Because I could Not Stop for Death... is a quote from poet Emily Dickinson, and listening to JOHN 3:16 interpret it is a pleasant experience, as the music on this one-track single is sweeping and cinematic, a touch different from his other work.
Cold Wave
Clair Obscur – Auld Lang Syne
As we have but one day left in the calendar, we bud you adieu with the legendary French cold wave band Clair Obscur doing Robert Burns proud.
Venus Berry – Shibari
This is perhaps the coldest of cold wave releases I’ve ever had the pleasure of reviewing. Venus Berry is the nom de plume of Anouk Allard, who is not only a musician but has a background in visual art. Her style covers not only the aforementioned cold wave which the Continue Reading
Toronja – QuedarseIrMorirEgo
This one-track release was in my queue while I was doing some work, and when it came on, I assumed it was a track of Spanish cold wave from the early 1980s. Toronja, as it turns out, is a Chilean project from this year, and they manage to do a Continue Reading
JOHN 3:16 – Tempus Edax Rerum
Our friends JOHN 3:16 come at us with less an audible listening experience than a sheer sonic pummeling. Take for example Part I, which sounds as though the ghost of Cop/Greed-era Swans was under more control, a more musically apt, and put through the gothic/post-punk music grinder. Part IV goes Continue Reading
ZX ELECTRIC – Assortment 80-81
This release by ZX Electric took a bit of getting used to, but once I felt settled in, some rather pleasant memories washed over my mind. Mainly, I started thinking about the sound of cold wave, minimalist electronics, a lo-fi aesthetic, broken, heavily manipulated vocals, and the aura of 1980s Continue Reading