"Amoral" by Violens

Lansing-Dreiden is an art collective based in New York whose body of work includes literature, drawings, collages, videos and music.  The musical works have always been stand-alone studio pieces with no live outlet.  A video was released for the single “A line you can cross” in 2006, but the performers featured were not part of Lansing-Dreiden.  In 2007 founding member Jorge Albrecht formed the band Violens to satisfy his hunger for live musical performance. 

Violens debut album, Amoral, was a good attempt but unfortunately missed the mark.  It seems that Albrecht tried to do too much at once.  He wrote, recorded, and produced the album almost entirely by himself.  The result is a watered down and sporadic collection of songs that seem to be arbitrarily arranged and poorly produced.

The opening track “The Dawn of Your Happiness is Rising” opens with an over compressed slab bass line that sounds like it was sampled directly from the introduction to an early 90s sit-com.  Lyrics like “Be calm your safe, the light of days just hours away” help to reinforce this lighthearted and almost family friendly tone.   The reverb heavy vocals are not unlike his New Order influenced work with Lansing-Dreiden, but in this context they simply seem novel. The track that follows is the only instance in the album where two tracks on the album seem to fit well side by side.  The jangly and warm guitar tones are a relief from the over compressed rhythm section of the song, but have a similar lighthearted attitude that works well.  At this point the album seems that it may become something with the sound of The Smiths with a more New Order type of attitude, but unfortunately it turns quickly into a mixed bag of songs that never seem to hit the mark.

The remainder of the album ranges from energetic attempts at straightforward dance tracks such as “Acid Reign” to drony psych synth tracks such as “Are You Still in the Illusion.  The problem is that the heavily compressed production suffocates the tones in the entire work.  Each track feels like it can never fully release.  The arbitrary arrangement only serves to dilute this album's potential further.  The broad spectrum of musical styles could easily work to make an album than has a more narrative feel, but unfortunately the progression of songs on this album makes it sound a collection of ideas rather than a well expressed thought.  The album simply does not feel like an album. 

Albrecht is a skilled producer and talented multinstrumentalist, but it seems that he has yet to find his musically expressive voice outside of Lansing Dreiden.  While the release of Amoral may have been enough to satisfy many fans of his previous works it feels like a step back.  The worthwhile moments in this album are few and far between and none speak loudly enough to captivate an audience that is unfamiliar with his past.  Jorge Albrecht has and will undoubtedly continue to produce great works of art, but Amoral was a learning experience for him at best.

"In and Out of Youth and Lightness" by Young Widows

Young Widows was formed from the remains of the 90’s Louisville hardcore band Breather Resist.  Ever since the break Young Widows has strived to break away from the hardcore, and make something that was simply hard.  Their first album, “Settle Down city”, was a chaotic and angsty burst of grit and grime.  Their second release utilized more driving and upfront bass rhythms to create a more solid foundation for their screeching guitar tones, but the quick pace of the album left it sounding a bit like a late 90s hardcore version of the Jesus Lizard.  The title of their third release, “In and Out of Youth and Lightness” suggests coming of age, and they have done just that with this album.  It seems that they have finally come into their own with this release by refining what they do best.

This album is slowed down and focused.  The opening track “Young Rivers” opens with a more back and forth, straightforward bass and guitar arrangement.  The drums are less straightforward and have a more up front quality than previous albums.  This is the first album that drummer Jeremy McGonagall was able to fully contribute on, and his formal percussive training brings a mature pulse to this album. The single “Future Heart” follows this track and sounds all too familiar.  The fast pace and short length make it feel like this album is going to fall back along the lines of their second release “Old Wounds”, but this is not the case.  The rest of the album picks up where “Young Rivers” left off, giving you a heavy hit of mangled and noisy bluesesque riffs and growling stripped down bass progressions.  McGonagall’s nuanced tom rhythms and ambient use of bells, cymbals, and soft snare rudiments keep this album grounded and focused.

If you skip past the single “Future Heart” you are left with an album that really feels like a solid unit. Damned good.