Sweet Nectar

Item: Tired Face in Clown Paint
Author: Todd Brown

Tired Face in Clown Paint

(1995)

Reviewed by Todd Brown

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Label R.E.X. MusicThe LighthouseApril 1996

alternative rock gothic rock grunge hard rock

Some very few, very thorough readers may recall an extended rant which appeared a few issues back extolling the virtues of a band called Four Living Creatures. Well, they're no longer an indie, they're no longer Four Living Creatures, and they're back.

Sweet Nectar is essentially the same band considered by many to be the best of those appearing on this past summer's Cornerstone New Band Stage. This particular jury will refuse to offer an opinion on that until Velour's album releases, but suffice it to say that Sweet Nectar is very, very good. They play a style just slightly unlike anything else I've heard to this point. Blend together grunge, thrash, and a bit of goth and you have a reasonably good idea. The music alternates between lurching and soaring, as do the vocals. And the vocals are most likely what make this act stand out most. When they're on, they are exceptional. Think Alan Aguirre of the Scattered Few. This band has that same eerie, haunting feel that marked such bands as Love and Rockets, Peter Murphy, and Bauhaus, though for the most part, they are much louder.

It's really very difficult to pick out either a single outstanding song or a single example of their sound. They do quite a lot, and they do it all quite well. What is perhaps one of the most moving songs, and also one of the only quiet ones, is the melancholy "Golden Tongue:"

What are you wearing? That makes me spiral! I'd leave revival for your Golden tongue She's brazen? The sleep and willow The meek and narrow For your golden tongue Some things will never change? Some things will never change! Goodbye

While the song is stylistically fairly different from the majority of the disc, it certainly shows their skill at writing sparse, yet very powerful, lyrics.

The down side to this release is that Tired Face In Clown Paint is essentially Proletariat Poetry repackaged. This is a problem first because the three new songs really aren't likely to entice those who already own the previous disc to buy it, and second, because the production is a bit muddy. The recording is really fairly high quality for an independent, but it's still not quite up to par for a label release. At times the sounds seem to slur together, and the result is a somewhat confusing wall of sound. But still, it's not that serious a problem, and the songs are quite strong enough to carry through it. Fans of goth, or early British grunge bands such as The Mission should definitely give this a look.