A Place To Bury Strangers - A Place To Bury Strangers (2007)




This is the self-titled debut from “New York’s loudest band”. The band was formed by former Skywave bassist Oliver Ackermann and he continued the Skywave tradition of pop songs submerged in layers of harsh noise and feedback in the vein of The Jesus and Mary Chain. This album however features harsher production and a dark post-punk undercurrent often giving the music a very dark and menacing feel, a great example of this is the song ‘To Fix The Gash In Your Head’. Elements of space-rock and psychedelica are thrown into the mix as evident in the brilliant and spaced-out opening song ‘Missing You’, the song alternating between eerie post-punk in the verses and a barrage of harsh noise in the chorus to great effect. Equally spaced-out and spectacular is the six-minute closing track ‘Ocean’, a dark psychedelic journey into the depths of your conscience.

The follow up album Exploding Head (2009) would feature cleaner production and less of the harsh noise evident on this album, but is nearly just as good and is certainly worth investigating. The harsher production on this album however gives it a more aggressive yet spaced-out feel, feeling like it was recorded while hurtling though the void. It is an album that elevated the band towards the top league of current shoegaze/noise-pop bands where they have remained ever since.

Recommended Songs: ‘Missing You’, ‘To Fix The Gash In Your Head’, ‘Ocean’


Afghan Whigs - Gentlemen (1993)




Put yourself in a position where you are post-relationship and have a feeling of regret, longing and perhaps a sense of bitterness or perhaps a position where the relationship is certain to end. This is the mindset that this album occupies; just one look at the poignant and moving album cover says it all. The band are often mislabelled a grunge band due to their early association with Sub-Pop records and just so happening to be an alternative rock band in the early-90’s, but Gentlemen is anything but a grunge record. Heartbreak, regret and bitterness are brilliantly portrayed across the eleven songs on offer here. ‘When We Two Parted’ is one of the most moving break-up songs you will ever hear, right from the opening chords the mood is set straight away and the song builds and builds to a very emotional conclusion. Also the excellent ‘Debonair’ which features a sense of regret and deep introspection, perhaps even bordering on self-loathing. It features frontman Greg Dulli in fine voice, giving it everything he’s got with astonishing intensity and emotion and it sends a shiver down your spine. Just listen to him shout “Tonight I go to hell, for what I’ve done to you”.

Prepare to be swept away by this album’s sense of heartbreak and melancholy and by Greg Dulli’s emotionally intense crooning. The guitar playing adds to the emotional intensity of the album beautifully and keeps the listener hooked throughout. An album worthy of a place in anyone’s music collection.

Recommended Songs: ‘Debonair’, ‘When We Two Parted’, ‘I Keep Coming Back’