unison riff-rocker ’ s breakdown was an unexpected twist . Salomon / Horse offers another catchy chorus melody , swathed in echo and fighting its way through Martin ’ s deliciously dense guitars . Habit of Creature is as gloriously unkempt and proudly filthy as the roughneck mascot depicted on the EP ’ s painted cover . After the long wait , this EP-length outing may seem like teasing or perhaps more like a drive-by assault . These four ferocious tracks will entice new fans while leaving veteran listeners hoping it won ’ t be another 15-year wait for more .
– Jeff Elbel
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Continued from page 18 length album called Haunted Horse : Songs of Love , Defiance , and Delusion in 2009 . Already about as underground as they come , the band went further underground . Fifteen years later , the disbanded band has re-banded to lob this Molotov cocktail of four songs through unsuspecting record shop windows before careening around the corner , cackling and racing out of sight again . The brutal but tuneful set draws dire elements from alternative metal , emo , punk , surf , hard rock , and hardcore , making the kind of sound that might reasonably be expected from the serendipitous collusion by members of Stavesacre , Starflyer 59 , and Project 86 . Stavesacre frontman , Mark Salomon , aka Norman Horse , delivers a caustic vocal with a whiff of Bruce Dickinson ’ s siren howl during the pulverizing psychobilly of “ Haskell Moon ,” sneering venomously about “ snake oil sales to the snake bit suckers ” before describing the empty legacies of those hapless , duped souls . “ A cloud of pink dust is your mark on the earth ,” he sings with pity , disdain , or both . The band locks into a grinding groove worthy of The Damned . Poison-tongued kiss-off “ Nuttin ’ There ” surges with jagged rhythm and glam-rock swagger atop Charlie Martin ’ s two-ton drumbeat . Starflyer 59 guitarist ( and Charlie ’ s dad ) Jason Martin launches “ Moana Lisa ” with a snarling and bluesy earworm of a riff . When the band shifts into sludgy propulsion , it ’ s like a supergroup jam by members of Black Sabbath and AC / DC . The song unloads withering castigation onto a self-centered drama queen . “ Would it kill ya to die a little to yourself ?” chides an exasperated Norman Horse with echoes of New York Dolls ’ David Johansen . “ Poor thing !” he adds with derision . The song brims with layers of Martin ’ s coolly restrained but perfectly acerbic twang . The dark and sinister flow of the fatalistic “ I Know That It Can Be Confusing ( When It ' s All Your Fault )” is anchored by Project 86 veteran Steve Dail ’ s growling and rumbling bass . Even for a band that bucks convention as a matter of course , including bebop saxophone during the lurching
THOMPSON TWINS Into the Gap 40th anniversary LP ( BMG )
Thompson Twins ’ fourth album , Into the Gap , is one of the emblematic New Wave albums of the ‘ 80s . The album was a creative , cultural , and commercial smash that saturated radio and theninfluential MTV . The album ’ s indelible singles include a song of reconciliation , “ Hold Me Now ,” the moody and amorous “ Doctor , Doctor ,” and the battered but hopeful “ You Take Me Up .” Initially released in February 1984 , the multi-platinum selling album was still a force in pop culture during the summer of 1985 when the multi-gender and multiracial act performed “ Hold Me Now ” at Live Aid . The song was Thompson Twins ’ highest-charting single in the US , reaching # 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 . Into the Gap represents the peak of the marriage of Tom Bailey ’ s musical arrangements and emotive vocal performances with Alannah Currie ’ s relatable lyrics . For its 40th anniversary , the album has been remastered at Abbey Road and pressed onto red vinyl with terrific-sounding results . A three-CD deluxe edition is also available , which includes bonus tracks , edits , extended mixes , and new sleeve notes from band members Bailey , Currie , and Joe Leeway . The Thompson Twins ’ influential synth-pop avoided rock guitars while blending traditional instruments and percussion with big synthesizer sounds . Currie ’ s notes say , “ the human warmth with cool machines was what we aimed for .”
– Jeff Elbel
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22 illinoisentertainer . com january 2025