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Looking into the abyss can be a problem for some, yet The Mining Co. seems to enjoy going places where others fear to tread. Shading the new album with a minimal sound pallet, Michael Gallagher claims the music of Classic Monsters is in black and white, “I wanted to keep it sparse yet dramatic.” While the shades made by the Mining Co. may be more muted, sensory synth sounds framing the piano of opening Failure bounce darkly off the drums, unwinding a tale that seems more meant to be felt than scanned.
Pablo Errea’s bass is pushed almost to a breaking point until Patri Espejo booms piano chords into the mix, offering an assault on the senses and forming the basis of Classic Monsters. Working with producer Paco Loco (who also delves into soundscapes using synths and ambient sounds) and drummer Esteban Perles on drums, the band, known as Los Jaguares de la Bahía, provides a sound that seems to fit the form and function of the songs Gallagher has written, even though the recordings were made over the space of just four days.
Merging words and music to create a strange brew, Gallagher creates images of characters from the monster movie playing out in his head. Broken lives on odd images that don’t necessarily create a perfect scene. “Baby got a head like a wooden block/ Fell down the stairs and she wouldn’t stop/ Spin, spin, spin like a tornado.” The song haunts in a way that many tales of beasts and monsters do.
Espejo’s piano finds a way to create something compelling even when playing single notes. Manta Ray is triggered by his simple phrases and the ambient sounds of Loco’s synths; lines like “Weird painted angels with feathers worn away/ rest above the doorway with songs they can make,” seem to induce shivers despite the gentle music.
The final track, Planetarium, offers questions without answers as Gallagher peers into the future: “Will we make it through the innocence of space/ always reaching out/ Staring at the void for an interstellar ray/ Wondering if we are not alone.” The sparse music highlights the uncertainty and anxiety, with piano and synth working in a vaguely unsettling mix.
Michael Gallagher and The Mining Co. look at these Classic Monsters with a jaundiced eye. In a world where our past has often been painted over to appear more appealing and our future is uncertain, the only thing we can depend on is our own ability to move forward. It’s not always a pretty picture, but it’s the only one we have. The Mining Co. has the honesty to keep moving despite what we might find.
Classic Monsters (9th August 2024) Pindrop Records
