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Album Review: The Birthday Massacre ‘Imaginary Monsters EP’

Published

13 years ago

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Reviewing an EP is a bit difficult, especially when there are only three new tracks and the rest of the album consists of remixes. However, when it comes to a band like The Birthday Massacre, who has not only been remixed often but also does remixes, things become more interesting. So enters Imaginary Monsters, the band’s third EP. How does this EP stand? Check out after the jump!
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Let’s tackle each new song before moving onto the remixes, shall we? The first track, Forever, makes me wonder if The Birthday Massacre might just be The Cure of today, only a bit heavier at times. There is a beautiful melancholy hovering over this 80’s influenced track and deliciously emo lyrics but in the good way. Overall, it is a very strong track and a great way to kick off the EP. Second is Burn Away, a solid song but not one that really stands out for me. The third new song is Left Behind, a short but sweet track that is almost entirely synth and seems to be placed as a way to mark the end of the original tracks and the beginning of the remixes. 
The remixes build in intensity as they go along. For those of you who are looking for something more mellow and relaxed, start with the first two remixes. Personally, I found the Combichrist remix of Shallow Grave and the SKOLD remix of Pins And Needles to be the most interesting and exciting. 
The Final Word: With fresh inventive takes on tracks from Pins Needles and three very solid original tracks, this is a great EP to whet your appetite until a new The Birthday Massacre album comes out.
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Music

“He Walks By Night” – Listen to a Brand New John Carpenter Song NOW!

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1 week ago

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April 9, 2024

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John Carpenter music

It’s a new day, and you’ve got new John Carpenter to listen to. John Carpenter, Daniel Davies and Cody Carpenter have released the new track He Walks By Night this morning, the second single off their upcoming album Lost Themes IV: Noir, out May 3 on Sacred Bones Records.

Lost Themes IV: Noir is the latest installment in a series that sees Carpenter releasing new music for John Carpenter movies that don’t actually exist. The first Lost Themes was released in 2015, followed by Lost Themes II in 2016 and Lost Themes III: Alive After Death in 2021.

Sacred Bones previews, “It’s been a decade since John Carpenter recorded the material that would become Lost Themes, his debut album of non-film music and the opening salvo in one of Hollywood’s great second acts. Those vibrant, synth-driven songs, made in collaboration with his son Cody Carpenter and godson Daniel Davies, kickstarted a musical renaissance for the pioneering composer and director. With Lost Themes IV: Noir, they’ve struck gold again, this time mining the rich history of the film noir genre for inspiration.

“Since the first Lost Themes, John has referred to these compositions as “soundtracks for the movies in your mind.” On the fourth installment in the series, those movies are noirs. Like the film genre they were influenced by, what makes these songs “noirish” is sometimes slippery and hard to define, and not merely reducible to a collection of tropes. The scores for the great American noir pictures were largely orchestral, while the Carpenters and Davies work off a sturdy synth-and-guitar backbone.

“The trio’s free-flowing chemistry means Lost Themes IV: Noir runs like a well-oiled machine—the 1951 Jaguar XK120 Roadster from Kiss Me Deadly, perhaps, or the 1958 Plymouth Fury from John’s own Christine. It’s a chemistry that’s helped power one of the most productive stretches of John’s creative life, and Noir proves that it’s nowhere near done yielding brilliant results.”

You can pre-save Lost Themes IV: Noir right now! And listen to the new track below…

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