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I just bet there’s a rivalry running between Petroleum
and fellow Los Angeleans The Mansions. Their sounds
are very complimentary. Both require suspension of disbelief
to swallow the faux accent. And they’ve got to share the same
fan base. While the Mansions get tapped for the Bauhaus
comparisons, Petroleum’s Braden Poirer leans more to
the Iggy Pop side of the scale. Up to and including
the intentionally off-key moments. Musically they’re indulgently
creepy. The tunes are comfortable at first, and then with
a sudden twist they take you just far enough off the path
to bludgeon you.
"Julip’s Ride" kicks in with sleazy Revolting
Cocks distortion crossed with low-down Wolfgang Press
vocals. It’s unexpectedly slow, which turns out to be really
good in setting the stage. It becomes obvious that you’ll
be entering their world with no whining or complaints. Poirer
likes to slide down low, and his great voice really paints
the pictures. The piece proves that real drums can lead the
industrial revolution. The pretty start of "Images You
Steal" is slow piano with a rollicking rhythm, courtesy
of Krista Stassi. From there, the stuttering drum machine
sullies it a bit, but Poirer’s Iggy Pop confidence and weird
snotty guitar licks make up for it. A little bongo action
flavors it up nicely. The keys seem to be throwing off the
pacing. The piano comes back to close it out Swans
style. A bit of "Ants Invasion" gets nicked for
"Spy Machine." The tune is a little upended in the
midst of finding itself. Lyrically it gets sticky, borrowing
from nursery rhymes which has become a cliché within
a cliché. But sonically it succeeds in keeping you
guessing. The cabaret keyboards on "The Room" compliment
the Gavin Friday vocal feel. The abrupt ending leaves
you wanting. "Drive’ has a lighter Sisters Of Mercy
vision thing going on. The imagery is odd, Hey sister,
where’d you get that name? We’ll drive real far if you seduce
my car. Then there are some glitches. Among the "Friends
Of Mine" Poirer lists, it’s a surprise he left out Jose
Cuervo and my partner Jimmy Beam. No new light is shed on
the theme. And as he complains that he is wasting his time,
their talents suffer the same fate. "New Day" is
a forgettable dancey number that could have been a recent
U2 track, or taking the nice piano into account, maybe
Charlatans without the weed.
"Her Skin Shines" does wonders to turn things back
around. The usual fuzzed guitar is cut through with a nodding
Joy Division tune. Devin Devoor’s bass carries
the line to the end. The underlying keys push into the build.
The sound separation in "Time" has noises phasing
from all around. Zack Fagan’s tribal drums roll through,
as synths, vocals and then guitars layer themselves neatly.
Each element adds more excitement and depth. Poirer dons his
Peter Murphy cloak here. The vocals are too brief,
but his guitar ekes out a fleshy verse of it’s own. Spacey
synths and great slappy bass are left to finish this album
highlight. The whole desert caravan reminds me of Fallen
From Grace. Even the lyrics are more noteworthy; Time
waits for no man. It’s lost with his gray heart in a strange
land. He finds a road to town. And he fails a simple test
and falls down. The title track is a savory Italian concertina
song. It comes with visions of Inspector Clouseau bumbling
around trying to breach the castle wall. The nearly traditional
sound uses cool and unusual progressions. It breaks open into
a heavily distorted rock chorus. The end result is Serge
Gainsborough having a Tom Waits industrial midlife
crisis.
On a Pink Panther scale: If one is Curse
Of The Pink Panther, and ten is A Shot In The Dark;
Emerge rates an eight, the original Pink Panther.
Complaints Dept: Musical style over lyrical substance.
— Ewan Wadharmi
Track Listing:
- Julip’s Ride
- Images You Steal
- Spy Machine
- The Room
- Drive
- Friends Of Mine
- New Day
- Her Skin Shines
- Time
- Emerge
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