Children of Desire
*Children of Desire*—the second LP from Florida\'s Merchandise—is another stunning collection of classic-feeling post-punk that\'s both beautifully, viscously barbed and delicately melancholic. It\'s remarkable how these Americans expertly reignite the passions triggered by \'80s groups like Echo & The Bunnymen, The Smiths, and The Jesus & Mary Chain. (Merchandise has much in common with The Horrors, a band that, we note, is British.) The guitars throw off shards of white light, organs swirl, drums ring with reverb, and vocalist Carson Cox has a lovely, soft baritone that swoons and wails in the emotional palette that Morrissey once ruled. Congas race incongruously through \"In Nightmare Room\" (and they\'re *awesome*), while the 11-minute beauty \"Become What You Are\" ebbs and flows with a gorgeous, bittersweet melody until, at about six minutes in, it morphs into a hungry maelstrom of guitar distortion atop Cox\'s smooth vocals and a Sufi-worthy, trance-driven rhythm. Every song here is to be savored, and you might want to get in on these guys before they become the Next Big(ger) Thing.
A product of their city's thriving DIY punk and hardcore scenes, the Tampa, Fla. band features members of Neon Blud, Cult Ritual, and the Dry County. Their ambitious second album is an outsized, emotionally rich pop record that practically begs for your attention.
A product of their city's thriving DIY punk and hardcore scenes, the Tampa, Fla. band features members of Neon Blud, Cult Ritual, and the Dry County. Their ambitious second album is an outsized, emotionally rich pop record that practically begs for your attention.