As a kid, and I’m old enough to think anyone under the age or 40 is a kid so I’ll be more specific, as a teenager I came to the concept that not everything I hear first time is going to hit me. For every Van Halen there’s a Husker Du, For every T-Rex there’s a Can for every Adam and the Ants there’s a Suicide – you get my drift.
A second listen, or even a third listen leads to real pearls, I mean without that I wouldn’t have had the Pil in my life and that came from the instant wallop of The Sex Pistols.
Which leads me to Hot Donkey’s “Rides Out”. Some music just seems to sit in a frequency range, has a vibration that you need to be calibrated to. First time I played this I was on a 80s alt/rock/punk kick so that ruined it for me. The second listen though I had been smashing the hip hop/trip hop mixed with some electronica and it opened the door.
Once I was in it opened up and it’s a real vibe. It has a real cinematic vibe, a poetic edge, it is not restrained by genre, it ebbs and flows as it wants. Sometimes it strains at the edges and that’s where it gets interesting. It’s melodic, well arranged and has impetus.
Synth pop is not easy to pull off, especially when it is trying to be cinematic but Hot Donkey manage to pull it off. At points it veers wildly into another lane and you’re hit with Josh Homme driving his 10 ton truck towards you at speed.
The singer has a tone reminiscent of Dave Gahan at points and has an almost Everlast/Alabama 3 cadence. At times it feels almost prog rock, not too much but interesting enough, especially mixed with the electronica and trip hop beats but the soundtrack influence is the icing on the cake here. There’s a sense of space that I love. That feeling of being able to breathe.
Totally recommended.
Hot Donkey can be found on Bluesky below:
@hotdonkeybear.bsky.social and @hotdonkeymike.bsky.social
Hot Donkey is a project that I’ve honestly not paid enough attention to. Mike’s and Daryl’s latest album conjures up memories of mid to late 80s movies for me. I can vividly imagine a scene where a car drives the streets of a city at night while “Matter Transfer” plays, for example. At it’s core, “Rides Again” falls under the wide umbrella of electronic music. However, it is remarkably resistant to allowing itself to be classified further. Symphonic elements blend with trip hop beats, ambient drones, heavy distorted guitars and tasteful synths; all produced in a way that feels big, yet restrained and at times even understated. This works enormously well with the arrangement that feels full, but leaves enough room for all the different elements to breathe and develop in an organic fashion.
Daryl’s flexible vocals are the musical piece that, for me, provide the needed theatrical dynamics. In a heartbeat, his voice becomes grittier or smoother, just as the song requires. Overall, this is music that just works on so many levels, be it technical or emotional ones. The entire album feels incredibly cohesive and is simply pleasant to listen to. For me, this was once again an experience; one that I very highly recommend people to make for themselves.
– Florgoth
Previously…
The Nirvana Fallacy (or, Mania and Her Sophomore Slump) – Saint Louie