Cult of Youth
Final Days
11 November 2014
Sacred Bones
4 stars out of 5
It’s pretty much impossible to read anything about
neo-folkies Cult of Youth without coming across the words “Joy Division” and “Death
in June.” It’s not entirely lazy journalism—Sean Ragon’s baritone does at times
resemble that of Ian Curtis, and the band’s gloomy acoustic compositions do beg
comparison to those of Death in June—but Cult of Youth are not simply just
another tradition-worshipping gaggle of Brooklyn hipster geese. They have a few
original tricks up their sleeves, and even if they didn’t, their songs are so
vital and their performances so intense that even if they were a carbon copy of
Death Division it would be a completely forgivable crime.
Final Days leads off
rather misleadingly with the freeform industrial drones of “Todestrieb,” an
experiment that is perhaps meant to set the mood, but doesn’t enhance much the
beautiful gloom that follows. “God’s Garden” is an early highlight, an upbeat ‘80s-style
acoustic post-punk rocker that should be filling the dance floor at a goth club
near you in the not-too-distant future. “No Regression” is an instant classic, a
relentless fire-and-brimstone-hurling sermon of a song that takes us all to
hell. “Sanctuary” is the Cranes covering Nick Cave
reviewed by Richard Krueger
No comments:
Post a Comment