A Place to Bury Strangers – Hologram (Dedstrange): Album Review

A Place to Bury Strangers drop a highly enjoyable and easily accessible EP Hologram on us. New York City noise merchants deliver great atmospheric Indie Pop as everything rises up like a slow-building tsunami to wash over us all.

Founder and creative force is Oliver Ackerman who sings and plays electric guitar and bass. Has been kicking around this idea of a band since 2003, and has built a reputation for his band as the most ear-shatteringly loud Shoe-Gaze Skronk mercenaries. Which the Mary Chain may have also laid claim to in days gone by.

Relatively new are foot soldiers John Fedowitz bass and Sandra Fedowitz drums.

They describe their own art as a sonic vaccine to the horrors of modern life, in the midst of the decline of civilisation. This moral collapse was also signalled by Jazz, Elvis, the Beatles and Punk Rock. What this means is that we will be in the midst of another Art Moment explosion.

End of the Night. A shuffle drum intro. Then a huge foghorn call seeming to arise out of mist. Or laser lights. Now that the end has come. The sound is meshed guitars spreading like a Californian bush-fire. You could swear there are synths present.

I Might Have. Jesus and Mary Chain feedback-drenched symphonic sound. A merged elemental sonic wall. The vocal drops to a monotone of texture. Simple riffs and rhythm into a hypnotic drone.

Playing the Part. Melody is back and in a flash the music opens out with lots of space for the few instruments. You get to hear Ackerman’s melodic blue-eyed Pop tenor. Alex Chilton when he sang sweet and fragile on Big Star, as opposed to the freak teenage big baritone of the Box Tops. Compulsive rhythmic hook with judicious use of guitar accents.

In My Hive. A relentless drum-machine fast tattoo. Quirky electronic-gadget sound effects. The space sounds of early Joe Telstar Meek. The singer has perfected the affect-free style of the original Byrds sound. Seamless perfect pitch and glides along. Gradually the storm arises and contra-dissonance is overlaid. Jesus and Mary take it out after half-way.

I Need You. This is a great one and worth the price of admission. Begins with a Joy Division ambience and a trade-mark echoed drum sound. Blossoms out into the opening riffs of the Stone Roses I Wanna be Adored. Beautiful melody and a top vocal performance. Speak to the sun/ Leave them all behind/ Just the sunshine. Great atmospheric Indie Pop as everything rises up like a slow-building tsunami to wash over us all.

When you circle back to the start on the streaming platform of choice, you notice how much melody is built into that sonic wall.

Live in concert this would be an experience.

Rev Orange Peel

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