A Place To Bury Strangers – A Place To Bury Strangers

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The last couple of years have seen countless bands mine the 80s for inspiration; some, like Neon Neon for example, took that strange decade as an affectionate jumping off point for new musical projects; others used it to bring a new dimension to a slightly tired sound.

So you know when Keane are talking up their new 80s-inspired direction and the economy is starting, wearingly, to resemble that of twenty years ago, it’s probably time to find a new buzzword. But here, with one last, distorted, noise-drenched salute to the past, are A Place To Bury Strangers and their debut LP, finally being released in Britain after first receiving limited release in the U.S. over a year ago.

The New York based trio, led by Oliver Ackermann, designer and builder of effects pedals for the indie elite, have been hailed as the city’s loudest band. Their short, initially overwhelming songs recall The Jesus and Mary Chain on first listen, all noise and drums and off-kilter vocals. However, with repeated spins, A Place To Bury Strangers prove themselves to be a more unique prospect than at first seems apparent, blending the JAMC sounds with early New Order soundscapes and a more varied approach to song writing.

The album kicks off with an urgency that immediately pulls you into the rhythm and tempo of the music on ‘Missing You’. The drums pound and stutter mechanically through the verse, creating this all-encompassing sense of unease until a wave of distortion hits in the chorus. Melody isn’t ignored either; guitars chime a little more gracefully in amongst the great shards of sound.

Throughout, the band show an impressive creative knack of melding sounds and effects that appear tried and tested on paper into new and surprising songs. ‘Don’t Think Lover’ begins with a punishing assault of nosie, before collapsing into its bittersweet echoing chorus. ‘To Fix The Gash In Your Head’ is New Order gone shoegaze, tailor-made for weirdo indie discos, with its disconnected dance rhythms and ASBO lyrics, ‘I’ll just wait till you turn around/And kick your face in/To fix the gash in your head’. It’s like the ‘He Hit Me (But It Felt Like A Kiss)’ for the 21st century.

And all that is just the first three tracks. ‘I Know I’ll See You’ is uneasily danceable, for example, while ‘Ocean’ live up to its billing, almost swelling and heaving with feedback. Extended from ten to fifteen tracks for release in the UK, the album still retains a surprising amount of consistency, due in no small part, presumably, to the fact that some of these songs date back to 2004.

As a result of its length, it can be a little hard to sit through in one go. As a summation of everything that A Place To Bury Strangers has achieved so far, however, this debut release remains impressive and calms any suspicions of revivialism. Fans of skewed pop songs should take note, but A Place To Bury Strangers also have enough searing moments of sheer noise to please fans of My Bloody Valentine and Sonic Youth too.