We almost forgot(h)...

Ten albums from 2018 that slipped past Dark Corner

by Lorenzo Pagani

Ten albums bound for theDark Corner by OndaRock which, for various reasons (or simply by chance!), we weren't able to cover with a full review in time.

Zola Jesus – Okovi: Additions

(Released in April 2018 by Sacred Bones, darkwave/synth-pop)

"Additions", i.e. outtakes from "Okovi" (2017), the latest album by Nicole Hummel, aka Nika Roza Danilova, aka Zola Jesus. But that's only the first half of the record – excellent, by the way, and at times superior to the material on the "final cut" – while the other half is taken up by four remixes of tracks from the aforementioned full-length.

Working on the original material, in these new versions, we find Johnny Jewel (Chromatics, Italians Do It Better), songwriter Katie Gately, the Randall Dunn/Aaron Weaver duo (respectively behind the mixing desk and drums for Wolves In the Throne Room), and finally Canadian Joanne Pollock (already known from Poemss).

Massive synths, martial electronics, dancey passages set against others that are more piano-driven: towering over everything, unmistakable, is the timbre of the talented dark singer, who adds another precious piece to her discography.

Death Bells – Standing At The Edge Of The World

(Released in April 2018 in Europe by Avant! and by Burning Rose/Funeral Party in the rest of the world, post-punk/nu-wave)

A substantial ensemble from Sydney brings to life an 80s-esque sound, "reminiscent" of what the genre's forerunners did, but also personal and energetic.

Also interesting, without doubt, is the emphasis they place on the "pop" component, so much so that they incorporate new romantic elements into the sound; but there's room for shoegaze injections too: in short, Death Bells also know how to "hit hard" when needed.

I'm sure these newcomers, had they been based on this side of the globe, would already have been hailed as "the new Interpol" (or the new Editors, if you prefer).

Unfortunately that hasn't been the case, and for now we have to make do with the foresight of Avant! Records, who brought them to Europe, at least on vinyl.

So we remain in eager anticipation of being able to test the mettle of these young Australian rebels live.

Traitrs – Butcher's Coin

(Released in May 2018 by Manic Depression/Alchera Visions/Pleasence, post-punk, darkwave)

In recent years a decent wave scene has developed in Canada, a cluster of young artists whose work boasts strong production quality and a particular knack for combining electronics and guitars.

These Traitrs are no exception, and they're not exactly total newcomers: "Butcher's Coin" is in fact their third full-length, but perhaps their first real springboard, together with the acclaimed EP "Speak In Tongues" (their second European tour, which once again will not touch our peninsula, is imminent).

Compared to the 12'' EP, on the new record Traitrs slow things down a bit, favouring the more darkwave/80s side over tight-knit rhythms; an album with excellent production, in line with the standards of the aforementioned North American "micro-scene". At times they reminded me of Ulterior, and if you know the music of the (now disbanded) British combo, you already know that's a very good thing ("Wild in Wildlife" is a real must for "modern" gothic-rock).

Semiotics Department Of Heteronyms – Semiotics Department Of Heteronyms

(Pubblicato a giugno 2018 da Avant!, synth-wave)

The debut full-length of Catalan act Semiotics Department Of Heteronyms (SDH for short) moves somewhere between granite-hard synths and pop suggestions.

Bologna's Avant! had already released an EP of theirs a few months earlier, in March 2018, and with this full-length Andrea P. Latorre and Sergi Algiz confirm a formula that won't leave fans of projects like Tropic Of Cancer and Linea Aspera indifferent.

The two are genuine "key players" of Barcelona's underground scene, having already founded the Conjunto Vacio label and the post-punk band Wind Atlas; in this new venture they cook up a sound that winks at melody & dancefloor without abandoning its dark core. Smooth female vocals and an electronic dusk with retro touches: a genuine hallmark for a classy, well-crafted debut.

Poptone – Poptone

(Released in June 2018 by Cleopatra, gothic-rock, new wave)

In this case we're talking about "heavy hitters" of the goth scene: under this moniker, taken from the PIL track, we find in fact 2/4 of Bauhaus, Daniel Ash and Kevin Haskins, joined – on bass – by the latter's daughter, Diva Dompe.

This is, in fact, a revival of what the Ash/Haskins pair did in the early Eighties under the name Tones On Tail. The tracks from the pop project of the two bats from Northampton make up in fact a good part of Poptone's repertoire, accompanied by other covers: some are their own handiwork, like the Bauhaus and Love And Rockets tracks, but there's also room for a version of Elvis's "Heartbreak Hotel".

Testament to a recent US tour, a mere divertissement, or an attempt to cash in on a glorious past? Certainly, "Poptone" is an enjoyable collection of dark pop, well worth seeking out.

Creux Lies – The Hearth

(Pubblicato ad agosto 2018 da Cleopatra, darkwave, post-punk)

If you're after a dark, melodic and refined sound, Creux Lies are just what you need.

With this "The Hearth", the Californian combo crafts a genuinely successful debut: reminiscent of the work of Cure, Clan Of Xymox and other prime movers, it's certainly not a work devoid of influences. But when there's such great care in the execution and a strong personality at play, it becomes hard to remain indifferent to these neo-goths.

As with Death Bells, the new romantic label is by no means out of place; the eighties are always peeking through, but here we also find a skilful combination of pathos and atmosphere (the synths are excellent). The comparison with Soft Kill in the bio is spot-on, placing them alongside the aforementioned "sacred monsters" and true masters of gothic melody like Chameleons.

Roma Amor – Miraggio

(Released in October 2018 by Old Europa Cafe and Wrotycz, neo-folk/noir cabaret)

Ravenna's Roma Amor are old acquaintances of ours, going back to their second record "Femmina" (2009), and they've also had the chance to appear on these pages from the other side of the keyboard, with their 2015 playlist.

Two years on from "Una torbida estate", they're back with their seventh studio record, "Miraggio". A record that, as the title suggests, enriches the neofolk duo's sound with Middle Eastern and Mediterranean flavours, always influenced as they are by chansonniers and local folklore.

After all, their own Ravenna was part of the Eastern Roman Empire for over two hundred years: that Byzantine past is thus part of the DNA of these romantic musicians.

Also worth noting is the presence in the tracklist of two successful covers, both in Italian: "Albergo a Ore" (Les Amants D'Un Jour, Edith Piaf) and "Liebelei" (Rolf Bauer).

Phal:Angst – Phase IV

(Released in September 2018 by Bloodsheed666, industrial/ambient)

Active since the mid-2000s, Vienna's Phal:Angst are devoted to a very particular industrial/post-rock hybrid, marked by strong ambient connotations. It's no surprise, then, that among their influences, alongside forerunners like Throbbing Gristle, Coil and Einstürzende Neubauten, they cite the soundtracks of Badalamenti, Carpenter and Goblin.

The atmospheric component, cinematic in fact, is strong in their sound: rounding it all out, in the band's live shows, are visual projections produced using found footage and cut & paste techniques.

As is easy to guess from the title, "Phase IV" is their fourth studio record, and it's enriched by remixes from names of the calibre of Justin Broadrick (Godflesh, Napalm Death, Jesu) and Will Brooks (Dalek).

A pleasant surprise, in territory that's still – in part – unexplored.

Holygram – Modern Cults

(Released in November 2018 by Cleopatra, post-punk/shoegaze)

A fair amount of hype has built up around this second album by Germany's Holygram, and it's not hard to see why.

Helped along by support tours with major acts such as the veteran Omd and the future-pop champions VNV Nation, the four-piece seem to have found the right balance to appeal to the broad audience that forms the backbone of the contemporary indie-rock scene: love for the 80s, sturdy sonics, effective production. All of it coated in a dark varnish, just enough to make them moody and alluring at the same time.

A formula that recalls the recent exploits of Soft Moon (with whom they share producer Maurizio Baggio), but also the fiery sound of Pesaro's own Soviet Soviet.

"Driving, dark and catchy" is how they describe themselves, and indeed there couldn't be better words to describe "Modern Cults".

Ghxst – Gloom

(Released in November 2018, self-produced, shoegaze/doom)

I'd lost track of New York's GHXST, purveyors — at the start of the decade — of an intriguing death-rock with industrial shadings. A band that slips through categorization: it's hard, in fact, to pin down this new release too, an EP that closes out a trilogy titled "Gloom", currently available exclusively on the band's Bandcamp page.

Shelley X's female vocals front a craggy sonic carpet, at times droning and reminiscent of certain post-metal, but also an expression of a shoegaze formula with distinctly lo-fi leanings.

The end result, besides lending itself to the coining of rather hybrid and more or less plausible genre tags, is sure to interest fans of all the genres mentioned above.

Far from a muddled hodgepodge of sounds, "Gloom" in fact shows great personality and skill in handling a bubbling sonic magma. Without a doubt, a welcome comeback.

Ride the wave of great music

Add OndaRock to your favorite Sources on Google Discover. Don't miss our reviews, milestone features and the latest news, straight in your feed.

Follow on Google

Share on

This article is an English translation of the original Italian text by Lorenzo Pagani, published on OndaRock.it. It was translated with the help of artificial intelligence, under the editorial responsibility of OndaRock's editor-in-chief, Claudio Fabretti.

Read the original in Italian · About the English edition