#aheadfullofstream

AHEAD FULL OF STREAM (Theme For A Jackal Edition):

DEAD MAN’S BONES

‘DEAD MAN’S BONES’

ANTI-

Let’s not beat around the bush, Dead Man’s Bones embody a certain late October ethos and eschew any of the corniness related to and around Halloween and or cutesy child choirs. There is nothing un-calculated about what Zachary Shields and Ryan Gosling create under their Dead Man’s Bones guise. They pull off the unthinkable and manage to do so in such a charming and artistic manner.

On paper, this has all the possibility of being an absolute train wreck: Hollywood A-List actor, a near singular aesthetic, kids, a penchant for old-timey instruments, kids, spookiness, handsome Hollywood hunk, lots and lots of children singing…………and yet, it works!! I mean it works brilliantly. 

Name one celebrity’s band that isn’t terrible (She & Him barely squeak by thanks to the affable M. Ward). The bar has been set so impossibly high by the likes of Gosling, Shields, and their army of angel voiced child ghouls when it comes to musical groups containing a very famous celebrity.

2009′s ‘Dead Man’s Bones’ is the group’s sole artistic statement (at least on record) and what a fine statement it is. Gosling and Shields seem beyond capable of creating great songs in a conventional way, but their idea of adding choir like harmonies via The Silverlake Conservatory of Music Children’s Choir was an ingenious one. Not only does the inclusion of the Silverlake Choir set them apart from other indie (and non-indie) acts, it appropriately ups the eerie ante they were going for. 

Again, the idea of utilizing a children’s choir could have gone terribly wrong, but under the artful eye of Gosling and Shields it only helps reinforce the spooky undercurrent of the songs (is there anything more brilliant than a group of kids singing the line “like a lamb to his slaughter”).  

“In the Room Where You Sleep” is the quintessential drama club Goth anthem and Gosling straight up delivers with some serious sullen croon. Lets be honest here (and it should be noted that I harbor an enormous man crush on the guy) who knew that The Gos had such a rich vocal croon.

“My Body’s a Zombie for You” is Goth doo-wop at its finest and in a just world the go to Halloween dance number for children and adults alike. There’s no reason “Pa Pa Power” shouldn’t have been a huge smash, I mean listen to the damn thing, its exudes hooks for days. “Lose Your Soul” and “Werewolf Heart” drip with detached cool and are swagger filled to the max.

I could go on and on, but I’ll spare you and let the music speak for itself. So do yourself a favor and spend one of the remaining hours before All Hallows’ Eve soaking in the eerie goodness of ‘Dead Man’s Bones.’

**Originally published October 22nd, 2015 (long before La La Land was such a “controversy”)**

Ahead Full of Stream:

Michael Vidal

‘Dream Center’

Couple Skate  

Michael Vidal, former singer/guitarist for the sorely missed Los Angeles tropical goth group Abe Vigoda, is back with a solo album under his namesake. 'Dream Center' originally came out a ways back but is now getting a full roll out courtesy of Captured Tracks affiliate Couple Skate records.

Vidal's progression into breezy looped guitar pop makes logical sense after witnessing the transition of Abe Vigoda from tropicali-punk ruffians into guitar goth stalwarts. 'Dream Center' carries echoes of the many faces of Abe, yet stands completely on its own. Vidal's longing goth croon resembles that of Edwyn Collins, which is never a bad thing. Come to think of it, Orange Juice is a pretty apt comparison for 'Dream Center' albeit a breezier left coast version of the seminal Scottish post-punk group.

Take some time on a nice summer’s day to soak in all that Michael Vidal’s 'Dream Center’ has to offer.

Ahead Full of Stream:

Thee Oh Sees

‘Mutilator Defeated At Last’

Castle Face

John Dwyer and Thee Oh Sees have a backstory to equal their endless back catalog, so we’ll sum it up by stating that they’re extremely prolific and that 173 records in they’ve released their best album to date. The sheer amount of releases the band (Dwyer) have produced can be daunting and that’s what makes ‘Mutilator Defeated At Last’ such a great entry point. It’s a cleaner, more streamlined Oh Sees and a great place to start when inquiring about one of America’s great rock n’ roll bands.

Without a doubt, Thee Oh Sees are Kings of the psych-garage scene and they rule with a charismatic fist. I love that singer/guitarist/mastermind John Dwyer comes off as such a likable goofball geek (take note Wac Demarco) who wouldn’t hesitate to knock someone’s ass out if need be.

Ahead Full of Stream:

Cold Cave

‘Full Cold Moon’

Deathwish Inc.

Streaming here, for all your icy pleasures, is Cold Cave’s ‘Full Cold Moon’, which serves as a compilation consisting of previously released Singles and EPs from the past few years. Wesley Eisold, who for all intents and purposes is Cold Cave, is an astute fan of Morrissey and delivers his own version of ‘Hatful of Hollow’, ‘The World Won't Listen’, or ‘My Early Burglary Years’ with ‘Full Cold Moon.’ Taking previously released songs and packaging them together as an album is not only economical and a completist’s wet dream/nightmare, but also a way to hear the songs in a different light. I purchased these Singles and EP’s as they rolled out over 2012 and ‘13 and loved the fact that Wes had taken back his project and controlled its output in a very specific way. By rolling out legit Singles, with requisite B-sides throughout the year was an exciting way to consume music again (even digitally). Each Single and its accompanying B-side(s) became perfectly precise snippets of a very specific set of moods and time. I mention this because those separate Singles and B-sides work quite well as an LP. 

The songs found on ‘Full Cold Moon’ were created solely by Eisold, as a reaction to the collaborative band effort of 2011′s ‘Cherish the Light Years.’ Eisold has gone on record stating his dislike of the ‘Cherish’ era Cold Cave and that the songs released in it’s wake are a truer version of his project. I absolutely loved ‘Cherish the Light Years’ but I can see his point and I can hear those results spread across ‘Full Cold Moon.’ The songs here are darker, leaner, and colder. From this author’s mouth, those descriptors are laced with positivity and are welcomed with open arms. This album, and these songs, are a minimalist’s dream come true and I for one relish the chance to hear them in a new format. I’ll spare the greater detail, because this is NOT a review, this is a recommendation and a strong one at that.