Carpenter Brut "Leather Terror" (2022)

 

Its gritty and grisly, a leather clad clenched fist, the blood stained blade and lack of face to identify this anonymous gruesome demeanor... An apt fit for the nightly wailing music that awaits. Sticking firmly by an established, yet darker Synthwave aesthetic, Leather Terror gets pulled on the dusky, nefarious path as sinister symphonic themes and bouts of pounding aggression permeate the overarching mood on this outing.

I'll admit, engagement dwindled. Quite often is cruise control engaged. Sharp pulsing kick snare grooves crusade over devilish synths that hit hard with intense tones and gruesome half melodies hinged on deep groaning textures. They recycle and strike on a similar vein. This string of songs sways between a dread driven demeanor, then contrasted with typical 80s, upbeat Synthpop. Sometimes its thematic transition are jarring, if not for instrumental consistency but the writing reveals itself.

This record is a notably more collaborative project. Ulver returns again for another sublime union on lofty moment of calm. Gunship, Greg Puciato, Persha and Sylvaine led their vocal chords too. Unlike previous mixed results, they all gel well with the song writing vision. The musics power gets by on instrumentals alone but Leather Terror has its harmonious voices in the balance. Interestingly, its conclusive track goes Metal with Jonka bringing both terrifying ghoulish screams and full on metallic drumming to the mix. Its an interesting genre crossroads. Haunting organs fuse the two in a fiery contentious conclusion, by an artist inching closer towards infernal damnation.

 Rating: 6/10

Carpenter Brut "Leather Teeth" (2018)

After a lengthy deep dive through the dark powerhouse known as Trilogy, Carpenter Brut returns with an upbeat, energized vision of Synthwave. Its packaged into a lean eight tracks and Leather Teeth plays like a movie. Its pacing has one song racing to the next, always on the run, changing up location and drenching the listener in a glorious synth overload! Dripping with nostalgia, Brut nails the best of 80s ideas, bringing them to life again through this high octane drive of dance-able songs. Continuously pounding the bass lines, the keys over top rattle off with a consistent buzz, as fast, animated melodies overlap to create a powerful wall of sound.

Along the way a few breaks in tone are discovered. Ironically mentioned in my musings on Trilogy, the man from Ulver himself, Kristoffer Rygg, lends his voice for a track. The combination is perfect! Cheerleader Effect gets treated to his soft power over a thinner instrumental. It gives room for his words to breathe and sets up a couple of mellower tracks to follow. They have 80s jam session vibes with some vibrant lead solos. In these moments a touch of Genesis of that era can be heard. The vocals return again later on, this time with Mat McNerny. His opening Ian Curtis impression stands a little stark and broody but as he gets into it, the music gels well.

Leather Teeth is one of the best Synthwave records I've heard. It surpasses any tropes with the stunning musicianship. It seems that song writing is the core and everything aesthetic just falls into place around it. My favorite moments stem from the lead instruments. Synths solos and Metal guitars really open up the musics dynamics as the arsenal of keys have to lay of the repetition. Its sways from dance to Progressive are well managed and both sides are performed so well. There is little I can fault here but it sounds is if there is many directions this could all be taken in. After all, this has progressed from quite a dark place to something still in rapture but upbeat, casual and groovy with fun vibes emanating. I'm excited for whats next!

Rating: 8/10

Carpenter Brut "Trilogy" (2015)

 

Stead and with patience, Ive been enjoying this lengthy eight minute juggernaut known as Trilogy for some months now. When first recommended the debut album by Carpenter Brut, surely a nod to John Carpenter? I was taken aback by the sheer volume of listeners visible on Spotify. To my limited knowledge, this might just be the biggest artist in the retroactive world of Synthwave? That was excuse alone to invite me in. My caution however, came as a result of fatigue. The genre had established its identity swiftly and now an army of adoring clones has been ushered in, emulating the sound and its tropes to a point where the music can feel stale. At least to this listener.

It took time, but with repetition, then familiarity, the class of these compositions emerged with gleam. Frankly, there is a thematic horror on offer that goes beyond the typical synth tones and nostalgic electricity of Synthwave. Energized baselines prop up steady dance floor grooves for a body moveable warmth to be found in every track, as excursions into the nightly mystique unravel. Often spearheaded by its more extravagant and experiment worbling synths, Brut cracks open whats possible with these dense oscillations on more than one occasion. These moments expand on the mood, with theatrics and noise manipulation turning tunes with twisted expressions.

After a handful of tracks, starting specifically with Roller Mobster, intensity amplifies and the execution tightens up. Although the following music explores temperaments and scenic passages more chilled and cautious, its synthetic instruments arrive with gloss and glaze, a slick polish for its liveliness. The density and weight is stunning as rapid pulses of jittering melodies dance macabre atop its dark thumping percussion. Many instruments interchange, taking center stage , giving voice to the cyber dystopian atmospheres conjured. Trilogy is truly is a wild ride through the neon lit night life of cities but Brut's music takes us much further than the established tropes.

A sense of horror and spectacle permeates as each song finds its avenue. To be fair, they are not to distant from one another but they find a character. At its end, Anarchy Road introduces a one of vocal performance to lukewarm reception. I'm uncertain of Brut's singing. Neither good or bad, the voice is simply present with little in the way of power or persuasion. He sounds like a softer Ulver, waging in meekly. The music so works so well its hard to imagine a voice bringing much more to the table but that wasn't it. Anyways, my conclusion? One of the classiest Synthwave records I've heard. Trilogy is solid front to back and surpasses any tiring that clones brought along.

Rating: 8/10