If you've followed this page for any amount of time, you know how much we've been looking forward to "Modern Horror", the latest album by the one and only Vision Video! It came out earlier this week, and I finally had a chance to sit and write about it. As this album contains several songs that have been out awhile, and I previously wrote about some of the singles, I don't feel the need to go track by track, but I will cover some of the highlights.
The title track starts the album off with a classic 80's horror sounding synth sound, before surprisingly adding some more synth? YES! On their last album, it's mostly just some symphonic keys, not this like deep bassy synth beat. I'm all about it! This song really sets the tone for the entire album, which if you've heard some of the singles they released such as"Balaclava Kiss", you should expect nothing but the finest post punk/goth pop anger at the state of the world, but with a sense of hope. A call to action that it's not too late, and we can still build the world we want.
My favorite track of the album has got to be "Dead Gods". Having been a victim of those who use religion to justify their hypocrisy, hatred, and bullshit more times than I can count, this one really spoke to me. I also just love how it sounds. This song is beautifully done and so tastefully written. One thing Dusty does well is write lyrics that say "hey fuck these guys" but does so in such a well composed intelligent way, and this song is a perfect example of that.
"Living Dead" has some of the most beautiful and emotional vocals on it, which is only fitting as the lyrics paint a bleak picture of depression and feelings of inadequacy. It's also got this cool melancholic yet upbeat feel to it. As a side note, I found it interesting how this one has a lot more filters on Dusty's voice than anything else on the album. I'm curious about that stylistic choice and whether that has some deeper meaning. I could be totally wrong, but part of me wonders if this song is actually meant to be a reflection of how bullshit and soulless the music industry has become.
"Let Go Of Time" is so poppy and is a love song! I honestly didn't expect it, but it's absolutely gorgeous and heartfelt and I adore it. It's very different from anything else we've heard from Vision Video, and I for one hope they explore this type of sound profile more. I found it to be a nice change of pace being sandwiched between "Living Dead" and "Never Enough".
Throughout the album, the production is absolutely flawless. The pacing is fantastic. The song order and transitions are absolutely wonderful. I also love that "Stay" is the last track on the album, which is really smart. The album’s message is "here's all the scary shit in the world, the world fucking sucks, but it's all going to be okay in the end, don't give up." I think that is just so poetic and beautiful and this album couldn't possibly have been done any better. That's a message we all need a reminder of now and again.
"Let's watch it burn. We're dancing through the embers."
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