Album Review: Merchandise - Children Of Desire

Merchandise
Children Of Desire
Rating: Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It

Tampa trio Merchandise, comprised of multi-instrumentalists Carson Cox and David Vassalotti and Patrick Brady on bass, apparently have flitted around that city's underground hardcore, goth, and post-punk scenes for a while in other bands such as Neon Blud, Cult Ritual, and the Dry County. With their second LP Children of Desire, the band seems to have taken their various backgrounds and combined them into a much more fully realized beast. Strangely, this also creates the almost impossible task of trying to pigeon hole the band into any one genre. Stylistically, Children of Desire is all over the map, touching on a lot of their influences, from shoegaze, dream pop, 80s alt-rock, folk, and neo-psychedelia. It is a testament to the band's fortitude that they are able to blend all these disparate styles into such a compelling mix.

Starting off with the lovely "Thin Air," Cox's deep, evocative voice begins in almost a spiritual way, with floating electronics buoying the short intro track, before leaping into the jangly first single "Time." Drawing from the Smiths, Railway Children, The Sundays, and a whole host of other 80s alt-rock heroes, the track feels well-settled but completely of the now. The wistful air of the music goes well with the cynical nature of lyrics like "I took a lover just to kill some time."



But the album truly kicks into gear with the mesmerizing brilliance of the 10 minute "Become What You Are." A stately guitar track that builds from a steady beat and scrawling guitar chords into a fantastic mesh of guitars, organs, and forceful drums. The track is a beautiful testament to remaining true to one's self, Cox reflecting "The music started, I realized it was all a lie/ The guitars were running out/ Last year's punk," and crushed that someone doesn't believe in him with the lines "did you ever listen to my words/or did you just want to memorize the chords."



It is startling how easy the tracks flow through to one another even when they are of different styles. The almost shoegaze-trance of "Become What You Are," neatly segues into the industrial goth of "In Nightmare Room," which sounds like the perfect marriage of Sisters of Mercy's goth cool with Jesus and Mary Chain's brash attitude.



And the sweet piano ballad "Satellite" is the perfect refresher leading into the other 10 minute track "Roser Park." Although not as sublime as "Become What You Are," the track still closes the album on a high note, its celestial organs driving the reflective melancholy along before it drifts out into a haze of echoing, shoegazy guitars.



Children of Desire was such a wonderful discovery for me. Seeing a band capable of so much diversity while still remaining true to their individual sound and approach is a rarity these days, and makes me very hopeful for even greater things from this promising band.

Rating Scale:

Chilfos: masterpiece; coolest thing I've heard in ages.

Woof Daddy: excellent; just a hair away from being a masterpiece.

Grrrr: very good; will definitely be considered for my top releases of the year.

Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It: good; definitely invites further listens and piques one's interest for more material.

Meh: not horrible, but certainly not great; could have either been polished, trimmed, or re-thought.

Jeez Lady: what the hell happened? Just plain bad. They should hang their heads in shame and be forced to listen to Lady Gaga ad nauseam as penance.

Tragicistani: so bad, armed villagers with pitchforks and torches should run the artist out of the country for inflicting this abomination on the human race.