Album Review

††† (Crosses) – ††† (Crosses)

• 10th Feb 2014

††† (Crosses) are Chino Moreno (Deftones), Shaun Lopez (Far) and Chuck Doom, and this debut release is something totally unexpected in the best possible way.

Deftones fans will be surprised to hear Moreno’s clean vocal shining throughout, though not without that trademark melancholy tint that lends so much depth and emotion to albums like ‘White Pony’. In fact, there’s a wonderful melting pot of influences going on across the board here with tinges of 80’s electronica, golden age hip-hop and an overlaying sheen of Nine Inch Nails-inspired industrial rock. It might be something you never thought you’d hear in relation to a Chino project, but there are traces of The Pet Shop Boys on the delicious late-night inner city crawl of ‘bermuda locke†’ and the album as a whole is stylistically reminiscent of the Gorillaz release ‘Plastic Beach’.

The epic reggae-tinged ‘†rophy’ is a meandering highlight that drifts through a late 80’s sound with effortless ease and demonstrates the slow burn that makes this album such a treat – there are no “stand out” tracks or huge singles here, it’s more of a concept album; full of expertly crafted soundscapes that drag the listener on a sprawling and atmospheric musical journey. Of course, Moreno is unmistakable throughout and his iconic vocal is actually perfectly suited to the droning, hypnotic, dream-like quality that seems to make up the backbone of the album.

It’s not without fault and there are a few duds here and there, but as a listening experience it’s refreshing to find a cohesive collection of material that evokes an overall tone and mood that becomes fully immersive – a rare find these days in the high-turnover, short-attention-span world of digital music. This is an intriguing release that’s a must listen for true music lovers; there’s something deliciously anachronistic about ††† that harks back to the glory days, like freshly discovering a band long-since dead. Here’s hoping that Moreno and friends have a few more releases up their sleeves yet.

– Jamie Otsa

Venue: ††† (Crosses)
Support Band: Sumerian Records