890 is part of this album where every other element is 2376 01:51:48.930 --> 01:51:52.149 like this, this just feels more cynical and more like, hey, 2377 01:51:52.189 --> 01:51:54.350 people like that one, bundle it into the album. So 2378 01:51:54.369 --> 01:51:56.609 that also means there's even less new material on the 2379 01:51:56.689 --> 01:52:00.189 album again because there's that on there. And then there 2380 01:52:00.229 --> 01:52:03.859 are four remixes. tacked onto the end of the standard 2381 01:52:03.899 --> 01:52:06.159 edition of the album. So there is something like two 2382 01:52:06.199 --> 01:52:09.310 tracks from this that are totally original to the moment 2383 01:52:09.319 --> 01:52:13.229 when the album was released in its entirety. As someone who, 2384 01:52:13.569 --> 01:52:15.470 you know, I do at least enjoy when Electric Callboy 2385 01:52:15.510 --> 01:52:18.670 hit full capacity, there are two songs this album that 2386 01:52:18.689 --> 01:52:20.470 I would say I like. Neither of them are even 2387 01:52:20.529 --> 01:52:23.060 ones that you've mentioned, but me as the person, like 2388 01:52:23.079 --> 01:52:26.539 I said, I like when Electric Callboy do essentially like 2389 01:52:26.579 --> 01:52:29.640 Cascada or Scooter, but set to, you know, Metalcore, like 2390 01:52:29.699 --> 01:52:31.510 that kind of Eurodance chorus. So the title track. yeah 2391 01:52:31.569 --> 01:52:33.770 tans need at the start which actually that kind of 2392 01:52:33.810 --> 01:52:36.510 electro groove that it has really reminds me of a 2393 01:52:36.630 --> 01:52:39.770 funk groove and uh the king of funk is of 2394 01:52:39.810 --> 01:52:41.920 course cord hell it really sounds like the song murder 2395 01:52:41.939 --> 01:52:44.380 on my mind his huge hit mr cord hell of 2396 01:52:44.460 --> 01:52:47.899 course is mick kenny from anamnothrack so the anamnothrack influence 2397 01:52:48.020 --> 01:52:50.979 on major metalcore does continue in the most unlikely of 2398 01:52:51.020 --> 01:52:53.449 places um but like i said i like when they've 2399 01:52:53.470 --> 01:52:56.229 got those cascadery type hooks and tans need has that 2400 01:52:56.409 --> 01:53:00.189 and the best one I love Hypercharged And I have 2401 01:53:00.479 --> 01:53:04.390 no fucking knowledge or interest In Brawl Stars Which is 2402 01:53:04.470 --> 01:53:07.770 apparently a video game Online mobile. 2403 01:53:07.369 --> 01:53:10.270 Game Exploitation or gacha shit. 2404 01:53:10.989 --> 01:53:13.399 It has a credit on the actual song On your 2405 01:53:13.439 --> 01:53:15.340 streaming services I thought it was an artist because of 2406 01:53:15.359 --> 01:53:16.420 that But I looked it up and it's a game 2407 01:53:16.909 --> 01:53:18.989 I'm an old man, I don't know what Brawl Stars is, 2408 01:53:19.270 --> 01:53:22.090 but I do like when Electric Callboy sounds like Caramel Danson, 2409 01:53:22.289 --> 01:53:25.350 because I can't help it, it unlocks some latent 2009 2410 01:53:25.350 --> 01:53:27.649 part of me, and that, I think, is a monster tune, 2411 01:53:27.710 --> 01:53:29.630 and they drop that at Bloodstock next year, and I 2412 01:53:29.689 --> 01:53:32.289 will be pumping like crazy. I think they do have earworms, 2413 01:53:32.310 --> 01:53:35.670 there is an art to nailing those Eurodance melodies, and Callboy, 2414 01:53:35.689 --> 01:53:37.329 when they decide to do them and not other nonsense, 2415 01:53:37.750 --> 01:53:39.560 are masters of them. And to be honest, that's all 2416 01:53:39.600 --> 01:53:41.649 I need, like, those two songs, fine, they're not going 2417 01:53:41.680 --> 01:53:43.460 to be in my album of the year list, are they? Like, 2418 01:53:43.500 --> 01:53:45.920 I'm Look at me, I'm a serious man with serious tastes. 2419 01:53:45.960 --> 01:53:47.920 What do you take me for, a fool? But give 2420 01:53:47.939 --> 01:53:50.380 me a couple of absolute ragers to have some fun with, 2421 01:53:50.399 --> 01:53:52.350 fill in the set list, and sure, fine. And Tanznid 2422 01:53:52.399 --> 01:53:55.369 and Hypercharged, I don't mind Heart Club either. Sure, great. 2423 01:53:55.829 --> 01:53:59.869 As an album, it is like techno, but in every 2424 01:53:59.930 --> 01:54:03.289 capacity more forced and more like they're trying to, you know, 2425 01:54:03.369 --> 01:54:05.949 bank on the same thing going well again. And I 2426 01:54:05.989 --> 01:54:09.100 think some of the charge of, certainly I think about 2427 01:54:09.119 --> 01:54:11.720 the big Hyper Hyper moment for them. And the charm 2428 01:54:11.760 --> 01:54:14.560 of that was this like, almost magic fairy tale story 2429 01:54:15.020 --> 01:54:17.319 of it didn't feel so machinating. It was this band 2430 01:54:17.340 --> 01:54:19.399 who nobody paid any mind to for a decade and 2431 01:54:19.420 --> 01:54:21.420 they suddenly came out with arguably the song of the year. 2432 01:54:21.819 --> 01:54:24.920 And I fear that spontaneity of that is something that 2433 01:54:24.960 --> 01:54:27.039 we will never get again out of Electric Corp. And 2434 01:54:27.060 --> 01:54:29.920 we will be chasing this in this more, just as 2435 01:54:29.960 --> 01:54:32.760 I said, banking on it again and again and again 2436 01:54:32.819 --> 01:54:33.399 kind of fashion. 2437 01:54:34.079 --> 01:54:36.420 That's the thing though, we are six years into riffing 2438 01:54:36.460 --> 01:54:38.920 on Hyper Hyper. For me, this is just another nail 2439 01:54:38.939 --> 01:54:42.869 in the coffin of what commercial mainstream metalcore is becoming, 2440 01:54:42.949 --> 01:54:46.210 which is, again, the nadir of heavy music and just 2441 01:54:46.229 --> 01:54:48.109 the worst thing to be going on. And as someone 2442 01:54:48.149 --> 01:54:51.020 who should love metalcore, the cool boy are just kicking 2443 01:54:51.039 --> 01:54:52.239 it further down the line. And I was kind of 2444 01:54:52.260 --> 01:54:54.619 praising them for not being the worst of that sort 2445 01:54:54.640 --> 01:54:57.779 of thing. And on this album, give me techno over this. 2446 01:54:58.279 --> 01:55:01.680 Techno as an album is so much more valuable to 2447 01:55:01.699 --> 01:55:04.239 the tapestry of music than this album is. Because at 2448 01:55:04.279 --> 01:55:07.029 least that has a handful of songs, again, I hated 2449 01:55:07.050 --> 01:55:11.010 at the time, but have existed in my mind. I 2450 01:55:11.140 --> 01:55:14.439 will erase, whether it's like Ratatat and the fucking Sum 2451 01:55:14.439 --> 01:55:16.680 41 cover, the rest of this album is going to 2452 01:55:16.699 --> 01:55:19.520 be gone from my memory tomorrow to never be thought 2453 01:55:19.539 --> 01:55:21.409 about again. And I mean, that is again why I 2454 01:55:21.409 --> 01:55:24.869 think this album just has no value, no worth, no 2455 01:55:24.970 --> 01:55:27.149 purpose in what we do. 2456 01:55:27.189 --> 01:55:28.810 And I was like, why review this? 2457 01:55:28.829 --> 01:55:29.289 And I get it. 2458 01:55:29.729 --> 01:55:31.060 You're your kind of case study. 2459 01:55:30.859 --> 01:55:33.000 Of like, Mate, you could have listened to the album 2460 01:55:33.220 --> 01:55:34.729 one and I would have accepted that because I really 2461 01:55:34.739 --> 01:55:36.670 wanted to talk about the album strategy. I'm not surprised 2462 01:55:36.689 --> 01:55:37.510 you think it's bollocks. 2463 01:55:39.170 --> 01:55:41.210 And the thing is, if this becomes the norm, again, 2464 01:55:41.430 --> 01:55:43.590 bands I like that are probably going, like, I like 2465 01:55:43.670 --> 01:55:45.960 Ice Nine Kills, they're going down the street and I'm like, 2466 01:55:46.319 --> 01:55:48.949 I've stopped caring about them now because I'm, fucking bored 2467 01:55:48.970 --> 01:55:51.529 of them putting out a single based on a different 2468 01:55:51.550 --> 01:55:52.710 movie every six months. 2469 01:55:52.729 --> 01:55:54.970 And it's like, just release a goddamn album. You release 2470 01:55:55.029 --> 01:55:56.229 two great albums in a row. 2471 01:55:56.649 --> 01:55:59.420 And then you've thrown away that strategy to do this 2472 01:55:59.520 --> 01:56:02.779 drip feed, always in the streaming, always just going to 2473 01:56:02.800 --> 01:56:03.479 come out in the moment thing. 2474 01:56:03.520 --> 01:56:06.359 And I've just stopped caring. And I'm more and more 2475 01:56:06.380 --> 01:56:06.960 bands are going to do that. 2476 01:56:07.000 --> 01:56:08.779 And again, like I say, and it's going to be 2477 01:56:08.920 --> 01:56:10.979 in the metalcore sphere where it's happening the most, because 2478 01:56:11.000 --> 01:56:13.399 that's what is popular metal. And that's all of these 2479 01:56:13.439 --> 01:56:15.699 bands who can't have an original thought to save their 2480 01:56:15.729 --> 01:56:17.329 life are going to copy that. I mean, I think 2481 01:56:17.350 --> 01:56:19.050 you could even chase this line back to sort of 2482 01:56:19.289 --> 01:56:20.350 bring me the rise a little bit on some of 2483 01:56:20.390 --> 01:56:22.869 the post-human stuff. Well, they were sort of drip-feeding singles 2484 01:56:22.890 --> 01:56:24.949 for a long time before that second post-human album came out. 2485 01:56:25.449 --> 01:56:28.109 But this feels at the peak of like, oh, the 2486 01:56:28.189 --> 01:56:30.350 end result, it actually doesn't matter now. Because at least 2487 01:56:30.430 --> 01:56:33.250 post-human next time was like, bring out a proper album there. 2488 01:56:33.270 --> 01:56:36.979 This is not an album. This is a hodgepodge of 2489 01:56:37.640 --> 01:56:40.619 half-thought-out songs that you released and that you've then slapped 2490 01:56:40.640 --> 01:56:43.239 some remixes on to sell a Lego set with to 2491 01:56:43.260 --> 01:56:45.260 say you can then charge 80 quid for the album 2492 01:56:45.319 --> 01:56:46.239 or some shit like that. 2493 01:56:46.810 --> 01:56:47.229 Fuck it. 2494 01:56:47.409 --> 01:56:47.880 Worthless. 2495 01:56:48.529 --> 01:56:52.319 So for the first person I ever heard talk about 2496 01:56:52.340 --> 01:56:54.640 this release strategy before Bring Me The Horizon started doing 2497 01:56:54.659 --> 01:56:56.220 it or like Machine Head looked like they were going 2498 01:56:56.239 --> 01:56:58.960 to do it. The first person I remember hearing say 2499 01:56:59.000 --> 01:57:01.470 that they might give this a go was Weird Al 2500 01:57:01.510 --> 01:57:06.869 Yankovic because he realized that in the modern age songs 2501 01:57:06.909 --> 01:57:08.810 come and go too fast. You record a parody by 2502 01:57:08.850 --> 01:57:10.770 the time the album comes out it's gone. So maybe 2503 01:57:10.789 --> 01:57:13.229 just release the parodies when the songs are relevant and 2504 01:57:13.250 --> 01:57:16.329 then compile them all later. And he decided that that 2505 01:57:16.369 --> 01:57:20.329 would be... That that would cheapen his art. So I 2506 01:57:20.390 --> 01:57:24.130 think if you're a band, considering going down this route, go... 2507 01:57:25.409 --> 01:57:28.220 Big love for Weirdo Yankovic, by the way. Great guy. 2508 01:57:28.859 --> 01:57:31.619 But if you think he finds it a bit daft, silly, 2509 01:57:32.220 --> 01:57:35.579 and cheapifying of what he does... Actually, I'm saying that. 2510 01:57:35.600 --> 01:57:37.060 I was talking about Electric Callboy. Of course I don't 2511 01:57:37.100 --> 01:57:43.140 fucking care. Obviously they're doing this. But I think even if. 2512 01:57:45.090 --> 01:57:47.489 Even with its strategy, if this record was great, it'd 2513 01:57:47.529 --> 01:57:52.680 be fine. This album is like pale imitation of techno 2514 01:57:52.779 --> 01:57:54.020 for me, which I'm not even that keen on. 2515 01:57:54.279 --> 01:57:56.039 But what's going to happen next is Electric Cowboy will 2516 01:57:56.060 --> 01:57:58.220 release a new single rather soon. They'll probably have a 2517 01:57:58.220 --> 01:58:00.880 couple out by the time those Vakken and Bloodstock headlines happen. 2518 01:58:01.520 --> 01:58:03.060 And then that will appear on an album that's out 2519 01:58:03.159 --> 01:58:07.829 at 2028, at the earliest. This is, again, the strategy 2520 01:58:07.850 --> 01:58:09.750 they're going down where the album is not the, I mean, 2521 01:58:09.979 --> 01:58:11.819 we probably won't review, you know, Callaway albums from here 2522 01:58:11.859 --> 01:58:13.659 because the albums, if that is the strategy, because the 2523 01:58:13.729 --> 01:58:16.210 albums are not the thing that they're wanting to be reviewed, 2524 01:58:16.590 --> 01:58:18.630 so to speak, you know what I mean? And I 2525 01:58:18.630 --> 01:58:22.510 thought that was an interesting case study. Hypercharged is really big, though. 2526 01:58:22.569 --> 01:58:25.170 Justice for Hypercharged. That's the best song on this record. Anyway, 2527 01:58:25.609 --> 01:58:28.520 it was quite a busy month for Punk and Hardcore 2528 01:58:28.529 --> 01:58:31.680 with quite a few prominent releases, you know, prominent names 2529 01:58:31.720 --> 01:58:33.840 releasing records. But it did feel quite obvious which one 2530 01:58:33.859 --> 01:58:35.500 we were going to go with. We are going to 2531 01:58:35.520 --> 01:58:37.760 talk now about Living Weapon and their album A Death 2532 01:58:37.960 --> 01:58:40.399 in the Family, a debut album that is a whopping 2533 01:58:40.399 --> 01:58:44.210 23 minutes in length. This is the newest band to 2534 01:58:44.250 --> 01:58:48.590 come from the Vain slash Fleshwater stable. Not got the 2535 01:58:48.770 --> 01:58:50.470 FM bit or whatever that was going on there for 2536 01:58:50.489 --> 01:58:52.569 a bit, but they share the majority of their members 2537 01:58:52.609 --> 01:58:55.300 with Vain, just not playing the same instruments. There's some 2538 01:58:55.319 --> 01:58:57.359 swapsies going on. There had been a bit of bubbling 2539 01:58:57.479 --> 01:58:58.939 for a couple of months before this release that those 2540 01:58:58.979 --> 01:59:01.819 guys had something cooking. This record was going to be 2541 01:59:01.840 --> 01:59:03.439 one to look forward to, even as a new band. 2542 01:59:04.060 --> 01:59:07.010 And the kind of impact that I'm always chasing with 2543 01:59:07.029 --> 01:59:11.760 something like this is when Vain released Arizona in 2018... 2544 01:59:11.760 --> 01:59:14.199 which is a genuine modern classic now. Not just because 2545 01:59:14.460 --> 01:59:15.920 we like it and we remember it fondly and think 2546 01:59:15.939 --> 01:59:18.050 it's good, but now a lot of time has passed. 2547 01:59:18.590 --> 01:59:21.949 The amount of people you see in Hardcore talking about 2548 01:59:22.229 --> 01:59:25.600 what a huge album that was for them. I'm really... 2549 01:59:25.949 --> 01:59:28.609 It warms my heart to see how well that album's 2550 01:59:28.770 --> 01:59:30.869 aged and how fondly people remember it and that it 2551 01:59:30.909 --> 01:59:32.520 has been kind of canonised because it really was that 2552 01:59:32.560 --> 01:59:34.920 good and I think it's awesome that an album that 2553 01:59:34.939 --> 01:59:37.899 we lived through and can speak about in being in 2554 01:59:37.939 --> 01:59:42.439 somewhat recent memory can impact people's lives the way that 2555 01:59:42.479 --> 01:59:45.899 that seemed to do. That splash of Davey Alma Rives, 2556 01:59:46.380 --> 01:59:48.119 new band, they've got a couple of splits or EPs 2557 01:59:48.159 --> 01:59:50.949 before it, it's 20-something minutes long and it fucking tore 2558 01:59:50.989 --> 01:59:53.449 down the place. That's the sort of feeling that I 2559 01:59:53.520 --> 01:59:56.800 think a lot of us are chasing. Not just from 2560 01:59:56.840 --> 01:59:59.119 Vain themselves, who unfortunately seem to have just drifted into 2561 01:59:59.140 --> 02:00:04.279 hiatus status, but any band like this. This, in a 2562 02:00:04.319 --> 02:00:07.119 number of ways, is very different to that record and 2563 02:00:07.140 --> 02:00:08.850 that band. I think it very clearly is a new 2564 02:00:08.890 --> 02:00:14.189 band for creative reasons. But it is amongst the most 2565 02:00:14.729 --> 02:00:18.810 caustic on impact debuts from the hardcore world that we've 2566 02:00:18.829 --> 02:00:21.409 gotten in a while. So I figured let's talk about it. 2567 02:00:22.329 --> 02:00:24.229 I just want to throw out, this band is not 2568 02:00:24.409 --> 02:00:27.949 actually as new because this band formed whilst Vain was 2569 02:00:27.970 --> 02:00:28.510 still active. 2570 02:00:29.090 --> 02:00:30.289 They had an EP out in like 2021. 2571 02:00:30.289 --> 02:00:32.600 Yeah. So this band was like that. 2572 02:00:32.810 --> 02:00:34.460 And then put on the shelf for a while. So like, 2573 02:00:34.920 --> 02:00:37.420 this has been sort of long time cooking. But when 2574 02:00:37.479 --> 02:00:39.239 it kind of reemerged that like, oh, Vain, we're getting 2575 02:00:39.260 --> 02:00:40.460 this going again. I mean, I was a little bit 2576 02:00:40.500 --> 02:00:43.819 as I'm like, Vain, come on, do something. But this 2577 02:00:43.859 --> 02:00:48.590 was shelved. This clip was shelved when Fleshwater became the 2578 02:00:48.609 --> 02:00:52.560 kind of all encompassing primary focus because Fleshwater got massive. Like, so, 2579 02:00:52.739 --> 02:00:54.149 this song's on the Vanguard shelf, but now they've come 2580 02:00:54.159 --> 02:00:58.109 back with this, and my God, does this album just 2581 02:00:58.170 --> 02:01:00.550 tickle the spot for me. If you like mathy but 2582 02:01:00.789 --> 02:01:04.569 sludgy hardcore in the vein of, like, Code Orange on 2583 02:01:04.770 --> 02:01:07.689 I Am King, like, that kind of, I mean, this is, like, 2584 02:01:07.789 --> 02:01:10.479 that's kind of the closest kind of, like, something, if 2585 02:01:10.520 --> 02:01:13.180 you like that, this album is just serving that up, 2586 02:01:13.319 --> 02:01:16.539 and oh boy, is that album, is this album for me. 2587 02:01:17.500 --> 02:01:19.279 Like, the moment you hit play on this, and. 2588 02:01:19.220 --> 02:01:22.159 You are just onslaught from the first level with this 2589 02:01:22.199 --> 02:01:27.109 like mix of chaotic glitchy hardcore those like insane guitars 2590 02:01:27.149 --> 02:01:30.130 doing laser pew pew noises and scratching and something like 2591 02:01:30.149 --> 02:01:32.289 the guitars are like breaking under the intensity of how 2592 02:01:32.310 --> 02:01:36.130 they've been played with just the most oppressive horrid sounding 2593 02:01:36.149 --> 02:01:39.130 sort of hardcore squall this um from here in plan 2594 02:01:39.170 --> 02:01:41.189 i'm like yeah i'm just in i'm just in on 2595 02:01:41.220 --> 02:01:43.420 the sound of this it's not necessarily got the song 2596 02:01:43.439 --> 02:01:46.899 strength of like vein on arizona but um just as 2597 02:01:46.979 --> 02:01:50.720 a kind of like sonic explosion this album constantly just 2598 02:01:50.760 --> 02:01:53.050 makes me smile and feel all giddy and sort of 2599 02:01:53.069 --> 02:01:56.090 like yeah make the heaviest noises you can with this 2600 02:01:56.109 --> 02:01:58.970 sort of mappy sludgy hardcore fusion yeah i mean i. 2601 02:01:59.109 --> 02:02:02.920 For once i would downplay the code orange comparison because 2602 02:02:02.939 --> 02:02:05.420 obviously the natural comparison that people have made is vain 2603 02:02:05.479 --> 02:02:08.630 because it's those guys um and i think it's you 2604 02:02:08.649 --> 02:02:10.510 know there's a bit of pushback to that because people 2605 02:02:10.529 --> 02:02:12.369 go oh yeah it's a different band it doesn't just 2606 02:02:12.390 --> 02:02:14.689 sound like vein which is true it is obviously relatable 2607 02:02:14.840 --> 02:02:17.380 to them because it's got their fingerprints all over it 2608 02:02:17.699 --> 02:02:19.739 but for me it's if you like the kind of 2609 02:02:19.760 --> 02:02:22.899 math core of vein but what this really um deviated 2610 02:02:22.979 --> 02:02:25.770 far into um is like if you took vein as 2611 02:02:25.789 --> 02:02:27.590 like you know the starting point but then you took 2612 02:02:27.609 --> 02:02:31.590 it a different direction cross that with the hugest streak 2613 02:02:32.060 --> 02:02:39.220 of bands like Frontiera and Carbom. Like, the genuine brain-crunching 2614 02:02:39.779 --> 02:02:44.220 sonic abuse of that strand of, like, sometimes not even 2615 02:02:44.239 --> 02:02:47.739 what you could call hardcore, but just, like, skronky metallic noise. 2616 02:02:48.460 --> 02:02:51.159 That's what, if we take this with, again... Laser pew-pew guitars. Yeah, 2617 02:02:51.479 --> 02:02:54.000 within the sort of, again, vein, flesh, water, stable of bands, 2618 02:02:54.479 --> 02:02:56.659 that is the sort of terrain that this particular band 2619 02:02:56.720 --> 02:02:58.550 seems to be, you know, built for. 2620 02:02:59.550 --> 02:03:00.130 Would agree i just. 2621 02:03:00.069 --> 02:03:01.649 Think he's got the sludgy thing that's why i can 2622 02:03:01.689 --> 02:03:03.130 i kind of go with the i am king thing 2623 02:03:03.149 --> 02:03:05.930 but it's definitely got that that real kind of full-on 2624 02:03:06.010 --> 02:03:12.550 mathy metallic chaos of something like frontier for sure. 2625 02:03:11.050 --> 02:03:12.869 That was the thing that leapt to mind for me 2626 02:03:12.949 --> 02:03:15.550 and uh full disclosure it's been a very busy week 2627 02:03:15.569 --> 02:03:18.409 and i really needed this to be a straightforward once 2628 02:03:18.489 --> 02:03:21.020 in once out beat down hardcore for the first time 2629 02:03:21.079 --> 02:03:24.560 ever i was like give me the most basic room 2630 02:03:24.579 --> 02:03:27.220 temperature IQ hardcore album you can offer me, and I see, like, 2631 02:03:27.380 --> 02:03:30.359 they're called Living Weapon, the logo looks pretty, like, that 2632 02:03:30.399 --> 02:03:34.180 way inclined, the length, it's nine songs, 23 minutes, I'm going, perfect, 2633 02:03:34.199 --> 02:03:36.340 that's exactly what I'm looking for, and then I am 2634 02:03:36.420 --> 02:03:42.359 greeted with one of the densest, most, like, knotty, and 2635 02:03:42.760 --> 02:03:46.399 just straight up fucking loud hardcore albums that I've heard 2636 02:03:46.439 --> 02:03:48.899 from a new band in some time, and all the 2637 02:03:48.939 --> 02:03:53.470 reference points, like, Frontier, Carbon, like, Quite naturally, there's some 2638 02:03:53.510 --> 02:03:56.550 stuff like Meshuggah in there, Coalesce. In terms of just 2639 02:03:56.729 --> 02:03:59.850 all that attack, when it gets really frantic, not far 2640 02:03:59.869 --> 02:04:02.149 off stuff like The Locust or the math core of 2641 02:04:02.170 --> 02:04:05.130 the late 90s, stuff like Dillinger, stuff of that ilk. 2642 02:04:06.810 --> 02:04:08.909 Like I said, I love all the things I mentioned. 2643 02:04:09.149 --> 02:04:10.529 On the particular day that I sat down to listen 2644 02:04:10.550 --> 02:04:12.470 to this, I was not in the mood, but thankfully, 2645 02:04:13.149 --> 02:04:16.710 I think these guys are seriously good at it. When 2646 02:04:16.729 --> 02:04:19.470 this band go off the chain, in the same way 2647 02:04:19.510 --> 02:04:24.949 that Frontier and Carbond Those bands sound wild... And... Feral... 2648 02:04:25.850 --> 02:04:28.149 Even when it's technical... And it's dense... It's clearly a 2649 02:04:28.430 --> 02:04:30.319 studio built project.... 2650 02:04:30.829 --> 02:04:31.149 It just. 2651 02:04:31.229 --> 02:04:34.930 It sounds... Legitimately nasty... Yeah. 2652 02:04:34.949 --> 02:04:37.409 Because the thing that amazed me about Vain... Is they 2653 02:04:37.439 --> 02:04:41.699 were so ultra violent... That every... Like beat... Of that record... 2654 02:04:41.479 --> 02:04:44.819 Every second where it pounds you... Like... Counted for something... 2655 02:04:44.600 --> 02:04:47.060 Like it has so much precision... And in the second album... 2656 02:04:46.939 --> 02:04:49.140 They lent even more... Into kind of the atmospheric stuff... 2657 02:04:49.000 --> 02:04:52.630 And like the horror darkness... This, much more just like, 2658 02:04:53.109 --> 02:04:56.109 seeks to overwhelm you. Like, it is so much noisier. 2659 02:04:56.380 --> 02:04:59.300 I think it's way less groovy, for one thing, even 2660 02:04:59.319 --> 02:05:02.180 at the high speeds, and it's much more spin you 2661 02:05:02.220 --> 02:05:03.989 round in the washing machine and let you stumble and 2662 02:05:04.029 --> 02:05:06.310 flop out afterwards. I think, even though there are definite 2663 02:05:06.350 --> 02:05:08.520 mosh parts on it. But I think you would find 2664 02:05:08.560 --> 02:05:10.859 it harder to mosh to this than you would Vain, 2665 02:05:10.899 --> 02:05:13.430 for example, because it's just so much more obtuse. And 2666 02:05:13.439 --> 02:05:16.229 I think for those reasons, I've not connected with this 2667 02:05:16.449 --> 02:05:18.850 as strongly as I did the two Vain records, but 2668 02:05:18.869 --> 02:05:21.229 that's fine. It's doing a different thing. For the ugliest 2669 02:05:21.310 --> 02:05:23.569 violence you could pull out of these realms, it is 2670 02:05:23.630 --> 02:05:26.989 hard to beat. There are basically no catchy songs on 2671 02:05:27.029 --> 02:05:30.109 this thing. It is just being beaten and pissed on 2672 02:05:30.449 --> 02:05:33.439 for 23 minutes and from directions that you had no 2673 02:05:33.479 --> 02:05:35.899 way of preparing for them coming from. The first song, 2674 02:05:35.920 --> 02:05:38.939 the first element, has these manic panic chords, but then 2675 02:05:38.960 --> 02:05:42.159 it's like they're played in reverse. It's like they're being 2676 02:05:42.319 --> 02:05:44.720 sucked up back into a vacuum cleaner from which they came. 2677 02:05:44.760 --> 02:05:47.720 It's like a real whirlwind of an album intro. And 2678 02:05:47.739 --> 02:05:50.460 then it has a minute of what amounts to an 2679 02:05:50.520 --> 02:05:54.760 alarm going off and clearing a factory room floor until 2680 02:05:54.800 --> 02:05:57.420 it finally hits its central mosh part. And when that 2681 02:05:57.460 --> 02:05:59.720 does come in, it is fucking glass shattering. And then 2682 02:05:59.739 --> 02:06:03.649 the outro of the song is a full avant-garde borderline 2683 02:06:03.750 --> 02:06:06.449 jazz like drum kit freak out and that is your 2684 02:06:06.489 --> 02:06:08.430 welcoming into the record and the reason I mentioned bands 2685 02:06:08.449 --> 02:06:10.649 like Car Bomb and Frontier as I think the major 2686 02:06:10.670 --> 02:06:14.180 you know if you like that for fans of thing 2687 02:06:14.340 --> 02:06:16.380 is it has that similar level of what in the 2688 02:06:16.479 --> 02:06:18.500 ever loving fuck are they doing to get these noises 2689 02:06:18.739 --> 02:06:22.340 I think it is more hardcore based than those because 2690 02:06:22.380 --> 02:06:24.079 it does have the mosh parts and it does have 2691 02:06:24.119 --> 02:06:26.170 big breakdowns and so on But the thing that my 2692 02:06:26.210 --> 02:06:28.729 brain is mostly doing is trying to keep up with, like, 2693 02:06:29.010 --> 02:06:31.369 what are these laser beams being directly fired into my 2694 02:06:31.409 --> 02:06:34.630 temples at an alarming rate? Like, this is a big 2695 02:06:34.770 --> 02:06:38.100 noise record. Not in the harsh noise music sense, but 2696 02:06:38.149 --> 02:06:40.899 in the what-the-fuck-are-those-noises sense, which is a distinct, you know, 2697 02:06:41.180 --> 02:06:43.899 separate thrill, its own kind of category of album. Like, 2698 02:06:43.920 --> 02:06:46.079 when the first two songs are just so, like, you 2699 02:06:46.100 --> 02:06:49.500 get light speed and disorientating, but then when Dead Like 2700 02:06:49.539 --> 02:06:52.579 You comes in at track three, and the bass at 2701 02:06:52.600 --> 02:06:56.369 the start is, like... broken like it's like you've had 2702 02:06:56.390 --> 02:06:58.189 it's almost like the first two songs were the normal 2703 02:06:58.229 --> 02:07:00.649 band and then suddenly you get the chopped and screwed 2704 02:07:00.689 --> 02:07:04.449 version at chapter three where they were at least recognizable 2705 02:07:04.489 --> 02:07:07.680 as hardcore songs and then suddenly this fucking slurred industrial 2706 02:07:07.840 --> 02:07:11.199 squelch noise comes out to follow them these moments these 2707 02:07:11.220 --> 02:07:14.600 kind of intros on tracks just like just really keep 2708 02:07:14.640 --> 02:07:16.180 you on your toes for the duration of it and 2709 02:07:16.199 --> 02:07:17.829 just let you know you're never safe i. 2710 02:07:17.810 --> 02:07:20.140 Mean like metastasis like was like track two like that 2711 02:07:20.229 --> 02:07:22.600 is one where again the the sort of the sounds 2712 02:07:22.619 --> 02:07:24.539 they are forcing out the guitar it just gives me 2713 02:07:24.680 --> 02:07:26.720 such a kick i mean like the hardcore stuff comes 2714 02:07:26.739 --> 02:07:29.659 from um because uh jonathan um he's like i think 2715 02:07:29.680 --> 02:07:31.819 the bassist in veins the vocalist one he is like 2716 02:07:31.859 --> 02:07:34.229 got much more like a typical kind of like that 2717 02:07:34.609 --> 02:07:37.850 that hardcore sort of barked harsh vocal with less of 2718 02:07:37.869 --> 02:07:41.229 the kind of like really shrill like frantic scream that 2719 02:07:41.350 --> 02:07:44.279 um that he had on the um vein records but 2720 02:07:44.350 --> 02:07:46.329 he is just kind of commanding and shouting at you 2721 02:07:47.010 --> 02:07:49.170 and it is just kind of like going all over 2722 02:07:49.210 --> 02:07:51.470 and then when they hit like this thing is the 2723 02:07:51.510 --> 02:07:53.630 mosh parts when they do lock in someone this record 2724 02:07:54.050 --> 02:07:57.569 are fucking unbelievably hard like it's they don't come around 2725 02:07:57.590 --> 02:07:59.270 as sort of frequent as you might expect because again 2726 02:07:59.310 --> 02:08:01.760 it's the record is more interesting kind of like doing 2727 02:08:01.800 --> 02:08:03.479 all this other stuff and dizzying you around but like 2728 02:08:03.500 --> 02:08:05.739 again the one at the end of metastasis just like 2729 02:08:05.960 --> 02:08:08.760 clobbers you and that then going into dead like you 2730 02:08:08.800 --> 02:08:12.859 which just has this like deranged cyber dirge sort of 2731 02:08:12.920 --> 02:08:15.939 spiraling around and this song just kind of like uncurling 2732 02:08:15.960 --> 02:08:18.810 into these sort of fast passages and Like, the song 2733 02:08:18.829 --> 02:08:22.010 structures are, like, really unpredictable, and they are just designed 2734 02:08:22.510 --> 02:08:24.229 to sort of dizzy you and leave you kind of, like, 2735 02:08:24.270 --> 02:08:27.239 trying to piece together exactly what's going on. And it means, again, like, 2736 02:08:27.279 --> 02:08:31.899 there's not the amount of, like, kind of shout-along hooks. 2737 02:08:31.920 --> 02:08:33.260 It's kind of like, Rain were never the most hooky band, 2738 02:08:33.279 --> 02:08:36.899 but they had the sort of, like, the pile-on mic-grab moments. 2739 02:08:36.920 --> 02:08:39.079 There's really none of that here, because the songs aren't 2740 02:08:39.140 --> 02:08:41.390 into that. It's just kind of, like, all about overwhelming 2741 02:08:41.409 --> 02:08:42.909 you with, like, the sonic sense of belief, either, like, 2742 02:08:43.470 --> 02:08:47.930 crushing riffs or... just the most fucked up, unpredictable sounds imaginable. 2743 02:08:48.789 --> 02:08:51.710 But they do, you know, in terms of sequencing, they 2744 02:08:51.729 --> 02:08:54.649 know how to pace themselves over the 23 minutes, because 2745 02:08:54.670 --> 02:08:57.949 you get a path into Genesis, which is right in 2746 02:08:57.970 --> 02:09:00.760 the middle of these four songs on either side of it. 2747 02:09:01.300 --> 02:09:04.869 And after that just barrage nightmare that comes before it, 2748 02:09:04.899 --> 02:09:07.479 you get this thing which is somewhere between a song 2749 02:09:07.560 --> 02:09:09.659 and an interlude. It's as long as pretty much anything 2750 02:09:09.680 --> 02:09:12.180 else on the record, but it's like I say, barely 2751 02:09:12.220 --> 02:09:14.319 a song. It's heavy and it has live drums, but 2752 02:09:14.340 --> 02:09:18.149 there's no electric instrumentation, really. It's like a sort of 2753 02:09:18.250 --> 02:09:20.310 jazzy chiptune song, and there's just this. 2754 02:09:20.329 --> 02:09:21.329 It's an absurd track. 2755 02:09:22.550 --> 02:09:24.729 It's a crazy thing to put on the record, but 2756 02:09:25.270 --> 02:09:29.720 also it provides a really nice respite. Yeah, it's still 2757 02:09:29.729 --> 02:09:31.439 not quite feeling like respite, but then, I mean, you 2758 02:09:31.460 --> 02:09:35.760 were talking about mosh parts. When that then introduces interspecies 2759 02:09:35.800 --> 02:09:40.020 quality assessment, which just does the new level riff, but 2760 02:09:41.399 --> 02:09:45.359 carbomifies it. It's like, who could possibly complain about that? 2761 02:09:45.850 --> 02:09:47.210 And I do think there are enough of those on 2762 02:09:47.229 --> 02:09:50.100 the record where if the idea of listening to stuff 2763 02:09:50.109 --> 02:09:52.560 that sounds like Frontier and Car Bomb and the bands 2764 02:09:52.579 --> 02:09:55.880 we've been mentioning so far sounds a bit daunting, there 2765 02:09:55.920 --> 02:10:01.619 is enough of the swing-your-fists quota to make this... It's 2766 02:10:01.640 --> 02:10:03.920 the spoonful of sugar that makes the medicine go down. 2767 02:10:04.579 --> 02:10:07.180 Yeah, I mean, when interspecies quality assessment comes in, it's 2768 02:10:07.539 --> 02:10:11.090 quite relieving. because it's the thuggiest thing on the record. 2769 02:10:11.470 --> 02:10:15.260 That normally would be so oppressive, but it's like, oh, 2770 02:10:15.319 --> 02:10:19.979 sweet fist-swingy relief after Path of Genesis, which is... just 2771 02:10:20.020 --> 02:10:23.220 a malfunctioning robot in the dead centre of the album, 2772 02:10:23.260 --> 02:10:25.100 and I love that that song, it almost starts off 2773 02:10:25.119 --> 02:10:27.340 like it's gonna groove, and then, oh no, actually it's broken. 2774 02:10:27.699 --> 02:10:30.539 It's just completely abrasive, and too much of such, you've 2775 02:10:30.560 --> 02:10:33.100 just gotta kind of let it do its thing. I mean, 2776 02:10:33.140 --> 02:10:34.899 Dead Like You, before that, there's a bit in that 2777 02:10:34.930 --> 02:10:36.930 that just legitimately sounds like a dentist drill, which is 2778 02:10:36.949 --> 02:10:39.930 probably quite triggering to certain people. There are, I guess 2779 02:10:39.949 --> 02:10:42.189 you would say, lead guitars all over this album, but 2780 02:10:42.210 --> 02:10:46.390 they're just doing paranoid freakouts as tunelessly as they can. 2781 02:10:46.430 --> 02:10:50.250 It's a very, like, bionic mechanized like you know computer 2782 02:10:50.289 --> 02:10:52.989 feedbacky kind of record it's like you're looking into the 2783 02:10:53.090 --> 02:10:56.310 whirring you know brain of a machine that is rapidly 2784 02:10:56.369 --> 02:10:59.989 breaking down while you're like trying to fix it um 2785 02:11:00.409 --> 02:11:03.840 and yeah the way they like offset and pronounce the 2786 02:11:03.850 --> 02:11:07.560 mosh parts quite well um like the penultimate track is 2787 02:11:07.600 --> 02:11:11.579 just a pure sludge dirge wall the noise but it's 2788 02:11:11.699 --> 02:11:14.060 clearly setting up the closing track when no like compared 2789 02:11:14.300 --> 02:11:16.710 which is slower than most of the record but it 2790 02:11:16.750 --> 02:11:19.489 just feels like scary and violent and oppressive and that 2791 02:11:19.510 --> 02:11:22.489 song does have an actual riff in it like a 2792 02:11:22.590 --> 02:11:26.449 full-on kind of like a slower nail style honest to 2793 02:11:26.489 --> 02:11:29.529 god riff which most of the songs like if they 2794 02:11:29.560 --> 02:11:31.939 do have those they're at like warp speed and they're 2795 02:11:31.949 --> 02:11:35.180 gone in a second but it's just so battering and 2796 02:11:35.220 --> 02:11:36.720 like you know certainly considering the last record we spoke 2797 02:11:36.760 --> 02:11:39.600 about it's good to get these examples of like legitimately 2798 02:11:39.760 --> 02:11:43.600 extreme you know boundary pushing metalcore that is you know 2799 02:11:43.640 --> 02:11:46.140 this is metallic hardcore but taking such a warped extreme 2800 02:11:46.699 --> 02:11:48.470 i i don't think this is like vein level great 2801 02:11:49.229 --> 02:11:51.510 or scratching that exact itch that i'm i am missing 2802 02:11:51.529 --> 02:11:54.270 having scratched um since they decided to to vanish but 2803 02:11:54.289 --> 02:11:56.109 you know that's again it's agreeable it's aiming for a 2804 02:11:56.109 --> 02:11:59.310 different thing sometimes you need to have your brain reset 2805 02:11:59.829 --> 02:12:02.039 by just an absolute fucking racket like it's like getting 2806 02:12:02.079 --> 02:12:04.319 in an electric massage therapy chair you know and just 2807 02:12:04.340 --> 02:12:06.220 go and then you get out and your joints have 2808 02:12:06.260 --> 02:12:08.060 loosened up and that's kind of what this record does. 2809 02:12:09.310 --> 02:12:10.750 Yeah i've just had just so much for me i 2810 02:12:10.750 --> 02:12:12.890 mean it's kind of like the leaving process has like 2811 02:12:13.069 --> 02:12:15.170 bits of like new metal in there almost which again 2812 02:12:15.189 --> 02:12:17.550 like we're in this like crazed side of something that 2813 02:12:17.569 --> 02:12:19.289 there are moments where they kind of like oh this 2814 02:12:19.350 --> 02:12:22.180 is approaching a banger but they just can't like resist 2815 02:12:22.560 --> 02:12:24.659 fucking it up so that's almost like a like almost 2816 02:12:24.680 --> 02:12:27.220 like corn-esque kind of like bouncy new metal riff but 2817 02:12:27.239 --> 02:12:29.560 then they just kind of like fuck with it and 2818 02:12:29.640 --> 02:12:32.039 and anti starts laying in these like crazed backing vocals 2819 02:12:32.079 --> 02:12:35.210 so like It's an album that just wants to constantly 2820 02:12:35.229 --> 02:12:36.789 kind of like rattle you around and say like, you know, 2821 02:12:36.810 --> 02:12:38.539 you can't sit anywhere for too long. If you thought 2822 02:12:38.560 --> 02:12:40.659 you were getting comfortable with this record, have some of 2823 02:12:40.699 --> 02:12:44.119 this batshit stuff. And that's just like a nice reset 2824 02:12:44.140 --> 02:12:47.319 of an album that is just unafraid to just constantly 2825 02:12:47.460 --> 02:12:49.510 throttle you and just sort of be a bit more 2826 02:12:49.529 --> 02:12:51.489 kind of out there and explosive, which I think like, again, 2827 02:12:52.050 --> 02:12:53.489 with the concept of hardcore, I think this is an 2828 02:12:53.710 --> 02:12:56.130 album that has kind of just sort of stood out 2829 02:12:56.189 --> 02:13:01.369 by just being so... batshit relentless. And that's why, in 2830 02:13:01.409 --> 02:13:04.180 a way that, like, Carbom and Frontier haven't necessarily crossed 2831 02:13:04.220 --> 02:13:06.979 over into your more typical hardcore train. This has kind 2832 02:13:07.039 --> 02:13:13.880 of got hardcore kids excited about that kind of, like, insane, cyber-maffy, noisy, 2833 02:13:13.960 --> 02:13:15.829 kind of metallic sort of sound. So I think they've 2834 02:13:15.850 --> 02:13:18.029 clearly found a way to tap that into the more 2835 02:13:18.130 --> 02:13:20.090 mosh-ready hardcore thing. And that's why, for me, again, I've just... 2836 02:13:20.550 --> 02:13:22.409 Just had such a fun time with this rocker. And again, 2837 02:13:22.409 --> 02:13:24.609 23 minutes in and out. It's only really on the 2838 02:13:24.649 --> 02:13:26.590 last song where it slows down a little bit. And 2839 02:13:26.649 --> 02:13:30.560 even that avoids feeling like the typical slow down, hardcore 2840 02:13:30.569 --> 02:13:33.560 dirge closer. Because it's still got enough mental shit going 2841 02:13:33.619 --> 02:13:33.960 on in it. 2842 02:13:35.140 --> 02:13:37.819 I just can't believe Perrin compared this to a massage chair. 2843 02:13:41.420 --> 02:13:43.899 It's more like, have you seen Crimes of the Future? 2844 02:13:44.500 --> 02:13:48.000 The more recent David Cronenberg film. For anyone who's seen 2845 02:13:48.020 --> 02:13:50.380 that film, the chair that Viggo Mortensen sits in now 2846 02:13:50.520 --> 02:13:56.600 when he's trying to digest food. That's what this album is. 2847 02:13:56.859 --> 02:13:57.800 Go watch Chromes of the Future, Ellie. 2848 02:13:57.819 --> 02:13:58.319 It's a great film. 2849 02:13:58.729 --> 02:14:01.329 It's better than probably some of the films that you'll 2850 02:14:01.369 --> 02:14:04.350 watch this year for your one-year quota. There you go. 2851 02:14:04.789 --> 02:14:07.569 Living Weapon, A Death in the Family. As we, again, 2852 02:14:07.590 --> 02:14:09.989 start to take a little perusal around the underground here, 2853 02:14:10.029 --> 02:14:12.350 we are going from hardcore to heavy metal. It's been 2854 02:14:12.359 --> 02:14:14.569 a minute since we reviewed just a proper heavy metal album, 2855 02:14:14.609 --> 02:14:16.989 I think. The Night Eternal is the name of this band. 2856 02:14:17.090 --> 02:14:20.149 Cold Velvet is the album. This is a name that 2857 02:14:20.649 --> 02:14:22.850 you might start to see popping up more and more. 2858 02:14:23.670 --> 02:14:25.710 It's definitely one where you look at the Euro festivals 2859 02:14:25.729 --> 02:14:27.270 and they're starting to creep up those a little more. 2860 02:14:27.310 --> 02:14:28.909 I don't know to what degree it's happening here in 2861 02:14:28.939 --> 02:14:30.779 the UK, but maybe off the back of this one. 2862 02:14:31.380 --> 02:14:33.479 I saw them supporting Blind Guardian here two years ago 2863 02:14:33.720 --> 02:14:35.279 and I thought they were pretty good. These guys are 2864 02:14:35.319 --> 02:14:38.560 from Germany. They released their debut album in 2021. This 2865 02:14:38.579 --> 02:14:40.979 is now their third album. But we have a label 2866 02:14:41.000 --> 02:14:43.420 jump here. Their first two albums were released on the 2867 02:14:43.460 --> 02:14:47.750 very cool smaller German label Van Records, but now they 2868 02:14:47.789 --> 02:14:49.810 are signed to Metal Blade. So I thought this would 2869 02:14:49.829 --> 02:14:52.149 be a good moment to check in with this band 2870 02:14:52.189 --> 02:14:54.949 and upcoming band and assess what we've got here. Obviously, 2871 02:14:55.029 --> 02:14:56.479 I've given it away, the name of the game is 2872 02:14:56.520 --> 02:14:59.140 Heavy Metal, but particularly with the Night Eternal, it is 2873 02:14:59.180 --> 02:15:02.960 a kind of gothic-leaning strand of... of heavy metal where 2874 02:15:03.039 --> 02:15:05.100 if you are a fan of unto others or in 2875 02:15:05.199 --> 02:15:07.680 solitude that is very much the kind of target demographic 2876 02:15:07.699 --> 02:15:09.960 we're talking about here or you know other bands we've 2877 02:15:09.979 --> 02:15:13.409 had around in the underground like spell or sonia uh 2878 02:15:13.470 --> 02:15:15.350 in a lot of cases this sort of wave that 2879 02:15:15.369 --> 02:15:17.670 we've had you know kind of starting around 2019 ish 2880 02:15:17.989 --> 02:15:20.210 um it's bands who heard what in solitude were doing 2881 02:15:20.270 --> 02:15:22.789 around 2013 and have gone why don't we actually try 2882 02:15:22.829 --> 02:15:24.899 and like make a go of turning that into a 2883 02:15:24.939 --> 02:15:27.319 career and picking up that bat and running with it 2884 02:15:27.399 --> 02:15:29.319 and in basically all those cases it's never as like 2885 02:15:29.399 --> 02:15:33.029 genuinely sort of occult and real feeling with its like 2886 02:15:33.109 --> 02:15:35.449 darkness and dangerous and in solitude but maybe a little 2887 02:15:35.470 --> 02:15:38.210 bit more broadly accessible where we can play big festivals 2888 02:15:38.270 --> 02:15:39.850 and support big heavy metal bands and the crowd will 2889 02:15:39.869 --> 02:15:41.350 hopefully have a good time that's the kind of thing 2890 02:15:41.369 --> 02:15:43.250 we're talking about with the night eternal it's probably not 2891 02:15:43.270 --> 02:15:44.800 a surprise to you guys that i like this quite 2892 02:15:44.810 --> 02:15:46.380 a bit right these are all my favorite things are 2893 02:15:46.399 --> 02:15:47.199 you guys down. 2894 02:15:48.100 --> 02:15:51.279 Yeah i like this i'm not kind of like wowed 2895 02:15:51.319 --> 02:15:53.520 by them as a whole there are tracks on this 2896 02:15:53.560 --> 02:15:55.819 i think are fucking brilliant i think when it hits 2897 02:15:56.100 --> 02:15:59.069 it really does hit i think it gets a little 2898 02:15:59.090 --> 02:16:01.250 bit one note but you know i think um where 2899 02:16:01.270 --> 02:16:03.609 the world ends as an opener that that kind of 2900 02:16:03.630 --> 02:16:05.949 just sort of gives me everything i could want in 2901 02:16:05.970 --> 02:16:10.140 terms of like rock star kind of like power vocal 2902 02:16:10.199 --> 02:16:13.060 that's drenched in mel and sort of melancholy but over 2903 02:16:13.079 --> 02:16:16.020 you know galloping heavy metal riffs and it's got air 2904 02:16:16.079 --> 02:16:18.739 grab potential and throw the horns potential it's got a 2905 02:16:18.779 --> 02:16:22.609 grooving kind of bridge riff um it's got like pristine 2906 02:16:22.689 --> 02:16:26.260 glistening sort of gothic guitar solos that whole where this 2907 02:16:26.300 --> 02:16:28.770 world ends i stand alone is a big hook that 2908 02:16:28.819 --> 02:16:31.270 final chorus sounds even bigger it kind of hits all 2909 02:16:31.310 --> 02:16:32.670 the nice one notes where i think there's nothing on 2910 02:16:32.690 --> 02:16:35.250 this album i dislike i think it's just kind of 2911 02:16:35.270 --> 02:16:37.629 like it throws its all best foot forward with that 2912 02:16:37.709 --> 02:16:39.850 opener and then kind of over the course of an 2913 02:16:39.909 --> 02:16:42.909 album offers up seven or so other versions of that 2914 02:16:42.950 --> 02:16:45.489 that are all pretty good but don't wow me in 2915 02:16:45.510 --> 02:16:47.469 the way that the opening necessarily does but i still 2916 02:16:47.889 --> 02:16:49.209 have a nice time when this is on. 2917 02:16:49.920 --> 02:16:52.500 Perrin, you continue to surprise me. I can't believe you've 2918 02:16:52.520 --> 02:16:55.959 brought us a German gothic heavy metal album called Cold 2919 02:16:56.040 --> 02:16:58.549 Velvet with an inverted boost pitch and a cloaked statue 2920 02:16:58.579 --> 02:16:58.760 on it. 2921 02:17:00.209 --> 02:17:02.770 They've signed to Metal Blade! I thought it was worthwhile! 2922 02:17:02.790 --> 02:17:07.809 Yeah, so as far as the record goes, yeah, I 2923 02:17:08.069 --> 02:17:11.940 think this is very good. I'm not doing cartwheels about it. 2924 02:17:11.989 --> 02:17:17.030 I think there's maybe a lack of personality to this record, maybe. 2925 02:17:17.049 --> 02:17:20.479 Or a a distinct identity you mentioned in solitude none 2926 02:17:20.520 --> 02:17:23.180 to others and those bands that are so distinctive and 2927 02:17:23.250 --> 02:17:25.069 so extra especially in the case of unto others like 2928 02:17:25.149 --> 02:17:28.290 so dexterous in their songwriting the nice eternal kind of 2929 02:17:29.370 --> 02:17:31.750 they focus more on the specific thing that they do 2930 02:17:32.569 --> 02:17:35.389 uh but i do like their take on as well 2931 02:17:35.409 --> 02:17:37.350 as the gothic end of things the way they take 2932 02:17:37.370 --> 02:17:39.969 from classic heavy metal that isn't just iron maiden and 2933 02:17:40.049 --> 02:17:42.170 priest and motorhead and you know no slot on those 2934 02:17:42.209 --> 02:17:44.760 bands but those are the back the classic heavy bands 2935 02:17:46.020 --> 02:17:47.659 newer bands tend to lean on this is more like 2936 02:17:48.579 --> 02:17:52.760 I'm like, Queensryche? and europe that sort of classy like 2937 02:17:53.879 --> 02:17:56.620 that particular melodic style has been carried. 2938 02:17:56.340 --> 02:18:01.159 Over queens reich i could definitely say being a comparison which. 2939 02:18:01.420 --> 02:18:04.030 It's no bad thing at all i think like the 2940 02:18:04.049 --> 02:18:07.819 songs on it are There isn't one song where I go, 2941 02:18:08.079 --> 02:18:11.940 fucking hell, they've nailed, that's amazing. That's absolutely brilliant. But 2942 02:18:11.959 --> 02:18:13.879 there's also not a song on it that I think 2943 02:18:13.979 --> 02:18:17.270 is less than good. They kind of all do roughly 2944 02:18:17.309 --> 02:18:19.610 the same thing to a good standard. 2945 02:18:20.370 --> 02:18:21.790 Yeah, I think we are all roughly on the same 2946 02:18:21.809 --> 02:18:23.399 page here. I do think there are a few jams. 2947 02:18:23.840 --> 02:18:27.219 on this. I think it sounds great production-wise, for one thing. That, 2948 02:18:27.260 --> 02:18:28.819 you know, Where This World Ends, the beginning, has this 2949 02:18:28.959 --> 02:18:31.620 great intro with these huge thudding drums, but then also 2950 02:18:31.649 --> 02:18:37.209 these really, like, nocturnal, glistening, goth, clean guitars that slip so, like, 2951 02:18:37.389 --> 02:18:40.170 naturally and powerfully into then a heavy metal gallop. I 2952 02:18:40.309 --> 02:18:42.309 think particularly the star of the show is their singer, 2953 02:18:42.350 --> 02:18:46.069 Ricardo Baum, is a really strong singer. Like, his clarity 2954 02:18:46.110 --> 02:18:50.139 and his control. Particularly, he has that gothy expressiveness where 2955 02:18:50.180 --> 02:18:51.979 he is able, you know, he can cast the figure 2956 02:18:52.340 --> 02:18:54.340 of a heavy metal singer. where he could probably hold 2957 02:18:54.379 --> 02:18:56.360 a sword in a spiked gauntlet if he wanted to. 2958 02:18:56.649 --> 02:18:59.170 But he also has that sort of, like, rosiness in 2959 02:18:59.209 --> 02:19:01.090 his voice, and the way he, like, really mulls notes 2960 02:19:01.250 --> 02:19:04.709 over to bring that gothic colour. He's kind of duel-ish 2961 02:19:05.170 --> 02:19:07.670 at points, like on that first song when he's doing the, 2962 02:19:07.690 --> 02:19:09.409 you know, it's if you kind of enjoyed the singing 2963 02:19:09.930 --> 02:19:12.010 and the melodic approach on that last duel album. but 2964 02:19:12.030 --> 02:19:13.469 you want something a little bit more like denim and 2965 02:19:13.489 --> 02:19:15.809 leather about it, I would point you to this. There 2966 02:19:15.850 --> 02:19:17.350 is a single on this called Caught in a Spell, 2967 02:19:18.110 --> 02:19:19.770 which features a music video, by the way, of a 2968 02:19:19.829 --> 02:19:22.569 knight in full plate armor just riding a motorcycle around 2969 02:19:22.590 --> 02:19:25.110 the woods. I love that that's kind of a visual 2970 02:19:25.209 --> 02:19:26.750 trope and a style that all these bands in the 2971 02:19:26.770 --> 02:19:29.079 underground seem to be doing now. But not only does 2972 02:19:29.090 --> 02:19:32.420 that start off with a super reverb-y slide guitar for 2973 02:19:32.459 --> 02:19:34.959 some reason, like going goth western mode, maybe similar to 2974 02:19:34.979 --> 02:19:37.030 some of what was on the last Mesa album, But 2975 02:19:37.049 --> 02:19:39.370 the way he milks the fuck out of that caught 2976 02:19:39.430 --> 02:19:43.049 in a spell is just so awesome to me. And 2977 02:19:43.090 --> 02:19:46.729 they've got that real, like, 80s pop metal sensibility that, like, 2978 02:19:46.889 --> 02:19:51.010 the last Summerlands album, Dreamkiller, absolutely nailed. But with, again, 2979 02:19:51.030 --> 02:19:53.250 a more gothy element to it. And that kind of 2980 02:19:53.409 --> 02:19:56.389 MTV gate that Caught in a Spell has really does 2981 02:19:56.409 --> 02:19:57.729 it for me. And I think some of their choruses, 2982 02:19:57.750 --> 02:20:01.389 you know, like, Eurydice, Don't Look Back. It's just, like, really... 2983 02:20:02.030 --> 02:20:03.909 air grabbing and skipping out the night and it's just 2984 02:20:03.930 --> 02:20:06.930 like you know quintessentially 80s in a way that absolutely 2985 02:20:06.950 --> 02:20:08.670 hands up guilty i know many people out there listening 2986 02:20:08.709 --> 02:20:11.020 will feel the same i can't have a better time 2987 02:20:11.040 --> 02:20:11.260 to it. 2988 02:20:13.020 --> 02:20:15.059 I think I'm caught in a spell that has like 2989 02:20:15.159 --> 02:20:18.219 kind of goth sunset strip, but with like melancholy. So 2990 02:20:18.260 --> 02:20:19.879 like when you're saying the video is a night on 2991 02:20:19.899 --> 02:20:21.659 a motorcycle, I'm like, yeah, that's a song that I 2992 02:20:21.799 --> 02:20:23.760 would ride a motorcycle around because it has got that 2993 02:20:23.799 --> 02:20:27.549 kind of like sunset strips or four, four eighties pop 2994 02:20:27.579 --> 02:20:31.850 metal stomp and sleaze. But it's got like, again, that 2995 02:20:31.909 --> 02:20:35.030 kind of like gothic melancholy that, that kind of goes different. 2996 02:20:35.069 --> 02:20:38.639 I mean, that's a pretty, cool sort of thing i 2997 02:20:38.799 --> 02:20:40.340 i kind of wish they did more of the the 2998 02:20:40.360 --> 02:20:42.440 gothic slide guitar thing because again reminds me a little 2999 02:20:42.459 --> 02:20:43.700 bit of some of the stuff i really liked on 3000 02:20:43.979 --> 02:20:46.520 the last afi record well they kind of like played 3001 02:20:46.540 --> 02:20:49.420 with that a bit um but like again i think 3002 02:20:49.520 --> 02:20:51.750 like is i think maybe the first of them like 3003 02:20:51.760 --> 02:20:55.370 i think um don't look back again loads of drama 3004 02:20:55.389 --> 02:20:59.389 in the vocals it's major and triumphant but like it's 3005 02:20:59.409 --> 02:21:01.209 got that's got that kind of cool goth disco beat 3006 02:21:01.229 --> 02:21:03.930 on the drum that kind of like lets it sort 3007 02:21:03.950 --> 02:21:05.709 of shuffle along and kind of has it has a 3008 02:21:05.829 --> 02:21:07.790 cool that sort of little goth. 3009 02:21:07.610 --> 02:21:09.489 Dance vibe to it that i'm always going to enjoy i. 3010 02:21:10.010 --> 02:21:12.290 Think like i said these songs i don't dislike any 3011 02:21:12.309 --> 02:21:14.180 of them i think some are just kind of like 3012 02:21:14.260 --> 02:21:16.399 a bit more disposable when the last candle dies i'm 3013 02:21:16.420 --> 02:21:19.319 like ah oh no no is that that one um. 3014 02:21:19.319 --> 02:21:21.579 Yeah i think that the first three songs i think 3015 02:21:21.620 --> 02:21:23.659 are really great and then that's the fourth track i 3016 02:21:23.680 --> 02:21:24.930 believe and it's the first one that to me kind 3017 02:21:24.950 --> 02:21:26.590 of feels like a snap track you know. 3018 02:21:27.040 --> 02:21:29.319 Yeah, that's something I'm like in the hands of Unto Others. 3019 02:21:29.420 --> 02:21:31.239 I think that song would be fucking brilliant because they 3020 02:21:31.260 --> 02:21:34.520 could bring so much more character and dynamics to it. 3021 02:21:34.569 --> 02:21:37.989 Whereas in here, I'm like, yeah, it's a decent goth 3022 02:21:38.010 --> 02:21:40.030 metal song, but it doesn't like in my notes. I 3023 02:21:40.030 --> 02:21:41.049 was kind of like running out of things to say 3024 02:21:41.069 --> 02:21:42.969 about it because it was just kind of like, yeah, 3025 02:21:42.989 --> 02:21:45.030 it kind of exists. And they've kind of shown me 3026 02:21:45.049 --> 02:21:46.549 all the things I do. But I still don't think 3027 02:21:46.690 --> 02:21:49.889 it's bad. I still kind of like was having a 3028 02:21:49.930 --> 02:21:50.700 pleasant time with it on. 3029 02:21:51.809 --> 02:21:53.930 Yeah, I mean, When the Last Candle Dies, for the record, 3030 02:21:54.250 --> 02:21:55.750 I really like that song. I think it sounds like 3031 02:21:55.770 --> 02:21:58.409 a training montage for the Grim Reaper, but I will 3032 02:21:59.250 --> 02:22:00.879 concede that by that point in the record that we're 3033 02:22:00.899 --> 02:22:04.819 not getting many new ideas beyond that. But I do 3034 02:22:04.860 --> 02:22:06.840 think they saved some of their more interesting, well, not 3035 02:22:06.860 --> 02:22:09.540 even more interesting, but just more rousing choruses. Like The 3036 02:22:09.579 --> 02:22:11.239 Shape of Sorrow comes right near the end of the record, 3037 02:22:11.260 --> 02:22:13.180 and I think that's got one of the most striking 3038 02:22:13.229 --> 02:22:16.950 choruses of the bunch. Or The Watcher of the Burning Veil, 3039 02:22:17.129 --> 02:22:19.569 which they go a bit more nightfall candle mass on 3040 02:22:19.610 --> 02:22:21.190 that one. but it also goes a bit faster at 3041 02:22:21.209 --> 02:22:23.770 the end. That's one of the more dynamic songs. I'm 3042 02:22:23.879 --> 02:22:25.620 not sure they have quite the aura to carry off 3043 02:22:25.639 --> 02:22:27.600 going off full Doug Bradley at the end, like the 3044 02:22:27.620 --> 02:22:31.239 way that Craig LaFilth do it. It's so good. It 3045 02:22:31.799 --> 02:22:34.979 doesn't quite map onto them so nicely, but it's not 3046 02:22:35.000 --> 02:22:37.180 a bad thing to throw in something that bold towards 3047 02:22:37.200 --> 02:22:39.530 the end. I do think maybe the album could do 3048 02:22:39.549 --> 02:22:42.170 with a bit more punch, more of those moments where 3049 02:22:42.190 --> 02:22:45.450 it really grabs the ear. But at the same time, 3050 02:22:45.889 --> 02:22:49.409 there's nothing wrong with putting a record on that's consistent 3051 02:22:49.450 --> 02:22:52.139 and pleasant all the way through, and fulfills its mood. 3052 02:22:52.899 --> 02:22:56.319 For sure. I mean, The Veins of Time has, dare 3053 02:22:56.360 --> 02:22:58.280 I say, a bit of Thin Lizzy in there, where 3054 02:22:58.299 --> 02:23:00.920 that chorus, where he adopts that kind of lower register, 3055 02:23:01.200 --> 02:23:02.639 it's a bit like, oh yeah, that's what Phil Linnet 3056 02:23:02.659 --> 02:23:04.219 would sound like if he had a Sisters of Mercy 3057 02:23:04.260 --> 02:23:07.079 phase in the 80s, which is a cool flavour I'm 3058 02:23:07.120 --> 02:23:09.469 here for. The Watcher of the Burning Veil, I think, 3059 02:23:10.049 --> 02:23:11.850 is my second favourite song on the record, because I 3060 02:23:11.909 --> 02:23:15.209 love when they can't help sounding particularly German as well. 3061 02:23:15.229 --> 02:23:18.969 It's like, you can... dress up like an English goth 3062 02:23:19.030 --> 02:23:20.889 rock band all you like but I know you have 3063 02:23:20.950 --> 02:23:23.329 spent far too much time at Wacken Festival and that 3064 02:23:23.569 --> 02:23:26.989 I seek the truth and ride through forlorn lands followed 3065 02:23:27.010 --> 02:23:29.350 by a woe doing the same thing and then that 3066 02:23:29.850 --> 02:23:32.750 demonic monster voice spoken word bridge you're talking about it's 3067 02:23:32.850 --> 02:23:36.649 pure like maiden worship by the German heavy metal circuit 3068 02:23:37.030 --> 02:23:39.430 utterly unafraid of cheese and I'm here for it I 3069 02:23:39.450 --> 02:23:40.729 think it's cool and it is like a really well 3070 02:23:40.750 --> 02:23:42.979 arranged song I do think again we've all kind of 3071 02:23:43.000 --> 02:23:45.450 said it the problem with the Night of Turtles is 3072 02:23:45.469 --> 02:23:48.649 they're doing a thing i think very well that already 3073 02:23:48.709 --> 02:23:52.610 has a handful of world-class bands occupying it and they're 3074 02:23:52.790 --> 02:23:57.420 not as absolutely you know mercurial as unto others or 3075 02:23:57.479 --> 02:24:00.280 in solitude were they're not as i think even though 3076 02:24:00.299 --> 02:24:02.100 i think they do this flavor well they're not as 3077 02:24:02.340 --> 02:24:05.920 absolutely anthemic fuck me why aren't this band massive as 3078 02:24:05.940 --> 02:24:08.590 you know summerlands with with dream killer coming out um 3079 02:24:09.079 --> 02:24:12.969 it's not as like high energy and attitude fuelled either 3080 02:24:13.010 --> 02:24:14.290 as like, you know, when Unto Others go the other 3081 02:24:14.309 --> 02:24:15.670 way from the goth stuff and knock out a really 3082 02:24:15.690 --> 02:24:18.930 crazy one. Or, you know, another example, the trad metal 3083 02:24:18.950 --> 02:24:20.489 album from this year that we spoke about recently at 3084 02:24:20.510 --> 02:24:22.809 the end of our Black Breath special, right? This, I 3085 02:24:22.829 --> 02:24:25.770 think it is like all, you know, pretty yearning all 3086 02:24:25.799 --> 02:24:27.040 the way through. And I think as a result, you 3087 02:24:27.079 --> 02:24:28.719 do get into some of the album tracks and they 3088 02:24:28.739 --> 02:24:30.719 come off a bit like, you know, lesser versions of 3089 02:24:30.760 --> 02:24:33.200 the singles. They've not caught quite as many modes. It 3090 02:24:33.360 --> 02:24:35.620 is basically just a lot of like, you know, over 3091 02:24:35.639 --> 02:24:38.180 the course of the album. But I think, you know, 3092 02:24:38.940 --> 02:24:40.319 Four out of the eight songs on this, I think, 3093 02:24:40.340 --> 02:24:42.989 are crackers. And the other four are pretty fine. And 3094 02:24:43.000 --> 02:24:46.629 I think that they have got enough accessible, broader appeal. Again, 3095 02:24:46.670 --> 02:24:49.110 I saw them supporting Blind Guardian. Maybe with this record, 3096 02:24:49.129 --> 02:24:52.190 you could see them supporting a ghost or a merciful fate. 3097 02:24:52.229 --> 02:24:53.729 Or even, I imagine, if they can pull them away 3098 02:24:54.030 --> 02:24:59.420 from their children for one tour. Really giving it a go. So, 3099 02:25:00.180 --> 02:25:01.260 if you are a fan of the kind of things 3100 02:25:01.280 --> 02:25:03.020 that we are talking about, here is another, you know, 3101 02:25:03.059 --> 02:25:04.760 goth heavy metal joining the fray, who I think are 3102 02:25:04.780 --> 02:25:07.120 really enjoyable with it. So, The Night Eternal and Cold 3103 02:25:07.139 --> 02:25:09.139 Velvet is the name of that album. And finally, our 3104 02:25:09.280 --> 02:25:12.600 real delving into the underground picks this month, although this 3105 02:25:12.649 --> 02:25:14.370 one came out a little while ago, but Elliot, you 3106 02:25:14.389 --> 02:25:17.350 have brought it forward. The band are called Zorn, like 3107 02:25:17.450 --> 02:25:20.149 John Zorn. Unfortunately, no connection there that I can tell, 3108 02:25:20.430 --> 02:25:25.750 but Z-O-R-N and Return to Castle Death is the name 3109 02:25:25.809 --> 02:25:29.750 of the album. We have gone full castle fucking... dungeon 3110 02:25:29.799 --> 02:25:32.139 crawling in the last couple of these reviews. Elliot, how 3111 02:25:32.180 --> 02:25:34.280 did Zorn come onto your radar, and what made you 3112 02:25:34.299 --> 02:25:34.700 bring them forward? 3113 02:25:35.340 --> 02:25:37.440 Well, you've just preempted it there, but I'd been hearing 3114 02:25:37.459 --> 02:25:39.760 the buzz that the new Zorn album was really good, 3115 02:25:39.979 --> 02:25:42.020 and I thought, John Zorn? Like, what's he up to 3116 02:25:42.040 --> 02:25:42.440 these days? 3117 02:25:42.459 --> 02:25:43.159 John's back! 3118 02:25:44.159 --> 02:25:44.879 The Johnny boy! 3119 02:25:44.899 --> 02:25:46.860 You're wearing some weird makeup these days! 3120 02:25:48.120 --> 02:25:49.239 Well, literally, I was like. 3121 02:25:49.540 --> 02:25:50.299 What's with the cape? 3122 02:25:50.739 --> 02:25:54.500 That's not a very John Zorn-y title. And then I 3123 02:25:55.100 --> 02:25:56.540 found it out. I put it on. I found it 3124 02:25:56.559 --> 02:25:59.700 wasn't John Zorn, and was... an atom of a millisecond, 3125 02:25:59.739 --> 02:26:03.600 slightly deflated, but then was entirely inflated once again, because 3126 02:26:03.659 --> 02:26:09.500 this has been one of my favourite underground discoveries of 3127 02:26:09.559 --> 02:26:13.729 this year. I wasn't expecting to talk about it, let's say, 3128 02:26:13.750 --> 02:26:15.120 on the show, because I got to it a bit late, 3129 02:26:15.610 --> 02:26:17.270 but the more I've listened to it, the more I've 3130 02:26:17.309 --> 02:26:22.549 wanted to, and again, for a band as off-kilter as 3131 02:26:22.569 --> 02:26:25.209 we're about to get into, and weird, and on the 3132 02:26:25.229 --> 02:26:29.899 face for off-putting, I've come to know that among you 3133 02:26:29.940 --> 02:26:32.459 guys and among the audience and stuff like that, there 3134 02:26:32.520 --> 02:26:39.280 is a serious hankering for maverick, weird, underground metal which 3135 02:26:39.479 --> 02:26:43.860 operates somewhere between the dungeon synth and the speed metal 3136 02:26:44.579 --> 02:26:48.649 and the crust. And Zorn, they live in that Venn 3137 02:26:48.690 --> 02:26:54.809 diagram as well and are arguably one of the most eccentric, batshit-sounding... 3138 02:26:55.280 --> 02:26:59.629 Of the bands in that whole world And Without saying 3139 02:26:59.649 --> 02:27:02.010 too much I am head over heels for what they're 3140 02:27:02.030 --> 02:27:03.290 doing Yeah well. 3141 02:27:03.190 --> 02:27:05.350 It's interesting that this is part of I think what 3142 02:27:05.370 --> 02:27:08.770 we have seen developing recently Is a clear like codified 3143 02:27:08.889 --> 02:27:11.729 wave Of like a certain kind of sound Where this 3144 02:27:11.790 --> 02:27:15.629 is like absolutely That sort of feral, demented Black metal 3145 02:27:15.670 --> 02:27:19.920 punk Of you know Characterised by bands such as Devilmaster 3146 02:27:20.170 --> 02:27:23.510 Who are inspired by Japanese punk bands Like Jizzm but 3147 02:27:23.549 --> 02:27:26.250 then mixing it in with like vampiric black metal and 3148 02:27:26.270 --> 02:27:28.049 a bit of death rock i wasn't at all surprised 3149 02:27:28.069 --> 02:27:30.229 when i pulled this up and they were from philadelphia 3150 02:27:30.270 --> 02:27:34.049 pennsylvania because that's where devil master and spider and cape 3151 02:27:34.090 --> 02:27:35.950 of bats it's like where all these bands kind of 3152 02:27:35.989 --> 02:27:37.870 scene sort of hangs out you know and I think 3153 02:27:37.909 --> 02:27:39.770 it's fun you know just academically that we are here 3154 02:27:39.809 --> 02:27:41.709 in the 2020s you know so many years into you 3155 02:27:41.729 --> 02:27:43.409 know punk and extreme metal and all these things history 3156 02:27:43.989 --> 02:27:47.450 and we are still getting these like specific strains of 3157 02:27:47.579 --> 02:27:51.139 underground extreme music that are becoming like their own codified 3158 02:27:51.170 --> 02:27:52.479 thing like I don't know if this really has a 3159 02:27:53.020 --> 02:27:55.500 quite a name yet but this sort of like you 3160 02:27:55.520 --> 02:27:58.040 know devil punk thing that this and Devilmaster these kind 3161 02:27:58.059 --> 02:28:00.399 of bands and Spider deal in does feel like it's 3162 02:28:00.690 --> 02:28:03.020 it's very now you know in a way similar maybe 3163 02:28:03.059 --> 02:28:04.420 to what we said about some of the recent oy 3164 02:28:04.440 --> 02:28:05.899 stuff and how that feels like you know very now 3165 02:28:05.940 --> 02:28:07.180 and that's like poison ruin and that kind of thing 3166 02:28:08.049 --> 02:28:10.879 and obviously We like that stuff. So yeah, it's good fun. 3167 02:28:11.579 --> 02:28:14.459 Second full-length album, one of their earlier demos was called 3168 02:28:14.520 --> 02:28:16.260 Castle of Death. So I guess that that is what 3169 02:28:16.280 --> 02:28:19.620 we are returning to. I presume there are lore reasons. 3170 02:28:19.639 --> 02:28:22.059 I don't know. It's another 20-minute record. It's even shorter 3171 02:28:22.079 --> 02:28:23.440 than the Living Weapon one, actually. So we have got 3172 02:28:23.459 --> 02:28:27.069 some brisk ones for you this month. And it is erratic, mad. 3173 02:28:27.670 --> 02:28:29.309 I knew this band would be cool when their promo 3174 02:28:29.329 --> 02:28:31.250 picture on Bandcamp has one of them in a coffin 3175 02:28:31.530 --> 02:28:33.610 and the rest of them in hooded robes standing around 3176 02:28:33.649 --> 02:28:35.850 that coffin pointing guns at him. Like one of them 3177 02:28:35.870 --> 02:28:37.829 has a fucking AK. One of them has a fucking 3178 02:28:37.850 --> 02:28:42.850 AK-47 that they're pointing at, I think their singer, buried 3179 02:28:42.930 --> 02:28:46.139 in the coffin. Nosferatu would have been very different if 3180 02:28:46.219 --> 02:28:48.840 one of them pulled up with a Kalashnikov. And that's 3181 02:28:48.860 --> 02:28:51.500 the vibe that Zorn are giving off. And also, one 3182 02:28:51.520 --> 02:28:54.760 of them is called Zbulba, like the Star Wars character, 3183 02:28:54.860 --> 02:28:59.010 the Podracer from Phantom Menace, the Zbulba. But yeah, it's 3184 02:28:59.069 --> 02:29:00.850 simply a right laugh, isn't it? 3185 02:29:01.680 --> 02:29:04.319 Elliot, thank you for putting this on my radar. I 3186 02:29:04.360 --> 02:29:09.040 have had so much fun with this. Again, this kind of, like, 3187 02:29:09.559 --> 02:29:11.969 blackened punk thing, it's been a bit of a new 3188 02:29:12.030 --> 02:29:13.770 over to me, but, like, I've come to it and 3189 02:29:13.790 --> 02:29:15.950 I've just sort of found these bands so. 3190 02:29:16.110 --> 02:29:18.610 Easy to just sort of fall for because. 3191 02:29:18.409 --> 02:29:20.069 They are mavericks. 3192 02:29:20.110 --> 02:29:22.920 They are renegades. They are marching to their own beat. 3193 02:29:23.479 --> 02:29:27.120 And what that beat is, is just ragged... black and 3194 02:29:27.360 --> 02:29:30.079 crusty punk yeah and here's the thing like like i 3195 02:29:30.079 --> 02:29:31.809 mean the first song i was like this is pretty 3196 02:29:31.829 --> 02:29:34.690 good and like ending with him coughing because he's been 3197 02:29:34.750 --> 02:29:37.170 screaming so hard just made me laugh yeah then the 3198 02:29:37.190 --> 02:29:41.879 moment you get into catholic girls and that punk attitude 3199 02:29:43.239 --> 02:29:46.420 cranks up and you're getting this hacking riff this rocking 3200 02:29:46.440 --> 02:29:48.959 beat and the dude screeched like a maniac which i'm 3201 02:29:49.000 --> 02:29:51.280 guessing he's screeching about catholic girls i haven't read the 3202 02:29:51.309 --> 02:29:53.590 lyrics so i can't be sure i was like this 3203 02:29:53.729 --> 02:29:57.510 is recently has like completely rewired the way my brain 3204 02:29:57.530 --> 02:30:00.430 works in reviewing albums but i'm like this has speed 3205 02:30:00.870 --> 02:30:04.350 it rips it is heavy it is loud it's doing 3206 02:30:04.430 --> 02:30:06.190 all the things that i think all good albums should 3207 02:30:06.250 --> 02:30:10.590 actually do and i think this is unbelievably good fun 3208 02:30:11.049 --> 02:30:14.739 curse of the black witch fucking hell yeah that half 3209 02:30:14.780 --> 02:30:17.899 time stomp is so hard and the thing is also 3210 02:30:18.020 --> 02:30:20.579 as like scrappy and speedy as this album is got 3211 02:30:20.680 --> 02:30:23.059 really locked in rhythm section who keep it fucking like 3212 02:30:23.079 --> 02:30:27.260 together the drummer is fucking sick and that's the thing 3213 02:30:27.280 --> 02:30:29.520 that really sort of stood out to me in this 3214 02:30:29.569 --> 02:30:31.649 album is that like it's scrappy and all over the 3215 02:30:31.670 --> 02:30:34.729 place but their rhythm section is fucking holding it down 3216 02:30:35.110 --> 02:30:36.809 and that's what keeps these songs from ever kind of 3217 02:30:36.829 --> 02:30:39.629 like falling apart and getting too unwieldy because it's got 3218 02:30:39.670 --> 02:30:42.329 that sort of like that core that's sort of like 3219 02:30:42.809 --> 02:30:45.290 punching and hammering away fucking sick. 3220 02:30:45.090 --> 02:30:47.489 Stuff yeah the thing that actually surprised me about this 3221 02:30:47.530 --> 02:30:50.120 is how tight it was like even in the in 3222 02:30:50.139 --> 02:30:53.159 the recording i think the recording on this is really 3223 02:30:53.219 --> 02:30:54.540 good and like yeah it's not going to sound like 3224 02:30:54.559 --> 02:30:57.299 the fucking new beartooth album that's come out today right 3225 02:30:57.540 --> 02:30:59.700 um the production on this kind of thing you have 3226 02:30:59.739 --> 02:31:02.260 to have some kind of like reverb castle dungeon quality 3227 02:31:02.309 --> 02:31:05.209 to it but uh you listen to the drum kit 3228 02:31:05.450 --> 02:31:07.750 on this and it there's real clarity to it this 3229 02:31:07.770 --> 02:31:11.010 really direct punch to it and the lead guitars are 3230 02:31:11.049 --> 02:31:13.750 shredding and they're quite gaugeable as well the bass guitar 3231 02:31:13.790 --> 02:31:16.370 is really thick like it is a nicely put together 3232 02:31:16.889 --> 02:31:19.469 punchy yeah kind of punk metal record and that means 3233 02:31:19.489 --> 02:31:21.030 that when it does start going like you know when 3234 02:31:21.549 --> 02:31:22.770 the beat in the bass line at the start of 3235 02:31:22.790 --> 02:31:24.829 curse of the black witch going or whatever it just 3236 02:31:24.850 --> 02:31:28.770 sounds so again punchy and um clear that it kind 3237 02:31:28.799 --> 02:31:31.379 of gets you in the door with with minimal problems 3238 02:31:31.440 --> 02:31:35.079 compared to maybe some of the other slightly more um 3239 02:31:35.319 --> 02:31:38.200 you know slipshod kind of records in this vein do 3240 02:31:38.459 --> 02:31:38.780 are out. 3241 02:31:38.739 --> 02:31:41.780 There Yeah, you compare this to one of the really 3242 02:31:41.840 --> 02:31:44.860 early Poison Ruin albums or, you know, Fel Omen, stuff 3243 02:31:44.879 --> 02:31:48.319 that gets really sloppy, and that stuff has immense charm 3244 02:31:48.340 --> 02:31:50.280 to it, and there are brilliant songs wrapped up in 3245 02:31:50.329 --> 02:31:54.450 that sort of puzzle box they force you to contend with, 3246 02:31:54.489 --> 02:31:56.530 but the reason why I was happy to bring this 3247 02:31:56.590 --> 02:32:00.329 on is because I just think it's weirdly, I don't 3248 02:32:00.430 --> 02:32:03.110 want to say agreeable, because it is mental sounding, but 3249 02:32:03.409 --> 02:32:05.450 the band are locked in, and it's easy to go 3250 02:32:05.500 --> 02:32:07.559 along with it when the band sound like they know 3251 02:32:07.579 --> 02:32:10.069 what they're doing, and again i just love listening to 3252 02:32:10.110 --> 02:32:12.170 a band where it feels like everyone's competing to be 3253 02:32:12.209 --> 02:32:14.809 the mvp and that's exactly what it sounds like everyone's 3254 02:32:14.829 --> 02:32:17.219 trying to play louder everyone's trying to play faster some 3255 02:32:17.379 --> 02:32:20.659 it's like that great uh napalm death joke about like 3256 02:32:20.670 --> 02:32:22.299 their band practices whereas first gets the end of the 3257 02:32:22.319 --> 02:32:24.540 song wins like it's it's got that to it whereas 3258 02:32:24.579 --> 02:32:26.719 i keep speeding up and going harder and faster and 3259 02:32:27.059 --> 02:32:30.760 just inexhaustible and that stretches to the singer who has 3260 02:32:30.959 --> 02:32:36.459 one of the most striking ear-piercing yowling wretches that i've 3261 02:32:36.500 --> 02:32:38.729 heard from a young band in some times the point 3262 02:32:38.750 --> 02:32:39.729 where like you say at the end of kill him 3263 02:32:39.750 --> 02:32:42.790 with poison where oh it ends with a reverb thing 3264 02:32:42.809 --> 02:32:46.510 of him sputtering and it's just like that's two minutes 3265 02:32:46.569 --> 02:32:48.690 in and he's completely exhausted like you don't know he's 3266 02:32:48.709 --> 02:32:49.750 going to make it all the way to the end 3267 02:32:50.110 --> 02:32:53.190 but then even between these again he is singing about 3268 02:32:53.229 --> 02:32:54.870 catholic girls he's not really doing it in a teacher's 3269 02:32:54.909 --> 02:32:57.719 pet way it is more like the catholic he's terrified 3270 02:32:57.750 --> 02:33:01.299 of the catholic girls but it's you're right but he's 3271 02:33:01.340 --> 02:33:03.930 that's what that is what he's screaming about But along 3272 02:33:03.969 --> 02:33:08.989 the way, he does manage to find the weirdest hooks. Again, 3273 02:33:09.329 --> 02:33:11.850 I've not heard on an album since Venom, or perhaps 3274 02:33:11.899 --> 02:33:13.299 before that. The one, and I don't know if anyone 3275 02:33:13.319 --> 02:33:15.159 else has picked up on it, but I was driving... 3276 02:33:16.059 --> 02:33:18.000 I had to pull over because I was laughing so hard. 3277 02:33:18.059 --> 02:33:19.120 All right, all right, all right. 3278 02:33:19.219 --> 02:33:22.139 Okay, okay, okay, okay. 3279 02:33:22.200 --> 02:33:25.639 I'm howling with laughter. That was the moment where I 3280 02:33:25.659 --> 02:33:28.360 was like, I love this album. I need a bit 3281 02:33:28.420 --> 02:33:29.049 to be critical. 3282 02:33:29.600 --> 02:33:31.690 Went on Black Dog Marks. So I go like, yeah, 3283 02:33:31.729 --> 02:33:34.610 this is a stupid album. But my God is that 3284 02:33:34.649 --> 02:33:38.450 stupidity endearing. And it's just like ripping hard. And I 3285 02:33:38.469 --> 02:33:40.549 just want to shout, all right, all right, all right. 3286 02:33:40.569 --> 02:33:40.930 Okay, okay, okay. 3287 02:33:40.989 --> 02:33:41.770 All right, all right, all right. 3288 02:33:42.549 --> 02:33:44.930 It's such an unhinged performance compared to, again, some of 3289 02:33:44.950 --> 02:33:47.170 these other, like, devil punk type bands. He does have a, 3290 02:33:47.659 --> 02:33:49.979 he's not just doing a black metal rasp. He does, like, really, like, 3291 02:33:50.000 --> 02:33:53.680 he veers maniacally from, like, gruff to super shrill. And 3292 02:33:53.700 --> 02:33:56.420 he sounds like he's, like, you know, being tortured into 3293 02:33:56.469 --> 02:33:59.129 the form of a bat. And then he starts doing 3294 02:33:59.170 --> 02:34:02.200 such a weirdly fun rock and roll thing. that like 3295 02:34:02.219 --> 02:34:04.799 you know turban negro or someone would do like on 3296 02:34:04.840 --> 02:34:07.139 that and it is like it's really fun and then 3297 02:34:07.200 --> 02:34:09.819 like flip side ready to kill he is just pure 3298 02:34:10.020 --> 02:34:14.610 screeching violence which also bingo card insanely sick roto tom 3299 02:34:14.629 --> 02:34:16.329 phil all around yes in the. 3300 02:34:16.229 --> 02:34:18.610 Middle like mention that my notes well always love a 3301 02:34:18.610 --> 02:34:20.930 good roto tom yeah keep i think. 3302 02:34:20.829 --> 02:34:23.290 The drummer is really good like he he's Really, like 3303 02:34:23.389 --> 02:34:24.889 I say, fast, energetic, trying to get to the end 3304 02:34:24.909 --> 02:34:26.790 song for everyone else, but he does swing through a 3305 02:34:26.889 --> 02:34:29.090 bunch of different rhythms. He'll throw in, like, a blast 3306 02:34:29.139 --> 02:34:31.180 for a bar, and then some kind of, like, kooky, 3307 02:34:31.260 --> 02:34:34.319 swinging post-punk feel. Like, it's very dexterous, and the best 3308 02:34:34.340 --> 02:34:37.989 moment for me is the comparatively lengthy closing track, Guests 3309 02:34:38.010 --> 02:34:40.719 of the Mad Prince, which... It does waste no time 3310 02:34:40.799 --> 02:34:42.500 considering that Like it is straight into the cross punk 3311 02:34:42.540 --> 02:34:45.159 beats But it does have like I think Curse of 3312 02:34:45.180 --> 02:34:46.620 the Black Witch is similar They go through quite a 3313 02:34:46.659 --> 02:34:50.440 lot of actually like Feels and sections Like it's dexterous 3314 02:34:50.459 --> 02:34:52.360 with the feel changes And that leads to the point 3315 02:34:52.420 --> 02:34:55.750 in that closing song When all of that spooky Playfulness 3316 02:34:55.790 --> 02:35:00.090 instrumentation Peaks when the fucking organ comes in And that 3317 02:35:00.149 --> 02:35:02.430 is just Literally that is right at the end of 3318 02:35:02.450 --> 02:35:03.909 the record But that is the moment where the record 3319 02:35:03.969 --> 02:35:07.469 just fully Sealed itself and came full circle To be 3320 02:35:07.489 --> 02:35:08.250 able to be like yes. 3321 02:35:09.059 --> 02:35:11.620 I can't believe I love, I can't believe I love 3322 02:35:11.659 --> 02:35:15.500 a keyboard solo, but the keyboard solo in that closing track, 3323 02:35:15.979 --> 02:35:19.280 maybe the only good one ever. Like, um, it is 3324 02:35:19.780 --> 02:35:22.500 like just, I cackled with laughter again when that came 3325 02:35:22.579 --> 02:35:24.500 in and it's like, yeah, this is what you, you 3326 02:35:24.540 --> 02:35:26.579 throw this in at the end on your, like your 3327 02:35:26.600 --> 02:35:29.489 whopping four minute closer, that kind of, again, that song 3328 02:35:29.500 --> 02:35:30.930 kind of just mashes together a lot of the course 3329 02:35:30.969 --> 02:35:32.889 of you've kind of heard across the record, but then 3330 02:35:32.909 --> 02:35:36.629 just kind of frozen even more insane ideas like a 3331 02:35:36.649 --> 02:35:38.709 keyboard solo. And I was going to just like, I 3332 02:35:38.729 --> 02:35:41.709 can go for it, Zorn. You are the maniacs who 3333 02:35:41.729 --> 02:35:42.680 can pull this shit off. 3334 02:35:42.770 --> 02:35:43.469 It is a joy. 3335 02:35:44.549 --> 02:35:49.969 You can only imagine how I ascended when that double-handed 3336 02:35:50.030 --> 02:35:53.559 keyboard solo comes in. And it fits so well. It's 3337 02:35:53.590 --> 02:35:56.299 not like it's sat atop the mix like a joke. 3338 02:35:56.420 --> 02:36:01.299 It's woven into this vampiric swords and sorcery world, which 3339 02:36:01.340 --> 02:36:05.180 they're working on the same record as Catholic Girls and alright, alright, alright, okay. 3340 02:36:05.239 --> 02:36:05.760 Okay, okay. 3341 02:36:06.219 --> 02:36:08.809 And gotta say, talking about the lyrics... Not that you 3342 02:36:08.829 --> 02:36:10.690 can tell, because it does sound like he's being burned alive, 3343 02:36:11.049 --> 02:36:12.850 but you read some of the lyrics to this, and 3344 02:36:13.690 --> 02:36:15.309 they're hard as nails. One of the best comes on 3345 02:36:15.549 --> 02:36:18.329 Guest of the Mad Prince, where there's these four lines, 3346 02:36:18.450 --> 02:36:20.840 where it goes, Lone assassin on a mission from God, 3347 02:36:21.000 --> 02:36:23.440 armed and on the loose, like a spider weaving his web, 3348 02:36:23.540 --> 02:36:28.420 tying a cobweb noose. Fucking, like, that's good goth work, that. 3349 02:36:29.979 --> 02:36:32.340 And again, I just love that, again, just the whole, 3350 02:36:32.399 --> 02:36:36.239 the fact, seven songs, 20 minutes, some people might say 3351 02:36:36.260 --> 02:36:38.809 it doesn't count as an album, It's like Seasons, in 3352 02:36:38.850 --> 02:36:42.450 a way. It's a similar structure, but in terms of 3353 02:36:43.719 --> 02:36:47.899 bang for your buck, this feels too larger than life 3354 02:36:48.200 --> 02:36:50.379 to be an EP. Do you know what I mean? 3355 02:36:50.559 --> 02:36:52.780 This is a record, because there's so much going on, 3356 02:36:53.500 --> 02:36:57.559 and they throw so much at you with such devilish abandon, 3357 02:36:57.940 --> 02:36:59.459 that by the time you get to a keyboard solo 3358 02:36:59.479 --> 02:37:02.159 at the end, as brilliant as it is, and though 3359 02:37:02.180 --> 02:37:05.459 it is a left hook, it doesn't sound completely mad. 3360 02:37:05.479 --> 02:37:08.250 It's just like, yeah, go on lads like you've. 3361 02:37:08.129 --> 02:37:11.030 Earned it yeah they're live shows look wild they've got 3362 02:37:11.049 --> 02:37:13.659 all sorts of like fire breathing and like big monster 3363 02:37:13.739 --> 02:37:16.799 props and like it's like a real carnival bazaar unfortunately 3364 02:37:16.819 --> 02:37:18.739 i can't see him making it over here because it's 3365 02:37:18.760 --> 02:37:21.379 such a small thing but i if you like this 3366 02:37:21.420 --> 02:37:24.510 kind of new strain of like you know spooky black 3367 02:37:24.530 --> 02:37:26.670 and punk that's kind of codified over the last couple 3368 02:37:26.709 --> 02:37:28.450 years like we said then this is another band for 3369 02:37:28.489 --> 02:37:30.790 you that we recommend it's called Zorn and it's Return 3370 02:37:30.829 --> 02:37:34.559 to Castle Death that is our six album review gauntlet 3371 02:37:34.719 --> 02:37:37.299 for the last few weeks of August let us know 3372 02:37:37.340 --> 02:37:40.780 what you made of that bunch next time on the 3373 02:37:40.819 --> 02:37:44.040 review show obviously of course there are a few albums 3374 02:37:44.100 --> 02:37:46.360 out today one in particular the Mastodon album I think 3375 02:37:46.379 --> 02:37:48.190 we will need a couple of weeks to digest that 3376 02:37:48.270 --> 02:37:49.950 one but that will be in the next reviews bag 3377 02:37:49.969 --> 02:37:52.690 we do right now as we said uh what do 3378 02:37:52.729 --> 02:37:55.750 you make of that little bunch uh very curious about 3379 02:37:55.870 --> 02:37:57.709 people what people make about for example the you know 3380 02:37:57.729 --> 02:38:00.469 just the the um the strategy and the kind of 3381 02:38:00.489 --> 02:38:03.010 structuring of the electric cool boy album for instance what 3382 02:38:03.090 --> 02:38:06.659 side are you falling onto with the chelsea wolf album 3383 02:38:06.840 --> 02:38:08.719 what side are you falling onto with the weezer having 3384 02:38:08.760 --> 02:38:11.280 the gold album uh living weapon in the night eternal 3385 02:38:11.639 --> 02:38:15.319 as well and next week will be a look back 3386 02:38:15.379 --> 02:38:16.780 as we said it will be returned to hyperblast but 3387 02:38:16.799 --> 02:38:19.120 we are going to wrap up what this past week 3388 02:38:19.180 --> 02:38:24.000 has been for us with huge UK shows, with Deftones, 3389 02:38:24.049 --> 02:38:28.409 The Cure, AFI. All of those feelings will come out 3390 02:38:28.450 --> 02:38:30.610 next week, so you can join us there. Thanks, everyone. 3391 02:38:30.829 --> 02:38:32.290 All right, all right, okay, okay.