SPECTRES
Presence
(Artoffact)
When I write these little album things, I often struggle to find ways to describe the music involved. I try to use the tried too much use of comparisons, and it often leaves me uneasy. First off, though sometimes effective, I often times find comparisons unfair to the artist that I am writing about. Everyone hears things differently. I try not to pull out too many obscure references, because those can be meaningless to most potential readers. As a reader of music reviews myself, I can be turned off by too many unknown references. I don’t need to know that the writer is so damn hip, plus I often find as an older person that my references are often dated – so much so that the artist I’m writing about may not have been born, while I was bouncing off the walls listening as a teen.
The newest SPECTRES album, Presence, their fifth full length is a refreshing reminder that time is relative and crucial regarding how we all perceive events and how we proceed with decision making for our lives. The song “Waiting,” which stands as the middle point of this collection, opens with a dramatic musical build up that levels into a melancholic love song. The beautiful chorus of “Waiting for the sunrise / Waiting for the day / All for your reaction / Your one in a million” can be interpreted as a nice love song, or that “your” instead of “you’re” it feels more like a dissertation about timing. The juxtaposition of patience versus time. Can we hold off even knowing that our one n a million chances might be jeopardized? Time is referenced in almost every song on this album, from the generational struggle inside “The Old Regime,” to the stuck in the past vision of “AM Gold,” to the closing message to take time, take stock and “Start Again.” Vocalist/lyricist Brian Gustavson provides a lot of thought-provoking words.
One of the reasons that I say that SPECTRES’ music is refreshing, is because as an old fart, their music makes me feel like a kid again. Not only do they remind me musically in the most simplistic terms of a remarkable melding of early New Order and Big Country, but they also evoke a wonder at the size of our world, and a belief in possibilities. They are twenty year veterans who sound like classic 80s post punk, but only discovered recently. I absolutely adore the variety of Presence. “Chain Reaction” brings an angry punk energy, while “Real World” sounds like what should be a hugely popular pop song, as well as the yearning quality of the wondrous “One Day.” The spikey guitars of “AM Gold” sounds like a lost outtake from Big Country’s The Crossing, while “Dominion” evokes early Chameleons with its exciting twin guitar urgency.
There I went and dragged out a bunch of 40 year old references. However, SPECTRES are no retro act. These songs are relevant and current, and really fun to listen to.
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