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Adrian H writes crime scene songs.
His self titled debut with the Wounds features fairytale murders (on the very first track), dirty sex ("Cookies and Cocaine"), molestation ("Smoke") and, frequently shattered love. To say the stories in these eleven tracks are dark and strange doesn't begin to cover it. They're gutter-beautiful, all the more sexy for their seaminess. These tales are filled with impilied people, "she" smells like smoke, "she" likes cookies and cocaine, "he" lived in a stump with a family of ticks, "he" has a sin to tell. Victims? or the Villians? It's clear that every one is a little of each.
Remember when parents warned kids about the evils and temptations of Rock'n'Roll?
They were talking about bands like Adrian H and the Wounds.
But these aren't just recollections of deeds themselves, there are also those post-coital late evening/very early morning moments of contemplation, need and regret. Songs like "I Only Smile to You" remind you why people start doomed relationships, why they drink even though they know the hangover is inevitable. Of couse ditties like "My House" and "She Won't Leave Me Alone" warn you of the dangers of love and loss... the dangers that often lead to the crimes chronicled in other songs. It's wicked, cyclical trap that we (you, me, the narrator) seem cursed to repeat.
Adrian's voice is perfect for conveying his twisted tales, he has that grave-digger rasp familiar to fans of Tom Waits but with more of a sleazey snarl. He's like the sketchy uncle you don't invite to family dinners anymore because he just doesn't get that somethings are *just not* discussed or DONE at the table.
He's also a hell of a piano player. He knows when to attack with it, catching you off guard or bursting forth with a rollicking barrage that pulls you along with it. He also knows when to pull back or be laid back. He can lull as well as rock. He can be a balladeer or a bally, bluesy bastard.
The rest of the band compliments him well. The bass echoes the dread of Adrian's voice, and drummer Broken Heart knows when to fill, when to accent and when to lead the way. He knows his way around a kit and also knows that the best drummers are those who draw you in, not beat you down. I love the occasional inclusion of the saxophone parts, it gives the music a broken jazz feel that somehow completes it.
The end result is like the Doors recording a new-wave album after making out with Nick Cave and Shriekback. Catchy, creepy and great.
I said that there were crimes behind these songs but the biggest crime is that this album may have come a bit too late. There was a time when the goths I knew would've flocked to this album. Now that goth has been subsumed by industrial they're missing out on this wonderful, decadent, dirty and dark CD. Too bad for them
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Adrian H and the Wounds~
http://www.adrianhandthewounds.com/
http://www.myspace.com/adrianhmusic
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