I've been wrestling with this CD since it landed in the Sepiachord mailbox.
I love the look of "You break our hearts, we'll tear yours out.", I was instantly drawn in by the æsthetic.
Much of the music is based on noir/scary rock mixed with bits of roots music in the vein of the Bad Seeds.
Admittedly I'm a sucker for this sort of thing. I love the way the distorted guitar scurries and scuttles around like phantom insects on a junkie's arm.
The Gilded Palace of Sin is definitely skilled at disassembling the blues and appropriating elements to make their take on end of the world and/or relationship rock. I couldn't be happier to have encountered the songs "There is No Evil, There is No Good." and (especially) "Vony & the Plynths".
My problem is that the strongest song on this collection is also the one I like the least.
"Rosa Salvaje" is the song that's going to get stuck in your head, the one that you'll remember long after you've forgotten the rest of the album.
Unfortunately "Rosa Salvaje" is a piece that could easily have been slipped onto 70's FM radio with all the cringe-worthy "singer/songwriters" of the day. Yes this number does have some distorted guitar work but it's buried in the background under the syrupy lyrics with their humble vocalization.
YET I can't deny the power of "Rosa Salvaje" it is the song you'll remember, the song you'll find yourself singing along to.
In the end I have to give the band credit for writing a memorable, strong number... I just wished I liked it.
