Reviews

Elektriske Plader

Moth Blood Mask / Echoes 7″

The latest from Copenhagen’s MOTH. The first song, a sauntering, reverb-soaked number, is reminiscent of the COCTEAU TWINS at their most morose. The second tune picks up the pace, for more of a post-punk/deathrock feel, and starts off with a bass line that would feel at home on a CURE record. Though not overly studied, this group shows a confidence of genre navigation that I imagine is at least partially the result of having been a band for nine-plus years. If you can still stand each other at that point, you can really make some magic.

Motorsav Sange Fra Sygdon LP

Opening with an impassioned rush of melodic Scandinavian punk riffs, MOTORSAV delivers a familiar sound with a sprinkle of synth lead on top to spice things up. The record progresses into darkwave territory that maintains a driving punk tempo while taking on a dreamy, ethereal tone, and then explodes back into blasting hardcore. All the songs are good, but the mood is a little all over the place. The melodic tracks have surprising twists and turns, with super-tight performance and dreaminess in the production quality. The synth adds depth, and makes the sound stand out within this genre. Definitely recommended for fans of dark, melodic punk like GORILLA ANGREB, MASSHYSTERI, or Portland’s the OBSERVERS.

V/A This Is Copenhagen: A Punk Rock Manifesto 2009-2019 LP

It seems odd to me having such a lavish scene retrospective for only the last ten years. It also seems crazy when the essays included within speak of bands like GORILLA ANGREB and NO HOPE FOR THE KIDS as those classic bands of yore. This is, of course, my age showing and what a beautifully packaged labor of love this record is. Clear vinyl and a top-notch book included with gorgeous photography and well-written essays from notable scene participants make this a must have for punk enthusiasts. The essays speak of a widely diverse scene and this record does a fair job in its portrait of such. Besides NIGHT FEVER, I can’t say I’m very familiar with the artists on this comp but it’s very diverse from the beautiful darkwave of MOTH to the slam and dance of MOTORSAV. From the ADVERTS-style melodic 77 punk of BIG MESS to the lush feminine synth-punk of KOLD FRONT, you get a nice mental photograph of a diverse and welcoming scene. My personal favorites are the freight train to the face core of NIGHT FEVER, the ENO-esque robotic jams of CHAINSAW EATERS, the URINALS-style art-punk of EVEN DWARVES, the D-beat thrash of DEATH TOKEN, ’80s Brazil raw punk of JUNTA, and the refreshing post-punk of MELTING WALKMEN. You can just feel the sticky-floored, smoked-filled rooms ripe with the sour stench of old Dutch lager. I say dive on in.

V/A All Hell Breaks Loose: A Tribute to the Misfits LP

This record raises the age-old question: do we really need another MISFITS tribute comp? Does that band, who long ago moved from cult favorite to Hot Topic mainstay, truly warrant more attention? I mean, we’re talking about a band whose “crimson ghost” shirt became so ubiquitous by 2010 that it threatened to undercut the value of the North American Punk Point. Well, whatever your view, it exists, so let’s deal. A lot of these songs play it straight, so if you enjoy a loving rendition of a popular standard, you will find it here. There’s an acoustic take on “Some Kind of Hate,” which will remind you, as if you needed it, just what a remarkable ear for melody these guys had. There are also some truly head-turning interpretations by the LOST LOVES and ST. DIGUE which I will not soon forget. So, like it or not, the MISFITS and their legacy will continue to lurch through the subculture like the living dead.