THE DEATH OF A PARTY Red Meadows EP
Self-released; 2008
This seven song EP was released March 7 via a free download and it hits with urgency, bravado, and focus.
After about thirty seconds of warped violin wailing through a swampy cloud of hazy noise, the first proper song of the Red Meadow EP kicks in with that angular dance punk style, but played with such classic rock n' roll finesse that it feels like a rush of endorphins to the brain. Gareth's delivery is brash and showy and up in your face from the opening minute to the last seconds. He struts and spits out his lines with a bit of Jagger, some Freddie Mercury, and a touch of California surfer-bro lingo to it all.
The drums and bass are heavy and flamboyant, pulsing and driving on "Medusa." "On the Other Hand" is a sort of glammed-out New Order track where Patrick Lynch nearly steals the spotlight with his charismatic touch on the noise buckets. The song "Skull Shaped Diamonds" lunges after wild note punctuations and start-stop riffs with such sharp turns and changes to the beat, texture, and melody that it becomes a riveting and unnerving listen. They dabble with some keyboards that sound good but could be more interesting, and their use of some programmed beats during the "Ballad of Johnny Guitar" is a fun dynamic change but feels like a hollow gesture. And that’s cool because, after all, Red Meadow is a free EP ostensibly given out to maintain the public interest between full album releases.
The overall tone of the record shows the consistency of a well-developed band, even when they break into what sound eerily like a power ballads mid way through "Sympathy for Miss Veronica" and again in "Skull Shaped Diamonds," where Gareth gives an American Idol-worthy vocal performance.
Red Meadows is dark and it stays dark, even as I was lured into some of The Death of a Party's brighter sounding melodies. The theatrical lyricism revolves around ritualistic acts of devotion in the dead of night, macabre romance all painted in blood-red blackness. Red Meadow will make a great place holder between The Death of a Party’s full-length releases and a nice soundtrack to many peoples’ after-dark socializing.
This seven song EP was released March 7 via a free download and it hits with urgency, bravado, and focus.