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.

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

Hard Copy by VR Sex

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LA’s VR Sex are at it again with Hard Copy, their fourth full-length effort. And the band once again brings the goods in a sexy, raunchy high-powered sonic assault that starts strong and never lets up over its ten songs.

What started out as Noel Skum’s Drab Majesty side project has taken on a life of its own in a big way, with its psychedelic punk approach and its examination of the less-than-savory aspects of our modern condition and those who indulge in it.

One may not appreciate all that goes into Hard Copy on the first listening, as the songs tend to share the same high energy vibe. But this record holds up whether driving in the car or zoning out at home. There is a densely packed sound held down by high energy drumming and imaginative guitar riffs that cut through to create moments of atmosphere that are lost on conventional punk rock efforts of lesser acts.

Rock solid from start to finish, Hard Copy is recommended. I’m looking forward to seeing Hard Copy on more than a few ‘Best of 2024’ lists.

https://vrsex.bandcamp.com/album/hard-copy

Beautiful Losers by The Antoine Poncelet Band

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With an almost lounge-y swagger, New Jersey’s The Antoine Poncelet Band offers Beautiful Losers, their fourth single. References to Oscar Wilde and the biblical story of John the Baptist serve as the central lyrical theme of the song as the singer’s Bowie-esqe delivery propels the lyrics forward over a relaxed groove accented with clean guitars and a thick bass line. And while the final mix of the song feels a bit rough, the passion behind it definitely comes across.

When we think about retro sounds these days it tends to invoke memories of the 80’s. Where the NJ act really shines through is the Avant garde salon feelings of Velvet Underground/New York Dolls. Antoine’s voice isn’t a traditional beauty, it is captivating and unpredictable. I can picture a small theater performance piece in my own mind. The breakdown at 2:30 is a whimsical transition that makes this track whole.

Additionally, a Synthwave Mix is included with the standard four-on-the-floor groove and ghostly synth effects; giving DJs something to work with.

https://theantoineponceletband.bandcamp.com/album/beautiful-losers

Bauhaus Staircase by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark

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OMD (Orchestral Manoeuvers in the Dark), masters of quirky electronic pop music, are back with their fourteenth – and rumored final – album, Bauhaus Staircase. Energy from different sources went into creating this album; modern art to recent world events such as the COVID lockdown to Trump to plain old boredom. A surprising amount of ground is covered over the course of these twelve songs.

Inspiration for the album’s title comes from the Oskar Schlemmer painting Bauhaus Stairway.

Bauhaus Stairway by Oskar Schlemmer

The album opens with the title track single, a sort of love letter to the famous German art school that closed down due to the Nazi regime. The intensity in the song is ever-building throughout as singer Andy McClusky expresses open-heartedness while decrying fascism at the same time. This is followed by Anthropocene, which follows the effect of human existence upon the Earth, set to an uptempo dance beat.

Newer songs are intermixed with older tracks that have been finally realized and the remnants of OMD’s older days can be spotted on tracks – new or old – such as Look At You Now and Where We Started.

Veruschka is another single from the album and a slow jam ear worm with moving, thought-provoking lyrics such as:

Columbine and fool Pierrot
A hopeless case, another four hundred blows
Story lines and old postcards
A swansong madness, Sunset Boulevard

Slow Train is a sexy fun ride in the style of Goldfrapp and has a hard-to-resist party vibe to it.

Healing is another slow jam and a solid closer.

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McClusky has stated that he would be satisfied if this were the final OMD album. If this is the case, we can feel comforted that OMD has closed out their career on a strong note .

https://music.apple.com/us/album/bauhaus-staircase/1701690732