Vukovar – Puritan (The Brutalist House)
CD / DL
25 October 2017
9 / 10
Industrial post-punk band release their new album.
Following last album Fornication was always going to be a
difficult task. The sheer quality was difficult
to perceive of as being replicated, it was a quite stunning album only ten
months ago and a follow-up must surely be amiss in some areas. Thankfully, Vukovar have come up trumps with
Puritan. It is, nothing short of brilliant
and must surely catapult the St Helens boys into the eyes of the media
forthwith.
With influences far and wide – from Joy Division to the
Shangri-Las, from Nick Cave to Billy Fury – Vukovar have assembled a long
player that touches several styles and angles and often begs the question as to
how such diversity can be compiled seamlessly into one album. It’s dark, very dark and is wonderful for it
as skilfully blends post-punk and Goth together in one fell swoop.
Übermensch is as unlikely an album opener as you are likely to hear, rather than going for all out noise, the band instead decide to go for subtle as keyboard, bass and vocals brood for almost six minutes which will leave you almost speechless.
Übermensch is as unlikely an album opener as you are likely to hear, rather than going for all out noise, the band instead decide to go for subtle as keyboard, bass and vocals brood for almost six minutes which will leave you almost speechless.
As a direct contrast, Veil is a powerhouse of a track with a
throbbing bassline which becomes a characteristic trait of the album in general. It exudes such power with its neo-goth
leanings and breaks for a catchy strapline which once more unravels as a surprising
feature throughout Puritan. A brilliant reverb section towards the close of the
track is not to be missed.
Actor and writer Graham Duff (Harry Potter, Dr Who, Ideal,
Alan Partridge) adds spoken word to Parts 1 and 2 of A Final Solution, the
first section solely his voice over an ambient backing whilst part two sees the
band takes centre stage over a hypnotic beat, almost hip-hop in style, with looped
vocals and drawling guitars.
Down In The Willow Garden and All The Pretty Little Horses
are based on traditional songs and both enjoy the voice of Elizabeth McNally
who adds a ghostly haunting angle with her quite beautiful contributions, the former
track containing an amazing finale of distortion and anarchic feedback. McNally also shares vocals on Once More For
The Puritan, a title track of sorts with its roots maybe in medieval eras, her
spiralling vocals an essential feature.
The albums most commercial moments come in the shape of This
Moment Severed, an addictive track with a highly infectious sound and S.S.S., a
delicate vocal over post-ambience for two and a half minutes before the ante is
upped and the track becomes fuller and more powerful. Recent album taster, The Clockwork Dance falls
in as penultimate track and remains a stunning remainder of a band clearly in
their ascendancy.
Produced by the band with Phil Reynolds and Dan Anker,
Puritan is a superb piece if work. “Songs
of depravity and despair whittled from old folk songs, visions of a horrifying
future and nostalgia for a time that never existed” couldn’t describe it
better. Album of the year? Possibly.
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Published on Louder Than War 25/10/17 - here
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