the suicide of wester culture - hope only brings pain - album cover

Their 2010 debut album was named the best Spanish electronic album by the music critics and loyal fans. They toured around the world, performing at SXSW, Canadian Music Week, FYF Festival and Eurosonic as well as supporting artists including Animal Collective, Orbital and Cut Copy. This is just the beginning of a fruitful journey for two talented guys from Barcelona.

Known for making the most of the keyboards and the lo-fi drum machines, THE SUICIDE OOF WESTERN CULTURE aka TSOWC is now ready to fuel their success by releasing their second eagerly-awaited album next month. Hope Only Brings Pain is (what I could only describe as) a bitter-sweet production where each of the ten tracks captures the moods and tells a powerful and, at times, a spine-chilling story.

Hope Only Brings Pain starts off with very light-hearted and mood-lifting tracks including, Remember The Good Times, Hey Guys! I Know The Names of the Culprits and Love Your Friends, Hate Politicians. As this electronic/alternative album progresses, the production of the tracks turn very heavily, dark, daunting and extremely depressing – but in a funny sort of way, it offers a glimmer of light and hope. These arrangements are evident in tracks, Oranienburger, Hope Only Brings Pain and Spanish Republican Soldiers in French Retirement Homes .Take time out and really listen to the forceful drive of the dense beat working against the lightness of the lo-fi melody. It’s simply Ingenious.

Having said that, after listening to the album, personally I’m not sure if this is my cup of tea….then I listened to it again and I can’t take away the fact that these guys know how to tell a powerful story through their instruments. It just goes to show that you don’t need words to put your point across.

––
THE SUICIDE OOF WESTERN CULTURE