Bandcamp Friday Special
Including music from,Graveyard Violet @graveyardviolet.bsky.social, Counting Cards @countingcardsmusic.bsky.social and Cult of Wedge @cultofwedge.bsky.social
Counting Cards’ ‘Jormungandr’ kicks you straight in the teeth with an anthemic blast of Punkrock that sounds like Rise Against listened to one too many Danzig albums. And it sets the tone perfectly for an album that features blazing Punk Rock married with the epic and dark nature of Metal as well as heavier ballads and even a little fling with New Wave sensibilities on the track ‘Paper Cuts’.
All in all it’s a good moshpit romp with catchy vocals but that doesn’t mean it’s all just fun as the lyrics here carry a message that is unabashedly critical to our current political climate. Counting Cards doesn’t pull back with lyrics that like any good Punk Rock refuses to be shrouded in euphemisms and instead opts to tell it to you how it is… and if it happens to be perfect for epic moshpit point your finger to the vocalist sing-alongs… well that’s just what I call a nice cherry on top.
Witchcraft in the middle of England by Cult of Wedge is one of those albums that fires of memories of classic pop and new wave, prog rock and those punk adjacent bands of the 70s like The Tubes, it has strands of Squeeze, Joe Jackson, Wings, 10cc mixed in with Peter Gabriel, World Party and ELO. There are more comparisons to be throw in but that should wet your appetite enough no?
What stands out is the sense of humor, the playful lyrics that don’t over egg it. They back off from being cloying which is some dangerous tightrope to navigate. It helps enormously when the musicianship is of a very high level and is very intuitive and precise.
I said prog rock earlier because there feels like a connection to those bands like Marillion who strayed into the charts with their innate musicality. The love for melody and counterpoint, the intertwining guitars. It’s all neatly put together, arranged and recorded with love.
What more could you want?
For some reason I feel drawn to psychedelic Rock lately. Or it is drawn to me, as I seem to stumble across it quite often recently. So did it happen with Graveyard Violet. I saw them around and randomly decided to give their music a shot. And I’m happy that I did!
This band plays Rock of the aforementioned variety with a mythological or occult bend. The lyrics speak about love and connections, although they do so in uncommon ways: demonic possession, reanimation of the dead, and the moods of gothic landscapes from Hammer horror movies all make appearances. And while these lyrics are not terribly dark, they are presented in a completely serious fashion; there is no winking to the audience happening, instead the band set a mood and fully committed to it. Thinking about it now, it feels pretty appropriate for October / Halloween.The most direct connection for the listener is most likely vocalist Kiri Monks’ warm and and ever-so-slightly smoky voice, who sings quite gently about burning corpses and biting people. She possesses a good deal of control, leading to a very pleasant and steady sound. The guitar accompanies her with that unmistakable twang, while the bass purrs along underneath it. Percussion is provided by a tambourine and a kit, with some very nice attention given to the toms. The sound of the band overall is very easy to get into and well produced.
Overall, I really enjoyed this EP. It once again reminds me of evenings and nights spent in bars with live music playing; places with dim lighting, a dirty floor and an audience that appreciated good musicians. For me, this is fun, well produced and performed music that feels comfortable. And sometimes, that is exactly what I need. I absolutely recommend checking this band out!
- Void by Vanessa Funke
- Rides Out by Hot Donkey #FeatureFriday
- #Feature Friday – Trauma Stew by Cynful Ukes
- Quartered: Songs of Palimpsest by S. J. Tucker
- Shapeshifer by Oblee #FeatureFriday
- Rayguns of Love by The Striped Bananas
- Mean Bone by Buzzard
- Aldona’s Daughter by Stunt Lover
- #FeatureFriday -Bandcamp Friday Issue
- #FeatureFriday – 1991 by Maisie Marra
- “Muay Thai Bag” by Foxcall
- A Place To Go When You Need To Hide by Rose Alaimo
- #FeatureFriday – And the Bones by Dr. Organ
- #FeatureFriday WIENER DEMEANOR by Cheer Captain
- #FeatureFriday – Effusion by Sweet Freeze
- Beginings Revisted by Jim France
- Recording in Progress by Aaron Smith
- Believer, a.k.a. The Last Shall Be the First
- Scrapyard Boyz: Ultra Despair Duo – Grizzly, Slogan
- The Nirvana Fallacy (or, Mania and Her Sophomore Slump) – Saint Louie