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Review: 'MUSIC BLUES'
'Things Haven't Gone Well'   

-  Label: 'Thrill Jockey Records'
-  Genre: 'Rock' -  Release Date: '25th August 2014'

Our Rating:
The theme of this album is the life of Stephen Tanner from birth until now, Tanner is the bassist of cult sludge-rock trio Harvey Milk and wrote the songs in 2010 while staying in Georgia at the home of Creston Spiers, the band's vocalist and guitarist.

To say this was a down point in his life is putting it mildly. A long-time friend, Jerry Fuchs. had just died. he was unemployed, homeless and had broken up with his girlfriend. For 3 monthbs he watched 6 hours of the original 90210 every day, drank, and attempted to write tunes for the new Harvey Milk album. Instead he wrote this debut as a solo artist and a very bleak affair it is too.

The first song, 9/17/71 is his date of birth and a cursory glance at the track listing will tell you things went downhill thereafter. Titles include Hopelessness and Worthlessness, Trying and Giving Up, It’s Not Going to Get Better and Tremendous Misery Sets In.

It's a journey from darkness into pitch blackness with no words, only crashing doom drenched chords that accurately evoke a living hell; a wall of metal gloom that allows no glimmers of light.

The slow dirges are soundtracks to depression without any of the cathartic release that conventional heavy metal offers.   The album reflects the words his father told Tanner at a young age: “You think life sucks now, just wait.”

Tanner now lives in Brooklyn where his day job is as a chef. His cooking has been positively reviewed in the New York Times and it is to be hoped that he's a better place than when he made this album. Otherwise, his is a restaurant you'd be well advised to avoid.
  author: Martin Raybould

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MUSIC BLUES - Things Haven't Gone Well