Captivating in its eclectic stylish array, from dark rock ardor and noise/industrial intrigue to sentimental folk frolicking, IN ALL MY NIGHTMARES I AM ALONE is the compelling new album from Post Death Soundtrack. The Calgary-based solo project of Stephen Moore enthralls across the album’s 30 songs, many initially crafted a decade earlier, and others created more recently.
This album is in some ways a complete breakdown in audio format, and in that there is a powerful breakthrough,” Moore explains. “I find it beautiful and powerful to express what often is not acknowledged or communicated. I learned that from Kurt Cobain and I’m very proud of this work.”
Moore’s heavier, industrial-embracing side shows on opening tracks “Tremens” and “Good Time Slow Jam (In All My Nightmares I Am Alone)” — with the latter delectably akin to Nine Inch Nails in its mixture of visceral lyricism, whispered vocal intrigue, and intensifying momentum. “A Monolith of Arms” continues to strut an intense art-rock output, intertwining bass-y pulses with a sturdy lead and ghostly backing vocal effect, while “Venus in Furs” begins a sequence of more chilling aesthetical fits; the cover of The Velvet Underground’s classic conjures a fantastic atmospheric mystique.
An especially haunting sound shows on “When the World is Burning Bright.” An ominous synth buzzing pairs with twinkling piano and steady percussive stomps for a ghostly atmospheric pull, while the vocals maintain a steadily introspective prowess. The ensuing “Fast Approaching Radiant Light” unleashes a more fervent immersion, maneuvering with brass-y darkness as the industrial pop stylishness shows shades of The Fall’s The Marshall Suite era. The “thought I saw my shadow trying to hide” sequence is particularly gripping.
Elsewhere, “Hypnotizer” ventures into an acoustic-set nighttime processional feeling, echoing a riveting folk character reminding strongly of The Go-Betweens. Then there’s “Final Days,” which showcases the project’s potential for clanging rock ardency as well — here exuding a sweltering sense of looming apocalypse and rapture. Lyrical depictions of hellfire and looming horsemen infuse within a rockabilly-like strumming and impassioned vocal enthrallment. IN ALL MY NIGHTMARES I AM ALONE features an abundance of standout tracks that encompass a wide breadth of personalities and aesthetics.
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“When the World is Burning Bright” and other tracks featured this month can be streamed on the updating Obscure Sound’s ‘Emerging Singles’ Spotify playlist.
