Where one treads the boards of synth wave, the other toes the lines of electronic indie pop. Staccato Du Mal, with his dark style and vintage analogue sound travels well on the Wierd path. Kindest Lines break from the tradition. The colder synth sounds of previous Wierd releases are replaced with a middle ground.
[Shop] 2011 is already proving to be a prolific year for Wierd Records. The infamous parties seem to be in full swing and the releases are flowing. Two new signings have been added to the roster in recent months, and in the Wierd way they have already put out albums.
Staccato Du Mal, aka Ramiro Jeancarlo (half of Opus Finis) is the first to arrive with Sin Destino. As soon as the needle drops on this record synthesizer riches pour forth. Reverberating analogue power shudders through in “Walls Fade” whilst male vocals ache over classified pages and weak coffee. The immediate sense is a dark minimal shrug is at the centre of this record. Well maybe not a shrug, but there is a definite dispassionate nervousness to the humming synths and wallowing vocals of “Desespero.” It is the an analogue sound that is pivotal, with human voice acting as support rather than in tandem. The tracks do not have the clean cut gleam of Xeno & Oaklander or the pop of Automelodi but adapt a distortion and noise backdrop to insert a raw and self made slant throughout. Across the LP the tones are warm but just given the right limit to keep a distance from the listener, as in the pulsing “Pronóstico Indefinido.” The lonely and almost desolate synth stabs of “Plea Bargain” drown in lost lyrics and a divided sound. The isolation felt on the record is ever present, exemplified in the artist’s decision to sing in English and Spanish across the album. This LP is not gloom, but something that has been born out of dampened hopes and a Korg.
The latest to arrive at chez Wierd are the New Orleans trio of Kindest Lines with their first full length Covered in Dust. Where Staccato Du Mal has an inchoate eclipsed air, Kindest Lines have a free and easy tone. The group have adopted quite an industrial/EBM beat, steady and strong, but around which they have attached the flags of indie, electro and pop. This is not to say this is a smiles and candy floss affair, but the tone is optimistic; as in the light chords of “Destructive Paths to Live Happily” or the poppy sounds of “Baltimore” demonstrate. The record sees Wierd step into quite a new field, moving away from the synth heavy and quite melancholic laments towards guitars and indie attire. Kindest Lines have echoes of Frank (just Frank) but with a more light hearted physiognomy. Analogue equipment is not sidelined, but given more of a backing role as in “Strange Birds.” The machine anchored beats help to cut through some of the more syrupy moments and give ballast to pieces like “Running Into Next Year.” Electronic elements are adopted rather than having centre stage, with a dry indie pop style being at the core. Not all on this LP has a sunny aspect, with “Colors Treasured ” having a powerful depth and primal feel.
I wouldn’t say these two LP’s are like chalk and cheese, but there is quite a gulf between them. Where one is distant and disassociated, the other is quite warm and inviting. Where one treads the boards of synth wave, the other toes the lines of electronic indie pop. Staccato Du Mal, with his dark style and vintage analogue sound travels well on the Wierd path. Kindest Lines break from the tradition. The colder synth sounds of previous Wierd releases are replaced with a middle ground. Where Staccato Du Mal seeks the peripheries, Kindest Lines have a more of a populist tone. For my palette, Staccato Du Mal is the stronger of the two releases; but you can’t help feeling that Kindest Lines have the potential to recruit a serious following.
Both releases are out now on Wierd. [Shop]
