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Greetings one and all! I said I was going to pull some old favorites out of my hat for you all to reminisce over and enjoy, and I have failed no whit of my musical duties, for this month it is my great pleasure to bring to you a band who needs no introduction, because clearly, they paved the way for many who came after, and attempted to step into the shoes of the big boys - London After Midnight is perhaps one of the most well - known and well - loved goth bands out there, and while "Psycho Magnet" is anything but new and recent, it's very much enjoyable and still very much in demand.. The first song on the album is the title song, psycho magnet, and it bears saying that the whole of the album is a poignant magnum opus to the inner pain and suffering of Sean Brennan. Each song is highly evocative, and visions of pain and inner turmoil are rife within both the lyrics and the music, making this a powerful musical composition. This song, aptly named "psycho magnet" tells the daunting tale of being screwed over by a game player. The lyrics spell it out loud and clear, in a painful, all-knowing voice, of how it is to be the victim of such a destructive individual..
"Such a wretched waste of time
Here we go another game his is a visually disturbing song, and really, the entire album is indicative of the same - seems Sean is making a musical representation of what it is to have your heart ripped out, and your mind raped, and from the empathic point of view, this is an emotional slaughtering..
"Can we end this mind fuck please,
Please be gone and rest assured Moving onto the next track, the same feelings are carried on, only there seems to be a role reversal implied - that is to say, perhaps the victim becomes somewhat empowered and the master who assumed control was theirs, sees a little more clearly that control is often lost when the victim merely submits out of habit..
"You've pushed too far and now you've lost control can't you see
Where good girls go to die Towards the end, it seems relief from this impossible situation has finally come full circle. The victim, seeing that nothing positive will come of the whole scene, is released, but doesn't depart unscathed. While the pain is evident, so is the relief at being spared further.. This next song, though bizarre lyrics - wise, has to be my favorite on the album.. It's called "Kiss". The lyrics are hard hitting, and the music is in keeping with the feelings and the images the song evokes. Perhaps it is because I can personally relate to this, I don't know, but it definitely speaks to me on a personal level, as I'm sure it does to a good many of you currently reading this, and listening in..
"Take me, take me in your arms my love and rape me,
You're my possession,
My better half it's true has seen the darker side of you, I think it's quite clear what this song is saying, and no doubt, this will strike a chord in many of you - if that should happen, I apologise in advance, for I intend no ill will here as you know. I like to display the parts of the song that speak to me in loud volumes, and for me, this song is visually and emotionally stunning. And after all, this is what my reviews are all about - how the music causes you to feel.. Whether it speaks to your heart, or breaks it wide open.. Either way, it has evoked a response, and that's what it was meant to do :o) Next on the list is another stunner. This one is called "Shatter (All my dead friends)", and like its predecessors, it too is emotionally hard hitting, especially given the fact that it's about someone who is looking at themselves in the mirror, and threatening to end it all. Trust is such a fragile thing, isn't it? And isn't it amazing how easily we afford people the luxury of trusting them so easily, and watch how quickly they fling it to the winds? How it seems to not affect them when we get hurt as a result of their torment? Yet how easily did we allow that door to become opened to them? The author within this song has found out once again, the hard way, what happens when you allocate trust to the wrong person.
"You're telling me
And I really want to believe it's impossible
You did it again,
All my dead friends come to haunt, harm and hinder, Just say goodbye".. I'm going to skip ahead one or two songs, and share a song that really spoke out to me, and I guess it did so because a few years back, during 911, I wrote something similar, though this far outweighs my little representation, but it pretty much says alot of what I said, though this version is clearly more ballsy than anything I could ever come out with. It's called "Letter To God", and it packs a wallop..I'm going to include the whole of the lyrics here, because it would be a shame to attempt to cut out any one particular part of it.
"Is this life this degradation
"Is this life this degradation
And when this life is at an end
We waste our lives destroying,
Some live their lives to play their games,
It's futile so I'll end this note
That when we meet you'll be surprised You can see what I mean, now you have the whole song in front of you..No point in taking it apart and mulling over the meaning, because it has been laid out clearly enough to not need any additional translation, whether it be my thoughts on it or soeone else's..It makes you wonder, though..So many people have been screwed one way or another because of religion. It has torn whole families apart, entire nations. There have been more wars and more deaths because of "God" than from anything else we can dream up, and because of all that, you find yourself questioning, and like the song says "and the question in the end is 'why'"? One final song, and I'll call it a day, because the rest are simply a version or two of former songs on this album, but different mixes. I really like this song too, because again, it is emotionally stunning, and very visual in its representation of pain. It's called "Carry On... Screaming". Ever been with someone, but at the same time, you feel as though you may as well be all on your own because emotionally, everything is gone? Nothing you can ever say, and nothing you can ever do will ever be truly enough. It's just a habit that's long overdue for sure and swift termination - if it could only be laid to rest, and you could only walk away unscathed, without being torn in shreds..
"Your words are like ice,
I've never been so alone than with you
I've knelt at your altar..
I've never been so alone than with you Psycho Magnet was a damned good title for this album. It's a monument to all those out there who revel in mindfucking. It's a literal emotional middle finger to those who have made an artform out of being emotionally bereft, to the point of thinking the rest of us MUST follow suit.. Hey, misery loves company, and these types thrill in ripping every shred of color and beauty out of you, because their own lives are positively bereft of a single shard of emotion. Don't be a victim.. Other than that, give this album a spin, it kicks ass. It may be a bit dated, but since when did that matter? Good music never goes away. It demands that we open ourselves, and take a good look around us, and perhaps pay better attention. 6 months ago, I never heard of this band, and now they are fast becoming one of my favorites..That has to account for something! :o) And now, onto the good stuff! Of course, you'll want to hear them..Amazon of course, has all their stuff, including some very kewl sound clips to tease you with ;o) Click here and you'll be straight on that page.. You will of course, require the usual realplayer or windows media player in order to hear these, but surely those of you who read my reviews, have either one or both of those as it is :o)
As far as other info you might require on London After Midnight, you can check them out on their official site . Have to say, this album is one of the best I have heard, and once again, gotta give props to my sweetie Doktor Avalanche, for without his help and excellent taste in music,
Many thanks to Sean Brennan and the boys of London After Midnight for the use of their very kewl images - They certainly assist in dressing up the page, and also for making the sound clips available to be shared and appreciated by many :o)
Watch this space over the next couple of months, dearest readers, for I will be featuring two bands, the latter of which has been around for just about as long as the former, though not as well known, but both are said to go hand in hand :o) One you know very well, the other, maybe you do, and maybe you don't :o) Either way, it's gonna be great to bring both to your attention - Who are they? Ahhhhh!! You'll have to wait and see ;o)
Until next month..
Silver ~
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