The thing with really good bands is that it's almost never just one creative force. The Madeira were a really good band, and though as lead guitarist of the group Ivan Pongracic was sort of the figurehead (Space Cossacks pedigree contributes too!) , I think I've even seen him point out how many songwriting credits go to Patrick O'Connor. In the time since The Madeira cooled down to apparent hibernation, Patrick's been in several garage-pop groups catering to the sci-fi con crowd, most prominently The Shake-Ups (who have been around for twenty years!). But now he (along with some members of The Shake-Ups, lest I ironically single out Patrick as the sole creative force) are back to surf with Thee Leviathans.
The other thing about really good bands is it's hard not to think of that band when hearing something related. As much as I try to listen to this with fresh ears, I don't think I can do that without a brain wipe. But that's going to be the case for most of us, right? I mean, if you're hearing this without having heard The Madeira first... good god, man, go listen to a Madeira record immediately after! But Thee Leviathans are certainly distinct from The Madeira, while still flashing a lot of what made The Madeira special. And that's kind of what we would hope for, right?
I'll lay out the biggest difference right off the bat: theme. From the get-go The Madeira's albums were thematically very cohesive which contributed to their transportative quality. Thee Leviathans have this, but keep a looser grip on it. The name of the band and album title evoke deep mystery and power (amusingly, much like Lords of Atlantis!), and the album art supports this too. And usually the songs match. But there's a bit more b-movie kitsch to this -- certainly not to a Messer Chups level -- that lets them toss in theremin or have a straight-up upbeat track called "Yowie!".
But let's not get ahead of ourselves with that one.
The opening track "From Beneath, It Devours" immediately demonstrates the other noticeable difference: keys! Which play many roles on this record, but I appreciate the extra threat they add to the opening. The guitar on this track moves quickly but stays big, lending well to the imagery of a terrifying creature.
"Unholy Mackerel" was unveiled on their split 7" with The Tentakills earlier this year, and it's a great track. It's funny, the tone of the guitar evokes The Atlantics for me (with Shadows as a backup), which on a Madeira record I probably would have attributed directly to Pongracic's love of that group, but the rest of the band is allowed to like them too, and there's a few more hints of that band sprinkled on the record. But obnoxiously touching back on The Madeira again, if you didn't already hear an echo of them, you probably have by now. While the loud and strong guitar line pushes this song along, the rhythm guitar is quite active, and I love how it closes out the song.
"One Step Beyond the Sea" has a sort of in-medias-res intro, but it sets the mood perfectly and the guitar melody pushes it from there. I wish the keys had a bit of a different tone, a bit too synthy, but they still play a good role in a great song.
Now if you want an example of Thee Leviathans being very much their own band, I think theremin and keys are used to great effect on "Little Green Men". This song really feels all-hands-on-deck, really busting out just to the limit of retaining mystery.
"The Lonely Esper" is another one with mood from the first second, starting with bellowing baritone and acoustic guitar, then moving to a higher register as you connect on a deeper level. Love the feeling from this track.
I'm going to skip ahead a bit to "The Spy Magician", which again was featured on the previous 7", but rightfully so as it's quite distinct. The eleki-esque tremolo mixed with theremin would probably sound pretty goofy in less capable hands, but somehow they glue together into something enchanting.
Naturally we have to cover the title track, which throws in a lot of tricks on percussion and keys around what's actually one of the more traditionally melodic guitar lines on the record. It's repetitive in a catchy way, simple while not shedding the general vibe of the record.
And then they do shed the vibe with "Yowie!", which has keyboards doubling with guitar for most of it. It's warm and friendly, maybe a bit wistful, and catchy as the song that preceded it. It may stick out a bit from the rest, but I like it and I'm glad it stayed on here.
They close out with something slower, with a feeling that's a bit lighter but perhaps still with a tinge of sadness. If I were to try to invoke a narrative throughout this album, which it lends itself well to, I get a feeling that our heroes made it out alive, walking safely to shore, but at what cost?
If we see another LP from this group then maybe I can shut up with Madeira mentions, but since that's probably the main reason many of us want to hear this, let's answer the question: is this worthy listening for a Madeira fan? Easy yes. I'm not sure how familiar y'all might be with the experimental punk band At the Drive-In, but after they broke up the resulting bands were The Mars Volta and Sparta. The Mars Volta were a highly technical, highly progressive rock group (and were about as successful as a band with such an out-there sound could be!). Sparta were more melodic and emotional, and less successful but I quite liked them. I see parallels here, with Lords of Atlantis leaning more in the Mars Volta direction (though not to such an extreme), and Thee Leviathans keeping a lot of the core feeling of the original group. Neither group loses any aspect entirely, but each group does feel like very different children of The Madeira, each with certain "genes" more strongly pronounced.
Moving on from legacy, if you listen to instrumental music with a story in your mind's eye, you've got an imaginary IMAX screen right here. This is far from paint-by-numbers surf music, everything feels purposefully and adeptly crafted for effect. I can also see how, all Madeira aside, with many of these members in bands that are light-hearted, party-minded, and making light parody/homage of pop/nerd culture, I can understand a want for something like this that stands on its own and digs deeper. And dig deep it does, with one of the most immersive records of this year.
Enter the Dusky Realm is available on CD from Double Crown, Vinyl from TABU Recordings, and it's on bandcamp too. I got a very pretty blue splatter vinyl copy and I thought it was a magnificent sounding pressing.
