The newest release from Brooklyn-based Atlas Engine,When the Compass Resets…Part 1, may be only six songs, but it feels like a much longer journey. (I also love that EPs seem to be popular right now, maybe that’s confirmation bias because I keep getting them sent to me? In any case, thumbs up.) Formerly a solo project of multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Nick LaFalce, Atlas Engine now includes Meredith Lampe (keys/vocals), Jeff Fettig (guitar/keys), Patrick Cochrane (bass/vocals), and Brendan McGuckin (drums). Fans of Mercury Rev and Transatlanticism-era Death Cab For Cutie will find a lot to love in this album, with the sprawling yet intimate sound and strong-yet-vulnerable quality of singer Nick LaFalce’s voice.
The album begins with the languid, “As You Are,” rhythms pulsing with little vagaries of timing that almost sound like a skip. It’s calm but not calming, easing the listener in without being sleepy. The pace picks up on the second track, “Modern Mind,” with a motorik-style beat and guitars both ethereal and insistent twining around each other; the bass is really the standout here. A brief, almost ambient instrumental follows, which if you aren’t watching the tracklist feels like a natural, extended outro.
Keyboardist Meredith Lampe features on “All I Want is Everything // Alternate State” and the addition of her vocals brings the track from soaring up to epic. The song, a musing on relationships and always wanting more (“I’m a captain treading water / on a wreckage of my own design… “when even love is still not enough”) is a perfect midpoint.
Shimmering guitars and a marching beat on “Not Enough” underpin the heavy themes, and LaFalce sings “How can it be we lose count of tragedies?” as he addresses something we are all familiar with, the seemingly endless stream of mass shootings and violence in the news every day. The final track, the aptly named “(Thoughts and Prayers)” serves as another instrumental outro.
According to LaFalce, When the Compass Resets…Part 1 deals with “wheels of repetition,” and touches on topics both personal and external, including technology and gun control. Overall, the album and its cyclical nature was inspired by LaFalce’s experience with chronic Lyme disease, of which he says “even when you’re feeling better, you know it’s only temporary. So you just wait for the moment where you have to start all over again.” Perhaps fittingly, LaFalce will be continuing the EP releases with a second part soon.
When the Compass Resets…Part 1 is stunningly produced, by LaFalce himself. The vocal mixes here are particularly impressive, going from solos to an almost choral effect with ease. Part 2 will be out in November, and I am eager to return to this sonic world LaFalce has built. I’d also love to see both sides released as one vinyl LP; the tracks all fade into one another, which must be a lovely effect without the break Spotify inserts.
Atlas Engine are, as many bands right now, unsure of their touring plans, but they do plan on a release show for Part 2 at Baby’s All Right sometime in November. In the meantime, they will be playing at Our Wicked Lady Rooftop with Smock, Groupie, and Safer on 9/29. I’m hoping to catch that show, because I really want to know LaFalce’s pedal set-up.
You can stream When the Compass Resets…Part 1, out on Favorite Friend Records, right now on Bandcamp or Spotify.
Wow, that’s a lot of names (and a lot of hyperlinks for my editor, I’m sure) and not even every single group all the members were in. But enough of past credits, let’s get to the music on this new EP. Which, coming from a group with those credentials, you know is going to be rock solid.
Fake Names (the EP is self-titled, like their debut album from last year) is a tight, 3 song affair that clocks in at about 9 minutes. It kicks off with the anthemic “It Will Take A Lifetime,” which sets the stage for what to expect: melodic bass, crisp drums and interlocking guitar work that incorporates rhythm chords and rollicking leads. There’s nary a pause, and by the time the EP ends with “Cuts You Down,” it’s time to hit repeat and pay attention to the vocals this time again, which are definitely more of the ‘singing’ than ‘screaming’ style of punk. I have a personal theory that supergroups tend to be a bit poppier than where their individual members came from, and it holds here – which is not a bad thing. Fake Names have hit a solid mark with catchy, pleasing punk rock- sometimes more punk, sometimes more rock, and well-produced without being overly slick.
Guitarist/vocalist Baker explained the band’s choice of releasing an EP by noting “So many of my favourite bands growing up (Damned, Clash, Black Flag to name a few) issued EPs between albums, and they were always special to me… they were records that made me feel closer to the bands, giving me a window into what was coming next or what they did when no one was looking. The ‘Fake Names EP’ was recorded in this spirit.” An EP also gives a band the chance to cut out filler, and that is exactly what Fake Names has done here.
“Voices Carry” by ‘Til Tuesday is one of my absolute favorite 80’s songs, hands down. I have it on vinyl and my roommates despair when I break it out, ready to practice for karaoke. It’s simple yet catchy, heartfelt and soaring. Released in 1985, it was the biggest hit for the Aimee Mann fronted band.
Injecting new life into the already great song, Desert Sharks are releasing their cover version of it on Substitute Scene Records this week. The Brooklyn-based band recorded this as a trio (though are currently looking for a rhythm guitarist) and picked up where they left off after 2019’s Baby’s Gold Death Stadium. This year they plan for a highly anticipated followup EP, a tour, and new singles- of which “Voices Carry” is one.
Gone is the synth of the original; guitars take over completely. The bass and drums provide a throbbing, driving beat throughout, with drums pushed quite forward in the mix. It’s grungy without being too sludgy, punk without being too messy, a clear tribute to the original with a very fresh update. Desert Sharks self-describe as gloom punk, but this one definitely has some fist-pumping pep to it.
In contrast to the fuzzy rock treatment the music gets, the track is pretty faithful vocally. The ending is extended a bit and vocalist/bassist Stephanie Gunther gets to really show off her chops; it also brings the track up to about the same runtime as the original, even though the BPMs have increased, so the length doesn’t shortchange anyone. The build toward the “He said! Shut up!” part is especially perfect and Gunther nails it (better than I ever will, which didn’t stop me trying; sorry roommates.)
Now all we need is an accompanying video, done in the same style as the original, which climaxes at Carnegie Hall. Maybe the Brooklyn version of that would be Nighthawk? Desert Sharks, call me if you need any extras. I’ll be sure to keep the singing down.
“Voices Carry” by Desert Sharks cover art by Fandy Darisman
Summer is a great time to listen to short, blasting singles, andCathedral Ceilings (which features FTA contributing writer NickAD) have you more than covered with their newest release I’m A Band! The double single contains the tracks “Hamilton Circuits” and “Over The Far and Hills Away,” and both are concise slices of punk pop. A worthy followup to last yearsThanks For The Guitar, Mommy(which also was two tracks long), the Jersey-based band shows no signs of slowing down, offering up yet more ‘drum-along-hard-on-your-steering-wheel’ songs for our pleasure.
Both tracks are carried along by driving drums and with plenty of riffs, fills and pauses, move away from a basic power pop four beat. I get the sense that these three guys could absolutely hack it in a math rock band, but wanted to let loose instead. And let loose they do, with soaring catchy vocals and never-ending energy.
Grab the single on lathe cut 7-inch from Dromedary Records (I’m a big fan of the children’s book-inspired cover art) or stream it- they only have four songs up on Spotify and all are under three minutes in length, so you’ve got not excuse not to cue them up right now.
Gold Chorus, the debut album from Brooklyn-based No Kill, may start with synths but it’s certainly a guitar driven record. Jamie Cogar, the woman behind No Kill, credits 90’s grunge radio as an influence on her guitar playing, but the sound on Gold Chorus leans more toward shoegaze, drenching listeners with fuzz. Yet melody is never lost, and the tracks on the album tend toward catchy rather than meandering, driven along by precise bass and drums.
Cogar’s voice may be a bit breathy, but her guitar work is solid, chords thick and churning underneath. The reverb-tinged vocals are pulled forward in the mix, and this combination lends an airy yet grounded quality to the record. Cogar has self-described her sound as “sweet but with teeth,” and it’s an apt description.
Two singles released in advance of the full length, “Swooning” and “Eddie Vedder,” are well chosen, as they are the strongest tracks. (”Eddie Vedder” is incidentally the third song I’ve heard with that title, and it’s my favorite so far.) “Swooning” is accompanied by a dreamy music video. Other highlights are “Tremolo” and the floating, droning closer “A Place.” The first half of the record is stronger than the latter, but overall it’s a pleasing debut, and with the return of live music this is an album I would like to see performed.
