Killed by The Architects
(Killed by The Architects)

A heavy beat with metallic cutting guitars and main man (really only musician here) Jamie Berkes’ vocal warbles forth more of a warning than singing on opener “I’m a Ghost,” from his Killed by The Architects project, and the title of this 14-song collection.

Following pretty much in this production and soundscape mode things slow down slightly for the low down ” Wherever You Go,” with some neat string bending from Berke and the real moody (and equally laconic) “Like a Quote You Once Saw.” About halfway in, this latter tune is one of the best here, really expressing some loss.

Certainly two side of the same Killed by The Architects coin, from the single string simple lead in “Red Eye Girl,” and the punk playing of “Shatter,” we get a good insight into Berke’s guitar playing abilities…subtly strong as they are.  “Shatter,” is another one of my favorites here, you can really get lost in the droning melody and those unapologetic power chords.

I get what Berke’s trying for on second-to-last tune “Waste Time,” and while the picked guitar is a welcomed change, his circling-the-airport-for-a-vocal-melody on the verses is just too off-putting toe work. He slows things way down for the pair ender here, “Something’s on the Way/Sick of it All.” Starting with some soft strummed guitar (and thankfully back to a decent vocal performance), a swatch of noise slips in at about the two minute mark and then we get what I feel is the most imaginative use of drum machine on all of Killed by The Architects. This sounds a little like U2 at its wildest, maybe even a little Bowie, with feedback growling and a nihilistic lyric. What a great way to end this solid weird little album.