Rock

Memorials
All Clouds Bring Not Rain
Fire FIRECD820; LP: FIRELP820

Memorials are Verity Susman on keys and vocals, formerly of Electrelane, and guitarist and vocalist Matthew Simms of Wire. Their ancestral DNA is evident on the driving linear rocker, ‘Dropped Down The Well’, with its taut rhythm guitar and crunchy analogue organ chords. On ‘Life Could Be A Cloud’, Susman’s singing over harmonium lands between Nico and Julee Cruise, and the duo conjure up new forms from sunny ’60s pop, krautrock grooves and a shared experimental bent. On ‘Mediocre Demon’, lopsided drumming is buffeted by electronics and the song is shaped by serene vocal harmonies. They play all the instruments and have also recorded and co-produced this vivid, vital record themselves. MB

Sound Quality: 90%

Gong
Bright Spirit
Kscope KSCOPE3061; LP: KSCOPE1304

This current incarnation of Gong is separated temporally from the band that emerged out of late ’60s counterculture. But while they have left the cartoonish Planet Gong mythos behind, they’ve retained the hippie-ish notion that music can be transcendent and bigger than us all via lyrics such as ‘wonder’, ‘perfection’ and ‘vibrations’. They back all that up with virtuosic, empathetic musicianship. The cosmic sequencers and ecstatic sky-kissing guitar of ‘The Wonderment’ nod back to the ’70s, and on ‘Fragrance Of Paradise’ they take a lengthy space rock voyage via the scenic route with mantric unison lines, and guitar and sax arabesques. MB

Sound Quality: 85%

Sunn O)))
Sunn O)))
Sub Pop SPCD1685; LP: SP1685X

Unusually, Sunn O)))’s tenth album features just core members Stephen O’Malley and Greg Anderson, and no guest musicians. But their two overdriven guitars create a sound so massive it’s always sent writers reaching for fanciful adjectives, so now perhaps we can add ‘a sonic interpretation of Mark Rothko’s cover painting, turned up to 11’ to the list. These lengthy, monolithic drone pieces are like the heaviest metal, decelerated and with the rhythm section stripped out, but their sheer physicality is thrilling. They’re expanding stylistically with animated guitar interplay, and ‘Glory Black’ features Celtic-style chord changes and a meditative piano interlude. MB

Sound Quality: 85%

The Dream Machine
Fort Perch Rock
Run On MSK03CD; LP: MSK03LPR

Rock’s once incremental development has long become a simultaneity of styles to pick and choose from, and young Liverpool five-piece Dream Machine ally ’60s garage rock – reedy organ and all – and New Wave urgency. Their knack for melody is exemplified by ‘Julie On The Rocks’ just as ‘Things That Make Us Cry’ evokes the bittersweet mood of early Beach Boys, complete with the invitation, ‘Rest your head on my shoulder’. But ultimately The Dream Machine have mapped out a distinct identity. Vocalist Zak McDonnell name checks Phil Spector, but theirs is a different wall of sound – a shadowy, reverby production adding depth to their songs. MB

Sound Quality: 80%