Tag Archives: Vancouver

SPECTRES: Nostalgia.

Posted on by

 

spectres

 

Today I had the day off work, and I’ve done nothing. Absolutely nothing, so it’s only right I try do something with my time. There’s a new record out today by Canada’s finest Post-Punk heroes, SPECTRES. They create intense atmosphere again on their new record. I wrote about Utopia which came out in 2016. Either on here or for Heatwave- I can’t remember. Either way, I’m a HUGE fan of theirs and I’m super excited to write about this record.

 Nostalgia is a sublime record, and for me I hold it as highly and as dear as I did with Utopia. I adore this dark and eerie sound that is delicately flowing through the record, and there’s a load of devotion too which you pick up in the vocals, and its devotion that just melts your heart. It’s the perfect record to listen to if you’re wanting to escape the news, and such. Or if you just want something to fill your heart up with something really pure and honest.

 There’s something about this record that reminds me so much of early Bauhaus and Sisters of Mercy, which for me is nothing short of perfect. I love the moody sounds of the bass and the guitar. I love the urgency in the drums, and the vocals are delivered in a way that makes you realise that this band are not to be messed with. They are the best at what they do, and this record firmly shows us just how much they’ve grown and how bold they are in experimenting in their sound.

 

 

Songs like Pictures from Occupied Europe have this pace to it that make you really soak up the urgency and brutality in the songs. When a bad is this unafraid to show us what they are made of, you cannot help but adore it and respect it. This is my favourite song from the record so far, but like with Utopia, you cannot just pick one solid favourite. The whole damn record is divine.

 The 9 songs on this record were made to pause you in your tracks and to just make you really think about what you’re listening to. You cannot help but feel that the ideal setting for listening to this record is in the pitch black whilst the rain falls hard and taps at your window. The alternative is taking a walk on a grey, foggy day and just play the record over and over; clear your head and free your mind. Fate and Insurgence are the perfect songs to do this to. I mean, the whole record is but these 2 songs in particular just feel like they made for this. I just love the sheer strength in this record and how you can truly hear and feel the growth in this band. I love how they can channel Seventeen Seconds by The Cure (similar eerie atmosphere) and go spooky like early Bauhaus too. There are nods to Joy Division too I think- the rhythm section oozes it, and it sounds so wonderful.

 Nostalgia has songs that are made to be chanted back at the band with such passion and vigor. I love everything about this record, which I’m sure you can sense. The Call sounds like the song they’d end their set on, there’s something about it that feels like it could close the show in such a majestic fashion. Again, it’s another highlight on the record and it’s met with Along the Waterfront which closes the record. This has a finality to it that’s perfect to closing the record. When the record ends, you feel like you need to take a deep breath, and as you breathe out you start the record all over again.

 

 

 

If you’re looking for a sullen record, but also one that will be a source of comfort- Nostalgia is for you. From start to finish it is nothing short of exceptional, and so worthy of all of your love and attention.

 Nostalgia is out now via Artoffact Records.

DEAD GHOSTS.

Posted on by

deadghosts

 

 

When you adapt the stance of trying to not give a shit, you need to find some music that fits with this. Music that just helps you stop caring. To stop caring about what doesn’t matter. Easier said than done, and that’s why words can be useless. Enough with the heavy, enough with not taking our own advice. Do whatever you want. Just be kind. Anyway.

Dead Ghosts are pretty damn cool. They have this relaxed sound that makes everything that’s crashing in your head seem trivial. Maybe it will end up being trivial anyway, if you don’t lose your mind in the process. I’ve probably lost mine- so much for trying to fix it. What good comes from that? Probably some. I stared at a blank screen for too long before typing any of this. It shows. Maybe I should have gone to the gym instead. It’s warmer there. Are my bones cold? My nose is. Dead Ghosts make you feel warm and as if you are in the presence of your best friend. They feel safe but still have a sound that is teetering on the edge of something unknown.

They remind me slightly of The Doors (early, early version mind) mixed with Punk. Obviously I love them, then. They are the kind of band that you probably need to see live in order to really “get it.” And if you can’t make it to a show, then you can create the scene in your mind. You can picture it, you can almost smell the stale beer being thrown around and people bashing into you in a friendly way as they let the music take them over. The fuzzy vocals echo in your ears. You’re sure of the set list so you learn the words by heart. You scream along. Sweat falls on you. It’s yours. It’s someone else’s. It doesn’t even matter.

Dead Ghosts are a band so easy to fall in love with. Well, for me they are because they’ve got everything I love about music wrapped up in their sound. There’s that slight Punk sound, some kind of lo-fi kick going on. It’s a mash up of everything I love, and the outcome is their glorious sound. A sound that makes you want to do a whole load of nothing. A sound that makes you want to make your own noise. What’s stopping you? Who is stopping you? Or you can just live vicariously through your band of choice. We’ve all done it. We all do it.

The more I listen to Dead Ghosts the more I feel like they aren’t a band from our time. They easily could have been around when the likes of Shocking Blue and The Pretty Things came out. A sound that a lot do try to emulate now, but not many have a grasp on it. Some take it too far and end up being a copy. Dead Ghosts don’t do that, not even slightly. If a band can take you from where you are, spin you around a couple of times and cast you off into another world- you’ve found a band to treasure for a long, long time. That’s exactly what Dead Ghosts will do to you.

They’ve been around for quite some time, but every listen feels like something new. Like something otherworldly grabbing your soul and pulverising you for your undivided attention as you listen to them. Let them grab you and take them where they want you to be taken with their music. Play it as loud as you can stand and drift off into another world.