I know, like me, you probably really love loud music. At the moment you’d be pushed to find a louder act out there than A Place To Bury Strangers. New York’s finest have crafted a reputation for incendiary live performances and equally potent albums. This iteration of the band feature John and Sandra Fedowitz with front man Oliver Ackerman.
Ackerman is also known in musicians’ circles for his handmade guitar effect company, Death By Audio. I use his Fuzz War pedal myself. It’s not just me though he can count Lou Reed to Radiohead, St. Vincent, Arctic Monkeys, and Animal Collective as big fans of his pedals.
For this album the title Synthesizer isn’t just a title. It’s an actual synthesizer that Ackerman built specifically for this release. In fact, if you buy the vinyl version of this album, you’ll see the schematic for it built into the sleeve design. You can even buy the parts for it with your pre order from Death by Audio if you have the skills needed to put one together yourself. Ackerman had this to say about the album.
“In an era of making music where so little is DIY and so much is left up to AI, never setting foot in a practice room or a home studio, making something that feels deliberately chaotic, messy, and human, is entirely the point. Synthesizer is a record that celebrates sounds that are spontaneous and natural, the kind of music that can only come from collaboration and community.”
The album opens with a visceral punch. ‘Disgust’ abrasive guitars and relentless drums create a sense of unease. That insistent bass punches through as wild as the maelstrom around it is. It’s unabashed energy and dynamic moments that allow the vocals to pop tie it all together. Phew this is going to be a ride.
‘Don’t Be Sorry’ brings the vocals more to the front of the mix. It feels like Ackerman is standing at your shoulder. This might sound weird but I get a kind English folk, even prog rock kinda vibe from this one. Despite that trademark cutting fuzz.
We enter Kosmische territory next with ‘Fear Of Transformation’. There’s a real Germanic feel to this song, it even feels like we are on the autobahn at midnight. The motorik driving drums carry the song until those tumultuous guitars come crashing in.
‘Join The Crowd’ taps into a goth aesthetic with its doom-laden bass and static guitar chords. What’s clever here is the drums are playing a slightly slowed disco beat that you can’t help but nod along to. This is a solid groove and I can imagine is a big hit in their live sets.
We are back in the vortex of noise next with ‘Bad Idea’. There’s something chilling about this one. I could imagine this being great in a horror movie soundtrack. The swells of guitars over the chant of “I’ve got a bad idea” in the chorus are tremendous. The use of tremolo making it sound like they are trying to talk to us. This is an incredibly overwhelming listen and each time I’ve stuck it on in the headphones I get more and more excited by its ambition.
It’s pure darkwave next with ‘You Got Me’. As a more straightforward gothic pop song it shines in contrast to the preceding track. Combining catchy melodies with a lighter touch to the band’s signature noise-rock elements. The infectious rhythm and playful synths provide a counterfoil to the album’s darker moments.
‘It’s Too Much’ revisits the feeling of being overwhelmed. The relentless pace and intense instrumentation mirror the chaos of the modern world. I’m sure we can all relate.
It feels like we’ve stepped in a time machine and gone back to the retro futuristic 80’s next. ‘Plastic Future’ sounds like some lost synth band from the English midlands. As always it wouldn’t be a A Place To Bury Strangers song without squalls of feedback. However. the application here in the gaps in the track show a deft touch and add that extra something to make this track really special
Ackerman taps into his romantic side next, or does he? ‘Have You Ever Been In Love’ veers from lush warm vocals to the cacophony of crashing synths and guitars. The frenetic pace set by the demanding drums again keeping that anxious energy peaked at eleven.
The album comes to a close all too soon with the expansive cyber romp that is ‘Comfort Never Comes’. Its dark melancholia acts like the perfect full stop to this collection of songs. I particularly loved the twanging guitar effect on the lead sections
Overall, Synthesizer is a powerful exploration of emotion and sound, each track offering a unique and immersive experience. There’s a raw live room sound to this recording which sounds to me like the band aiming to capture that energy and playfulness of their stage performances. Ackermann says, “Going to shows and bringing that imperfect and beautiful DIY ethos is important.” This album is the distillation of that beautiful imperfection. How Ackerman and co have managed it is beyond me but Synthesizer is wild and untamed. Would we have them any other way though?
Synthesizer is out on 4th October 2024 via Dedstrange. You can preorder the vinyl copy from the A Place To Bury Strangers Bandcamp page, the bands webstore and, of course, your favourite indie record store.
You can follow A Place To Bury Strangers on social media here …
Photo Credit
Ebru Yildiz
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