Wednesday, May 29, 2019

Singles Roundup: Doll Skin, Pinkfly, Corpse Flower, & The 69 Eyes

We're still a few weeks away from the beginning of the summer release schedule, so things are a bit quiet coming off the holiday weekend. Before we start drowning in big releases, let's talk about a few new songs that need to be addressed, for good and bad.

Doll Skin - Empty House

The first single from their upcoming record showed Doll Skin stepping up their game significantly. Their second single shows that wasn't a fluke. Like "Mark My Words", this song is led by a propulsive chorus that lets the energy of the song pour through the speakers. It's not easy to have attitude and still write sticky songs, but Doll Skin is doing just that. This song moves their upcoming record up to the top of the list of anticipated June releases.

Pinkfly - Happy

It wasn't too long ago I discovered Fit For Rivals, specifically the "Steady Damage" album, which I have grown quite fond of. The timing was precipitous, as the voice of that band is getting her new project off the ground. This is the first song from the new, all female, LGBTQ positive group. Renee Phoenix still has that lovely, rough in all the right ways voice, which embodies the attitude in the song. It's almost mechanical, as the song hammers the hook again and again. It's a solid first statement, and it will be interesting to hear what other paths the group decides to go down.

Corpse Flower - On Top Of The World

The latest project featuring Mike Patton, this is a song that quite pissed me off. It's a more direct and immediate form of art rock, which has melodies that would make it an easy winner.... until the lyrics take us tumbling to the bottom of the barrel. He sings "if I was on top of the world, I'd take a shit on the earth". That line is so childish and immature it ruins every good aspect of the song. Patton's mean-spirited crudeness might be intended for shock, but only in the sense that I never thought he was that stupid. Screw this.

The 69 Eyes - 27 & Done

I'm not sure how it happens that every genre established a blueprint, and then it seems liek countless identical voices pop up. When it comes to gothic rock, The 69 Eyes have the trademark sound, which is on full display here. This song is well-written, with a solid melodic foundation, but there's one glaring flaw. The morose feeling of gothic rock is so subdued that there is absolutely no energy here at all. I know that's mostly the point, but the snap and sparkle it could have are dulled, which renders everything flat. They tied themselves to a leash, and then started running. Obviously, they're not going to get far.

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