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Review: 'IMAGINARY PEOPLE'
'October Alice'   

-  Label: 'Five Five Diamonds'
-  Genre: 'Indie' -  Release Date: '28th April 2017'

Our Rating:
The second full length release from this New York five-piece was recorded in the aftermath of the murder of a close friend of the band.

The panic pop/rock of the eleven tunes may be mired in anguish but they are nevertheless fired by a controlled venom, akin to the dark gothic overtones of mid 1970s/early 80s post-punk combos like Joy Division or Pere Ubu.

The latter particularly comes to mind because, while less demented, Dylan Von Wagner's warbling vocals have distinct echoes of David Thomas. The lines are garbled but he still manages to communicate a mood of torment pretty effectively.

The album was recorded in a barn (hence the reverb) and, as with their debut (Dead Letterbox), it was produced by Kevin McMahon.

The mood is bleak yet not despairing or insular. Mr Hesitance sets its sights on an incompetent politician, there's an industrialized swagger to Whisper To Stop and the mournful Long For The Rue is at odds with the repeated declaration "I'm so in love".

Magdalene is like Roy Orbison on prozac and on the closing track (Human Race) we have some frenzied rockabilly.

This variety heightens , and occasionally lightens, what might otherwise be an overly intense atmosphere and makes it an album with more than just passing appeal.
     
Imaginary People's website
  author: Martin Raybould

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IMAGINARY PEOPLE - October Alice