I had the chance to listen to both the debut and the recent second album by the Tuscan band Tanks and Tears, and despite their self-proclaimed claims of originality, their sound seems to cling even more like a symbiotic organism to the trunk of new wave and synth-pop from four decades ago, which undermines those aforementioned self-certifications. However, it must be said that amidst the many makeovers of those sounds, mostly made famous by Depeche Mode in the years when the aesthetic torches that characterized the early years were beginning to fade, the stylistic choices of this bunch of rascals are interesting. So, if we are to speak of originality, it would be at most a relative originality rather than an absolute one.

The almost 2-minute Intro (not exactly concise, but oh well), oscillating between post-apocalyptic tones and the harmonies infused by In The Nursery, almost made me fear that at some point a dulcimer or a medieval lyre would emerge along the lines of certain industrial neo-folk, but the title track made me breathe a sigh of relief with a breathtaking beat and melodies with a nostalgic touch where the past (or the departed) seems (or seemed) to resonate in a gloomy present so much so as to not foresee a better-defined future (the times when it was allegedly written were those in which it was fashionable to go out gagged to filter who knows what...).

Even more soaked in a tasty New Wave nostalgia sauce, the subsequent "Nightmare," released a couple of years ago but reissued after a remix and remastering, as well as "Darkside," which according to the band's words could be regarded as a model for their newly darkly catchy sound, according to a concise but fitting description always provided by the band. If you've vaguely framed the territories within which Tanks and Tears have concentrated their blitz, I won't take away the pleasure of discovering the rest of the album through rather pleasant tracks, among which, in my humble opinion, "Galaxies" and "Vampire Bite" stand out for their particularly melodic lines.

For several over-forties, the album may seem more like a historical evocation, and there is a feeling that those years are known more as an inheritance from some previous generations than from direct experience. I have to say that I don't know the age of the band members, but it would be commendable if they were millennials or slightly older, which would infuse some hope into the bleak musical landscape fueled by some younger listeners, despite the abuse of agogo (or similar artificial version of ethnic idiophone there were so popular in those years) and electronic drum equipment and synthesizers that the more seasoned listeners won't struggle to recognize, it's quite well forged!

From Oakland, CA comes this odd outfit called the Antler Family (oh, deer!) consisting of Mia Dean - Guitar, Vocals; Tom Flynn - Guitar, Backing Vocals; Tom Dean - Keyboards, Bass; and Stark Raving Brad - Drums. Mia Dean is a former opera singer and also 1/2 of the US/UK duo Blood Moon Wedding with Steve Lake. Stark Raving Brad has played with The Hellbillys, Undercover, The Planning Commission, CHUB, The Psychokinetics, The Freak Accident and others. Tom Dean played with Code of the West, and Boner Records owner Tom Flynn was in and out of the Melvins, Fang, Duh, and Star Pinmp. (I don't understand why a label as notorious as Boner doesn't have a website, or even an email, at least not one I could find.) So there is some degree of pedigree to this rock animal.

The record is a mere 8 tracks but this is a vinyl album and not a CD, so there's no room for a 70-minute opus. "Roses" opens on the minimal side sounding slightly Native American goth at first but gets better and fuller as it progresses. On their publicity sheet the genre selection is punk rock and no wave, but to me it sounds too elaborate and tight for punk, and not strange and "I don't give a shit" enough for no wave. (I ought to know; I was briefly involved in the New York No Wave scene.) Anyway, if you're looking for a genre tag, maybe goth-no-goth, or alt-dark-alternative. After getting your attention with the opener, the band launches into the more forceful "Setting Eyes," a good but not particularly remarkable number. I thought Mia's vocals could have been a little more prominent in the mix, but maybe that defies Antler Family's punky roots. "Captive" is meandering and almost grungy but features some nice guitar work by Flynn. Mia emotes a-plenty on "Bring Me Back My Love" (the briefest track on the album at 2:48) but she should have been mixed louder for max impact. The best song on the album is "The Widow's Call," sort of a blackgrass murder ballad. Absolutely loved this one!

"I Don't Wanna/Black Hole Love" goes grungy country metal if you could imagine such a thing. Some Concrete Blonde vibe to this one. I liked the change of pace on "King Tide," a dark, plaintive, piano-based ballad that offers a lot more pathos than any other band sporting punk roots I've ever heard. Finally "It Don't Rain Anymore" is another kind of slow number, but quite atmospheric with a lot of emotional outpouring from Mia. It's also the longest track at 7:49. I would have preferred a couple more faster songs, but Antler Family didn't make this album for me. Still, there's enough meat on the bone to make for a tasty musical meal. Certainly a band to keep an eye on. Limited Edition LP on antler-colored vinyl, or digital for the turntable-less.

New York-based musician Shane Lavers is the main responsible for Chanel Beads' music and for his first album "Your Day Will Come" he's been aided by his live bandmates: Maya McGrory (vocals) and experimental instrumentalist Zachary Paul (strings). After his 2022 singles “Ef” and “True Altruism” were shared on the band's Bandcamp page for free, Lavers found a home at Jagjaguwar, record label that is part of the Secretly Group along with Dead Oceans, Friends Of, Ghostly International Company, etc. "Your Day Will Come" is the first Chanel Beads album and it will be released on April 19th. It contains nine tracks for less than 29' of music and despite the short length, you'll have a good example of the band's music palette made of experimental sounds, orchestrations, catchy melodies, and jangly guitar sounds. Most of the time the atmosphere created is the main aim and the album contains also really short tracks that under three or two minutes succeed in capturing the audience and taking it through a voyage made of dream-pop atmospheres, catchy melodies, scarce syncopated rhythm lines, and experimentation (check the six minutes of "Coffee Culture" with its dissonant strings arrangement coupled to a choir). Try to imagine My Bloody Valentine with less guitar noise, more orchestrations, and a bit of synth sounds. A nice debut, for real!

This showed up completely out of the blue and I'm somewhat at a loss of what to make of it. Gewalt is a noise-rock / post-punk band from Berlin, Germany that sound like they have some gothic leanings, in a gloomy old-school sort of way. The band consists of Patrick Wagner (guitar, vocals); Helen Henfling (guitar); Jasmin Rilke (bass); and DMI (drums), which seems to be a drum machine. Patrick seems to sing exclusively in Deutsche, although from their live performances on YouTube there is no language barrier with English. "Trans" pretty much sings the praises of being Trans, but although the cover might indicate otherwise, Patrick doesn't adopt the trans look for live performance. While "Trans" is the upside/uptempo side of being trans, "Monika in Scherben" is the downside/downtempo side of being trans - Shattered - mocked - laughed at - frowned upon - cast out - torn, as they say in their lyrics. Although Gewalt isn't my 'go-to' style of music, I have to hand it to them for doing something different. As the band says, "With this video and song, Gewalt aims to empower people of all gender identities to be who they want to be and to be true to who they are." That's not a bad thing at all and I applaud them for it. The 7" in the picture sleeve is limited to 500 copies and the digital is, of course, unlimited.

'Nepenthes' is the debut album by Germany's Seekers Are Lovers, a gothic rock outfit formed in 2021 consisting of Chris N. on vocals, Ivy Onyx on bass and Patty J. on guitars. (BTW, Patty is a guy, if that matters.) Drums and electronics/keyboards aren't credited but they're there. The title 'Nepenthes' refers in Greek mythology to a medicine that Helena, wife of Menelaus, was given by an Egyptian queen and which, when mixed with wine, was supposed to eliminate suffering, chase away fear and sorrow, and make all illnesses be forgotten. Mmmmm... could use some of the now.

The first thing you'll notice when "Transforming The Urge" hits your ears is just how much singer Chris sounds like Peter Murphy. The song sounds like Bauhaus on speed, partially due to the monotone 32nd note sequencing, but also with raucus guitars and a driving beat. A good song and a great attention-getting album opener. Follow-up track "Hunting a Ghost" sounds a bit more gothy but with a title like that it's no surprise. Patty gets to exercise his guitar chops a little more on this one with a metallic edge. "Frozen People" is an atmospheric change of pace, and "Hayley" is the kind of song you might expect from a modern dark alternative German band. "Deadly Cure" was kind of a slog and may take some time getting used to.

Back in hypersonic mode on "Tyrants" and the pace is relentless. It's a force to be reckoned with and does not disappoint. More atmospherics on "Cold" and on this one I'm reminded of Siouxsie & the Bansshees. "Don't Lose Yourself" is a dynamic uptempo rocker, but the last track, "Smalltown Boy" just didn't resonate with me. Over all, 'Nepenthes' is a really good album, not great, but these folks have have plenty of time to develop, being in the dawn of their career. I'd strongly recommend a listen or three as good modern goth with a nod to old school is hard to find.