Dead

Description

Spectres release a new album, Dead, on March 25. Thats Good Friday, and it will see the songs from the Bristol bands hugely acclaimed debut Dying nailed to the cross by Mogwai, Factory Floor, Hookworms, Richard Fearless (Death In Vegas), Andy Bell (Ride), Robert Hampson (Loop) and many more. The only instruction was kill our songs, and so here are the remains, served up on two mortuary slabs of vinyl as a stunning, 13-track album that builds on the originals feeling of claustrophobia and dread, but recasts it across everything from brutal techno (Blood Musics This Purgatory) to New Order-meets-Animal Collective euphoria (Andy Bells Sea Of Trees). Its an occasionally punishing, but always rewarding listen that begins somewhere in the depths of a K-hole, courtesy of Vision Fortunes Drag, and ends somewhere rather beautiful, with the celestial synths of Mogwais This Purgatory. (Its worth noting that Mogwais classic Kicking A Dead Pig was a big inspiration here.) We see Spectres as something that can work in a variety of contexts, says frontman Joe Hatt, as he explains the motivation behind Dead. Our musical interests spread out in different angles and we are always thinking of ways for what we do to evolve and mutate. We put together a list of artists who we admired, and thought would deliver a varied and eclectic mix. Some were close friends who are conveniently making some of the best music around, and others were pipe dreams that we thought would never happen. It was both nerve-wracking and fun waiting for each of the artists versions to arrive in our inbox, and some definitely surprised us; but none disappointed. Dead serves as an important reminder of what a special band Spectres are, something that can be easy to forget with their anti-industry stance and extra-curricular activities often grabbing the headlines more than their music (Weve always been like this, and we wont cease, threatens Hatt). In 2015 they ruffled feathers with their Record Store Day Is Dying campaign; their unofficial alternative James Bond theme Spectre was erroneously reviewed by the Evening Standard and then some leaked and, it turned out, fake emails managed to upset both the BBC and Sam Smith; they made a video in which they murdered Nick Grimshaw, Reggie Yates, Scott Mills and Fearne Cotton after a Radio 1 Live Lounge appearance went awry; and they ended the year with a massively disrespectful cover version of Paul McCartneys Wonderful Christmastime that had all the good cheer mechanically removed.