Spectres
Nostalgia
(Artoffact)
Nostalgia
indeed! When I first listened to this
album from Vancouver BC’s Spectres
(their 4th LP, but my introduction), I was immediately transported
back to when I was a shy kid in the 80s losing myself in the discovery of post-punk
music. These discoveries were so
exciting for me that I still get a charge thinking about it. I used to dream about finding rare (or
non-existent) vinyl singles in strange places, like in the grocery store near
the produce, or in a roped off section of a hardware store. These records would have striking cover art
that would intensify my curiosity about what mysterious music was inside to
discover. Hell, I still have dreams like
these on occasion. What’s so great about
Nostalgia is it not only sounds like
it could’ve come from the early 80s UK indie chart (though thankfully without
the over treated 80s drum sounds), but it could’ve thrived there. I can easily see them being heralded as
legends now, if they had been a part of that era.
The most obvious influence could be
the bass, which draws on the style that Peter
Hook created in Joy Division and
New Order. The opening of the incredible “When Possessed
Pray” is very reminiscent of “Ceremony,” and the influence is only intensified
when vocalist Brian Gustavson
borrows the vocal melody from “Age of Consent” to open the second verse. What’s funny though, is despite a handful of nicks
like these here and there, Spectres do not sound like any particular previous
band at all. My introduction to Spectres
is the second track “Dreams.” This song
is a shimmering breath of fresh air as it evokes both the excitement and
sadness of a young relationship that is experiencing that first
separation. One is off across the world,
while the other stays at home. The trebly
guitar chimes of the chorus is exhilarating.
It’s damn refreshing to encounter
lyrics that are about things beyond broken hearts and relationships (don’t get
me wrong, I love these things too), but here we get songs about the world,
culture, religion, and politics – but not in a preachy specific way. The LP opens with “The Head and the Heart,”
which builds momentum as it progresses, making it a perfect introduction. It is about discovering a worldview beyond
religious doctrine and they seem pretty happy about it as the song closes with
the repeated refrain of “the worst is over.”
Elsewhere, in “Pictures from Occupied Europe,” Gutavson channels Pete Shelley as he shouts over a frenetic
set of verses lamenting the fact that we struggle to learn from history and as
a warning against the factors that lead to fascism (“Recondition / shapes of
what’s to come / polarized parties / breakdown has begun / and no one cares
what happened anymore”). The dangers of
political polarization between the left and right continues in “Years of Lead,”
which has an absolutely killer guitar hook.
“Insurgence” reflects all of this political tension and comes on the
some chanted “woooah –oooooohs” like a fueled up to the point Killing Joke. Meanwhile, “The Call” is a song after my
heart with its Peter Hook bass intro that jumps in like Big Country’s “Steeltown.” I
can almost hear a phantom e-bow from the ghost of Stuart Adamson, as the
sing-along chorus kicks in. As my friend
Matt said, when I shared this song with him: “That’s got it going on.” The exciting finale is “Along the Waterfront,”
with its stumbling forward musical momentum and its melancholy mix of the
excitement and possibility of youth and the dashed hopes of experience.
There is not a weak track on this
collection. If you like you like UK post
punk, catchy pop songs, and thoughtful lyrics, then this is likely right up
your alley. Highly recommended!
Spectres "When Possessed Pray
