Travis Parno
01/14/08, 02:26 PM
Stare Into the Sun - Whispers Turn to Howls
Record Label: Reformer Records
Release Date: October 23, 2007
Dystopia has a new face and it comes in the frenetic blend of indie and new wave that is Stare Into the Sun.
Whispers Turn to Howls is a wonderful, and somewhat terrifying, musical journey into the future. It paints a disquieting picture of the end times in which the artists are the hunted and a shadowy militaristic cabal challenges mankind’s very existence. Vocalist Kevin Murphy’s voice rises and falls like that of an eschatological preacher soap-boxing on some dirty street corner. His commanding shrieks echo over clanging guitars and thick bass lines in a cacophonous vision of a world descending into pandemonium.
Stare Into the Sun will pull the wool from your eyes, revealing a picture of the ideological masks of contemporary society and the harsh reality in which we are all so deeply entrenched. Lyrics, such as those from “Patrols,” show that no one is safe from the all-seeing eyes of a military dictatorship: “We are dreamers, we are marked / Patrols in earshot / Hum of their radio crosstalk / Iron heels on the march.” Linkages to America’s current foreign policy can safely be assumed, especially in such ominous tracks as “Your New Home,” in which Murphy warns that “You have the right to remain silent / And go to war/ If you’re not with us it’s them / You’re for.”
While many artists are content to follow the traditional model of “big opener – bigger second track – single – filler – slow song – end,” Whispers Turn to Howls transcends this mundane simplicity, bringing fresh doses of foreboding melody with every track until the mountain of revelatory rock blots out the sun. The music moves in like a violent storm, with thunderous percussion and persistently beating riffs surrounded by the swelling gale of Murphy’s vocals.
Breaks in intensity are at a minimum, and at times the album’s unrelenting force threatens to drown the listener. For this reason it is perhaps best that Whispers Turn to Howls is limited to ten tracks. Shifts in melody and pace work to break up the tide of fervor but the album’s brevity is certainly an advantage. It’s a concise depiction that refuses to get bogged down by an overabundance of doom and gloom.
Stare Into the Sun have accomplished the difficult task of illustrating a tormented future without relying on overly-depressing lyrics or muddy music. Whispers Turn to Howls is a clean and classy vision of perdition that warns rather than preaches. Check it out before the musicians become the martyrs – by then it will be far too late.
Small Leaks Sink Ships and Interpol playing checkers (to the death) on the fringes of time and space
myspace.com/stareintothesun (http://www.myspace.com/stareintothesun)
Record Label: Reformer Records
Release Date: October 23, 2007
Dystopia has a new face and it comes in the frenetic blend of indie and new wave that is Stare Into the Sun.
Whispers Turn to Howls is a wonderful, and somewhat terrifying, musical journey into the future. It paints a disquieting picture of the end times in which the artists are the hunted and a shadowy militaristic cabal challenges mankind’s very existence. Vocalist Kevin Murphy’s voice rises and falls like that of an eschatological preacher soap-boxing on some dirty street corner. His commanding shrieks echo over clanging guitars and thick bass lines in a cacophonous vision of a world descending into pandemonium.
Stare Into the Sun will pull the wool from your eyes, revealing a picture of the ideological masks of contemporary society and the harsh reality in which we are all so deeply entrenched. Lyrics, such as those from “Patrols,” show that no one is safe from the all-seeing eyes of a military dictatorship: “We are dreamers, we are marked / Patrols in earshot / Hum of their radio crosstalk / Iron heels on the march.” Linkages to America’s current foreign policy can safely be assumed, especially in such ominous tracks as “Your New Home,” in which Murphy warns that “You have the right to remain silent / And go to war/ If you’re not with us it’s them / You’re for.”
While many artists are content to follow the traditional model of “big opener – bigger second track – single – filler – slow song – end,” Whispers Turn to Howls transcends this mundane simplicity, bringing fresh doses of foreboding melody with every track until the mountain of revelatory rock blots out the sun. The music moves in like a violent storm, with thunderous percussion and persistently beating riffs surrounded by the swelling gale of Murphy’s vocals.
Breaks in intensity are at a minimum, and at times the album’s unrelenting force threatens to drown the listener. For this reason it is perhaps best that Whispers Turn to Howls is limited to ten tracks. Shifts in melody and pace work to break up the tide of fervor but the album’s brevity is certainly an advantage. It’s a concise depiction that refuses to get bogged down by an overabundance of doom and gloom.
Stare Into the Sun have accomplished the difficult task of illustrating a tormented future without relying on overly-depressing lyrics or muddy music. Whispers Turn to Howls is a clean and classy vision of perdition that warns rather than preaches. Check it out before the musicians become the martyrs – by then it will be far too late.
Small Leaks Sink Ships and Interpol playing checkers (to the death) on the fringes of time and space
myspace.com/stareintothesun (http://www.myspace.com/stareintothesun)