The Dead C are a legendary New Zealand band. They certainly don't sound like the others from there that you've likely heard. I mean, there's nothing in their output that suggests a comparison to countrymen The Chills or The Clean, though I suppose there's a link in sonic abrasiveness to the guitar work-outs of Bailter Space. The Dead C's Michael Morley has recently offered up a solo ablum, The Numbers under the Gate moniker, and it's challenging, and fairly vital.
"Stars Keep" unfurls like early Sonic Youth, Morley's slurred vocals a good deal less immediate than even those of Thurston Moore, but his axe indicates a similar vibe. The epic "Mountains" is a bit acid rock, shades of Japanese band Ghost here, while "All of My Family" offers material that faintly hints at an approach like that of The Telescopes.
Michael Morley didn't really need to add vocals to these work-outs, though the mumbles add a druggy desperation to things that works. Fans of Live Skull and No New York stuff will find something to hang onto here. The fire of the hooks is expressive and worth investigating, even for a casual fan of The Dead C.
The Numbers by Gate (Michael Morley) is out now. Details below.
[Photo: Sara Stephenson]