The Go Go Cult - Black Is The Colour of My Love
Western Star
Released: 13th December 2024
Turn On – Tune In – Give In. The Go Go Cult are legends in the alternative scene, having ploughed their solo furrow for many a year without compromise and without any lessening in the quality of their music. If you haven't seen the Reading quartet (and lately a quintet) supporting some of the biggest names on the goth and garage circuit, then you haven't been looking because the Cult have been there stealing souls and weaving their own hypnotic spells on any unbelievers. Over the years they have drifted slightly away from their psychobilly roots towards more gothic pastures so that they have been described as a "gothabilly" band that "oozes voodoo rock 'n' roll". The simple truth is that they are just very bloody good at everything they do, creating some mesmerising tunes while teasing the edges of humour with their very shady lyrics. "When the hope runs out, when the dreams run out, when the food runs out, we still have each other," rasps GoGo Nige with lipsmacking sincerity. It's simply tremendous. Cult they are named and cult they are, as to enter the world of the Go Gos is to embrace wholeheartedly the madness, wit and skewed vision of these troubled troubadours. If you think you can escape them, the guitars of GoGo Matt will capture your soul and refuse to let it go. They wail, they soar and they grip, throwing out hints of Ashton, Marx and Hussey as they weave around the growling vocal incantations of GoGo Nige. Both the title track and 'In Flames' spill over with Violets' and Sisters' riffs, while other influences are apparent in the closing track 'Devil In The Process', which comes with a big slice of cake courtesy of The Birthday Party. 'How Long Have i Been Gone?' shows the band's depth of vision, a beautifully crafted piece that is quite dazzling, the guitars dipping in and out of GoGo Leo's pulsing bass and GoGo Johnny's deft beats. Throughout this collection, the drummer shows his class by playing everything he needs to rather than everything he wants to. It's a testament to his understanding of his instrument and bewildering self-control. Of course, everything is helped by a sumptuous production which makes the bass fat and juicy, the guitars sharper than razors and the vocals are gently lifted to give them the greatest punch. This album comes from a different place, but it's a place every one of you should want to be. Embrace The Go Go Cult. They paint everything black and make it all better. If you can't find this in your local shop, buy it at the band's Bandcamp.
Oceanss - Bioluminicent
Weird Beard (UK) / Echodelick (US)
Released: 10th March 2025
It's four years now since Weird Beard opened season two of their limited cassette runs with a compilation of all of the singles and EPs by Mexico City's Oceanss. The quartet described their music then as having "a suffocating atmosphere," with "multiple distortions, powerful bass and whispered voices, as if emerging violently from the bottom of the sea." As can be seen from the cover of this album, very little has changed from the band's perspective, with a classic ten-song line-up stretching over forty minutes, none of which are especially breezy or bright. But it would be wrong to say that Oceanss are lost in a world of unrelenting gloom; these songs are eclectic and come at you from various directions, and occasionally you can see the light glinting on the surface of the swell. Or the light of the creatures that live beneath the water that attacks the all-enveloping darkness. We are assuming that "bioluminicent" is an American take on "bioluminescent", the ability of a marine organism to create light through a chemical reaction in its body. It's as though Oceanss are offering a flicker of positivity against the enormity of the abyss. Certainly the closing track 'Sunday Morning' is a gentle thing, carefully picked out guitars soothed by a gentle rush. It's the closest the album has to pretty, though the stunning 'Les Voces Del Agua' is an uplifting archetypal psych number, shimmering guitars laying on a haze of fuzz while a gentle vocal works its way around. It is definitely the highlight of the album, carrying you off in its spendour. The guitars also grab your heart on 'Liquid Trash' which is otherwise quite brutal in its repetitive beat and nagging synths, and there is a lot of harshness here, either through the relentless synth stomp of the title track, the unsettling space rock of 'Zeithiest', and several dangerous spoken vocals. The band are at their best when they are not so monotone and when they break out of their mould. There's a majesty to 'Obsession Transgression' with its whistling feedback. Lovely guitars sing the chorus while the earnest vocal ducks its head. It's very fine, and shows that at its best, this album really is a bit of a stunner. There's clearly some work to be done but the potential is enormous. Bioluminicent is available on a super limited run of 150 copies pressed on eco-friendly black vinyl and can be obtained from the Wierd Beard webpage.
