THE DEATH OF THE MIX TAPE
​
Picture
  • Blog
    • Wordpress Feed
  • REACHING OUT:
  • SHOW PICS
  • MY TOP 100 SONGS OF ALL TIME

ALBUMS OF MY LIFE: DEADBOY AND THE ELEPHANTMEN, WE ARE NIGHT SKY

5/17/2016

0 Comments

 
Full disclosure: This Act, and it’s mastermind, Dax Riggs, has been a pretty consistent figure in local Louisiana music for as long as I can remember. Also, I’ve had the honor of spending minimal time with him, and once even visited his home in Houma, where my friends and I were given a sneak peek at upcoming music. As I digress though, today we’ll be talking about this vastly overlooked album in our next installment of the “Albums of My Life” series, with the Deadboy and the Elephantmen album “We are Night Sky.”

I’ve always thought Deadboy’s sound could be readily described as swamp music, with murky undertones that fit quite well in the dreaded waters of our many swamps in Louisiana. From the simmering opening of “Stop I’m Already Dead,” to the slow wind of the melancholic “No Rainbow,” the record is more varied than you might think. Riggs’ unique, otherworldly, alien voice brims with attitude and raw intensity while drummer and fellow local musician Tess Brunet pummels away one second and adds a low key jingle on background vocals the next. She went on to join another great local band, “The Generationals,” but that's neither here nor there. You might think simply this is another White Stripes ripoff, but it’s very far from the type of art the Detroit group cultivated.

Even more upbeat songs don’t necessarily start that way. Track three, “How long the night Was,” starts with a lovely acoustic guitar, but within a very smart amount of time the twosome throws down classic garage rock state of minds and sends the song into a different territory completely. This happens multiple times on the record, but it never feels dated or rushed. Songs begin at a lower level of energy, but by the time the track is completed, you’ve been thoroughly rocked.

The drumming on the record, especially on the tracks that are more immediate, are a revelation. Brunet manages to rock out with both ease and precision, and the accompanying beats only help to provide the overall themes of the music with more power and urgency. “Blood Music” is a great example of this. The song is quintessential garage rock, but with Riggs varied voice it becomes much more than a simple track you can ignore. As the album progress and makes its way to the conclusion though, the quality of the tracks get better, as does the urgency. “Kissed by Lightning” has this great reverb happening, and the vocals, which are muddled and murmured, create a dizzying effect on the listener. Dax’s guitar on the track is also magnetic and forceful, and it’s in these moments where the band and album soar.

The record, and the band, which are still both great, managed to make plenty of best albums lists the year it was released, but sadly has largely been forgotten by important music types, but that in itself is a tragic statement. Sometimes you see a band that so clearly has it, but many other people don’t get a chance to see it. Sadly this is one of those situations. I still love the album, and it will remain a critical part of my music loving brain, but they never reached anywhere near the heights I thought they deserved.

And if I can speak frankly, that's the fucked up part. The last three songs are all amazing, and to me solidify how great the group was. “Break It Off,” perfectly fits the mold of the record, with it's low key drumming and minimal guitar playing, while “Evil Friend” is the perfect calling card for this band. It’s slow, tightly wound and gloriously dark. My former partner and I always thought this should of been the opening song for the credits of “True Blood,”but obviously that never happened. Listen to the lyrics though, it’s simply perfect. As Riggs bellows “On a shore of tears yet to be cried,” and with Tess behind him, you feel the band and want in their voices, and it’s a wonderful send off for the second to last song.

0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    Landon Murray is a music connooisseur who craves sounds of all shapes and textures. He's seen over 2000 bands and looks forward to welcoming you into his world of sound, 

    Archives

    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    August 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014

    Categories

    All
    30 Seconds To Mars
    90's Rock Bands
    ALIVE 2007
    Al Jourgensen
    ALL THESE THINGS THAT I'VE DONE
    Animal Collective
    Animal Collective Merriweather Post Pavillion
    Anti-Christ Superstar
    Antics
    Arcade Fire Suburbs
    Arcade Fire Top 10
    Armenian Rock Music
    ART OF COMPOSING
    As The Palaces Burn
    Avalanches Since I Left You
    Badmotorfinger
    Beach House
    Beastie Boys Ill Communication
    Beck Odelay
    Best Albums Of 2015
    BEST ALBUMS OF 2020
    Best Albums Of The 1990's
    Best Albums Of The 2000's
    BEST ALBUMS OF THE 80'S
    Best Albums Of The 90's
    Best Bjork Songs
    Best Black Sabbath Songs
    Best Concerts Of 2015
    Best Converge Songs
    Best Driving Music
    BEST KILLERS SONGS
    Best Lamb Of God Songs
    Best Metal Albums
    Best Metal Albums Of The 2000's
    Best Slayer Songs
    BEST SONGS OF 2020
    Best System Of A Down Songs
    Bjork Homogenic
    Black Sabbath
    Bon Iver
    Bounce Music
    Canadian Music Duo
    Children Of The Grave
    Chris Cornell
    CHVRCHES
    Comeback Albums
    COURTNEY BARNETT
    Cradle Of Filth
    Daft Punk Great Album
    DAFT PUNK LIVE
    Dan Deacon Best Songs
    Dan Deacon Interview
    David Bowie
    David Bowie Guests
    Death From Above 1979
    Deftones
    Dimmu Borgir
    DISINTEGRATION ALBUM REVIEW
    EAGLES OF DEATH METAL
    FLAMING LIPS
    FOLKLORE ALBUM REVIEW
    Foo Fighters
    FOO FIGHTERS COLOUR AND THE SHAPE
    Great Albums Of The 90's
    Great Driving Records
    Great Interpol Tracks
    Great Southern Trendkill
    Halloween Weekend
    HANS ZIMMER
    Heartbroken Love Songs
    History Of Black Sabbath
    History Of Pantera
    Homogenic Songs
    Iceland Singer
    IDLES
    Interpol Best Songs
    Iron Maiden
    Jane Doe
    Jeff Buckley
    Joshua Homme Queens
    Judas Priest
    Kevin Parker Genuis
    KILLER MIKE EL-P
    Killswitch Engage
    LATERALUS ALBUM
    Liam Finn
    Loveless Great Album My Bloody Valentine
    M83
    MASSIVE ATTACK 100TH WINDOW
    Massive Attack Best Album
    Mastodon Leviathan
    MC HAMMER 2 LEGIT TO QUIT BAD VIDEO
    Mechanical Animals
    MEGAN THEE STALLION
    Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness
    Meshuggah Nothing
    Michael Jackson Dangerous
    Ministry
    MUMFORD AND SONS BEST SONGS
    Muse Top 10 Songs
    Neutral Milk Hotel
    New Orleans Music Festival
    New Orleans Republic
    New Wave Of American Heavy Metal
    Nineinch Nails
    Nine Inch Nails Sad
    Nirvana In Utero
    Nothingface
    Nothingface Violence Review
    Outkast
    Ozzfest
    Ozzy Osbourne Vocals
    Panda Bear
    Pantera History
    Paranoid
    POLITICAL RAP
    Portishead
    PORTISHEAD DUMMY
    Post Rock New York
    Queens Of The Stone Age Great Albums
    Queens Of The Stone Age Top Ten
    Queen Triumphant Songs
    RADIOHEAD Best Songs
    Radiohead Ok Computer
    RADIOHEADS BEST ALBUM
    Radiohead Top Ten
    Rage Against The Machine Debut
    RAMING DJAWADI
    Randy Blythe
    Reign In Blood
    ROBERT SMITH
    RUN THE JEWELS
    RYAN ADAMS
    Salem Metal Converge
    Shaky Knees Festival
    Shaky Knees Music Festival
    Shameless Love Of Taylor Swift
    Slayer
    Smashing Pumpkins Best Songs
    Songs For The Deaf
    Songs For The Deaf Queens Of The Stone Age
    Soulfly
    Soundgarden
    STORY OF NINE INCH NAILS
    Superunknown Album
    Tame Impala
    TAME IMPALA LONERISM
    TAYLOR SWIFT
    The Beatles Driving
    THE CURE
    THE CURE BEST SONGS
    The Downward Spiral Great Album
    THE KILLERS TOP TEN
    The Physical World
    The Strokes
    THE WEEKND
    Thrash Metal
    Tony Iommi Guitar
    TOOL
    TOOL GREAT ALBUMS
    TOOL TOP TEN
    Top 10
    TOP 40 ALBUMS OF THE 2010's
    TOP SONGS OF 2015
    Top Ten Bjork Songs
    Top Ten Black Sabbath Songs
    Top Ten Interpol Songs
    Top Ten Lamb Of God Songs
    Top Ten Ministry Songs
    Top Ten Slayer Songs
    Top Ten System Of A Down Songs
    Toxicity
    TRENT REZNOR
    Triumphant Songs
    Turn On The Bright Lights
    Tv On The Radio
    Type O Negative
    Valentines Day Songs
    Vinnie Paul Drumming
    Voodoo Music Experience
    Warpaint
    Watch The Throne
    Weezer Blue Album
    Yeah Yeah Yeahs Best Songs
    Yeah Yeah Yeahs Top Ten Songs
    YOSHIMI

    RSS Feed


    Are you looking for the old Wordpress blog posts?
    Wordpress Feed

Background Image
Site by Shake&Blur
Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.