Search - Horrors :: Primary Colours

Marching To The Sea

Murphy | Northern California | 12/15/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Here's the problem a band like The Horrors faces with a record like this. It gets compared to some excellent sources and influences from way back in the late 70s and 80s and we're left feeling like they're derivative or stuck in a time or place. So, here goes. Most bands in the universe today sound like a horrendous middle of the road, watered down Pearl Jam. Most alt rock sounds like Rush meets Led Z meets Kiss meets Queen. Your Dad's older brother's records. The Horrors sound like....



...like they came snarling and dancing and posing out of punk and goth (80s Goth, not the twilight preteen fantasy) and the Thin White Duke and Can and...well, like they listened and absorbed and diluted and mixed up so very many interesting/preening/posing bands.



The sleeve and the music are out of focus and hypnotic. Sea Within A Sea. Do You Remember snarls from the opening chords, except it's lost and unsure and certain. And textured and layered and aloof.



Sure, Joy Division (live) meets "Heroes". Except. Sounds like the first time you heard Psychocandy.



Best of 2009."