British/Irish post-punk continues to thrive in 2023. But it looks like spoken word is out, and singing is back in.
If you’ve been following the recent wave of wacky post punk
bands from the British Isles, you’ll have noticed that lots of vocalists over
the last few years have been embracing spoken word – or at the very least a hybrid
spoken-singing approach (the technical name is ‘sprechgesang’ I believe). In my
2022 black midi/Dry Cleaning double album review, I suggested using the term ‘ramble
rock’ to refer to this new breed of band. However, as these new albums from The
Murder Capital and Shame have proven, post-punk vocalists seem to be shunning ramble
rock in 2023. Instead, they’ve rediscovered a lost vocal style known as ‘singing’.
R.I.P. ramble rock.
In truth, singing is actually nothing new for Dublin post
punk band The Murder Capital. Back when I first heard the band in 2019, they
were delivering tortured crooning over brooding suspenseful guitar. Instead of
jumping on the ramble rock bandwagon, it seems that singer James McGovern has
continued to hone his tortured croon on Gigi’s Recovery. It’s richer and
bassier than before (all
thanks to Camel Blues apparently. Take note aspiring vocalists!). The
result is a melodic and emotive vocal style that stands out from the more unhinged/deadpan
spoken word styles of his post punk peers. More importantly, it fits the band’s
unique instrumentation, which is slower and sadder than all the other British/Irish
post punk bands out there right now.
Originally this album was going to be even sadder than it
already is, but the band shelved it for being ‘fucking depressing’. As it still
stands, the final product is still very bleak. The only truly optimistic track
here is ‘Only Good Things’, and even here the optimism feels desperate rather
than genuine. However, despite being so bleak, this album still delivers plenty
of fun thrills. I absolutely love this band’s experimentation with effects – from
the queasy pitch-shifted chords on ‘Crying’ to the weird robotic opening guitars/synths
(I can’t tell what instrument it is) of ‘The Stars Will Leave Their Stage’. Meanwhile,
‘The Lie Becomes The Self’ through to ‘We Had To Disappear’ have some really
creative intense drumming. However, I think the track that is the most
excitingly unique is ‘Belonging’. There aren’t any other post-punk bands right
now writing ballads this raw and weird. It’s like Lou Reed meets Radiohead –
and I want to hear more.
Now onto Shame’s Food For Worms. The London rock band’s
last album Drunk Tank Pink was the epitome of ramble rock, and I loved
every second of it – so much so that it made the number 2 spot on my best
albums of 2021. The album was chaotic but catchy, contrasting dense poetry and labyrinthine
guitar harmonies with catchy hooks and addictive riffs. I honestly didn’t think
this new album could compete with it. Having given myself time to fully digest
it, I’ve come to the conclusion that Food For Worms is equally as goated.
And it’s largely because of the singing.
Vocalist Charlie Sheen hired
a vocal coach prior to this album. This has resulted in an even more dynamic
performance. On top of the loopy sprechgesang and the manic barking and catchy football-chant-style
choruses, there are now sweet Morrisey-esque performances on tracks like ‘Orchid’
that I first assumed was a guest. ‘Orchid’ is one of two ballads on the album –
the other ‘Aderall’ is less sweetly-sung but more lyrically heart-wrenching. Drunk
Tank Pink didn’t really have any slower tracks like this and captivated the
listener through its intensity. Food For Worms manages to be just as
captivating despite slowing things down due to the captivating vocals and fine-tuned
lyrics. The instrumentation is also just as intricate and addictive, sporting
new textures such as the psych rock wah wah guitars of ‘Six-pack’ and violent
guitar screeches of ‘The Fall of Paul’.
They’re both excellent rock albums that will likely make my
end of year list, but when comparing the two I think Shame’s Food For Worms
is superior. Shame’s performances feel so much more fluid and the raw
production helps bring an exciting live feel to the album (I’m willing to
overlook some of the iffy mixing). Gigi’s Recovery is far from overly
polished (I love the visceral sound of the drums), but the songs do feel a little more
rigid. I’d love to hear this band getting a bit more rugged as they do at the
end of ‘Return My Head’.
Gigi's Recovery by The Murder Capital: ★★★★☆
Food for Worms by Shame: ★★★★★