LiveJournalDeadchovsky: Spiritus Sancti Bizarre
22 06 07 - 10:38Deadchovsky return with 'Spiritus Sancti Bizarre', the follow up to their rather tasty 'Decadence Revolution'. Describing Deadchovsky is easy, they float some where in the middle of the Atlantic between folks like Sex Gang Children, Specimen and Alien Sex Fiend from the blighty Batcave and the Deathrock pioneers of the ex-colonies like Rozz's Christian Death.
In the patch of deep sea delight they bob about it it is still 1983 and Leeds never existed. Quite a picture. Actually they are from France and share a label with the beyond amazing Frustration. The question is, does 'Spiritus Sanct Bizarrei' live up to expectations?
The Album opens with 'Cosmic Sight', late arty brit punk tribal drumming, a solid bass line and whining guitars. The vocals also whine and I have no idea what they are singing about, but the sound is so rich and dark it sends tingles down the spine; what a way to begin. 'La Pythie Dementie' intro's with a more, dare I say, cheesy Specimen feel, but darker lower vocals soon drive this song. Deachovsky regularly switch between more clasically gothic sections and goth punk, and this song does so beautifully. You suddenly reason that these folks want you to dance to their music like a demented bat creature. Still no idea what they are singing about.
Thankfully I can follow some of the Lyrics of 'I Wanna Look Like The New Dark Age Model', which has to be the best songs about a compilation series from Germany I have ever heard. Actually it is right now possibly just one of the best songs ever, with a chorus that once you know is there you yearn for and a delicious combination of simple solid bassline and vocals. This one has to get club play and is the new Goth test: If you do not like this song then it is time to hang up your fishnets - but then if you don't like this song you are probably not wearing any.
I really wish I knew what 'Le Frère Du Sandwichier (or the brotherhood of misery at midi-midnight sandwicherie)' was about. Opening with gallic accoridan you might think was Dark Caberet, but you would be mistaken as the guitars and marching drums slip in with chanted vocals. This goes on for about two minutes before a bass guitar break introduces horror-punkesque organs and a second movement with a slice of Two Tone, before heading back to post-punk Batcave territory and then back towards punk. At over 6 minutes you begin to realise that Deadchovsky can take multiple genre ideas that would easily be the material for a whole EP of songs for the average band and turn them into a single longer piece.
Organs return for 'Le Cirque Vicieux', another tasty slice of post-punk with a bass line that reminds me of the wider post-punk indie scene of the early 80's. In typical Deachovsky style the influencs swoop about making The Horrors look like a bunch of kids with only half a dozen records to steal from. 'Prélude Intermédiaire : Les Dédales Hermétiques' is a lovely Dark Caberet, er interlude (how postmodern) lasting just over a minute. DJ's take note. 'Butterfly Psyko Effekt' follows the Dark Caberet shift with Piano and without any of the slightly cheesy feel this genre can tumble into like. Oh until you get half way through when the bass comes in and drives the song back towards Batcave Punk and then a techno synth line comes in, before it swings back round again into Caberet. I just can't keep up with this. 'Children Of Tomorrow' is at first a straight forward bass driven post-punk effort, building up with simple riffs and sounding very Rozz's Christian Death. Quite nice to stick to one musical genre for an entire song.
'A Nightride With The Moon' might be Bauhaus in the first; slow, brooding, then almost a little Spinal Tap in the lead guitar introduction. Organs come in and you realise this is not 'Stonehenge where the Demons Dwell', more a spooky deliberate plod. But this song is over nine minutes long. Surely it can't go on like this for ever? Of course not, the tempo picks up a bit three minutes in and we are back in punkier waters for a time; the pattern is rinse repeat almost Progressive Rock style. 'Génération Tchernobyl', starts with bubbles and more Christian Death impersonations, a complex track nicely put together. By now I am running out of energy, and maybe the album is as well. So to wrap it all up 'Ite Missa Est' with almost Synth Pop keys combined with some solid bass guitar work and the now entirely expected tempo shifts.
There are two ways of looking at Deadchovsky and 'Spiritus Sancti'. Either: they are derivative bunch of copy cats who have tried to incorporate everything available from '79-'83 into every available song; Or they and this album is genius. I fall for the latter. Sure I can't understand anything they sing about, but vox has always been about sound rather than content for me. Nobody really cares about lyrics right? I simply can't stop listening to this album and dancing about the house to it. (5/5)
Deadchovsky: Spiritus Sancti
01. Cosmic Sight
02. La Pythie Démente
03. I Wanna Look Like The New Dark Age Model
04. Le Frère du Sandwichier
05. Le Cirque Vicieux
06. Prélude Intermédiaire : les dédales hermétiques
07. Butterfly Psyko Effekt
08. Children of Tomorrow
09. A Nightride with the Moon
10. Génération Tchernobyl
11. Ite Missa Est
fifteen comments
Trackback link: