The sucker punch, Song For a Dead Pilot, is a feral and often primal bash which sounds like Roxy Music’s Do The Strand thrown into a tumble drier.
The sucker punch, Song For a Dead Pilot, is a feral and often primal bash which sounds like Roxy Music’s Do The Strand thrown into a tumble drier.
(Katzwijm / Subroutine)
A new Space Siren release… weird saying that given all that’s happened. But Corno got his mojo together one last time to give us this. This is a two 7″ release of four tracks; two new Space Siren numbers and two covers by compadres / disciples WOLVON (one of the bands who made hanging out at Next to Jaap such a social highlight) and old mucker Arnold de Boer from The Ex.
Weirdly (or wholly appropriately, given Mr Z’s much-missed acerbic wit) Zachies is a pretty tough record; initially taken by the hand by Gwen’s trademark introspective vocal stylings; setting up one of those misty, muddy, Gothicke excursions into the bulb fields that they were so adept at. The song lifts up into a major/minor chord drone two thirds of the way in, threatens to take off and then drops down again to end on a sigh. It’s a real slow burner and that patient guitar lick that kicks the thing off starts to leave an indelible mark on your frontal lobes after three or four listens. The sucker punch, Song For a Dead Pilot, is a feral and often primal bash which sounds like Roxy Music’s Do The Strand thrown into a tumble drier. There are bits where the song escapes the moorings of the rhythm section and starts to surf this huge glistening wave of prickly, crackling white noise; creating a shimmering elemental racket with Gwen adopting role of Chief Siren. It’s possibly one of their greatest recordings. How bloody annoying it came out now (I joke Corno, I JOKE).
On the other 7″ Wolvon’s Wrong (a cover of (wrong)) is a brilliantly focussed Neanderthal growl, with drummer Bram (I think) emoting over the top of a heap of specially delivered psychicke slurry that oozes around some confined space. It’s a fabulously straightforward rant and is shorn of the band’s normal Gonzoid playfulness; and all the better for it in this setting.
Arnold’s cover of the Siren’s Who Makes Me Try is a really interesting take; and somehow unlocks elements of Space Siren’s sound that couldn’t be guessed at; at first sounding like some long lost Belgian New Wave track before settling down with some trademark Zea guitar bleeps and blurts.
So there we have it, a decent longboat, full of glittering gifts for the next life; and strong and big enough to make a decent pyre. Those on the shore can only stand and stare at its flickering luminescence.