"Some day you’ll be the death of me / I laughed and said / It isn’t all that funny now..."
The retro romance waves, compelling post punk dreaminess of "RITUAL" by Siren Section, the Los Angeles electronic rock / post punk duo of longtime collaborators James Cumberland and John Dowling, sweeps you up in such a deeply earnest way as to feel less like a contemporary creation and more like sonic found footage of late 80's / early 90's tapes found in the back of an old former studio. The machine beats, the airy synths floating while others push you along like an engine are all there, the dirty keys (beautifully so), the synths arpeggios ascending and descending, the charging guitar chords, the bottom end bass currents and, of course, the vocal countenance that feels artfully over-modulated with that unmistakable 80's drawl (love them) all puts you in this darkly drawn mood of melancholia meets stars in your eyes. Kudos (big kudos) to the lyrical content as well that is gorgeous in it's ability to craft metaphors for the human condition full of regrets, love lost and (to me) detachment. All these qualities combined feel adjacent to Echo & The Bunnymen's "Evergreen" to New Order's "Regret" to The Psychedelic Furs' "Love My Way" and to Joy Division's "Atmosphere", and that, my friends, is high praise.
"RITUAL" is from the duo's third massive album "Separation Team", out now release a full 8 years since their sophomore album "New Disconnect" released in 2017.
LINER NOTES (excerpted / bracketed):
[Concept: The album is a 19-track, long-form concept record born from nearly a decade of material, exploring themes of dissociation, solidarity, and the "dangerous comfort of shared escape".
Production: Produced by James Cumberland and co-produced with Nels Jensen, the album features guest drummer Bryan Steinmetz on several tracks.Sound: Described as "glitchgaze" or "noise architect" music, it features dense, atmospheric production that balances distorted, industrial-influenced textures with fragile, melodic clarity.
Inspiration: The album's tone was shaped by a period of personal, high-stakes recovery for the band.]
Inspiration: The album's tone was shaped by a period of personal, high-stakes recovery for the band.]
I hope to delve into the album in the coming weeks.
-Robb Donker Curtius
LYRICS
Some day you’ll be the death of me
I laughed and said
It isn’t all that funny now
I wasn’t really joking then
And the screens feed the projectors
In the audience
And the actors hit rewind
And we start this in reverse
And there we are
Round our ritual poison
Our heads in our hands
Our cup full of stars
Keep pouring me out
My cup runneth over
Keep on pouring me out
You never stood a chance
I’m not alone
I’m in the separation team
I’m not alone
I’m in the separation team
I promised you a lot of things
I’d never give
Then I dragged it out for years
Like all my really good ideas
I hate to disappoint you
That’s no way to live
You cling to Helping Hands from Labyrinth
Go explain that to your kids
And there we are
With me coming to save you
I’m out back
Over there in the car
And there you are
Hey cut to you killer
My Helen of Troy
My Joan of Arc
I’m not alone
I’m in the separation team
I’m not alone
I’m in the separation team
The Chicken Wheel will take you to the AP Go Fund Me- and any amount is so appreciated!
https://sirensection.bandcamp.com/album/separation-team
https://www.instagram.com/siren_section/
Siren Section is a moody, shoegaze-adjacent, electro-postpunk duo from Los Angeles, formed in 2001 (under the name JINSAI). We just released our (nearly) double album Separation Team (Feb_6): our first full length release in 8 years, and something of a “return” for us personally, as a band.
Our music is a mix of melancholy heaviness and psychedelic weirdness. We’ve often referred to ourselves “more as an electronic band with guitars and singing, rather than a rock band with electronics.” We're on your side.
Siren Section, massive new album "Separation Team", new wave, 90's post punk, new third album, dreamy, synthwave, synthpop, indie rock, romance wave, melancholy, "Ritual", duo James Cumberland and John Dowling,
Some day you’ll be the death of me
I laughed and said
It isn’t all that funny now
I wasn’t really joking then
And the screens feed the projectors
In the audience
And the actors hit rewind
And we start this in reverse
And there we are
Round our ritual poison
Our heads in our hands
Our cup full of stars
Keep pouring me out
My cup runneth over
Keep on pouring me out
You never stood a chance
I’m not alone
I’m in the separation team
I’m not alone
I’m in the separation team
I promised you a lot of things
I’d never give
Then I dragged it out for years
Like all my really good ideas
I hate to disappoint you
That’s no way to live
You cling to Helping Hands from Labyrinth
Go explain that to your kids
And there we are
With me coming to save you
I’m out back
Over there in the car
And there you are
Hey cut to you killer
My Helen of Troy
My Joan of Arc
I’m not alone
I’m in the separation team
I’m not alone
I’m in the separation team
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://sirensection.bandcamp.com/album/separation-team
https://www.instagram.com/siren_section/
Siren Section is a moody, shoegaze-adjacent, electro-postpunk duo from Los Angeles, formed in 2001 (under the name JINSAI). We just released our (nearly) double album Separation Team (Feb_6): our first full length release in 8 years, and something of a “return” for us personally, as a band.
Our music is a mix of melancholy heaviness and psychedelic weirdness. We’ve often referred to ourselves “more as an electronic band with guitars and singing, rather than a rock band with electronics.” We're on your side.
Siren Section, massive new album "Separation Team", new wave, 90's post punk, new third album, dreamy, synthwave, synthpop, indie rock, romance wave, melancholy, "Ritual", duo James Cumberland and John Dowling,
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