Black Sails in the Sunset Friday
Writing to distract me from spending money
AFI announced a big, expensive box set for their breakthrough album Sing the Sorrow. As I already spent an inordinate amount of money earlier this year traveling to LA to see them perform the album in full, I am 100% the target audience for this sort of thing. I regret nothing. The show was amazing, and visiting LA was cool as hell. And as much as I want these b-sides 7”s, I must be strong. Regardless of how much tracks like “Synesthesia” and “Reiver’s Music” rule.
In order to keep myself from spending money I absolutely should not be spending, and because there are some new things to listen to for some reason, I’m going to recommend some new and old records for you to jam while in a post-Thanksgiving coma, and maybe this will keep you from making ill-advised Black Friday purchases in a stuffing-induced haze.
The Hope Conspiracy, Confusion/Chaos/Misery
Did you know this was happening? I was blindsided by the release of 4, count ‘em, 4 new tracks from Boston hardcore legends The Hope Conspiracy. And maybe that’s the best way to be hit by them, completely by surprise. Makes the thing all the sweeter. Of course, there’s nothing sweet about HopeCon. The guys have lost none of their fury or edge. Whether there’s more coming, or this is just a one off, we’re all luckier to have gotten these.
No Turning Back, Conquer
More hardcore, a new EP on the esteemed Triple B Records. I honestly wasn’t super familiar with these guys before “No Fear of Pain” dropped earlier this year. But I’m a convert. Big riffs, heavy bass, and the breakdowns my body needs. c u in da pit.
Cerulean Veins, Black
I’m not sure how I became aware of this band. They make dancey, guitar-heavy post-punk in the style of revivalists Editors and Interpol, though slightly less dour than either of those bands. Actually a band they remind me of a lot of is Klimt 19181. This album is catchy as all get out, and songs like “Love Won’t Save Us Now” and “Dancing With Shadows” will pull you back to the wonderful world of ‘00s indie dance nights.
Kanga, Under Glass
I don’t know where the stage name Kanga comes from. I envision some DJ version of the Winnie the Pooh character. Anyway, she makes some dark synth music, and her 2021 album You and I Will Never Die was one of my favorites from that year. This new one is slightly less aggressive than the previous album, which I enjoy. Songs like “Home” off You and I… had a hard edge that this album lacks; things are slightly poppier this time around.
The Jealous Sound, Kill Them With Kindness
Fitting to end here, since I started this with AFI’s Sing the Sorrow. There’s some discourse about the current nostalgia for early ‘00s emo as embodied by the When We Were Young Festival, and some pushback against that version of what “emo” was at the time. Scene politics and genre quibbles aside, anything that gives people a reason to talk about and listen to the Jealous Sound’s flawless first album is worthwhile. I stand by my unpopular opinion that this album is better than anything Blair did in Knapsack. “Guard It Closely” remains one of my favorite songs of all time. A desert island disc for sure. (note: the Deluxe version on Spotify includes some EP tracks and stuff; the original album ends with “Above the Waves”)
There, I feel better. The credit card has stopped burning a hole in my pocket, as they say. Hope you all had a good holiday, whatever form that took, and I’ll see you all next time.
if you’ve never heard their album Jugend, you should fix that
We learned about Cerulean Veins from Bill in one of the Music League categories!