\nThe Leeds based band Klammer was formed in 2014 by British
\nproducer and sound engineer Steve Whitfield (The Cure, The
\nMission), Paul \u201cPoss\u201d Strickland, Bruno Almeida, and Mike Addy.
\nThey have been described as the lovechild of XTC and Gang of
\nFour, with elements of goth rock, punk, darkwave, and post-punk.
\nMost importantly though, they absolutely rock. These guys are
\nrising stars in British alternative music. If you are a fan of
\nJoy Division, The Damned, The Stranglers, Bauhaus, David Bowie,
\nor any of the post-punk and alt-rock early classics, you\u2019ll
\nabsolutely love Klammer\u2019s new album \u201cYou Have Been Processed.\u201d
\nMuch of the sound, vibe, and atmosphere of Klammer is
\nreminiscent of the post-punk and early goth sounds born in the
\nlate \u201870s – early \u201880s. It does not, however, feel forced or
\nstuck in the past. The album is authentic and fresh. It utilizes
\nthe classic stylings of the post punk golden age, but it does
\nnot copy or attempt to woo listeners on some nostalgic trip.
\nKlammer picks up the mantle where the greats left off; greats
\nthat Whitfield himself helped produce. Post-punk and the purer
\ngoth sound which hurled us into melancholic and brooding worlds
\nbuilt on percussion, synth, and chord back in the 1980s, have<\/p>\n
more they can reveal to us. There is much fruit left on the
\ntree. Klammer is a leader in the revival of killer sounds from
\nthe past, while also forging a bold path into an unknown future
\nand musical landscape.
\nThe catchy, dark, sometimes angular sound and progression
\nof \u201cYou Have Been Processed\u201d is an emotional roller coaster.
\nSometimes it has us head tucked between our knees in despondent
\nmalaise. The next moment we\u2019re front to back, side to side,
\ncutting across the floor with the volume turned up. It bounces
\nbetween heavy and melodic. This fluid soundscape is what makes
\nan album into a living work of art. As a full package, it takes
\nus to the depths and limits of human expression, human despair,
\nhuman joy. Instead of a bundle of one-off hits, it is a story,
\nan audible sculpture, guiding us through many lands. Klammer is
\na band for the listener with the refined palette, but they never
\nmiss a chance to throw in a good hook and a few dark pop gems.
\n\u201cCoast to Coast\u201d leads in with a mysterious ambiance. The
\nsound feels like a thick fog. I imagine the band entering
\nthrough through this fog as the set opens. It progresses into a
\nsolid rock anthem with catchy hooks and poetic, powerful,
\nbrooding lyrics that repeat \u201cWashed away…never to be seen
\nagain.\u201d
\n\u201cModern God\u201d alternates between a dark and disturbing
\nspoken word and a gothic chorus which has hints of the rising
\nindie-darkwave scene (TRST, Cold Cave, and Ashbury Heights).
\nThis song feels modern (pardon the pun) and fresh. It carries
\nhints of the classics but is a solid mash-up which bends the
\nrules and blends a variety of styles to create something new
\nfrom the ashes left behind by the masters of ages past.
\n\u201cNo Memory\u201d starts with a hybrid psychedelic\/darkwave feel
\nfading into heavy drum lines and angsty half-spoken punk-styled
\nlyrics. The chorus trades off with sharp angular guitar riffs
\nbacked by drum\/snare progressions and edgy basslines. This may
\nbe the least post-punk of all the tracks. It isn\u2019t anything else
\nthat I can exactly place my finger on either. I have a deep
\nappreciation for undefinability. It keeps the music unique and
\nit has us on our toes, unable to contain it in any particular
\nbox.<\/p>\n
\u201cMechanical Boy\u201d is the darkest, most depressing cut. The
\ninstrumentals tell the intense melancholic tale of a boy trapped
\nwithin his own mental\/emotional prison. The atmosphere creates a
\nperfect setting for this tragic world. It just feels hopeless,
\ndefeating, painful, a lost cause. I also feel the urge to shake
\nthe boy, whoever he might be and jar him from his living tomb.
\n\u201cBaddest Parts\u201d is the most punk-rock track in that
\ndistinctly 1970s style, with spoken word over heavy riffs. This
\nis for the mosh pits.
\n\u201cTonight\u201d blends dark pop with classic gothic basslines and
\nmuted lyrics. It\u2019s a darkwave dance track all the way.
\n\u201cHuman Clay\u201d is another dark and brooding track that drags
\nthe mood way down. The soothing melodies and piercing lyrics
\nover low tempo instruments turn us into human clay to be molded
\nby Klammer\u2019s enigmatic style of sound.
\n\u201cA Long Cold Summer\u201d closes out the album and for good
\nreason. The simple harmonies fronted by hypnotic and repetitive
\nlyrics remind us over and over again: \u201cLife will be the death of
\nyou.\u201d As the track winds down, the words and instruments fade
\ninto the abyss, just like us.
\nKlammer is definitely climbing the ranks. I hope we get to
\nsee a lot more of them in the coming years. They are reviving a
\nclassic sound that is far from finished putting us in strange
\nalternating states of melancholic trance and fluid dance
\nfrenzies. Simultaneously, they are injecting new life, new
\nenergy, and an authentic twist with new hybrids, new
\ninstrumental progressions, and new angles on the darkness that
\nepitomizes the frail human condition. I am excited to be along
\nfor the ride.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Leeds based band Klammer was formed in 2014 by British producer and sound engineer Steve Whitfield (The Cure, The Mission), Paul \u201cPoss\u201d Strickland, Bruno Almeida, and Mike Addy. They have been described as the lovechild of XTC and Gang of Four, with elements of goth rock, punk, darkwave, and post-punk. Most importantly though, they […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":12,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-8719","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-revue"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kjagradio.com\/themic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8719","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kjagradio.com\/themic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kjagradio.com\/themic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kjagradio.com\/themic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kjagradio.com\/themic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8719"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/kjagradio.com\/themic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8719\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22691,"href":"https:\/\/kjagradio.com\/themic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8719\/revisions\/22691"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kjagradio.com\/themic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kjagradio.com\/themic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8719"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kjagradio.com\/themic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8719"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kjagradio.com\/themic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8719"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}