And I will offer my apologies for any mistakes and/or unnecessary ramblings. This was written at midnight on a Sunday and so probably isn't the most coherent thing I've ever written.
Anyway, the subject of tonight's review/ramble is Acey Slade's latest venture: 'The Dark Party'. It arrived in the post last Saturday and has been, well, noticed.
First, a quick word about the artist. It has to be said that being part of Acey Slade's fanbase is a little bit like accidentally signing up to be the straightman in a sitcom. You find yourself in this situation where a part of your life keeps doing these incredibly odd things. In Acey's case, this is primarily done by seeming to have a kind of musical ADHD, although this is by no means a bad thing. From what I heard, Vampire Love Dolls were pretty good, I can't confess much knowledge of Dope, and Trashlight Vision were fantastic. As for the Murderdolls, well they were kind of another Wednesday 13 vehicle, which means that I'm on board pretty much on principle.
The Review
As for this newest project, the sound has gone back to the sort of twisted glam rock influenced stuff that happened on Vampire Love Dolls, although with a much more electric sound overall. This is what took me by surprise at first. I'll confess that on the whole my music tastes tend to shy away from anything particularly pop or overtly electro, with certain exceptions. And of course, there is the tracklisting. Song names such as 'Sugarcum' and 'Plastic Lego Queen' don't necessarily help my easily-swayed teenage mind. However, I have quite a bit of love for Acey and the EPs I'd already listened to had some promising songs on it.
The first time I listened, I had no idea what to think. There was a whole lot of odd electro noises happening, and more pop melodies than I am used to hearing on a CD. In fact, there are still aspects I'm trying to work out. I can sense the shadow of Bowie, and Bauhaus, and there's a definite hint of Hanoi Rocks lurking in the corners as well as a few other possible similarities to NIN. The man himself names Gwen Stefani and Slayer as influences. But there's no real way of pinning down any particular sound that people can recognise. The only real way is to just get a listen for yourself.
The thing starts out with 'Darklexia', which is a spoken-word track that is somewhere between an almost '1984'-esque political broadcast and an infomercial. This definitely sets the mood for a lot of the album, as it is both dark and yet has a twisted sense of humour as it tells the listener to question everything, especially members of The Dark Party.
The album then kicks into full swing with 'Here Today'. Well, at first it has this incredibly confusing tinkly synth melody that starts out like one of those irritating processed pop songs, but within the first loop become sinister, then the song kicks in and yes, beneath this alien new sound the music is definitely Acey's, complete with his sense of glam rock style, punk rock attitude and sarcastic and occasionally vicious lyrics. The most surreal thing in this track and the album as a whole is that he still has the same vocal style, which I once described as a demonic Jack White, and this jars somewhat with the incredibly slick sound of the instruments. However, by the end of the track you do grow used to this and are able to appreciate the song somewhat. So please don't run away when you hear the intro. I know that tinkly sounds tend to intimidate rockers, but if you leave now, you're going to miss out.
Now... 'Sugarcum'... not the most attractively-titled song ever but it is part of the humourous side to the album, yet it is far from empty. The vocals and music gel much better here, creating something that doesn't scare any new listeners so much. It also has to be noted that it is obscenely catchy, with a fantastic bassline and a singalong chorus, complete with backing vocals. Lovely. The rock guitars reappear make friends with the new synth in this song to create something that is much more enjoyable than it really should be. It was by this point that I'd decided that this album might actually be pretty damn good.
'Nothing's Gonna Change' was on one of the EPs and therefore I knew what was coming. And of course being as religiously dedicated to Nine Inch Nails as I am, I was sold from the second I heard sludgily distorted guitars. The lyrics here are some of the most bluntly angry, and this song is probably the strongest link between this project and Trashlight Vision, so if you're looking for a link to ease this rather sudden progression in styles, this might be it. It's also one of the songs that best accommodates Acey's snarling yelp of a vocal style. (I love the man's voice but I've never heard anything quite like it.) There is a heavy reappearance of electro at the end which works fantastically well, and serves to fully mix the two styles.
Next is 'She Brings Down The Moon', another EP track that has a great atmosphere and is once again catchy to the point of being ridiculous. It's deceptively simple, music-wise and has a very... interesting... drum sound I can't fully describe. A bit like someone hired a pnuematically powered robot to drum for this song. Can't say I was a huge fan of the backing vocals here, and to an extent I still find them a little cheesy. However the lyrics and music are sharp and smart and if I did the whole singing-into-my-hairbrush thing, this is what I would do it to.
Next is a cover of 'She Sells Sanctuary' by The Cult. It has to be said that it is an incredibly straightforward cover, with very few tweaks beyond introducing a heavy synth. Still, why mess too much with what already works? Yes, some people might call it unnecessary or unoriginal. But it is still a pretty enjoyable way to pass a track. (Plus it introduced me to The Cult, which I'm going to say is a good thing for the moment.)
Things slow down a bit for the next track: 'Baby The Stars Shine Brightly'. Hell, it even has a sound that might have originally been based on an acoustic guitar in there somewhere. This is Acey's "it's going to be alright" moment to the people who are feeling down. The electronic element creates a pretty atmosphere and Acey's vocals are very unprocessed here, which adds to the mood of the track. There's a slightly unexpected picking-up of the pace towards the end but it's mostly a moment to relax and feel comforted.
Just in case you thought the sense of humour got lost, up comes this aural sandpaper riff of the next track leading to a stripclub-esque drum/bass groove of yes, 'Plastic Lego Queen', which is officially the oddest-titled song on my iPod. Lyrically it is sleazy and displays its sense of humour like a flag. It eventually descends into a chant (hello punk rock roots) still backed by a bassline and rhythm that sound like Soho made into music. As for why he chose to include the phrase "plastic lego queen" I'll never know.
'Coming Down' sounds like every element of the album so far suddenly went into overdrive and fell apart, which fits the subject very well. It must be said that some of the lyrics are a bit clumsy in this song, but musically this is rather good. Have to say it isn't my favourite track though.
Next comes up the slow, ethereal sound of 'Spiders In A Snowglobe'. Once again, I wasn't entirely able to get into this song but I do still enjoy it and its unusual charms. I feel that this will be one of those songs where over time I'll grow to like it.
'Reptile House'. Ah, yes. This was on the first EP and I fell in love with its ominous piano and distortion charm instantly. Lyrically great, musically amazing. Well worth the wait. It has a different character to a lot of the album, being much more overtly dark than the rest of the album in both sound and subject. It still displays a heavy glam (and to an extent, pop) influence, however here creeps in the heavier, more rock and metal side once again. Everything here is tight and works, every effect and note and word fitting together. The breaks in melody to emphasise the drums work very well and the whole thing is drenched in an oppressively ominous tone, with the vocals sounding like they're being called from the bottom of a well. Overall, a great way to end a very good album.
Basically, approach this album with an open mind. Fortunately I do quite like it, but I can see quite a few ways in which I might have equally disliked it. So do give it a shot, as it is definitely a very unique sound from a talented person who seems unable to do the same thing twice.