Author: Jaret S. Young

Music Writer and Contributor for Sounds and Shadows and Cave Dweller Music. Multi-Instrumentalist for Wake-Up Screaming. Pizza snob and cat lover.

Sorrows by Warm Gadget

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Is it possible for a band to have a unique drum sound even if they don’t have a live drummer? I think so. 

Oregon’s Warm Gadget has come a long way from their punk-ish origins to create an industrial rock sound that is powerful and relentless, yet still allows for melody to creep its way into the mix. This is evident on their new release, Sorrows. The percussion parts are heavy as hell and will shake the fillings loose in your teeth; layered and intricate with a distinctive bombast. Drum programming is indeed an art form. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.

The lyrics on Sorrows are equally as in-your-face. Subjects such as conformity (The Masses), fucked-up relationships (Debutante), and the impermanence of society (Digging) are laid before us none too subtly. 

At eleven tracks (including three remixes), this sonic assault is quick and to the point without taxing your attention span. Debutante has the makings of a single, featuring vocals and guitar work from fellow Oregonian Page Hamilton of Helmet fame. Its singalong chorus and Hamilton’s distinctively screeching guitar solo make Debutante catchy and memorable.

Songs such as Unfollow are actually revived tracks from a few years ago that the band had left on the back burner until now. After letting the songs percolate for a suitable time, the end result was well worth the wait.

Even still, Sorrows is Warm Gadget’s strongest outing yet. These songs were best left until the band was ready for them; when every aspect of their playing and production skill was at its most polished and powerful. Recommended.

https://remissionentertainment.bandcamp.com/album/sorrows

SHOUT.DRUMS.DANCE by Gary Robert and Community

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One of the things I love about Gary Robert and Community is they’re consistent. They never disappoint. Even after seven albums, the songs remain fresh, powerful, and catchy. So it’s no surprise that SHOUT.DRUMS.DANCE, their new single, picks up right where 2022’s Black Palatte leaves off. Which is fitting because Black Palatte left many of us wanting more. 

Now that’s not to say that all of their songs sound the same. This new single shows the band’s goth-ier side; chorused, atmospheric guitars, droning vocals, and lyrics that are less than heartwarming. The lyrics take a harsh stab at religion and how one can live happily and find fulfillment without it. 

Overall, this moody yet driving track is enough to give The Sisters of Mercy a run for their money, with enough original flavor to keep it unique. 

According to Gary Robert, this is the first song of a full length release scheduled for next year. This is an ideal track for rockers who want to scratch their goth itch.

https://garyrobertandcommunity.bandcamp.com/track/shout-drums-dance

V by Ashes Fallen

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Ashes Fallen celebrate their fifth anniversary as a band with a clever sort-of reinvention of themselves in V, a trio of “what ifs”. By that, it’s meant that the band has issued this three-song EP of remixes to explore established songs with a fresh twist. The EP also shows the band’s altruistic side, as all proceeds will be donated to Doctors Without Borders.

The tracks are given a treatment which reimagines them as techno-pop jams instead of the more rock-oriented sound the band is more known for.

We Belong Nowhere (Diaspora Mix) immediately creates images of early-80s nostalgia, with its crunchy guitar riff and synth drum rhythm. Vocalist James Perry digs into the deeper end of his vocal range to give the track a moody sense of foreboding. Think of Rage In Eden-era Ultravox with a little Sisters of Mercy from the same time period thrown in and you get the idea.

Continuing on the same vibe, there’s Unrequited (Come Undone Mix). Perry explores a different vocal range from the previous track and shows his skill as a saxophonist as well. One doesn’t typically think of the sax as an instrument widely used in goth rock, but this is nothing short of a perfect fit to explore the moodier aspects of the track.

Damn Me (Ninth Circle Mix) is the heaviest track of the three, dipping into industrial territory with its layered, hard-edge drumbeat and an angry aggression to the guitar riff. Again, the sax is present, which lolls the listener in a false sense of comfort before jarring the listener with an abrupt transition which keeps the listening ear engaged. Damn Me is biting in its presentation and delightfully unpredictable in its delivery.

Ashes Fallen is James Perry, Michelle Perry, and Jason Shaw

Engineered, mixed, and mastered by James Perry
Cover photo by Michelle Perry, design by James and Michelle Perry

All in all, this is quite the refresher for Ashes Fallen fans as well as a delectable taste of what could have been with the original release of these songs.

https://ashesfallenmusic.bandcamp.com/album/v

Never Bleed / Incompatible by Fact Pattern

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Since coming off tour in 2023, LA’s Fact Pattern have been whetting our appetites for new material by releasing two singles a month apart.

Firstly, Never Bleed, released in April, is a postmodern love song that starts with a pulsating beat and builds melodically on the strength of Ian Flux’s vocals. Fact Pattern has never been afraid of powerful beats, but they seem to have raised the ante, courtesy of drummer Corey Hirsch and bassist Jack Lowd. With top-notch production formed with a keen ear for clarity and atmosphere, Never Bleed is a hard-hitting track that doesn’t sacrifice melody for the sake of heaviness.

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Next, Incompatible is a mid-May release that takes a fish-out-of-water look at the world: How does your faith jibe with reality, if at all? Fingers are pointed at religion, saying that one’s own personal beliefs may not be the panacea needed to make sense of life.

Musically, percussive synths carry throughout the track juxtaposed with hard guitar riffs played at a comfortable tempo.

Fact Pattern is chumming the waters in preparation for a new full-length release in the near future. If these two tracks are any indication, the next release is expected to be a tour de force for the band and a satisfying delight for fans.

https://factpattern.bandcamp.com/track/never-bleed

https://factpattern.bandcamp.com/track/incompatible

Glasgow Eyes by The Jesus And Mary Chain

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It’s not just any band that can last forty years, much less produce an eighth album of substance and traction. But Scottish noise pop pioneers The Jesus And Mary Chain have done just that with Glasgow Eyes.

While the over-the-top wall of noise guitar sound they’re known for has been somewhat scaled back, everything that is expected from a JAMC recording is represented here. Starting with Venal Joy, a driving track that grabs the listener. Mediterranean X Film is a piece of indie gold that would fit nicely on any college rock playlist. Discotheque, with its laid back approach, has a smooth groove and a guitar riff that is reminiscent of classic JAMC. The same is true with Pure Poor. Don’t be fooled, though. This is definitely a band that is showing a maturity that can’t be fabricated. This is the 21st Century JAMC.

The Eagles And The Beatles wears its influence on its sleeve and it’s title. Although I personally hear more of The Rolling Stones on this track, a fact made obvious in the lyrics.

Silver Strings, Chemical Animal and Second of June subtly sneak in the electronic aesthetic established on their 1989 classic, Automatic.

As closers go, JAMC wear their influences on their sleeve yet again with Hey Lou Reid [sic]. This track would sound perfectly in place on The Velvet Underground right alongside What Goes On.

Glasgow Eyes is more cerebral and not quite the ear worm that was its predecessor, 2017’s Damage And Joy. But fans of The Jesus And Mary Chain should find it enjoyable and it has everything necessary to attract new fans as well.

https://thejesusandmarychain.bandcamp.com/album/glasgow-eyes