A group from Mexico City
takes on a band name
alluding to a French philosopher
and a German philosopher,
respectively, and sings exclusively
in English, while their stage banter,
as far as I can tell, is delivered
exclusively in Spanish. I can’t
remember how I stumbled upon
this band, although it’s only been
a few years; perhaps I saw a video
on YouTube and thought, holy shit.
That must have been it, because
I don’t know a single individual
who also listens to them, who
would have recommended them.
They are WEIRD in all caps.
I’ve only got two of their albums,
the two most recent, but I gather
that all of their records are concept
albums, songs organized around
a central idea or theme. Stylistically,
they bop quickly back and forth
between hard core metal,
progressive rock, straight up
alt pop, some spoken word
narration, and a bizarre grab-bag
between synth pop ballads and what
seems like show-tune music.
They are fronted by Sandrushka
Petrova, about the most Mexican
name I’ve ever heard, who sings
like an angel or a devil, depending,
who writes and arranges their music,
who plays a crazy accomplished
electric guitar, and is beautiful, too.
Quadruple threat, she is.
The first record I spin this morning,
Victims of Love Propaganda, is a difficult
but rewarding listen, punctuated
as it is with discordant and raw
heavy metal prog that is noisier
than it is melodic. But also in the mix:
catchy tunes with memorable lyric
hooks, and a finale called “The Science
of Breakup,” a beautiful alt-pop thing
reminiscent of St. Vincent that is
maybe all by itself worth the price
of admission. This album is all about
various love relationships, all the
vicissitudes therein, the psychological
pitfalls, the dangers, you know, the
propaganda surrounding that thing
Lennon claimed was all we need.
I mean, he was right, but love, as
Descartes A Kant argues, is difficult,
sometimes deadly work.
Their most recent album,
After Destruction, is a short
but powerful science fiction
affair in which a machine is
introduced that will solve
all of humanity’s emotional
and psychological problems,
a machine that can “fill your
existential holes,” or, if
destruction is the cure you
require, in “Self F” mode, it
can really F you up good.
The band, clearly, also has
a sense of humor. Musically,
this record rocks and is about
98% accessible, 100% listener
friendly, that is, if you’re receptive
to terrifically inventive and
melodic art rock. The guitars
crunch, the drums crush, and
the vocals are full of hooks
and fun, smart, thoughtful lyrics.
The somewhat goofy spoken
word interludes, in the voice
of the DAK Machine, that thread
the record together, can sometimes
be a little much, like, a part of me
wants the music to speak for
itself; but when I lighten up,
I understand it’s doing a job
that is engaging, artful, and funny.
I am forever grateful and happy
to have become a recent and
eager student of Descartes A Kant.
Notes on the vinyl editions: Victims of Love Propaganda, Cleopatra Records, 2017, black vinyl. After Destruction, Cleopatra Records, 2023, opaque pink vinyl.
In case you don’t already know: I’m listening to almost everything in my vinyl collection, A to Z, and writing a long skinny poem-like-thing in response for each artist. As a poet and a student of poetry, I understand that these things look like poems, but they don’t really sound much like poetry, hence, I call them “poem-like-things.” I’ll admit that they’re just long, skinny essays that veer every now and then into the poetic or lyric.
Coming up: the solo project of one Dan Bejar, filed under the moniker Destroyer. I’ve got nine or ten of his albums. This will take me a few days. Thank you in advance for your patience, all of you out there holding your breath. 🙂
michael jarmer 