"Ricochet past abandoned metronome / nothing is exactly as it feels / tainting ruins until they face the door..."
The propulsive arpeggio laden synth pounds and artistically aloof reflections of of "Cut Glass Hammer" by UK's MEMORIALS (Electreland frontwoman Verity Susman and Wire guitarist Matthew Simms) is exquisite in it's pure ability to transfer you to some other place, one that feels vintage and futuristic at the same time, organic and synthetic at the same time and seems to bend time at will. Whether intentional or unknowingly artistically symbiotic, I feel spin the bottle cues to Berlin's "The Metro" or Animotion's "Obsession" or "Bela Lugosi's Dead" by Bauhaus or the 'bedroom' side of Pylon or all such similar iconic abstract iterations of goth rock, new wave and electronic punk. MEMORIALS craft a sound that is somehow cool and aloof while emotionally penetrating and artfully addictive. Love this all but the break at 2:15 lives in my personal dreams on the cusp between 1979 and 1980!
LINER NOTES (excerpted / bracketed):
[MEMORIALS jump off the waterslides and head above the clouds with their stunning second album, ‘All Clouds Bring Not Rain’. The duo of Verity Susman and Matthew Simms locked themselves away in a studio in a barn secluded deep in the woods in southwestern France and re-emerged with a beautiful, unusual record that is both melodic and unconventional. For such an ambitious album it’s striking that it was written, performed, recorded and mixed solely by the two of them. Listen/pre-order album here: https://memorialsband.lnk.to/AllCloud...]
[Recorded mostly in a studio in a barn secluded deep in the woods in southwestern France, the album is imbued with the sense of freedom that experience evokes. The duo locked themselves away and re-emerged with a beautiful, unusual record that is both melodic and unconventional. For such an ambitious album it’s striking that it was written, performed, recorded and mixed solely by the two of them.]
"Cut Glass Hammer" should be, quite frankly, needs to be in a future movie or Netflix / Hulu binger.
-Robb Donker Curtius
The Chicken Wheel will take you to the AP Go Fund Me- and any amount is so appreciated!
THE FACTS AS WE KNOW THEM
https://memorialsmusic.bandcamp.com/
https://www.instagram.com/memorialsmusic
https://www.facebook.com/memorialsmusic/
https://memorialsmusic.com/
MEMORIALS is Electrelane frontwoman Verity Susman and Wire guitarist Matthew Simms. Sounding like an unearthed lost classic, MEMORIALS twist their influences into their own unmistakable sound. Imagine Nico singing with Can produced by David Axelrod and you’re somewhere in the right ballpark… for a song or two at least! The record draws inspiration from a wide range of music including folk, dub, post punk, experimental tape music, 60s soul, garage rock, 70s spiritual jazz and Canterbury prog.
Having spent the first half of 2025 composing the soundtrack to an acclaimed documentary about Kate Bush which hit TV screens in the autumn, the band recorded All Clouds Bring Not Rain in the summer before setting off on tour with Stereolab across the U.S.
They say, “We are increasingly drawn to the way records used to be made, both the sound of the equipment used and the choices forced by that equipment; there wasn’t the option to tinker for ages, it was about capturing a moment in time and committing to that. It’s far more satisfying to record sounds that exist in a real space and so become unique to us: they aren’t the same as the samples readily available everywhere...we are actively turning away from the easy option at almost every opportunity!”
This attention to detail in their sound meant finding several other studios to get what they needed to record with, including a harpsichord at 4AD’s studio in London and a vibraphone and vintage Leslie speaker in Stereolab drummer Andy Ramsay’s studio Press Play.
Verity’s distinctive, unadorned singing is a focal point of the record, moving from tender to wild. Her vocal melodies quickly become earworms, providing the tuneful heart around which the songs’ more unorthodox elements are arranged, which is where Matthew’s unconventional approach to recording and production comes to the fore. This can be heard, for example, on “Wildly Remote,” an alluring lullaby that arrives out of a sea of drones and then opens up in the middle into an unexpected saxophone-tape-loop solo before the final verse returns: from delicate to edgy, playful to intense.
With their adventurous arrangements, classic songwriting skills and innovative production techniques, MEMORIALS have created another mesmerising listen that’s accomplished and compelling in its unique approach yet remains dizzyingly immersive, just like their acclaimed live shows.
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