Melissa Auf der Mare

Out of Our Minds

I like this album. It may be an old school Goth concept album about Vikings, but hey, each to their own…

Whilst it is certainly not my usual cup of tea, the sound here is so big and the gothic vibe going on so very intense it hits unexpected home run after home run. I heard the Hole album too and by comparison it is just OK and so much more 'expected'.

So how much does it rock? Depends where you sit really I guess. It is NOT a hard rock album by any stretch of the imagination. There's a cool guest list: Glenn Danzig, Jon Stanier from Battles, James Iha from Smashing Pumpkins and Jeordie White from Marilyn Manson. And as far as producers go Chris Goss (Queens of the Stone Age), Alan Moulder (Smashing Pumpkins) and Mike Fraser (AC/DC) all drop in giving a bit of a clue to how long this project has been on the go. Folding record labels and 5 years later it's here and as the sound goes it's quite cohesive.

Of the tracks on offer there is a whole city of moody and emotional gothic sound scapes to choose from. “Out of Our Minds” kicks early ass and I particularly like “Isis Speaks” and the instrumental “Lead Horse”, but this is more mood music than songs to rock out to in the car.

“Follow the map” is just a beautiful sonic seascape and if you get this far and you remember 80s Goth before it went all metallic you might get something here, there’s an essence of the Cocteau Twins and This Mortal Coil especially on tracks like “22 below” or “1000 Years”.

As far as commercial appeal goes who knows? This could sink, it could disappear, or the Paramore kids might lap it up (not that it particularly sounds like Paramour). “Meet Me on the Darkside” is perhaps the most commercial track on here with an almost pop refrain.

If you fancy something a bit different and maybe dig a bit of Nick Cave every now and again you may just enjoy tracks like that or the deep brooding “Father’s Grave” (the Danzig duet). If you like straight rock: avoid this at all costs…

Mark