4 ...according to our Business Lady on 08 October 2009.
A Place to Bury Strangers, NYC loudest rock band (though I'm sure that accolade belongs to Sonic Youth) return with their second LP 'Exploding Head' with an emphasis on 'Total Sonic Annihilation!'. A Place to Bury Strangers (APTBS) have the uncanny ability to purge from the most likely of places (shoegazing rock, Goth, 80's synth rock and pop, 80's British psychedelia) and transform those influences into a massive American rock assault. It's the ability to streamline and simplify these styles is APTBS greatest strength as a band and they do it rather well. Single 'In Your Heart' is the best example of this theory in action, they take the best elements of Joy Division and ramp everything up to great effect. The guitars are wildly frantic in Kevin Shield's kinda, the bass playing is pure Hooky and the drums sound like all machine like with the added heaviness of them being played by a real human. As well as being obscenely loud they also show a keen ear for melody which is apparent on 'Keep Slipping Away' and 'Losing Feeling' as well as the aforementioned single. The recording is impressively loud and screechy, especially on 'Ego Death' where we are treated to some super wailing guitars and some intense sonic manipulation. A great record that will appeal to shoe-gazey, gothy types and anyone with a love for both Sonic Youth and My Bloody Valentine at the same time. Not bad for a major label band yo!
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Sound clips for Exploding Head by A Place To Bury Strangers: on CD at Norman Records UK. CD, Mute, CDSTUMM 311, £10.09.
10. I Lived My Life To Stand In The Shadow Of Your Heart
Exploding Head is 43 mesmerizing minutes of pain as pleasure. You'll be checking the levels on your living room stereo from the moment "It Is Nothing" pulls everyone in earshot through a vortex of groove-locked rhythms and back-spun power chords.
You'll be sucked in and blown away by the paranoid android pop of the album's first single "In Your Heart," the gorgeous gate-crashing melodies of "Keep Slipping Away", the apocalypse now effects of "Ego Death," the sinewy, sinister overtones of the title track and the firework finale flare-ups of "I Lived My Life To Stand In The Shadow Of Your Heart."
A Place To Bury Strangers recently played Coachella, NYC’s Siren, Reading and Leeds festivals and return to Europe for a November tour and an appearance at ATP in December (dates below).
