Assassinating 80’s Nostalgia
Well, the whole relocation and resettling here in Oz took far longer than I had hoped. A Free Man was nearly a month without a home internet connection, which made blogging a bit of a challenge. But, as I knock frantically on wood, I think that we’ve got all the gears turning and hopefully will be back to regular posting.
I think the appropriate way to start of A Free Man’s time Down Under is with an Australian act and I’ve got a good one in The Time of the Assassins. They’re a Melbourne three-piece who released their debut long-player “Awake In Slumberland” on Kiddiepunk. The Assassins recorded their debut with legendary Chicago engineer Steve Albini and you can really hear his influence in the low vocals and aggressive, feedback heavy guitars. You can hear bits of some of Albini’s greatest clients here - there’s a dollop of The Pixies, a dash of The Jesus Lizard and a smidge of P.J. Harvey. In fact, the Assassins pay homage in a lot of ways to the early 90’s post-grunge acts. They’re partial to a stodgy Melvins-esque tempo and Aspen Michael Taylor abuses his guitar with the best of them. Taylor and bassist Carina Bianca Mellado share vocal time, with the latter being the more compelling singer. She mixes obsidian goth stylings with angst-ridden wailing, best demonstrated on the album’s closer - “The Return”
The radio waves have been clogged with 80’s devotees lately - Interpol, TV on the Radio, The Bell, The Editors, and so on and on. Personally, I think that the 80’s was one of the shitest musical decades, so hoping that The Time of the Assassins are right out on the cutting edge of a new scene - one that reveres the guitar heavy post-punk of the 90’s instead of the synthesized bubblegum of the 80’s. Maybe The Assassins are the new Killers. Check out two of my favorites from “Awake In Slumberland”:
MP3: The Time of the Assassins - “Math”
MP3: The Time of the Assassins - “The Swan”
“Awake In Slumberland” is a solid and promising debut. Definitely worth the price of admission. 4/5
The Time of the Assassins’ “Awake In Slumberland” is available from 
and Amazon
Popularity: 18% [?]
” I think that the 80’s was one of the shitest musical decades…”
Always thought it was just because I was a kid in the eighties, and kids like shite music, but after this week’s tribute to 1984 at collaborative blog Star Maker Machine turned out so weak, I’m with you, man.
Nice find with the Assassins, though.
29 May 2008 at 2:51 pm
I didn’t care much for the first song, but the second song, “The Swan” was terrific! The more I listen to it, the better it gets. Maybe I should give “Math” a few more listens before I pass too much judgment.
30 May 2008 at 4:41 am
[…] Assassinating 80’s Nostalgia Personally, I think that the 80’s was one of the shitest musical decades, so hoping that The Time of the Assassins are right out on the cutting edge of a new scene - one that reveres the guitar heavy post-punk of the 90’s instead of the … […]
24 Jun 2008 at 5:57 am