Artist: Just Like Vinyl
Title: Black Mass
Genre: Rock/Progressive/Experimental
Release Date: 27th August 2012
Label: Superball Music
Album Review
‘Black Mass’ is a second album of JUST LIKE VINYL, a band whose band members were some other band’s (The Fall Of Troy, The Filthy None etc...) members before, so not exactly the sophomore effort of relative newcomers. The song titles seemed quite promising as well as the loose concept of critically dissecting the catholic mass, though when you listen on, the lyrics let the concept down; as it’s been done many times before and in many of those cases also - better. As I listened, I was getting irritated by the fact that at least a bit talented crew has tried to tie the sound to be commercial and generic leanings here and there when they are capable of a more creative tack, which is there in good amounts on show. So my experience of the album was mixed, it was like watching a wild animal tethered to the pole of bullshit, let’s compare it to a dancing circus bear.
I thought “Please let it go free!”, because the more creative, interesting parts are really good, from the perspective when the creative is the least spoilt I’d go for ‘Hours And Whiskey Sours’, which is intense yet subdued and layered, and vocally on the angsty side without being over the top and trying too hard, the progressive elements of their music are smoothly tied up to match the mood of the song. It’s also a marking point as the sound is freer from hence on and is not trying to get the consumer-brought up teenager on board, well, maybe better, to lead that kind to the dark side of sound - that is a big ‘maybe’ though. ‘Sucks To Be You’ is a wonderfully ferocious track that gets the rage on. The rest of the album felt slightly all over the place and somewhat that quality started to lose my interest, maybe as it was not convincing and felt unsure of itself. ‘Lucky Stars’ was again going for the bullshit pole and made-to-order pleaser for the crowd. Interesting album for sure, though it didn’t really win me over to say more than that...
Tracklist
01. Safety Word
02. Bitches Get Stitches
03. Walk You Home
04. Hours And Whiskey Sours
05 .Sucks To Be You
06. Happiness Is A Hole
07. First Born
08. Pressure/Release
09. ATM
10. $$$
11. Lucky Stars
12. Dick
Line-up
Thomas Erak – guitars, vocals
Jake Carden – guitars, vocals
Henry Batts – bass, backing vocals
Jay Beaman – drums
Websites
www.justlikevinyl.com / www.facebook.com/justlikevinylwa / www.myspace.com/justlikevinylWA
Cover Picture
Rating
Music: 6.5
Sound: 7
Total: 6.75 / 10
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