BY TOM MURPHY ANIMALS IN EXILE – S/T The mix of grit and iridescent tones across guitars and keyboards on this album immediately brings to mind an amalgam of R.E.M., Ride, and The Brian Jonestown Massacre. The classic pop and literary sensibilities of the first, the fire and soaring melodies of the second, and the organic psychedelic transcendence of the third at its best. It’s tempting to call this a shoegaze band since Jim McTurnan formerly of Cat-A-Tac joined. But Redding Bacon has long been laying the foundation for this set of songs that breathes fresh energy into a familiar palette of sounds, with production on the record that entrances with its vivid soundscapes and emotional immediacy. COVENHOVEN – THE COLOR OF THE DARK Joel Van Horne continues to craft the kind of pastoral folk that hits the ears as both intimate and transporting. With this new album, the singer and songwriter brings his signature baritone vocals and gift for evocative falsetto to emotionally augment these songs. Utilizing lap steel to embody the shimmer of starlight, the acoustic instrumentation grounds the tracks in tangible human existence. Van Horne takes us on a series of adventures into peak moments in life by gleaning from them the more subtle essences that linger with us as we reflect on and savor the experiences that form the threads of persistent memories. BODY BOY – S/T This EP draws you in with the wide expanse of “Honest” and its gentle organic textures. “Draining” with its abrupt starts and stops connected by intricate guitar lines and almost wordless vocals overall reminds one of something Frank Zappa might have done had he been a member of Hella. Then “Radiate” comes in with introspective moods and layered vocals that anchor the guitar work, arranged like tracing outlines of the slow waves of emotion that drift through the song. The reflective sprawl of closing track “Limitless” is like an abstract Flamenco ode to being tender and open to shared affections and dreams. No. 140 IN THE COMPANY OF SERPENTS – A CRACK IN EVERYTHING ITCOS is one of the heaviest bands that emerged out of the 2010s world of Denver doom metal, with epic, crushing guitars and percussion, and Grant Netzorg’s caustic vocals issuing forth sometimes fantastical tales of devastation and perseverance. But the dark heaviness here is buoyed by sun-drenched psychedelia. The lyrics delve unblinkingly into themes of perilous belief in delusional, self-destructive personal ideologies adopted to convey the illusion of strength, toughness and mystique while paving the road to your own hollowing out. Truly a record for the bleak times we’re living in when honest but compassionate self-reflection is widely needed.
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